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New York Yankees: Who was hot

Posted by on 14 March 2012, 2:35 am
Iván Nova prior to the New York Yankees game a...

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The plain and simple fact is that New York Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova was looking hot.

And NO…. I did not mean in a sexual way, but on the mound as Nova was throwing heat last night in his second outing of the spring.

Nova pitched four innings, allowing just two hits, no runs and fanned three of Bobby Valentine’s Red Sox.

Boston did win the game 1-0 but this isn’t the regular season and Spring Training the outcomes are meaningless, it is what is in between that fans should focus on.

As for Nova, he silenced all the haters’ uncertainty about his lack of command. His change-up and slider almost looked identical and his fastball was clocking in at 92-95 mph on the radar gun.

And according to ESPN’s Andrew Marchand the timing couldn’t have been better, as skipper Joe Girardi announced, “he is going to start judging now.”

You can be certain that Nova has given his skipper plenty to think about, as after that kind of outing he is emerging into what I see as the Yankees number three. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Who was hot’ »

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New York Yankees: 3 reasons to tune into Spring Training

Posted by on 9 March 2012, 4:24 pm
 For the most part, Spring Training stats and standings (wins and loses) can be ignored. But that doesn’t mean fans should completely ignore watching any Spring Training games because there are some worthwhile and interesting situations to keep an eye on.

Here are three reasons that I keep the channel on the YES or MLB Network every March:

  1. Injuries are what I watch for in Spring Training, both new and old. A lot of players are returning from serious injuries and fans want to see if they are still effective. This holds especially true for pitchers and looking at their K/9 and K/BB can be very useful. Also, observe their mound presence by re-watching a few innings prior to the injury and compare their general motion etc. Unfortunately, Spring Training also means new injuries will occur all over the place, and all fans can do is have to pray that their team avoids any that are season changing.
  2. Watching players fight it out for a job. You want to try to avoid emphasizing actual stats when judging a spring competition. Try and look at the bigger picture I guess from of a skipper’s viewpoint instead of judging as a fan. If that makes sense, but it does depend on what job is up for grabs too. Is it a starting role or a backup? If it is a bullpen job, how they fit into the overall puzzle. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: 3 reasons to tune into Spring Training’ »

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New York Yankees: 2012 starting rotation two down and three to go

Posted by on 29 February 2012, 2:31 am
English: Photograph of Hiroki Kuroda on pitche...

Kuroda on the mound as a Dodger. Image via Wikipedia

It is no secret that the New York Yankees main focus this Spring Training is to figure out the 2012 starting pitching rotation.

Up to now, skipper Joe Girardi has only confirmed the obvious, that ace CC Sabathia will be the Yankees’ Opening Day starter vs. the Tampa Bay Rays, on April 6th at Tropicana Field.

Now you can add Hiroki Kuroda to the list, as Girardi revealed that the right-hander is the second confirmed arm in the 2012 rotation. As via the Associated Press, Girardi said:

“We’ve got six guys for five spots … and you really can look at it as, you’ve got CC and you’ve got Kuroda. So, you’ve got four guys for three spots.”

This Kuroda news should come as no surprise, as it did cost the Yankees $10 million bucks to bring the 36-year olds talents from Dodger-land to the Bronx for the 2012 season. And GM Brian Cashman did not make that deal for Kuroda to come out of the bullpen that is for sure.

Actually, the Yankees skipper summed it up best:

“You signed Kuroda to start, you signed all these guys to start. Kuroda has a big track history.”

What about the 3, 4, & 5 spots? Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: 2012 starting rotation two down and three to go’ »

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New York Yankees: Do you know who to watch this spring?

Posted by on 28 February 2012, 4:16 am

With 2012 Spring Training games about to start, the question on New York Yankee fans is who are you most excited to see play this spring?

Yankees prospect Manny Banuelos. Image via newsday.com

My answer was easy, pitching prospect Manny Banuelos.

It is no secret that Banuelos has been on my radar for some time now, as I first wrote about him back in November of 2010 as being the Yankees Cheapest Cliff Lee Back-Up Plan.

Why Banuelos?

When I saw the 5’10 lefty last Spring Training, my immediate thought was this kid is a future ace, just read Manny Mania, Manny Rules.

What was so impressive was that Banuelos clearly displayed the maturity of a Major League pitcher (read New York Finally Gets A Manny); by the way he controlled his emotions on the mound. No doubt there were flaws as he walked guys, but he remained poised when he got into jams.

A native Mexican features three pitches; a mid-nineties+ fastball with remarkable movement; a wicked change-up and a curveball that need some work so it will be interesting to see how it looks a year later.

Banuelos has a very consistent delivery off the mound and that should have allowed him to work on tweaking his pitching mechanics more over the last year.

In a recent interview, Marc Craig from the Star Ledger asked Banuelos, where do you want to get better and the almost 21-year old answered: Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Do you know who to watch this spring?’ »

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New York Yankees: Who likes criticizing Mo cause I do not

Posted by on 22 February 2012, 1:00 am
New York Yankee closer Mariano Rivera before a...

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Unfortunately it seems there’s always a first time for everything.

Good or Bad.

And criticizing New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera will be a first for me.

FIRST, LET ME SAY HOW I FEEL ABOUT MO:

Rivera is not only the greatest closer to ever play the game; he is the paramount of a role model for the way he handles himself both on and off the field.

Baseball fans and players alike worship him, and you realize that this after hearing ex- Red Sox, now Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon once told MLB.com Ian Browne:

“I owe a lot of gratitude to him because of what he’s done. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him. I think everybody knows that. The closer’s role wouldn’t be as noted. More and more now, people and teams and fans are starting to realize, because of Mariano, how important it is to have that closer to win a World Series,” he went on to say, “When you look up closer, the definition, in the dictionary, that’s Mariano.”

Anyone who hears Rivera’s genuine humble demeanor after he just struck out the side in a one-run ballgame falls instantly in love with this man.

Never taking his job for granted, Rivera is a shoe-in, on a speed train heading straight into Cooperstown.

It is absolutely impossible to think of life after Mo, but at 42 years old his time to wave goodbye is coming but it just feels like it is too soon.

Having Rivera on the Yankees is the pride, power and the pinstripes.

MY CRITICISM:

It is no secret that Rivera’s contract expires at the end of 2012, but he does have the option to exercise a one-year extension, if he so wishes. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Who likes criticizing Mo cause I do not’ »

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New York Yankees: Who to watch this spring

Posted by on 17 February 2012, 3:52 am
CC Sabathia

Image via Wikipedia

This Sunday, pitchers and catchers report to 2012 Spring Training, and like most baseball fans, I feel like a kid on the night before Christmas.

The New York Yankees might not be able to top the Lin-sanity going on at Madison Square Garden, but you’d be hard pressed to find anything that could.

Still, one week of Lin-somnia doesn’t change a century in pinstripes, or the unrelenting anticipations put on the boys in the Bronx each season.

So, what will I be watching for this Spring Training?

1) As I said before the pitching rotation competition looks to be a dogfight. For now, all we know is pitching coach Larry Rothschild clearly stated that CC Sabathia is No. 1 and after that is a toss-up, literally. Also, skipper Joe Girardi told MLB.com that Sabathia would pitch the first game of season for the Yankees, as he is the team’s ace. After Sabathia, the other four spots will be determined this spring between Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, Hiroki Kuroda, Freddy Garcia, Phil Hughes and AJ Burnett.

2) How will AJ Burnett be affected by the inundated, almost borderline psychotic obsession everyone had with the Yankees getting rid of the righty? I have never seen such mayhem caused by a just a trade rumor. The talk has gotten pretty nasty. The only real deal, reported on MLB Trade Rumors, was from the Angels who wanted to send Bobby Abreu back to New York for the pitcher, but Burnett nixed that and rightly so as his wife doesn’t fly and everyone knows they live in Maryland. So, for now it doesn’t look like Burnett is going anywhere. I just try to picture how badly the situation would make me feel. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Who to watch this spring’ »

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New York Yankees: 2012 Spring Training Schedule

Posted by on 16 February 2012, 3:12 am

With pitcher and catchers reporting to 2012 Spring Training this Sunday, my guess is that New York Yankee fans might want to check out the team’s schedule to see what games spark your baseball interest .

So, here is the New York Yankees 2012 Spring Training game schedule:

2012 NYY SpringTraining Schedule

Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: 2012 Spring Training Schedule’ »

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