HOLY COW YANKEES BLOG

Memo to Phil Hughes

2008-04-19T00:36:00.002-04:00

1. Command and Control: I don't know if this is a case of nit picking or bad mechanics, but Phil needs to either:

A. Be more aggressive in the zone with his fastball and get to 0-2, 1-2 counts faster, don't be afraid of just laying one in there for a first pitch strike. This is better than pitching yourself into 3-1, 3-2 counts with every batter. Deeper counts are hitter's counts, if they beat you on 0-2, 1-2 counts, so be it.

or...

B. Work out the mechanical issues in his delivery. Dave Eiland and Hughes historically have worked together well so I don't think this is the real problem.

2. Work on Secondary Pitches- This and command and control could be interchangeable, but I put this second for the hell of it. Hughes needs to throw his change-up MORE. In tonights start in Baltimore, I didn't see a single change-up. Not only does it set up his fastball, but it also balances out his repertoire making him a more complete pitcher. Either he his falling in love with his fastball/curve combo or he just doesn't trust the pitch enough. He certainly trusted it enough that night in Texas when he struck out Mark Texiera on three straight change-ups.

#7 Prospect: Dellin Betances

2008-03-31T20:21:00.002-04:00

Age: 20 DOB- March 23rd, 1988

Height: 6-8

Weight: 215

Position: Starting Pitcher

Betances, a Brooklyn native, was selected in the 8th round of 2006 Amateur Draft out of Grand Street High School. In his Junior season at Grand Street, Betances flat out Dominated. In 41.2 innings of masterful pitching, Betances went 6-0 with a 0.17 ERA, 100 strikeouts, 11 hits, and 22 walks. Pure Insanity. A first round talent, Betances fell to the 8th round due to rumors that he would only sign with the Yankees. If he was to be drafted by another team, Betances would have been headed to Vanderbilt University where he had already committed to play college ball. Sure enough, he was picked by the Yankees and "persuaded" with one million dollars to come start his professional career early.
Betances has freakishly good stuff. He easily sits in the 93-95 mph range and can crank it upwards to 98 mph. Due to his tall stature, his fastball has an excellent downward plane and absolutely filthy movement. His knuckle-curve is also considered a plus pitch, but he still has trouble locating it. He also throws a change-up which is average right now, but has the potential to be plus too. His control is suspect, but he is big guy which means alot of moving parts in his mechanics, something which is easily corrected.
In his first season as a pro ball player, Betances continued to dominate. With a little mechinal help from Nardi Contreras, "Baby Unit" was repeating his delivery, something that usually isn't easy with big guys. In the GCL, the young stud pitched 23.1 innings with 27 K's, 7 BB, 14 hits allowed, and 3 ER. After his succesful stint at the GCL, Dellin started his second season with the SI Yanks where things didn't turn out as well. In 25 innings of work, he allowed 24 H, 10 ER, 27 K's, 17 BB. The Yankees then shut him down for the season due to elbow inflammation which sent Farm fanatics everywhere into a panic. Fans breathed a collective sigh of relief though when they found out that Betances in fact did not need Tommy John surgery.
Betances will start the 2008 Minor League season in Charleston, where he joins the most talented team in MILB. He should be poised for a big year, as he has been working with Nardi during most of the offseason working out the major kinks in his mechanics. Betances' ceiling is off the charts. He has all the potential to be an ace in major league baseball but he is still very, very raw. Hopefully for the Yankees sake, he can finally nail down his mechanics, his control, and master his change-up. We have a stud on our hands if everything works out right.

Yankees Opening Day Lineup

2008-03-30T16:20:00.002-04:00

Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Matsui DH
Cabrera CF

Thanks to Peter Abraham for the lineup. Some positives with this order is that there is no preference for experience over ability, as evidenced by Cano hitting 6th and that if we consistently run this lineup or a similar one out there, teams are going to have trouble with matchup pitchers late in the game.

Source

Spring Stats

2008-03-29T16:10:00.002-04:00

OK, lets say 4 guys without much of or very strong major league track records are pitching for 3 spots on the Yankees roster, and these are their lines in Spring Training:

Pitcher #1: 9.2 IP/1.86 ERA/13 H/1 BB/10 K
Pitcher #2: 9.0 IP/2.00 ERA/9 H/3 BB/12 K
Pitcher #3: 7.2 IP/0.00 ERA/1 H/0 BB/7 K
Pitcher #4: 9.1 IP/3.86 ERA/11 H/3 BB/ 10 K

Pitcher #3 happens to be Scott Patterson, who was nearly perfect this Spring and all of last season at AA, while Pitchers #1,2 and 4 were Ross Ohlendorf, Brian Bruney and Jonathan Albaladejo. Clearly, Patterson outpitched the others, but was the only one who was left off the roster. Granted, Ohlendorf and Albaladejo are likely to be optioned down in early April when Andy Pettitte comes off the DL and a long reliever is promoted, but it is still pretty absurd that Patterson did not even get a chance at the big league level over Brian Bruney, who has proven at the MLB level that he cannot find the plate.

Aaron Hill?

2008-03-28T22:57:00.005-04:00

In a recent Peter Gammons blog entry, he mentions a list of "One Dozen Breakout Seasons", and at the #2 spot, he includes this one:

2. Aaron Hill, Blue Jays. Best all-around second baseman in the AL?

Now while Peter does include a question mark at the end of this statement, even that is ridiculous. Aaron Hill in no way, shape or form compares to Robinson Cano.

Hill's career line: .287/.341/.415 97 OPS+
Cano's career line: .314/.346/.489 117 OPS+

Hill is a nice player, but this is a poor choice for a guy to be considered the best overall at his position.

Source

Last Bullpen Spots

2008-03-26T14:53:00.003-04:00

The Yankees currently have 14 relievers in camp with them: Mariano Rivera, Joba Chamberlain, Kyle Farnsworth, Darrell Rasner, Latroy Hawkins, Jonathan Albaladejo, Brian Bruney, Sean Henn, Kei Igawa, Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf, Scott Patterson, Edwar Ramirez, Billy Traber, and Jose Veras. Of them, only Rivera, Chamberlain, Farnsworth and Hawkins are guaranteed roster spots, leaving the remaining 9 guys for 3 spots. The Yankees are likely to take a lefty, and their options are Traber, who has been nearly perfect this Spring, Henn, who isn't even serviceable and Igawa, who has not fared particularly well against left-handed hitters this Spring, or against anyone in 2007. Traber should get the nod here. Next, there is the spot for the long reliever, in which the competition centers on Karstens, Rasner and once again, Igawa. Neither of these options are particularly enticing but with the need to limit the innings of starters Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, the presence of a long reliever is necessary. However, Rasner has demonstrated some ability in the past and appears to have the most upside among the three choices, so he should get this spot. Finally, there is one last spot, without any particular prerequisites other than the ability to get people out. Of the remaining relievers, Patterson and Ross Ohlendorf have stood out against the others. Patterson has yet to allow a run in his 6 innings and has struck out 6 batters this Spring, while Ohlendorf has given up just 2 runs this Spring, but has allowed 11 hits in 7.2 innings. Upon review of last season's numbers for each pitcher, it appears that Patterson deserves this job, while Ohlendorf could work a little more in the bullpen at triple-A, but should be among the first to be called up when an extra reliever is necessary.

#8 Prospect: Humberto Sanchez

2008-03-19T20:59:00.003-04:00

Age: 24

Height: 6'6"

Weight: 270 lbs

Position: Starting Pitcher, Right Handed

Humberto Sanchez was selected in the 31st round of the 2001 MLB draft by the Detriot Tigers out of Connors State Junior College. He was traded to the Yankees along with Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett for the infamous Gary Sheffield. A Bronx native, Sanchez spent his days at South Bronx High School dominating hitters with his heavy fastball and plus curve. He continued that success in the minor leagues, posting a career 8.84 K/9 and a slightly inflated 4.16 ERA. The reasoning for the "slightly inflated" ERA is due to the fact Sanchez is always injured. He is the Rich Harden of minor league baseball. Oblique injuries, hammy strains, elbow problems, Humberto has dealt with it all. He has been recently down for the count due to Tommy John Surgery

Sanchez is no slouch though, he has some serious stuff. He has a heavy, sinking fastball that he can easily hit 92-94 with. He can throw harder, but the general consensus seems to be that he loses his control when he really chucks it. Humberto also features a plus curveball- a true knee buckler that has a nasty 12-6 break on it. If you watched the Futures Game, you know what I'm talking about. Sanchez does not feature a standout third pitch, but over the past few years, he has been working on a change-up to balance out his repertoire. He can be wild at times, but has improved his walk rate every year since he started his professional career.

Sanchez's future is definitely an interesting topic of debate. He has the stuff to be a starter, but some question if he will hold up in a starters role. He has never pitched over 123 innings in one season and always seems to be injured. This is where it gets interesting. Sanchez may wind up in the bullpen due to his fragile body and crowded Yankee rotation. I, for one, am all for a move to the 'pen. Sanchez has proven that he can't handle a heavy workload but he has shown the ability to get hitters out. I think with his stuff and command, he could thrive as a relief pitcher. Others may disagree with me but you have to remember, Mariano isn't immortal. Someone has to take his place eventually. Its wishful thinking at this point, but Sanchez could fill the void left by Mariano when he finally retires.

Yanks Give Back

2008-03-19T20:47:00.001-04:00

The Yankees have had about as good a Spring Training as you can have so far, not solely based on their play, but really the charitable acts performed yesterday afternoon at Virginia Tech. A campus still recovering from the tragic events of last May, Virginia Tech's student body and faculty got a chance to relieve themselves a bit for a day, receiving the pleasure of having the Yankees play their Hokies in an exhibition game. The game was certainly not the important thing, but rather the opportunity the Yankees took advantage of to help a grief-stricken community put a smile on their collective faces. Good job by the Yankees in their acts and everyone's greatest sympathies continue to go out to Virginia Tech, in particular those who lost loved ones in that tragic event.

Welcome Back, Everyone

2008-03-19T20:38:00.003-04:00

After a long offseason and a nearly 2 month long hiatus from blogging, we are back and ready to start the season.

Huston Street

2008-01-13T14:09:00.000-05:00

According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, industry sources believe that Billy Beane and the A's may continue the rebuilding process by dealing Huston Street, following the acquisition of Joey Devine. The Yankees would be wise to get involved in any kind of Street sweepstakes, as the bullpen is certainly an area of concern at this point, and Street would provide the dominant set up man the Yankees lack. While he is sure to be expensive, a talented reliever like Street does not become available everyday and he would fill more of a need than Johan Santana. A package centering around Alan Horne and including 2 or 3 additional players could get it done.

#9 Prospect: Andrew Brackman

2008-01-12T18:36:00.000-05:00

Age: 22

Height: 6'10"

Weight: 230 lbs

Position: Starting Pitcher, Right Handed

Andrew Brackman was the Yankees' first selection with the 30th overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft. Brackman spent his collegiate career at NC State, where he was a dual sport athlete for the Wolfpack, playing on the basketball team and pitching for the baseball team. After his sophmore season at NC State, Brackman decided to dedicate his time to baseball and from the looks of it, he made a good choice. A-Brack signed a 4.5 million dollar contract with a 3.3 million dollar signing bonus.

Brackman was a standout athlete at Moeller High School in Cincinnati. He led his baseball team to the Ohio State Chamionship game as a senior with a 1.04 ERA and was also named the fourth best prospect in Ohio by Baseball America. Brackman was also a dominant force on the basketball court, averaging 20 points and 6.5 rebounds a game. He was the runner up for the Mr. Basketball Award in Ohio but won Ohio's Division I Player of the Year honors.

Brackman uses his large, powerful frame to pound the zone with blistering heat. Brackman comfortably sits at 92-97 mph and can easily pump it up to 99 mph. His four seam fastball(thanks to his tall frame) has a great downward plane and his two seamer has "plus life" to it. Brackman also throws a spike knuckle curve. A true plus pitch, this is Brackman's primary strikeout pitch which is said to be a devastating offering. Brackman's third offering is a change-up which is average right now but also has the potential to be a plus pitch.

Brackman was a risky pick by the Yankees due to his injury issues but the sky is the limit for A-Brack. While he isn't a very polished pitcher, his stuff, his stature, and his athleticism make him a top tier prospect with the potential to be one of the most dominating pitchers in the game. I truly believe that with the help of Nardi Contreras and a lot of hard work, he can become a dominating force in the majors. Tommy John has a very high success rate now and most pitchers come back throwing even harder. This surgery could help Brackman more than hinder him since he seems so eager to hit the 100 mph mark, a feat he has never accomplished. Hopefully Brackman reaches his potential because he is a once in a life time talent.

Hey Guys!

2008-01-11T21:58:00.000-05:00

Welcome those visiting from Peter Abraham's blog...take a look at some of the older posts, we have a lot of creativity here and if you read the post just below this one you'll see that it is the elongated version of my post on Peter's blog. Thanks a lot again to Peter for the opportunity and you all for visiting.

Who is in charge here?

2008-01-11T21:48:00.001-05:00

Who’s the boss? That’s the question in the Yankees front office right now, and despite the power seized by Brian Cashman after 2005, right now, it doesn’t look as though he still has his power.
First of all, we have to look at what Cashman has done since being given full control. In the 2005-06 off season, Cashman gave Johnny Damon a four year deal to fix centerfield, and that has been with mixed results as of now. His 2006 was very good and he filled a major need, but his 2007 proved injury prone, but he did play significantly better after he did recover late in the year, and proved he can still be a fine defensive outfielder, in spite of his arm. Kyle Farnsworth was signed to a three-year deal that has been a disappointment. Farnsworth is dominant at times, but is far too inconsistent to be effective in the bullpen. Cashman signed Octavio Dotel, who proved to not be able to pitch until August, and would have proven a much better signing if the Yankees had an option year on him for 2007, where we could have gotten a better idea of how healthy he was. Dotel appeared effective, if wild, in his brief Yankees stint.

Flash forward to the 2006 trade deadline, when he made the deal in which we gave up nothing particularly useful (save for a sufficient young middle reliever) for a top 5 offensive right fielder in Bobby Abreu. Abreu went on a tear with the Yankees and after a slow start to 2007 continued on the tear and has been an excellent acquisition. The trade of Shawn Chacon for Craig Wilson was a good one, that will never be recognized because Wilson struggled under his limited and wildly inconsistent playing time, but has a career OPS+ of 113 and has hit .290/.389/.527 against left-handers. When it is considered that we obtained him for a meddling starting pitcher with tremendous control problems currently fighting for a starting spot with the Pittsburgh Pirates, this was a trade that was good, but didn’t quite pan out.

The 2006 off-season was where Cashman really got creative, as he swung deals exchanging Gary Sheffield and Randy Johnson for Luis Vizcaino, Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan, Anthony Claggett, Steven Jackson, Ross Ohlendorf and Alberto Gonzalez, while signing Andy Pettitte to fill Johnson’s void in the rotation. Those deals did little to contribute in 2007, as Vizcaino was the only one to see significant time with the major league club, but it did help to restock the farm system with young arms, many of which are projected to see Major League time in 2008 with a degree of success expected. Andy Pettitte was an excellent addition as he provided some stability to an otherwise injury prone rotation and looks to help ease a very young rotation into success in 2008. The letting-go of Bernie Williams was critical, as it became more and more apparent he was a designated hitter who struggled against right-handers and was on a team full of them. Re-signing Mike Mussina was a mistake that I did not advocate, and after one year, it appears as though Mussina’s starting spot may be in serious jeopardy for 2008. The acquisition of Japanese postee Kei Igawa looks like a mistake after just one season, but it is important to remember that he did have brief stretches of success in 2007, and he was signed to a very cheap 5-year contract, making judgement of the acquisition difficult at this time, although it certainly cannot count as a point in Cashman’s favor.

There was just one significant midseason trade in 2007, and that was of Scott Proctor for Wilson Betemit, an excellent deal. Proctor was rapidly on the decline, with significant increases in ERA, walks, WHiP and a decline in K/9 and K/BB. Betemit was a 25-year old switch hitter with tons of power potential and considerable enough plate discipline to make a difference. While he can’t hit lefties, a platoon with Shelley Duncan should help solve that problem at first base and his versatility off the bench is of great importance, as the Yankees can rest Derek Jeter or Robinson Cano or Alex Rodriguez without too great a loss, and his defense is more than sufficient across the infield. Additionally, despite the off-season controversy, the signing of Roger Clemens has to be commended because ultimately, it was either Clemens getting those starts or another Cashman signing in Kei Igawa, and obviously anyone would prefer Clemens, who did do a very solid job down the stretch for the team.

Thus far this offseason, he hasn’t added much other than LaTroy Hawkins and retained Rodriguez, Pettitte and Posada, but he did secure Joe Girardi, which was a major point in our favor as his bullpen management and in-game strategy should be a significant boost to the Yankees on the whole. Over the past two seasons of full Cashman control, the Yankees have drafted the highly talented Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, Mark Melancon, Andrew Brackman, Brad Suttle and Carmen Angelini, while standing firm in his position to not trade them or the very highly regarded Phil Hughes, Jose Tabata and Alan Horne. The Yankees farm system has gone from one of the worst to one of the best in a short time, and while this is partially the work of Damon Oppenheimer, Cashman does play a role in the players drafted, particularly those in the later rounds, where Cashman has taken advantage of the Yankees’ financial strength and taken players who fell because of injury concerns or signability issues late in the draft, and enticed them to sign by doling out first round contracts.

The information above makes it clear that Cashman’s clear talent is for drafting and developing. While his trades have all been strong, his free agent signings have proven to be a mixed bag, with some great, some terrible. Recent reports suggest that Hank Steinbrenner has assumed much of the control, and Brian Cashman no longer has it. I think it is clear that Cashman is an excellent General Manager who has turned us into a very well run organization in a very short time and deserves the power he had and should maintain it. This is no knock on Hank, but Brian has been far above average and should continue to help us. It would be a massive disaster if the team pushed him out of the picture and allowed him to leave as a free agent after this year.

#10 Prospect: Jeff Marquez

2008-01-11T18:30:00.000-05:00

Age: 23

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 175 lbs

Position: Starting Pitcher, Right Handed.

Jeff Marquez was the 41st pick in the supplemental round of the 2004 draft out of Sacramento City College as a compensation pick for the loss of free agent David Wells to the San Diego Padres. Jeff essentially is a power sinkerball pitcher that throws a 2 seam fastball with a hard downward plane, a four seam fastball that tops out at about 95, a plus change-up, and an average curveball that he has been developing for the last two seasons. Jeff hammers the zone with his two seam fastball to get ground balls but he has also shown the ability to strike batters out(career 6.78 K/9). Marquez controls his fastball and devastating change-up very well but is still having trouble locating his curveball.

This year at Trenton, Marquez had mixed results. His strikeouts were down, 5.45 K/9 compared to 7.99 K/9 in 2006. His GO/AO ratio was also down at 1.67 compared to 2.03 last season. His overall numbers were still excellent as he pitched 155 innings with a 3.65 ERA. He was much better in the first half of the season then the second as his ERA was almost one and a half runs higher(3.18 to 4.47 ERA).

Marquez is a very interesting prospect, he has great stuff, great control but as a "sinkerball" pitcher his GO/AO ratio concerns me. A good sinkerball pitcher should post a GO/AO ratio of 3.00. Marquez's best ratio was 2.03, which he posted last year in Tampa. In Marquez's defense, he isn't exactly pitching with a major league defense behind him so his GO/AO ratio could see a significant increase if he pitched on a major league ball club. The high fly ball total could be due to the increased frequency with which he used his curveball, a pitch he has yet to master.

Marquez's future rides on his development of his curveball. He has two major league ready pitches in his fastball and change-up but if he doesn't develop the curve, he may wind up in the bullpen- which isn't a bad thing. This may be the best spot for Marquez anyway since all of the rotation spots are filled. Brian Cashman has already stated that Marquez will be tried out as a reliever in Spring Training.

Jeff will most likely start the year in Scranton in the bullpen unless he makes huge strides with his curveball. If a pitcher lands on the DL, Marquez will probably be one of the first few arms to be called up to take over. If his curve becomes a legitimate pitch, Marquez could end up being a solid #4 or #5 starter in a major league rotation. If not, his future is in the bullpen where he could become an excellent set up man.

Credit: Patrick Teale

Mike Cameron

2008-01-11T17:57:00.000-05:00

Just read that Mike Cameron was on the verge of signing with the Brewers shortly after reports that the Yankees had interest. This is disappointing, as Cameron would prove to be a significant upgrade over Melky Cabrera in center field offensively, and provide sufficient defense. Cabrera is a nice player, but his ceiling is limited and he's never shown the power or patience coveted when evaluating offensive value. Nonetheless, I have to believe this limits the chances of a Johan Santana trade, if ever so slightly, just because the Yankees would have one less option in terms of playing center field.

Yankees Top 10 Prospects

2008-01-06T22:21:00.000-05:00

In the next few weeks, myself and members of Holy Cow Blog will be creating a Top 10 prospect list which will be voted upon by the writers of the blog and other trusted prospect buffs. The system will work like this:

1. 10 points
2. 9 points
3. 8 points
4. 7 points
5. 6 points

and so on...

The points will be tallied and we should have the list up by the end of the week. Once the list is posted, I will be doing a prospect profile for each ranked player.

A Little Support for Brian Cashman and the little guys in the Yankee Front Office

2007-12-28T23:31:00.000-05:00

Picture this: The year on the calendar is 2010. The Yankees have just taken the field for a late September game against the Red Sox. Phil Hughes, the Yankees' 24-year old ace is on the mound, as the Yankees attempt to seal up the division crown with a win over the Red Sox. The first batter up is Jacoby Ellsbury, and he hits a hot smash between second base and third, where the Yankees newly crowned shortstop, 22-year old Carmen Angelini makes a diving stop and fires to Juan Miranda, the Yankees' 27-year old first baseman to nab Ellsbury by a step. The Yankees win on the strength of homers from Robinson Cano, designated hitter Derek Jeter and Austin Jackson, the Yankees' 23-year old centerfielder. Jeff Marquez pitches two scoreless innings in relief, and Melky Cabrera robs a would be home run off the bat of Mike Lowell.

Now, picture this: The year is still 2010 and the Yankees ace is Johan Santana, now 31 years old and still a very good pitcher, but there has been somewhat of a decline in his ability since 2007. The Yankees have a considerably older team, with 34-year old Pat Burrell in left, 36-year old Derek Jeter (still a talented player, but with considerably worse defense) at shortstop and Randy Winn, 36 years old in center field. The rotation consists of Santana, Chien-Ming Wang, Matt Morris (now 35), 36-year old Mark Hendrickson, and 35-year old Tim Hudson. They have a solid team, but due to the trades made to obtain the rapidly declining and injury prone Ryan Howard to DH and Richie Sexson to play 1st base, they were strapped for useful young players, forcing them to sign quite a few free agent starting pitchers, which cost them considerable money, and forced them to have a very weak bench, leaving them largely unprepared for injuries and causing them to be 81-78 at this point in September, with just 3 games remaining.

Now I'm not saying that trading young players is a bad idea. It isn't always, but it depends on what they are being traded for, and if it is done so much that it depletes the team's resources. I'm not saying that the Yankees will be great in 3 years if they don't trade for Johan Santana and terrible if they do. I'm not saying that Hughes and Austin Jackson and Jeff Marquez and Carmen Angelini will become great or even good. My major point here is that its important to look at what George Steinbrenner (still a great man who has done a tremendous amount for this team) did in the 1980's and the kind of situation we had then. Now look at Brian Cashman's mantra with regard to young players and free range spending. It isn't just Brian Cashman, there are many other executives who agree with him, as demonstrated by the Yankees hesitance to include Phil Hughes in a trade for Johan Santana. When you look at the gradualism demonstrated in the first scenario with some veterans still around (Jeter), but a lot of kids contributing, as compared to the brashness and win right now mentality of the second, you see how much better we are with plan #1.

Top 20 Free Agents

2007-11-09T22:18:00.000-05:00

1) Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees: Best player in the game, adds some credibility to a lineup wherever he goes, is an above average fielder and still runs well.

Prediction: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, on an 8 year, $240 million deal.

Actual: New York Yankees, on a 10 year, $275 million deal

2) Andruw Jones, CF, Braves: Best outfielder available, coming off bad ’07 season. Monster power, doesn’t always walk, above average defender, strikes out a lot, may take a 1 year deal and is a Type B free agent

Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers, on a 6 year, $96 million deal.

Actual: Los Angeles Dodgers, on a 2 year, $36.2 million deal

3) Torii Hunter, CF, Twins: Excellent defensive outfielder off a career year in ’07. Above average righty power, but doesn’t take many pitches.

Prediction: Chicago White Sox, on a 7 year, $126 million deal.

Actual: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, on a 5 year, $90 million deal.

4) Mariano Rivera, RP, Yankees: Elite relief pitcher, among top closers of all time, older but still dominant stuff. Prone to bloop hits and broken bats

Prediction: New York Yankees, on a 3 year, $45 million deal.

Actual: New York Yankees, on a 3 year, $45 million deal.

5) Eric Gagne, RP, Red Sox: Top-flight reliever coming off shaky two months in Boston which were so bad he was demoted to mop up duty. Still good change and decent fastball, someone will take a shot on a big deal with him since he is a type B.

Prediction: Atlanta Braves, on a 1 year, $8 million deal.

Actual: Milwaukee Brewers, on a 1 year, $10 million deal.

6) Jorge Posada, C, Yankees: Best catcher available via trade or free agency, coming off best year ever in ’07, likely to seek 4 year deal, always a question mark on defense but his bat carried him.

Prediction: New York Yankees, on a 4 year, $56 million deal.

Actual: New York Yankees, on a 4 year, $52.4 million deal.

7) Mike Lowell, 3B, Red Sox: Middle of the road 3B in a market filled with them, strong offensive and defensive season, winning the WS MVP, much better hitter in Fenway Park.

Prediction: Boston Red Sox, on a 3 year, $36 million deal

Actual: Boston Red Sox, on a 3 year, $37.5 million deal

8) Aaron Rowand, CF, Phillies: Very good defensive center fielder, some righty power, never walked much until ’07, will be a risk to see if ’07 was a break out or a fluke

Prediction: Washington Nationals, on a 5 year, $75 million deal

Actual: San Francisco Giants, on a 5 year, $60 million deal

9) Kosuke Fukudome, OF, Chunichi Dragons: Good defensive outfielder, Ichiro-like throwing arm, walks a ton with considerable doubles power, runs well and has Paul O’Neill personality

Prediction: San Francisco Giants, on a 5 year, $50 million deal

Actual: Chicago Cubs, on a 4 year, $48 million deal

10) Francisco Cordero, RP, Brewers: 2^nd Best available closer, good repertoire, high k/9 rates in career, makes sense in anyone who misses out on Rivera, may set up

Prediction: Cleveland Indians, on a 4 year, #40 million deal

Actual: Cincinnati Reds, on a 4 year, $46 million deal

11) Barry Bonds, OF, Giants: 2^nd best bat of all free agents, comes with tons of steroid baggage and is a poor defender in left, best suited for DH duty

Prediction: Texas Rangers, on a 1 year, $12 million deal

Actual:

12) Carlos Silva, SP, Twins: Top free agent starting pitcher and type B free agent, gets a ton of ground balls, and is best off away from the dome in Minnesota

Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies, on 3 year, $39 million deal

Actual: Seattle Mariners, on a 4 year, $44-48 million deal

13) Mike Cameron, OF, Padres: Very good defensive outfielder, nice power, still good speed, brings some steroid baggage and will be a nice alternative for whoever misses out on Jones, Rowand and Hunter

Prediction: Atlanta Braves, on a 3 year, $30 million deal

Actual:

14) Milton Bradley, OF, Padres: Good defender at a corner spot, good power, volatile personality, coming off major injury, looks like he belongs in San Diego

Prediction: San Diego Padres, on a 1 year, incentive-laden $6 million deal

Actual: Texas Rangers, on a 1 year, $5 million deal

15) Roger Clemens, SP, Yankees: Older, and unlikely to return to pitching a full season, did a decent job in ’07 for the Yankees but not great and injury issues plagued him

Prediction: Retirement

Actual:

16) Bartolo Colon, SP, Angels: Major injury concern, but still talented, despite a weight problem, and will benefit from leaving the DH league, and could find a fit with a team that loves Dominican players

Prediction: New York Mets, on a 2 year, $10 million deal

Actual:

17) Scott Linebrink, RP, Brewers: Not a great pitcher, helped out by that ballpark, but his numbers are pretty and someone will take a chance, given the lack of available relief pitching, could get a multi-year deal

Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies, on a 4 year, $24 million deal

Actual: Chicago White Sox, on a 4 year, $18 million deal

18) Octavio Dotel, RP, Braves: Great arm, major injury concerns, could close when healthy, very good stuff, should find a home with an NL team, and may be best off as a set up man in a more limited role to protect his arm

Prediction: New York Mets, on a 1 year, $6 million deal, with a vesting option for ‘09

Actual:

19) Michael Barrett, C, Padres: Decent offensive and defensive player, probably won’t get the multi-year deal he desires, and will likely follow the best chance to start and that will be with the team that misses out on the Musical chairs for catchers

Prediction: Colorado Rockies, on a 1 year, $5 million deal

Actual: San Diego Padres, on a 1 year, $3.5 million deal

20) Luis Castillo, 2B, Mets: Above average speed and defense, with a decent but powerless bat and he becomes an interesting choice to lead off and play 2B for a lot of teams, should get a 2 or 3 year deal, switch hitting ability adds flexibility to a lineup

Prediction: Houston Astros, on a 3 year, $18 million deal

Actual: New York Mets, on a 4 year, $25 million deal

Filling the Holes Internally.

2007-11-04T18:34:00.000-05:00

Well first off I would like to say that this was a hell of a season for Yankee farm hands. Shelley Duncan turned out be a great bench player, Joba was lights out in the 8th, Ian Kennedy had three great starts, and Phil Hughes really came around towards the end of the season. Now on to the topic...

The Offense
The Yankees lose the most productive player in baseball with the departure of Alex Rodriguez and it will be not be easy to fill that void.

Options: Not many, our only legitimate in house replacement would be Wilson Betemit. He has tons of untapped potential but he never has lived up to that. Down on the farm there isn't much either. Eric Duncan has become a complete flop and our only hope is that Marcos Vechionacci turns into the stud that he is supposed to be(he is currently tearing up the Venezuelan Winter League).

First Base: This has been a real problem for the Yankees lately. With the constant platooning and player swapping it seems like a new face has been playing first every week.

Options: With Betemit occupying third base, the only in house option we have is Shelley Duncan. I think Duncan could put up pretty respectable numbers, say .250-.260 BA, .320+ OBP, .500 SLG. On the farm we have Juan Miranda who is currently mashing right hand pitching with a .379 BA in the AFL. Platooning him with Duncan might make for a pretty reliable offensive force coming from first base. Of course, you're sacrificing defense when playing these two.

Catcher: Just pray to god that Posada re-signs. PRAY!

Bullpen: Most likely the Yankees will let Vizciano walk for Draft picks so that leaves the bullpen down a man.

Options: Where do I begin? There are a TON of farm options. Edwar Ramirez, Mark Melancon, Ross Olhendorf, Humberto Sanchez, James Brent Cox, the list goes on. All of these guys have knockout secondary pitches and could definitely contribute to this team. There is no need for the Yanks to put Joba back in the pen. This could end up being one of the strongest parts of the team in 2008 if all of these guys live up to their potential.

Other than those things, this team is pretty solid. The starting rotation could wind up being the best in the league with Wang, Hughes, Kennedy, Chamberlin, and Pettitte. The offense will hurt a little without Rodriguez's bat but the yanks should be able score about 800 runs. Remember, pitching wins championships!

The Offseason Plans

2007-11-03T18:40:00.000-04:00

1) This sounds easy and an obvious choice for what the Yankees must do to give themselves the best chance for a World title in 2008 and beyond, but they have to sign Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada...to reasonable contracts. Now, I'm not saying to low ball them, or to make the contract negotiations miserable, but they should hold firm to one thing in particular: 3 Years. Do not risk giving Posada four years and being stuck in another Bernie Williams situation. Give him 3 years and by the end of that contract, he should be a DH. If he continues offensive success late in the contract, then offer him a 1 year deal to return as the DH. They really shouldn't have too many qualms about the money as the losses of Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez will already clear a considerable amount of money. Mariano, like Posada, should be given no more than a 3 year deal, although 4 years for him wouldn't be awful because of how he has been consistently very good and may continue similar success as he gets older. Also, as a reliever, he would likely have less a role in the bullpen if he did struggle in his 3rd and fourth years. Again, it would be the preference to keep him at 3 years, but 4 years should not be a deal breaker for him.
2) Hope Andy Pettitte picks up his option
3) Sign Morgan Ensberg to a 1 year, $3 million deal with incentives to boost it near $5 million
4) Trade Kyle Farnsworth and Mike Mussina to the Phillies for Pat Burrell. Why? Burrell is a free agent after 2008, the Phillies badly need pitching, the Yankees could use a right handed power bat, and Pat Burrell is an awesomely good hitter. While the Yankees may not love the thought of another DH, allowing him to split time with Hideki Matsui in left and DH would probably keep both Burrell and Matsui healthier and more productive. Additionally, Burrell would likely be declared a Type A free agent at the end of next season and would therefore grant the Yankees two more first round draft choices. The Yankees, with their depth of starting pitching, would have a hard time slotting Mussina in to the rotation on a regular basis. The Phillies, meanwhile, have a ton of offense and could afford to risk a platoon involving Greg Dobbs in left, with Shane Victorino and Michael Bourn anchoring the other two spots, or could maybe turn to Aaron Rowand and lure him back with $13 million and the promise that they will be even better next season.
5) Re-Sign Jose Molina
6) Tell Luis Vizcaino to peace out, and gladly take the draft pick for him.
7) Designate Andy Phillips for assignment. Seriously, just end the love affair for this average player.
8) Re-Sign Doug Mientkiewicz
9) Promote Alan Horne
10a) Sign Richard Hidalgo to a 1 year deal worth 4-5 million. Hidalgo hits lefties well, and would be a nice guy to slide in place of Abreu or Matsui vs. lefties.
10b) Sign Sammy Sosa to a 1 year deal worth 2 million. See above.
10c) Promote Bronson Sardinha if a deal cannot be reached involving the above.
11) Trade Jason Giambi and pay his entire contract to the desperate-for-offense Minnesota Twins. In return, take whatever the Twins are kind enough to give us.
12) Ship Brett Gardner and Chase Wright to the Nationals in exchange for Chad Cordero. Cordero makes sense for the Yankees because 1) He has pitched well throughout his career and 2) He is a free agent at the end of the year and requires no commitment beyond this year and may be a Type A after this year. The Yankees badly need bullpen help and if the Yankees make a quick strike for Cordero, they will add a veteran solid pitcher to set up for Mariano, with the rookies and Chris Britton filling the innings before the 8th. The Nationals need a center fielder, and while Gardner struggled last season in AAA, he still projects nicely and the Nationals have time to let him learn on the job, also allowing them to stay out of the free agent market, while Wright gives them a guy who could potentially start for them right out of Spring Training. Additionally, this keeps the Red Sox from dealing Coco Crisp to the Nationals and getting anything good back.

Damon, CF
Jeter, SS
Abreu/Hidalgo/Sosa, RF
Burrell, DH/LF
Matsui/Sosa/Hidalgo, LF/DH
Posada, C
Cano, 2B
Betemit (vs. righties)/Ensberg (vs. lefties), 3B
Duncan, 1B

Cabrera, OF
Sardinha/Sosa/Hidalgo, OF
Molina, C
Ensberg/Betemit, INF
Mientkiewicz, 1B

Wang
Pettitte
Chamberlain
Hughes
Kennedy
(6th: Clippard)
(7th: Rasner)

Britton
Ramirez
Horne
Ohlendorf
Cordero
Rivera

No, this is not a perfect team. Not at all. There are many question marks, particularly in the bullpen, with 3 rookies. However, due to a lack of other options, all of the players make more sense than what is available in free agency. Ensberg and Betemit won't make anyone forget A-Rod, but the combination of them, some more offense from the DH, CF and 1B positions would all help to fill his hole. Additionally, Kennedy, Joba and Hughes have some MLB experience under their belts and should represent an upgrade over the rotation at this point last season. Meanwhile, the deal also leaves open the possibility for the Yankees to sign Mark Texieria and Johan Santana in the 2008 offseason, while allowing our younger pitchers to develop a little more.

Michael Kay and Skip Bayless: SHUT UP!

2007-09-04T13:31:00.000-04:00

Please, please, pretty please with a cherry on top, stop talking about how the mighty Ichiro could hit 30 or 40 home runs in a season if he so felt like it! That doesn't make any sense, a home run is the best thing you can do when you are at bat, and this guy has the ability to and chooses not to? Bullshit. If it were the bottom of the 9th inning of a game with the Mariners down a run with men on base, why wouldn't he hit a home run? He'd rather hit a single? THE GUY CAN NOT HOMER AT WILL. PERIOD. END OF STORY.

Clueless Joe strikes again

2007-09-03T01:08:00.000-04:00

Can ANYONE figure out exactly why Pettitte was left in the game for the 7th, when he was clearly tired? If Joe's going to let the players decide when they play, we might as well not have a manager at all.

That said, this series should have never happened as it did. Losing 2 out of 3 to one of the worst teams in baseball should not happen, particularly not in a pennant race in September. No excuse for the disgusting display of baseball which took place this weekend. The combination of poor starting pitching on Friday, poor hitting on Friday and Sunday and more management on Sunday should never happen, regardless of if we're playing Tampa Bay or Boston. It is ridiculous.

Ian Kennedy's Report Card

2007-09-02T01:54:00.000-04:00

Ian Kennedy pitched a great game today in his debut for the Yankees posting a line of 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks and one HR. Here are my grades on his performance

Control: While the 2 BB seem a little high for someone that is a control pitcher, Kennedy did a good job of locating his pitches and keeping the ball away from the middle of the plate. He lived up to his hype on this account, any pitch in any count. Besides giving up the HR to Upton(who is having a great season) he did a good job of commanding his pitches. B

Stuff: Kennedy has better stuff than I expected. His fastball seemed to have good movement and his slider seemed to be a bit better than "average." His curve had good late break and his change-up was as good as proclaimed, a true Plus pitch A

Poise: Not only Kennedy throw the ball well but he kept his cool on the mound. Getting into jams didn't seem to phase him much and he seemed pretty relaxed for his major league debut at Yankee Stadium A+

Overall: Kennedy had a great start to his ML career today. He kept a pretty good offense in check and kept the Yankees in the game, something that Mike Mussina couldn't do. Other than the HR to Upton I couldn't ask for much more from a 22 year old in his first year of professional baseball. A

What to Expect From Ian Kennedy

2007-08-31T16:53:00.000-04:00

The number one first round draft pick out of USC, Ian Kennedy, makes his debut Saturday afternoon against a good offensive team in the Devil Rays. Kennedy's college track record is quite impressive and his career at USC matches those of Mark Prior's and Randy Johnson's but unlike Prior and Johnson, Kennedy has a much lesser fastball. The scouting on Kennedy is mixed. Some scouts have him listed as a solid #2 and the next coming of Mike Mussina while others think he won't be anything better than a #4/#5 starter.

here is an idea of what Kennedy throws...

Fastball: Kennedy sits comfortably at 90-92 and according to a report at Trenton, he hit 95 on the gun once. His fastball doesn't have amazing velocity or movement but he is an artist at locating it ala Mike Mussina

Curveball: Kennedy's curve is his second best off-speed pitch. I've heard mix things about it but from what I've gathered it seems to be a pretty good pitch. Its not a plus pitch but its pretty close to it. He has pretty good control of this pitch also

Change Up: Kennedy's change is a plus pitch and like his fastball he can throw it in any count. He uses it effectively and mixes it well with his fastball. Its his best weapon

Slider: Its not his best pitch but he still mixes it well with his repertoire. Its an average pitch.

I think Kennedy could end up being a really solid #3 starter. While his ERA may not be a pretty 3.00 ERA every year, he can provide solid pitching and give innings to an already strong rotation for the future. With a tactical baseball mind and impeccable control, I see no reason why Kennedy can't be extremely successful.

Josh Beckett: King of Punks

2007-08-31T15:37:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzlcHGQAN_Q

If you can't read his lips, he says "get out of here you [expletive] [expletive]"

The same guy who is notorious as a head hunter and who isn't afraid to hit anyone on purpose. The same guy who whined about Ryan Howard not running out a pop up and Shea Hillenbrand walking to first on a pitch he thought was ball 4- both in ST.

Yanks beat Bosox behind Damon, Pettitte

2007-08-29T01:11:00.001-04:00

Damon since the All-star break: .304/.390/.466

Pettitte pitched a solid game, giving the Yankees length so that we'd only need Joba for one inning before turning it over to Mo, allowing us to have a well rested Kyle Farnsworth and Luis Vizcaino for tomorrow. He looked very sharp against a very potent offense aside from the home runs allowed to Manny and Varitek. Damon came up big with his 2-run shot and as the stats above show, he has done a nice job since the all-star break.

Stick a fork in him..

2007-08-27T22:16:00.001-04:00

Yanks prepare to take on male model

2007-08-27T01:25:00.001-04:00

Pathetic.

2007-08-26T16:26:00.001-04:00

Over the last 4.2 innings of the game, the Yankees went 1-for-15.

Embarassing, and to make matters seem worse, the Tigers did not have a hit after the third inning.

Awful game.

On a positive note, however, Hughes looked improved from his past few starts and his control looked very sharp, and aside from 2 bad pitches to Guillen and Thames, he pitched very well, and Kyle Farnsworth also looked extremely strong in his inning of relief.

WANG 8IP 5H 1ER 2BB 6K

2007-08-26T04:48:00.000-04:00

After struggling in most of his starts since late July, Chien-Ming Wang absolutely dominated the Tigers. Until tonight even in his "good" starts Wang had been giving up a ton of hits. Check it out

I was really starting to worry about the cracked finger nail that has been plaguing him for a while, but he really impressed me tonight. He also had six strikeouts. Although he still doesn't strike out a lot of batters Wang has K'd 6 in his past two starts. Obviously we would like to see him locked-in like he was against the Mets when he punched out a career high 10. It's highly unlikely... Last season, Wang struck out only 76 batters in 218 IP. This season he has 81K in 159.1 IP. Obviously an improvement, but to rise to the next level he would need to improve even more next season.

Maybe next season he will improve, but right now I'd be happier if he continued to roll ground balls and eat up innings. Wang's 8 IP tonight were exactly what the team needed and with Mussina struggling, Clemens being inconsistent, and Hughes being inexperienced; the Yankees really need Wang to pitch well down the stretch.

"Why did we become Tiger fans? Billy you didn't throw away my Red Sox hat did you?"

Wow

2007-08-25T20:56:00.000-04:00

General manager Brian Cashman inquired about stocking the Yankees with another pitcher from the Minor Leagues, Torre said, but the early-morning telephone offer was rejected.

Link

Amazing.

HENN LAYS EGG! But who can we blame?

2007-08-25T03:53:00.000-04:00

"Is a 6.10 ERA gud?"

This is my first entry on the Holy Cow! Yankees Blog and I regret that it had to come on such a horrible night/morning for the Yankees. After avoiding being swept by the Angels the Yankees came in to Detroit needing this series in the worst way. By the time the game (delayed four hours by rain) was underway the Red Sox had already won twice and the Mariners were on their way to another victory...

Clemens obviously wasn't sharp, but the Yankees were able to score 6 runs... A-Rod hit his 43rd homer of the season. The bullpen tossed 5 shutout innings of relief, Mariano Rivera pitched. This sounds like it should have a good ending right? WRONG! It was horrendous. Sean Henn blew another huge game for the Yankees by giving up a 3-run walk off homer to Carlos Guillen. One of the worst losses of the season in my opinion. It's easy to ride Henn because of the two heart breakers he has lost over the last week, but who is really to blame?

Some fans have chattered about Torre not using relievers for more than one inning, and I agree Chamberlain could have gone another inning, perhaps Ramirez too, but you really can't kill him on this one. Farnsworth is a one inning pitcher, Vizcaino has complained of a tired arm recently, and with Rivera's little hiccup recently you don't want to stretch him more than you need to. At some point in long games you are forced to use your worst relief pitchers.

Obviously Sean Henn is not major league material. Moving him to the pen seemed like a good idea before the season, but it hasn't worked. Going into the game Henn had a WHIP of 1.58, horrible. How he's managed to pitch 31 innings for this team is beyond me. I'm sure this topic will come up more in the future as it has all season, but where the FUCK is Chris Britton?

What was the point of trading Wright for Britton if he's going to rot in the minor leagues all season? I'm not saying the Yankees should have kept Mr. Wright, but what the hell? The guy was a good pitcher out of the O's bullpen (is that really possible?) last season and he has pitched well on every level so far this season. While I applaud the front office for many moves it has made this season, it's really a joke that Britton hasn't become a staple in the bullpen.

Instead the Yankees decided to call up Brian Bruney who to my knowledge didn't even warm up during this game. Regardless he had a 6.00 ERA since being sent down to AAA. Prior to that he still had a relatively good ERA (3.40), but since June Bruney walked 16 batters and struck out only 8. That's beyond alarming, I think we all know why the Diamondbacks let him go now.

Anyway that's more than enough to chew on for one entry... Since the Yankees started to make this nice little run that they have I claimed that this stretch of games at the end of August would be the defining point of the season. Right now it only looks so-so. Are the Yankees the team that started off the season horrendously? Are they the team that dominated in July/Early August? Or are they somewhere in between? I'd like to think they're a championship caliber team this season, but these next three games and the upcoming series with the Red Sox will really speak volumes about what kind of team this is. Let's not forget there is a potentially huge series coming up in early September against the Mariners as well.

One last thing:
The worst umpired game I have ever seen, Posada getting tossed was bullshit, but the game ended so bad I didn't feel like writing more about it.

*It felt good to make my first entry here... This certainly isn't the first Yankees blog out there and it won't be the last. We don't have any "inside" sources, just solid and well formed baseball opinions. Hopefully there will be some unique content (funny images coming soon) that will keep you coming back.

Ron Villone to DL, Brian Bruney called up

2007-08-24T16:43:00.001-04:00

Why, exactly, was Bruney called up? All Bruney proved with us was that he had consistent trouble throwing strikes with his 30 walks in 42.1 innings, and since being sent down he has allowed 4 ER on 5 hits in 6 innings with Scranton Wilkes-Barre, while walking 2. Meanwhile, Chris Britton continues to dominate AAA ball, earning him all of 5 major league innings this season.

Welcome

2007-08-24T03:25:00.000-04:00

Hey all Yankee fans, this blog was made with the title picked as a memorial towards the late great Phil Rizzuto. Myself and my colleague, "Well I thank you Suzyn" will be doing the lion's share of the posting with possible graphic contributions from two other colleagues, John Flaherty and Stan Papi. We look forward to many future posts and to help this blog grow into the echelon where great blogs such as nomaas and firejoemorgan are at.