Managing the Yankees

Where's our DH?

2010-06-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

Before the season began they were speculation that the Yankees designated hitter Nick Johnson would provide offense on the 2 hole. Well they are right about one thing – it’s all speculative. Until now I couldn’t believe why the Yankees administration took a chance on a player who spends more time on the bench (recuperating) than on the baseball field. Sure Nick Johnson has a good on base percentage and yes he would be a perfect compliment to Derek Jeter on the top of the line-up but that is when he is healthy. That is not exactly the case.

This season Nick Johnson has only played 24 games and is only hitting .167, not a good performance coming from your DH. How I wish the Yankees has a time machine and get somebody else as a DH instead on the injured bug Johnson. They were a lot of options back then. There is Jonny Gomes who is hitting .291 with 9 homers. Eric Hinske is another option who has a batting average of .309 with 5 home runs. Or they could get anybody else for that matter as long as that player is “HEALTHY” and able to contribute to the team.

Now the Yankees are a man short and their bench is not as deep as it used to be. With injuries to regular stars like A-Rod and Posada plus the inconsistency of Mark Teixeira, the Yankees offense is experiencing power outage. Not unlike last year when they still have Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon plus a supportive bench.

The good thing about these unfortunate events is it is never too late for the Yankees to correct their mistakes. They can dig deep to their pockets and get somebody from a mid season trade. The Yankees have a chance to win another World Series if they add firepower from a trade. Will they do it? They better be or else they have to wait for Nick Johnson who might possibly get injured again when he comes back.

I love Hideki Matsui, but........

2010-04-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

Just look at this picture from above. It is very clear that Hideki Matsui is no longer part of the New York Yankees organization. But in every Yankee fan, Matsui will still be in their hearts. Matsui is an integral part of the Yankees most especially in the 2009 World Series against the LA Angels where Matsui outperformed everybody by bagging the World Series MVP.

In my opinion, I would still prefer that the Yankess should have instead picked Matsui over new acquisition Nick Johnson. Sure, Johnson is 4 years younger than Matsui but that doesn't much apply since Johnson is injury plaque. In terms of salary they are pretty much the same and both just have one year contracts.
So far this are their performance for 2010:

Hideki Matsui: (In 14 games)

.314 batting average; .397 OBP; .588 SLG; 3 HR and 8 RBI

Nick Johnson: (In 12 games)

.158 batting average; .407 OBP; .289 SLG; 1 HR and 5 RBI

It so obvious that Matsui is a much better player than Johnson. Matsui could produce more runs for the Yankees and is Mr. Clutch.
Until now I am still in awe of why didn't the Yankees got the services of Matsui. Their line-up could have been much better with Godzilla around.

But looking on to the future, I guess not signing Matsui is a good way to go. Why? Because other players in the Yankees line-up will step up. Guys like Robinson Cano and speedster Bret Gardner will be given a lot of time to show to the league that they can be stars if given the chance. So far the two of them are doing great.

This is also a good time for the Yankees to prepare their old guys like Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter to be assigned as a designated hitter.
Particularly Jorge Posada, who seems to be on his last year for playing the catcher position. The Yankees are grooming Jesus Montero and Austin Romine to be the next everyday catcher.

If all goes well, we might see the Yankees bringing up slugger Jesus Montero in the middle of the season. If Nick Johnson gets injured or doesn't live to the our expectation, look for the Yankees calling the number of Montero very soon.
We all know Montero's power and hitting prowess. He's ready to play in the big leagues. What remains to be seen is his catching and defensive skills. He still needs to improve and develop those skills to be a catcher in the MLB.

Anyway, the Yankees have deep pockets and they can get someone from the trade route if Montero is still not MLB ready. There are a lot of guys out there that the Yankees can get somewhere in the middle of the season who can immediately make an impact and contribute to the team.

Again, I love Hideki Matsui. But it's time to move on. Giving the young guys a break, being economically sustainable and being more athletic will make the Yankees a much better team in the future. Maybe not this year but in the following years to come.

Life has a cycle and the Yankees are very much aware that the beloved Matsui is not anymore part of their organization. Just like in the book, Matsui's chapter is finished. We are now continuing to another chapter. A much better one!

Is the Yankees bench weak?

2010-04-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

The Yankees lost to the Red Sox... it's a tough one especially coming from a season opener. But that's only one game. They still have 161 games to go. Anyway not only did the Yankees starting pitcher played poorly but also the Red Sox ace Josh Beckett.
Next game we will see AJ Burnett and the avenging Yankee line-up. Yankees' offense looks great. Brett Gardner showed flashes of brilliance stealing home and hitting. Newcomer Curtis Granderson homered. They are still a team to beat.

Things seems okay. But I'm a little worried of the Yankees bench. There's nobody that can provide instant offense. New acquisition Randy Winn and Marcus Thames are a nice pick-up but will they provide some spark off the bench?
Last year the Yankees have Melky Cabrera, Xavier Nady and defensive catcher Jose Molina of the bench. It's a little bit slim this year.

Let's just hope that the Yankees will encounter minimal injuries in the future. They can't afford to lose guys like Nick Johnson and Jorge Posada or things would look bleak.
That is why the Yankees must be ready with their minor league players if something happens.

Players like Jesus Montero, Austine Romine, Juan Miranda could help out if necessary. This homegrown talents needs just a little tuning before they enter the majors.

So far the Yankees looks great even if they lost to the Red Sox. Let's just cross our fingers guys because we need a lot of regular season win to get to championship number 28.

Is Cameron Diaz a distraction to A-Rod?

2010-02-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

Spring Training is here. But before we really dig in to the Yankees development, let me give you something that could be a distraction to one of the the Yankees stars..... Alex Rodriguez.
As we all know the fame and personality of A-Rod have attracted a lot of women in the past. There was Madonna, then came Kate Hudson, and now there are rumors that A-Rod is dating Hollywood star Cameron Diaz.

The baseball pro was caught getting pretty cozy with Cameron Diaz at the CAA Party in Miami a couple of weeks ago. Pre-partying for the Super Bowl with friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes at the W Hotel, Cameron seemed to be having a blast with A-Rod as the two danced the night away.

“They were having a great time,” a partygoer tells OK! while Cameron was, “grinding on A-Rod.”

According to the partygoer, a tipsy Cameron was being very, “fun and flirty,” with the Yankee player sitting on the couch beside her as she, “was dancing by herself and then turning into [Alex] some.”

Last year A-Rod had a monstrous season especially in the post-season overcoming his past failures. Some people say ex-girlfriend Kate Hudson is the reason why. Now Cameron looks like to be on board.... will A-Rod have the same effect?

To tell you the truth, I don't really care. It's not our business who A-Rod dates. Let him have his personal life to himself as long as he remained "the best" baseball player in the league. That's all our concern.

So my message to A-Rod; "just keep on swinging and blasting"!

Baseball step aside for Super Bowl

2010-02-08T04:05:00.000-08:00

Baseball and the Yankees will have to step aside for the moment and give praise to the winner of the NFL Super Bowl XLIV, the New Orleans Saints. Louisiana native Tracy Porter, a corner back, played a crucial role in the New Orleans Saints' magical run to a Super Bowl title and their victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

A second-round draft pick who grew up in Port Allen, across the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge, Porter watched the Saints every Sunday with his family and friends. He remembers bags on the heads of embarrassed fans during the franchise's lean years.

Now the Saints have done the previously unthinkable in large part because of him in a 31-17 victory Sunday. Porter's 74-yard touchdown on an interception of a Peyton Manning pass gave the Saints an insurmountable two-touchdown lead late in the fourth quarter.

It is so nice to see a city like New Orleans who was nearly destroyed by a hurricane 5 years ago upset a winning team like the Indianapolis Colts for their 1st Super Bowl title. Who Dat?

Congratulations New Orleans Saints! Just like the New York Yankees, you are now at the top of the mountain.

Why Joe Mauer's signing with the Twins is good for the Yankees?

2010-02-06T04:56:00.000-08:00

There is no doubt that Joe Mauer is the best catcher in MLB today. He is the "whole package" at the catching position. Mauer has Gold Glove skills, size, poise, and have the best swing in baseball. He hits for a consistently stellar average while also taking walks. Definitely Mauer has grown into a top-tier home run threat and run producer.

Mauer is the 2009 AL MVP, 3 time AL Batting Champion, 3 time Silver Slugger , 2 time Gold Glover, and a 3 time All-Star. Mauer got it all. That is why many teams are after him when he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2010 season. The powerhouse Yankees are also interested, knowing that their prize catcher (Jorge Posada) will be retiring soon.

However Mauer looks like is never going to leave the Twins. Remember that Mauer is a Minnesota local boy. Mauer is Minnesota's hometown hero. And the Twins will do everything just to keep their star in their organization.... hell, the Twins are willing to give the moon just to keep him.

The Minnesota Twins ownership wished to move from the Metrodome to a site behind the Target Center, claiming that the Metrodome generates too little revenue for the Twins to be competitive. Therefore it is wise for them to keep their prize catcher to fill in those seats in their new stadium.

So is this bad news for the Yankees? Not exactly. Look at it this way, the Yankees will be free on their financial budget. Mauer would most likely get $ 20+ million annually for 10 years. That means if the Yankees sign Mauer they will have difficulty acquiring an Ace type starting pitcher (assuming their sticking to their $ 200 million budget). It is better for the Yankees to invest on pitching first than a catcher. Posada's highest salary is just $ 13.1 million and he is also a good offensive catcher.

Yes, a Joe Mauer type doesn't come everyday. But where talking about a catching position here. A position where injuries always catch up. Even the star caliber Mauer incurred several injuries in the past and has suffered back problems that forced him to miss the entire month of April last season. A catcher's position is the toughest position in baseball. You have to get down on your knees for 160 games in a season. Catching everyday will affect the knees of the catcher and will lose their speed and agility. We don't see a catcher stealing 20+ base in season do you?

Their main goal is to catch and have some bat along the way. So for the Yankees seeing Mauer sign with the Twins is a good thing. The Yankees can now divert their attention to starting pitching (which should be their top priority). Cliff Lee and Josh Beckett will be free agent at the end of the 2010 season. The Yanks will certainly would like to have an additional good starting pitchers to bolster their already strong rotation.

And in regards to the catching position... well the Yankees still have Jorge Posada don't they? And Posada can still catch this season and maybe half of it in 2011. Plus the Yankees have catching prospects down in the minors. Jesus Montero and Austin Romine are the prime candidates. If Montero is as good as advertise and turns out to be an average defensive catcher, then the Yankees have solve their catching problems.

But if not, there is still Romine or the Yankees can go for a trade and the free agency route. If your going to ask me I would rather have a good defensive catcher with some bat than an offensive catcher with poor defensive skills. Remember that the success of the starting pitcher also comes from their battery mates.

Mauer is good as gone and the Yankees must look for a replacement for Posada soon. Either they get a catcher in their farm system, or through a trade, or from the free agency pool. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that the Yankees must get a good defensive catcher with some pop that falls accordingly to their budget. And that ladies and gentlemen is how you define success.

Yankees has the most retired numbers

2010-02-04T04:49:00.000-08:00

Do you know that the New York Yankees has the most number of retired numbers in Major League Baseball? They have retired 15 numbers for 16 players. Here are the list:

1 - Billy Martin 2B
3 - Babe Ruth RF
4 - Lou Gehrig 1B
5 - Joe DiMaggio CF
7 - Mickey Mantle CF
8 - Bill Dickey C
8 - Yogi Berra C
9 - Roger Maris RF
10 - Phil Rizzuto SS
15 - Thurman Munson C
16 - Whitey Ford SP
23 - Don Mattingly 1B
32 - Elston Howard C
37 - Casey Stengel M
44 - Reggie Jackson RF
49 - Ron Guidry SP

42 - Jackie Robinson (retired throughout the league)

The number 42 was retired throughout Major League Baseball in honor of Jackie Robinson on April 15, 1997, the 50th anniversary of his breaking the color barrier.
The day was declared Jackie Robinson Day, and would later be observed by all of baseball, with select players from every team wearing the number 42.
Mariano Rivera, the current closer for the Yankees still wears the number due to a grandfather clause and is the last remaining player to do so.

So that's 15 Yankee retired numbers plus the retired number of Jackie Robinson which make a total of 16. That means the Yankees now have only 84 numbers to choose from out of a 100. The Yankees have never issued number 0, the only two single-digit numbers that have not been retired are number 2, currently worn by team captain Derek Jeter, and number 6, last worn by former Manager Joe Torre.
If both numbers are ultimately retired, the team would become the first in baseball history to have all of the numbers 1–10 retired.

The Yankees are considering to retire additional numbers of several prominent figures who wore them in the past. This people are:

21 - Paul O'Neill RF (1993-2001) = Relief pitcher Latroy Hawkins briefly wore the number in the 2008 season but, on April 16, 2008, Hawkins switched to number 22 in response to the criticism he received by many Yankee fans.

51 - Bernie Williams CF (1991-2006) = The Yankees All-Star center fielder; He played his entire 16 year career with the Yankees.

35 - Mike Mussina SP (2001-2008) = nicknamed the Moose; Mussina played the last 8 years of his career with the Yankees.

6 - Joe Torre M (1996-2007) = Led the Yankees to 6 American League Pennants and 4 World Series Championships. In addition he managed the team to the postseason each year during his tenure as manager.

So that's another 4 numbers of the chart. With Andy Pettitte (46) close to retiring, and Mariano Rivera (42), Derek Jeter (2) and Jorge Posada (20) not far behind, the Yankees will seriously retire their numbers without a doubt. That's another 4 off the chart and a total of 8.
Less than a decade from now the Yankees might also retire the numbers of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and CC Sabathia (if they continue their careers as a Yankee). Add another 3 numbers to it.

You got a potential of 11 retired numbers coming soon. Sooner or later the Yankee organization will run out of jersey numbers to play with. This is just to show how dominating this franchise is. The Yankees, time and time again, have managed to have great players to their team. That is why they have the most number of World Series Championships with 27 titles and still counting.
They remained competitive every year by getting good players.

So don't be surprise if you suddenly see a Yankee player in the field wearing jersey number 112. With 15 Yankee retired numbers plus a lot more coming, this scenario will become a possibility.

will there be a player in the future who has a jersey no of 162 or 103

Who's the Idiot?

2010-02-02T04:26:00.000-08:00

(Image from Lenny's Yankees)

At first the Johnny Damon/Scott Boras ridiculous contract demands was kinda humorous. But now, nobody is laughing anymore....

4 years ago.... when Damon was 4 years younger, the tactics that Boras and Damon used was effective. At that time Damon was still at his prime at the age of 32. Damon was a lot faster and better. He was one of the best lead-off hitter in the league.
Because of that almost every team wants to sign the speedy Damon. Even the Boston Red Sox (Damon's former team) made an offer to Damon. But in the end it's the Yankee empire that won the bidding, signing Damon for 4 years at $ 13 million annually.

But that was 4 years ago or should I say... centuries ago. Today Damon is older, slower, and is more likely to have more injuries.
Both Boras and Damon should be "aware" that they are aiming for the stars ($ 13 million annually), and it seems to be a distant possibility. Even the Yankees (considered as the wealthiest organization in baseball) can't afford the salary that Damon/Boras is asking.

And as the day progresses and spring coming soon, Damon was still playing "hard to get". Each and every team that were interested in signing Damon went to their plan B's and signed a player that were more affordable.
It was only the Yankees who have a deep interest in bringing back Damon. In fact the Yankees waited too long that they lost the chance of signing other free agents like Hideki Matsui, Jerry Hairston Jr., etc.

I thought that Damon's story is going to be like Bobby Abreu of 2008 where Abreu took a massive pay-cut with the Angels just before the Spring training. But still Damon remained "high and mighty" and still refuse to take a pay-cut, hoping that someday a team will give him the $ 13 million that he wanted.

Something is definitely wrong with Johnny Damon. It's obvious that Damon screwed up a good thing here by allowing Scott Boras to antagonize the Yankee front office with his contract demands even after GM Brian Cashman's warnings that he wasn't playing games with the agent.
They thought that Yankees would give in to their demands knowing that Steinbrenners have "very deep pockets". I guess the owners are strictly serious with their $ 200 million budget.

With only $ 2 million left on the Yankees budget, Cashman went the distance and offered Damon $ 5 million (higher than their budget). Again Damon played them a fool. So the Yankees closed the chapter on Damon and move on by signing free agent outfielder Randy Winn for just $ 2 million only. That move place the nail in the coffin and put the Damon scenario to rest.... finally.

Damon either let his own ego get in the way of a perfect situation with the Yankees or he paid a price for trusting Boras too much, but in any case he'll miss his old team more than it will miss him. Not only will Damon miss the chance to play with a team that can win again a World Series but Damon will also miss the Yankees Stadium. It is in that stadium that Damon was able to set a career high of 24 home runs in a single season (2006 & 2009).

It's a tough lost for the Yankees but even a "greater" lost for both Damon and Boras. There was once an instance that several baseball people said that they believe Cashman became furious with Boras' negotiating tactics. One person close to the situation said that he once heard the Yankee GM screaming at Boras via his cell phone.

Before I thought the Red Sox community was just "bitter" with the situation that Damon went to the rival Yankees for more money. They kept on calling Damon "Idiot", which by definition means a very stupid person.
Now I truly believed what the Red Sox community are implying against Damon. Damon has one of the 7 deadly sins..... greed.
And now it is killing him, until now Damon is still unemployed as we speak.

I hate to point the obvious, but Johnny Damon is truly an "Idiot"!. Unless of course he wise up and swallow his pride and have some dignity left in his character, the name idiot will stick with him forever.....

Jonny Gomes as an insurance....

2010-01-30T04:33:00.000-08:00

The Yankees are still at it. After signing Randy Winn to help fill their hole in left field and to complete their 2010 roster, the Yankees are considering of adding another slugger to provide insurance just in case a positional player flops or gets injured.
Jonny Gomes is one of the free agent who is on the Yankees radar.... that is if Gomes is willing to accept a minor league deal.

Since the outfield is already set with Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner and the newly acquired Winn. There is no spot left in the 25 man roster. Therefore the only available position left is in the minor leagues.
If Gomes agrees on a minor league deal, he might compete for an outfield spot along with Rule 5 draft Jamie Hoffmann. Both Gomes and Hoffmann will see some time in Spring training.

This is a good move for the organization as it provides insurance and also bolster their minor league teams. If Gardner plays poorly or if Randy Winn gets injured, the Yankees will surely bring up their minor league players.... one possibility is Jonny Gomes. Other options are:

-Jamie Hoffmann (he has to see playing time or he will be sent back to the Dodgers)

-Juan Miranda (naturally a 1st base man but can play in left if needed; he can hit)

-Greg Olson (newly acquired but is still raw; needs more time in the minors)

-Nick Johnson (can play left if the Yankees bring up Jesus Montero and make him their DH)

Jamie Hoffmann is most likely to be a Yankee outfielder this season. The rest are just speculations.

It wouldn't hurt though if they add Gomes to their club. Jonny Gomes has great pure strength, which allows him to muscle the ball out of any Major League stadium. He is capable of hitting 20+ home runs if given enough playing time.
Gomes bats right and excels against left-handed pitching (a complimentary to Gardner). He is just 29 years old and is still on his prime. The Yankees can make Gomes as a platoon player in the outfield.

Let's just wait and see what will happen in the coming days. The Yankees will surely be glad having another home run threat to their organization.... even if he is listed in their minor league division.

Why is Randy Winn a "winning" formula

2010-01-28T04:08:00.000-08:00

Many Yankee fans are all torn up on the Yankees decision on signing free agent Randy Winn, who is not as spectacular as Johnny Damon. Some are expecting that Damon will come to terms with the Yankees by signing a one year, $ 3-5 million contract.
Or they assume that the Yankees will go after cheap right handed batters like Reed Johnson and Jonny Gomes to platoon with Brett Gardner who bats left.

So why Randy Winn? He is getting old and will be turning 36 on June. He has no power and his OBP and SLG has diminished. His arm is not great of an asset and most critics analyze that Winn is on his downward career. So why him? Why not use the $ 2 million on somebody else?

Although I am not a great Randy Winn supporter, I truly support the Yankees decision on signing him. Here's why:

DEFENSE:

This is the one of the main reason why until now the Yankees are not eager to sign Damon. Damon's arm is such a huge defensive liability for the Bombers last season. This year they upgraded their outfield defense by adding Curtis Granderson and still maintaning Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner.
And now with Randy Winn coming in, the Yankees would surely make better defensively. Winn played right field during his stint with the Giants and he is capable of playing 3 outfield positions for the Yanks. Joe Girardi would probably place him in left which is a much easier task for him.

INJURY FREE:

A factor why the Yankees pass on to free agents who are bugged with injuries. Guys like Xavier Nady and Reed Johnson would be a nice addition to the club but will certainly spell trouble if they are out of the season because of their injuries. Why would the Yankees sign another injury risk player when they have one of their own in Nick Johnson (now position to be their everyday DH). Plus they got old guys like Posada, Jeter and A-Rod who are prone to have injuries from time to time.

Randy Winn played an average of 158 games in a season in his 3 year duty with the Mariners. And an average of 152 games played in a season on his 4 year term in San Francisco. Basically Winn is available all year round no matter what team he is playing for.
With just a one year contract with the Yankees and his role as a platoon player in left field, his age won't really be a factor anymore. Winn can play 150 games for the Bombers if they want him to.

SPEED:

One thing the Yankees will benefit from Winn is his speed. He is not as fast as Carl Crawford or Jacoby Ellsbury but he can manage to steal a base if the team needs him to. Winn is capable of bagging 20 steals in a season. He could also be a late inning pinch runner for the Yankees.

PRICE IS CHEAP:

The Yankees surely made their $ 200 million budget into a reality. With only $ 2 million left in their budget the organization filled their outfield hole and completed their 2010 roster by signing Randy Winn.
If Winn turns out to be the player that he was during the 2007-2008 season with the Giants, the Yankees will definitely get a bargain out of their $ 2 million. Winn had an average of .303 batting AVG, .435 SLG, 20 steals and 12 homers in his 2007-2008 stint with the Giants.

This is also an indication for the Yankees to reserve their money for the 2010 free agent class where they can get guys like Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth. With the signing of Winn the Yanks now have flexibility with their budget.

Randy Winn is a sound gap hitter and has versatility to hit anywhere in the line-up. He is not spectacular but is a steady everyday outfielder. That is why Winn is a "winning formula". He is not here to hit home runs and produce a lot of RBI's. He is here to support and be there when the team needs him.

To be a successful team, the roster should be balanced which consist of superstars, regulars, supporters, reserves and their farm system.
The Yankees have their stars in A-Rod, Jeter, Sabathia, Mo and Tex. Plus their regulars like Posada, Cano, Pettitte, Joba and Phil Hughes. They got their reserves with Ramiro Pena and Juan Miranda and Jesus Montero waiting in the wings from their farm.
And now they have a supporting type of player in Randy Winn who can be an everyday type of player or can be a reserve outfielder.

Randy Winn provides balance in the team's roster and that is the "winning" formula for a potential run at the World Series title.

Will Damon sign with the Yankees? Drumroll please...

2010-01-24T04:59:00.000-08:00

Last January 8 2010, I indicated in my article that the Yankees should set a deadline for Johnny Damon and his agent Scott Boras. I specifically noted there that the offer from the Yankees should no where later than January 31, 2010. Looks like the Yankees can't wait that long......

SI.com reported Saturday that the two sides spoke again within the past few days and Damon has now been given the weekend to decide whether he wants to return to the Bronx on what would be a bargain deal.
The Web site said Damon would probably have to accept a contract of no more than $5 million guaranteed. This on-again, off-again drama could officially come to a close by early next week.

The Yankees said that they are willing to go over their $ 2 million budget for a quality player like Damon. And now it all depends entirely to Johnny Damon if he still wants to be Yankee....
I say he should take it. Because of his age, defensive liability, and his silly contract demands Damon's market value has drastically went down.... way way down.
That means Damon won't be seeing any offer greater than $ 5 million. The Braves are stack up with outfielders and the Tigers have a problem of their own with their aging outfielders. It is only the Yankees that are the right team for Damon.

We all know Damon likes the Yankee Stadium. He is like Superman there, having a career high of 24 homers in two seasons (2006 & 2009). Damon can't do it in any other field.
Plus Damon will get the chance of competing again for a World Series title which could be his 3rd.
This is Damon's last chance to be a Yankee. It' a "take it or leave it" kind of a deal. The Yankees have set a deadline and the club will move on by signing cheaper outfielder ($ 2 million below) if Damon resist.

The Yankees can look to a free-agent pool that includes Xavier Nady, Randy Winn, Reed Johnson, Jermaine Dye and Jim Edmonds. Although the emphasis would be on Reed Johnson and Xavier Nady.

So the Damon saga is coming to an end. Will the Yankees roll the red carpet for the return of Johnny Damon or will we see Damon pack his bags to go to another team? Drumroll please....
Hang on to your hats folks. This is going to be exiting!

Jesus Montero; Yankees full time DH

2010-01-22T03:06:00.000-08:00

Jesus Montero is the Yankees top prospect in their farm today. He's got power and is arguably the best pure hitter in the minor leagues. Montero has a power rate of 8 from a scale of 2-8 with 8 as the highest. His bat is ready for the big leagues however his defense is not....

The Yankees envisioned Montero to be their next everyday catcher but his size and defensive liability makes the organization worried if the youngster can play that position. Montero, at the age of 20, is outgrowing his position. He is 6' 4" high and is closing in to 245 lbs, that's pretty huge for a catcher. The normal and average size of a catcher is from 5' 10"-6" high and around 180 lbs.

Instead of forcing Montero to a position that most likely he will suffer why not place him in a spot where the Yankees can maximize his talents. Why not make Montero the team full time DH.
The Boston Red Sox use this approach by cementing their 40+ home run monster David Ortiz to the DH role. Ortiz comes to play for the Red Sox with one thing in mind... to hit. The Red Sox benefited from that as they remain competitive over the years.
The Red Sox don't care about their aging position players. Whenever guys like Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell needs a rest they will let them have their "complete" day-off. But their DH is there almost every game to whack homers.

That is something the Yankees should consider. They too got old position players. Jorge Posada catching days are almost over, Jeter is getting up in age, and A-Rod is no spring chicken. This players needs rest through the course of the regular season to limit their injuries and to keep them fresh for the post-season. Why not give them a complete day off instead of a half day-off. Let the reserves like Ramiro Pena, Francisco Cervelli, Juan Miranda types to contribute and make their share. The beauty of it is the Yankees can use in full their DH, making that guy available every game.

Nick Johnson, the Yankees present DH, is not going to be there all the time. He is going to be a free agent after the 2010 season and most likely the Yankees won't sign him again.
Johnson always had a case of injuries throughout his career, you won't be surprise if he gets injured this season.
That is why it will be a good move to bring up Jesus Montero in the middle of the season and make him the full time DH thus making Johnson slide down to a reserve role (Johnson can play 1B and LF). Or Johnson can start in left field if one of the outfield guys (Gardner, Granderson, Swisher) have a slump. This makes Johnny Damon, who is a hot topic nowadays, dispensable.

Just look at the American league today, each team has their own full time DH. The Rangers signed Vladimir Guerrero, the Mariners have Ken Griffey Jr., the Athletics got back Jack Cust, the Angels stole away Hideki Matsui, the White Sox got Andruw Jones, the Twins have Jason Kubel, the Tigers have Carlos Guillen, the Royals got Billy Butler, the Indians still has Travis Hafner, the Blue Jays can use Adam Lind, the Rays has Pat Burrell, the Red Sox got Big Papi, and the Yankees have the newly acquired Nick Johnson.
Only the Orioles have a weak spot from their DH (they only got Luke Scott).

The Yankees generated a lot of good numbers when they made Hideki Matsui their full time DH last year. Matsui knees were weak but his bat was strong making him a threat to opposing pitchers. This year the role is given to Nick Johnson. Somewhere in the future we could see Montero getting the DH spotlight.

It is a big advantage to a slugger to know that your primarily role is just to hit. No need to play defense but just hit. It makes the player divert all his attention to batting and nothing else. With this he can be an expert in the hitting department.
David Ortiz made a killing, it is possible for Montero to follow that trend. Montero is still young and given time he could be the next or the best designated hitter in the big leagues.

Yankees taking their time

2010-01-20T04:14:00.000-08:00

After completing their needs this off-season the Yankees now are taking their time.....

At the start of the off-season the Yankees put their attention on re-signing their reliable starting pitcher Andy Pettitte. With 3 pitchers already on board, the Yankees filled their weakness in the outfield by trading their prize prospects including Austin Jackson for Detroit's star center fielder Curtis Granderson.
With two objectives being achieved, the Bombers made their club more formidable by getting another star pitcher from a trade. The Yankees traded Melky Cabrera along with 2 minor league pitchers for Atlanta's Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan.

With Hideki Masui, the Yankees DH being out if the picture, Brian Cashman and company signed free agent and OBP slugger Nick Johnson to be their next designated hitter.
All of this transaction was done just in the month of December 2009. The Yankees fulfilled their area of concern from starting pitching to center field to their DH.
The Yankees have now a roster that can take any team in the coming 2010 season.

But one thing remains to filled.... their hole in left field. With Melky being traded there is a spot that is vacated. Brett Gardner can fill the hole in left but the Yankees said they want to get somebody (probably a right handed hitter) who can platoon for an outfield position.

The Yankees have a firm resolution that they have only $ 2 million to work with. As the day moves by another free agent outfielder gets away from the grasp of the Yankees. Guys like Marlon Bryd, Mike Cameron, Eric Hinske, and Jerry Hairston Jr was signed by other teams.
There are still a lot of good free agent outfielders out in the market. Johnny Damon is the most hottest topic and valuable free agent out there.

But there are a lot of free agents to choose from. Aside from Damon there is Rick Ankiel, Garrett Anderson, Rocco Baldelli, Jermaine Dye, Jonny Gomes, Reed Johnson, Xavier Nady, Gary Sheffield, Marcus Thames and Randy Winn.
Add more guys like Fernando Tatis, Endy Chavez, Chris Duncan and Robb Quinlan. So are a few infielders, like Felipe Lopez, who can play the outfield.

There seems to be no rush for any team — the Yankees or anyone else — to sign any of these guys. After all the Yankees are prepared for battle with their existing roster, and they are very talented even if they didn't get anybody else from the free agent pool. Like what they said they are ready to pencil in Gardner in left field. Question is are the Yankees content with this outfield line-up with no back-up or insurance when an injury might possibly occur somewhere in the season..... probably not.

That is why the Yankees needs to get somebody else to protect any possible setbacks in their outfield line-up. If I were the Yankees, I would increase my $ 2 million budget a little bit more.
This is just in case if there is a free agent who wants to be a part of the Yankees but wants a little more than $ 2 million. Damon is one guy that will be asking for more and to tell you honestly Johnny is far more better than the rest of the guys in the free agency pool.

I understand the Yankees goal to limit their budget and I support their mission to go young and athletic. But come on, $ 2 million? We all know the Yankees can do better than that.

Right now the Yankees are taking their time and not rushing things which I think is a great strategy. Who knows, Damon might eat his pride and come back to Yankees for a salary of just $ 3-4 million.
Good things comes to those who waits.... will that happen to the Yankees? We just have to wait and see.

Kevin Long's mission

2010-01-18T05:11:00.000-08:00

(picture courtesy of i-Yankees)

While the Yankees are still looking for another left fielder to compete with Brett Gardner in 2010 season, the Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long is getting ready to prepare for war.

Kevin Long is responsible for Robinson's Cano turn-around season in 2009. Cano improve his production (HR, AVE, OBP, SLG). Long took some time-out with Cano during the 2008 off-season. The two met in Dominican Republic and did batting practice.

This year Long will be working again with the Yankee sluggers. Here is a list on the players that needs improvement:

NICK SWISHER:

Nick Swisher was great during the regular season but he vanished when the play-offs began. Opposing pitchers saw a flaw on Swisher's batting mechanics.... off-speed pitches.

Swisher's performance dip to a low of .083 in the World Series. That is not acceptable for the Yankees. And that captured the attention of Kevin Long.

Long’s first stop was to meet with Swisher in December of 2009 at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, where the switch-hitting outfielder continued adjustments that were sparked during the World Series against the Phillies, quieting his movements and allowing him to better respond on offspeed pitches.

“To Swish’s credit, he wanted to get it right and he wanted to start early,” Long said. “He’s a man on a mission. I think the playoffs opened up his eyes to how pitchers can throw offspeed pitches over and over again to expose you. He was ready to take another step forward.”

Swisher’s postseason was one of frustration, best identified by his bases-loaded popup against the Angels’ Brian Fuentes in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. “Swish is a fastball hitter, and in the playoffs, he got a steady diet of offspeed stuff,” Long said. “They were able to throw them for strikes, and Swish’s swing has a lot of movement to it. The new mechanics are going to control some of those movements and put him in a better position.

“We’ve got his hands closer to his body, and we’ve got to get him consistent with his lower half. If we do all of those things, you might see a guy who’s able to react better to an off-speed pitch.”

Needs to improve on: Off-speed pitches

CURTIS GRANDERSON:

Granderson is a great addition for the Yankees. His power numbers will be felt and might see a career high in home runs with the Yankee Stadium short right field porch.
The problem is Granderson's weakness against lefties.

He's obviously more productive against right-handed pitching, but he's had productive years against left-handed pitching -- and a lot of non-productive years," Long said. "My job is to try to get him to feel as comfortable as possible, without forcing it. I don't know what he's done in the past, but I'd really like to get a sense of his mentality against left-handed pitching."

Needs to improve on: Batting against left handed pitchers

BRETT GARDNER:

Gardner is visioned to be the Yankees starting left fielder and batting in the 9th hole. To maximize the speedster's talent Long has to improve on Gardner's batting consistency and on-base percentage to get on base. When he is on base he can create havoc with his speed.

Bunting is a skill that Gardner needs to use a lot to be more effective. He doesn't need to hit home runs, his goal is just to reach 1st base and let his quickness do the rest.

Needs to improve on: Getting on base to maximize his speed

ROBINSON CANO:

I already mentioned that Cano has improved in almost every category. What he needs to develop is Runners in scoring position (RISP). Cano is poor in RISP forcing to end an inning with men on base. That is why Cano is batting in the 7th hole because of this flaw.

If Cano improve on this he can be position in the 5th hole giving protection to A-Rod.

Needs to improve on: Runners in scoring position

That's 5 regular players that Long needs to give attention to be more competitive in the 2010 season. Long also needs to spend some time with their reserves. Guys like Francisco Cervelli, Ramiro Pena, Juan Miranda (possibly), and Jamie Hoffmann.

Kevin Long is also waiting for the coming of the Yankees new outfielder. As of now the only available free agents that the Yankees are interested in are Johnny Damon, Reed Johnson, Jonny Gomes and Rocco Baldelli.

That is why it is important to get one if this guys on board so that Long will have enough time to condition them and develop their weakness.

It's going to be a busy off-season for Kevin Long. For most people Spring is the best time to have vacation. For Kevin Long it's work, work and work.

Boras: Please somebody sign this guy!

2010-01-16T04:39:00.000-08:00

Will we ever see Johnny Damon wearing a Yankee jersey.... in fact will we ever see him wearing a jersey of any kind at all?

"Please somebody sign my guy!". This has been a shut out of Sports agent Scott Boras, whom a couple months ago declared to the world that Damon deserves a salary like Yankee Icon Derek Jeter ($ 20 million annually). Now both Boras and Damon are worried if they will even get 25 % of Jeter's salary ($ 5 million).

Definitely Boras and Damon are in a losing situation. They had their chance before when the Yankees choose Damon over Matsui. But the two parties couldn't agree with their price. Initially Damon is asking a $ 14 million salary. So the Yankees move to Plan-B and signed free agent Nick Johnson at a economical price of $ 5.75 million. Damon went back to the Yankees and said that he is willing to lower his asking price to $ 10 million. Apparently Damon came to late.

There was another chance for Damon when the Yankees traded their outfielder Melky Cabrera for a starting pitcher. With left field being vacated, the Yankees once again are interested with Damon but with a lower offer ($ 6-7 million) since they are obliged to pay an annual salary of $ 11.5 million to their new starting pitcher (Javier Vazquez). But still Damon won't budge.

Now the Yankees have announce that they have only $ 2 million left to spend for a left fielder. That price put a nail in the coffin for Damon. There's no way he will sign at that price.

In conclusion, both Damon and Boras place themselves in a hole. The Yankees made their offer... twice. They had their chance and they blew it. Now they are like vultures looking for good meat to eat (if there is any left).

Aside from the Yankees, there are other teams that shown interest...... some of them move on and sign somebody else.

The Braves are interested. But it will be impossible for them to sign Damon unless Damon lowers his price to $ 1-2 million. Right now the Braves are looking at an outfield of McClouth in CF, a Diaz/Melky split in left and Heyward in right, with Hinske on the bench. Bringing in Damon would then give them five outfielders as well as tie up their excess money that could be used during the season, and it seems pretty evident that they are looking to cut their costs.

The Tigers are in the mix but I doubt if they are really serious. They got outfielders that are old. Magglio Ordonez will be turning 36 on January 28 while Carlos Guillen is 34. Adding Damon will not only make their roster much older but they will be weak defensively.

That leaves the Yankees. I really can see no other teams getting involved, and I think it comes down to deciding between a one year commitment in Atlanta and one in New York. The reason Damon hasn’t heard from the Yankees is because both parties know, whoever contacts the other first looks like they are in a greater need. To me, this is why Brian Cashman is great; he sets a value and refuses to go over what that value is. This skill is especially important when dealing with Boras; A-Rod was the only player I can think of that the Yankees overpaid what they felt he was worth, and that was a Steinbrenner move.

If Boras and Damon keeps on playing this game, they might not be in any team come spring training. Damon's case is much even worse than Bobby Abreu's story in the 2008 off-season. They should make a move now or else Boras and Damon will come begging for a job at the start of the season.

It's crunch time and Damon is heavily relying on his agent Boras to bring him to promise land. But the way this thing progress, I won't be surprise if Damon ends up in a different league. A league outside of baseball.... The WWE pays good, perhaps Boras should talk to chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. Maybe they could get a $ 20 million offer that they eagerly project.

Trade Carl Crawford now!

2010-01-14T05:01:00.000-08:00

There are rumors although not serious that the Yankees should trade for Tampa Bay Ray's left fielder Carl Crawford. Crawford is going to be a free agent at the end of the 2010 season but some experts suggest that the Yankees should gun for him and not wait the free agency.

I don't think the trade rumor is real. First of all why would the Rays trade their star to a team that is within their division? That will be total catastrophe. It is like handing a pennant to the Yankees. If the Rays going to trade Crawford, they are going to do it when they are out of contention. And most likely they are going to trade Crawford out of their division (the National league perhaps).

One thing for sure, the Rays are not going to let him walk and get nothing. The Rays future plans is to build a team around Longoria and prospects, competitive yet cheap, just like Minnesota.
So if Crawford ask for more money, the Rays will be force to let him go (or better trade him before the season ends). Crawford will be looking for a 5 year $ 75 million dollar deal and that means that only a couple of teams will be in on him anyway. The Yankees and Red Sox will surely be active if Crawford is available.
The Rays are looking for a catcher prospect and a 1st base in case they lose Carlos Pena (who will be a free agent also). If the Yankees are interested they can offer catching prospect Austin Romine (not Montero please), 1st baseman Juan Miranda and some pitching prospect.

If amazingly the Yankees able to trade for Crawford, the Bombers can have a speedy and reliable defensive outfielders. Crawford will be position in left while Brett Gardner will be patrolling center. Curtis Granderson can slide down to right field.
This means the Yankees can trade Nick Swisher (who will be earning $ 9 million in 2011) and use the money for pitching.
The Yankees will not be a one dimensional team if that happens. They got power and speed in their line-up.

In order to improve the Yankees line-up (speed-wise) the Yanks should trade their prospects now and get Crawford for the 2010 season at a bargain rate. Crawford will earn $ 10 million this year and the Bombers must then trade Swisher before his limited no-trade clause becomes active in 2011 (may block deals to 6 clubs).
Crawford is much better than Swisher. Crawford 50+ base stealing skills is something the Yankees should not take for granted. Crawford is still young (28) and his speed and skills will be consistent for another 4-6 years.

If the Yankees get Crawford, they will be a run and gun team but also with home run power. Aside from Crawford, the Yanks have Jeter, A-Rod, Granderson and Gardner that can run and steal bases. That's more than one half of the Yankees line-up that can kill opponents with their quickness.

For this year the Yankees intention is to rent Crawford for the 2010 season. See how will things fare. By the end of the season and Crawford doesn't want to come back on Yankees' terms ( meaning a lot less than $ 15 million plus) they can let him walk.... and get somebody else like Jason Werth.
If Crawford demands a contract for more than 5 years, the Yankees should say no. Because that would take him well into those years past his prime where he won't even be able to steal bags anymore. But that's all in the future.

As for now, just be contented with our current line-up and don't expect to much on Carl Crawford playing with the Yankees. The probability is way way far from reality.

2010 a big year for Derek Jeter

2010-01-12T04:46:00.000-08:00

Yes we all heard of Derek Jeter and long time girlfriend Minka Kelly tying the knot on November 5 (Sorry ladies!), but that's only the tip of the iceberg. This year would also be Jeter's contract year which is essential for both him and the Yankees.

Definitely the Yankees will offer the Yankees team captain a contract extension. After-all Jeter is probably the "icon" for the Yankees organization. Jeter gave the Yankees a generous contribution of 5 World Series titles, an instrumental for the team's late 90's dynasty, and is the Yankees all-time hit leader ( surpassing Lou Gehrig).

Since he first came to the league in 1995, Jeter brought along with him his hitting prowess, base stealing skills, excellent defensive aptitude (4 Gold Glove awards), his reputation as reliable contributor in the post-season (Captain Clutch), and is regarded as a consummate professional, by teammates and opponents alike.

It's very possible for the Yankees to offer Jeter an contract extension for 4-5 years. Anything less would be an insult not only to Jeter but to the whole Yankee community.
Jeter is 35 and is still on his prime. He could still be effective for another 2-3 years.
If Jeter signs a long contract with the Yankees (which we think he will), he could slide down to the DH spot on his last years because of a potential dip on his speed and defensive skills.

The Yankees Captain is due to earn $ 21 million this year but the question is how much will the Yankees give him annually on his contract extension. The first 2-3 years is critical for a salary raise because Jeter is still at his peak. The Yankees can lower his salary on his latter years of his contract (similar to Alex Rodriquez contract).

After Jeter retires there is also an outside chance for him to be on the Yankees coaching staff. Or maybe a broadcasting job. The possibilities are endless for the future Hall of Famer.
Besides he will be married soon to a beautiful and talented lady. Jeter can shy away for the lime light and have "more private time" with his family. He is already wealthy not only through his salary but to his endorsements.

2010 is really a big year for Derek Jeter. Not only professionally but personally. Jeter will be having a different kind of ring..... a wedding ring.

That's too bad for the Jeter's female admirers, they will be mourning when the Yankees' most eligible bachelor walk up the aisle and say "I Do".

Congratulations to you "El Capitan"! Hope you will have an amazing year this year.

Brett Gardner: Speed, Speed, Speed

2010-01-10T05:09:00.000-08:00

The Yankees are seriously thinking of adding another outfielder to complete their 2010 roster. But before they do any actions they should look at there present option to play left field..... that guy is no other than Brett Gardner.

Brett Gardner is the right man for left field. His has quick feet that can roam the outfield and he hustles to track down fly balls. He is not afraid to sacrifice his body even to the point of injury. We've seen him number of times in the past smashing to the wall just to catch the ball.
Gardner with right fielder Nick Swisher and new center fielder Curtis Granderson have excellent defensive skills and is an upgrade compared to the Yankees 2009 outfield roster.

Gardner is a perfect fit in the 9th hole. His patience at the plate gives him a lot of walks where he can use his talent to steal bases. With Jeter and OBP monster Nick Johnson at the top of the order, it will be easy for them to bring Gardner home (Gardner normally steal 2nd base). This is an automatic RBI for the team.
Gardner has little power but he compensates it with his consistent batting. He has a .270 average and a OBP of .345, he uses the whole field while making consistent hard contact.

But the main reason what makes Gardner valuable to the Yankees is his speed. Gardner's skills are enticing that the Yankees choose Gardner over co-team mate and outfielder Melky Cabrera (who is a excellent defensive player) to be traded to the Braves to get a starting pitcher.
Gardner is the fastest base runner in the organization. He has solid base running instincts and is adept at picking spots, knowing when it's more valuable to the team for him to use the threat of a stolen base to get the pitcher to throw fastballs to the heart of the order.

Gardner's legs is his greatest asset. There was one time where he made an inside the park home run (a difficult feat) against the Minnesota Twins on May 15, 2009. It took Gardner only 14 seconds to go around the bases, a total distance of 360 feet. That's lightning quick.
Gardner just played 108 games in 2009 but he managed to steal 26 bases. Just imagine what he could achieve if he completes the whole season. He could be a 40-50 base stealer adding another element to the Yankees power-house roster.

It's difficult to say what will Gardner bring in 2010. But if stays healthy and remain consistent the Yankees will much be better off without Johnny Damon. The Yankees will be better if they platooned Gardner with Reed Johnson, Jerry Hairston Jr., or even Jonny Gomes.

It will entirely depend on Gardner's performance this coming season. Speed and base stealing is an under-rated skill that goes over look. But this skills are the ones that made baseball team win ball games. It gives an element of surprise to opposing teams.
Every team wants to add speed and base stealing. The Yankees have that in Brett Gardner.

Yankees should set a deadline for Damon

2010-01-08T04:01:00.000-08:00

Everybody is getting tired of the "Johnny Damon rumors". The Yankees have move elsewhere (when Damon still insisted with his high contract demand) by signing free agent Nick Johnson since Matsui couldn't wait much longer.
The Damon rumors was dead until the Yankees traded Melky Cabrera. Now the left field spot is open again and the Damon rumors started swirling in. Still nothing is happening.

I'm sure Damon still has value, his bat is still a hot property and is a shoo-in at the top of the order. But Damon has to be realistic with his weaknesses. He's getting old, has a weak arm, and his injuries will go up as the years goes by. Therefore Damon should be considerate and must lower his asking price especially if no one is biting to his 2 year $ 20 million demand.
Why can't he see that he will benefit a lot of he signs with the Yankees. His production especially his home runs stats will still be there (thanks to the Yankee Stadium). And he will get a chance of winning another World Series title.

Look what Damon did to the Yankees so far..... the Yankees lost the chance to sign Hideki Matsui, who most people say is a much better hitter and DH than new acquisition Nick Johnson. Because of the waiting game Matsui was forced to look for another team just to secure his job for the next season since at that time the Yankees 1st priority is signing Damon. It's a good thing Nick Johnson was still available or else things could have been worse.

Everyday the Yankees are losing options for a new left fielder..... Marlon Byrd signed with the Cubs, Mike Cameron went to Boston, and big names like Jason Bay and Matt Holliday signed with the Mets and the Cardinals respectively.

Sure the Yankees are waiting for Damon's value to plummet down to their likings but they make a risk of losing more free agent outfielders. Free agent Reed Johnson and Jonny Gomes, both the Yankees are interested in, are a practical choice but they won't be available soon. The Yankees must make a move to complete their roster and be ready for spring training.

The Yankees must make an ultimatum to Johnny Damon. Make an offer for one year with a basic salary of $6-7 million plus incentives.

And the Yankees should set a deadline for that offer.... let's say until the end of January. At the end of that month and Damon is still playing "hard to get" then the Yankees must move on and sign another outfielder.... a cheaper one.

Setting a deadline for Damon is critical for the Yankees in so many ways. For one Damon would be pressured and will be forced to sign with the Yankees knowing there's nobody out there that is willing to give him a better offer. And if Damon resist, there are still a lot of free agents available this month which the Yankees can grab to.
And lastly, Kevin Long (Yankees hitting coach) needs to prepare new acquisitions for batting practice to condition them for the upcoming season.

The Yankees are strict with their $ 200 million budget. They should also be strict with Johnny Damon. This should be the message of the Yankees for Damon:

"Sign before January 31 or else.........."

Babe Ruth as your 2010 Left-fielder

2010-01-06T04:48:00.000-08:00

The Yankees has a hole in left field. 4th outfielder and reserve Brett Gardner is the projected left fielder for 2010 but he is not that consistent. Johnny Damon is an option and is known to deliver in clutch situations but can the Yankees afford his contract demands.
What if the Yankees has "supernatural powers" and rose Hall of Famer Babe Ruth from the dead. Having Babe Ruth back to the team will bring great wonders.

Having Babe Ruth will solve the Yankees problem in left field. Babe Ruth can fill the spot in left or play right field (he is known as a right fielder) and move Nick Swisher to left.
Babe is known as a power hitter. He hit 59 home runs in 1921 and 60 in 1927. Imagine having a slugger who can hit 50+ homers in one season. That would definitely place Ruth as the Yankees no. 3 hitter moving Mark Teixiera to the 5th hole behind Alex Rodriguez. Here is the possible line-up in 2010:

Derek Jeter = 1st
Nick Johnson = 2nd
Babe Ruth = 3rd
Alex Rodriguez = 4th
Mark Teixeira = 5th
Curtis Granderson = 6h
Jorge Posada = 7th
Robinson Cano = 8th
Nick Swisher = 9th

The top of the order have guys that have a high on-base percentage which will clog up the bases. The heart of the order are monstrous with Babe who can hit 50+ homers and A-Rod and Tex with 30-40+ homers. The bottom of the line-up are still a threat where all of them can hit 20+ home runs. There are no holes in the line-up. All of them are productive hitters which will be a nightmare to opposing teams.

Salary wise, Babe Ruth is even cheaper than Damon. Ruth would only demand $ 20,000 ($212,733 in current dollar terms). That's even lower than the minimum salary. Reserve infielder Ramiro Pena in fact has a higher salary ($400,000). That's really a bargain for the Yankees and definitely a big factor to their cost-cutting plan.

If somebody gets injured in the rotation Babe Ruth can also fill in as a starting pitcher. Babe have played as a starting pitcher during his stint with the Boston Red Sox. He once had an ERA of 1.75 and is suited to compose a shut-out game.
Or the Yankees can put back young studs like Joba and Phil Hughes back in the bullpen and insert Babe Ruth as their no. 5 starter.

Babe Ruth is a 7 time World Series champion. He won 3 as pitcher with the Red Sox and won 4 as a slugger with the Yankees. Only Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte are the only Yankee active players that has 4 World Series title under there belts (Jorge Posada has 3).
That means Babe Ruth is proven to perform and excel in the spotlight. He is not a Hall of Famer for nothing.

You just wonder how will the Red Sox react when they will face "again" the guy they sold to the Yankees. It will be a revival of the "Curse of the Bambino" where the Red Sox failed to win a World Series for a span of 86 years. If the belief is true that will be good news for the Yankees as they have eliminate their arch-rival from winning a World Series for 8-9 decades.

Having the "Babe", the "Bambino" or the "Sultan of Swat" will not only make the Yankees a better team but they will be heavily favorites to win the World Series.

If only Babe Ruth was alive.......

Look out Yanks! Red Sox is boosting up!

2010-01-05T04:26:00.000-08:00

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox is probably the most popular rivalry in baseball history. Whenever this two powerhouse clubs faces each other the intensity level will go up, sparks will fly, and emotions will be at its peak. This two teams are at each others throat that they will celebrate like they won a World Series title when they got the division pennant.
It's amazing how the MLB rules manage to put this two rival team in one division. It is like putting a mongoose and a cobra in one small cage and letting them go at it.

Whenever the Red Sox gets a star pitcher the Yankees will counter with a pitcher of their own. They will keep on doing it even to the extent of extending their payroll budget.

This year is no different. The Red Sox, with a formidable pitching staff that consist of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Dice-K, Clay Buchholz, and Tim Wakefield, still went to the free agency market and signed "prized" free agent John Lackey. This move is an indication that the Red Sox wants to take back what the Yankees gained in 2009 and that is the World Series crown.
The Yankees, knowing that the Red Sox is boosting their pitching staff, added another stud pitcher to strengthen their rotation that already have a powerful cast of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte, and probably including Joba Chamberlain and/or Phil Hughes. The Yankees traded their outfielder Melky Cabrera plus others in their farm system to get Atlanta's ace Javier Vazquez.
Now the starting staff of the Yankees is pretty much even with the Red Sox.

In the outfield the Yankees traded their prospects Austin Jackson, Phil Coke, and Ian Kennedy for Detroit's star Curtis Granderson to improve their defense. The Red Sox countered by signing free agent Mike Cameron.
In the infield the Yankees signed free agent Nick Johnson to compensate for the departure of Hideki Matsui. Nick Johnson is targeted to be the Yankees' regular DH and spell Mark Teixeira at 1st base from time to time. The Red Sox got aggressive by signing free agent Marco Scutaro to upgrade their short stop position and just recently they signed slugger Adrian Beltre (pending physical) to improve their 3rd base position formerly held by injury plague Mike Lowell.

And both teams are not yet done. We heard rumors that the Red Sox are previously interested with Padre's star Adrian Gonzalez and they are looking to trade Mike Lowell for the Mets 2nd baseman Luis Castillo.
The Yankees are keeping their windows open for a possible comeback of Johnny Damon, who they are looking forward to stabilize their top of the order line-up.

It's tooth and nail for both of these teams and neither is backing out and giving way in quest for another World Series title. It's going to be amazing to see this two teams battle it out in the coming 2010 season. I am very eager and impatient to witness the next Yankee-Red Sox match. There will be bloodshed everywhere. It's going to be intense!

My message to the Yankees and Johnny Damon

2010-01-02T05:34:00.000-08:00

Forgive? I won't able to forgive both the Yankees and Johnny Damon if they were not able to come to terms. Everybody knows and even baseball critics agree that both parties need each other. The Yankees have said that they have only $ 4 million to spend for an outfielder and they said that they are even willing to let reserve outfielder Brett Gardner to start in left. Although this might a be a reasonable plan it is not a reinforced one.

The Yankees need more depth and batting power and they should not hesitate to look further. Johnny Damon is proven and the Yankees is his comfort zone. So here is my message to the Yankees administration and to Johnny Damon:

TO THE YANKEES:

My advice for Yankees specifically to GM Brian Cashman is to talk to the owners and management and add a little more for the budget. The budget for a left fielder is $ 4 million. Sure they can get a free agent like Reed Johnson or Jerry Hairston Jr. (good supporting guys) but are they capable of hitting consistently and playing in pressure games.

Johnny Damon is the guy for the Yankees. He loves hitting in the Yankee Stadium (20+ homers) and is a perfect compliment to Derek Jeter at the top of the order. With Damon on board and probably hitting in the 2nd hole, this will slide newly acquired Curtis Granderson to the 5th spot and Nick Johnson to the 8th or 9th hole. This means that the Yankees will have an imposing line-up maybe even better than the 2009 World Series Yankee line-up.

If you really think about it why should the Yankees be seriously strict with their $ 200 million salary budget for 2010 when they will still be penalized for exceeding the salary cap next season. Even if they spend an extra $ 10 million for a left fielder they would still make profit. I just don't really get it. They are the New York Yankees, and the defending champions of baseball. They don't win by being sticklers when it comes to the payroll. Hell, they aren't the New York Mets. They offered bad contracts to worse players in the past, but Damon is not one of them. Be a little more fair.

Give Johnny Damon an offer of $ 7-9 million for one year with an option of one year extension. Maybe two years if Damon still persist. But get it done.

TO JOHNNY DAMON:

Seriously, Damon should get the hell away from the Boras-ish demands and come to the Yankees, like Alex Rodriguez did back in 2007, and work this out with them, if he really intend to be a Yankee again.

Damon is 36 years old, has a weak arm, and is becoming to be a defensive liability in the outfield. He has leg problems and showed signs of wear and tear especially during Game 6 of the World Series where he strained his right calf in the 3rd inning. The DH position is where Damon will be placed sometime in the future. That limits his option to sign with a NL club since there is no DH.

NL clubs is concerned about his diminishing defensive skills while AL teams can't afford him. Teams like the Braves, Giants and Cubs that were interested in signing Damon has gone to other free agents and only the Yankees is the really serious team left. Damon has to realize that the Yankee stadium is his sanctuary. That short right field porch gives Damon a career high of 24 home runs in 2006 and in 2009. If he signs with other clubs his stats will go down.

Deep down, if Damon comes to the Yankees and say that he wants to do whatever it takes to be a Yankee, they will work something out for him. Damon did help them win a championship in November, and he is still one of the more popular players on the team.

So to Johnny Damon, swallow that pride, bypass Boras and sign with the Yankees. It's better to sign with a championship caliber team than with a losing ball club.

Is Reed Johnson the man in left field?

2009-12-30T05:45:00.000-08:00

The Yankees still has a hole in left field and their options is getting thinner as the days passes by. Free agent slugger Jason Bay is off to the Mets, while utility man Mark DeRosa signed with the Giants. The Yankees are still playing cat and mouse with free agent Johnny Damon and they are not sure if Damon will give in to their offer.
So until now the Yankees still have an open slot in left field. Who will be that man?

Is Reed Johnson the answer in left? Could be. Johnson is not as good as Bay, Holliday or even Damon but he still can contribute. GM Brian Cashman declared that they have only few million dollars left to sign a left fielder ($ 4 million to be exact) and Johnson fits in that salary range.
Last year Johnson has a salary of $ 3 million with the Cubs.
Reed Johnson has no history of any serious injury during his 7 year career in the big leagues and is still on his prime (just turned 33).
Johnson is the right guy for the Yankees budget season in 2010. The plan is to sign Johnson for one year worth $ 2-3 million and let him go next year. Then they can go after Type-A free agent outfielders like steal base king Carl Crawford.

If the Yankees signed him, Johnson can platoon with speedy Gardner in left field and can start against lefties. Hitting against lefties is his specialty. He makes consistent contact and hits well with runners in scoring position. Johnson is an average .282 hitter with some pop.
With a lot of weapons in the Yankees line-up, Johnson just need to hit consistently.... not homers but singles will do to keep the ball rolling. He can be inserted in the 9th hole and give the top of the order guys like Jeter to score an RBI if he is on base.

Defensively, Johnson can play all outfield positions. But he is more suited playing in left and right field. He has range and speed to cover his designated field.

What the Yankees like about Reed Johnson is the way he hustles. His tenacity is exactly what the Yankees need to compliment their stars. Both Johnson and Gardner are hustle type of guys which will bring a new dimension in the Yankees left field position.
Last year the Yankees have Damon in left and his weak arm is a liability in their defense. This year things will be different.

The Yankees have a deep roster and they just need utility guys and 9 hole guys that are able to give "just enough" support to be competitive. Reed Johnson is the type of guy that the Yankees should look on to.

Jason Bay; should the Yanks' Pay?

2009-12-28T05:34:00.000-08:00

I know it sounds ridiculous for the Yankees to sign high prize free agent Jason Bay. The Yankees already said that they have "only $ 4 million" left to sign an outfielder and they are looking for Type-B free agents.
So far it's only the New York Mets that are really serious in getting Bay. The rumored offer stands at $ 15 million for 5 years.
I don't see the Red Sox to be involved in the Bay sweepstakes since they already signed Mike Cameron for 2 years/$ 15.5 million.

Will it be practical and reasonable for the Yankees to sign Bay. The answer is obvious, it's a no. But what are the pros and cons of bringing Bay to the Yankees. Let's make a study shall we:

THE NEGATIVES:

GOODBYE TO MAUER AND 2011 FREE AGENT CLASS:

If the Yankees sign Bay they won't have any room to sign quality players like Joe Mauer, Jose Reyes, Carl Crawford, Jason Werth, Bronson Arroyo, Josh Beckett, Cliff Lee, Brandon Webb, and Huston Street.
Plus the Yankees have to bring back Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera who will be free agents as well.
The Yankees will have holes in the rotation and catching position in 2011. Left field spot is the least of their priority.

EXCEED THE $ 200 MILLION BUDGET:

The Steinbrenners said to GM Brian Cashman to stick with the $ 200 million payroll budget for the coming 2010 season. If they get Bay ($ 15-16 million annually) they will exceed their budget and will destroy their plan on cutting their expenses. That means the Yankees will go back to their old spending days which might turn their club to a over-prized and aging team.
They don't want to go back to that situation.

THE POSITIVES:

A POWERHOUSE LINE-UP:

Just imagine this line-up in 2010 (batting order 1-9): Derek Jeter will lead-off, followed by Curtis Granderson. Then you fill the heart of the line-up with sluggers Mark Teixeira at 3rd, A-Rod in the clean-up spot, and Jason Bay in the 5th. Complete the rest of the line-up with Jorge Posada batting 6th, Robinson Cano in 7th, Nick Johnson at 8th, and Nick Swisher batting last.
There are no holes and weak spot in that line-up. Everybody can hit and capable of hitting home runs. Opposing pitchers will definitely have a nightmare facing the Yankees.

ANOTHER WORLD SERIES TITLE:

The time is now! Win now while the Yankee icons like Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte, and Posada are still on their prime. The club should grab this opportunity of winning another championship while guys like A-Rod, Teixeira, and Sabathia are still on board. This don't come around very often. If they have Bay, they definitely get a chance of getting World Series title no. 28.

MY RESOLUTION:

Who said winning is cheap. If the Yankees want a serious run to another championship they should sign Bay. If things didn't work out they can trade Bay in the middle of the season or at the end of the 2010 season so that they can be active in the 2011 free agent pool.
Like I said, it's more reasonable for the Yankees to be economical and cost-effective. They still have a chance of winning even without Bay.
But the Yankees will have a bigger chance if they have the Canadian around.
If I am the Yankees, I will sign Bay see what happens then trade him if he is not successful. It's worth a shot. It wouldn't hurt to add another power slugger like Jason Bay.

Spilled Melk!

2009-12-26T05:33:00.000-08:00

Everybody came to love the "Melk Man" Melky Cabrera. His tenacious defense and strong throwing arm made him a regular outfielder for the Yankees. With Johnny Damon's weak arm and Hideki Matsui's incapability on playing the outfield due to his knees, the Yankees turned to Melky as their regular center fielder.
It's a good thing that Melky fitted well with the Yankees. His defense was there but his offense is just enough to place him at the bottom of the order. He usually plays in the 8th or 9th hole and he provided spark to the ball club. Melky doesn't need to hit home runs and have a high batting average and RBI production since the Yankees are loaded with sluggers that can produce some runs. That is why Melky is a perfect fit with the Yankees.

In 2009, Melky even added another weapon to his resume and that is being "clutch". Melky had 3 walk-off hits in 2009. On April 22, 2009, Cabrera hit the first walk-off hit in the New Yankee Stadium, a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 14th inning, to help the Yankees win 9–7.
On May 15, He hit a walk off single to win the game 5-4. And on May 23, Melky had another walk-off hit, this time a single driving Robinson Cano after Alex Rodriguez hit a two run home run to tie it.
Because of his amazing stellar play Melky won the Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Month of May.

Melky continued playing Mr. Clutch all the way to the post-season. In the ALCS against the LA Angels, he hit an average of .391 as he was one the Yankee who was responsible in putting away the Angels for good.

What will I miss about Melky is his "fun antics" out in the baseball field where he usually jumps for joy with a "jumping high five" whenever the Yankees make a stellar play or if they win the game. He and Robinson Cano started that "thing" which rub out to all the players in the roster. Melky brings a fun and relax chemistry to the Yankees. He will be missed.

But baseball is a business and the Yankees know for sure that they need to improve every year to remain competitive and hopefully win another World Series title. With the Curtis Granderson acquisition from a trade, the Yankees have an outfield logjam that has Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera and Jamie Hoffmann. The Yankees are thinking that they have flexibility to trade one outfielder (Gardner or Melky) for a starting pitcher.
So they did exactly that by trading Melky plus others to the Braves for Javier Vazquez and a reliever. It's a good trade for the Yanks as they strengthened their rotation to 4 reliable starters.

So why did the Yankees choose Gardner over Melky? For one Gardner is cheaper than Melky. Gardner has a better hitting average, also plays good defense in the outfield, and is also still young. But the one thing that made Gardner more valuable to the Yankees was Gardner's extreme speed. Gardner is so fast that he can wreak havoc in running the base paths. He is capable of stealing 30-40 steals in a season if he plays regularly.
It's a tough choice but the Yankees need to release one outfielder to get a stud like Vazquez.

It's been a good run for Melky. In some way he has help the Yankees in winning their 27th World Series title. Thanks for the memories Melky and good luck on your future career.

Welcome back Javier!

2009-12-24T04:03:00.000-08:00

The Yankees earlier said that they are going to get somebody to boost their starting rotation. That somebody turned out to be former Yankee Javier Vazquez. The Yankees traded Melky Cabrera, left-handed pitching prospect Michael Dunn, and another prospect Arodys Vizcaino to Atlanta for starter Javier Vazquez and reliever Boone Logan.

Last year, the Yankees were walking in a tight rope by only using 3 starters (Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte) in the post-season. They got lucky as they won the World Series championship. This coming season the Yankees don't want to rely on pure luck. That's why they got Vazquez even at the expense of some good Yankee players.

Mixed emotions and reactions was experienced as the trade was announced. Some say that Vazquez can't handle the pressures in New York. Some say that Vazquez doesn't belong in the American league and he is much better off in the National league. Some say that Vazquez won't recover the disappointing loss to the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS where he gave up 2 homers to Johnny Damon including a grand slam in the pivotal game 7. Blah, blah and blah......

For me, this is a good trade for the Yankees. Here's why:

1.) SOLIDIFY THE ROTATION:

With Vazquez at the fold, the Yankees have a formidable starting rotation for 2010. The Yankees is right there with the Red Sox. The Red Sox will have a rotation of Beckett, Lester, Lackey, Dice-K, Buchholz, and/or Wakefield. While the Yankees counters with Sabathia, Burnett, Pettite, Vazquez, Joba, and/or Phil Hughes.

2.) A PRETTY DECENT PITCHER:

Vazquez might have a terrible season with the Yankees in 2004 but that is just one season. Remember that he suffered an arm injury in the 2nd half of that season.
But aside from that, Vazquez is a consistent pitcher. He has double digit wins for the past 10 seasons and has a decent career ERA of 4.19. Vazquez has ace tools, he has a nice repertoire of dominant fastball, good curve and an outstanding change-up. He can dominate as a strikeout guy, doesn't give up many walks, and is very durable.
Vazquez is a proven innings-eater, throwing 198 innings or more in each of the past 10 seasons, topping 200 in nine of those years. Vazquez has also struck out 200 batters five times in his career, including each of the past three seasons.

3.) INJURY FREE:

Being injury free was the reason why the Yankees choose Vazquez over pitchers like Ben Sheets and Justin Duchscherer. For the past 10 years, Vazquez has played and started more than 30+ games a year. That alone is an insurance for the Yankees. Not to mention that he had 198+ innings in the past 10 years.

4.) NOT MUCH AS A RISK:

Vazquez is set to earn $11.5 million for 2010 and will be a free agent at the end of that season. If everything works out well the Yankees might give Vazquez a contract extension. But if not the Yankees will let Vazquez go and will get 2 high draft picks in return because of Vazquez Type-A status. Plus they will have $ 11.5 million at their disposal to sign a pitcher like Cliff Lee.

5.) MELKY'S DEPARTURE COULD BRING A NEW OUTFIELDER:

The trade open a vacant spot in left field. Brett Gardner can fill that spot but the Yankees prefer to use him as a 4th outfielder for pinch running in late games. Which means the Yankees might be shopping for a new left fielder. They could bring back Johnny Damon or they can sign utility man Mark DeRosa. If that happens the Yankees will have a deeper line-up than last season.

6.) BOOSTING THE PEN:

Either Joba or Phil Hughes will go back to the bullpen. This will give the Yankees pen another reliable arm. Mariano Rivera needs help and a set-up guy like Joba or Phil Hughes will definitely be a good addition.

Those are the major factors why the trade will benefit the Yankees. Keep in mind that GM Brian Cashman didn't want to trade Vazquez in 2004 but was forced to because of the likings of the Yankees top executives. At the end of the 2004 season the Yankees traded Vazquez plus other players for Randy Johnson.
Interestingly, Cashman noted that the club tried to acquire Vazquez from Arizona after 2005 and the White Sox after 2008, but they just didn’t match up.

That fact indicates that Javier Vazquez is valuable to the Yankees.

In Cash we Trust!

2009-12-22T05:21:00.000-08:00

This image came from The Yankee Universe.

Okay the question is do the Yankee administration trust GM Brian Cashman? The answer is an astounding "Yes".
Why? Well since Cashman was promoted as the Yankees General manager the Yankees have won 6 American League pennants and 4 World Series championships. An incredible feat coming from an organization and city that expects nothing less than success and greatness. The pressure of managing a team like the Yankees is tremendous, knowing for a fact that your team has the biggest payroll and you have to prove to the fans and to the world that the high payroll is worth it.

Cashman started as an intern with the Yankees in 1986. In 1994, he was named as an assistant general manager. In 1998, Cashman replaced Bob Watson and was named Senior Vice-President and General Manager. Through the years he worked his way up and prove to the Yankees organization that he belongs.

Brian Cashman has made tough decisions in making the Yankees a championship caliber team. He traded promising Alfonso Soriano to the Rangers for Alex Rodriguez. Many critics did not agree with the transaction and Cashman should have stick with Soriano and said Rodriguez is just purely hype and cannot withstand the pressures of playing in New York. That seems to be case as A-Rod performance dissolves in the post-season every year. But Cashman stick with A-Rod knowing that he will deliver someday. That day happened in 2009 as A-Rod was one of the main clogs for giving the Yankees their 27th World Series title.

But it is not a smooth sailing career for Brian Cashman. There was also up and downs. There was once an instance where owner George Steinbrenner and Cashman had conflicts regarding the teams plans and directions. Some people wonder why did the Yankees signed Gary Sheffield over Vladimir Guerrero. And why did they signed Jason Giambi to a long and huge contract. We don't know who makes the call but I have the feeling that George Steinbrenner was making the shots at that time.
Because of the disputes, Cashman almost went overboard by talking to the Washington Nationals (a city where he attended high school). But instead, Cashman agreed to a new contract with the Yankees following the conclusion of the 2005 season which gave him more "authority" in personnel decisions and paid him an average of $1.3 million more over the following three years.^{Today Cashman is receiving $ 6 million annually and is not yet due until the end of 2011.}Cashman was also named to Crain's New York Business 40 under 40 list for 1999.

One of the biggest achievement of Cashman was the immense signing of free agents in 2009 where he signed big names like CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. He even took Mark Teixeira away from rival the Boston Red Sox. This big signings have indicated that the Yankees are going to make another mistake by spending an enormous amount of money.
Cashman and the Yankees proved to the critics and throughout the rest of the league that they made the right choice of "investing" and not "spending" on those Type-A players. The 3 new Yankee acquisitions (Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira) contributed extremely and help the team in winning the World Series championship. Cashman used the Yankees available funds in investing the right players.

This off-season, the Yankees want a cut back and wants to lower their payroll below $ 200 million. Cashman made a great choice by trading for Curtis Granderson and bringing back Andy Pettitte. He then signed former Yankee Nick Johnson for $ 5.5 million. Cashman is still not done and said they are still in the hunt for a starting pitcher and a utility player.
Indeed in Cash we trust! The Yankees made the right decision in having Cashman as their GM. Each transaction made by Cashman brings them closer in winning the World Series championship.

Justin Duchscherer

2009-12-20T06:49:00.000-08:00

The Yankees need one more starting pitcher to bolster their rotation for the 2010 season. The Yankees are looking for a 4th starter through the free agency pool. One of their interest is Justin Duchscherer.
Duchscherer is a 2 time All-Star and had a record of 10-8 with a sharp 2.54 ERA prior to being waylaid by a chronic hip injury.

His recent injury is not much of a concern for the Yankees since he is not a strike-out pitcher. Pitchers that rely heavily on their fastball has a tendency to have more injuries because of their arms wear and tear. Duchscherer relies on other pitches and is a very good control pitcher with a low ERA and very few walks; just 34 last season.

Duchscherer is a Type B free agent and is still on his prime (32 years). The Yankees can afford him. He received a reported $ 3.9 million with the A's in 2009 despite missing the rest of the season. Look for the Yankees to offer him an incentive laden deal.

Why consider Justin Duchscherer?
For one his injuries is not that bad and the way that he pitches he can prolong his career to 3-5 years.
Duchscherer has proven that he can pitch consistently in the majors. He has a career ERA of 3.14 in the dreadful American League and he has experienced playing in the bullpen.

Duchscherer will fit nicely in the 4th starting position, providing stability and assurance to their rotation. It will be a wise move for the Yankees to get a pitcher like Duchscherer.

The Hot Stove is still burning and look for the Yankees to sign another starter. Justin Duchscherer could be that man.

Bye Bye Johnny!

2009-12-18T05:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a sad fact. Damon and his greedy agent Boras wants no less than $ 13 million annually for 3 years. The Yankees made it clear that they will stick with the $ 8-10 million, 2 year contract proposal for Damon. And the way things are going it looks like that Damon will be shopping for a new team.

Personally, I think Damon and Boras are crazy. They will simply go nowhere with their contract demands. Damon's age, weak arm, and diminishing athletic skills is just proof that he can't play productively for 3 years. National League teams don't want Damon because of his liability in the outfield. DH is not in effect in the National league and they have no where to put Damon.
In the American League, teams are backing off because of Damon's pricey demands.

Which is why I am in awe as to why Damon doesn't want to take the 2 year deal with the Yankees. It's pretty clear the Damon and Yankees works hand in hand. Damon has homered more while playing with the Yankees, taking advantage of the Yankees stadium short right field porch. The Yankees on the other hand is comfortable with Damon in the top of the rotation. Both he and Derek Jeter is one the most feared 1-2 punch in the league.

It's really ridiculous to even think about Damon and Boras demands. The price ($13 million) is absurd and the number of year (3 years) is even funny. If I were the Yankees I would offer Damon/Boras a 3 year contract. The 1st year is $ 13 million and the following 2 years is for medicare and health insurance (no more salary). That would be a fair deal.
Normally baseball players slow down when they reach the age of 36 onwards. Injuries will increase, their speed and athletic capability will start to wear down, batting average and home run numbers will decrease. The list goes on and on.

The Yankees is doing the right thing of planning to get younger and be more athletic. Trading for the young center fielder Curtis Granderson was a good move plus they signed the old but reliable Andy Pettitte for "just one year". Hideki Matsui's knees will be a problem that's why they let him go. The proposal to Damon is a fair deal and Damon should take it or else....

As of today the Yankees are in serious discussions and is in near completion with free agent Nick Johnson. Pending a physical, Johnson will agree to a one-year deal with the Yankees worth about $5.5MM. And if this push through this might eliminate the chances of Damon returning. Nick Johnson is no Johnny Damon but he can still produce. Johnson is known for his patience and discipline at the plate, which have led to a high career on-base percentage of .402 through the 2009 season. This is not as flashy as the other Yankee off-season moves but it's a welcome one.

Is this farewell to Johnny Damon? If that is the case, the nickname "Idiot" (leaving the Red Sox and now the Yankees) will be attached forever in Damon's name.

So long Hideki! We will surely miss you!

2009-12-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

You probably heard the bad news of Hideki Matsui agreeing to terms with the LA Angels (pending physical). The Angels offer to Matsui is a 1 year $ 6.5 million contract and he will most likely be the Angels designated hitter replacing the old Vladimir Guerrero.

Why did Matsui left the Yankees? Well, we can't blame him. The Yankees said they will first give priority in signing Johnny Damon since Damon can still play the outfield and has speed. If Damon is not a possibility, then the Yankees will negotiate with Matsui. Matsui once said that he is willing to take a pay cut just to return to his ball club.
The talks between the Yankees organization and Damon/Boras is taking to long. The uncertainty and the long period of time waiting force Matsui to look elsewhere.

The Angels now have a proven and powerful DH in Hideki Matsui. Both Matsui and Bobby Abreu (who was once a Yankee) will teach young sluggers like Kendry Morales and Erick Aybar to be more patient at the plate. Matsui will be a big addition to the Angels line-up. Matsui can still give the Angels a 20+ home runs and 80-90 RBI's. We just hope that the Yankees won't be seeing Matsui and the Angels in the post-season. We don't want Matsui cracking homers against his former team.

If I were the Yankees, I should have chosen Matsui over Damon. True Damon gives the Yankees more flexibility. Damon can be the Yankees DH, or play left field, can pinch run, etc. But Damon/Boras contract demands ask the impossible. There is no way the Yankees will agree with their absurd terms.
Matsui however is only asking for a 1 year contract and a pay cut from $ 13 million to $ 7 million. Matsui does not have the ability to play the outfield due to his knees but he can still be an offensive threat. Hideki might play in the 5 hole giving protection to A-Rod.
Now the Yankees are in danger of losing not only Matsui but Damon as well. If that happens the Yankees will be in a hole and it will be a big lost for them.

Curtis Granderson is an upgrade for the Yankees especially defensively but he can't do it alone. The Yankees still have a DH spot to fill. Yankees GM Brian Cashman once flirted with the idea of putting youngster Juan Miranda to the DH spot. Miranda may be good but we need someone better. One who can give fear to the opposing pitchers. One who is capable of producing 20+ homers and 100 RBI. One who is a clutch player and have patience on the plate. One who breaths fire out of his mouth...... Godzilla.

Not only did the Yankees lose Matsui's bat but they also lost revenues from the Japanese audience. The Yankees lost will be the Angels gain.... offensive and income wise.
This is the first "no-no" mistake from Cashman after making a trade for Granderson and signing Pettitte. The pressure is now with Cashman to do something to fill the DH spot.

Aside from those shaky knees, Yankee fans will surely miss Hideki Matsui. He compensates his silence of the field by making noise on the field. He lets his performance do the talking.
We will miss the saying "Upper Decki from Hideki" and "The Thrilla from Godzilla". # 55 is now gone and so is the Japanese spectators.
Godzilla has left the city of New York. Good luck to you Matsui and so long. Thanks for the memories. We will surely miss you!

Gambling on Ben Sheets

2009-12-14T05:24:00.000-08:00

Is Ben Sheets a bargain? I don't know, it's hard to predict the future. But the Yankees should consider signing the former Olympian if he is still available before spring training starts.
Sheets is a Type-A Free Agent. He is a four-time All-Star and was once a starter in one of the All-Star game.

Before he got injured, Sheets finished the 2008 season with 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 31 starts and 198 1/3 innings pitched. He went to 3-0 on only 2% of all batters he faced in the season, the lowest percentage in the majors. He also threw curve balls 33% of the time, more than any other starter in the major leagues.
Sheets works with a fastball that can reach the upper-90's, he keeps hitters off-balance by mixing in a hard breaking curve. He has tremendous control and can work inside. He is considered an Ace starter when healthy.

But health issues had always been a problem for Ben Sheets throughout his career. Sheets ended the 2008 season with a flexor tendon injury that prevented him from pitching in the playoffs. He has been on the disabled list five times in the past four years.

With Sheet's wealth of injury and durability issues, his value has went down. Now teams are considering of signing Sheets to more of an "incentive laden" type of contract. Sheets will get incentives for the number of innings pitched for the coming 2010 season. If he gets injured he gets nothing. Practically it is considerate to offer Sheets a 1 year contract with a basic salary ranging from $ 4-5 million plus incentive base on his performance and number of games played.

With Chien-Ming Wang being a free agent and might be going for a different team next season, the Yankees might give a look at Ben Sheets. If Sheets agrees to a 1 year low basic salary contract (with incentives), the Yankees might sign him. And if he turns healthy for next season then we could say that we got Sheets as a bargain. He is just 31 years old and is capable of shutting out games.

So far it's the New York Mets and Texas Rangers have expressed interest in signing Sheets. The Yankees however are being patient and waiting for Sheets to fall on their lap. If that's the case then the Yankees will have the former Olympian pitcher to complete the back-end of their starting rotation. It's a gamble I know.... but every time you gamble their is chance for you to hit the jackpot.

Will the Yankees pick Damon or Matsui?

2009-12-12T04:43:00.000-08:00

The New York Yankees now have a premium center fielder in Curtis Granderson. Defensively the Yankees' outfield is above average with the strong arms of Melky Cabrera and Nick Swisher and the speed and versatility of Granderson and bench player Brett Gardner.
Offensively the Yankees envisioned Granderson on the 2 hole against righties or will slide to the 5th, 6th, 7th hole against lefties. Granderson has home run power and speed. He once lead the majors in triples (23) in 2007. Granderson will spice things up in the coming 2010 season. But still the Yankees GM Brian Cashman is still not contented. Something is still missing. The Yankees need more power in their line-up.

Is Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui is the answer to that? Well if your looking for a power bat, this two sluggers are capable of doing so. In 2009 Damon hit 24 homers while World Series MVP Matsui had 28 home runs. They are premium type of players and are known to deliver in clutch situations which includes the post-season. They know their role in the Yankees organization. Damon fits perfectly in the 2 hole giving the Yankees a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the line-up with Jeter playing lead-off.
Matsui played DH all season long and is normally placed in the 5 hole to give protection to A-Rod who bats clean-up. The Yankees made no secret that they still want this two amazing players however will it be practical to sign both of them.

The Yankees, even with the biggest payroll, is cost-cutting. Their budget says they can afford only one player. Will it be Damon or Matsui? Let's analyze.

JOHNNY DAMON:

According to the Yankees, Damon is their 1st choice because of his ability to still play the outfield (particularly in left). Damon still have some thread left in his old tires of his. He still runs well along the base paths and is still capable of stealing bases (Remember his amazing play in the World Series where he stole two bases in just one play).
Even with Curtis Granderson on board the Yankees still externalize Damon batting 2nd behind Derek Jeter. Their 1-2 punch is still considered one of the best in baseball plus Granderson's home run power and weakness against lefties is much suited on 5th, 6th and 7th hole. Damon will play DH most of the time next season but his versatility to play the outfield can give other positonal players like Posada, Jeter, Tex and A-Rod a half a day off.
Damon really loved the short right field porch at the Yankee Stadium. Damon homered a career high of 24 in 2006 and 2009 (both of them was done with the Yankees).
It seems like the Yankee Stadium was designed to Damon's desires and skills. Damon perfectly fits well in the Yankee Stadium. Both Damon and Yankees have express their desires to stay together.

However Scott Boras (Damon's agent) think otherwise. Boras is demanding an absurd $13 M, 4 year contract from the Yankees. Everybody knows that is exaggerated. No team will give Damon that kind of contract even with his great talent. Damon is 36 years old and is showing signs of diminishing speed and defensive skills. Damon's ridiculous demand on his contract will be a stumbling block for the Yankees to sign him.

HIDEKI MATSUI:

The World Series MVP has everything going right for him. Winning his first World Series title outside of Japan and was rewarded the World Series MVP for his incredible performance. Matsui's face is almost everywhere. From TV guesting, newspaper and magazine, internet and radio interviews. Godzilla became an icon in New York.
The future however doesn't look good for Matsui. He is a free agent and might be gone if Damon signs with the Yankees. Matsui's shaky and unpredictable knees is the major factor why the Yankees choose Damon over him. Matsui can't play the outfield anymore and is more of a DH type of guy.

Matsui is still a force to reckon with offensive wise. When he is healthy, Matsui is capable of hitting .292, 25 homers, and 100+ RBI. Matsui is an RBI machine which could help the Yankees to be competitive all season long. He bats pretty well against right handed pitchers and has also showed some good signs against opposing left handed pitchers. Matsui is a patient hitter and use the field well. He is definitely a tough out.

The good thing about Matsui is he is willing to take a pay cut and take a 1 year deal with the Yankees. This is one factor the Yankees is strongly considering. The Yankees outfield is complete with the arrival of Granderson and Matsui fits well in their DH spot.

So who do you think the Yankees will pick? Will they go with the outfielder Johnny Damon or will they stick with their DH Hideki Matsui. If you're Brain Cashman who will you sign?

The Beauty of having Curtis Granderson

2009-12-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

I think you guys knew about the 3 way trade of the Yankees, Tigers and the D'Backs. The Yankees now have a premium center fielder in Curtis Granderson. But the Yanks gave something away just to get Granderson. The Yankees gave Ian Kennedy to the D'Backs and top prospect Austin Jackson and lefty specialist Phil Coke to the Tigers.

It's tough to give a lot of young and promising prospects especially A-Jax but I think the Yankees won this trade because they got a center fielder who can help them win another World Series title now (and not in the future). The Yankees are thinking about the present situation and what Granderson can bring to the table. So what do we really get from Curtis Granderson? Well here it is:

DEFENSE:

Last season the Yankees outfield defense was just average because of Johnny Damon's weak arm. It's a good thing they have Melky Cabrera in center to compensates Damon's weaknesses. With the arrival of Granderson, things will be different. We could see a top defensive caliber outfield in Melky Cabrera in left, Granderson in center, and Nick Swisher in right. All of a sudden there are no holes in the Yankees outfield defense and all three are capable of throwing an out because of their strong arm. Granderson's speed covers a lot of ground in center field and has had exciting defensive plays in the past (remember the over-the-wall catch which robs Wily Mo Pena an home run). Granderson is truly a defensive upgrade.

HOME RUN POWER:

Granderson has power especially hitting in right field which benefits the Yankees because of their short right field porch. Last season, Granderson hit 30 homers and might be adding some more if Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long managed to teach Granderson to lower down his strike- outs and improved his batting average especially from a left pitcher (he struggles against lefties) . The Yankees will still play their own game, hitting the ball out of the ballpark (leading the league in HR in 2009).

SPEED AND YOUTH:

Granderson is still young (28) and has not reached his peak yet. He can still be productive for 6-8 years. His speed is one of his greatest talents. He can steal a base, run down a ball in the outfield, and hit triples. Hitting triples is his specialty. During the 2007 season, Granderson accumulated 23 triples, which led all of baseball. The American League and Detroit Tigers record is 26 triples, a feat achieved by the all-time triples king, Sam Crawford, in 1914. With Granderson coming in and maybe Damon too plus the help of the Yankees mainstay like Jeter, A-Rod and Gardner, we will be seeing the Yankees doing a lot of running next season.

REASONABLE CONTRACT:

The Yankees really made a wise decision in trading for Curtis Granderson. They were able to get a premium center fielder with power which will be receiving $5.5 M only for next season. That is still considered cheap. This transaction has not only helped the Yankees to maintain competitive for next season but has helped them as well in cutting down their payroll. Here is a rundown of Granderson's contract:

10:$5.5M, 11:$8.25M, 12:$10M, 13:$13M club option ($2M buyout) plus an option in 2014

PRESSURE FOR DAMON AND BORAS:

Oh yes! Now the pressure is thrown back to Damon and his greedy agent Scott Boras. The Yanks are probably now asking where is the 4 year deal to Damon that you are shouting about for several weeks now. With the acquisition of Curtis Granderson, the Yankees are not pressured to sign Damon and they will stand firm for their 2 year contract offer. If that 4 year offer from other teams are just "talks" look for Damon signing with the Yankees on a $ 8-10 M annually, 2 year contract leaving Boras ashamed and regretful.

Or the Yankees could go for World Series MVP Hideki Matsui if Damon goes elsewhere. There is still holes in the Yankees line-up even with Granderson on board. The Yankees might still need Matsui's power and RBI's skills and giving protection to A-Rod by batting 5th.

GRANDERSON WEARS JERSEY NO. 28:

Last year, Manager Joe Girardi said that his jersey no . 27 will help the Yankees bring them to their 27th World Series Championship. That joke turned into a reality. In fact Girardi continued his "wacky ways" by making indications that he will wear jersey no. 28 in order to win back-to-back titles. The question is will Joe Girardi allow his "new" center fielder to wear jersey no . 28 and let the young Granderson bring the luck to the Yankees and possible bring them to glory land next season. After all Granderson has served as an ambassador for Major league Baseball International and is known to have a good personality which would helped the Yankees clubhouse.

Welcome to the Yankees Curtis Granderson! We will be looking forward for an exciting season ahead.

Where does Joba really belong?

2009-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Let's end this unfinished Joba debate. Where does Joba really belong?
Some say he is still considered as a starting pitcher, given time Joba will rise to the occasion and will be a Yankee starter for a long time. Others say he belongs to the bullpen and should be groomed as the next closer when the great Mariano Rivera retires. Critics assert their point that the Yankees have already maximized Joba's talent and skill and it is wise to include Joba in a trade package for a starting pitcher like Roy Halladay.

But before we go into a conclusion regarding Joba's status let's look at his strength and weaknesses and the pros and cons.

Joba's advantages:

He is still young (age 24) and is still considered raw despite having major league experience for almost 3 years. Joba has a lot of room and time to be an excellent pitcher in the future no matter if he is penciled as a starter or a reliever.
When he is on, Joba has one of the best heat in baseball which clocked at 99 mph. He also has a nasty slider which is consistently registering at 87 mph. And to confuse the opposing batters Joba mixes his pitches with occasional change-ups and curve balls.
He is still cheap at less than half a million annually in 2009. The Yankees can raise his salary slowly like what they did to Robinson Cano.

Joba's disadvantages:

Diminished velocity. The Yankees were concerned about Joba's performance in 2009 particularly in the second half of the season where he can't find his pitches and his once and powerful fastball have slowed down to 90 mph (which is hittable). His increased number of innings played as a starter might have something to do with that.
To much hype. It's been 3 years already and the Yankee fans are tired of waiting for Joba to show his "good stuff". There is no level of consistency not unlike Boston's Jon Lester who in 3 years was able to bring the Red Sox to a World Series Title, considered to be an ace with Josh Beckett behind, and once threw a no-hitter against the Royals in 2008.
Treated as a baby. The "Joba Rules" which should have helped Joba have hindered his immediate success. Joba was confused throughout his major league career as to what position he will play. The "starter or reliever" issue also bothered Joba which is also a factor for his mediocre performance.

So we weighed in the pros and cons and have looked on every angles about Joba Chamberlain. But the question still remains.... Where does Joba really belong?

Based from our analysis and observation, the Yankees should still keep Joba. He has a lot to prove and he has showed some signs of greatness which could be a sign of more great things to come if we only be patient with him.
In regards to his status, once and for all the Yankees "must" keep Joba in the pen. His poor performance in 2009 just told us that he is not cut to be a starting pitcher. Joba showed some flashes of brilliance in the first half of the season but faltered in the end as his innings grew larger.

If you look at Joba's past record, he is much better coming out in the pen where his precious arm is used on 1-2 innings only. With that he will be able to throw his 97-99 mph fastball and his late and sharp breaking slider. And besides Mariano Rivera won't be playing for 8 years. The Yankees need to groom somebody who will replace Rivera someday. Joba is one possible candidate.

The Yankees must look elsewhere for a starter for their 3rd, 4th and 5th spot. Andy Pettitte should be their No. 3 guy and guys like Gaudin, Aceves and maybe Hughes can fill the back-end of the rotation. Let Joba roam in the bullpen and build a strong bridge to Rivera.

The Yankees bullpen was excellent in 2009. It will be a dominating bullpen next season if they have Joba around.

John Lackey over Roy Halladay

2009-12-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

People and Baseball fans are following the trade rumors thread of Roy Halladay. They are so attached to it that they forgot about what the Yankees need to sacrifice to get Halladay. As of today the Blue Jays are looking for a starter, a shortstop, and a catcher. I just don't like the idea of giving to much talents for just one player (even if I know that Roy Halladay will surely dominate in New York). And in addition to that Halladay would demand a salary like CC Sabathia (so much for the Yankees cost-cutting).

With so many hurdles and distractions for the Yankees to get an additional pitcher aside from Andy Pettitte coming back, I think it is better for them to go to a better route. A safer route....The Free agency.
And who better to go for than the top Free agent in 2010, former Angels Ace John Lackey. We all know that the Yankees are interested in Lackey but there are no serious talks yet.
The Yankees should consider getting Lackey than Halladay. Lackey is not as great as Halladay but he is not far behind. Lackey has good control of an excellent arsenal that includes above average heat, a slider, change and a great curve.

He is a top of the rotation workhorse and has been the Angels top gun for so many years now. What I like about John Lackey is his tenacity. He is a tough competitor and always wants to stay in the game to finish an inning. Remember that Lackey was upset when Angels Manager Mike
Scioscia pulled him out in the Game 5 of the ALCS. Just like Pettitte, Lackey wants the ball in his hands especially in crucial games. Lackey is a proven winner.

Lackey is looking for contract similar to AJ Burnett's ($16.5 million annually). The Angels only offered Lackey around $10-12 million. The Yankees should make an offer to Lackey somewhere in between of his demands and the Angels offer (maybe around $14-15 million) and locked him for 4-5 years. He is still at his prime and capable of playing competitively for another 4-7 years.

My only concern is why are the Angels not aggressive in signing their Ace. Remember that the Angels starting rotation would be thin if Lackey leaves. There might be a indication on the problem with his elbow. I don't know. I'm confused with the Angels' apparent willingness to let him walk, which some see as a sign that they know something about the health of his arm that others don't.

But still the Yankees should sign Lackey. Lackey doesn't need to play multiple innings in New York since they have other pitching greats like CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and most likely Andy Pettitte to back him up. I think the Yankees would benefit with Lackey for 3-4 good years. It's up to the Yankees conditioning coach to keep Lackey healthy throughout his career.

I would still go for Lackey than trading young guns like Joba, Phil Hughes, Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero just to get Halladay. Lackey is more cheap than Halladay and they have almost the same age and work ethics. Plus the Yankees will benefit with the young guns that I mention anytime soon.

The Yankees were impressed by the toughness that Lackey showed in this year's American League playoffs. The Yankees think Lackey is a bulldog, a mean and gutsy pitcher and backs down with no one. Before I used think trading for Halladay is the way to go but giving away to much talent made me think otherwise. Now I would prefer the Yankees to sign John Lackey..... at the right price of course.

Given the circumstance who would you go for John Lackey or Roy Halladay?

The importance of a DH

2009-12-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

What is a Designated Hitter or DH? A Designated Hitter is a baseball player that is assign to bat in place of the pitcher. This allows the pitcher to concentrate on pitching and by this it speeds up the game (less bunting). This was adopted in MLB by the American League in 1973 and the game has never been the same ever since.

Although there are a lot of criticism especially from the National League where there should be no specialization in baseball, no division of labor and everyone should play the "whole game".
I would still be in favor of the DH rule. Why? For so many reasons. For one it reduces the injury of your pitchers. Imagine them running along the bases. Look what happened to Yankees former Ace Chien-Ming Wang who suffered a foot injury while running the bases against the Houston Astros. Since that injury, Wang has never been the same "double play" pitcher.

Another reason is who would want to see your pitcher strike out a lot or worse commit to a double play which would end the inning. It destroys the beauty of baseball. There would be less home runs, decreased hitting and more bunting. No wonder the American League always take the World Series home-court advantage because of their DH advantage.

The DH offers American League managers several options in setting their team's line-ups:

They can employ a full time Designated Hitter like World Series MVP Hideki Matsui
They can use left-handed hitting DH against a right-handed pitcher and vice versa
It allows them to give a positional player a partial day-off

The beauty of the DH is it creates long, productive careers for players who are getting up in age, who have history of injuries and who are weak fielders. One good example is the case of Hideki Matsui. His shaky legs showed he can't play the outfield anymore but his batting prowess is still marvelous (20+ HR and 90+ RBI). The Yankees can't ignore the fact that Matsui is still valuable to the team employing him as their full time DH in 2009. It work wonders for them.

This coming season the Yankees are thinking what to do with their DH spot. Matsui is a free agent and the Yankees still wants him. However there are other Yankee positional players who needs to treated carefully (health wise) to prolong their career. Guys like Posada, Jeter, Damon (if signed), and A-Rod. The inability of Matsui to play the outfield gives the Yankees no choice but to go to another route.

I strongly suggest to bring up guys form the Farm system. Young stallions like Austin Jackson, Juan Miranda, Ramiro Pena, and Jesus Montero. They are still raw and a lot to prove. But this is the perfect time for them to see some action in the majors. It will be a good training ground for them while relieving old guys like Posada from time to time, giving them a partial day-off (DH spot).

For the Yankees who have several positional players creeping up on age "must" keep their DH spot open next season. And it is essential for them to bring up good sluggers from their Farm in order to maintain their offense intact. We will be seeing a new DH for next season.

So who would you want to be the Yankees' DH for the next season?

The Freak in New York? Why not?

2009-12-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

Two time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, San Francisco's Ace is considered one of the best starting pitchers in the game today. Often called as "The Freak" for his long stride and unorthodox pitching mechanics. He also has the ability to generate high velocity pitches (sometimes 98-99 mph) despite his small frame 5'11" ,172 lbs.
Lincecum is still young (25 yrs old) and still has a long way to go on his illustrious baseball career.

This off-season Lincecum will pursue a one year deal with the Giants around $ 10 million or more. Lincecum is expected to handle his arbitration year by year in an effort to maximize his earnings. The Freak could reach CC Sabathia's salary $ 23 million or his fellow team mate Barry Zito $ 18 million sometime soon. Lincecum salary of $ 650,000 is considered pocket change and his value has zoomed way way up.
Lincecum is still under contract with the Giants until after the 2013 season ( 4 more years). But the Giants must give their Ace a good deal year after year or else... The Yankees will come in and get him.

Yes Folks. Even with Roy Halladay trade rumors swirling in, when it comes to the Yankees pitching is never enough. Although there are no rumors regarding the San Francisco's Ace pitcher and I'm pretty sure that the Giants will do anything to keep their No. 1 pitching phenom in their rotation.
But guys like the Freak doesn't come available all the time and the Yankees being a powerful and wealthy organization must not let this things go overlook. We should at least consider getting the Freak. So from this day forward I will keep all the Yankee fans out there informed about updates about the Freak. Won't you like to have a starting pitcher who is still young but can pitch like Sabathia and Halladay.

The only concern about Lincecum is his health in long term. Pitching experts say that Lincecum can't pitch effectively for the long haul because of his small physique and his body might not able to withstand the long innings being played by a regular starter. He is simply not as big as Sabathia or as tough as Halladay. In Science that theory may be true but in the world of baseball anything is possible. How many times did we see a young pitcher dominate then later falter the following year. Or how many times did we witness a star pitcher playing in a All-Star game who is not prioritized in the draft.

What I'm saying is why are those people concerned about the future so much and not think about the present. Tim Lincecum is hot. He is today's sensation. He is a pure strike-out artist with an elite fastball, curve, and change-up. Being a two time Cy Young Award winner is not something to crack at. He earned it and is capable of getting some more.

And for me, I would love to see the Freak playing for the Yankees. I'm sure the Yankee fans would welcome him with open hearts and the Steinbrenners would welcome him with open bank accounts.

The Controlled Fury in New York. Let's see what will happen in the future. We don't know what the crystal ball holds for the Yankees but one thing for sure that the Yankees won't mind having another tremendous pitcher like Lincecum in their rotation.

I will keep you posted on the Freak's status. That is if you like to have him.

What's up with Chien-Ming Wang?

2009-11-29T05:03:00.000-08:00

Chien-Ming Wang was the New York Yankees Ace in 2006 and 2007. In both of those years he compiled 19 wins in a season. Wang even came close to winning the Cy Young award finished second to Johan Santana in 2006. He has several good pitches in his arsenal but is known for his sinker. Wang's sinker enables him to create ground balls resulting to double plays. Thus therefore lowering his pitch counts to go deep into games. He was destined to be a star pitcher in New York.

Then injuries came. In 2008, he suffered a right foot injury while running the bases during an inter-league game against the Houston Astros. Wang was diagnosed with a torn Linsfranc ligament of the right foot which caused him to end the remainder of the season.
In 2009, Wang's ERA ballooned to 9.64 and there was speculations that his previous foot injury caused him to compensate with the rest of his pitching motion. Wang was diagnosed with weakness in the muscles with both hips and was placed on the disabled list.

All of a sudden Wang turn from Hero to Zero. Now the Yankees are thinking if they want to bring their former 19 win Ace Pitcher. According to Dr. Andrews (Wang's doctor), Wang's shoulder was doing remarkably well and is looking forward for rehab.
Wang's agent Alan Nero says Dr. Andrews cleared Wang to begin throwing on Dec. 1. The quicker he can get himself on a mound the more likely the Yankees are to keep him around. Personally I think it is wise for the Yanks to keep him. He will probably be back in action by the end of April or May, 2010.

The Yankees almost certainly will not tender Wang a contract, which would cost $5 million at the least. But Wang still prefers to play with the Yankees if they still want him.

Most of the critics says that he is done. Wang should pack up his bag and look for a new home. But if the Yankees get him cheap, it is worth considering signing him. Who knows Wang might be back to his old self. It's worth the risk for keeping the sinker ball specialist. Give Wang a shot for one more year. If Wand did not produce and suffered another injury (Probably neck this time), the Yanks will just have to count their losses and move on. But what if Wang stayed healthy and performs well. The Yankees starting rotation will be deep especially of Pettitte comes back.

I think it's worth a shot to give Wang another run to redeemed himself. I'm starting to miss Wang's double plays where we used to see him pitch till the 8th inning and got an outstanding 18 ground ball outs.

Who will the Yankees trade for Roy Halladay

2009-11-28T22:31:00.000-08:00

There are rumors that Yankees are considering trading JOBA CHAMBERLAIN, BRETT GARDNER, and IAN KENNEDY. According to Toronto Blue Jays organization they are looking for arms and power for their prized pitcher Roy Halladay. The Blue Jays will be receiving 2 promising young pitchers who are believed to be a star someday.
Joba Chamberlain is touted as one of the best prospect in the Yankees Farm system. He has a pretty good fastball and slider and has demonstrated good command on his pitches. The Yankees have envisioned him to be their starter but someway Joba always goes to back to the Yankees bullpen where he first started his career in pinstripes.

I think Joba will fit perfectly with the Blue Jays either if he is a starter, a middle relief pitcher, or a closer. There is no big pressure in Toronto unlike in New York. And Toronto will give Joba time to blossomed. Same thing goes with Ian Kennedy, who can't seem to find his niche with the Yankees. He too will fit perfectly in Toronto.
The Blue Jays might not be getting power in Brett Gardner but they will be getting speed (a lot of it). Gardner' speed will give Toronto a new dimension with his base stealing and aggressiveness. If he only improved his batting average he could be Toronto's lead-off hitter.

Bottom line Toronto will be getting 3 young and promising athletes that are cheap. This will benefit the Blue Jays payroll and they will have mobility to add players that they need from the Free Agency pool.

For the Yankees, they will be getting another ace in their rotation. Roy Halladay will definitely give the Yankees another shot at the World Series title. He is not as young as the 3 Yankees but he is not that old. Halladay can still perform at his level for another 5-8 years. Just think of it this way, with Halladay coming in, opponents will be threaten to face the Yankees because of their monstrous rotation. You got CC Sabathia as your No. 1 pitcher, followed by Halladay in No. 2 (No. 1 in other teams). Then you have AJ Burnett in No. 3, plus the coming of Andy Pettitte at No. 4. Add or mix players from the bullpen of the farm system to complete the rotation. Chad Gaudin, Ace Aceves, Phil Hughes are those who are considered to participate in the starting rotation.
That's pretty deep. If you got that kind of a rotation there's a small chance for the opposing team to get a win against the Yanks. I'm sure the Yankees won't mind spending money on Halladay. Halladay is like a carbon copy of CC Sabathia. So you got 2 former Cy Young award winners in your starting rotation.

Personally I would prefer to trade away Phil Hughes than Joba. I think Joba would be the next Yankee closer when Mariano Rivera retires.

So let's keep our ears on the ground for what will happen with the Yankees transaction. A player like Roy Halladay won't be easy to find and even if the Yankees want to stick to their budget they will be force to open their wallet just to keep Halladay away from the Boston Red Sox.

Bidding War for Roy Halladay

2009-11-26T01:35:00.000-08:00

The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees is probably the most talk rivalries in sports history. Ever since the time of Babe Ruth up to the acquisition of Mark Teixeira this two teams have been going at it for quite some time. Now they are at war for the services of Ace Roy Halladay.

Boston is much more desperate than the Yankees. They lost the Divisional Series this year to the Angels. Their Rotation is not that deep and injuries have hampered their chances of advancing to the ALCS. The Yankees on the other hand is thinking of reducing their payroll and is planning not to be aggressive as they were when they hired guys like CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Teixeira last season. Still getting Halladay wouldn't hurt. Even if Andy Pettitte comes back the Yankees need more depth in their rotation so that they won't do the risky "3 man rotation" which they did in the post-season.

AJ Burnett, the former Blue Jay and team mate of Halladay would be exhilarated to have Halladay on board. Roy Halladay was Burnett's mentor and Halladay was responsible for Burnett's success for teaching how to throw the right pitches at the right location. Halladay also taught Burnett how to avoid injuries and taking care of his health.

Roy Halladay is considered one the best pitcher in the game today and plays a Cy Young performance all season long. He is an incredibly gifted workhorse. He sets hitters up with his fastball, works the strike zone, and uses a lethal off-speed arsenal to put them away. Halladay is also incredibly durable, intense, and hard-working, he's truly the definition of an ace. Every team in baseball would definitely want him. But getting Halladay's services would cost heavily. Halladay is still in contract with the Toronto Blue Jays for 2010 and has full no trade clause. Toronto new GM Alex Anthopoulos said he is open for trade talks for their star pitcher but for a good price. Boston is offering Clay Buchholz plus more promising prospects in their farm.

If the Yankees wants to join, they should at least consider trading Joba Chamberlain and/or Phil Hughes. Toronto is also interested in other Yankee prospects like Jesus Montero, Austin Jackson and several young pitchers.

The Yankees must join the bidding war even if they are not seriously interested in getting Halladay. This is just to up the ante and value of Halladay and forcing the Red Sox to almost giving everybody away from their farm system.

If you would ask me, I would like to get Halladay. Having Halladay would almost be an insurance for the Yankees to grab their 28th World Series title. Halladay is known as a Yankee killer. His 18-6 record against the Bronx Bombers attests. If the Red Sox gets Halladay, that would spell disaster for the Yankees. So it would be best for the Yankees to get Halladay to give them a 20+ wins and not to bitter rival Red Sox. His salary would only cost $ 15.75 M in 2010. So you get him cheap for one year.

The problem is Halladay would be a Free Agent at the end of the 2010 season and would demand a bigger pay and longer contract. Even if Halladay deserves to get a large contract and the Yankees can afford him, the Yankees will have a behemothic payroll. Remember that Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera would also be Free Agents at the end of 2010 and the Yankees would definitely commit first to this two loyal and outstanding players. Can the Yankees fit Halladay in their payroll? I think not! Unless they want to go back to their over-spending days.

And why would the Yankees trade their young stars like Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes (even if they are not as great as Halladay) for a guy who the Yankees might lose to Free Agency at the end of 2010. Toronto also said that they are interested in Jesus Montero and they would want to add the youngster in the trade package. Montero might not have the catching skills but he is still young and his hitting power is "off the charts" and is something that the Yankees must keep. Halladay is turning 33 years old on May 2010. He is no spring chicken and have had some share of injuries. It is foolish for the Yankees to give away 4-5 promising guys for a 33 year old ace pitcher. The odds is not so good for the Yankees if they made the deal.

The best thing for the Yankees to do is to keep their young stars (Joba and Hughes) and prospects (Montero, A-Jax, etc.). They are still young and comes in cheap. Plus they have the potential of being a star in the league or at least contribute for the Yankees success.
The Yankees spend enough money last year to get talents like Sabathia, Burnett and Tex. This time it is wise for them to concentrate on using and developing Home-grown talents like Cano, Joba, and A-Jax. Balancing veteran leadership and young talents is essential and key for the Yankees to win it all.

As for Roy Halladay, let's just hope the Blue Jays wont strike a deal with the Red Sox. Because all the Yankees can do is to bluff and fool the Red Sox and hope that the Blue Jays would get a lot in return for a prize of just one pitcher.

Cementing the Bridge to Mariano Rivera

2009-11-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

The New York Yankees are blessed. They have the best closer of all time in Mariano Rivera. How many times did we see him close games in clutch situations. How many times did we hear Mariano's entrance song "Enter Sandman" which means exit time to the opponents. How many times did we see him use his famous "cutter" that until now the league hasn't found a way to solve it.

The Yankees won't be the 2009 World Series Champs without Rivera as their closer. Rivera is such an important and integral part of the team that he even played more than one inning just to make sure to clinch a win. In fact it became a trend in the Championship series and the World Series where starting pitchers like CC Sabathia would pitch 7-8 good innings (eliminating the set-up guy) then passing the ball the the Yankees great closer. It worked effectively as the opponents can't rally back and has simply no answer to the great pitching arsenal of Mariano Rivera.

And to add insurance to the Yankees winning ways, Rivera said that he is planning to play 5 more years. Yankee fans are hoping that Rivera is not kidding. At the age of 39, Rivera showed no signs of slowing down. And barring injuries, 5 years is a realistic plan for Rivera.

Problem is the remaining staff in the Yankees bullpen. During the 2009 season, the Yankees pen are probably the best in the league with Phil Hughes as Rivera's set-up man and newcomers like David Robertson, Ace Aceves, and Phil Coke providing stability and consistency. But in the post-season, the Yanks bullpen was evaporated forcing Mariano Rivera to play extra innings to ensure a win.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman said that Yankees bullpen is still strong (even if they faded in the post-season). That holds true, but there is uncertainty in pitching. A pitcher can be a MVP caliber this year and drop out of the rotation next year. Just look at Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels. Last year he was MVP of the world series with 1.80 ERA. This year Hamels played poorly allowing 5 earned runs in Game 3 of the World Series and was credited with a loss. Looking for consistency in pitching is very hard to find nowadays.

That is why the Yankees must think to bolster their bullpen even if that is not their biggest need this off-season. Rumors is that the Yankees are considering signing Free Agents like Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano (both Type A Free Agents). Or the Yankees might consider placing young pitchers like Joba and Phil Hughes in the pen if they were able to bring back Andy Pettitte and/or sign a Free Agent pitcher like John Lackey.

Either way, Mariano Rivera needs help. He can't do it all alone. He can't carry the bullpen on his own even if he has Superman type of skills. Getting help from their farm system or through free agency will help the Yankees closer and if that is done 5 years for Mariano Rivera is not an impossible feat.

Andy Pettitte not retiring

2009-11-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

Good news! Andy Pettitte might come back to the Yankees next season. Pettitte was among the last two of the 171 eligible players to declare for free agency. This move made a strong indication that the 37 year old lefty isn't ready to retire.

The Yankees wants him back to keep their starting rotation intact. After CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, the Yankees' rotation is a question mark. The Yankees is still not sure where to place Joba and Hughes seemed to be comfortable in the bullpen. Andy Pettitte can fill that hole nicely. Pettitte still has a lot of thread in him and can still pitch for 1-2 years. Pettitte would definitely provide stability in their rotation.

Andy Pettitte has the most post-season career wins (18) and is still considered a 6 inning guy. He went 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA in 32 starts and was brilliant in the postseason when he was 4-0 with a 3.52 ERA in five games. He was the winning pitcher in the clinchers against the Twins (ALDS), Angels (ALCS) and Phillies (World Series).

The question is how much is his worth?

Last season, Pettitte took a pay cut from his previous $ 16 million a year down to $ 5.5 million. Randy Hendricks (Pettitte agent), thought the amount was too steep a decline. So the Yankees buttered it up with incentive laden contract that was based on innings pitched and days on the active roster. Pettitte can get $ 11-12 million in 2009 if he stays healthy and remains consistent. Pettitte did exactly just that by playing 32 games and had 194.2 innings pitched. And on top of that Pettitte grab his 5th World Series title, defeating the Philliies in Game 6.

If you will ask me Pettitte is worth $ 11-12 million and the Yankees should or must consider signing the veteran pitcher with that kind of amount. Remember Closer Mariano Rivera begged owner Steinbrenner to bring Pettitte back last year to provide guidance and wisdom to newcomers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett about pitching in The Bronx.

Andy Pettitte is also instrumental in teaching young studs like Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. Pettitte is still considered a staple player in the Yankees roster and he is one of the Yankees original "Core Four" where they won World Series championships in the late 90's and the year of 2000.

I have a strong feeling that the Yankees will get the services of Andy Pettitte next season. The Yankees don't have any excuse not to sign him. Pettitte is a big time pitcher and strives to play in pressure games.

So Brain Cashman, what are you waiting for. Get the offer sheet ready and hand it out to Handy Andy.

Why the Yankees should consider Jarrod Washburn

2009-11-18T07:16:00.000-08:00

In terms of baseball, pitching is never enough. While the Yankees said to go easy this off-season compared to previous off-season, it is still a necessity to add a few more arms to help their rotation or their bullpen. As of today, the Yankees only have CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett as their starters. Andy Pettitte is still unsure of coming back (the Yankees better hope that he comes back) and the coaching staff his still studying the status of their young pitchers like Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes if they are capable to start next season.

What the Yankees need is a another starting pitcher to man the position in their 4th or 5th slot. One guy they should consider is Free Agent and 2002 World Series Champion Jarrod Washburn. Even with the age of 35 and his recent knee injury, Washburn can still be effective and provide stability in the Yankees back-end rotation. In his 12 year career, Washburn had only one serious injury and that happened in his stint with the Tigers where he blew off his knee and was required to have a surgery. But the doctors have cleared Washburn and he's ready to play this coming season.

Although Washburn is not as great as Roy Halladay and John Lackey, he will give something to the Yankees that the other 2 pitchers can't give --- A cheap contract. Washburn made $ 9.375 million last year and he is still looking for a new team. If no one in the league gives him an offer, the Yankees can give Washburn an offer sheet ranging from $ 5-7 million and 1-2 years contract.

Washburn specialty is his change-up and slider. He has established a diverse arsenal of fastballs (ranging from 84-94 mph). He is a lefty which gives the Yankees depth in their rotation with Sabathia and Pettitte (if he comes back) in their roster.

If the Yankees decide to place Joba and/or Hughes back in the bullpen next season, adding Washburn will help their cause.
The Yankees should consider adding Jarrod Washburn to their roster. He comes in cheap and can provide stability and experience to their ball club.

A-Jax for Curtis Granderson

2009-11-16T21:08:00.000-08:00

See this picture? Remarkable play isn't it? That is Curtis Granderson, Detroit's All-Star center-fielder. You don't see that everyday from your center fielder. Because of Granderson's value and Detroit's economic problems, the center fielder has been the main piece of trade discussions nowadays. And who would not want to have the services of this All-Star, he is still young and has a reasonable salary and is under contract till 2012. He's got power and speed and plays good defense. The Tigers still want to keep Granderson but Detroit is in a hole financially and is open for trade offers.

The Yankees is one of the teams who are interested in Granderson. But who will the Yankees offer in return? Detroit is asking for Yankees top prospect Austin Jackson plus additional players. Some Yankee experts says that this is not going to be a wise move but if you give a deeper analysis to it I say it's a perfect move. As long as the Yankees don't throw in Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera and Jesus Montero, then they are in perfect shape to make the trade.

Remember that Austin Jackson is still a "prospect". Meaning it's just an expectation of something great, but not yet proven. A-Jax is amazing in the minor leagues but it's a whole new level once your in the majors. Ask that to former Yankees top prospects Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. These two young pitchers are promising players and the Yankees have vision them to be No. 1 and No. 2 starter in their rotation in the future. In 2009, both of this pitchers were penciled to start in the rotation but the two of them ended up in the bullpen at the end of the season. You see it's a different game once your in the major league. The opponents are tougher, scouts are better, pressure is more intense, the crowd will eat you alive. Its a whole new level out there.

That is why the Yankees should strongly consider trading for Curtis Granderson. He is proven and has post-season experience. The Yankees might lose some promising players in their farm but they got something great in return. And the Yankees won't be missing A-Jax since Granderson also has the same skills. They both got speed, plays defense, covers a lot of field, strike out a lot, and has pretty good batting skills. Their only difference is Granderson has lot of MLB experience and has more power (30 HR in 2009).

The only key element here is who should the Yankees add to the Austin Jackson package. The Yankees should be careful on throwing away to much talent that they may lose in the long term. And Detroit want's to dumb expensive contracts to the deal. They are thinking of including Nate Robertson or Jeremy Bonderman to the package. Remember that the Yankees don't intend to spend heavily this off-season. The Yankees can get Detroit's unwanted players and trade them immediately to other teams for a prospect to save them some money.

The bottom line here is the Yankees should not waste this opportunity and try to get Curtis Granderson to remain competitive in the 2010 season.

So who would you pick Curtis Granderson or Austin Jackson?

Curtis Granderson can solve the Yanks' outfield problems

2009-11-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

The Yankees have outfield problems this off-season. Melky Cabrera had a good turn-around season in 2009 compared to his disappointing season in 2008 but he still lacks the power and consistency and he doesn't steal bases a lot. Brett Gardner is fast and a base stealer threat but also lack home run prowess and just rely purely on his speed. 2009 acquisition Nick Swisher has power but he played miserable in the post-season. These 3 Yankee outfielders are good but not great.
Johnny Damon can help this guys but he is a free agent and might not come back due to Damon's agent Boras luxurious contract demands.
Hideki Matsui, the World Series MVP, is still a dangerous hitter, but his aching knees might be a burden for him to play the outfield. The DH spot is his only option (sharing time with Posada).

So what do the Yankees need to do to fill some holes in the outfield? One option; Detroit Tigers Curtis Granderson.
No, Granderson is not a free agent but the Tiger's GM Dave Dombrowski said they are willing to hear trade offers from other teams about their prized center fielder (although Granderson is not the player Detroit really wants to trade).
The Tigers are in a cost-cutting frame of mind and they have let other GM know that Granderson could be had for the right package.
Brian Cashman met with Dombrowski at the GM Meetings and the two discuss about their needs. They have a good relationship and have made significant trades before.

When Dombrowski was the Marlins GM, he obtained Mike Lowell from the Yanks for three prospects, and in recent years the Tigers and Yankees made the Gary Sheffield trade and swapped Kyle Farnsworth for Ivan Rodriguez.

Granderson is an attractive player who would draw interest from many suitors (so far it's the Cubs, Yankees and the Angels). He is still young (turning 29 by next season), but had a lot of MLB experience on his resume (6 years in the league). Granderson has post-season experience and even went to the World Series against the Cardinals.

Granderson salary is not expensive. He will make an economical $5.5 million in next season, followed by $8.25 million in 2011 and $10 million in 2012. Detroit has the option of paying him $13 million in 2013 or buying him out for $2 million.

Granderson is a powerful hitter (30 homers this season), which could help the Yankees since he is a left handed hitter and may hit 30-40 home runs next season in the Yankee Stadium. He also has speed and can steal base when the team needs to. Defensively, Granderson fits well in center field and covers a lot of grounds due to his speed. He will definitely be an upgrade. Granderson is young, has power and speed, and plays good defense.

But Granderson have a downside. He is terrible against lefties (.183 last year) and strikes out a ton (141 times last year). He stole 20 bases last year but he is not known as a strong instinctual base stealer. But the Yankees can fix that with proper training of Hitting Coach Kevin Long.

So how would this become possible? The Yankees should trade enough value to get Curtis Granderson. The center of trade discussion is Austin Jackson, Yankees top prospect. A-Jax shows sign of becoming a good player but he is still a prospect. Granderson has prove that he belong to the league. Add a few more players to clinch the deal and the Yankees will have their outfield problems fix.

The Yankees won't mind Johnny Damon leaving (Granderson will fit in nicely in the 2-hole), and they will still have funds to address their other needs like pitching. They may have the luxury to sign Matsui for one year (If Matsui agrees). If the Yankees all accomplish this, the road to No. 28 World Series title will become clearer.

Scott Boras getting in Johnny Damon's way

2009-11-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

Scott Boras, the blood sucking sports agent, who almost convinced Alex Rodriguez not to deal with the Yankees when his contract was opted out, is at it again.

Today Boras is telling Johnny Damon not to sign with the Yankees-- not until it reach Boras contract demands. Boras is demanding 3-4 years contract for his client Damon. That is something the Yankees can't afford even if they have the highest payroll in MLB.

We all love Johnny Damon. Since his arrival in 2006, the Yankees had a legitimate lead-off hitter and another offensive weapon to their line-up. Damon's got power and is suited nicely for the Yankees since he takes advantage of the Yankees Stadium short porch in right field. And even with his age, Damon can still steal bases and runs well in the base paths.
In the post-season, the Yankees relies on Damon's experience (winning 1 World Series with the Red Sox) and he brings maturity and tenacity on the ball club.

However, Damon is getting old (36 this year) and has recent injuries from his legs and hamstrings. Playing on the average of 142 games every year on his 15 year career brought some wear and tear to his once speedy and agile body. Plus he is a defensive liability in the outfield with a weak throwing arm.

And now Boras is dreaming and wants a contract for Damon similar to the Yankees captain Derek Jeter (for the record, Jeter will earn $21 million in 2010). And Boras even brag about his client that Damon has a body of a 30 year old. This guy must be nuts.

The Yankees wants to bring Damon back but on a 1-2 year contract and on the range of $ 6-8 million. That seems to be a "win-win situation" for both the Yankees and Johnny Damon. The Yankees will still be competitive and might repeat as champs in 2010 with Damon batting on the 2 hole and Damon will not only be getting his market value but he will have a chance to add another World Series ring to his collections.

But Scott Boras stands in their way. Boras wants a share of a pie. If only Damon would bypass his agent and talk directly to the Yankees (like what A-Rod did in 2007) then everything will be all right.

Yankees Wives No. 1

2009-11-11T05:09:00.000-08:00

NO. 1 : KATE HUDSON

Alex Rodriguez or A-Rod is probably the best baseball player in the world today. A-Rod is a 12 time All Star selection, 10 time Silver Slugger award winner, 4 time AL Hank Aaron award winner, 3 time AL MVP, 2 time Gold Glove award winner, the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs, the 4th player to reach the 40-40 club (40 homers and 40 stolen bases) and recently a World Series champion.

But come play-off time A-Rod's performance will vanish and slither away. From 2004-2007 post-season, A-Rod has been horrible at the plate forcing Joe Torre (Yankees former manager) to bat A-Rod on the 6th or 7th hole. In 2005 and 2006, Rodriguez batting went to a sub .200 AVE.
Dating back to Game 4 of the 2004 AL Championship Series, Rodriguez had come to bat with 38 runners on base over a span of 61 postseason at-bats. He stranded every one of them, going 0-for-29 with runners on base. Much of the criticism regarding Rodriguez is focused upon his alleged inability to produce hits in clutch situations.

That quickly change in 2009 when Kate Hudson went into play and become Alex Rodriguez's girlfriend. A-Rod suddenly become a play-off scapegoat and loser to a post-season clutch performer and World Series champion. He had several postseason clutch performance;
in the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins, he hit a game tying homer off closer Joe Nathan in the bottom of the 9th inning in Game 2. In the ALCS, Rodriguez hit his third game-tying HR of the post season in Game 2 in the bottom of the 11th against Angel closer Brian Fuentes.
Rodriguez's postseason success continued in Game 4 of the World Series, as he drove in the go-ahead run with two outs in the 9th inning off of Phillies closer Brad Lidge.

The question is what did Kate Hudson do to A-Rod that made her boyfriend the new Yankees post-season hero? I guess it's her beauty, wit and personality. Because of Kate's incredible charm, she was invited to sit among the Yankees wife's seat even though she is not A-Rod's wife yet. Whatever it is, I think Kate Hudson deserved a ring from A-Rod from all the positive things that she brought in. So A-Rod give her a ring.... not the World Series ring but a diamond engagement ring.

Yankees Wives No. 2

2009-11-11T04:23:00.000-08:00

NO. 2 : MINKA KELLY

Derek Jeter, the Yankees Team Captain and future Hall of Famer, has so many awards to prove his greatness in baseball. Jeter is a 5 time World Series champion, 4 time Gold Glove award winner, 10 time All Star selection, 3 time Silver Slugger award winner, 2 time AL Hank Aaron award winner, 1996 AL Rookie of the Year award winner, Yankees All-time hits leader, and 2000 World Series MVP.

That is why there is a bunch of girls that are attracted and have been linked to the Yankees Shortstop. Among them are diva Mariah Carey, former Miss Universe Lara Dutta, singer Joy Enriquez, Jordana Brewster, Scarlett Johansson, Gabrielle Union, Jessica Alba, Vanessa Minillo, and Jessica Biel.

And now there are rumors that Jeter is engaged to Friday Night Lights actress Minka Kelly. Funny that Minka Kelly supports his fiance by watching baseball games in New York while she is acting as a cheerleader from a college football team. For Jeter its Friday Night all the time in baseball and in private life. Jeter added another award in Minka Kelly.

Yankees Wives No. 3

2009-11-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

NO. 3 : HIDEKI MATSUI'S MYSTERY WIFE

The New York Yankees Designated Hitter and the World Series MVP Hideki Matsui is a silent and soft-spoken guy in public but on the baseball field Matsui let's his actions do the talking. Nicknamed Godzilla, Matsui breaths fire by putting up 100+ RBI's and 20 something home runs.

Matsui announced to the press on March 27, 2008 that he had married in a private ceremony in New York. His bride's name has not been announced, but it is reported that she was 25 years old and had been formerly working in a "reputable position at a highly respected company". They met in Japan after the 2006 off-season.

So who is this mystery lady? Is she afraid of the limelight? Or does she prefers a quite and simple life? Whatever it is, this lady gave Hideki the boost that he needed. Even with his aching knees, Matsui was still a major factor to the Yankees especially in the World Series where he had one home run and 6 RBI in Game 6 alone.

Yankees Wives No. 4

2009-11-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

NO. 4 : MICHELLE DAMON

Johnny Damon has excellent speed (especially during his prime) and an outstanding base stealer. In 2004, Johnny stole the heart of the alluring and sexy Michelle Mangan, the best stealing performance of Johnny in his life. They got married and had 2 kids.

Michelle Mangan, now Michelle Damon attracted the attention of many and she was chosen to appear in the pages of Sport's Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2008.

So guys who do you want to round the bases for the Yankees? Johnny or Michelle?

Yankees Wives No. 5

2009-11-09T01:03:00.000-08:00

NO. 5 : AMBER SABATHIA

CC Sabathia is like a beast in baseball. Everyone is afraid of him. And why not, CC almost strike out batters that he face. CC, who won the 2007 AL Cy Young award, exhibits a good command of his pitches. He has four plus pitches: a fastball, slider, cutter, and a changeup. CC is the Yankees ace and top gun. Nobody can intimidate this 300 pound pitcher.

Only one person can control and constrain CC Sabathia. That person is no other than Amber Sabathia, CC's wife. Amber and CC were high school sweethearts when they were both growing up in Vallejo, California. And when they got married in 2003, they choose to reside in Fairfield, CA outside their hometown of Vallejo in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Did you know that Amber Sabathia was pressing her husband hard last off-season to sign with the hometown San Francisco Giants, so they would not have to move to another city, and it was rumored that CC only agreed to sign with the Yankees after Brian Cashman had a private sit-down with Amber to convince her that it was possible to raise kids in New York.

That is how powerful Amber is. More powerful than her 300 pound husband. With Amber's nod, CC signed with the Yankees and their family moved to a residence in Alpine, New Jersey.

Just imagine if Cashman was not able to convince Amber. It will be a total disaster. The Yankees won't be having their 27th World Series title without CC Sabathia in their roster.

Yankees Wives No. 6

2009-11-09T00:37:00.000-08:00

NO. 6 : LAURA PETTITTE

Even with age there is no stopping Yankee starting pitcher Andy Pettitte. Andy is one the most feared pitcher during his prime and until now he can still dominate with his four-seam fastball, a cutter, a 12-6 curveball, a sinker and a changeup.

I don't understand why Andy needs to take performance-enhancing drugs when he has Laura Pettitte to boost his skills.

Andy Pettitte is known for his pick-off. Did Andy did that too to Laura to get her nod? Either way, Andy won't be Andy without Laura behind him.

Yankees Wives No. 7

2009-11-08T04:31:00.000-08:00

NO. 7 : LAURA POSADA

Jorge Posada's catching days may be over but the Yankees catcher can still hit big time. In fact Jorge scored big time by marrying Laura Posada.

Laura married Jorge in 2000. Before marriage, she had been a fitness model and minor actress in Puerto Rico, before later hitting the books to become an attorney. Laura also made waves after coming to the US by posing in a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition wearing nothing but strategically placed paint.

Laura Posada is one of the oldest mainstay in the Yankees wives organization but that doesn't mean she is old. She is still hot even with 2 kids. Jorge really made a big "catch" out of this.

Yankees Wives No. 8

2009-11-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

NO. 8 : LEIGH TEIXEIRA

Mark Teixeira is one of the biggest acquisition for the Yankees. Teixeira gave the Yankees an additional power in their line-up and gave A-Rod some protection by batting before him. Tex is also known for his defensive plays at 1st and has 2 Gold Glove award to his name. Again thank the wife.

It's Leigh Teixeira who made his husband Mark to sign a multi-deal contract with the Yankees (taking the slugger out of the Red Sox). Throughout his free agency, Teixeira solicited his wife's opinion and she kept saying, "I just want you to be happy," Teixeira recalled. On date night, Teixeira asked, "Everything's equal, where do you want to go? She finally said, 'I want you to be a Yankee.'"

That made Mark happy knowing he is going to play to a team where his idol Yankee legend Don Mattingly used to play. And now Mark Teixeira has the chance to make his mark to the Yankee tradition by playing 1st base (Mattingly played 1st base as well).

Guess who is the real boss?? I think Leigh might have to become Marks manager from now on, she really knows best. It was one of Marks dreams to play for the Yankees so Leigh just gave him the push he needed!

Yankees Wives No. 9

2009-11-07T18:29:00.000-08:00

NO. 9 : KAREN BURNETT

AJ Burnett has known to be good at times and wild at times. When Burnett is on, the opponents will have a hard time scoring a run. What makes Burnett successful this year? Was it Jose Molina? Burnett's personal catcher... No, I don't think so. It's AJ's guardian angel and wife Karen, who stood by him through thick and thin.

Karen and AJ Burnett lives year-round in her hometown of Baltimore with the couple’s two sons Ashton and AJ Jr. One fact about Karen is she hates to fly. So much so that it was said to affect AJ’s possible destinations as a free agent this past off-season (it's a good thing they signed with the Yankees). In AJ’s contract with the Blue Jays, Karen was guaranteed 8 roundtrip limo rides between Baltimore and Toronto per season. That's a lot of ride, and that is about a 9 hour trip each way, she must really hate to fly.

Living in Baltimore made easy for Karen to let his husband signed a contract with the Yankees. She doesn't need to take a plane to watch his husband in New York. You see, Wives play a major factor in contract signing. You get the wife, you get the husband.

Yankees Wives No. 10

2009-11-06T00:25:00.000-08:00

The Yankees are the World Champions. The Yankees consist of several marquee and upcoming promising players. What makes them exceptional?
Want to know their secret to their success ...... it's their wives. In every great man is a great woman. And the Yankees wives transformed their husbands into great champions. So here is my top 10 list of Yankees wives. Let's start from no. 10:

NO. 10 : DANIELLE GAMBA

Although Nick Swisher has been linked to several women including Gossip Girl (TV Series) actress Joanna Garcia, who were seen together at the World Series Parade in New York City on Friday, November 6th 2009. It's Danielle Gamba who made Nick Swisher as a powerful home run hitter. Why? Well just look at her.... Isn't she a fox?

Danielle Gamba is an American model, dancer, and former NFL Cheerleader. Gamba, an and Italian and Spanish descent, is also a Playboy model.

FHM magazine named Danielle Gamba their only "International Honey" after breaking the magazine's record for winning the "Hometown Honey" duel 3 months in a row. Subsequently, they named her their Official Lingerie representative for the United States, appearing in 7 of their publications.

Nick Swisher helped the Yankees with a season performance of .249 AVE, 29 HR, and 82 RBI. Is Danielle Gambe the reason behind it?

Thank You Hideki Matsui!

2009-11-05T00:35:00.000-08:00

No, I am not saying this as a farewell phrase to our beloved slugger. We all know that Matsui is a free agent in the 2009 off-season and there are rumors that he might not come back. I am writing this blog to inform the Yankees (particularly Brian Cashman) to strongly consider Matsui before looking at other free agents. Matsui's age and weak knees indicated that the Yankees will let go of their DH after the season but that immediately change when Matsui played superbly in the World Series.

In the World Series, Matsui batted .615 AVE, 3 HR, and 8 RBI's. In Game 2 he hit a home run of Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez. In Game 4, with the DH role being waive of, Matsui pinch hit in the late inning to provide insurance run. In his only at bat he hit another homer. In Game 6, Matsui exploded hitting a home run and produce 6 RBI that put Philadelphia's nail in the coffin. Matsui's incredible performance gave MLB no choice but to award the Yankees' DH the World Series MVP. The Yankees roster is deep and talented but Matsui really provided the offense that the ball club needed.

Since Matsui's arrival in New York back in 2003, Matsui provided his ball club another weapon in their always feared line-up. In his 7 years stint with the Yankees, Matsui gave the Yankees 100+ RBI's (except to the seasons that he was injured in 2006 and 2008). He was often called the "RBI Machine", giving important runs to his team. Matsui was nicknamed Godzilla because of his powerful hitting especially in right field.

Matsui is also known as the Yankees "Iron Man", playing 163 games every season. He had only two injury season in 2006 and 2008, but other than that Matsui was there all season long. Matsui played left field but his recent injury (knees) kept him from doing that this season. The Yankees made Matsui their DH at the start of the season and Matsui answered back with an a above satisfactory statistics (.274 AVE, 28 HR, 90 RBI's in just 142 games played).

And now the Yankees are thinking of letting Matsui go. I say no.
I am aware that Matsui's age is a concern and his knees are a big risk but if Matsui somehow agree to take a pay cut and play for one more year then the Yankees should grab it immediately. There are not a lot of free agent out there that can not compare to the offense of Matsui. And the Yankees will make a dumb decision of going for another high prize free agents like Bay and Holliday.
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is slowing down defensively and the Yankees are thinking of giving Posada the DH role next year. That seems to be a great idea but who will be their everyday starting catcher? Molina? Cervelli? The Yankees will be losing the offense that brought their ball club to their 27th World Series title. Let Posada catch for at least a year and relief him with Molina or Cervelli from time to time to save his strength for the post-season.
Give Matsui the DH role next season (Posada can DH once in a while). If the Yankees let Matsui go they will lost their No.5 or No.6 hitter and they will lose power from that spots.

Why are the Yankees even thinking of changing their roster that made wonders in 2009. If they want to change they should add talents not reduce. Matsui has 1-2 good offensive years left him. The Yankees should not waste it. Bring Godzilla for one more year and let his numbers do the talking.

"Empire State of Mind"

2009-11-03T00:27:00.000-08:00

The Yankees are in the right state of mind... the Empire State of Mind. Sung by rapper Jay-Z and Alicia Keys in Game 2 of the World Series in the New Yankee Stadium, the Yankees are confident to win it all at home.

The "Empire State of Mind" is part of a long tradition of songs that celebrate the Big Apple. And the Yankees are looking forward to their 27th World Series title.
Throw away those scouting reports and performance graphs. We are just relying on plain old instincts right now. We all know who is in the zone and who is struggling. We all know what this certain player can do and can't do.

Sometimes in a ball game, it is important not to give to much importance on statistics and just believe in faith. Everybody knows what the Phillies strengths and weaknesses are. And Philadelphia did all the scouting to find ways to defeat the Yankees. Every card is laid on the table. There's no element of surprise... not a monumental surprise. And there is an old saying that just to "Bring it on".

I am expecting the Yankees to finish this in Game 6 with reliable Andy on the mound. It is going to be a nice battle but we will be seeing the Yankees still standing once the dust is settled.

So have faith Yankees fans and just B-E-L-I-E-V-E! No. 27 will be on our hands. And just like in the Mastercard commercial:

A taxi to central=$5, A subway ticket to the stadium=$10, A ticket to the game=$30, See the Yankees win No. 27=Priceless. There's something money can't buy, for everything else there's the New York Yankees!

If only Moose were here!

2009-11-02T05:06:00.000-08:00

As good as the Yankees are on paper, in reality they lack dept when it comes to pitching. Our bullpen evaporated like water in the post-season leaving Mariano Rivera doing all the work load. CC Sabathia is great but how long will we keep him starting on only 3 days rest? AJ Burnett can't do it on short rest and Pettitte, the play-off savvy that he is, is getting old and might not be consistent on 3 days rest.
The Yankees hate to admit it but they lack one more pitcher to rest their starters and give them full rest. Or they desperately need somebody in the bullpen to bridge the gap to the great Mo. If only Moose were here!

Mike Mussina played with the Yankees from 2001-2008. Mussina is a five-time All Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner. He has a record of 3.68 ERA in his 18 illustrious career. Mussina possesses a nasty knuckle-curve and excellent control of all of his pitches. He is a good defender, and he also keeps runners close to first base.

Early in his career, Mussina's arsenal included a four-seam fastball that topped out at 95 mph, a two-seam fastball, a slider, a changeup, and plus his famous knuckle-curve. He has always been known as a finesse pitcher. Mussina's prolonged success is also the result of his ability to make adjustments. He has added a splitter to his repertoire and replaced his knuckle-curve with a more conventional curveball. He has become more skilled at changing speeds with his breaking pitches and using different arm angles to confuse batters as well as to compensate for the diminishing speed of his fastball, now at 86–88 mph (tops out at 90.91 mph).

Throughout his career, Mussina has also complemented his pure pitching ability by doing the little things well. He issues very few walks, holds base runners well, and fields his position superbly.

If only Mussina signed with the Yankees this year with a one year contract and a cut from his previous salary ($ 11 million). And if only the Yankees administration did a major convincing effort to let Mussina play for one more year and have the opportunity to win the World Series this time around (he played and lost the World Series against the Diamondbacks in the 2001).
Even at the age of 40, Moose can still be effective with his decision making and timely pitches. Mussina would be a big help not only to the Yankees starting rotation but to the bullpen as well. Moose can start in Game 4 of the ALCS and World Series, giving stars like CC Sabathia the normal rest that they deserved. Or he could come out of the bullpen and give 1-2 strong innings. Ether way, having Mussina on the Yankees roster will give the their ball club a big edge.

If only Mike Mussina didn't retire....

I can smell No. 27

2009-11-01T22:11:00.000-08:00

Can you smell it? I know you can. The Yankees are cooking and it smells like World Series No. 27. The Yankees gained the upper hand after winning an exciting game against the Phillies that gave the Yanks a 3-1 lead. And the exciting part is the Yankees won 2 out of their 3 wins in Philadelphia's home turf.
The Yankees have the chance to clinch it in Game 5 with AJ Burnett starting. However the Phillies won't give the series on a silver platter. They will fight tooth and nail if they have to. The Yankees must not be to confident and must take every opportunity that they can get. Game 5 is next. Here are some roadblocks in Game 5 that stands in the Yankees way:

Cliff Lee:

Every Yankee fans will not forget what Cliff Lee did to the Yanks in Game 1 of the World Series. Cliff Lee dominated and played a complete game. He played 9 innings with 10 strikeouts and no earned runs. Lee completely shut down the Yankees offense giving the Phillies and early advantage with a 1-0 lead in the series. Cliff Lee is a former Cy Young Awardee and has a good season this year. He has a nice, four-pitch arsenal featuring low-90s heat, nasty slider, curve and change. When he is on, Lee gives an automatic win for his team. Cliff Lee has a fluid, sometimes sneaky delivery. So how do we beat this guy?

Stock as many right-handers and switch hitters on the line-up.
The southpaw has his struggles against right-handed hitters, who too often pound his stuff out of the park. Although this is easier said than done.
Work his pitch counts. Lee is in the zone if his pitch counts is low. Make him work and get more pitch out of the Phillies Ace pitcher. Try to make his pitch count to 25-30 per inning. Tire him out and get him out early in the 5th or 6th inning. The Phillies will go to their bullpen, that is where the Yankees can take advantage and make this game like a Home-Run derby.

Keep the Train running:

The Yankees offense somewhat dried up in Games 1 and 2 of the World Series. But the Bombers came alive in Games 3 and 4 scoring 8 and 7 runs respectively.
The Yankees problems in their defeats in the post-season is producing with runners in scoring position. They always leave man on base. They were thinking to much of playing long ball and hitting home-runs. Little did they know that they can play small ball and manufacture runs if they have to.
Getting on 1st base on a hit or walk is important. It starts the offense running. A bunt here, a hit there, stealing a base or two, hitting doubles can help the Yankees get enough runs to win a ballgame.
The Yankees are deep from 1-9. All of them can hit and produce. There are no easy outs. So get the Yankees batters on base and keep the ball rolling. Runs will be easy if they keep on pressuring the Phillies pitchers by putting runners in scoring positions.

Bridge to Mariano Rivera:

I know the bullpen have been dissolving in the post-season leaving Rivera all alone. Joe Girardi lost faith in his relievers and gave his starters like CC Sabathia longer innings to bridge the gap to the Yankees closer. Mariano Rivera even played two full innings just to close a game. The Yankees lost their set-up man and long relievers. The normal trend is from the Yankees starting pitcher jumping to their closer. There is no one in between.
In the World Series, a light somehow shine in the Yankees bullpen. Some of their relievers somewhat became a little reliable (good enough for Mo).
With the Phillies having majority of their feared sluggers as left handed batters (Utley, Howard, Ibanez) the role of the Yankees left handed specialist became important. This gave way for Damaso Marte. Marte rose to his expectation by getting outs when they need it the most.
The other one is Joba. Joba is now their set-up man and is performing well as of late. With the rise of a few Yankees relievers, this will give Rivera to save his strength for the 9th inning (where he is at best).

Froze the Phillies offense:

Here is the statistics of some of the Phillies sluggers in the post-season:

Ryan Howard: (NLDS stats .375 AVE, and 6 RBI's), in the NLCS (stats .333 AVE, 2 home runs, and 8 RBI's)
Jimmy Rollins: (NLDS stats .263 AVE), in the NLCS (stats .227 AVE)
Shane Victorino: (NLDS stats .353 AVE and 1 homer), in the NLCS (stats .368 AVE, 2 HR, 6 RBI's)
Raul Ibanez: (NLDS stats .308 AVE and 5 RBI's)

And this is their performance so far in the World Series:

Ryan Howard: .176 AVE, no HR and 10 strikeouts
Jimmy Rollins: .200 AVE, no home runs and 1 strikeout
Shane Victorino: .200 AVE, no homers and 1 strikeout
Raul Ibanez: .188 AVE, no HR and 9 strikeouts

These 4 Phillies sluggers is the main cog in the Phillies offense. This 4 help their team advanced to the World Series for the 2nd straight time. This 4 can completely damage the opposing team with their power hitting and base stealing.
The Yankees place this 4 powerful hitters in the freezer and kept them there freezing. The 4 Phillies were invisible and did not not provide offense that the Phillies badly needed.
So if the Yankees need to advanced, minimize the Phillies offense to 1-3 runs. Get their lead-off hitter out every inning to shut down their running game and throw a lot of strikes.

The Yankees are cooking and it smells like World Series championship # 27.

How did the Yankees win Game 2

2009-10-29T22:11:00.001-07:00

You can now breath Yankee fans. Go ahead and breath (what a wonderful feeling isn't it?). After taking Game 2 of the World Series all of us can breath normally. Thanks to Burnett and company the series is tied 1-1 (much better than going 0-2).

So how did the Yankees win Game 2? Here is a list why:

1.) Burnett-Molina battery:

Again this is a shout out to Molina haters out there. People often say that the Yankees will miss Posada's bat, that Molina hits like a girl, or where in a hole if Molina is batting. It is true that Posada is a much better hitter than Molina but Burnett's personal catcher batted .333 AVE in the ALCS and has a walk in Game 2 of the World Series.
But the bottom line is Jose Molina is there to guide the Yankees No. 2 starter AJ Burnett to having a good pitching game. Yankee Manager Joe Girardi didn't like the idea of benching Posada but he can't deny the fact that Burnett is effective when Molina is behind the plate.
The result, AJ Burnett gave the Yankees seven extremely strong innings, 9 strikeouts and just 1 earned run. Burnett kept his pitch count down and was able to work in and out with his fastball and throw his good curveball.
Without Molina, we might have a different ballgame and might be down 0-2.
And oh I forgot to tell you about the amazing play of Molina in the 4th inning where Molina snap-throw pickoff at 1st base to nab Jayson Werth. That play ignited the Yankees. In that same inning Mark Teixeira homered of pitcher Pedro Martinez to tie the game at 1-1 apiece.

2.) Benching struggling Nick Swisher:

There is no debate here, Nick Swisher is struggling.
In the ALDS, Swisher batted .083 AVE, no home runs, just 1 RBI, and 4 strikeouts. In the ALCS, he batted .150 AVE, no HR and RBI's, and has 7 strikeouts. And in the World Series Swisher has no hit in his 3 at bat and have 1 strikeout.
I understand that every player has their slump every now and then. Damon, Melky and Cano played miserably in the ALDS but somehow managed to turn it around in the ALCS. Swisher was consistently horrible. So in Game 2 of the World Series, Girardi inserted Jerry Hairston Jr. in replace for Swisher.
The result, Hairston has a good hitting average against Pedro Martinez. Hairston hit 1 out of his 3 at bats. But that one hit was an important one because that gave the Yankees a 3-1 lead in the 7th inning. Speedy Gardner pinch run for Hairston. Melky singled and Gardner was able to reach 3rd base. Posada pinch hit for Molina and gave an RBI sending Gardner home.
We might or might not see Swisher again for the remainder of the series. But the important thing here is to monitor who's hot and who's not. Replacing one player to a slumping one might change the outcome of the World Series.

3.) Starting Pitcher to Closer transition:

This may sound weird but it work wonders with the Yankees. They did that in Game 6 of the ALCS (Sabathia-Rivera). And now they did it again (Burnett-Rivera). With the evaporation of the rest of the bullpen, the Yankees coaching staff all of a sudden lost faith to their relievers and thought of thinking the unthinkable.
Stretching the innings of a starting pitcher to 7-8 innings and inserting Rivera for 1-2 innings. It is a risky move (especially to Rivera) but an effective one. With this kind of strategy, the opponents had a hard time putting a run on board. My only concern is that the Yankees should not be to comfortable with this idea or it might backfire. Mariano Rivera, as great as he is, is only just human and is prone to commit mistakes from time to time. We need some help in the bullpen. Marte's performance in Game 1 sounds promising but that isn't enough. Somebody must step in and help Rivera.

The Yankees must keep on finding ways to help their team to produce a win. Replacing a struggling slugger, having a personal catcher for a starter, manufacturing runs, playing small ball if they are not hitting, stealing bases, improving the rest of the bullpen. All of this is important and integral for the Yankees to win their 27th World Series championship.

How to chase Chase Utley

2009-10-28T19:57:00.001-07:00

CC Sabathia was dominating in Game 1. But Chase Utley has other things in his mind. Utley homered twice of Sabathia giving the Phillies a convincing 1-0 lead in the World Series.
The Yankees were simply spooked. If only Chase Utley is not in the Phillies' line-up it will be a different ballgame. Utley has good hits against our Ace and No.1 guy CC Sabathia (a left hander). Chase Utley bats left and is known to struggle against left handed pitchers but scouting reports says Utley is also good against lefties. Utley is a tough out.

So what do you do then? Can you walk him? If Utley is playing with the Washington Nationals or the Baltimore Orioles you can walk him.
The problem is Utley is playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, the defending champions and No. 1 in home runs in the National League. The Phillies line-up is as strong and deep as the Yankees. And Utley has protection from NLCS MVP Ryan Howard and Jason Werth.

You may think twice before giving Utley a free pass. Did I tell you that Utley is a pretty good base stealer. He stole 23 base this season and is good on picking his spots (never been caught). So the probable scenario is if the Yankees intentionally walk Utley and he managed to stole 2nd base, you got powerful sluggers on deck with Howard, Werth and Ibanez batting 4th, 5th and 6th respectively. And that is assuming base stealers Rollins and Victorino are not on base who are batting 1st and 2nd.

The good news for the Yankees is Chase Utley have the tendency to have a slump (like most MLB player experience in their careers). In the NLDS, Utley batted .429 AVE, with 1 homer and 1 RBI. But in the NLCS, Utley just batted .211 AVE, 0 home runs, and 1 RBI.
Unfortunately for the Yankees, Utley's bat came alive in Game 1 of the World Series. Will Utley still carry his hot streak in the following games? We don't know. What we know is Utley homered twice against our stud pitcher Sabathia. If Utley can do that to Sabathia. I bet he can do that too to Burnett and Pettitte. It doesn't look good for the Yankees pitching staff.

So how do we stop Chase Utley. First is not to be intimidated. Show to Utley you can bring the heat. Utley is a patient hitter, throw more strikes but be careful not to pitch it on the center of the plate. Watch the game played in the 2009 NLCS. See how the Dodgers pitchers throw their pitches to Utley. You may get a tip or two on how to beat him.

For the Yankees, to win the World Series, they have to slow down the Phillies heart of the line-up. Chase Utley is one of them. If somehow the Yankees managed to control Utley, the road to their 27th World Series will become more clearer.

Put Hinske back in!

2009-10-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, The Yankees finally made it to the World Series. But it' still not all over. The Yankees will be facing a good team, the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies have a powerful strong line-up headed with NL MVP Ryan Howard.

What do we need to do? First adjust the Yankees roster. The Designated Hitter spot will be waived in Games 3, 4, and if necessary Game 5 in Philadelphia. So we will be needing a lot of good Pinch Hitters.
Hideki Matsui is the primary option. But after Matsui who?
Brett Gardner's role is to pinch run in late games, Freddy Guzman has not been a factor in the ALCS.
Jerry Hairston Jr. can help but we need somebody off the bench that can hit with some pop.

Eric Hinske fills that role perfectly.
This guy has the tools to hit home runs and have a decent batting average. He even homered twice against the LA Angels (If only Hinske was in the roster, the Yankees might wrap the series in 5 games).
Hinske has been through the trenches of the American League East and played in the postseason. He knows what's is like to play in the World Series playing for Boston in 2006. Hinske has a lot of versatility and can play the infield corner positions and outfield corner positions.

And besides Eric Hinske still remembers the last pitch of Phillies closer Brad Lidge during his stint with the Tampa Bay Rays. Lidge made a strikeout to Hinske as the final out of the World Series in 2008 where the Phillies was crown as champions.
I am pretty sure Hinske wants to even the score when he gets the chance.

So my advice, maintain the roster intact. Just replace Freddy Guzman for Eric Hinske.
Hinkse will be a valuable weapon when it matters.

How sweet it is!

2009-10-25T22:29:00.001-07:00

Yes! The Yankees is in the World Series once again. Wow! Up until now I am still struck and amazed on the Yankees recent accomplishment.
The Yankees all season long have provided a powerful pitching rotation leaded by the recent 2009 ALCS MVP CC Sabathia.
A reliable bullpen with the future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera leading the crew.
A feared line-up with the resurgence of Alex Rodriguez, an excellent hitter and considered as the most valuable baseball player in the league today.
This is a also a tribute to all Yankee fans out there who waited for so many years to experience another World Series.

And since this is an awards night, let me give a couple of awards and distinction to our beloved Yankees. Here it is:

D-E-F-E-N-S-E!:

The Yankees defense has been tremendous through out the ALCS.
Our Ace CC Sabathia dominated in both Games 1 and 4. CC completely shut down the Angels offense. This gave enough breathing room for the Yankee sluggers to score just a few runs. Sabathia automatically gave the Yankees 2 convincing wins.
Although their bullpen has been a little bit of shaky as of late, the Yankees relied on the great Mariano Rivera to come out safely on those freaky innings. Rivera played extra innings just to make sure that the Angels will stay at bay.
Infield defense superb. Especially to the stretchable arm of former Gold glover Mark Teixeira. How many times have we seen Teixeira saving an error by catching the baseball almost everywhere.

Comeback wins and Pies:

This season the Yankees have been popular for comeback wins. And they are credited with a smash of Pie in the face.
In the ALCS, We've seen that in Game 2. Jerry Hairston Jr. made the winning run to place the Yankees up 2-0. In Game 5, they almost came close of making another come from behind win. The Yankees have so much fire and tenacity that they didn't even notice that Comeback wins is like just ordinary feat to them.
With the way that they are going, there's no team in baseball that can defeat them.

The New Yankee Stadium:

The Angels committed countless errors in the ALCS. Majority of which are encountered in the New Yankee Stadium.
I really don't know what made the Angels suddenly being afraid and tense to face the Yankees. Was it the Ghost that came from the old Yankee Stadium? Or the Antartic cold weather that freezes their Run and Gun style of play? Or the Yankees hostile crowd? (New Yorkers are pretty good at intimidating visiting teams). Or combination of the three? Either way, the New Yankee Stadium might bring back the glory days of the Yankees.

A-Rod:

Alex Rodriguez is simply amazing!
In the ALCS alone, A-Rod produce .429 batting average, 6 RBI's, and 6 nerve breaking Home runs.
His presence alone intimidates the Angels pitchers. They simply don't know how to pitch to A-Rod. With feared sluggers Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada batting 3rd and 5th respectively, it gave A-Rod some protection. The Angels are clueless if A-Rod is at the plate.
Somehow, A-Rod's performance ignited his slugging team mates. Now the slugging batters from the ALDS like Damon, Tex, Cano, and Melky suddenly became alive in the ALCS and gave a spark to the Yankees offense.

Post-season experience:

Give credit to the Yankees who have won several World Series titles.
The Yankees' veterans Team Captain Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada gave some advice to their team mates on how to handle the pressure in playing in the play-offs. This gave them confidence and found a way not to be rattled in close games. They were able to produce in the clutch.

Indeed the New York Yankees are having a special year. Are they building another dynasty? It's to early to say.
For now let's us enjoy this fruitful moment. And let me be the first one to say congratulations on winning the ALCS. My hats off to you Yankees!

Been there, Done that!

2009-10-23T16:59:00.001-07:00

See this picture? What is the first thing that comes into your mind? Yes, you're right. World Series Champions! 3 of them has won four World Series rings in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 (Only Posada has won 3 in 1998-2000). This 4 Yankee greats are at best in their positions and played consistently throughout their careers. They are pressure players and are known to excel in the post-season. They are tremendous leaders and great role models. Certainly the Yankees has truly find a worthy investment in these 4 Yankee gems. Here is a list on their contributions to the New York Yankees dynasty:

Jorge Posada (Catcher):

Yankees prized catcher. The switch hitting Posada is the only Major League catcher to ever have hit .330 or better with 40 doubles, 20 home runs, and 90 RBIs in a single season.
Since 2000, Posada had more RBI's, Home runs, and hits than any other catcher in baseball. Although Posada's catching skills is diminishing because of age, He is still dependable especially in the clutch. He is one of the most durable catcher in Major League Baseball.

Andy Pettitte (Starting Pitcher)

Through 2008, Pettitte is 10th among active major league players in win-loss percentage (.629); 8th in wins (215); and 10th in strikeouts (2,002).
He is also one of only three players that have pitched so far in the 2009 season with at least 200 wins, 2,000 strikeouts, and a winning percentage at or above .600.
Pettitte was the 2001 ALCS MVP and he has never had a losing season in Major League Baseball.
Pettitte has one of the best pick-off moves in the history of the game and owns tremendous movement on all his pitches, especially his cutter that moves in on righties.

Mariano Rivera (Closer)

Enter Sandman, Exit Opponents!
Known as the best closer in baseball history. Rivera has been effective by primarily throwing just one pitch, a sharp-breaking, mid-90s cut fastball that has been called an all-time great pitch. Rivera is a ten-time All Star, a five-time American League Rolaids Relief Man Award winner, and a three-time saves leader. He has recorded the second-most saves in Major League history. This year, he surpassed 500 career saves.
Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera is recognized as an exceptional post-season performer and holds Major League post-season records for saves and earned run average (ERA).
Rivera has 1999 World Series MVP Award, 2003 ALCS MVP Award, and 3 times DHL Deliver Man of the Year Award.

Derek Jeter (Shortstop)

The Yankees Team Captain. Captain Clutch is phenomenal in pressured games and has delivered when needed. Jeter's superb performance got a lot of awards:

3× Gold Glove Award winner (2004, 2005, 2006)
3× Silver Slugger Award winner (2006, 2007, 2008)
1996 AL Rookie of the Year Award
2000 World Series MVP Award
2000 Babe Ruth Award
2000 All-Star Game MVP
2006 AL Hank Aaron Award

This awards speak for itself that Derek Jeter is a tremendous athlete!

Why have they been successful? Well they know what it takes to win. They know what it takes when it comes to taking care of their health and being on the field every day, being physically healthy year after year after year, taking care of their selves. These four players have had their fingerprints on every Yankees season for close to a decade and a half. (Pettitte did leave for three years, pitching for the Astros from 2004-06). These guys define the Yankees.

This year, A-Rod and CC Sabathia gave a big boost to the Yankees post-season games. But if the Yankees wants to grab their 27th World Series ring, they should rely on the Yankees 4 horsemen and let them bring the team to glory.

Bad Call!

2009-10-21T19:32:00.001-07:00

What's with the MLB Officiating nowadays? I know they are just human and are prone to commit mistakes but this has to stop at some point.
One of the questionable calls in Game 4 of the ALCS occurred in the fourth inning when the Yankees' Nick Swisher tagged up at third base and tried to score on a fly ball hit by Damon to center field Tori Hunter.
After Swisher crossed home plate, Hunter pointed for his team to appeal at third base on grounds that Swisher left the bag too early. Third-base umpire Tim McClelland agreed and the run was disallowed.

But television replays indicated that Swisher might have properly kept his foot on the bag until the ball landed in Hunter's glove.
According to Tori Hunter, Swisher was gone when he got the ball. In his peripheral vision he saw Swisher move.
But why should 3rd base umpire McClelland base his call on a appeal of an MLB player (and the opposing team at that). McClelland should make his call base on what he saw from his ground.

After the game, McClelland admitted he botches both calls at third. "I'm out there trying to do my job the best I can. Unfortunately, by instant replay, there were two missed calls," he said. But it hasn't just been one game. The Baseball play-offs this year have been riddled with questionable calls, and downright wrong ones by the umps.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL) has implemented instant replay. In fact in the NFL, Team Head Coach can challenge the call of the referee by checking on the replay. If the replay is according to what the Team head coach saw, then the referee stands corrected and he will automatically reversed the call in favor of the arguing team head coach. But if the replay shows that the call of the referee is right, the team head coach's team will be charge with a timeout. Meaning the team will have one less timeout. You see it works both ways. If the Referee makes a wrong call and was stand corrected base on instant replay, the league will take notice of that and will keep an eye on the performance of that referee. And at the same time the Team head coach gets penalized with a timeout for doubting the call of the referee.

It work wonders with the NFL. I don't see why we can't do it in MLB. Some people argue that implementing instant replays will slow down game. Well it might but it's better to see a slow game than a game that has a lot of lousy calls by the umpires. Do you agree?

Currently MLB only allows the use of instant replay to confirm that home runs were fair balls, or that they cleared the outfield wall. But the MLB should strongly consider allowing the umpires to check on their calls. People are losing faith nowadays and sometimes the wrong calls of the umpires causes fights and brawls. It's getting ugly and we need to use modern technology. It's not that the technology will take over the umpires. Technology is just there to help and guide the umpires. It's still the umpires who will make the call.

Hope MLB is hearing me out on this.

Batlle of the two Joe's

2009-10-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Many have been asking if Joe Torre remained with the Yankees, will he get more wins than incumbent Yankee Manager Joe Girardi.
During Joe Torre's era with the Yankees (1996-2007), the Yankees reach the post-season each year and won ten American League East Division titles, six American League pennants, and four World Series titles. Torre presently ranks in MLB managerial wins (2,246 wins).
Torre's trademark is winning games. There is no doubt that Torre is a great manager but many people don't see that since Torre is accustomed to winning that somewhat his managerial and coaching skills have become predictable.
He doesn't play small ball that often and is not comfortable in manufacturing runs. Torre just rely on the power of his offense and suffers heavily if the offense is not there.
This might be the reason why Senior owner George Steinbrenner offered a lousy contract to Torre at the end of the 2007 season.
The Yankees need a new change, a new blood, a new era....

In comes Joe Girardi. Girardi's first managerial experience came with the Florida Marlins. Girardi guided the team into a surprising Wild Card contention (finishing with a 78-84 record) even though the team had the lowest payroll in MLB (around 14 million for 2006).
Joe Girardi was rewarded for his achievements with the Marlins in 2006 with the National League Manager of the Year Award and the Sporting News Manager of the Year Award for the National League.
Girardi also served the Yankees as their regular catcher from 1996-1999 and earning three World Series rings. Girardi caught Dwight Gooden's no hitter and caught David Cone's perfect game in 1999.
Girardi is also known as Jorge Posada's mentor and split their catching duties through 1999.

Girardi is the vice-versa of Torre. He is more of an up tempo kind of guy. Girardi wants his team to attack the bases aggressively. He likes to gamble. This year he has been lucky, his team is winning and is in the ALCS. But compared to Joe Torre, Girardi is still raw to post-season coaching. Girardi makes a lot of mistakes on late inning games by making wrong decisions. He has been criticized for miss-managing his bullpen and used a lot of pinch runners in late games. Sometimes it pays off sometimes it doesn't. But that is how Joe Girardi manages a team. You live with sword, you die with the sword.

Who do you think is a more suited to manage the Yankees? Joe Torre or Joe Girardi?

Beware of the Rally Monkey!

2009-10-18T23:31:00.000-07:00

The Rally Monkey is an icon and an important figure of the LA Angels. Her role is to show up in the big video screen in the Angel Stadium and holds the banner "Rally Time". She bounces up and down to the House of Pain song "Jump Around". And in some unexplainable way, the Angels managed to come back from those games. The Rally Monkey was so effective that since her arrival on June of 2000, Katie, a white haired capuchin monkey, was hired by the Angels administration to star in original clips for later games.

What is this got to do with the Yankees? Although the Rally Monkey is not even close to shut down the Yankees offense, the monkey can get the crowd and the Angels pumped up. We don't want that. As much as possible shut down the Angel batters as early as possible. Easily said than done I know, but the Yankees should be aware that the Angels are capable of comeback games (Games 3, 4, and 5 if necessary will be at the Angels Stadium).

Through out the years, the Yankees have not been known to have a team mascot. They use to have a mascot named Dandy but he doesn't exist anymore. Mascots makes sense to a team that have few spectators. That doesn't apply to the Yankees (a team that won 26 World Series championships). Yankee fans don't come to view their mascot, they come to watch their team play.

How about Pie? Pie is not a mascot but a trophy or reward that the Yankee pitcher AJ Burnett gives to their winning team-mate. It became a habit whenever the Yankees had a walk-off win. They have 17 walk-off wins this year. 15 from the regular season and 2 from the post-season. That's a lot of pies. This is just to show how big the heart of the Yankees when it comes to winning games and coming from behind wins. The "Pie" will be a hot commodity not only this year but to the following years to come.

If the Angels are known for their running game and "Rally Time" from their prized monkey. The Yankees are proud to have a powerful team with a ton of homers and RBI's. Their specialty: Walk-off wins, Their prize: Pie.

So would you go for the energetic monkey or the famous pie?

Mr. Stretchy Mark Teixeira

2009-10-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

Mr. Fantastic is a fictional comic character from Marvel's The Fantastic Four. As the leader of the group, Mr. Fantastic has the ability to stretch, expand, and elongate. He can stretch his limbs to incredible lengths.

In New York there is a realistic human being that has the capability to do what Mr. Fantastic does. His name is Mark Teixeira. The Yankees 1st baseman has been stretching his arms, limbs and legs just to get the opposing runners out in 1st base. That happened in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Angels. Tori Hunter bunted the ball of CC Sabathia's pitch just to have the opportunity to get to 1st base. CC managed to retrieve the ball and threw it to 1st base. The throw was a little wide but Mark Teixeira stretch his arms, legs and even toes to catch the ball and getting Tori Hunter out at 1st.

In Game 2, Teixeira used his super powers again by stretching and catching the balls thrown by Jeter, A-Rod, and Molina. Mind you, all of the the players I mentioned threw the ball to 1st off-line but somehow the former gold glover Teixeira managed to scoop the ball to save an error.

The Yankees infield defense dramatically improve since the arrival of Teixeira. Infield regulars like Rodriguez, Jeter, Cano and Posada has the confidence to throw the ball to 1st even if they knew that sometimes it's a wild throw. They know somehow Teixeira will use his stretching skills to catch it. Last season was different. The Yankees 1st baseman was Jason Giambi back then. There defense was not that exceptional because of Giambi's defensive liability.

Teixeira presence help the Yankees infielders to adjust their defensive positions because they know that Teixeira's range is wide. Teixeira sometimes stay a few meters away from 1st base, something Jason Giambi can't do, and given that he can take away the area what 2nd baseman Robinson Cano is guarding. Teixeira can guard the area at 1st and a some chunk of area at 2nd. Cano then can protect the middle infield. Jeter can help A-Rod at 3rd. It's a chain reaction and helps Girardi's team defense.

The good thing about Teixeira is his fantastic defensive plays at 1st rubs also his team mates. That is one of the reason why the Yankees are winning this season. Mr. Stretchy and his super gold glove.

Yankees Secret Weapon: Their Bullpen!

2009-10-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Do you know why the Yankees are successful this year? It's their much improve bullpen.

On the start of the year, the Yankees envisioned their bullpen to heavily depend on their good old reliable closer Mariano Rivera. The question is who will set-up Rivera. On Opening Day, Brian Bruney, Jose Veras and lefty Damaso Marte were sharing set-up duty. Neither of the three set-up pitchers made an impact this season. All of sudden, Mariano Rivera is left alone in the bullpen with no back-up help.

Fortunately for the Yankees they added a new batch of youngsters eager to show their stuff in the league. Enter the likes of Mark Melancon, David Robertson, Alfredo Aceves, and lefty Phil Coke. Alfredo Aceves and Dave Robertson, who began the year in the minors, are multi-purpose relievers. Aceves can go long or work an inning; Robertson can go for a strikeout or work multiple innings. Coke began the season as the second lefty in the bullpen, but Marte got hurt. Phil Coke suddenly become their "only" lefty specialist.

But the most major impact to the Yankess bullpen this year is the insertion of Phil Hughes. Hughes opened the year in Triple-A, came up to start when Chien-Ming Wang struggled and went to the bullpen when Wang returned. By the time a rotation spot opened up again with Wang on the disabled list, Hughes had almost accidentally established himself as the eighth-inning alternative. The Yankees have found their set-up guy in Hughes. Phil Hughes amazingly fit in nicely as their set-up man.

And when the Yankees advanced to the ALDS, they have found and added another arm in their powerful bullpen: Joba Chamberlain.
Because of the increase innings that Joba had this season, his arm started to wear off at the end of the season. To keep any further damage and avoid any long term injury to their prize asset, the Yankees coaching staff place Joba in the bullpen. Girardi said that since the ALDS is a short series, he will only need 3 starting pitchers (Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte). Joba has no spot in the rotation. Joba went back to the bullpen and provided some spark like he used to do last season. Chamberlain has come out firing 95 mph fastballs right away -- something he wasn't able to do in the first inning as a starter.

Things become easy for the Yankees starting rotation knowing that the bullpen will back them up. In this year ALDS, None of the starters--Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte--finished the seventh inning. Sabathia threw 113 pitches, Burnett 95 pitches, and Pettitte just 81 pitches.

Indeed the Yankees bullpen has come along way this season!

3 for CC

2009-10-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

The Yankees are strongly considering to start CC Sabathia 3 games in the ALCS if the series reach 7 games. With the four extra days before his next start, Sabathia will be fully rested for Game 1 on Friday night. He could take the ball in Game 4 next Tuesday (the 20th) on three days rest, and (with the extra off day in Los Angeles) still be available for a potential Game 7 on the normal four days in between starts.

Many people doubted if Sabathia can pitch Game 4 on short day rest. They would rather like to see Joba or Gaudin start in Game 4. But if you base it on history, CC Sabathia has pitch effectively on short rest. CC's final four starts of 2008 regular season with Milwaukee prove the critics that he can be effective. He went 2-2 with a 1.88 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 28.2 innings to drag the Brewers into the playoffs. But since the Brewers abused Sabathia's arm by stretching the Ace inning to 253 in the regular season, Sabathia lost steam in Game 2 of the NLDS. CC surrendered 5 runs in 2.3 innings, including a walk to the pitcher Brett Myers and a grand slam to Shane Victorino.

In New York it's a different story. The Yankees didn't abuse Sabathia's arm. The Yankees limited CC's innings to just 230 in the regular season. That's the advantage that the Yankees have. Their Ace pitcher is well rested and is capable to play in short day rest.

The Yankees are facing the LA Angels in the ALCS. A team who has mastered the skill of manufacturing runs. As much as possible, we dont' want to see any runners on base. That is where the Angels made their killing. They are a Run and Gun team. The main factor for defeating the Angels is Pitching. Don't put any Angels on base. And if you do that then we have a good chance in advancing to the World Series. These is the play-offs. There is no time to experiment by starting a pitcher like Joba and Gaudin. Go to your No. 1 guy, your stud, your ace. Every game in the post-season is important and if the Yankees have only 3 dependable starting pitchers to rely on then that is how they should play it.

Baseball isn't hockey. Baseball players do not need a day in between games during postseason play to heal the bumps and bruises of a non-contact sport. Extra days off interrupt the flow of momentum and focus, the two most important factors over a 162-game season. It ruins the game! Like I said these is the play-offs! No time for fooling around.

And besides Joba has proven himself in the ALDS that he belongs to the bullpen. Joba gives another weapon and is more effective as a reliever today than a starter. Gaudin can start but if the Yankees are up 3-0.

Start CC for 3, that's the key to winning and advancing to the World Series.

Where did Johnny Go?

2009-10-12T18:11:00.000-07:00

For those who knows the song "Johnny B. Goode" sang by Chuck Berry. The chorus of the song says Go Johnny Go Go! Well that is most of the Yankees supporters are cheering. Cheering Johnny Damon to go and perform. That seems not to be the case here.

Once known as an establish center fielder and among the premier lead-off hitters during his stay with Boston. Damon was batting .304, with 20 HR and 94 RBI's. Age is finally catching up with him. Although Damon has a good year so far (.282 AVE, 24 HR, 82 RBI), his performance in the ALDS against Minnesota was horrible. Damon's performance went down to .083 batting AVE (just hitting 1 of his 12 at bats). No home runs, no RBI and not even a single base stolen. The only thing Damon has is his 4 strike outs against the Twins. That's bad coming from a player in the 2 hole. Where did Johnny go? We need him especially now that we are facing the Angels in the ALCS.

What is on the mind of the Yankees coaching staff? What are they up to? Is it wise to insert Brett Gardner instead and let Damon pinch run in the late innings if Damon's production is zip? Or do we have to trust our instincts and believe that the veteran left fielder will come out of his slump and will shine in the following games in the post-season? Should we insert another batter in the 2 hole like Cano or Melky? So many questions and predictions. Assumptions and observations. Only time will tell.

What we know so far is we are not getting production from our 2 hole. Something that needs to be improve on. The only production the Yankees are getting production are from their lead-off hitter (Derek Jeter) and the heart of the line-up (Tex, A-Rod, Matsui and Posada).

If Damon continue to decline, there is a big chance that the Yankees might not sign him in the off-season. Damon is Scott Boras' client. Meaning they will demand the Yankees to sign Damon a bigger contract. And with age factor, Boras will also demand a longer contract (3-4 years) before Johnny retires. That is something the Yankees won't do. The Yankees are looking for 1-2 years contract and half the pay which Damon is receiving now (13 million).

Johnny Damon better shape up. Be more aggressive at the plate, steal some bases, and put some element of surprise like bunting. Damon still has some speed behind his old wheels.

Go Johnny Go!

Girardi decisions in game 2 : Good Call!

2009-10-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Yankee Manager Joe Girardi has really evolve into a great coach. You could clearly notice Girardi's good decision making in game 2 of the ALDS.

Fact No. 1 : Burnett-Molina Battery
Yankee fans ignited in anger when they heard the news that Girardi is starting back-up catcher Jose Molina to catch for AJ Burnett. The fans know that Molina is not hitting and they want Posada's post-season experience and his batting prowess. But being a former catcher, Girardi knows very well that pitchers need to have a comfort zone and rhythm to perform well. Burnett is performing better with Molina as his battery mate. And Girardi knows in order to win game 2, Burnett has to be effective. The result, Burnett gave New York 6 innings with 1 earned run. Not bad! Would you imagine what it would be like if Posada is catching Burnett?

Fact No. 2: Not starting Brett Gardner
Again many Yankee fans are demanding to let Gardner start in center field since the speedster has so much to offer than Melky Cabrera. Gardner's speed can be an asset through 9 innings offensive and defensive wise. But Joe Girardi knows how valuable pinch running is in late games. The result, Gardner came in to pinch run for Posada. Gardner stole a base and almost scored a run if only Damon was able to hit the ball to the outfield. Gardner is good in creating havoc by stealing base and hustling. Another good call by Girardi.

Fact No. 3: Having 3 catchers on the ALDS roster
What? 3 catchers? Yes, that is also my first response. But if you really analyze the Yankees strength and weakness, having a 3rd catcher might come in handy. Girardi choose to have 3rd back-up catcher Francisco Cervelli in the play-off roster than having a 2nd pinch runner like Freddy Guzman or another arm in the bullpen. The result, when Burnett was relieved in the 6th inning, the services of Molina is no longer needed. Posada substituted for Molina for offensive purposes. And when Posada was able to hit on the 10th inning, pinch runner Gardner replace Posada for a potential to score a run. The Yankees won't have that kind of a luxury without having a 3rd back-up catcher. A brilliant choice for Girardi in placing another catcher in the play-off roster.

Fact No. 4: Joba in the bullpen
Most people say that Joba is done! His season is finished. Let Chamberlain rest his arm and prepare him for next season. But wait! Girardi has a few magic tricks under his sleeves. Girardi manage to still use Joba's services by putting him in the bullpen. Girardi's plan is to use Joba for one inning per game in order not to abuse his arm and save it for next season. And to help the other guys in the bullpen to bridge to gap to Mariano Rivera. The result, a superb performance from Joba in games 1 and 2 of the ALDS. Having Joba in the bullpen gave the opposing batters another intimidating presence. Brilliant tactical move by Girardi.

What else are in store for Girardi in the following games? Watch and learn!

What is the reason for A-Rod's success?

2009-10-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

With Alex Rodriguez strong performance in games 1 & 2 of the ALDS. Some people are wondering what is the reason that broke A-Rod's post-season slump (0-19 with RISP, just 2 hits and 2 RBI). Was it A-Rod has fully recovered from his injury? Or the protection he's getting from Mark Teixeira batting in front of him? Or the admission to steroid use before this season that cleared his conscience? Or was it that A-Rod's girlfriend, Kate Hudson, is sitting in the stands cheering him?

What do you think?

Burnett-Molina Battery. Will it work?

2009-10-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

Offense vs Defense! Jorge Posada or Jose Molina? Normally your first instinct is to go to Posada. And why not, Posada brings play-offs experience and instant offense to the Yankees. Posada is the only Major League catcher to ever have hit .330 or better with 40 doubles, 20 home runs, and 90 RBIs in a single season. Jorge Posada is a legitimate switch-hitting power hitter and in the clutch, he's money at the plate.

Sorry to disappoint you but Jose Molina is starting. Why?

REASON NO. 1 : Statistics don't lie!

Let's look at the statistics of Burnett when Posada is behind the plate:

In 16 starts throwing to Posada, Burnett held opposing batters to a .270 average, going 5-5 with a 4.96 ERA in those games.

How about when Molina is catching for Burnett:

In 11 starts with Molina, Burnett held opposing batters to only .221 average, going 5-2 with 3.28 ERA in those games.

REASON NO. 2 : Pitcher-Catcher relationship

During the season, Jose Molina spent most of his time on the bench. That gave him a great amount of time to talk to the pitching starting staff. Molina jokes with them, ask them their likes and dislikes, and knowing where they are comfortable with. It just happen Burnett and Molina started to click. They were able to build trust. Through consistency of playing together as battery mates they were able to get a rhythm that generated good outcome.

REASON NO. 3: "DEFENSE!"

Remember what happened in game 1 of the ALDS? Posada has two past ball that made Yankee Manager Joe Girardi worried. Errors should must be maintain to a minimum especially in the post-season. There is no debate here that Molina is a defensive upgrade. Not only does Molina catches better but he is also good in throwing out runners. A technique where the Twins want to take advantage of. The Twins plays small ball to compensate their lack of offense at the bottom of the order. With Molina behind the plate, the Twins will think twice before they run.

It's a big gutsy move on the part of the Yankee Manager Joe Girardi. Losing Posada's bat and if Burnett doesn't pitch well, Girardi will face scrutiny. But Girardi, who was the personal catcher for both Andy Pettitte and David Cone in the 1998 post-season, knows very well that in order to win games you should know where their players strength are. Burnett is much of a better pitcher with Molina as his battery mate.

During the 1998 season, Girardi only hit .238 but he managed to win 5 games and capturing the World Series crown. The pitchers that he used to catch (Pettitte and Cone) performed well during those games.

It's not like we are not going to see Posada in the entire game. Posada can replace Molina when Burnett is relieved of duty. Yes, the Yankees will miss Posada's offense. But that is only on 6-7 innings span. We have to make a gamble at some point. Do you want Posada in the line-up and Burnett having 5 earned runs in 6 innings, or with Molina hitting 0-4 but gaving Burnett 7-8 good innings with 1 run? All Burnett has to do is to keep the runs low for 6-7 innings and let Hughes-Rivera combination close it out.

We just have to trust the rest of the line-up to produce while Posada is out for 6-7 innings. With the line-up that the Yankees have, losing Posada is not so bad. Everybody in the Yankees batting order can hit. That's our advantage.

It's the defense that we need to give attention to. Defense wins championships! Keep the opponents offense at bay. Offense will follow.

Scouting Report on Twins Starter: Game 1

2009-10-07T01:08:00.000-07:00

Brian Duensing, LHP

According to mlb.com The Twins will put the rookie left-hander on the hill to start Game 1 against the Yankees. Duensing, who spent the early part of the season pitching for Triple-A Rochester, has made just nine Major League starts. After being moved into the rotation in on Aug. 22, Duensing has put up an impressive 5-1 record with a 2.59 ERA in nine games. The only time he has faced the Yankees in his career was in a relief role back in early July, in which he gave up four earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.

How to beat him?

Get his pitch count up and stack our line-up with right handed and switch hitting batters. Here is starting line-up:

1.) Derek Jeter (bats right)
2.) Johnny Damon (bats left)
3.) Mark Teixeira (switch hitter)
4.) Alex Rodriguez (bats right)
5.) Hideki Matsui (bats left) (good in hitting left-handed pitchers)
6.) Jorge Posada (switch hitter)
7.) Nick Swisher (switch hitter)
8.) Robinson Cano (bats left)
9.) Melky Cabrera (switch hitter)

2 right handed hitters and 4 switch hitters. 3 left handed batters that can hit.

One way or the other, Twins pitcher Duensing will fold. Either by the pressure of the play-offs or the strength of the Yankees line-up where there are no holes and everybody can produce. Just be smart and be patient and wait for a good pitch.

Go Yankees!

Awards Time

2009-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Let's make a Fantasy Award for MLB through the season. You can make a comment on who should be the right man for the award.

MVP
Yankees - Mark Teixeira:
A though choice with Derek Jeter not far behind. Other consideration are Mariano Rivera and CC Sabathia. Especially CC Sabathia, who's having another Cy Young season.
Why Mark Teixeira? Well he led the league in both home runs and RBI and finished second in OPS+. His glove at 1B also improved the overall play of the infield defense. Offense and Defense. It's hard to find an over-all player like that.

American League - Joe Mauer (Twins):
A catcher who has a batting average of .365 and has 28 HR and 96 RBI. Did i mention that Mauer is the best catcher in baseball today. If only the Twins has strong line-up and a good rotation, they would be prime candidate to win the World Series.

National League - Albert Pujols (Cardinals):
The best pound for pound player in the National League. Pujols, year after year, is a monster, and after 9 prolific seasons in the league I think there's enough to go on to classify him as an all time elite hitter. Pujols finished the season with a Major League leading 188 OPS+, and while that would likely stand out as a career year for most any other player, it's just another season for Pujols. He also led the Majors with 47 homeruns, and finished 3rd in the NL in both RBI and batting average.

Cy Young
Yankees - C.C. Sabathia:
Between Sabathia and Rivera, i would go for Sabathia. It's tough to compare a starter to a closer. With only 1 inning pitch by a closer compared to 6-8 innings pitch by a starter. I should say the award should go to a starter. Sabathia, after a shaky start, was as good as advertised - an ace and workhorse at the top of the rotation. He tied for the league lead in wins, finished sixth in ERA+ at 133, and fourth in IP with 230. There is probably some concern out there about how he'll perform in the postseason given his past struggles, but unlike with his prior teams, the Yankees haven't overworked Sabathia down the stretch just to make the postseason.

American League - Zack Greinke (Royals):
No debate here! With King Felix, Verlander and Yankee Sabathia as prime candidates for AL Cy Young award. With the way Greinke pitched, how many wins do you think he would have had with the Yankees offense and bullpen behind him? Greinke was clearly the best pitcher in the league this year and he shouldn't be denied his due because he was on a lousy team. His 203 ERA+ is an absurd, all time great number (15th best since the live ball era began in 1920), he also led the league in WHIP, while his 242 Ks were second in the league, and his 229 IP good for fifth. Greinke is also just 25, so the best could be yet to come.

National League - Adam Wainwright (Cardinals):
Another tough race, and the most impressive thing is that for the most part, the candidate pool is dotted with young pitchers who should only get better. Chris Carpenter is the exception to this, and while he did lead the league in ERA+, the fact that he didn't top 200 IP is what holds him back in this close race. Incumbent winner, Tim Lincecum is also up there, but unlike Greinke, Lincecum, while great, didn't distance himself from a tight pack to make his 15 wins largely irrelevant. Wainwright gets the nod for leading the league in IP and wins, while finishing fourth in strikeouts and ERA+ (158) - a dominant workhorse for sure.

Rookie of the Year
Yankees - David Robertson:
He came, he sought, he conquered! Except with the recent injury Robertson stands out compared to other Yankee rookies. With David Robertson, he helped transform a strong and reliable bullpen for the Yankees. Robertson was a impact out of the pen, able to pitch effectively in most any situation, and thus give Joe Girardi a lot of flexibility and stability.

American League - Rick Porcello (Tigers):
Porcello, a local product (Seton Hall Prep) was the youngest player in the league this year, and was good enough to qualify as a reliable third starter on most teams. He finished with 14 wins, 165 IP, and a 113 ERA+. Figure if he can do this at 20, imagine how good he'll be at 25. Also, to illustrate how close this is.

National League - J.A. Happ (Phillies):
At a time when the Phillies were struggling to solidfy their rotation, Happ emerged and provided much needed stability. He finished the year with an impressive 146 ERA+ in 166 IP, a very respectable 1.235 ERA, and won 12 games along the way.

Manager of the Year
American League - Joe Girardi:
Being to able to manage his players and giving rest to aging players like Matsui and Posada. Knowing his players strength. Like assigning Jose Molina to be Burnett's cacther. So with no obvious choice, I'll go with the guy who turned a team that was struggling early in the season into the most dominant in baseball by season's end. True, it's a easier when you have the Yankees payroll behind you, but the Yankees finished the regular season as unquestionably the best team, 6 wins better than anyone else in baseball and almost 30 runs better in run differential than any other team in the AL. The team had decided issues early in the year but Girardi found a way to solidify most every area and bring needed balance to the team's approach.

National League - Jim Tracy (Rockies):
Tracy wasn't there for the whole season, but he took over a team that was 10 games under .500 after 46 games, and led it to the postseason, even almost catching the once seemingly insurmountable lead of the Dodgers.

Comeback Player
Yankees - Jorge Posada:
Who taught that an aging catcher can perform well this season coming from a shoulder injury. I'll go with Posada who had a typically strong year despite entering the season with a host of questions surrounding age, injury, and position. If there's been an underrated Yankee over the last decade, it's been Posada, whose production and leadership as a catcher have enormous value.

American League - Jorge Posada (Yankees):
I don't think many people would have thought realistically that Posada could come back from his injury and at his age catch 100 games, post a 130 OPS+, and even throw out a respectable percentage of base runners.

National League - Chris Carpenter (Cardinals):
This may be the easiest selection of all - Carpenter missed virtually all of the last two seasons, pitching just 21.1 innings combined, but he's returned this year without missing a beat, incredibly leading the NL with a 185 ERA+.

That's my choice! What's yours?

Gardner or Cabrera as starter for ALDS?

2009-10-05T00:13:00.000-07:00

Take your pick. Would you go for the base stealer Brett Gardner or the strong defensive arm of Melky Cabrera? They have their pros and cons. Let's analyze their skills and you decide who will start in center field at ALDS.

Brett Gardner:

.270 AVE/3 HR/23 RBI/26 SB

Has tremendous speed. He is an adept base stealer and has solid baserunning instincts. He's good at picking spots and knowing when it's more valuable to the team to steal a base or to distract the opposing pitcher.
Gardner covers a lot of grounds in center field and has an average throwing arm.
He has outstanding plate discipline, draws a good number of walks, and uses the whole field while making consistent hard contact.
A valuable asset when his on base.
An exciting player. Always hustles and creates havoc to opponents.

Melky Cabrera:

.274 AVE/13 HR/68 RBI/10 SB

An outstanding defensive center fielder. Has a powerful throwing arm.
Switch hitter but has average power and speed
Known for his 3 walk-off wins early in the season. Can be a clutch player in the post-season.

So there you go. I've laid all the details for you. Which player would you pick to start at center field for the ALDS?

A-Rod roars back!

2009-10-04T23:30:00.001-07:00

I posted a recent article that A-Rod might have problems coming in the post-season because of recent rumors that his girlfriend, Kate Hudson, is pregnant. I specifically wrote in my post that Rodriguez must ignore any issues that are not related to baseball and the ALDS. Just focus on the game. And guess what happens the following day....

Alex Rodriguez belted a three-run homer and a grand slam in a single inning. Wow!!!!

That incredible performance gave the Bombers a 10-2 victory over the Rays in the regular-season finale. And to top it all of, A-Rod reached a special achievement. Rodriguez's 30th home run of the season made him the first AL player to have seven RBIs in a single inning. The only other Major Leaguer to have seven or more RBIs was Fernando Tatis, who hit two grand slams as a member of the Cardinals to collect eight RBIs in the third inning on April 23, 1999.

The two shots gave Rodriguez 30 homers and an even 100 RBIs to close out a season in which he missed 28 games before coming back from right hip surgery. Rodriguez's two homers and seven RBIs confirmed that 2009 would be his 13th season of compiling 30 homers and 100 RBIs, giving him a new Major League record and breaking a tie for 12 seasons with Manny Ramirez and Jimmie Foxx.

For Alex Rodriguez achieving those kind of numbers by missing a month at the start of the season. That is simply amazing!

Joe Girardi good management

2009-10-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

Joe Girardi has improved a lot since last year. He managed to minimize the team injuries by giving some time off to their prize but aging veterans. He adjusted his once-rigid style accordingly. Now it seems he continues to evolve, perhaps ready to make any move necessary to win in the post-season.

He has learned to accept the fact that Joba belongs to the bullpen (at least at the ALDS). Chamberlain can still be an important weapon in the play-offs. Joba can help guys like Hughes and Robertson to bridge the gap to Mariano Rivera.

There are strong indications that Girardi will have Jose Molina, rather than Jorge Posada, catch A.J. Burnett in ALDS, a potentially crucial move if it keeps Burnett's head in the right place. Girardi knows that Burnett is much effective when Molina is behind the plate. And he might give Molina the nod to start in game 2 or 3 in ALDS. If that what it takes to give Burnett a 7-8 good innings, so be it.

Girardi also knows how to spot an opponent weakness. Remember the game when the Yankess stole a lot of bases against the Red Sox. They know that the Red Sox's catchers are bad when throwing out runners. The Yanks capitalize and managed to produce some rus.

Come play-off time. Let's watch what Joe Girardi has under his sleeves.

George Steinbrenner

2009-10-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

The CEO of the company is a leader. The Buck stops here. In baseball, the Boss appearance and support to the club is very inspirational. That's what Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner did. On the last game of the Yankee season, Steinbrenner dropped in with a few words of motivation for his play-off bound team. He spent an hour with the club.

Steinbrenner, who is 79 years old, has spent most of his time in Tampa, Florida leaving the Yankees to be run by his sons Hal Steinbrenner and Hank Steinbrenner.

Girardi said that after Tuesday's game, Steinbrenner arranged a team party at a New York steakhouse, which the players appreciated. Girardi summarized Steinbrenner's message to the team as: "Just keep going -- keep doing what we're doing."

Steinbrenner is not expected to travel to New York for the ALDS, but he will likely be in attendance for selected games if the Yankees advance to the ALCS.

Hal Steinbrenner stated earlier this week that his father is planning to be present if the World Series is played in the Bronx.

"That's the plan, particularly if -- and when, I should say -- we make it to the World Series," Hal Steinbrenner said recently. "He'll absolutely be here."

Will Kate Hudson be a disturbance to A-Rod?

2009-10-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

When entering the play-offs, each member of the team should make some sacrifices. Time with the family will be reduced. Social life will be a thing of the past...and relationship will have to take a back seat for the mean time.

Tell that to A-Rod and find out what he has to say. Rumors are swirling in that his girlfriend, actress Kate Hudson, is pregnant. Perfect timing i know... but being a professional athlete Alex Rodriguez is, this issue (either the rumors are true or not) should not be at any matter be a disturbance.

I will give you one scenario in the past. This happened last October 18, 2007. Game 5 of the ALCS between the Red Sox and Indians. Josh Beckett was the starting pitcher for Boston in that game. Country singer Danielle Peck, rumored girlfriend of Beckett, was invited by the Cleveland Indians to sing the National Anthem. Red Sox fans theorized that her invitation was an attempt by the Indians organization to distract Beckett. Although the Indians denied this claim, it did not seem to affect Beckett, as he beat the Indians with 8 innings pitched and 11 strikeouts.

In a postgame interview with Beckett, when asked if he was affected by Peck's presence, Beckett replied "I don't get paid to make those decisions...She's a friend of mine. It doesn't bother me at all. Thanks for flyin' one of my friends to the game so she could watch it for free." You could feel the fire in Beckett's response. It didn't bother him at all. Eventually, the Red Sox won the series and won the World Series in that same year.

My point is Professional athlete should leave their problems and distractions behind when they are in the game. Most especially when the are in the post-season. They are being paid to perform and that's what they should do.

Going back to A-Rod, as the seasons change and it gets cold on the East Coast, this is when the heat is intensely on Alex Rodriguez. He spends summers knocking the snot out of pitchers but in October falls flat on his face. If the New York Yankees are to avoid another postseason bust, Rodriguez needs a breakout October in the Bronx. It's not all on him, of course, but it's time. He's overdue, and so are the Yankees.

Yankee Stadium will add more seats in the play-offs

2009-10-03T00:12:00.000-07:00

In able to support the demand and the increase number of tickets buyers in the play-offs. The New York Yankees will install 60 cafe seats on the field level and sell 200 standing room places on the field and main levels. The cafe seats will cost $81 for the division series and $131 for the league championship series, and standing places will go for $30 and $25 in the first round and $64 and $48 in the second round.

That's good news for all Yankee fans out there. Their is a possibility that we might experienced the Yankees finally winning the World Series championship.

Remember Have Fun out there!

2009-10-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

Post-season has arrived. Games in the play-offs will be more tense and exciting. Coaching staff will busy scouting opponents strengths and weakness. Players will be pressured to produce and perform better than what is expected of them.

But one thing that every team or organization in baseball forget that the game is suppose to be fun and not purely business. Every team must have that kind of mentality to ease away the pressure in the play-offs. Just think like your a kid playing baseball in the park.

Look at Nick Swisher for example. Why is he a vital part of the Yankees lineup. He is just an average hitter and average fielder, but he brings something different to the team. Swisher brings a good attitude. It seemed that in the past couple of seasons the Yankees were not having fun and everything was tense. Listening to Nick Swisher in postgame interviews leads me to believe he lightens up the atmosphere around the clubhouse. He seems like the type of player that could keep the team in high spirits if they happen to lose one or two games to open a series.

These are the things that we don't normally see or is to attached on watching baseball stats and numbers. Have fun out there! It will rub-off your team-mates and your team. Winning games is easy when the team's mood is relaxed and poised.

Cano is having trouble with RISP

2009-10-02T02:42:00.000-07:00

Do you know that Robinson Cano is struggling with runners in scoring position. That doesn't sound really good isn't it? Especially going to the post-season. Cano is only hitting .208 (38-for-183) with RISP, compared with .350 (164-for-468) in all other situations.

"Every time I'm in that situation, I just think, 'C'mon, Cano, just do your thing,' " Cano said. "I don't remember if I'm in a slump. I just go by the at-bat and forget about what happened the last game."

But who cares about the fact that Cano is struggling with RISP. He had a good turn-around season this year. The Yankees 2nd base man is evolving into a consistent power threat. Cano has 25 homers and and 85 RBI's. His batting average is up at .322. Give credit to Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long. Long went to Cano's hometown in the Dominican Republic during the off-season to develop Cano's batting stance and swings.

I am pretty sure that the Yankees coaching staff are finding ways on how to improve Cano's hitting with RISP going in the play-offs. Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best. That's Robinson Cano dont' you know!

D-Rob

2009-10-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

David Robertson or what we come to known as "D-Rob". Robertson has given the Yankees another reputable and reliable arm in their bullpen, which by the way is having a strong performance this season. It seems that Robertson is an automatic assurance in their post-season roster spot. But he got injured last Sept.5 (elbow stiffness). Will he ever play in the play-offs? Yankee Manager Girardi is confident that he will play. Robertson is back in the line-up and his last outing against the Royals shows no sign of pain in his elbow and there is a possibility that he could make the roster.

Here is Joe Girardi's comments:

"In bullpen situations, you want guys that have the ability to strike guys out when they come in during the middle innings with guys on base,"
"He definitely has that, and that's an important piece of the puzzle".

This are Robertson's quotes:

"The elbow felt great, I didn't have any problems at all warming up. It felt really good. It felt just like normal. And then once I got out of the game, it felt the exact same. It felt like it was a month ago."

Though Robertson's inclusion on the postseason roster is no guarantee, another strong outing on Friday against the Rays in St. Petersburg could solidify his case. Currently, Robertson, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte, Alfredo Aceves and Chad Gaudin are all in contention for what appears to be three open spots in a seven-man American League Division Series bullpen.

Robertson, easily the best strikeout artist of the bunch if he's healthy, would seem to have an early advantage based on those merits.

Let's just hope D-Rob remains healthy. We're gonna need him come play-off time.

Yankee's 2009 Performance

2009-09-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

Let's look at what the Yankees has accomplished in the 2009 season:

Record: 101-56, American League East champions

Accomplishments: 26-time world champion; 39-time American League champion; 16-time AL East champion including 11 times in the past 14 years; considered by many to be the greatest organization in professional sports history.

Special skills: Good offensive team (lead the majors in HRs with 233, walks with 642 free passes and runs scored at 879). An above satisfactory starting rotation and a extremely dangerous bullpen (lead the AL in strikeouts with 1,207, saves with 50, and their .253 batting average allowed is second in the league).

Payroll: $208,097,414, down $1 million from 2008. Hope the Yankees will keep this up every season. Get good young players, not overpaid free-agents.

Home-grown Talent: Seasoned veterans like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte. And new breeds like Robinson Cano, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Brett Gardner.

Excellent Free Agent pick-ups: CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, AJ Burnett, Nick Swisher. The Yankees made a good run from their money. They won't be in the post-season without these players.

What to watch out for: Over-confidence! Don't take things for granted. Remember what the Red Sox did to the Yanks during the 2004 ALCS.

Bench improvement: The Yankees have improved their bench this year. A surprising pitcher like Francisco Cervelli. Super sub and Mr. can play all field positions Jerry Hairston Jr. Slugger and Home run threat Eric Hinske. And the most underrated trade was fifth starter Chad Gaudin, who has proved to be perfectly mediocre, but the Yankees have won his last five starts.

Goal for this year: Win the World Series championship! Failure is not an option!

Chad Gaudin

2009-09-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Chad Gaudin came to the Yankees at the right moment. With only CC Sabathia being consistent on the Yankees rotation all season long. It's nice to have an extra guy at the back of the rotation and provide long relief at the bullpen. In fact Girardi is convinced to install the 26 year old right hander to the post-season roster.

Since the acquisition from the San Diego Padres on Aug. 6, Gaudin has taken the mound 10 times, making 6 starts and 4 relief appearance. The Yankees are undefeated when he starts. Exactly what the Yanks needed. The nice thing about Gaudin is he is effective as a starter or reliever. He has some experience in the post-season (2006 play-offs with the Oakland A's) and can handle pressure games.

Question is what will be Gaudin's role in ALDS? Will he start in Game 4? or will he provide long relief from the bullpen? Only time will tell.

Winner of Tiger-Twins series will face the Mighty Yanks in ALDS

2009-09-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

Who would you want the Yankees to face in the play-offs? The Tigers or the Twins? The race is close in the American League Central. While the Yankees are relaxing and trading pie recipes, the 2 teams are battling it out and putting a lot of energy from the star players.

For Detroit: Pitcher Rick Porcello and Cy Young contender Justin Verlander needs to use their power arms just to get into the play-offs. Team manager Jim Leyland is aware that their ace Verlander has pitch "nine" 120-pitch games. The most by any pitcher in any of the past 4 seasons.

For Twins: They have to use another starter either Carl Pavano or Scott Baker. Not the dominant pitcher we are looking for. They need rest and don't have that luxury.

It's a tough task to these 2 teams. The winner at the end of the season would then have to hop on a plane after the game and fly to New York to play the Yankees the next night. The Yankees are well rested, have an advantage in the match-ups against these 2 teams, and have home court advantage.

Spike Lee designs 3rd New Era hat

2009-09-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

A new limited edition Yankees cap, which cost $75, will be sold at New Era's flagship stores and select lid stores. This new navy blue cap bears the New York Yankees logo and is emblazoned with each year the team has won the World Series Championships. Go and grab one! Only 750 hats will be sold.

Director Spike Lee said the "Spike Lee Joint 2.0" is the 2nd cap in the Lee-designed "Spike Lee Joint" series and the 3rd cap he has designed.

What are you waiting for? Buy now!

The year of the Walk-off continues...

2009-09-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

"I was waiting for it", Miranda said through an interpreter. Juan Miranda, a late September call-up from the Minor league, delivered and giving a 15th walk-off victory for the Yankees. The Cuban left hander scorched a ground ball up the middle, where it glanced off the leg of the Royals relief pitcher Farnsworth and bounded toward the home dugout.
This gave Eric Hinske, who singled and stole 2nd base earlier in the bottom of the 9th inning, raced home with the winning run. Final score: Yankees 4 Royals 3.

Walk-off wins has become a norm for the Yankees this season. Lets track back on the walk-off wins this season:

1. April 22
Yankees 9, A’s 7
Melky Cabrera hits a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourteenth.

2. May 1
Yankees 10, Angels 9
Jorge Posada knocks in the winning runs with a single off closer Brian Fuentes.

3. May 15
Yankees 5, Twins 4
The Yanks rally against All-Star Joe Nathan; Melky Cabrera’s two-out bloop single wins it.

4. May 16
Yankees 6, Twins 4
A-Rod blasts a two-run shot for the win, his first hit at the new stadium.

5. May 17
Yankees 3, Twins 2
Johnny Damon homers in the tenth to sweep the Twins. He tosses his helmet in the air; A-Rod and Melky Cabrera leap for it like fans chasing a foul ball.

6. May 23
Yankees 5, Phillies 4
A Melky Cabrera single off Brad Lidge beats the defending champs.

7. June 12
Yankees 9, Mets 8
A-Rod pops up to Mets second-baseman Luis Castillo … who drops the ball, allowing the two winning runs to score. It’s instantly the signature moment of the season—the Mets’ season.

8. July 4
Yankees 6, Blue Jays 5
On the anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech and Dave Righetti’s no-hitter, Jorge Posada singles off Shawn Camp in the twelfth to win.

9. July 20
Yankees 2, Orioles 1
Hideki Matsui homers in the ninth.

10. August 7
Yankees 2, Red Sox 0
A-Rod breaks a scoreless tie with a homer in the fifteenth inning of a five-hour, 33-minute game.

11. August 12
Yankees 4, Blue Jays 3
Shawn Camp plays the goat once again, allowing a Robinson Cano RBI single in the eleventh.

12. August 28
Yankees 5, White Sox 2
Cano lines a homer into the Yankees’ bullpen to win.

13. September 8
Yankees 3, Rays 2
Nick Swisher hits his second home run of the game in the bottom of the ninth to break a tie.

14. September 16
Yankees 5, Blue Jays 4
The Yanks walk off on the Jays yet again on catcher Francisco Cervelli’s single. It’s their 34th comeback win at home, tying a team record.

15. September 29
Yankees 4, Royals 3
Juan Miranda scorched a ground ball up the middle, this gave Eric Hinske, who singled and stole 2nd base earlier in the bottom of the 9th inning, raced home with the winning run.

Will you include Brian Bruney to a play-off roster?

2009-09-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Yankee manager Joe Girardi indicated that he will have 10-11 pitchers in the ALDS. The team don't need a lot of pitchers since it is a short series. We have 3 of our starting rotation (Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte). Plus 6 staple guys in the bullpen (Rivera, Hughes, Coke, Aceves, Joba, and Gaudin). That's a total of 9 pitchers.
With 1-2 pitchers to choose from, Girardi is considering adding another lefty (Damaso Marte) and/or power pitcher David Robertson (if he is healthy).

That means there is no spot left for Brian Bruney. Bruney was destined to be a set-up guy for Mariano Rivera during the start of the 2009 season. But injuries has kept him from doing that. Bruney struggled for much of the season after spending two stints on the DL with elbow problems.

But that didn't stop Bruney. Since Aug. 7, Bruney has allowed just 3 earned runs over his last 18 appearances for a 1.69 ERA. And he received a standing ovation from the crowd after recording 5 key outs against the Red Sox for the division clincher.

There is still a chance for Bruney. So to top it off, here is what i can suggest for Bruney's status in the post-season. ALDS spot-No!, ALCS-Yes! What do you suggest?

Will Hideki Matsui get a Championship ring before he retires?

2009-09-28T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hideki Matsui, a popular baseball player in Japan, arrived in New York in 2003. Nicknamed Godzilla, this powerful left handed slugger gave the Yankees another potent weapon in their formidable line-up. Since then, the Yankees came to know Matsui as an RBI machine. Producing runs when the Yanks needs it the most. Matsui was a big part of the Yankees surge into the World Series against Florida.

That World Series was 6 years ago. Until now Matsui is still without a MLB championship ring. This year might be his last chance to win that elusive title in pinstripes since he will become a free agent after this season. I love Matsui. Especially when Matsui hits home runs, Yankee radio announcer John Sterling often says "And that's an upper-decki for Hideki!" or "It's a thrilla, from Godzilla!". But let's be realistic, with aging stars like Posada and Jeter, there is a strong possibility that the Yankees will let go of Matsui after this season and let Posada be their next Designated Hitter in the 2010 season.

So here is the deal. If the Yankees is not going to sign Matsui to a new deal, then Matsui has no choice but to cap his Yankee career going out a World Series champion.

Yankees stealing bases

2009-09-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

The Yankees added another dimension to their arsenal this season, Stealing bases. This isn't their regular approach, and for good reason, with the bats they have especially in the middle of the order, it could be very costly to run out of a big inning. But it wouldn't hurt if we steal a base or two. Stealing bases place runners into scoring position. And with the offense that we have, this will add more runs to our team.
We don't have superb base stealers like Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, or Chone Figgins. Neither are the Yanks a running team compared to the Angels. But they steal bases when it matters the most. Do you know that the top 4 Yankee basestealers have an 86% success rate whereas a team like the Angels has only a 73% success rate from their top basestealers. This is proof that the Yankees steal bases when it makes sense. The Yankees can run when the opportunity presents itself, and our guys are smart enough to go only in situations where they can be highly successful.

This is also a shout-out to the Boston Red Sox, whom the Yankees might face in the ALCS. Boston's biggest weakness is their catchers (Varitek & Martinez are terrible at throwing out runners). The Yankees will steal a base every chance that they get. They are like Great White Sharks. If they smell blood, they will attack and go for the kill.

Time to rest our players

2009-09-28T03:41:00.000-07:00

After clinching the American League East, it's now time to rest our players. Let the bench start and play the remaining 6 games (3 with the Royals, 3 with the Rays). The main goal here is to stay sharp, stay relaxed and STAY HEALTHY!

The Yanks should all be fresh and healthy come play-off time. With a lot of veterans in the roster, it is a necessity to give some time off to avoid any injuries. Hideki Matsui has wobbly knees. In able to keep Matsui for the rest of the season, Joe Girardi gave Matsui a week off in Interleague games (since there is no DH). The same also applies to other Yankees veteran like A-Rod (surgical repaired hip), Posada (shoulder), and Damon (leg). The Yankees manager Girardi, will start Melky Cabrera in left and batted Brett Gardner in Damon's No. 2 spot. This is to avoid any leg injury to Johnny Damon who might be playing on the wet grass.

This is the perfect time to test other players and see what can they offer. By keeping Brett Gardner in the mix, it will give the speedster some momentum and confidence in the post-season. This is also an opportunity for Girardi to test David Robertson's condition and if the pitcher is capable of playing in the postseason. If Robertson doesn't have a setback in his right shoulder, Girardi is looking at getting him in the game against the Royals. The reliever has been inactive since feeling stiffness after a Sept. 5 outing against the Blue Jays.

Even with 6 no bearing games, the Yankees certainly must strike a balance between resting players and keeping them sharp for October.