Torre: Losing Giambi Helped
From Jack Curry -
When Manager Joe Torre was asked Sunday to pinpoint when he thought the Yankees started turning it around, he mentioned Giambi’s being placed on the disabled list with a torn left plantar fascia on June 1.
“You hate to say this,” Torre said. “A big part of it was when Giambi went on the disabled list. At least you knew he wasn’t available.”
Without Giambi, the Yankees are 13-3 and have scored 6.9 runs a game. With Giambi, the Yankees were 22-29 and averaged 5.3 runs. After Giambi went on the disabled list, Torre moved Johnny Damon and his wobbly legs from center field to designated hitter and inserted the energetic Melky Cabrera in center. Also, Bobby Abreu, Robinson Canó and Hideki Matsui, left-handed hitters who were slumping, have contributed more.
Zone Rating [ZR] is the percentage of balls fielded by a player in his typical defensive “zone,” as measured by STATS, Inc.
Damon’s ZR in CF, to date, this year, is .878 – and Cabrera’s CF ZR is .925 (also, to date).
That’s like the difference between having Grady Sizemore in center over Jacque Jones. Having Melky in CF is a huge plus for the Yankees and their pitchers.
So, Torre is correct. Getting Damon into Giambi’s D.H. slot has helped the team. The question is: What happens when/if Giambi returns? Did Torre learn anything from the ALDS last year, in terms of what happens when you take Cabrera out of the line-up to give a returning disabled “star” his spot back in the line-up?
If I was a betting man, I would say that Joe makes the same mistake twice.
I tend to agree with this, I think that it gives the Yankees more flexibility when you don’t have someone who is locked into the DH spot and can’t do anything else.
You can’t really blame Torre for not benching Giambi either. I think one of the flaws with how the team is constructed is you have all these guys making big dollars and they have big egos to go with that, so Joe really has no choice but to play them. On other teams you might see guys getting benched when they aren’t playing well but Joe has to ride them out.
Giambi probably shouldn’t have been playing when he had his foot injury, but I think his salary and ego along with the teams struggles kept him in the lineup. I kind of like this team without Giambi, not that I wouldn’t mind having his bat in the lineup but I like the fact they can do different things without him there. If the Yankees continue to play well there is a part of me that hopes Giambi doesn’t come back or even gets suspended as crazy as that sounds.
It would seem that the best solution would be to put Damon at first when Giambi comes back, thereby enabling the team to play Melky and these two solid hitters. It’s encouraging that the team has been working Damon out at first and he claims he’s ready to play that position if need be.
Giambi probably shouldn’t have been playing when he had his foot injury, but I think his salary and ego along with the teams struggles kept him in the lineup.
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I would think it’s more a case of anticipated production than salary and ego.
As for last year’s ALDS, I would’ve done the same thing. No way do I keep hitters the caliber of Matsui & Sheffield on the bench.
Good point Raf.
It’s unfair to pin everything on Giambi getting hurt. That just happened to coincide with other things: A-Rod started hitting again, Abreu started hitting and Cano started hitting. It’s very important to keep Damon out of center and keep Melky out there, but Melky’s bat is negligible.
The pitching has also been more consistent since that point (with Clemens taking over for DeSalvo and Mussina looking better).
I’d keep Melky in center — despite his lackluster offense — any day. He’s that good in the field. But I don’t really think you can sustain both him and Cairo at the bottom of the lineup.
As Nick suggested, if Damon can play first, it would be a perfect scenario if Giambi makes it back.
I still don’t see how Damon at first would work. I just don’t see him being good over there, don’t you think with the 1B situation we have he would have played a game there by now?
Raf – the team anticipates production from Giambi and that is why he makes a big salary, DUH. But when he is not full strength they can’t expect to get full production from him, so I think his salary keeps him on the field.
If he didn’t produce and made peanuts they would just ship him out somewhere. The fact is the Yankees can’t bench Giambi because he makes too much money, so you have to put him out there and hope that he gives you what you are paying him for.
Obviously they EXPECT him to produce but I think part of why he was out there is because they are PAYING him to produce as well, so they can’t bench him, while someone who makes little money they can do whatever they want with.
Now all we need is for Matsui and A-Rod to go down and we’ll never lose!
Seriously, why don’t they just fucking release him. It’s clear the organization doesn’t like him, and wants to disassociate themselves from him.
I have never said this before, and I can’t believe I’m saying it now. I hope the Yankees release him or void his contract, or whatever, and he goes to Boston, and buries the Yanks in the playoffs.
He seems like a good dude, he did something wrong that a SHITLOAD of other players did. He copped to it, not to mention the fact that he’s an OBP machine, that he singlehandedly kept the Yanks in Game 7 of the ’03 ALCS, that he has had plenty of other high leverage hits. And yet Torre uses him last year to make A-Rod look like a fool, and now this year says “I hate to say it but things picked up when he went down.”
What a bunch of crap.
The Yanks can do whatever they want with Giambi; bench him, trade him, release him. His salary and splits didn’t stop the Yanks from making him a full time DH.
Given the other options, it’s not suprising that the Yanks kept Giambi in the lineup.
The organization will find a way to make use of a player no matter the salary. History has shown that.
Anyone think Giambi will play beyond his current contract? He’s had so many issues and injuries. I wonder if he’ll retire after ’08.
Can anyone see him taking a home-town-discount deal with Oakland, or maybe some other west-coast team?
If an AL team moves to Vegas, I could see Giambi giving them a discount to play there.
Anyone think Giambi will play beyond his current contract? He’s had so many issues and injuries. I wonder if he’ll retire after ’08.
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It depends on Giambi, I suppose. The team signing him will take a chance on him being healthy, like the A’s did with Frank Thomas, or the ________ did with Juan Gonzalez.