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New York Yankees: My never read theory about Michael Pineda

Posted by on 1 April 2012, 3:56 pm
Michael Pineda

Michael Pineda (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I wrote this post almost two weeks ago and never published it because when I read it to a friend and my father they both said I was being oversensitive about my theory of what could happen to Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda.

So, I wimped out.

And now look what happened…last time I don’t listen to my gut because I totally regret it now.

So here it is the theory I did NOT publish, just a day late and a dollar short.

Everyone in Yankee Universe remembers the disasters of 2008.

Not making the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons was not exactly the ideal sendoff for the historic old Stadium that the franchise had called home since 1923 but that is not what I am talking about.

I am referring to the Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain fiasco.

In 2008 the ‘Big 3’ was deemed the “future of the franchise” and the New York media had a field day with them, especially Chamberlain after throwing the infamous “bug game” in the 2007 ALDS in Cleveland.

The problem came when dealing with the pressure and relentless attention paid by the New York media vultures. The press hounded these kids and made everything that much harder, as there was no room to fail.

If you don’t think that the media wasn’t one of the major culprits that hindered the trios development you are crazy.

Yes, everyone is well aware of the media that comes with playing in New York but it should have been more controlled by the Yankees front office, or some veteran players could have stepped in.

Regardless, what happened to Hughes, Kennedy and Chamberlain seems to be getting repeated with the Yankees new young pitcher Michael Pineda.

It is only the second week of Spring Training and Pineda has already stated a few times that he is very uncomfortable with the 20 or more media that surround his locker.

The 23-year old hails from the Dominican Republic; English is his second language and like most who are bi-lingual, it doesn’t flow out as easily. Add that to the fact the Pineda is already shy by nature and you have a recipe for trouble.

I get that the media hounds come out in droves for anything and everything Yankees related, but there has to be a better solution to protect guys like Pineda; at least for Spring Training so they can get adjusted.

There is no fine line drawn between reasonable and merciless regarding young, imports like Pineda. Having five reporters is reasonable, but having 30 is not and considering the detrimental effects that added anxiety can have on someone’s psyche it has to be fixed.  Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: My never read theory about Michael Pineda’ »

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Baseball Movie You Must See

Posted by on 7 May 2011, 1:26 pm

When we watch professional baseball players on TV or at the ballpark, none of us really understand what most had to go through to get to the top.

Getting there is even harder for the non-American players, who are in a totally unfamiliar place, without family and don’t have the words to communicate more than through actions on the field.

The movie SUGAR portrays a pitcher; Miguel Santos from the Dominican Republic drafted at age 16 by the Kansas City Royals and follows his steps through the minor leagues.  Santos’ nickname is ‘Sugar’ for his knuckle curveball was that sweet.

This movie will engross any baseball fan, as you fathom from the vast pressure put on someone so young to go all the way. From family you never knew to the realization that if this doesn’t work out that you are unequivocally uneducated to get anymore than a remedial job, if that.

SUGAR shows the little details of the everyday emotions and struggles faced in the minor leagues everyday. Not only is the baseball aspect fascinating, but also as an American you get to see how the country looks threw a young man’s raw viewpoint, which makes this movie all the powerful.

Trust me go and watch SUGAR. I can promise that you will walk away feeling like you really learned something about the sport of baseball that we tend to overlook or just never really understood in the first place.

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New York Yankees Sign Juan Paniagua And The Future Of The AL East

Posted by on 13 March 2011, 1:41 am

With 2011 Spring Training in full swing, the Yankees are not only working on the now, as scouts continue to work on maintaining the franchise’s future.

That is why it came as no surprise when Dominican reporter Dionisio Soldevila reported to Baseball America and via Twitter, that the Yankees had agreed to terms with 20-year-old Dominican right-hander Juan Carlos Paniagua for $1.1 million bucks.

Paniagua hails from the Dominican Republic and just finished serving a one-year suspension for age fraud.

There is not much on this young kid, but here is what Baseball America wrote about Paniagua:

Paniagua, who had previously been suspended by Major League Baseball for one year due to age and identity fraud, is 6-foot-1, 170 pounds with excellent arm speed and a power fastball that sits around 93-95 mph and touches 98. Some scouts said Paniagua has shown feel for a curveball and a changeup that could become above-average offerings in the future, though other scouts weren’t quite as sold on his secondary pitches.

Age or identity fraud has become a problem, as Dominican players cannot sign with an MLB team until the age of 16 years old. Not only are players lying about being older to ink MLB money, older players are falsifying their age down to be a more valuable talent, which will get them a bigger signing bonus.

Future Of The AL East:

The AL East still remains the toughest division in baseball. Not only because it is home to the big spending Yankees and Red Sox. The Tampa Bay Rays have proven that through smart drafting and scouting talent, a team can be just as victorious working even with a payroll the size of A-rod’s paycheck this season.

This is a well-known victory for the smaller market teams and it also keeps baseball authentic in a sense. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Sign Juan Paniagua And The Future Of The AL East’ »

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Brain Cashman: GM Makes New York Yankees Look Desperate By Signing Bartolo Colon

Posted by on 27 January 2011, 2:40 pm
Brian Cashman
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New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman signed another ex-superstar to a minor-league deal, ex-Angels-White Sox-Red Sox pitcher Bartolo Colon.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Colon will earn $900K in the majors and has the right to be released if he isn’t on the team after Spring Training.

Is Cashman really this desperate?

In 2005, Colon won the AL CY Young award, but has since completely imploded, both physically and mentally.

The following three seasons, 2006-2009, Colon had 14 wins in 47 starts, one complete game, allowed 44 balls to go yard, only had 172 strikeouts and pitched a total of 226 innings.

You might remember Colon back in 2008, when the Red Sox were the only ones interested in signing the overweight pitcher, who stood at 5’11″ and tipped the scale at 245 lbs.

Making seven starts for Boston, the injury-prone Colon found himself back on the DL again.

Colon then left Boston for his home in the Dominican Republic to tend to personal issues and never returned. The reason given was, “He didn’t feel like it.”

Colon’s attitude is why no team wanted him in the first place; add that to all the injuries and that, my friend, is the definition of being unreliable.

By no means am I trying to erase how talented Colon used to be, but since he took home pitching’s biggest honor, he has been a mess. Continue reading ‘Brain Cashman: GM Makes New York Yankees Look Desperate By Signing Bartolo Colon’ »

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Here Is A Bad Idea: Bartolo Colon In New York Yankee Pinstripes

Posted by on 31 December 2010, 11:13 am

The name Bartolo Colon and the New York Yankees should never be linked in a sentence again this offseason.

Yes, Colon won the 2005 American League Cy Young Award, but that is not what resonates in my memory.

Back in 2008, the Red Sox were the only team interested in signing the overweight pitcher, who stood at 5’11″ and tipped the scale at 245 pounds. Making seven starts as a member of the Red Sox, the injury-prone Colon found himself back on the DL again.

At the time, Colon left Boston for his home in the Dominican Republic to tend to personal issues and never left. The reason was he didn’t feel like it.

Colon’s attitude is why no team wanted him in the first place. Add that to all the injuries and that, my friend, is the definition of being unreliable.

By no means am I trying to overlook how talented Colon used to be, but since he took home pitching’s biggest honor, he has been a mess.

In 2005, Colon had 21 wins in 33 starts and two complete games, giving up 26 home runs, striking out 157 and pitching a total of 222 innings.

Then, from 2006-2009, Colon had 14 wins in 47 starts and one complete game, allowing 44 balls to go yard, recording 172 strikeouts and pitching a total of 226 innings.

Need I say more? Continue reading ‘Here Is A Bad Idea: Bartolo Colon In New York Yankee Pinstripes’ »

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Player Profile: Robinson Jose Cano #24 2B

Posted by on 10 March 2010, 8:31 am

Robinson Jose Cano, who is named after baseball hero Jackie Robinson, was born in 1982, in the Dominican Republic.

His father, Jose played baseball, signed by the Astros in 1980, but only played in a few major league games for the organization in 1989.

Drafted by the Yankees in 2001, Cano has been the team’s full time second baseman since May 2005.

Cano has one of the most natural swings in baseball. To witness such a relaxed power of the bat, that turns into this whipping movement is just neat to watch.

Cano’s quick and immediate success in 2006, left him just shy of winning the batting title, but was named an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger.

This drew unfair criticism for lapses at the plate in 2007 and 2008. This in turn caused any missed play in the field to be described lazy, which third-base coach, Larry Bowa made clear was far from true.

Still, this brought disappointment to fans, but it was also just enthusiasm. It is not common to see someone with Cano’s obvious, natural abilities.

Cano’s liability is he swings at everything. Slowing down to have better patienceat the plate does not work for him, and caused Cano to fight his own nature in 2008.

Overall Cano is one of the best at his position and has a cannon arm. If Arod had not re-signed in 2006, Cano could have slid right on over to third-base.

In 2009, Cano played in 161 games, most by any player league wide. In addition, Cano also had a .320 batting average (6th in AL), 204 hits (3rd in AL), .520 slugging percentage (17th in AL), 103 runs (6th in AL), .871 OPS (20th in AL) and a career high of 25 homers.

Cano started out strong and ended with the Yankees winning the World Series. No one will deny that Cano played an enormous part in the team’s success.

This season, Cano needs to be that kind-of player more than ever. He is key in the Yankees chance to repeat.

With his best buddy, Melky Cabrera headed for the Braves, Cano will have to adjust without him by his side.

At his prime age of 27, this is Cano’s year to shine. I believe Cano is up for the challenge in 2010 and will excel beyond expectations.

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Can Joe Girardi Repeat In 2010?

Posted by on 19 February 2010, 8:28 am

Last season’s switching of Damon and Jeter in the line-up, gave the Yankees a one-two impact that was hands-down, the best in the league.

Probably, the principal managerial choice of Joe Girardi made to date. It worked instantaneously, and made everyone wonder why Jeter had ever been in the second spot.

Jeter’s consistency of getting on base, shadowed by Damon’s hard switch-hitting bat will be a hard act to beat. Both players benefited, and so did the team.

Could it cost the Yanks a repeat? Can that kind-of chemistry be replaced?

It is going to impossible to do again, so how can Joe tweak the line-up?

Factor in the downgrade at DH, because Johnson is not equal to Matsui.

Johnson high OBP is irrelevant because getting on base requires running and being injury prone that is not his best option. So all the walks he draws will be useless if he gets thrown out constantly.

Granderson, a lefty-hitter is a powerhouse against right-handed pitchers. He has always been weak against lefties, but K. Long is a batting coach god so let’s see what he can do.

Still, who should be Jeter’s punch-buddy?

Let me play Girardi for a moment, and give the first thoughts of possible batting order:

Jeter

Granderson (swap Granderson and Johnson against lefties)

Tex

Arod

Cano

Johnson

Posada

Swisher

Gardner

Granderson has the speed for a perfect two hitter, and if he can lower his number of strikeouts this would be a nice fit. Continue reading ‘Can Joe Girardi Repeat In 2010?’ »

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