The New York Mets Are Absolutely Pathetic

If you're a regular reader of AB4AR, you know by now that the Mets are one of my favorite punching bags.  I like to take shots at them and break balls about how crappy they've been, and generally it's all meant to be funny and joking.  But this story from earlier in the week by Howard Megdal of The Journal News and the LoHud Mets Blog, describing how he was denied media credentials by the Mets, is the epitome of classlessness on the part of the Wilpons and the latest, and strongest, example of just how awful that organization is.

Basically what it boiled down to was Megdal writing a book about the Wilpons and all the shit they were in after the Madoff scandal that was published in December.  The Wilpons weren't fans of what Megdal had to say in his book, despite the fact that he reached out to the organization multiple times during the writing process and spoke to members of the organization as part of his reporting for the book, and so they decided to stiff him on his clubhouse credentials for the 2012 season.  This message was passed along by Jay Horowitz, who when asked by Howard why he wasn't going to be issued credentials, said that the Mets simply, "don't like his reporting."

Now I don't know Howard personally, and I only know about this story because it was brought to my attention by one of my fellow TYA writers in an email yesterday.  But from everything I can gather from people who do know him and are familiar with his work, he is a good dude, a diehard Mets fan, and a damn good reporter.  To have his credentials taken away by the Wilpons because of the book, which has never had its content questioned and has actually been supported a few times in other stories by the likes of the New York Times and ESPN, is a petty, cowardly, childish, unprofessional act that shows the type of people the Wilpons are and reinforces all the negative talk that has surrounded their time as the owners of the Mets.  It's also downright un-American.  It's Nazi-like.  You don't like somebody calling you out for the shitty job you're doing?  THEN DO A BETTER JOB!!!  Don't take the coward's way out and deny the guy the ability to do his.

Howard Megdal is a reporter for a legitimate news outlet, so he has to bite his tongue on this whole issue and stick to the PC comments he made on the matter.  I write a dinky little blog, so I don't have that problem.  On behalf of Howard, I'd just like to say "fuck you" to Fred and Jeff Wilpon.  You're slimy, dirty, pathetic, creepy, lying crooks who have managed to turn what was one of the better teams in the National League into an absolute joke of an organization.  And in the process of doing so, you've spit in the eyes of everybody who cares about your team- the fans, the media, the players, the coaches, the team alumni, everybody.  Howard Megdal's only crime was being good at his job and reporting the truth, two things that you know nothing about and never will.  If it weren't for you relationship with Bud Selig, you would have been out on your asses a long time ago, and I can only hope that things continue to spiral downward for you to the point that you are forced out, because that's the only chance the Mets organization has to crawl out of the shitheap you've dumped it in.

I don't say this often, but today I can say with 100% honesty and no sarcasm that I feel sorry for all you Mets fans out there.  And I feel sorry for Howard Megdal and the bullshit hand he's been dealt by those sleazeballs.  You all deserve better.

Keith Law's Top 100 Prospects

Following up on his organizational farm system rankings yesterday, Keith Law was kind enough to unveil his Top 100 players list for the world today, as well as his Top 10 for each team.

The articles are Insider Only again, but the top 3 were Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, and Matt Moore.  The Yankees were well-represented by prospects present and past, placing 4 of their own in the top 100 (ManBan 23rd, Williams 34th, Sanchez 55th, and Betances 83rd) and also having former Yankee farmhands Jesus Montero (9th) and Arodys Vizcaino (14th) place in the top 15.

I was a little surprised to see Williams ranked so highly and ranked above Sanchez, but that's pretty typical for Law's style of valuing tools and high upside more.  He went upside-heavy with his Yankee top 10 as well:

1) Manny Banuelos- LHP
2) Mason Williams- CF
3) Gary Sanchez- C
4) Dellin Betances- RHP
5) Tyler Austin- IF
6) Jose Campos- RHP
7) Dante Bichette, Jr.- 3B
8) Austin Romine- C
9) J.R. Murphy- C
10) Slade Heathcott- OF

P.S.- It's still weird to think about The Jesus not being a Yankee anymore.  Every time I see his name I feel like Lloyd Christmas.

"Goodbye, my LOOOOOOOVE!!!"

Ninja Cash Having A Monster Offseason

(Ninja Cash moves in silence.)

Say what you will about how he handles his marital business, but there's no denying that Brian Cashman has been on a real hot streak over the last couple years as GM.  He has made moves that have made the Yankees better, younger, and deeper as a Major League team and an organization, and has kept them consistently balanced for the present and the future through a combination of aggressive big-dollar signings, smart low-dollar signings, and wise decision making in the trade market, for trades both made and not made.  He's continued that hot streak this offseason, pulling of a collection of smart moves that few saw coming, and doing it under the first semblance of a real payroll budget.

It seems like it was ages ago now, but Cash's best move this offseason might very well have been the his first one, the re-upping of CC Sabathia before he opted out and became a free agent.  It looked like a done deal that CC was heading for the opt out when the Yankees swooped in on Halloween night and swiftly announced the signing before he could officially hit the market.  Cash was able to orchestrate a deal that was both fair and attractive to CC and in line with the team's desire to not get locked into another super-long contract.  Cash took the biggest free agent pitcher off the market before he could even reach it, forcing any teams that were focusing on offering CC a deal to rethink their strategy, guaranteeing that the Yankees would be winners in their search to upgrade their rotation, and starting the wheels turning on the rest of his plan to complete that upgrade.

The quick and painless process with which the Yankees and CC made their deal gave the impression to everybody out there that Cash was fully intending on being aggressively active at the Winter Meetings to try to lock up another big name to go with CC.  Cash played to this expectation perfectly, meeting with enough agents and having enough involvement with all the big pitching targets that the teams who were really interested in them had to make serious offers, perhaps more serious than they were intending based on the Yankees' perceived interest and big-money reputation.  And while all the focus was on the free agents, Cash was busy laying the groundwork for his deal with the Mariners.  He used the team's perceived interest in guys like C.J. Wilson, Edwin Jackson, and Yu Darvish as a smoke screen to throw everybody off the path he really wanted to take to improve the rotation.

When Cash finally revealed that path to the world, we got the Pineda-Montero trade.  It was a move that nobody saw coming, and it was a move that was beneficial to the Yankees in many ways.  It allowed them to address their biggest area of weakness both for the present and for the future, and while it cost them their top prospect, it allowed them to deal from their deepest deck of prospect cards and not sacrifice any of the young pitching depth they've built.  It also allowed the Yankees to improve that area of weakness without taking on significant salary, thus fitting in with their potential long-term goal of cutting payroll.  It's that kind of forward thinking and big picture consideration that made this a no-doubt winning move, and it was all Cash.  I mean, come on.  You think Randy Levine could have pulled the Pineda trade off without giving up ManBan or Betances?

The way Cash has handled the follow-up to the big trade was brilliant as well, immediately announcing the Hiroki Kuroda signing.  Kuroda was arguably the best free agent starter still available, and the Yankees got him for less than his asking price.  He provides increased depth and stability to the rotation, should provide above-average production, and on a one-year deal, also fits right in with the long-term payroll flexibility plans.  Cash could have gone after Kuroda aggressively during the Winter Meetings but was smart to not jump all over him then, instead choosing to give it some time until the FA pitching herd had thinned out and prices started to come down.  This was a patient, calculated, well thought out plan to address the rotation and it was pulled off without anybody being tipped of to what the Yankees were doing.  That's Ninja Style 101.

Keith Law Ranks Yankee MiL System In His Top 10

Keith Law of ESPN released his organizational MiL system rankings today, and the Yankees had a good showing, placing 10th overall.  The entire article is Insider Only, but Law had this to say about the Yankee system:

"I might be jumping the gun here, but I see a lot of star potential on their bottom few affiliates, including new acquisition Jose Campos from Seattle, to go with the two power arms from their Scranton club (Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances). The flaw in the system is the lack of near-in talent, especially position players, who could either help the big club soon or provide more fodder for trades."

I think that's the most accurate description of the Yankee farm system anyone could make in so few words, and it will be important for guys like Zoilo Almonte and Ramon Flores to have success this year to try to move closer to providing some of that "near-in" depth that Law talks about.  But what I think is most important to take from this is the fact that the Yankees dropped only one spot in the rankings, from 9th last year to 10th this year, despite trading away their #1 prospect.  To maintain their status in the eyes of someone like Keith Law speaks volumes about both the talent level and depth in the Yankee farm right now.

For more prospect talk, check out the AB4AR Top 30.

Ninja Cash Strikes Again, Yanks Sign Russell Branyan

As much as I despise the Bill Hall signing, low-risk as it may be, I absolutely LOVE today's signing of Russell Branyan to a MiL contract, presumably to compete for the lefty DH role that still remains vacant.

Branyan sucked pretty hard last season (.197/.295/.370, .300 wOBA in 146 PA), but he's only 1 year removed from posting a .350 wOBA in 3 times as many PA, only 2 years removed from a .368 wOBA in almost 4 times as many PA, and he absolutely demolishes right-handed pitching.  Branyan also has a career BB rate of 11.9%, and has 8 career HR in just 47 AB at the new Yankee Stadium, so on paper he fits the mold for what the Yankees would be looking for out of a lefty platoon DH.

His major drop off in production last year is a legitimate concern given the fact that he's 36 years old, but that risk is eliminated by the deal being non-guaranteed.  While we're all sitting around debating the pros and cons of guys like Ibanez and Damon and Chavez, Cash went out and brought in a guy who could be better than all of them for next to nothing.  Total fucking ninja move.

(Ninja Cash strikes again!)

Yanks Looking To Move A.J. To Make Room For Chavez?

In The Post this morning, Joel Sherman provided an update on where the Yankees' financial/roster filling priorities are right now, and included certain language implying that the amount of money they'd be willing to eat on A.J.'s contract has gone way up as a way to make those priorities happen.

"The perception has been that the Yankees have less than $2 million to sign a lefty-swinging designated hitter with free agents Eric Chavez, Johnny Damon, Raul Ibanez and Hideki Matsui forming the field. Nevertheless, what the Yankees want to do most is sign Chavez and one of the DH types. 

Owner Hal Steinbrenner already has expanded his budget once this offseason to allow the signing of Hiroki Kuroda. He has yet to say the Yankees can do so again in order to sign even one additional player, much less two. This is why the Yankees are quietly — but diligently — still working to trade A.J. Burnett.

They know no team will take all of Burnett’s remaining two years at $33 million. But if they could save, say, $4 million this year and next year, it would provide some wiggle room to finish off their roster heading into spring training."

At first glance, I can get on board with this idea.  Moving A.J., at any price, does provide some payroll relief and sets up a classic "two birds with one stone" scenario if that extra cash gives them the financial flexibility to sign the guys they want to sign to fill out the roster.  You could even make the argument that by eliminating A.J. from the pitching stockpile right now, the Yankees are killing a 3rd bird by starting to clear up the 5th starter/back of the bullpen picture.

But if they are really dead set on sticking to their budget, I would question the tactic of splitting the freed up money on Chavez and another DH.  Chavez was only mildly productive in his limited role last season, and as a caddy to A-Rod at 3rd he's not particularly valuable because he's almost as likely to get hurt as The Horse is.  I'd rather see that role filled by the likes of Nunez and Brandon Laird and allow the extra money to be used to sign someone like Johnny Damon for closer to what he's looking for rather than wait for his, or anybody else's, price to come down to $2 million.  It's only going to be for a 1-year deal anyway, so whether you're talking $2 mil or $4-5 mil it really won't affect anything from a long-term payroll standpoint.

Not Bill Hall

From a baseball perspective, I get the deal.  He can play multiple positions, he's got some pop with the bat, and at just 600 thou for a non-guaranteed MiL deal (according to Ken Rosenthal) he's the definition of a low-risk signing.  I certainly don't expect him to reach any of his PA performance marks, and he has an out clause if he's not on the Opening Day roster.  It's basically the same move the Yanks made with Ron Belliard last season, and it seems to be the Yankees' new MO when looking to fill out the roster.

From a personal perspective, COME ON!!!  Really?!?  Bill Hall??  That's the best they could come up with??  Bill Hall fucking blows.  His .211/.261/.314 line last year makes Ramiro Pena look like Hanley Ramirez.  And a .252 wOBA?  Are you kidding me???  I feel like I'm looking at my career Little League numbers when I look at Hall's 2011 line, and remember, I quit baseball to play lacrosse.

Think about it this way.  Eduardo Nunez was worth -0.6 fWAR last year in 338 PA for the Yankees.  In 139 fewer PA, Hall managed to put together -1.6 fWAR.  He was worth an entire loss on his own compared to Nunez in far less playing time.  That's not just sucking, that's next level sucking right there.  I don't root for guys to get hurt, but man, I really hope Bill Hall gets hurt in Spring Training.

(Brewers fans know what I'm talking about.)

2013 "Dream Rotation" Scenario Closer Than You Think

I had a dream the other night.  In it, the Yankees were in the postseason and they were just rolling through teams, winning more 3-1, 4-2, and 2-0 games than I could have ever imagined.  Their starting rotation was absolutely stocked and they turned in gem after gem after gem, making the recent postseason offensive struggles a moot point as the Bombers marched through the playoffs on the strength of their pitching and hoisted the trophy for Title 28.  I was in my usual Yankees' playoff position, standing directly in front of my TV in all my 2009 World Series gear, yelling and screaming and jumping around like a moron.  It was a beautiful experience.

Then I woke up, looked around, realized I was still in bed with my sheets and pillows strewn about me, and quickly deduced that it was still early February 2012 and my dream is still over a year away from becoming reality.  But in that realization, I also came to the conclusion that this scenario playing out in October of 2013 isn't that far fetched.  As it stands right now, the Yankees have already made great strides towards bolstering their starting rotation for this season and beyond, and they could very well be on the cusp of building a full-fledged "dream" rotation before the calendar turns.

Consider this.  The Yankees already have at least 40%, and possibly 60% of that dream rotation already.  CC Sabathia is still the ace of this staff, still an elite starting pitcher, and will continue to be both of those things for at least the next couple years.  Michael Pineda, even with the questions about his transition to the AL East and lack of experience, is still a 23-year-old monster right hander with top shelf stuff, a ROY-quality season under his belt, and the ceiling of a #1-#2-type starter long term if he continues to develop his offspeed offerings .  And Ivan Nova, while not having Pineda-like stuff, exceeded all expectations last year and showed some promise as a potential above-average middle-of-the-rotation guy with his floor as a back-end starter being raised thanks to his improved slider and command

And while the Yankees kept the wallet closed this offseason, the free agent pitching class after this season is potentially deep and very talented, headlined by Cole Hamels.  $189 million budget or not for 2014, I think it's safe to say that the Yankees are going to be involved in the bidding for Hamels' services.  It wouldn't shock me at all if the Yankees went all in for Hamels in a manner similar to the aggressive approach they used in 2008 when they pursued CC.  Hamels essentially represents exactly what CC was at the time in '08, a top shelf lefty with swing-and-miss stuff in the prime of his career, and would give the Yankees a legit 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation, while at the same time adding depth to the rotation by bumping Pineda and Nova down a spot.

While Hamels will not come cheap, the last piece of this dream rotation puzzle will.  Dirt cheap in fact.  Manny Banuelos, the top Yankee prospect, and #13 in all of baseball according to Baseball America, will be coming off his first full season in Triple-A ball.  If he bounces back from his walk-plagued 2011 and shows the type of command that made him such a hot prospect, he will have nowhere to go but to the show in 2013.  And with his command intact, Banuelos' ceiling jumps back up to "potential #2/stretch #1" territory as a starter.  There aren't too many teams who can say that about their 5th starter, and even if he didn't pitch lights out in his rookie year, Banuelos would still likely be league average at worst.

Yankee Stadium Holding More Concerts That I Can't Attend

I missed Eminem & Jay-Z in 2010.  I missed the Metallica/Megadeth/Slayer/Anthrax "Big Four" show last year.  And now I'm going to miss 2 Roger Water shows this summer where he's playing "The Wall" in its entirety.

Why the fuck did I move to Wisconsin again?

P.S.- If Yankee Stadium hosts a Tool/Deftones/QOTSA show in 2013, I'm going to be pissed.

What The Order Of The 2012 Rotation Should Be

I've been thinking about this since almost the moment the Yankees added Pineda and Kuroda to the rotation.  It was inspired by the ideas proposed in the comments section of my next-day reaction post, those voices strongly in the corner of Freddy Garcia as not even the #5 starter, but the #2 right behind CC.  I don't think that will happen, and truth be told, the order of the rotation is really only important when the season begins and in the last month of the regular through the playoffs.  So in constructing my rotation for this season, I envisioned it heading into a 4-game postseason series.

1) CC Sabathia

Every good rotation needs an ace at the top, and CC has been nothing short of that since he first put on the pinstripes.  He's big, he's strong, he can give you a ton of innings, he strikes guys out, he limits damage, he's pitched in a ton of big games before, and his performance backs up the big contract he was given this offseason.  The Yankees are building the rotation for the future, but CC is still the head of the rotation right now.  In a big game, who else would you rather have taking the ball?

2) Michael Pineda

I've heard all the arguments against him- struggled in the 2nd half, doesn't have a 3rd pitch, will get hurt pitching in Yankee Stadium, etc.  But I've also seen the stuff he has and how it's worked for him, and I can point to his overall body of work last year, in his rookie season, and say that Pineda has the makings of a top-tier starting pitcher.  I don't think the Yankees would trade away their best hitting prospect in a long time for a back-end starter, so why not give the kid this spot?  He's got top-of-the-rotation stuff already; let him use it to grow into a top-of-the-rotation role.

3) Hiroki Kuroda

As much as I don't get too concerned with Pineda's negatives, knowing that they are there and could come up to bite him once or twice, I'd like to have a veteran pitcher behind him in the rotation, and that's exactly what Kuroda is.  He won't blow anybody away with his stuff, but he knows how to pitch, he isn't going to get rattled by anything, and he can give you innings even when he isn't having his best stuff day.  Kuroda would almost be like 2009 Andy Pettitte in this role, there to steady the ship if things in front of him get a little rocky.

4) Ivan Nova

While some have visions of the future #2 or #3 starter in their heads from the way he ended last season, the more likely case is that Nova tops out as a #4 starter.  And to be a #4 starter with his potential is nothing to be ashamed of, so I'd like to see Nova down a bit in the order where he can work on improving his offspeed stuff and continue to build on the momentum from his strong finish to 2011.  If Nova truly can replicate that success, then his ceiling will raise to that #2-#3 range and we all rejoice.  But I'd rather let him see if he can reach that level in a low-stress role as the #4 guy.

5) Whoever

Whether the Yankees end up going with Phil Hughes' potential, Freddy Garcia's recent track record, or A.J. Burnett's contract, I think the winner of the last rotation spot will be in exactly that spot.  And with what each brings to the table, there really isn't a bad option in the bunch for what the Yankees will need from the 5th spot in the rotation.

It seems pretty cut and dry to me.  You put your best in the best spots in the rotation.  But maybe not everybody shares my thoughts.  So what do you think, Yankee fans?  How would your 2012 starting rotation look?

Joba Rehab Going Well

I touched on it briefly on Saturday night on the AB4AR Facebook page, but I think it's news worth mentioning again as we're now less than 2 weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting.

He won't be among those showing up to compete for a spot on the roster, but Joba Chamberlain's rehab from last year's Tommy John Surgery continues to go well.  He threw off a half-mound for the first time on Friday, with Larry Rothschild and Billy Connors watching, and is right on track for an early to mid-summer return.

It's still pretty far off, but I have to imagine Joba's rehab schedule will factor into how the Yankees choose to use whichever 2 pitchers don't get the 5th starter role, assuming all 3 are still around at the start of the season.  The more innings they're throwing are fewer innings that Joba throws once he comes back.  And since Joba has already been designated an official "Bullpen Guy" and presumably has more to offer the 'pen long term, it's probably better for the team if he pitches himself back into shape as much as possible.  Lower-leverage bullpen innings would be perfect for that, but not if they're being soaked up by Freddy or A.J.  Stay tuned.

("Ow, dude!  My elbow!")

Super Bowl Schmuper Bowl...

Can we just get this stupid game over with already?  I mean, what's the big deal??  It's not like there's a recent history between these two teams and a ton of interesting storylines and subplots involved that the MSM has beat into the ground and will continue to do right through the game today.  It's just a football game.

And all the airtime being handed over to the Pats and Giants today is taking away from the REAL story.  That pitchers and catchers report in 2 weeks.  That's what people care about.  That's what the Yankee fans want to talk about.  Not The Super Bowl.  Just get this damn game over so we can move onto Spring Training.

P.S.- Official AB4AR Super Bowl pick: Pats 27 Giants 21.  "Like" AB4AR on Facebook.

Dante Bichette Jr. Keeps The Prospect Interview Train Rolling

(Photo used courtesy of Scott Tidlund.)

On the heels of their interview with Tyler Austin earlier in the week that I linked to yesterday, NoMaas struck back with another interview yesterday, this time with 3B and 2011 1st round pick Dante Bichette Jr.  I would have to say my favorite part was this comment by Bichette:

"I want to be more consistent with my approach and learn how to make adjustments quicker. Instead of making an adjustment after a game and realize I was messing something up, it would be a lot better if I could make the adjustment during a game or an at-bat."

That's a very mature and reasonable goal to have for the season for someone still just 19 years old.  I like the fact that Bichette is already starting to focus on the mental nuances of the game and not just the physical/mechanical tools.  Like Mason Williams, Bichette comes off as a very mature, disciplined young man with a good head on his shoulders who understands that he still has a lot of work to do to become great.  There's no doubt that growing up the son of a former Major Leaguer helped shape younger Dante's approach to baseball and I can't wait to see what he does this year in his first taste of a full-season league.

For my take on Bichette, check out my write-up on him from the AB4AR Top 30.  I had Bichette considerably lower than most of the prospect lists that have been coming out lately, for the sole reason that I didn't want to rush to judgement on a kid who came in with a lot of question marks without seeing him in a full-season league.  I sold Bichette a little short, predicting he'd start the season in SS Staten Island, and now I imagine the Yankees are going to be more aggressive and start him out in Charleston.  If Bichette can put together another solid season in his first full season, he'll be a lock for my mid-season Top 10.

Girardi Tipping His Hand On DH Matter

("Hmmmm, Damon or Matsui?  Damon or Matsui?")

While making at appearance at the Modell's in Times Square yesterday, Joe Girardi shed some insight on where his preferences may lie for a left-handed DH.

"When you think about Raul Ibanez, he has had success wherever he has [gone]... "

"Obviously, we know what Johnny and Matty [Matsui] have meant to this organization over the years, and how they've been successful in New York.  I'm curious to see how it is all going to shake out."

"I can't tell you it is going to be one of those three guys, or anyone. But obviously, we know they know how to play here."

Well we know Joe likes his veterans, so this is really no surprise that he wouldn't mind having one of the 3 guys he's most familiar with and he thinks are most familiar with Yankee Stadium.  But how good are these 3 as potential fillers of that lefty DH spot?

Ibanez was pretty awful in 2011 (.245/.289/.419, .306 wOBA, -1.3 WAR in 575 PA), but was better against righties (.256/.307/.440, .322 wOBA), making him an obvious platoon candidate.  But even those positive splits aren't much to write home about, and Ibanez is old as fuck and basically useless as an emergency option to play the field.  Not a lot to like here.

Damon was actually productive at the plate last season (.261/.326/.418, .328 wOBA in .647 PA) and it's likely those numbers would play up a bit more hitting in Yankee Stadium, a place Damon really learned how to tailor his lefty swing to in order to generate some good power numbers.  But as a platoon DH candidate, Damon might not fit the Yankees' needs, indicated by his reverse vs. L/vs. R splits in 2011 (.812 OPS, .355 wOBA vs. L, .715 OPS, .313 wOBA vs. R).

Matsui, who is younger than Damon, might actually be the most shot out of any of these 3.  He hit just .251/.321/.375 in 2011, and his reverse splits vs. right-handed and left-handed pitching is even more severe than Damon's (just a .291 wOBA vs. RH).  Matsui is also practically incapable of playing the field, something that Damon can still do if needed.

Out of these 3, I think Damon's ability to still play the field and run the bases at a respectable level tips the odds in his favor, and he should bounce back a bit against righties hitting towards the short porch in right.  But I'm not sure I would say I'm as big a fan of any of these 3 as primary options for the DH spot as Joe seems to be.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 2/3

It's Friday afternoon again, it's pay day (at least for me), and we're a little over 2 days away from The Super Bowl.  That means it's time for another Linkapalooza.  Dig it.

- On Monday, Brien Jackson of IIATMS had a piece suggesting that the Yankees have too much talent in their bullpen and floated the idea of shopping D-Rob to see if they could bring in a good young bat.  I've never even considered either of these theories, but Brien makes very good arguments for both.

- On Tuesday, Chad Jennings of LoHud had a very insightful interview with Mason Williams.  I think my post yesterday made it abundantly clear what I thought of this interview.

- In keeping with the interview theme, Sensei John Kreese of NoMaas interviewed Tyler Austin on Tuesday as part of their always-ongoing "Stealth Bomber" series.  I liked Austin's comments on base stealing.  Kid already seems to have a great approach to that part of his game.

- Ricky Keeler of Yanks Go Yard took his shot at breaking down the battle for the 5th rotation spot.  His choice?  A.J. Burnett.

- On the other side of the A.J. Burnett coin was Rebel Yankee Chick's take on Cash's recent comments about A.J.  I don't know if she read my take on those comments, but I'm picking up what she's putting down.

- To round out the interview parade this week, we've got fishjam25 of Yankees Fans Unite talking to Low-A Charleston's hitting coach, Greg Colbrunn.  The parts that stood out to me most were Colbrunn talking about his hands-off approach with young hitters and the skill/name association game they played.  A definite must-read.

- Earlier today, Larry Koestler of RAB expanded on my A.J. theories from earlier in the week and dug deeper to see if there were some trends in what pitches A.J. is throwing in particular counts.  It's always great to have people out there smarter than me who think about these things that I don't.  I'll set 'em up, you knock 'em down, Larry!

- Also from RAB, yesterday Mike Axisa proposed Andre Ethier as a lefty DH candidate.  The numbers certainly make him look perfect for the job, but I don't know if I'd be willing to part with Betances and Romine to make it happen.

- William Juliano of The Captain's Blog looked into the Mark Teixeira bunting situation by breaking down his hitting splits to all fields from both sides of the plate.  His conclusion that Teix should be looking to drive in runs no matter what is right in line with my feelings on the matter; William just has better numbers to support it.

- A pair from TYA, the first from Michael Eder, who on Wednesday looked at how Michael Pineda's 2011 numbers stack up against other pitchers' rookie seasons in the past decade.  3rd pitch or not, the numbers show that Pineda is already damn good and stands to get even better.

- Yesterday, EJ Fagan shed the light of perspective on Manny Banuelos, reminding those of you out there who had forgotten that ManBan is still just 20.  At a time when he should be prepping for his junior year of college, he's pitching in Triple-A.  That's impressive and says good things about his future potential.

- Normally, I only try to reference ESPN when Wallace Matthews is saying something stupid, but I gotta hand it to him.  His "25 Questions, 25 Days" series on ESPNNY is top notch.  If you aren't already checking it out daily, you should be.

- Lastly, just because I've moved away from writing about the NFL here doesn't mean I'm going to let The Super Bowl completely fly under the radar.  Jamie Insalaco of Bomber Banter offers a pretty straightforward explanation as to why the Giants are going to win on Sunday.  So that's good news for you if you're a Giants fan.

As for the Friday Afternoon Jam, we're gonna kick it old school with what I assume is Josh Hamilton's favorite Van Halen song.  I don't know how long this latest reunion is going to last, but the David Lee Roth version of Van Halen is the only good version of Van Halen and that's a fact.



P.S.- You all lucked out this week on my empty Katy Perry threat (sorry, Dennis).  Next week I won't be so nice.  Hit me with some good requests, anything.  And if you're one of the many who haven't done it yet, do me a solid and "Like" AB4AR on Facebook.

Some Chick Was Stalking Cash?

(Courtesy of Steven Hirsch/NY Post)

Meh.  I've seen better.  Stalkers are like big contracts.  You only want to have one on your hands if it's an elite, game-changing talent.  This chick is not that.

I will give her props for extorting a little coin from the Cash Man, though.  This is the same guy who straight up robbed Swish from Kenny Williams, turned water into wine with Freddy and Bartolo, and just made a damn good trade for a 22-year-old power pitcher.  He's usually pretty tough to out muscle in the dollar game.

P.S.- Is this why Cash hasn't traded A.J. yet?  I imagine it can be a bit distracting closing a deal with another GM over the phone when you've got your stalker holding on Line 2.

Laying The Groundwork For The Next Core Four (Or Five, Or Three)

(You can't say watching a repeat of this at Yankee Stadium in 2017 wouldn't be awesome.)

If you haven't checked out Chad Jennings' interview with Mason Williams over at LoHud, then I feel very sorry for you because it was a great read.  If you have, then you probably came away from it with a good impression of young Mr. Williams based on what he had to say.  One thing that stood out to me in this interview was Chad and Mason's discussion about the "core" group of players that were a part of the championship-winning team in SS Staten Island last year and the possibility of keeping that core together as they advance through the MiL system.

That core (Williams, Cito Culver, Dante Bichette Jr., Branden Pinder, Tyler Austin, Angelo Gumbs, Ben Gamel) will be moving up to Low-A ball this year to form what could be a very formidable Charleston River Dogs squad along with pitchers like Evan DeLuca, Bryan Mitchell, and new acquisition Jose Campos. Depending on which prospect list you swear by, this Charleston team will include 3-4 of the Yankees' top 10 prospects, 4-6 of their top 20, and 7 of my personal Top 30, and as fun as it is to consider how good this squad can be in 2012, it could be even more fun and possibly more beneficial to the Yankee organization to look long term and consider the value of keeping these guys together and formulating the next homegrown core of Yankee talent.

Baseball is a relatively easy sport to measure and quantify value and performance through statistics.  Where it becomes more difficult to measure is in the intangible categories, specifically the concept of team chemistry.  While a successful play in football or basketball typically requires the cooperation and combined successful efforts of multiple players doing different things, most successful plays in baseball involve one individual player making one individual play.  If a batter swings and hits a home run, he really has nobody on his team to thank except himself.  If he swings and misses, he doesn't have a teammate hitting from the other side of the plate who can take a hack as well.  You get the idea.  Theoretically, the "chemistry" and team spirit, whatever it may be, should have very little influence on how well baseball players and a baseball team play.

But in thinking back to all that I've read about the Yankee dynasty of the late 90s-early 2000s, particularly the 1996 and 1998 teams, I can't help but recall all the anecdotes and stories from players and coaches alike about the type of chemistry and clubhouse environment those teams had, and the close-knit culture that was established.  Everybody knew their roles, every man played for his teammates, and there was very little concern given to ego or reputation, even when guys like Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry were introduced to the mix.  Those teams were cohesive units, true sums of their parts, and Williams talking about fostering strong bonds with his teammates at these lower levels makes me think about how those bonds can be nurtured and strengthened over time, and whether or not there is value in the Yankees' front office making a conscious effort to keep this group together because of those bonds.

The standards for how members of the Yankees are expected to carry themselves since that last dynasty have been set and enforced primarily by the recent "Core Four" of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte, the constants on the roster through a time of high turnover.  With that group now down to two, and with Jeter and Mo seeing the lights at the end of their career tunnels, there will be a void left in carrying on the tradition of "The Yankee Way."  Guys like CC, Cano, D-Rob, and Teix can pick up the slack, but they all took different paths to get to the Yankees and would really only be continuing the precedent set by the Core Four rather than establishing their own identity.  And that precedent has been much more businesslike than the more familial atmosphere of the late-90s teams.  Guys like Williams, Bichette, Pinder, whoever, who establish relationships and a team culture amongst themselves at these lower levels, could perhaps be the next in line to carry the "True Yankee" torch and get back to that family version of "The Yankee Way" that harks back to the glory days of the 90s.  Would that help any?  It's hard to say.  But I certainly don't think it could hurt.  A group of players who are familiar with each other and enjoy being around each other can set the tone for the entire team's attitude.

Besides the hard-to-define team spirit/clubhouse culture benefits, there are obvious, easily quantifiable benefits in terms of payroll management that can also be reaped from this scenario.  The prevailing thought right now is that if the Yankees make a concerted effort to get to the $189 million payroll line for 2014, it would be to reset their luxury tax percentages and allow them to get back to their big-spending ways without being penalized as much for it.  But what if they didn't HAVE to go back to those ways?

Cash "Has A.J.'s Back"

"I am comfortable with A.J.  He's extremely talented and has been inconsistent, but I can tell you I'm comfortable with the effort he's giving, I'm comfortable with everything that he does, the accountability that comes with him. Obviously, we signed him to have more success than he's having, but it's a competitive industry and as long as he's not going to give up on himself, then I'm going to have his back the entire way."

Wait, I think I've seen this before.  I know what happens next.  Billy Eppler and A.J. get on a boat and go out to fish in the middle of the lake.  Then there's a gun shot, A.J. is never heard from again, and the camera slowly pans back to show Cash sitting in his office looking out the window as the "Godfather" theme starts to play in the background.

(Quote courtesy of ESPNNY)

Mark Teixeira's Ready To Lay Down Some Bunts. Wait, What?

(Now THAT'S a good looking swing!)

Mark Teck-SHARE-uh's struggles as a lefty last season are well-documented.  Teix himself even owned up to the problems that have crept into his swing as he started to consciously attack the short porch in right field, and he vowed to work this offseason to fix the mechanical mistakes and get back to being the type of well-rounded hitter he was in 2009.  But dropping down bunts to beat the defensive shift?  That might be a little extreme.  Teix did have this to say on the topic at the Thurman Munson Awards Dinner last night:

“I’ve been so against it my entire career, (but) I might lay down some bunts.  If I can lay down a few bunts, beat the shift a little more the other way, then I’m right where I need to be.”

I'm all for working at balancing his swing and approach at the plate back out to improve as a hitter.  But taking the approach of actively looking to bunt to beat the shift would be just as detrimental to Teix and his role in the lineup as his shitty left-handed splits were last year.  Teix is a power hitter in a run-producing spot in the lineup.  His goal shouldn't be to just beat the shift, it should be to drive in as many runs as possible in run-producing situations.  Bunting down the third baseline really doesn't fit into that goal.

Let's not forget that it wasn't very long ago that Teix was a .300/.400/.550-caliber hitter with well above-average L/R splits. He's not some crummy L/R platoon guy at the end of his career who is just looking for a way to stay relevant; he's 31 years old, in his physical prime, and based on his track record, an elite all-around hitter.  His focus should be getting back to that level of elite production or as close to it as possible to maximize his value as a run-producing bat in the middle of the lineup, and any efforts made by him or the Yankees to do anything other than that are selling him short.

If he wants to try to lay down a bunt here or there in Spring Training, whatever.  But when it counts, I want Teix up there, be it from the right or left side, looking to drive the ball to all fields and bring baserunners home.

Yanks Moving And Shaking In The Front Office

It started with the story of Jim Hendry's signing breaking earlier in the day and finished up with the Yankees officially announcing a bunch of front office promotions.  Real quick, here's the list:

- Hendry as Special Assignment Scout
- Steve Donohue to Major League Head Athletic Trainer
- Mark Littlefield to Major League Assistant Athletic Trainer
- Jean Afterman to Sr. Vice President/Assistant GM
- Billy Eppler to Assistant GM
- William Kuntz to Manager, Pro Scouting

I haven't read any specifics, but I imagine these new positions come with some nice perks.  A little extra salary, end-of-the-year bonuses, preferred parking spots at The Stadium, and in Eppler's case, probably more than that.  He did very well for himself interviewing for other GM positions out there this offseason, finishing 2nd to Jerry DiPoto for the Angels' job, and could be settling in as the heir apparent to Cash.  Plus he's a UConn School of Business grad like me, so clearly Eppler is a talented cat.  If I were him, I would have pushed for a calzone for lunch every day and a new desk big enough to sleep under.

Cash Recreating The 2008 Fraud Sawx Bullpen...

... Well, maybe in Triple-A he is, if the recent signing of Manny Delcarmen to a MiL deal on the heels of the Hideki Okajima signing is any indication.  And that's just a brilliant move on Cash's part, because a veteran presence in the Triple-A bullpen is an often overlooked aspect on the pathway to a World Series ring.

Seriously, if these Okajima/Delcarmen moves are just Cash's way of trolling Ben Cherington's attempt to recreate the Yankees' bargain bin pitching wins of last offseason with his Aaron Cook signings and Clayton Mortensen trades, then it's fucking brilliant and whoever in the Yankee front office decided to do it should get a hefty raise.

On the other hand, if either one of these guys even throws one pitch for the Yankees for this year, that's probably not a good thing.

"Like" AB4AR on Facebook.

Is There Hope For A.J. In 2012?

(It's the dreaded return of A.J. Two-Face)

After the additions of Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda, it seemed like a forgone conclusion that A.J. Burnett's days as a starting pitcher for the New York Yankees were over.  It had already been reported that Cash shopped him around at the Winter Meetings while offering to eat $8 million of his remaining contract, and that was before the Yankees were flush with the rotation depth that they now have.  Once Pineda and Kuroda were in the fold, it seemed obvious that Ninja Cash already had the next move lined up to rid himself of one of his biggest mistakes.  And yet, we found ourselves still talking about A.J. Burnett as a current member of the Yankees, which leaves the frightening door of opportunity open for him to somehow be the 5th starter in 2012.  It is a door that many of us do not want to see A.J. walk through, but we may have no choice if Cash can't find a deal to move A.J. that works for him and the team.  That being the case, we might as well prepare ourselves for what A.J. has to offer, which, given his performance up to this date, won't be much.  While most of A.J.'s 2011 stats could be used to create optimism for a better 2012, there are some trends within the numbers that make me think 2012 and beyond will be more of the same.

The biggest problem with A.J. is that his value is derived almost entirely from the quantity of innings he has pitched, not the quality of the innings (save for Game 2 of the '09 World Series).  Innings eaters are a valuable asset to have in the rotation, but for $82 million most people would expect better than the back end production A.J. has put up in those innings, and justifiably so.  His 5.26/4.83 ERA/FIP split in 2010 didn't pass the eye or the smell test, and neither did 2011's 5.14/4.77 follow up.  A.J. has been consistently erratic and inconsistently effective, marred by bouts of problems with his mechanics, inability to repeat his delivery, and little or no command of either of his two pitches.  He has tried to combat this with the attempt to develop a changeup, but mid-30s is hardly the right time for a pitcher with command problems to attempt to master a new pitch.

In order to be a successful two-pitch starter, a pitcher better have a damn good fastball, and for the early part of A.J.'s career he has.  But over the last handful of years A.J. has seen his fastball velocity steadily decrease, from 95.9 MPH in 2007 with Toronto (the earliest year PITCHf/x tracked it on FanGraphs) to 94.4 in '09, 93.1 in 2010, and 92.7 this past season.  As the velocity has decreased, the value of A.J.'s fastball has plummeted with it, both by standard pitch value measures (-14.1 in '09, -16.2 in '10, -34.0 in '11) and as measured by PITCHf/x (-12.4, -10.1, -28.1).  It's also no secret that the majority of A.J.'s fastballs tend to be located in the middle to upper part of the strike zone (see heat map below for an example), which is not a good place to live when you're losing your heat on the pitch.  Even when paired with a curve that was surprisingly above average in 2011 (8.9 rating standard/10.7 PITCHf/x), a low-90s fastball with little movement that consistently hits the heart of the plate is going to do more harm than good for a two-pitch pitcher, and it certainly hasn't done A.J. any favors.

 (Courtesy of FanGraphs)

When a pitcher's throwing a flat fastball with decreasing velocity down the meaty portion of the plate, the expected result would be a lot of contact.  Surprisingly enough, this actually wasn't the case for A.J. in 2011, as his contact rate dropped from 81.6% in 2010 to 76.5% in 2011.  His in-zone and out-of zone contact rates, 54.3% and 90.4% respectively, also decreased from their rates of 2010.  An explanation could be that hitters were laying off more of A.J.'s offerings that they didn't like, especially his curveball when he couldn't locate it, but his 2011 swing rates don't support that theory.  In direct contrast to his contact rates, A.J. generated more swings (43.8%) and more out-of-zone swings (30.3%) than he did in 2010, and his Swinging Strike rate of 10.0% was a high for him as a Yankee.

These trends last season certainly help to explain A.J.'s elevated K/9 total (8.18), but they should also lead to a better ERA and FIP result.  A pitcher generating more swings, more swings and misses, less contact, and striking out more batters while walking fewer than he did the year before should result in much more than the marginal improvements in ERA and FIP that A.J. experienced in 2011.  The answer for why that didn't happen lies in the contact A.J. is generating, specifically the quality of contact, and the insight that leads into what might be happening when batters face A.J.

Bill Hall? Really??

If this report about the Yankees having "serious talks" with Bill Hall is someone's idea of a joke, it's not fucking funny.

Bill Hall as an option for a backup utility infield role with the Yankees is like the Bill Hall of options that the Yankees could choose to fill their backup utility infield role.  Bill Hall is the Bill Hall of utility infielders.  It's almost a gross overstatement to even refer to Bill Hall as a utility infielder, because lately the only two skills he seems to possess are the ability to strike out a lot and the ability to make the routine play at third base look impossible.  He offers practically the least useful utilities out of any list of candidates you could construct from anybody and everybody who has ever played the game of baseball.

Yes, I understand any offer he gets will likely be a non-guaranteed MiL deal, so there's no need for me to be this dramatic.  But that's exactly why I don't want him around.  Even if he's in Triple-A, he's a menace.  Balls bouncing off his glove from every angle could potentially hit and injure players in the dugout and fans in the first few rows on stands.  I wouldn't even hire him to work as a vendor in Yankee Stadium for fear that he would start dropping full sodas and bottles of beer on people.  Bill Hall can in no way be associated with the New York Yankee organization in 2012.

I Think Bobby V Still Thinks He Works For ESPN

(I don't know if this Clayton Mortensen is going to be our pitcher of the future, but maybe.")

Apparently Bobby Valentine wasn't finished with his assessment of the Yankees' attempts to upgrade their rotation, as he was shooting his mouth off again this weekend, this time expanding his analysis to include Jesus Montero.

"I thought that was kind of in their plans.  He [Montero] helped their plans come to fruition by the way he played that last month of the season. I didn't really ever think he was going to be their catcher of the future but maybe." 

"Kind of in their plans?"  You don't think he was the catcher of the future "but maybe?"  Who are you, fucking Peter King??  Word of advice, Bob.  If you aren't up to snuff on somebody or something or some team, then do the right thing and keep your mouth shut.  I thought we covered this last time.  Don't say stupid stuff just to be quoted.

"I don't know what the Yankees are doing... "

Obviously.  Hence the need for you to be quiet.

"I think Brian (Cashman) is a real smart guy, one of the great managers in the game of baseball, and I don't know what his plan was."

And you weren't supposed to.  Nobody was.  That's how Cash operates and that's why he's one of the great GENERAL managers in the game of baseball.  If you or anybody else would have gotten wind that he was trying to make the moves he did, that could have had an effect on how the whole thing played out.  It was brilliant strategy and smart business.

But seriously, Bobby, can you just get off Cash's dick?  Can you get off the Yankees' dick?  For 5 seconds maybe??  Your team just traded your starting shortstop for a guy who posted a 9.42/5.61 ERA/FIP split in FUCKING TRIPLE-A LAST YEAR.  His career tripleslash at the Major League level is 5.12/5.58/4.74 with 4.74 K/9 and 3.69 BB/9.  And you're about to lose out on Roy Oswalt to the Cardinals.  You've got bigger things to worry about than commenting on the Yankee rotation and what their plans are/were/could have been/should have been with Jesus Montero.

Yes, the Yankees' moves this offseason have made your team's efforts look even worse than they look on their own as they try to copycat Cash's success with Freddy and Bartolo from last year.  But your approach to address that issue should not be to comment on what the Yankees did and the questions you have about it.  Worry about your own team and leave the idiotic, baseless, cookie-cutter analysis of the Yankees to John Kruk and the rest of the BBTN clowns that are still employed by ESPN.

Predicting The New Guys' Numbers

(I wouldn't get too attached to those numbers, gents.)

Now that everything has been made official with the Michael Pineda trade and the Hiroki Kuroda signing, the next big thing to wait for will be their introductory press conference.  Part of the fun of the intro presser is seeing new players put on the Yankee uniform and hat for the first time, and part of the fun of the new unis is seeing what jersey number new players will get, as numbers tend to be at a premium when somebody joins the Yankees and what they wore for their old team might not be available.  This year, both Pineda and Kuroda look like they're going to be searching for new ones.

Pineda wore #36 last year for the Mariners, but that number was worn by Freddy Garcia last season for the Yanks and will likely be assigned to him again in 2012 as he doesn't appear to be as likely to be traded as A.J. or Phil Hughes.  If Pineda is real hung up on the 36 thing, he won't be able to split it as a Yankee, as both 3 and 6 are off limits for obvious reasons, although 6 has yet to be officially retired.  He could reverse it and wear 63, which has been vacated by Jesus through the trade, but that number would be better served as one on hold for a Triple-A call-up.  My guess is that Pineda will wear #38, which will be available as Luis Ayala won't be back with the team this year.  It's the closest to 36 with 37 being retired, and it's a pretty damn good number.  It also doesn't have a ton of "great" Yankee history, so Pineda can start his own legacy for it.

Hiroki Kuroda's #18 was occupied by Andruw Jones last season and stands to be assigned to Jones again this season.  And Kuroda might have a long way to travel from 18 to find something he likes.  If he goes down the road he's blocked by Francisco Cervelli at 17 and the retired duo of Whitey Ford and Thurman Munson at 16 and 15.  If he goes up the road, he's looking at Ramiro Pena at 19 and then the just recently-vacated #20 of Jorge Posada.  I don't think the Yankees are going to be giving that number up any time soon before they retire it along with Torre's 6, Jeter's 2, and Mo's 42.  So the next best bet would be #22, which was used multiple times last year for Greg Golson and Brien Gordon.  That's a good pitching number, and it's got some good history as a Yankee, so it makes sense to give it to Kuroda.

If either of these guys is really tied to their number, we could see some clubhouse wheeling and dealing once training camp starts.  Freddy Garcia and Ramiro Pena seem like reasonable dudes; maybe they'd be open to a good offer.  But if those talks stall, you heard it here first.  Pineda wearing 38 and Kuroda wearing 22 in 2012.

"Like" AB4AR on Facebook.