Managing the Yankees

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 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.

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

(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.

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.

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.