Skip to content

New York Yankees: Baseball Blogs Hottest Topic

Posted by on 30 January 2012, 12:52 am
Over the last two weeks, the hottest topic that has everyone from baseball fans, bloggers and expert analysts talking about is what the heck are the New York Yankees going to do about their now over-crowded pitching rotation, and more specifically AJ Burnett.
Yankee Stadium on July 1, 2010

Image via Wikipedia

Among the three contenders, which also include Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia, AJ Burnett has gotten thrown in the ringer.

This comes as no shock, because once Javier Vazquez got run out-of-town, Burnett has been deemed as the latest A-rod among pitchers in Yankee Universe; as God forbid Yankee fans don’t have someone to complain and heckle endlessly about.

Admittedly, I am still in the midst of being just as engrossed with this topic for already longer than I would have liked, but something’s you just can’t help.

What I can do is shut my mouth, and let other baseball bloggers do the talking.

So after countless hours of scouring the blogosphere, I have compiled a list of my 10 must-read posts about Burnett and the over-crowding of the Yankee rotation.

Click on article titles to be redirected to original author’s post website; and that this list is in random order.

Enjoy!

For Those Who Dissent, Our Fifth Starter Should Be AJ Burnett

Michael Eder, The Yankee Analysts

Dayton Moore, Get Brian Cashman on the Phone. Trade Soria for Burnett and Hughes.

Jeff Zimmerman, Royals Review Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Baseball Blogs Hottest Topic’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
8 Comments

New York Giants Fans “You Down With JPP”

Posted by on 29 January 2012, 1:11 am

New York Giant fans are like a bunch of kids on Christmas, as they wait for their G-MEN to play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, February 5th.

Hope this latest youtube.com creation gets you even more pumped for this game…..and hopefully another Boston & Brady beating.

You owe a BIG thank you to a Mr. Josh Hyman for this one.

“You Down With JPP”

Continue reading ‘New York Giants Fans “You Down With JPP”’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
Comment

New York Yankees: AJ Burnett Expects To Start And I Do Too

Posted by on 28 January 2012, 2:16 am
The hottest topic in Yankee Universe at the moment is who should win the fifth spot in the starting pitching rotation between Phil Hughes, AJ Burnett and Freddy Garcia.

So, over the last week I have read and heard many opinions on the topic from bloggers to analysts to the manager at my local Starbucks.

The most annoying trend is the immediate discounting of Burnett, as entitled Yankee fans have branded him as the pitcher’s A-rod.

Personally, I like both A-rod and Burnett because they work hard and when they are on, they are great. But getting into that discussion is for another time.

The point is that no matter what happens in Spring Training, Burnett deserves the fifth spot in the rotation. This has nothing to do with money because it is not like I am writing the paychecks.

The reason is Burnett has earned it, and here are three reasons why:

  1. Since signing with the Yankees, Burnett has been totally healthy making all 33 starts each season. This is not the case with Hughes as he has spent more time on the DL with multiple injuries than the mound; and Garcia had that kitchen knife accident last season, and was sidelined for most of August.
  2. If you look closely, four of Burnett’s 11 losses in 2011 were due to the Yankee hitters only scoring 0-2 runs because he posted an ERA of 3.00, gave up just four homers and maintained a WHIP of 1.00. Compared to 14 of 18 of Hughes wins from 2010 came on days when the Yankee bats scored 6+ runs. Hughes won ZERO games when the bats scored 0-2 runs, had just 3 wins were when the team scored 3-5 runs and one win he got coming out of the bullpen.
  3. If any player is going to step it up, especially in New York, it should be in the month of October. Burnett stepped it up BIG TIME last season to keep the Yankees in the playoffs.

Now I kept this list short by choosing three points that covered a lot of ground. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: AJ Burnett Expects To Start And I Do Too’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
24 Comments

New York Yankees: Fifth Starter Competition Looks To Be A Dogfight

Posted by on 27 January 2012, 3:16 am

A. J. Burnett

New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman took the words “Pitching is a priority,” right out of ex-Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks mouth this off-season.

Cashman has left skipper Joe Girardi and Co. with a tough decision to make come Spring Training, as seven starting pitchers cannot fit into five spots.

The situation is as follows, CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova look to be the locks to start the 2012 season, pending no extenuating circumstances say otherwise.

This leaves AJ Burnett, Freddy Garcia and Phil Hughes all fighting for the one remaining spot left in the starting rotation.

So, the question is who should be the Yankees fifth starter out of the above three?

Ok…. before you all unleash on me, please note that I based purely on who out of the three would be the most effectively to start the 2012 season in the rotation.

So, I decided to use a process of elimination to see who looks best on paper. It was the only legit option for now, as no one knows who shows up in what shape yet etc.

First, I looked at Burnett, Garcia and Hughes basic stats for the first-half of 2011. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Fifth Starter Competition Looks To Be A Dogfight’ »

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
13 Comments

New York Yankees: You Want Answers I Got 3 Questions

Posted by on 26 January 2012, 4:12 am

In a few days it will be February, which means Spring Training is right around the corner as pitchers and catchers report on the 19th.

English: A-Rod batting in 2007.

Image via Wikipedia

So, while baseball fans are ready to end another long off-season, team’s front offices are scrambling to get everything in order.

As for the New York Yankees, this off-season got started uncomfortably late but in the end trading for Michael Pineda and signing Hiroki Kuroda were well worth the wait.

Still, the fate of the 2012 Yankees hinders on getting the right answers to some lingering questions.

So, here are 3 substantial subjects to keep your eye on as things get started:

1.     Can Alex Rodriguez stay healthy?

When A-rod is healthy, he is hitting and without question makes the Yankees tougher to beat. It is no secret that A-rod is 36 years old and entering his 19th MLB season, but he is a true competitor with a lot of talent. There is no lack of effort on his part either, as A-rod works harder than most athletes and this off-season was no different. A-rod piggy-backed the 2009 team straight to a World Series, and the Yankees could use 30 homers and 100 RBIs out of him. Solid production from A-rod would be a difference maker; but that entails staying off the DL.

2.     Seven starters for a five-man rotation? Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: You Want Answers I Got 3 Questions’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
Comment

New York Yankees: Detroit Tiger-ees Want To Win Now Too

Posted by on 25 January 2012, 9:02 am
Prince Fielder This image was moved from File:...

Image via Wikipedia

Guess another team, the Detroit Tigers, finally got the memo, since Prince Fielder will be waving goodbye to the Brew Crew as the slugger is heading to the Motor City.

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported agent Scott Boras got the Tigers to agree to a nine-year, $214 million contract for Prince’s talents.

Once the news broke that catcher/DH Victor Martinez would be out for all of 2012 after tearing his ACL in a pre-season workout, the Tigers had to go big to stay relevant in the AL.

And answering with Prince Fielder certainly does just that.

Actually, I was a tad stunned that Detroit made such a Yankee-esque move to fix things. The Tigers now join a handful of teams that have started recklessly spending money and handing out monster contracts, just like the Yankees have done for years.

YOU’RE WELCOME TIGERS:

In my opinion, it is about darn time that MLB owners started spending some dough because win or lose, it sends a clear message that they are invested in winning.

New York fans understand this concept because the Yankees wrote this memo and it went out a long time ago.

This remains very much today, as clear from Hal Steinbrenner’s press release after the Yankees early 2011 ALDS exit:

“I personally share in our fans’ disappointment that this season has ended without a championship. That is, and always will be, our singular goal every season. I assure you that this disappointment will strengthen our resolve to field a team in 2012 that can bring a 28th championship to the Bronx. That work starts now.”

This offseason, the Yankees were slow out of the gate but in the end the Boss’s son remained true to what his father always promised.

As what could comfort a fan-base more than to know the owners will go above and beyond to put the best possible team on the field everyday with only one goal, to win.

TIGERS IN 2012: Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Detroit Tiger-ees Want To Win Now Too’ »

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
2 Comments

New York Yankees: Introducing Prospect Jose Campos

Posted by on 24 January 2012, 11:04 pm

Jose Campos will have his personal cheering section this week. (Shari Sommerfield/MiLB.com)

In the midst of all the hysteria surrounding the Michael Pineda-Jesus Montero trade, the name Jose Campos might have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Campos was the other pitcher the New York Yankees received from the Seattle Mariners in the blockbuster trade.

The 19-year-old righty has only been in the minors for two years, and so far the reports are mixed about Campos’s potential.

POSITIVES:

  • Campos has the perfect pitcher’s frame at 6’4 and 200 lbs.
  • He throws a low-mid 90’s fastball, which he can locate; it can reach almost 100 mph.
  • Has a decent slider that is getting better and is developing into another plus pitch.
  • Has mound presence and displays confidence in tough situations at a very young age.
  • Seattle fans were not stoked to let this kid go.
  • Works hard and continues to take solid steps forward.

NEGATIVES:

  • Will Campos keep working hard on improving; and is he able to adapt easily?
  • Some scouts say he doesn’t use his legs and throws too much from his arm. This can cause rotator-cuff issues, and a build up of shoulder scar tissue.
  • His curveball is a mess, and needs to either get a different pitch or fix it so hitters actually swing at it.

Last year, Campos made 14 starts for the Mariners in Single-A ball. He posted a 5-5 record, with a 2.32 ERA, giving up 21 earned runs, four homers and walked 13 batters. Campos also struck out 85 batters and pitched a total of 81 innings in 2011. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Introducing Prospect Jose Campos’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
3 Comments
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. ...
  11. 126
Secured by Ultimate Blog Security SiteLock