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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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Not bad news yet but not music in New York Yankee fans ears either

Posted by on 28 March 2012, 3:02 am

The bad news is that New York Yankees slugger Curtis Grandersonis hurting.

Curtis Granderson

Curtis Granderson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported that Yankees GM Brain Cashman confirmed that the reason Granderson was out of the line-up was due to a sore right elbow.

So, why is this necessarily bad news?

No not necessarily yet, but Cashman did go on to say that Granderson was having, “…a precautionary MRI tomorrow to make sure it’s nothing significant.”

No one gets an MRI unless a doctor is looking for the source of the pain, and needs to dig deeper because the x-rays and physical tests could not determine anything.

So, why does this make a “precautionary” MRI on Granderson’s elbow a serious concern?

Well speaking for myself, yes I am concerned for two reasons.

1) The first being that the Yankees use the word “precautionary” before an MRI a lot and in the past has turned into a serious injury or a lengthy DL stint too many times.

A recent example from last season is when Joba Chamberlain required Tommy John surgery. It was reported everywhere that Joba had a precautionary MRI exam.

Also last season; remember when Rafael Soriano did not appear in the 8th inning on May 11th?

The reason was stated as soreness in his throwing elbow, Soriano took the game off and will have a precautionary MRI exam. And he did not pitch again until end of July.

2) My own personal experience from a recent tennis injury. Continue reading ‘Not bad news yet but not music in New York Yankee fans ears either’ »

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New York Yankees: 3 pitching scenarios maybe 4

Posted by on 25 March 2012, 12:13 am

The New York Yankees have some pitching situations to solve.

I have narrowed it down to three or four possibilities based on what I believe the 2012 Opening Day rotation should be, which in order is Sabathia, Kuroda, Pineda, Nova and Hughes.

My crazy pitching diagram.

First being the plethora of starting pitching.

That leaves Freddy Garcia hanging out to dry, and initially I thought Garcia should go the bullpen but now since he is willing to hear any trade ideas that GM Brian Cashman should send Garcia hiking.

Second up is Andy Pettitte’s return, and what to do when the southpaw decides to grace us with his presence again.

Someone has to go either the bullpen, or more likely Triple-A Scranton as it allows the cast-off to keep his arm fresh by pitching every five days.

This should not be decided until Pettitte and the Yankees set a date. And the odd-man should not be told he is out until the day before Pettitte arrives. Determining ‘who’ should be performance based, so the biggest loser goes.

Thirdly, with the devastating news about Joba Chamberlain’s trampoline injury, which will sideline him indefinitely, the Yankees cannot just keep him on the payroll because they like him. It is not going to be easy but they need to cut Joba. I know it is harsh considering all the crap Joba has been put through but reality is the Yankees owe him $1.6 million for 2012 and reality is players are paid to play. Joba can be resigned next season, which I feel is the Yankees are almost obligated  to do if he can pitch. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: 3 pitching scenarios maybe 4’ »

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New York Yankees: Injury updates already

Posted by on 3 March 2012, 1:13 am

From the start to the end of Spring Training, players are warming-up their bodies to get ready for the 162-game grind of the regular season.

Unfortunately injury setbacks are inevitable, and daily reports sometimes seem endless but also remember that if a player feels anything is off, he will rest as a precautionary measure.

You can see the most up-to-date injury reports, team-by-team by visiting ESPN Injury Updates ; that is what I do many times daily.

So, here are the early setbacks that have already hit the New York Yankees, courtesy of ESPN: Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Injury updates already’ »

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New York Yankees: Robertson + Joba = Hughes

Posted by on 19 January 2012, 12:56 am
David Robertson

David Robertson probably throwing a strike. Image via Wikipedia

No wonder everyone wants to be a New York Yankee, as who wouldn’t want a boss that hands out half-million dollar raises based on poor performance due to laziness?

You can be sure Phil Hughes isn’t complaining.

Last season, Hughes showed up to Spring Training out of shape, and sat on the DL with shoulder and back injuries for the majority of the season. Ironically, Hughes not pitching was far more productive for the Yankees, all while earning $2.5 million in salary.

So, obviously the logical thing to do was for the Yankee brass to give Hughes a raise and agree to pay him $3.5 million, plus $300,000 more in incentives for the 2012 season, right?

Hughes’ raise certainly doesn’t explain why David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain are making $1.6 million and $1.65 million respectively in 2012.

Chamberlain made $1.4 million in 2011, and has been out since last June due to Tommy John surgery. So I am sure any raise was welcomed with open arms. Still prior to his elbow issues, Joba had finally settled in as a reliever and had become extremely effective. He was more vital to the team than Hughes was without a doubt.

Now regarding Robertson, the Yankees tripled the $460,450 he made in 2011. When considering a player’s overvalue to their team, Robertson was the unsung hero. He is a winner, and even coming out of the bullpen he won five games, same as Hughes.

Robertson was easily a top three middle reliever in 2011, as he was hailed to be what a young Mariano Rivera was to closer John Wetland. Just to give you an idea of how good he was, Robertson’s strikeouts per nine-innings average was 13.5 in 2011. He is literally a strikeout machine. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Robertson + Joba = Hughes’ »

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New York Yankees: The Cashman Rules

Posted by on 15 June 2011, 7:02 am

HISTORY OF THE “RULES”:

It would be almost impossible for any New York Yankees fan to forget about the infamous “Joba Rules” and “Hughes Rules”.

GM Brian Cashman gave the impression that these rules were set guidelines for rookie pitchers Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, with the intent to make their transition’s smooth, while allowing them to develop efficiently to elude injuries.

It definitely included a fixed innings limit, but my doubts started when Kristie Ackert of the NY Daily News reported that neither Cashman, nor skipper Joe Girardi would confirm the number of innings Joba was allowed to pitch in 2009.

Ackert’s closing line was: There were no real answers coming from the Yankees Thursday. “You’ll have to stay tuned,” Cashman, said.

From what I saw neither Joba nor Hughes ever was allowed to pitch pass the fifth or sixth innings due to these supposed limitations, regardless of how either was pitching that day.

Another pattern that formed was if either Joba or Hughes got into trouble early in a game, they were immediately yanked and what I thought the majority of the time was too soon.

Experiencing failures is what builds character, grows confidence; not babying the person who makes the mess by having someone else clean it up every time.

Looking back, all the fuss was more for the Yankees who constantly did what they perceived good for the team, not what was best for the Joba or Hughes, and you can also add Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy to the list.

Kennedy was traded because they Yankees grew unfairly impatient and now they are kicking themselves because Kennedy star is now shining brightly.

PROOF IS IN THE RESULTS:

How are Kennedy, Joba and Hughes doing today?

Ian Kennedy was traded in December of 2009 to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the three-team Curtis Granderson deal. Kennedy is having a career year, posting a 7-2, with a 3,23 ERA, threw a complete game and has gone 100 innings in total over 14 starts. He is finally turning into the pitcher the Yankees were hoping to see, but impatience got in the way of growth and the D-backs are the recipients.

Phil Hughes was stellar in 2009 coming out of the bullpen, playing a big part the team’s success. In 2010, Hughes won a spot back in the rotation, went on the win 18 games and named to his first All-Star team. Following playing in the 2010 All-Star Game, Hughes started to decline in the second-half of the season, but that he got more run support than any other MLB starter covered up just how bad it was. This season, Hughes couldn’t hide his lack of speed and control any longer. In three starts he went 0-1, with an ERA of 13.94, with just three strikeouts and batters were hitting just shy of .400 against him. Since, Hughes has been on the DL in hopes of waking-up what has been diagnosed as a “dead arm.” Whether Hughes can be effective is TBD.

Joba Chamberlain went from struggling as starter into the bullpen in 2011, where he was kicking butt posting a 2-0 record, with an ERA of 2.83 in 27 appearances. Suffering from some what was thought to be mild elbow discomfort, a pre-cautionary MRI revealed he needed Tommy John surgery. Joba won’t be pitch till about two months into 2012 season. This was a huge blow for the Yankees, who have the majority of the bullpen on the DL already.

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN NOW:

Upon hearing of Joba’s bad news a week ago, only leads to the fact that innings limits should be thrown out the window. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: The Cashman Rules’ »

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New York Yankees: Odds Not Good Of Jeter Reaching 3000 Hits In The Bronx

Posted by on 13 June 2011, 1:25 am

How Have Things Been Going At Yankee Stadium?

Since returning home, the New York Yankees have not had much luck.

After being swept by the Boston Red Sox, reliever Joba Chamberlain found out that he needed Tommy John surgery. The next day, starting pitcher Bartolo Colon was added to the Yankees ever-growing disabled list initially for just 15 days, but with a strained left hamstring and being 38-years-old it could take Colon longer, as it is a tricky injury to heal.

In the wake of a second Red Sox embarrassment in a month, the Yankees decided to play baseball again and the perfect time for the stumbling Cleveland Indians to come to the Bronx for a four game set.

The Indians had a hot start about two seasons too early. Now that reality has set in and the Tigers and White Sox have woken up the Indians reign atop the AL Central is about to end.

The Yankees have smacked the Tribe around, winning three in a row, and hoping to complete a four-game sweep on Monday night. The Yankees need to stay in the hunt, as they stay two games behind Boston and don’t want that gap to grow.

There are four games left in this home-stand, one remaining against the Tribe, followed by three games against the Texas Rangers and all eyes will be on the Captain Derek Jeter.

As any sports fan knows, Jeter is seven hits (2993) away from joining the elite 3000-hits club. Jeter’s name will be added to a list that dons just 27 other players in the history of the game, but what makes this more meaningful is he will be the first Yankee to do it.

How badly do Jeter, his teammates and especially the Yankee fans want the Captain to get his 3000th hit at home?

To say severely would be an understatement, because it should really happen in the Bronx where Jeter has played his entire career and in front of the city that worships him.

In addition, Yankee Stadium could use a boost because unlike in the past, “home” has not been much of an advantage in 2011 like it has in the past.

After Thursday afternoon’s match-up against the Rangers the Yankees hit the road for some inter-league play against the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, so it is now or never for the Captain.

Can Jeter get seven hits in four games to reach 3000 at Yankee Stadium?

Well, forecasting the mental aspect is something Jeter himself probably doesn’t know, but why not try to see if history equates into predicting the future.

Looking back on September 2009, when Jeter passed Lou Gehrig for most Yankee hits, he went cold for three games in a row, at home and all three were team wins before he tied it.

Here is a quick reference chart I made after reading stats on my favorite stats site BaseballReference.com:

DATE HITS TEAM RESULT
September 6, 2009 3 2715 8-14 vs. Blue Jays (L)
September 7, 2009 (1) 0 2718 4-1 vs. Rays (W)
September 7, 2009 (2) 0 2718 11-2 vs. Rays (W)
September 8, 2009 0 2718 3-2 vs. Rays (W)
September 9, 2009 3 2721* 4-2 vs. Rays (W)
September 11, 2009 2 2723** 4-10 vs. Orioles (L

*ties record on 3rd hit ** breaks record by 2 hits

The above shows that the Captain is human and got nervous at four hits away, but once that passed he did it without a hitch. So, if this indicates anything his 3000th hit will happen Saturday, June 18th in Chicago.

Please note that comparing breaking Gehrig’s record is a far-fetched measure to what will happen this week with Jeter. You have to realize that it is not common for a player to have one milestone in his career, so with Jeter having one less than two years ago is remarkable.

Without question this accomplishment should overwhelm the Captain because it is that monumental. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Odds Not Good Of Jeter Reaching 3000 Hits In The Bronx’ »

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