I don’t know nuthin’ about Wade Boggs, but I know this:

Joba belongs in the 8th inning.

Especially when he’s only given up 3 hits through 7.

They let him go because they had Scott Cooper
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Ouch, man!

MJ wrote:

As much as I wish it weren’t the case, the Yanks will keep Jeter around, irrespective of any stats he puts up at the new ballpark. He could be hitting .260/.340/.400 with his trademark shit fielding and the Yanks would still keep him around. The new park effects won’t factor into it.

You are overstating your case again! The last time I checked Jeter was still a viable entity on this team. He’s hitting quite well right now AND his has a track record to back it up despite his age. His fielding is not great BUT is it shitty? What games are you watching? Ones in the Twilight Zone? He’s OK at shortstop for sure BUT is he such a detriment that they have to use a really “shittier” player like Pena? I think not…..

He could be hitting .260/.340/.400 with his trademark shit fielding and the Yanks would still keep him around.
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I think it may be slightly unfair to refer to his fielding as shitty. He’s certainly not superior, and we all know his range to his left and his arm aren’t as good as other shortstops…but looking at last years UZR and his UZR this year he’s simply an average SS. I know that stat isn’t the end-all judgment of his defensive contribution, but is average fielding “shitty,” or is it just average?

As much as I wish it weren’t the case, the Yanks will keep Jeter around, irrespective of any stats he puts up at the new ballpark. He could be hitting .260/.340/.400 with his trademark shit fielding and the Yanks would still keep him around. The new park effects won’t factor into it.

As for Jeter, it depends on how well he does defensively, and how he hits on the road. It will probably be the same as when the Blake St. Bombers were looking for work.

Did the Red Sox let Wade Boggs go because he was old, had a home-park inflated BA, or both. (IIRC, Boggs was a lifetime .369 hitter at Fenway.)
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They let him go because they had Scott Cooper

Did the Red Sox let Wade Boggs go because he was old, had a home-park inflated BA, or both. (IIRC, Boggs was a lifetime .369 hitter at Fenway.)

Sort of the same situation now…if Jeter’s stats are inflated by the new Yankee Stadium.

That’s an interesting question. of course, its not like the Stadium is going anywhere, so he would keep getting that benefit. I do think it is a bit early for this, just because of the small sample, but I would like to point out that Jeter’s OPS on the road thus far would place him 5th among MLB SS in overall OPS. He’s playing pretty well, and he looks better at the plate.

I have a wild thought to offer my Yankee friends:

Let’s assume:
The apparent effect of the wind in Yankee Stadium turns out to be real, and it continues through the season.

As a result, Derek Jeter’s SLG % and homers take a jump – but its all because of the home field effect because the reality is that in a neutral park, Jeter has been and continues to decline.

So – to the casual observer, Jeter’s stats end up looking pretty darn good by the end of this season, but anyone who looks at his splits will realize that his slugging jumped because of the park.

My wild thought (or question) is, would this be a positive for the team or ultimately a negative? If rational analysis says that Jeter is declining, but his overall numbers don’t show it, how much tougher would it be to take that tough step and let him walk at the end of 2010? Doesn’t it become even tougher to play hard ball or let him walk? And is it possible that he parlays an apparent bounce-back year (or two) into a longer contract? Inevitably that has to be a bad thing, no one should rationally want another 38-40 year old guy making 15 million a year at a point where even the wind tunnel won’t launch his drives into the seats anymore.

If Jeter hits 22 homers this year, but 18 at home, does that make you want to keep him (its not like the homers don’t count) or does it actually reinforce the belief that he has to be fazed out or sent out to pasture?

I asked my Yankee fan brothers and they both told me that if Jeter’s splits are really bad, the team should bite the bullet and let him go. I don’t think they ever will, it just seems to me that the park effects could obscure the evidence of his decline, and it would ultimately hurt the team.