The Price Of Lost Production

52 G, 216 PA, 6 HR, 23 R, 22 RBI, -0.6 fWAR

That's the combined offensive output of Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Kevin Youkilis this season.  The Yankees are paying those 5 guys a combined $95.855 million in 2013, or a cool $443,773.15 per plate appearance, $4.168 million per run scored, or $15.976 million per home run.  It's a horse that's been beaten to death 10 times over, but that's a lot of production to lose for any team and a lot of money being paid to players who aren't helping the team.

Yanks Bench Could Still Use Some Work

The Yankees addressed a serious need yesterday by claiming Travis Ishikawa off waivers from the Orioles.  Ishikawa should immediately assume the role as designated lefty bench bat, a role the Yankees haven't been able to fill for the past few weeks and one that they could have put to great use at least a handful of times last week.  They were back up to 4 available bench players again after Eduardo Nunez took David Phelps' spot on the active roster this weekend, but all 4 of those players were right-handed and severely below-average hitters.  The anticipated replacement of David Adams with Ishikawa does bring a little balance back to the bench lineup.  It's not the final move the Yanks should make if they're looking to add even more bench flexibility.

Jayson Nix: The Most Important Replacement-Level Player Around

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Almost as if to troll the growing group of writers and fans out there who keep wondering what he sees in Jayson Nix, Joe had him out there again last night starting at third base and batting 7th.  This came a day after he started Nix at shortstop and batted him second.  The constant usage of Nix in spots better suited for better players is starting to become a bit of a running joke in Yankeeland, as Joe's preference for a guy he constantly tags with the "just a ballplayer," "just knows how to play" label continues to defy logic or any kind of statistical analysis.  Naturally Nix came up with 3 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 SB in those 2 games - both Yankee victories - and so continues one of the stranger replacement-level seasons in recent memory.

Continued Injury Problems Stretching The Yanks Thin

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

After a 13-game stretch against sub-.500 opponents, the Yanks got a step up in competition this past weekend when the Oakland A's came to town and took 2 out of 3.  It was a close, competitive series in which the Yanks showed flashes of all the things that have made them successful thus far: good starting pitching, timely hitting, power, and solid defense.  But unlike games against Houston or Toronto, those flashes weren't enough to get the job done in two close games and weren't enough to overcome the continued erosion of the 25-man roster due to injuries.  In the same way this past weekend's series showed us that the Yankees still have steps to take this season, it also showed us how difficult those steps can be when your team is this beat up.

Revisiting The Early-Season Platoon Lineups

Platoons were going to be a part of the Yankee lineup decision-making process one way or another this season.  They've become an even bigger part for the month of April as Cash has signed or traded for a variety of platoon-worthy players to fill in for the injured everyday guys.  Whether the collection of new players has regular or reverse platoon splits, the fact that other teams were willing to give them up already gives insight into their offensive production potential.  All the Yankees are really trying to do in this first month is find a formula to get the most out of those players' potential, including the ones we already know need a platoon partner, and score enough wins to support their strong pitching.  Now that we know who's on the Opening Day roster, let's take a quick look at the two versions of the starting lineup we're likely to see.

Getting The Most Out Of Eduardo

(Nope.  No throwing mechanics under there.  Courtesy of Reuters)

After some positive early signs that Derek Jeter was going to be able to recover from his ankle surgery and be ready to play, we now know that Eduardo Nunez is going to be the Yankees' Opening Day shortstop.  We also know that he's going to be the starting shortstop for at least the next handful of games after that and we can safely assume that he'll be getting regular work at the position all season long.  That's a frightening thought for any Yankee fan based on what we've seen to date from Nunez, but it's a reality that we're going to have to accept and live with.  That being the case, let's investigate just how the Yankees can maximize Nunez's potential value and not have another spot in the lineup and position on the field turn into a black hole.