Yankees Yearly 2012

If you want to do some really good Yankee reading, check out the new "Yankees Yearly 2012" e-magazine, featuring writing from a team of top-notch group writers including my TYA colleague EJ Fagan.  It's got plenty of coverage of the 2012 team plus pieces outside the realm of what you would typically find in your daily spanning of the Yankee blogosphere, including interviews with Robbie Cano and Jim Boughton and special feature profiles on Michael Pineda and Dante Bichette, Jr.

EJ has all the details on the magazine plus links to where you can buy it here at TYA.  Do yourself a favor and check it out.  Trust me.

Give The Kid Another Coat

What I said on Tuesday:

"Keep in mind, though, that both of them [ManBan and Betances] have yet to showcase the type of command they each showed the last time out on a consistent basis in their short time at the Triple-A level...

They [ManBan and Betances] both still need polish, they both still need to develop, and the best way to accomplish those things is to spend another full season at Triple-A."

What Chad at LoHud said yesterday after ManBan took it on the chin in yesterday's game:

"If previous starts have been a reminder of what he can become, today was a reminder that he’s still very young with inconsistent command. It’s nothing that can’t be sorted out, but there’s still some development to be done."

And that's why I said what I said.  Manny Banuelos is a stud prospect, no doubt about it.  But he is still not a stud pitcher and still not advanced enough in his pitching skill to be a stud on a consistent basis.  He still needs to develop that consistency and the best place for him to do that is in Triple-A where the pressure is off.  Give him another year to polish up his game, smooth out the rough edges, and he'll be much better prepared to handle the hype and expectations next year.

In the mean time, let the guys like David Phelps (2.2 IP, 5 K on Tuesday, 0 ER allowed this spring) and D.J. Mitchell (3 scoreless IP, 0 H, 4 K yesterday) who are bumping their heads against the glass ceiling of Triple-A be the backup rotation depth.  They names aren't as sexy as Banuelos, but with more experience and innings under their belts they are better prepared to step in and contribute at the Major League level this year.

Spring Training Stock Market: Stock Down

We covered the players off to good starts on Tuesday. Today it's the other side of the coin. Here are the guys who aren't exactly lighting the world on fire in camp over the first 2+ weeks.

Raul Ibanez- Ibanez was the Yankees' lefty DH option of choice this offseason, and so far they are giving him a serious test drive to see what they can get out of him. Ibanez has been in the lineup at DH, LF, and RF, and currently leads the team with 24 plate appearances. Unfortunately, he only has 2 hits in those 24 PA (1-17 vs. RHP), with no walks and 5 strikeouts to boot (4 of them vs. RHP). He's also looked shaky in the outfield, making one error already and reminding us to not take Gardner and Swisher's defensive value in the corners for granted. As a 39-year-old player, it's reasonable to expect Ibanez to need a little more time to get into a groove, and he certainly shouldn't be written off based on 20ish PA. With how far he's fallen over the past two seasons, however, there will be some cause for concern if he doesn't start to pick it up eventually.

Eric Chavez- I was firmly against the Yankees bringing Chavez back this season after seeing how his 2011 played out. His bat has slowed down considerably, he doesn't have much power left, and as injury insurance at the hot corner, the Yankees could do better than a guy who's hurt just as much as A-Rod. The best thing Chavez had going for him coming into this season was his left-handedness, but so far that hasn't translated to much at the plate so far. He's 3-18 over his first seven games, leads all Yankee hitters with 6 K, and looks like he doesn't have much left in the tank. He's reportedly fine physically, but if Chavez can't show more than this over the remainder of ST, he shouldn't be counted on as a viable option to fill in for A-Rod on a regular basis at third if A-Rod gets hurt.

Russell Branyan- The Branyan signing looked like it could have been Cash's 2012 version of the low-risk/high-reward moves he made with Garcia and Colon last year, but Branyan's chances to make the team took a serious hit when the Yankees signed Ibanez and Chavez. With the way both of them have gotten out of the blocks, the opportunity was there for Branyan to make some noise and earn some consideration with a strong showing in camp, but he's been out with a back injury since he arrived. He's yet to even swing a bat this spring because of the injury, likely killing any hopes he had of unseating one of the other two for a bench role. It's not his fault, just some bad luck, but it's hard to get noticed when you aren't on the field.

Mike O'Conner- Mikey O was the longest of longshots coming into Spring Training, and as a lefty specialist candidate he stood a chance, albeit a slim one, to sneak onto the team with a great camp thanks to the injuries of others. After his first handful of appearances this spring, I think it's safe to say that O'Conner's slim chance of making the 25-man is already gone. He's only managed to get two of the left-handed hitters he's faced so far out, giving up 3 hits and a walk to the others, and righties have tuned him up pretty good as well. The life of a LOOGY is a dangerous line to walk and O'Conner has been on the wrong side of it so far. Also working against him are the facts that Clay Rapada is owning and the Yankees seem high on Cesar Cabral (team-high 5 appearances).

Adam Miller- If anybody was a longer shot than O'Conner to make the Yankees, it was Miller. After being a first-round draft pick in '03 and one of the more highly-touted pitching prospects in baseball in '04, injuries have ravaged Miller's career to the point that his pitching hand now resembles something similar to Chris Elliott's caretaker character from "Scary Movie 2." He's still got above-average stuff, but so far in camp it appears as though the injuries have done too much damage to Miller to even allow him to be a viable relief candidate. Small sample sizes be damned, 8 ER on 8 combined H and BB over 1.1 IP in 2 appearances without a strikeout is not a good look. It's unfortunate for Miller, who's had a tough go, but he's looking at being a part of the first round of cuts.

Other guys stumbling out of the blocks: 

Robinson Cano- Just 3-18 in his first seven games with no XBH, although given his track record there's very little cause for concern.

Andruw Jones- He was looking to make a splash after having knee surgery and getting into better shape this offseason. That hasn't translated into much at the plate yet, as he's just 2-17 and also without an XBH.

Jorge Vazquez- I'm picking nits here, since he didn't stand much of a chance to make the team anyway, but the hacktastic Vazquez hasn't shown much power at the plate while going 1-15.

Mets Camp Is Going Pretty Well, Huh?

Here's the man who is paid significant amounts of money by the New York Mets to manage the professional careers of 25 other men saying... something?

“I talk about patience,” the manager said. “Right now, I’m out of it . So I’ve got to regain it. I’ve got to go back tonight and have my wife beat me up so I can find my patience again.

I had a buddy that used to have a bear — a pet bear. He used to, when he got mad, the bear would go kick him around the cage. And he finally said, ‘OK, I’m back down to earth now.’ ” (via Hardball Talk)

Just when the Mets make you think they've hit rock bottom as a professional sports organization, they plow right on through and keep sinking to new depths.  I mean, what the hell is going on with this team??? 

Their owners are incompetent boobs at best, possible dirty criminals at worst, who are being sued for half a gajillion dollars; their best player is out with an oblique injury and looking at a lot of missed games; their only good lefty relief pitcher is out for six weeks after meniscus surgery; their payroll is dropping only slightly slower than the number of fans they're losing; half of their roster is injured and the other half just completely sucks; and now their manager is so pissed off by the injured half that he's practically speaking in tongues.

But at least Johan's back, right?

P.S.- So glad I'm a Yankee fan

Big Injury News Of The Day- Garcia, Swisher

If you haven't been following the updates on the AB4AR Facebook Page (hint, hint, "Like" it), here's what you missed today.

- Freddy Garcia left his start against Toronto after taking a comebacker off his pitching hand.  He immediately walked off the mound and into the clubhouse with the Yankee training staff trailing him, which is never a good sign, and was taken for precautionary x-rays.  The x-rays turned out to be negative, which is a good sign, but with the reported amount of swelling in the hand it's almost certain that Freddy will miss at least one start.

- The other injury casualty in the game today was Swish, who left the game early with tightness in his left groin.  There weren't any tests done and no more are scheduled, so it doesn't appear to be too big a deal.  Swish wasn't scheduled to make the trip for tomorrow's game anyway, so a day of rest might be enough to take care of this.

- Not at all bad news, though.  D-Rob spent 30 minutes on a treadmill today and didn't report any pain in his bruised foot.  He could be able to throw a bullpen session some time this weekend.

(Props to Chad at LoHud for his coverage of the injuries)

As The Rotation Progresses

I'm a little short on topics this morning, so let's just have some fun with small sample sizes.  Ivan Nova's start last night was by far his best of the early spring and signified the start of the 3rd time through the rotation this spring for the six guys "competing" for a spot.  The first time through, including Hughes' "relief" start behind CC, the combined pitching line looked like this:

11.1 IP, 16 H, 8 ER, 0 BB, 10 K

Not too shabby for the first outings of the spring.  Most everybody was focusing on a particular pitch or two and pitch counts were pretty low.  Here's the line the second time through:

17.1 IP, 16 H, 6 ER, 9 BB, 8 K

Not exactly what I expected to see, although the overall numbers are a bit better; same number of hits and fewer earned runs allowed in more IP, with all 6 of the runs and 10 of the hits coming from Nova's and Pineda's second outings.  What's stands out to me is the walk totals.  For as much as the general theme was guys not having great command the first time through and having improved command the second time, not a single batter was walked in anybody's first outing and every single pitcher walked at least one batter the second time through.  I also would have expected to see a few more strikeouts the second time through, but it's still early.

If Nova's 4 shutout, walkless innings last night are any indication, this third time through could be even better.  Stay tuned.

It's Spring Training For John Sterling Too

I know this is a day or so old and it was already on Barstool NY, but friend of the blog, and close personal friend Greg Corbell, posted it on my Facebook wall this morning and I can't stop watching it.  Actually it's that I can't stop watching it, it's that I HAVE TO keep watching/listening to it to even try to understand what was going on, both on the field and in John Sterling's head.  Here's a little proof that broadcasters need a little spring practice before they're in full-on game shape too.



Jesus, Mary, and pinch hitting Joseph, John!  What the fuck are you talking about???  The ball was lined into the left center field gap and off the wall for what sounds like a 2-run double, then apparently reversed course, somehow managed to untouch the ground that it had already struck, and then hung in mid-air for a short period of time before being caught with a sliding catch by what had to be the slowest-moving outfielder of all time?  Did I get that right?  That's almost crazier than the "Magic Bullet" theory!

Fucking A, man!  Just follow the ball!! And if you can't see the ball, follow the defenders.  Where they're going and what they're doing is going to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on.  YOU'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 23 GODDAMN YEARS!!!  IT'S NOT THAT HARD!!!!!!!

P.S.- Anybody out there who wasn't excited that John and Suzyn are back this season damn well better be after watching this.  It's the highest of high comedy, people.  Absolute shittastic baseball announcing and commentary, but the pinnacle of high comedy.

P.P.S.- I guarantee there weren't even any runners on base when Jeter hit the ball.

P.P.P.S.- I wouldn't be shocked if it wasn't even Jeter batting.

P.P.P.P.S.- I wouldn't be shocked if it wasn't even a right-handed batter batting.

P.P.P.P.P.S.- Boomer's facial expression at the 41-second mark is gold.

On ManBan And Betances' Recent Outings

Unless you've been incredibly busy over the past four days, or just don't spend all your free time following Yankee blogs like some of us do, you're probably well aware that Manny Banuelos came out last Friday and put on a masterful performance in his two innings of work, flashing both the stuff and command that has made him a top flight prospect.  You're probably also well aware that Dellin Betances followed that up last night with a similar performance, showing much improved command than he did in his last appearance.  There's been some buzz generated by both of these outings, and although the Yankosphere hasn't blown its top suggesting that these guys should be in on the rotation competition, I feel like it wants to.  Beneath the surface, people have to be itching to rev up the hype machine on these two based off their recent outings.  If you're one of these people, please take this bit of advice.

Just stop it.  There's no reason to get carried away with PHS (Prospect Hugging Syndrome) after a couple of good performances from Banuelos and Betances.  Were they both on top of their games?  Yes.  Was it the best either of them has looked this spring?  Yes.  Better than they looked for the majority of 2011?  Yes.  But it was still just one outing apiece, short outings at that, and those outings should not change the course that the Yankees have these two on.

Banuelos and Betances both stand to factor big time into the Yankees' future plans, possibly starting as early as this fall and almost certainly by this time next year.  Keep in mind, though, that both of them are coming off down years after 2010 and have yet to showcase the type of command they each showed the last time out on a consistent basis in their short time at the Triple-A level .  They also are yet to fully stretch out their innings totals in the Minors, with ManBan throwing 129.1 total innings last season and Betances 129.0.  They both still need polish, they both still need to develop, and the best way to accomplish those things is to spend another full season at Triple-A.

The Yankees made upgrading the rotation a priority this offseason and they did just that by bringing in Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda.  They know what they have in ManBan and Betances and they know that it's in their best interest and the team's best interest to not rush them to the show before they're ready if they don't have to.  The presence of Pineda and Kuroda and the added depth that Hughes, Garcia, Warren, and Phelps provide gives the Yankees the luxury to let Banuelos and Betances spend another season developing in Triple-A, and that's exactly what they should do no matter how well either pitches in Spring Training.

Spring Training Stock Market: Stock Up

We're over two weeks into Spring Training now, and over a week into the game schedule. Pitchers still aren't stretched out long enough to throw a full outing, and position players are still only playing half a game at most, but there's been just enough baseball activity to start noticing some trends in players' performance. While the majority of the media focus so far has been on the trends of the rotation candidates, and with good reason since that part of the team still has the most unanswered questions right now, there have been other players putting up headline-worthy performances. Of course this comes with the obligatory small sample size warning, but quite frankly, I'm bored to tears reading and hearing about the $189 million budget and I want to talk about some damn baseball. Even in small sample sizes, the following guys are looking good early on this spring.

Alex Rodriguez- Another year, another offseason training program for The Horse prior to 2012 camp, this time incorporating some plasma treatment therapy, and early returns are positive. A-Rod is 5-13 so far, with 4 XBH, 4 RBI, 2 BB, and a very impressive opposite-field home run off of Roy Halladay in his first real at-bat of the spring. He's also feeling really good physically, as evidenced by him hustling around the bases on one of his doubles and reportedly getting in some extra fielding work after at least one of his games. It's still very early, and we won't know how well he'll hold up until the regular season grind kicks in, but seeing A-Rod go this hard and test himself in Spring Training, and come out of it with no issues, is an encouraging sign.

Curtis Granderson- C-Grand might not be off to the fastest start at the plate this spring, with 4 hits in his first 16 at-bats after last night's game. But of those 4 hits, 3 of them have been for extra bases, including a home run off of a lefty pitcher. From a power standpoint, Curtis is picking up right where he left off in 2011 and he's doing it while reportedly still not being totally happy with where his swing is, which shows just how comfortable and in tune Curtis has gotten with his rebuilt swing mechanics. It could be bad news for the rest of the AL when he finally does get his swing where he wants it to be, and could stem some of the regression talk surrounding Granderson this spring.

Clay Rapada- His career numbers didn't scream "legit bullpen option" coming into camp, especially with proven guys like Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima also on the invite list, but with Okajima failing his Yankee physical and Delcarmen out with a lat strain, Rapada has made the most of his opportunity to impress the coaches. He's the current strikeout leader amongst all pitchers in camp with 6 (4 vs. lefties), and he has only allowed 2 total baserunners (1 H, 1 BB) in his 3.1 IP over 3 appearances, looking equally solid against lefties and righties. A second LOOGY probably isn't a high priority for the Yankees when filling out their bullpen, but Rapada's performance so far has been just as good, if not better, than every other candidate fighting for that last spot.

Zoilo Almonte- He put himself on a lot of people's radars with his .298/.373/.522 performance at High-A Tampa last season, and Zoilo has kept the momentum going this spring and made the Yankees look very smart for adding him to the 40-man. He's 4-9 with 3 RBI in games against Major League teams, 6-11 with 7 RBI if you count his big day against South Florida in the ST opener. He's impressed Joe at the plate, in the field, and running the bases, and has done a lot to strengthen his position as the best internal candidate to replace one of the current outfielders should the Yankees choose not to bring them back.

Brett Marshall- Marshall had no chance of making the team coming into camp, but he's likely opened some eyes with what he's done so far this spring, and possibly got himself on the fast track for a promotion if he continues to pitch like this in Double-A. Marshall has thrown 3.2 innings in his 2 appearances, and has yet to allow a hit in either of them (he also threw a 1-2-3 inning against USF). He has walked 3 batters, but has also struck out 4 and flashed the type of high-ceiling stuff that's been his prospect calling card all along. Yes, his outings haven't been against full Major League or even Triple-A-level competition, but Marshall has still handled himself better on the hill than many of the other young pitchers the Yankees have in camp.

Other guys having good starts to their spring: 

Manny Banuelos- 0 R allowed in 4 IP over 2 appearances. Dazzled everybody with his fastball and curveball command in his most recent outing last Friday, striking out 3 in the process.

Boone Logan- Practically matching Rapada K-for-K so far. 0 R and 0 BB through his first 3 appearances with 5 K are all encouraging signs after an inconsistent 2011.

Justin Maxwell- 4-13 with 2 2B, 3 R scored, 2 BB, and 1 SB so far. He's also flashing the speed and athleticism in the field that inspired the Yankees to trade for him in the first place.

What's Crazier? Goldstein's Organizational Ranking or Hulet Leaving Gary Sanchez Off His Top 100?

Maybe this is just the homer in me talking, but I'm a little confused by the prospect news today.  First, Kevin Goldstein releases his organizational prospect rankings and places the Yankees 15th, saying:

"There is plenty to dream about in terms of young talent, but other than Banuelos and Betances, the upper levels are bereft of quick help."

First off, I think that statement, while being very accurate on the assessment of the lower levels, criminally undervalues the Yankees' Triple-A pitching depth.  They may not all have future-ace ceilings like ManBan, but every one of the group from him, Betances, Warren, Phelps, and Mitchell could be starting in other teams' rotations this year and there aren't many organizations who can say that about their entire Triple-A staff.  And while they aren't going to gather any All-Star Game votes, guys like Laird, Pena, Maxwell, and Romine are more than capable of filling in as bench players and could also have jobs on other teams were it not for the Yankees' desire to go heavy on veterans this year.  Same situation with Whelan, Pope, and Kontos in the bullpen.  So I would have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Goldstein's statement that there isn't any "help" in the upper levels of the Yankees' system.

As for Marc Hulet, he released his Top 100 Prospects list today over at Fangraphs, and the only thing I can think that makes any sense is that he just forgot to include Gary Sanchez somewhere in the top 75.  Because if he honestly believes that Sanchez is not one of the top 100 prospects in all of baseball, then the only reaction I can have is...

I mean, really? Really, dude?  Really?  Gary Sanchez is only 19 years old, and he turned 19 so recently that he's closer to being 18 than he is to being 20.  He just came off a season where he put up a .364 wOBA while being the 2nd-youngest player in his entire Low-A league.  He's got power (.229 ISO) and plate discipline (10.5% BB rate) well beyond his years, and he profiles as an elite-level power hitter from the catcher position.  Sure, he's got his issues defensively, but what pro catcher his age doesn't?  When you're looking at the type of production this kid is capable of from a premium position and remember that he's still only 19, there's no way you can reasonably leave him off of any top 100 prospects list.

(gif via)

The Official 2012 AB4AR NCAA Tournament Bracket

If you've been an AB4AR reader from the beginning, you know it's been years since I've included non-Yankee sports posts on the site.  But the one exception to that rule is and always will be the NCAA tournament bracket.  My bracket last year was an abomination, so I'm looking to bounce back.  If you haven't had a chance to fill your bracket out yet and are looking for some direction on what to do (or what not to do if you're basing your picks off of mine), check after the jump for the official 2012 AB4AR bracket.

D-Rob Takes The Morning Train

He was off crutches yesterday, his walking boot is scheduled to come off today, and things are looking good for Dave Robertson in terms of being able to fully recover from the bone bruise to his foot and get back into action quickly.  That being said, it would be probably be wise for the Yankees to take it easy on that foot and not have Robertson be on his feet all the time, unnecessarily walking and running around on it and risking a setback.  It's his plant/push foot so it's important that it be 100% before he gets back out on the mound, and since D-Rob has already shown to not be a master of walking down/kicking boxes down the stairs, better to proceed with caution.  And how to do that, you ask?  Simple.  Stair rails.

Install a few of these babies around the Tampa complex and completely eliminate stairs from the equation.  This lessens the wear and tear on that bruised foot, takes away any chance of a repeat of Robertson's previous stair gaffe, and should help get him back to 100% and on the mound quicker.  While we're at it, the Yankees should probably designate a few of the younger, bigger guys in camp responsible for carrying Robertson to and from all team activities over the next week.  And a private handicapped bathroom probably wouldn't hurt either.

A Double Dip Of Good Starts

It was a split squad day for the Yankees today, and CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes turned in a pair of matching solid 3-inning outings, both building on their first starts of the spring.  It was a 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K line for CC against the Phillies, and his fastball command was much better than last time out.  Hughes was even better, going for 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K and sitting in the low-90s all day with his fastball, hitting 92-93 with regularity.  His command of his fastball and curveball was much improved from his first start, and Phil gave Joe a good show after Girardi opted to travel to watch Hughes' start rather than CC's.

Add in three relatively clean scoreless innings from Cory Wade, Boone Logan, and Mo (who went 1-2-3 in his spring debut) backing up CC and the Yankees Major League pitching staff put up a fantastic combined performance today- 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K.  Two weeks in and guys are progressing exactly how you want to see them progress if you're a Yankee fan.

Spring Training Injury Update

Dave Robertson's "Boxgate" fiasco had everybody on high alert for the last couple days and justifiably so. If Robertson were to miss significant time and not be ready for Opening Day, the Yankees deep, nasty bullpen suddenly doesn't look so deep or so nasty. But he's not the only one with injury issues. The Yankees have a couple guys dealing with problems that have kept them out for extended periods of early ST who aren't getting the coverage that Robertson is. Here's a quick run through of all the Yankees' current walking wounded.

Robertson- Officially diagnosed with a bone bruise yesterday. He's going to stay in the walking boot through the weekend to allow his foot to heal more, and will likely do some throwing exercises from a chair until Monday to keep his arm strength up. There's no official word yet, but all signs right now point to D-Rob being fine to start the season.

Eduardo Nunez- He was hit with a pitch on the hand in Monday's game and hasn't played since. He has participated in some light drills but hasn't gotten a lot of hitting time in during treatment, so he stayed behind for today's game to get some batting practice in. Not expected to miss a lot more time and no issues on being ready for Opening Day.

Austin Romine- He's been out with the back issues that plagued him late last season since almost the minute he stepped foot on the field this spring, and while he's still not participating in any kind of full team activities, the diagnosis this week was a positive one. He's closer to returning, but will probably miss at least another week.

George Kontos- After missing about a week with a strained oblique, Kontos has returned to full team activities and is back on his regular throwing schedule. He's got to make up a bit for his missed time, but with few relief pitchers having major success early in camp he still has a chance to get that last bullpen spot.

Russell Branyan- Branyan's chances of making the team weren't very good after the Yankees signed Eric Chavez and they certainly aren't being helped by his back injury. He hasn't done anything since first sitting out with the injury on February 29th and there is no timetable for his return.

Manny Delcarmen- Strained his lat on March 1st and hasn't participated in full pitching activities since, but the injury is progressing well. He started playing catch a day or two ago, and if he continues to feel good he will probably start throwing sides next week.

Dewayne Wise- The newest addition to the club, Wise was scratched from today's lineup with a sore hamstring. Early word is that he's not expected to miss much time, but every little bit is precious when you're trying to make the team on a non-guaranteed MiL deal.

The Yankees aren't 100% healthy right now, but they also don't seem to have any serious injuries, and everybody should make it back on the field eventually. Most importantly, the group of older veteran players that the Yankees are counting on this year, guys like A-Rod and Jeter, are nowhere to be found on this list.

Just A Bone Bruise For D-Rob

(Not pictured: walking boot)

Jack Curry first reported it on YES and now it's been confirmed by Joe to the media.  The latest round of tests on D-Rob's injured foot revealed a bone bruise, which is a far better diagnosis than what could have been.

Robertson will still be out of action for a while, but chances are he'll be ready for the season opener once this heals.  No word on whether or not the Yankees plan on hiring a guy to handle disposing of Robertson's corrugated boxes from now on.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 3/9

No time for talk.  To the links we go!

- On Monday, SJK of NoMaas had this gem roasting Josh Beckett, which is a surefire way to get included in the palooza.  Sadly, I'm also bearded and also getting fatter, meaning I share qualities with Josh Beckett.  When this dawned at me at work the other day, I ran to the bathroom and cried.

- Matt S. of Yankees Fans Unite continued their recent streak of good interviews by scoring this one with David Aardsma.  He still has a long way to go, but it's good to read that he's hellbent on returning to the hill this year.

- The boys over at Respect Jeter's Gangster are ramping up their "Rival Review" series, and on Tuesday they put out my personal favorite to date, the second base comparison of Cano and Dahhston Pedroyahh.

- Also on Tuesday, Brien Jackson of IIATMS put the Michael Pineda changeup hype in context by explaining that he doesn't need to be dynamite with it to succeed.

- Larry Koestler of RAB looked at the recent history of production from the DH spot in Yankees lineups and established a baseline for what we can expect from the Ibanez-Jones duo this year.

- On Wednesday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog debunked the theories that Michael Pineda is at risk this season because of an "injury nexus" for pitchers under the age of 23 and because he's a young pitcher being handled by Joe Girardi.

- On Thursday, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus released his top Yankee prospects list for 2012.  It's subscriber-only to get the full post, but you can at least get the list of his top 20 without being a subscriber.  Goldstein ranks Gary Sanchez above Dellin Betances.

- Chris McKeown of Pinstripe Alley ran some numbers to see if the Yankees could still be categorized as an "old team."  His research shows that they've done a good job getting younger since the mid-2000s.

- On Friday, Donnie Collins of the SWB Blog used the recent "Empire State Yankees" name change for 2012 as a lead-in to suggest a future, permanent, non-Yankee name change for the team in 2013.

- Mike Silva of NY Baseball Digest questioned whether MLB's regular season schedule should be reduced from 162 games as part of the new playoff expansion.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud has the latest on the D-Rob foot injury, which becomes more confusing by the minute.  Some reports have him feeling totally fine with no swelling, but others have him showing up today in a walking boot and on crutches.

- Marc Hulet of FanGraphs released his Top 30 Organizational Farm Systems list today, with the Yankees checking in at #10.

- As usual, we close with an offering from my TYA cohorts.  On Wednesday, Alex Geshwind attempted to shine a little sunlight on Phil Hughes by pointing out that there are some pitchers who have experienced career paths similar to the one Hughes is on now.

- And on Thursday, Matt Imbrogno started to lay out the potential early-season starting rotation.

For the Friday jam, it only seems appropriate on the anniversary of his death to play some Notorious B.I.G.  For my money he's the best rapper of all time, so I'm going with a double dip of my favorite Biggie collaborations this afternoon.





Enjoy the rest of your Friday afternoons and the entirety of your weekends, people.

Spring Training Storylines: First Time Through The Rotation

Ivan Nova's start yesterday signified the Yankees completing their first cycle through the rotation this spring, and so far so good for the Yankee starters.  The two big themes since last Friday have been changeups and velocity.  Nova, Michael Pineda, and CC were all working on their changeups in their first outing; for Nova and Pineda that pitch will be important for them this year as they attempt to build on their strong rookie campaigns.  Velocity-wise, the big stories were how little Pineda had on Monday (high 80s) and how much Phil Hughes had in his first game action of the year on Tuesday (low 90s, hit 93 more than once), so expect everybody to be watching the gun during their outings this weekend.  First starts of the spring always come with little to no expectations.  Everybody is just working themselves into game shape and finding their stuff and that's what the Yankee starters did this week.

- CC: Allowed 3 hits and a run with one strikeout in 2 innings of work on Tuesday.  Wasn't particularly happy with anything but also didn't mention any glaring problems.  Just ST business as usual for the big man, who takes the mound again on Sunday as part of a split-squad game.

- Kuroda: Sailed smoothly through his first inning of work on Wednesday, throwing only 9 pitches, and then hit a few road bumps in the 2nd as he tried to work on some of his offspeed stuff.  Still needs to find his offspeed command a bit, but don't worry, he's definitely not Kei Igawa.

- Nova: Solid first start of the year last Saturday, save for some command issues and the HR allowed to Hunter Pence.  Different story yesterday, as Nova really struggled with his fastball command and gave up 6 hits and 5 ER in just 2.2 innings of work.  His fastball velocity has been sitting mid 90s, though, so no worries about lingering effects from his forearm injury that knocked him out of last year's ALDS.

- Pineda: Probably had the sharpest outing of anybody, giving up just a solitary hit and no runs in his 2 innings of work on Monday, striking out 2 and walking none.  He received plenty of praise from everybody for his changeup, which already looks like it has the makings of being a useful pitch for him.  All eyes will be on the radar gun during his next start on Saturday.

- Hughes: The man with the most to prove was up and down on Tuesday when he replaced CC, showing rejuvenated life on his fastball but also spotty command.  Hughes threw a lot of pitches, something that will happen when you give up 4 hits, and only made it through 1.1 innings because of his pitch count.  He pitches again on Sunday.

- Garcia: Rough first inning for him last Sunday, as he also gave up a homer to Hunter Pence, but he settled down in the 2nd and picked up a couple of strikeouts as part of a scoreless inning.  Like CC, Freddy was neither really good nor really bad.  For him it's just a matter of whether he'll be the 5th starter or bullpen longman.

D-Rob Finds His Kryptonite

Dave Robertson gets righties out and he gets lefties out.  Power hitters don't bother him and neither do slap hitters.  He can come in to start an inning and plow 1-2-3 through the heart of another team's order or he can enter mid-inning with the bases loaded and nobody out and not even break a sweat as he works out of the jam without allowing a run.  Hitters are pretty much no match for The Fireman.

Cardboard boxes, on the other hand, are a different story.  Especially those sonofabitch empty ones.

Thanks to them, D-Rob could be on the shelf for some time after his MRI turned up enough to be a "cause for concern" according to Joe Girardi.  Robertson said he doesn't expect to miss a lot of time, but the Yankees have scheduled a CT scan and a weight-bearing X-ray as a follow up, and there's already talk of him not being available for Opening Day.

Sounds like Spring Training just became more important for every reliever in camp.

Kevin Kernan Should Probably Stop Talking

(Pictured: Not Kei Igawa.  Courtesy of The AP)

Normally I leave the guys at The Post alone when it comes to their Yankee coverage. I've found that they don't usually get swept up in the MSM nonsense that good old Wally and friends over at ESPN NY thrive on. That's not the case today for Kevin Kernan, whose piece on Hiroki Kuroda's first Spring Training start reeks of "screw it, I've got nothing good to write about. Might as well try to create false panic amongst the Yankee fanbase for no reason." Come on, Kev. That's not right. 

"In the first inning, new Yankees right-hander Hiroki Kuroda was Hideo Nomo."

Actually, he was Hiroki Kuroda. And I don't think comparing him to a guy with a 4.24/4.23/.4.67 career tripleslash is a good way to express how well he pitched in the first inning.

"The second inning he was Kei Igawa."

No, he was Hiroki Kuroda. And that comparison is even worse. They don't even pitch with the same hand!

"Welcome to the AL East."

Or at least the watered down early-March version of it where you face a Rays lineup comprised of only about a third of their everyday players. Gotta watch out for the Jeff Keppingers and Jesus Felicianos of the world.

"Japanese pitchers have had their troubles pitching in the major leagues, but going from the Far East to the AL East is the most difficult transition of them all."

It's East meets East!

"Never forget the purpose of spring training is to work on your stuff and not get hurt."

Which is exactly what Kuroda did yesterday in his two innings of work, thus making everything else written before that sentence completely meaningless.

"In that respect Kuroda came up aces, ... "

Then what the fuck are you talking about comparing him to Kei Igawa?!?

"... but he is going to have [to have] everything working to come up big in the AL East. There is no room for error in this division."

None. Never mind the fact that Kuroda, and every other pitcher, has 8 guys on the field with him at all times playing defense to help make up for errors he might make in location or pitch selection. If you make one error in the AL East, you DIE!!!

"Kuroda is one of those pitchers who needs all of spring training to get his act together ... "

Him and most every other pitcher who participates in his team's ST activities. That's kind of why Spring Training exists.

“'It’s always important to leave with good results, but at the same time I wanted to work on my pitches and I wanted to make sure I had all my pitches, and I was able to accomplish that today,' Kuroda said."

Good. That's all that matters.

"At this point, all Hiroki Kuroda has to prove is that he’s not Kei Igawa." 

NO HE DOESN'T, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!! Hiroki Kuroda has never been compared to Kei Igawa by anybody and he never should be. He's already proven that he's not with what he's done in his career and there's no reason to expect him to regress to Igawa's level of ineffectiveness now. The Yankees never would have signed him if they thought he was going to be another Kei Igawa. Stop using flawed logic and shoddy comparisons to create controversy that doesn't exist!

The only thing Hiroki Kuroda had to do yesterday was go out on the mound and work on his stuff, and that's what he did. He was happy with how he pitched, Russell Martin was happy with how he pitched, and Joe was happy with how he pitched. That's all that matters in Spring Training, and to try to stir the pot by playing off the Yankees' recent failure with another Japanese pitcher is lazy and irresponsible journalism.

The Incredible Disappearing Opposite-Field A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez's home run off of Roy Halladay this past Sunday, meaningless as it seemed from a statistical standpoint, was actually more important than you might think because of the swing he took to hit it.  It was a compact, balanced, fluid swing that drove the ball to the opposite field with power, and in terms of the eye test it passed with flying colors as it represented a part of A-Rod's game that has become increasingly absent over the past four seasons.  As he's dealt with his litany of injuries, A-Rod has struggled with his swing mechanics, likely compensating for whatever was ailing him at the time.  As a result, his effectiveness as a hitter has been seriously compromised, most noticeably his ability to hit to the opposite field with authority.  Whether it's been the hip, knee, or groin, Alex hasn't had the same lower body torque and fluid rotation in his swing that he showed on Sunday, and that lack of lower body drive has sapped him of his opposite-field potency.

2007 was the high water mark for Alex in a Yankee uniform from a statistical standpoint (.314/.422/.645, .449 wOBA, 178 wRC+), and sometimes it feels like that was eons ago after watching the past four seasons of injury problems and declining production play out.

(Click to enlarge)

While it's perfectly normal for a 36-year-old professional baseball player to experience some level of age-related decline, it is the dramatic drop in power that is most concerning with Alex and that raises a red flag that his injury problems are also negatively affecting his performance.  That same drastic decline in overall production and power is present in A-Rod's opposite field splits since 2007.  It speaks to the problems that A-Rod's injuries have caused with his swing and where in his swing they are doing the most damage.

(Click)

It's one thing to lose some bat speed and strength and not be able to muscle the ball all over the yard to the tune of a wOBA in the .400s when you get to your mid-30s.  It's quite another to drop off to the point of being below average when hitting the ball the other way, and that's where Rodriguez finds himself after posting back-to-back sub-.300 wOBA values in 2010 and 2011.  This past season, he bottomed out at .280, with a .664 OPS and 69 wRC+.  Remember, this isn't some schmuck third baseman here, this is Alex Rodriguez, the same guy who was the greatest baseball player on the planet for a period of time not too long ago.  Home runs like the one he hit off of Halladay used to be common place for him.  Now they're such a rare occurrence that they inspire blog posts like this one.  It is these types of home runs and line drive hits to right field that need to return to A-Rod's offensive game to help stifle the disturbing downward trend we're seeing in his production.

(Click)

It's easy to forget just how great a hitter A-Rod was and still can be when he's 100% because of how bad he's looked at times when playing through his recent injuries.  Part of what made Rodriguez such an offensive force in his prime was his ability to hit to all fields and hit to all fields with power.  He was, and still is, a more dangerous hitter to the pull side and up the middle; that's where A-Rod makes his living.  But he's always had the ability to muscle a pitch out over the right field fence like he did on Sunday thanks to the power he generates in his swing with his lower half, no matter where the pitch was thrown.  That's what Alex has been losing most over the past few seasons as he's battled injuries, and that's what he needs to regain this year if he can stay right physically.

"Empire State Yankees" Is The New Hotness

(Courtesy of Mike Ashmore)

Real talk, being called the "Empire State Yankees" is infinitely more awesome than being called the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.  I almost wish I didn't suck so bad at baseball when I was younger just so I could have had the chance to one day be a member of the Empire State Yankees.  As soon as hats with this logo are available to the public, I'm buying one.

But actually having to be a member of the team this year?  Yeah, that's going to suck a little bit.  Playing every game on the road and having your "home" games spread amongst a half dozen ballparks?  Yuck.

And no, Dellin.  That won't be a viable excuse if you don't get your walks under control this year.  Shape up, kid.

P.S.- Only thing cooler than "Empire State Yankees" would be "Gotham Yankees."

Sour Puss Makes His ST Debut Today

And he couldn't be more fired up about it!  See?

(Courtesy of MLB.com)

My man is STOKED!!!

P.S.- Classic busy day post right there.  When in doubt, or when without free time, make fun of somebody.

The Only Thing That Mattered In The Hughes Outing Today

I gave him a little crap earlier on the AB4AR Page for his rough first outing of the season today, but really there was only one thing that mattered for Phil Hughes today and that was the number 93.  As in, his fastball regularly being clocked at 93 miles per hour.  The disaster that was his 2011 started off with him having nothing on his heater and never really finding it.  In 2012, he's coming out in his first start and hitting the mark on the gun where he needs to be to have success.  That's a damn good sign.

Accelerating The Learning Curve With $189 Million

With Hal and Cash making the magic number of $189 million official last week, we now know without a doubt that the Yankees are going to make a concerted effort to get the payroll at or below that number by 2014.  It's an aggressive goal, but a worthy goal in the big picture, and it will certainly come with some casualties as it's already very clear that not everybody on the current roster can be retained while keeping the payroll below the $189 mil threshold.  That being the case, the Yankees are going to have to lean on their young players more in 2014 to help make this goal a reality, and not just as fodder to fill out the 40-man roster or as a placeholder while somebody else is on the DL.  The Yankees' goal every year, regardless of budget, is to win, and to do that while cutting payroll they are going to need some serious production from this current crop of high-level young players.  It's a drastically different approach than the one they've taken with their prospects recently, but one that will help define just how good this farm system is.

A hot topic of conversation before the number 189 became so important was the impressive crop of free agent starting pitchers that will be available after this season.  It seemed like the Yankees were well positioned to add one of these big names and make their days of shallow starting pitching depth a thing of the past.  With the amount of money that is going to be tied up in a handful of players, however, the likelihood of the Yankees adding a big name arm and still staying beneath the $189 million ceiling is incredibly low.  That void in the rotation will have to be filled from a more cost-friendly source, which means plans for guys like Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances will likely change.  In a perfect world they would spend this entire season in Triple-A, working on refining their mechanics and building up their innings counts, then maybe get a September call up to work with and learn from the big leaguers, and come into the 2013 season with a chance to make the team as the 5th starter to lessen the pressure on them and ease them into their careers.  Now they might not get that luxury.

The reality of the situation is that the Yankees are only going to have three starters under contract in 2014 (CC, Pineda, Nova), and they'll need to get that remaining 40% of their starts from somewhere.  They can probably find a cheap starter somewhere on the market to eat innings, but to keep costs down they are going to need someone from the Minors to step in and pitch, and pitch well.  As the top dogs of the farm system, the pressure would be on Banuelos and Betances to produce in 2013 and show that they're capable of shouldering their share of the load.  The clock is ticking down to 2014, which means it's ticking down faster on Banuelos and Betances to improve as pitchers and be ready to contribute.  If you stop and think about it, that same logic can apply to Michael Pineda.  Cash and Joe can try their hardest to downplay the significance of where Pineda pitches in the rotation, but the fact of the matter is he was brought in to be a top-of-the-rotation starter and he's going to have to develop into that if the Yankees want to stay away from the free agent market and control costs.

Hey, Did You Hear About Michael Pineda Throwing a CHANGEUP Yesterday?!?!

(Here it comes.  The heater.  I dare ya.  Courtesy of The AP)

Seriously, a changeup??  What is that?  Who's even heard of a pitch like that?  Pineda must be some kind of mystical wizard out there on the mound to be able to throw a pitch like that because EVERYBODY was talking about it. 

“I think he’ll be fearless with it." - Larry Rothschild

"I’m not surprised because when I caught him in the pen, he had a good idea of it." - Russell Martin

“You like that attitude. You want a guy that’s willing to work at something and try to get better ... " - Joe Girardi

In all seriousness, yesterday was about as good a meaningless Spring Training debut as you could hope for from Pineda.  His fastball was mostly low-90s, not quite up to its usual heat level, but he threw it for strikes and got swings and misses with it.  He also threw his slider some, and he did throw the changeup a few times, getting a strikeout of Shane Victorino on it and getting another out with it.  Spring Training is the time to work on stuff and Pineda has been doing just that.  The more he throws the change and works it into a usable pitch, the more dangerous he's going to be once the regular season starts.

Quotes courtesy of Chad at LoHud