Yankee spring training news
- Thread starter jon abbey
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They announce that Brian Roberts will be the everyday 2nd baseman with Kelly Johnson the primary backup. Does this mean they are planning on Eduardo Nunez starting at 3rd or is Kelly Johnson? Seems like Kelly Johnson is backing up every infield position besides catcher and SS.
Of course, if they dump Ichiro, not sure who their 5th OF will be, either in AAA or on the 25 man roster, and since they're probably going to ask one of the top four to DH a lot of the time, they've got some major roster construction issues.
So did CC Sabathia get lap band surgery or something? That's a dramatic weight loss for one offseason, especially from a guy who has ALWAYS carried a ton of weight. Add in the bizarre comment from his agent a few months ago claiming that he hadn't lost any weight but just converted fat to muscle and the whole situation seems very abnormal for a professional athlete.
derekson said:
Yet CC says he did not lose weight and just replaced fat with muscle. That's incredibly hard to do in a short period since you need a high caloric diet for the muscle growth which makes it hard to lose fat quickly.
You can do both with some combination of HGH (burn fat) and steroids (muscle building), but we know players can;t do that anymore due to testing. LOL.
Seriously, I don't know, maybe he just worked out like a mad man. If so, you have to give him credit since its not like its a contract year or anything
NY playing the Pirates today, Ellsbury has walked twice and scored two runs in the first two innings, against Liriano and Edinson Volquez respectively. 26 year old Venezuelan utility man Yangervis Solarte (in the Texas system previously) has singled and homered already.
jon abbey said:
I'm not sure Sabathia will make that adjustment. Pettitte developed a cutter to keep hitters from squaring up his fastball, he always had 10+ mph separation between his fastball and his change, he did a good job of mixing in his cutter, curve and change equally to keep hitters guessing and he was more focused on locating his high 80's fastball than throwing it hard.
Sabathia doesn't have a cutter of a fourseamer to keep hitters from squaring him up and his pitch selection is a lot more predictable. He has something like a 5 mph difference between his change and his fastball. Plus, last year he appeared to be a lot more focused on rearing back and trying to get his fastball in to the 90's than he was on locating his fastball well. He had one of his highest walk rates in a while and allowed more home runs than he ever had in is career.
Well, it is his plan/goal:
http://nypost.com/2014/02/17/sabathia-will-use-pettitte-blueprint-if-velocity-not-back/
http://nypost.com/2014/02/17/sabathia-will-use-pettitte-blueprint-if-velocity-not-back/
jon abbey said:
The first step is admitting that there is a problem:
And even if he gets past that, starts mixing in his pitches better and takes 5 mph more off his change, he's still not going to have the vertical movement on his fastball that Pettitte had or a cutter to neutralize righties.
Nova looked pretty filthy today for an early March game. 3 innings, 0 hits, 0 walks, 4 Ks. Throwing 94, using all his pitches. Lost count but probably 40 pitches for 3 innings.
Over the next two years, this could turn back into a power pitching group of starters with Tanaka, Nova and Pineda all capable of throwing 94. Ironic that CC is turning into the junk-baller of the group.
Over the next two years, this could turn back into a power pitching group of starters with Tanaka, Nova and Pineda all capable of throwing 94. Ironic that CC is turning into the junk-baller of the group.
McCann liked what he saw today. 31 strikes in 36 pitches. Lohud claims Nova is 6-foot-7 but he's listed at 6-4 on the roster. Maybe he grew 3 inches in the offseason.
http://yankees.lhblogs.com/
http://yankees.lhblogs.com/
It's McCann's fault. From the article:terrynever said:
"There's not many 6-7 guys that are able to get the ball to do what he does", McCann said.
Edit: phone
The Yankees really need to trade a catcher (Romine or Cervelli or JR Murphy) for an infielder, ideally one who can play 1B and 3B, 2B would be nice also.
Right now their first baseman if the recovering Teixeira isn't available is, um, Kelly Johnson? What's the problem there? Well, he has a total of 18 IP played at 1B total in his MLB career and is also the current starting 3B.
Right now their first baseman if the recovering Teixeira isn't available is, um, Kelly Johnson? What's the problem there? Well, he has a total of 18 IP played at 1B total in his MLB career and is also the current starting 3B.
Which of the three is the riskiest to trade, in terms of coming back to haunt you? I suspect only Murphy. Not counting Sanchez in that trio.jon abbey said:
jon abbey said:
Why trade and give up something of value when you have a free agent option at IF?
Johnson has not played much at 3B either. His best position is 2B although one would expect 1B should not be much of a challenge. Yankees seem to have a lot of depth at 2B, but little depth at the other IF positions. Drew would allow Johnson to move to 2B and free Johnson to back up 1B given the number of back options at 2B , and Drew also provides backup for Jeter at SS in case Jeter misses significant time, a more attractive option than the no hit Ryan or the no field Nunez.
If Tex has a set back at 1B in ST, they could always sign Morales (assuming he is still available).
They should reserve the C prospects for pitching. The bullpen is very uncertain and may need to be bolstered via trade.
terrynever said:
Yeah, but Murphy also has the most value of the three. I am irrationally optimistic about Cervelli as a backup, with Romine in AAA and Sanchez in AA. It's a very SSS (around 120 PAs), but Cervelli somehow has well over a .900 OPS since late July 2011. He is doing well in spring traning so far also, he homered and walked today in three PAs.
I don't think that trade is out there. Romine is a backup catcher. He would get you another Scott Sizemore in return. If Tex goes down, we aren't looking for someone who can play just play 1B, we are looking to replace 30+ HRs from 1B. That's going to require a bigger trade with added salary.jon abbey said:
Murphy is probably someone who could grab you a young middle infielder, but probably not an established starter. Someone like Didi Gregorius has more upside than Dean Anna, but would he be an improvement in 2014? If the right deal is out there, I'm all for it, but I think otherwise the Yankees would do better to hold their trade pieces until they know what they need. Frankly, if they really want infield depth right now, they should just spend the money on Drew.
Actually, you are looking to replace about 800 OPS from a guy who takes most of his hacks from the left side in the new Yankee Launch Pad. This is probably less difficult than you think.
If your point is that the Yankees could make the move in the event of a Tex injury, then I agree. An .800 OPS 1B isn't terribly impressive, but you can't add someone like that on this roster right now unless he can play another position. The Yankees have one open bench spot at the moment and they need it to go to someone who can play 2B and/or 3B. If he can play 2B or 3B and give you that offense, he's a starter. Again, if that trade is out there, I'm all for it.
If Tex is sidelined again for a significant stretch I'm sure the White Sox would listen to offers involving Adam Dunn.... he's two years removed from his atrocious 2011 effort and on the last year of his contract, would easily pop 30-40 HRs at that ballpark even at age 34.
Soriano is being asked to take a few reps at first base now that he's over the flu. Brought his own first baseman's mitt to ST. Not a bad idea. Originally an infielder, of course.
I'm with you there, but I just don't see who that would be or where he would be placed on the roster. It's amazing how the game has changed since steroid testing. Ten years ago, there were .800 OPS corner infielders/outfielders falling out of the sky.jon abbey said:
That's a good point, but didn't they ask Sheffield to move there during the postseason, when he'd never played there before? Spring training is better on that front at least.
Edit: Yeah, Sheffield had been out since late May, and when he was ready to come back with a few games left in the regular season, Giambi was out, so he played the last nine games of the regular season there and then the playoffs. He never played first before or after, but better Soriano tests himself there now rather than when NY desperately needs someone at least.
Edit: Yeah, Sheffield had been out since late May, and when he was ready to come back with a few games left in the regular season, Giambi was out, so he played the last nine games of the regular season there and then the playoffs. He never played first before or after, but better Soriano tests himself there now rather than when NY desperately needs someone at least.
Betances came in with one out in third inning today, got 5 outs, 2 Ks. Fanned first batter, Longoria, on 3 pitches. Bet Longoria was thrilled to see a 6-foot-8 righthander coming in to face him.
His time may be coming, Jon.
His time may be coming, Jon.
If he does end up as the clearly second best pitcher in the pen behind Robertson (and if he doesn't, it's going to be an ugly season), I hope Girardi doesn't confine him to one inning at a time as the 8th inning guy, as he definitely can go multiple innings when necessary.
Maybe he's the next Phelps, multiple innings, etc. Not sure where that leaves Phelps.jon abbey said:
I would love to see the Yankees turn into a power pitching staff over the next two years.
jon abbey said:Sempo, maybe you should be a Dodgers fan.
Dodgers already reigning in spending. They don't have the financial clout of the Yankees who are cash flush after the YES deal and the new stadiums high ticket prices. Yankees payroll is down to 2008 levels, or about 30% down in nominal dollars. They can afford Drew and Morales if needed (dont need Morales yet). Both would be tradable commodities if they wanted to dump salary when Arod returns.
terrynever said:
And you should consider being a Mets fan, Terry. They look crazy loaded with young pitching once Harvey is back, Wheeler and Syndergaard not far behind him in terms of dominant stuff and more guys in the pipeline.
I was always surprised that the Cubs didn't try Soriano at first base when his outfield range started deteriorating. It always seemed to make a lot of sense to stick a former 2B over there, and before they acquired Rizzo the Cubs had a pretty big hole at 1B. I expect he'll be just fine over there; he's not going to make anyone forget Don Mattingly's glove but he shouldn't call up memories of Giambi either.