At least for one turn of the rotation. Chad Jennings has the story.
Hey, somebody has to bring Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin their water bottles….
Via the Yankees today -
“We remain profoundly grateful and touched by the many expressions of sympathy and support from so many. We wish to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers, which we continue to hold close. We are especially appreciative that our family’s privacy was respected as we grieved the loss of George.
We know we will always share George’s memory with Yankees fans everywhere, and a monument in his honor to be located in Monument Park will reflect the special connection, appreciation and responsibility that George felt for New York Yankees’ fans everywhere as they were always uppermost in his mind.”
The Monument Park dedication will be held in New York on Monday, September 20, 2010 at Yankee Stadium, prior to that evening’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
There will be a tribute to his life in Tampa at the opening game of spring training in March of 2011.
While there are many plaques in Monument Park, there are actually few monuments. So, to me, this is a pretty big deal. But, I fully understand why they are doing it.
Who the heck is Jose Bautista? He went from scrub to the right handed version of early 00′s David Ortiz. In any event, he was the story of this one and took over the game completely with his 2 homers, one being the game winner off of Robertson.
This was a tough loss. Nova pitched extremely well in his first start, flashing some pretty good stuff in the process. He was hitting 96-97 with good frequency on the fastball, (dropping down to 92-93 at times) had a nice change-up and a hammer breaking ball (12-6 variety that was pretty good aside from the Bautista homer). I would like to see the Yanks give him the ball again soon because Nova has the tools that could not only help the rotation down the stretch, but perhaps allow him to sneak on the post season roster and make an impact from the bullpen.
The offense really let Nova down last night. Anytime you’ve got a young arm coming up from the minors to make a start, and they give you nearly 6 innings of 2 run ball, that’s a game that you have to win. What did the offense do? Strike out, mostly. Aside from Cano (and the Posada double), the offense looked pretty pedestrian last night (granted it was the D lineup).
Even worse, Tampa and Boston both pick up a game on the Yanks with the Rays now being tied for first. The best thing you can take out of this is that Nova at the very least looks like he can help the team. Wonder who signed that guy?
So, this morning, we see the Yankees and Rays tied for first in the A.L. East, each at 77-48, with 37 games left to play this season.
Clearly, now, it’s a 37-game season to determine the winner in the A.L. East. And, between New York and Tampa, whoever wins the most of those 37 games will take the crown.
However, forget about the Tampa Bay Bays for the moment. Well, actually, what I should say is forget about the A.L. East for the moment and just think about making the post-season in 2010.
Presently, both the Yankees and Rays lead the Boston Red Sox, by 5 1/2 games, in the A.L. Wildcard standings.
So, any combination of Yankees wins and Red Sox losses that equal 32 over the remaining games this season means the Yankees have locked up a post-season berth in 2010.
Or, in other words, if the Yankees just play one game over .500 baseball between now and season end, and go 19-18 over than span, the Red Sox would need to go 24-12 at the same time to avoid finishing behind them (and tie New York).
Will the Yankees play just one-game over .500 the rest of the way, and, can the Red Sox play “.667 baseball” from here out at the same time? I doubt it. And, so should the Yankees.
Basically, the Yankees just need to show up and win more than they lose over the next 37 games. And, when it’s all said and done, they’ll be in the post-season this year. And, because of the wildcard, there really isn’t any tension around winning the A.L. East. The dress is in the bag.
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The bottom part of the Yankees starting line-up tonight:
6. Curtis Granderson CF
7. Eduardo Nunez SS
8. Ramiro Pena 3B
9. Francisco Cervelli C
That’s like spotting the Blue Jays a free 12 outs, or more, no?
By somebody, so tweets Jon Heyman.
Motown has 48 hours to work out a deal with the claiming team. If not, the Tigers can pull Damon back and keep him this season. Or, they could just let him go on the claim and dump his salary.
Pretty interesting stuff…stay tuned.
Update: One rumor says it’s the Red Sox.
Update: Most MSM members are tweeting that it was the Red Sox who claimed him.
Update: Via Ed Price – “Damon can block and told me he’s not inclined to go back to Boston”
Today is the 1,952th day that this blog has existed. And, this is the 10,000th post published in its history.
These are very big numbers – more than I ever imagined to be possible, back on April 20, 2005.
So, thanks to all for their interest in WasWatching.com over this time. If you keep showing up, I’ll be here with something for you. Lastly, please, keep the comments coming. Those, along with the visitor counts, keep reminding that I’m not spending a lot of time here doing something absent of reason. As long as my fellow Yankees and/or baseball fans get something out of this, that’s a great reason to keep doing it.
Via the Taipei Times -
Winning the gold medal was the goal of each player on the 18-and-under Taiwanese national team at the World Junior Baseball Championship that concluded earlier this month in Thunder Bay, Canada. But many of the players are also aiming for an even bigger prize — one day suiting up for the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers or another major league baseball team.
It’s Lin Tzu wei’s (林子偉) dream. The third baseman was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, with a batting average over .600 and 12 runs scored for Taiwan, which plays under the Chinese Taipei banner.
Lin says he hopes one day to play major league baseball like Wang Chien-ming (王建民). In fact, at this point in his career, he’s one step ahead of Tawain’s most famous baseball player. His team did better than the silver medalists Wang pitched for in 1997, joining the 1983 squad as the only other team from Taiwan to win the gold medal.
Since its inception in 1981, the World Junior Baseball Championship has featured many players who have gone on to become major league stars. Tournament alumni, in addition to Wang, include players such as American League MVP Joe Mauer, catcher for the Minnesota Twins; Kendry Morales of the Los Angeles Angels, who played for Cuba; and South Korean Shin-Soo Choo of the Cleveland Indians.
Some of the best up-and-coming 16 to 18-year-old players in the world were at the 12-team event, a fact not lost on the 30 major league franchises, which are all involved in the highly competitive process of identifying the best future players. According to Warren Philp, the lead organizer of the tournament in Thunder Bay, about 80 scouts attended the event, in addition to agents and MLB officials, many of whom came with stopwatches, radar guns and notepads, observing carefully and trying to discover the next Wang Chien-ming.
Kevin Goldstein is reporting that the Yankees have now signed this kid for $350,000.
There’s a theory going around that the Dodgers will place Manny Ramirez on waivers this week and that he may pass through – because he’s due $3.6 million between September 1st and the end of the season. Related, as the rumors go, if he clears waivers, the Rays or White Sox would then be willing to pick up the phone and call L.A. to discuss a deal for Manny. (Here, I’m guessing, that the Dodgers would kick in some cash in order to get a prospect in return.)
Of course, we all know that Ramirez can be a dog when he wants to be, etc. But, on the flip-side, when he’s motivated, he can be a one-man wrecking crew with the bat. And, that could be bad news for the Yankees, in the post-season, should Tampa or Chicago pick him up and then face New York in October.
So, if this all shakes out this week, as rumored, should the Yankees also call L.A. and try to acquire Manny, and, at the least, block him from going to the Rays or Chisox? What do you think?
Here’s the list:
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There’s about a year-and-a-half or two years to go on the current collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and its union, so soon we should begin hearing the drumbeat of competitive balance, teams losing money and the need for a salary cap (i.e. cost control for the owners).
Historically, MLBPA has pushed management to open its books and show these losses, something MLB has been loathe to do.
Well now, the financial statements from the Pirates, Marlins, Mariners, Angels and Rays have all been put out there in the ether by those rascals at Deadspin.
A lot of it is pretty opaque, at least to my non-accountant’s eye, but Maury Brown has already looked at the Pirates and has begun looking at the rest of the treasure trove.
How is this Yankee-related? Well, any cost containment system is really, by default, a “Yankee tax.” So, for comparison’s sake, I for one hope the next round of financial data that comes out is the Yankees, or, if the Bombers brass were interested in message control and framing the debate, I’d be interested in seeing them voluntarily open their books.
Several years ago there were reports the Yankees were losing between $50 and $85 million, figures that if true and disclosed would give the Yankees a bat and ball to play with when discussions of more revenue sharing and luxury taxes come up.
Five day games in a row – Thursday through Monday? And, that’s followed by a night game on Tuesday – and then another day game on Wednesday. That’s six “day” home games in a span of seven games. Did someone confuse the Yankees with the Cubs?
I was just thinking about some of the true “bomb” home runs to be hit in the new Yankee Stadium (so far).
Of course, there is Russell Branyan. On 8/21/10, he became the first player to hit one in to the upper (fourth) deck in right field – an estimated 440 feet away from home plate. And, last season, on 7/2/09, he became the first player to hit one off the Mohegan Sun Restaurant in center field – an estimated 451 feet from home plate.
Perhaps the longest bomb, to date, by an opposing player at the new Yankee Stadium came on 5/22/09 when Chien-Ming Wang allowed Raul Ibanez to hit a monter off him – going over the Yankees bullpen – an estimated 477 feet from home plate. Also, on 6/12/10, Hunter Pence launched one over the visitor’s bullpen in left-center – an estimated 438 feet from home plate.
Javier Vazquez gave up the long balls to Branyan and Pence this season. Alfredo Aceves allowed the homer to Branyan last season.
Have any Yankees hit home runs at their new home that have gone an estimated 450 feet or more?
I believe it’s been just two – both this season. On 5/19/10, Alex Rodriguez took Wade Davis to center field for an estimated 452 feet. And, on 6/16/10, Robinson Cano took Jamie Moyer to deep right for an 451 feet.
It’s funny, when I think of famous long or “first” home runs at the last Yankee Stadium, I think of Disco Dan Ford, Kenny Singleton and Juan Encarnacion. And, now, I wonder, years from now, will I (and anyone else) think about Branyan, Ibanez and Pence?
CC Sabathia is making history.
With the win today, he has made 20 consecutive home starts without a loss. He is one shy of the Yankee record held by Whitey Ford.
Technically, CC did lose a home start in the playoffs (Game 1 of the World Series). But for our purposes, the last time Sabathia lost at Yankee Stadium was over a year ago – July 2, 2009 against the Mariners.
Over those 20 starts, he is a remarkable 15-0 with a 2.17 ERA. In 13 home starts this year, he is 10-0 with a 2.47 ERA.
It has been almost three months since CC gave up more than three runs in a start (May 29th was the last time he did this). He has failed to pitch six innings just three times. In comparison, A.J. Burnett has failed to pitch six innings nine times.
Since coming to the Yankees, Sabathia has been a workhorse, averaging about seven innings per start. He pitched extremely well in the postseason last year and is on pace to win more than 20 games this year. He has been everything and more that the Yankees could have expected.
I was just noodling the Yankees players of the last two years – most of them – and thinking about the ones that I like and dislike, in a totally subjective way, as a Yankees fan. Here’s how that hashed out:
I really like: Brett Gardner, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Hideki Matsui, Jerry Hairston
I like: Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Marcus Thames, Kevin Russo, Colin Curtis, Eduardo Nunez, CC Sabathia, Boone Logan, Alfredo Aceves, David Robertson, Dustin Moseley, Kerry Wood (more than I thought I would), Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, Eric Hinske, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Coke
I neither like or dislike, they’re just “there” for me: Francisco Cervelli, Nick Swisher (although he’s growing on me), Ramiro Pena, Juan Miranda, Lance Berkman, Austin Kearns, Phil Hughes, Sergio Mitre, Ivan Nova, Romulo Sanchez, Jose Molina, Cody Ransom, Xavier Nady, Shelley Duncan, Freddy Guzman, Mark Melancon
I dislike: Curtis Granderson (soley based on performance), Nick Johnson, A.J. Burnett (based more on perfomance than personality), Damaso Marte, Joba Chamberlain, Chad Gaudin, Jonathan Albaladejo, Angel Berroa, Brett Tomko, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez
I really dislike: Alex Rodriguez (based more on personality than performance, but, also including this year’s performance), Javier Vazquez, Chan Ho Park, Brian Bruney
If you had to go through the same exercise, how would your list shape up?
Via Joel Sherman today –
The Yankees began play yesterday with a one-game lead over the Rays in the AL East. On July 23 (through 95 games), the Yanks led the division by four games, their biggest edge of the season. Only twice since divisional play began in 1969 have the Yankees had a lead that large and not won the division.
In 1973, they led the AL East by four games through July 2 (99 games). In 1987, the Yanks led by five games through July 5 (82 games). Both years, the Yanks wound up fourth, so they wouldn’t have been a wild card even if there were such a thing then.
This year the largest separation between the Yankees and falling behind the wild-card leader was an eight-game gap on July 26. They went into yesterday with a 6 1⁄2-game edge over Boston, the AL team with the best record not currently in playoff position.
Through 123 games last year, the Yankees were 77-46 compared to a near-identical 76-47 this season. But they already led the AL East by 61⁄2 games and were 81⁄2 games up on any playoff spot. The Rays were third in the AL East at 67-55, not much different than the fourth-place Blue Jays (64-57) are this year.
“We are better, but our competition is much better, too,” [Brian] Cashman said. “That is what makes our record even more impressive — because our competition is so much tougher. Toronto is in fourth place in our division, and I think if you put them in a lot of other divisions, they win it. The East is a beast.”
Beginning tomorrow, the only team left on the Yankees’ schedule that entered the weekend with a losing record is Baltimore. And this version of the Orioles, under Buck Showalter, is different from the first-half patsies.
The Yanks’ final 13 games are against the Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays, which poses a potentially lethal close. Consider that the Rays play four in The Bronx from Sept. 20-23 and then their final 10 games are against bottom-feeding Seattle, Baltimore and Kansas City. So the Yanks probably had better have some cushion with 10 to play if they are going to win the division.
If the Red Sox can just hang close to the Yanks, they potentially could determine their own fate because six of their final 10 games are against the Yanks, including three in The Bronx to close the year.
The ultimate spoiler here is Toronto. Beginning with this weekend, half of the Blue Jays’ 42 games left were against the top three teams in the division, including nine (the most) against the Yankees. And the Jays are a spry underdog. They headed into yesterday with the best record (20-12) in the AL East since the All-Star break.
Should be a fun close to the season, this year, in Yankeeland, huh?
Both have been written up by Baseball America and Frankie Piliere. Both have had fantastic seasons coming back from injury. Both have restored their good names as prospects, not only within the organization but in baseball.
This.
Bob Klapisch shares the following today –
Javier Vazquez spoke in long, seamless sentences, sticking to his what-me-panic script after a horrific outing against the Mariners on Saturday. But the longer he spent at his locker, the more obvious it became that neither Vazquez nor the Yankees have any idea what’s happened to what was once an elite right-hander.
Vazquez was lifted after three innings, having given up four runs on eight hits. Vazquez faced 18 batters in three innings, 12 of whom hit the ball hard — including three home runs. He continues to live in a pitcher’s purgatory, stripped of his fastball, unable to locate his secondary stuff, glancing over his shoulder after every hit, as if Joe Girardi was on his way from the dugout.
“Man, I wish I knew. We’ve been talking about this for a long time,” Vazquez said wearily when asked for an explanation.
“I’m not locating; I’m not getting ahead; I’m behind in every count,” Vazquez said. He’s right, of course, but there’s more. Vazquez’s bad counts are attributable to his fear of throwing strikes, which stems from fear of contact. That’s what happens to pitchers who’ve lost their confidence.
While no one has suggested Vazquez is hurt, his trendclearly is disturbing club officials. It’s not just the fastball that’s shrunk from its peak 92 mph to 88 mph a month ago to its current lower 80s. It’s the way hitters are loading up against him.
Reading this, all I can think about is all those who wrote, before the start of this season, about how this is not the “Javier Vazquez of 2004″ we were going to see this season; and, about how many, during this season, have opined about Vazquez being a “representative 4th starter” and exactly filling the expectations of what the Yankees had for him this season.
Well, to me, if sure looks like Javy Vazquez, this season, is the same turkey who was pitching for the Yankees in ’04. And, if this is what you expect from your 4th starter in a big league rotation, then I have a used “Brian Moehler” that I would like to sell you…
Justin Sablich has the report:
…but after the game Manager Joe Girardi said that [Alex] Rodriguez was heading to the 15-day disabled list.
“We don’t feel that he’s any worse than he was the time before,” Girardi said. “But we’re just gonna play it extremely safe here and know that we have a player in 15 days.”
“Sometimes you’re going to think that they’re ready, and they’re just not because it’s hard to recreate the intensity that you put into a game,” Girardi said.
The right-hander Ivan Nova will take Rodriguez’s roster spot and make his first major league start on Monday in Toronto.
Girardi said Nova’s start is intended to give each of his other starters an extra day of rest and that he is not looking ahead too much farther than that.
According to STATS, the Yankees are 11-0 without Rodriguez in the lineup this season. It will be interesting to see what that mark is by the time Alex comes off the D.L.
It will also be interesting to see if Ivan Nova replaces Javy Vazquez in the starting rotation before the end of the season.
This is one of those games where you knew the Yanks would lose in the top of the 1st. Once Burnett’s offering was crushed by the lowly Russel Branyon, you knew the Yanks couldn’t recover. It’s ironic that I just read the report from Baseball America via MJ that stated that Burnett had the 2nd best curve ball in baseball. Last night, Burnett had NO curve ball whatsoever. He was basically a 1 pitch pitcher and he paid for it.
I can’t really but much blame on the offense cause hey, its King Felix. Aside from the fact that he’s one of the best pitchers in the league, it seems Hernandez has the Yanks number too. The Yankees, this season in 99 PA (3 games), are hitting just .176/.242/.253 which translates to a 0.35 ERA for King Felix with a 31-8 K/BB Ratio in 26 innings. It’s hard to believe that King Felix is just Phil Hughes age. Seems like he’s been around forever.
At this point, I wonder if it makes sense to shelf A-Rod for 2 weeks and let him heal up for the October push. He’s not helping anyone by pulling up lame after a ground out in the 1st.
Thanks to Oakland and Toronto, the Yankees don’t pay for this game in the standings. Hopefully Vazquez can put them back on track this afternoon.
Via Bryan Hoch -
The Yankees sent right-hander Zach McAllister to the Indians on Friday, as the player to be named later, completing the July 30 trade for outfielder Austin Kearns.
The 22-year-old McAllister was regarded as one of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects coming into this campaign, earning selection last season as the club’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year with Double-A Trenton and ranked as New York’s fifth-best prospect by Baseball America.
McAllister had spent all of this year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going 8-10 with a 5.09 ERA in 24 starts, ranking 11th in the International League in innings pitched (132 2/3). He was a third-round selection in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.
Coming into this season, McAllister was ranked by BBA as the 34th best RH SP prospect in all of baseball. And, at the end of last season, BBA had him as the Yankees 5th best prospect, overall.
He’s a big kid. Still only 22-years old. But, he doesn’t light up the radar gun like guys such as Brackman and Betances. I guess the Yankees see him as a heavier version of Tyler Clippard – and thus expendable. Maybe he’ll get a movie deal now that he’s been labeled as such?
In case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t been around all that much for the last seven days.
Last Saturday, we spent most of the day at my in-laws, and, on Sunday, we spent most of the day visiting with my parents. Then, on Monday, I took my family down to Great Adventure for the day. The following day, Tuesday, we went down to beach at Belmar for fun in the sand, sun and surf. And, on Wednesday, after lunch, we visited the Raritan Valley Community College Planetarium and then went out for pizza. Finally, yesterday, we spent the day at the Franklin Institute down in Philly.
Yes, it’s been a week’s worth of day-tripping for us. And, it was lots of fun.
Even today, I was sort of MIA from the blog. My wife, the kids, and I had a super brunch, ran some errands, and then hit the pool club for a swim, a picnic, followed by a summer evening treat.
Now, I wasn’t totally out of the picture here. I did make some early morning posts before we hit the road each day. And, I would take a peek in at things in the evening when we came home. But, for the most part, I was probably at 10% “blogging speed” for the last week.
And, you know what? I liked it. And, the whole thing has given me pause to re-think how I go about using this blog.
Yes, this isn’t the first time that I’ve given my blogging here some second thought. And, it probably won’t be the last. Nonetheless, I’m now wondering if I want to continue with the way things have been trending for my blogging. It’s in play and in the hopper, now, for sure.
Need an example? Well, as we saw today, the Yankees still can’t touch King Felix, the new Pedro. And, A.J. Burnett was bad again tonight. Also, A-Rod came back, sorta-kinda, and then went away again. That package, usually, would set me off pretty good. But, tonight, I’m more looking forward to some things that I’ll be doing the next two days. And, I’m more upset about the fact that just about every pro-baseball team in New Jersey is on the road this Sunday – sans the Jackals who will be hosting another Jersey team, the Skyhawks, at night. (I was hoping to catch a game Sunday afternoon.)
Besides, what does bitching about the Yankees get me, anyway? It used to be a nice way to vent. Yet, these days, when I do it, it just gives the twitter-livers the fodder that they crave.
In fact, now, rather than go on more about this, I’m going to hit the hay. Why? At this moment, that’s the most important thing that I want to do. Good night, WasWatching.com.
Sports Radio Interviews has the story.
Let’s not forget what Miggy Tejada got: 100 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine. Betcha Clemens isn’t sweating this whole thing too much…
Frankie Piliere’s munificence knows no boundaries, apparently. After giving us scouting reports on Andrew Brackman and Manny Banuelos, he has now come through with another glowing report, this time on Dellin Betances.
As he concluded with Brackman and Banuelos, Piliere likes what he sees from Betances as well. He specifically went out of his way to praise Betances by calling his talent “as good as anyone at the minor league level.”
But since he was drafted, there’s never been much doubt that Betances had potentially all-world type stuff. Thankfully, his elbow surgery has not robbed him of that. It may have, in fact, given him more time to develop his changeup and refine his delivery. Those two categories have both gone from potential weaknesses to strengths.
The bottom line here is this: keep Dellin Betances on the mound and healthy and his talent is as good as anyone at the minor league level. Health is the only thing that can hold him back.
Wow. With these three guys, Graham Stoneburner, Adam Warren and a few others, it’s not a stretch to say that the Yankees have pitching talent all across their organizational spectrum.
Have you seen “The Three Faces Of Phil Hughes”? Check out these splits for Phil Hughes, to date, this season:
His first 6 starts: 1.38 ERA (in 39 IP) and .165/.243/.203 BA/OBA/SLG allowed (148 BF)
His next 9 starts: 5.56 ERA (in 55 IP) and .286/.329/.484 BA/OBA/SLG allowed (235 BF)
His next 8 starts: 4.05 ERA (in 46.6 IP) and .261/.295/.418 BA/OBA/SLG allowed (193 BF)
If this were a Western, it would be called “The Great, The Ugly and The Average.”
What’s really interesting is when you compare Hughes, to date, against what Joba Chamberlain did in his first 23 starts of last season:
Hughes: 23 GS, 140.6 IP, 3.90 ERA, .247/.296/.391 BA/OBA/SLG allowed (576 BF) – Yanks went 17-6 in his starts
Chamberlain: 23 GS, 126.6 IP, 3.98 ERA, .257/.353/.415 BA/OBA/SLG allowed (560 BF) – Yanks went 16-7 in his starts
Could those numbers be any closer?
So, what do you think? Has Hughes, as a starter in 2010, been any better than what Chamberlain did, as a starter in 2009, when you look at them after their first 23 starts of the season?
Guess what time it is? Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet time!
Last week, Yankee farmhands Jesus Montero and Manny Banuelos held the first and third positions, respectively. This week, our minor leaguers took down the gold and silver! RHP Adam Warren (Double-A Trenton) and RHP Ivan Nova (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) have the honors.
Adam Warren
Team: Double-A Trenton (Eastern)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 1 GS, 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 HBP, 1 BB, 15 SO, 1.0 G/F
The Scoop: Among Eastern League pitchers, only Harrisburg’s Tommy Milone (50) has more strikeouts than does Warren (44) since the latter joined the league on July 16. But Warren is gaining fast. Including his seven-inning, 15-strikeout gem against Bowie on Wednesday, he now has notched a 28-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his past three starts, covering 17 innings.A fourth-round pick from North Carolina last year, Warren has raised his profile virtually with each start. He helped pitch short-season Staten Island to the New York-Penn League title in his pro debut and then this season made short work of the high Class A Florida State League, going 7-5, 2.22 in 15 starts, recording 67 strikeouts in 81 innings.
While Warren lacks true front-line stuff, it’s more than firm enough to succeed as a mid-rotation starter. He commands both a two-seam and four-seam fastball, pitches that range from 88-93 mph and give him go-to pitches every time out. Warren mixes in a solid-average change and a slider/cutter that he added after signing.
Ivan Nova
Team: Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (International)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: 2-0, 1.32, 2 GS, 13 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 15 SO, 1.6 G/F
The Scoop: Nova has pitched as well as any International Leaguer since the all-star break, going 5-1, 1.96 in six starts for division-leading Scranton. In those 41 innings, he’s fanned 37, walked eight and allowed two home runs. That last number typifies Nova, a groundball pitcher with a firm three-pitch mix. On the season, he ranks second among qualified IL pitchers with his 1.26 groundout-to-flyout ratio. (Who’s No. 1 you ask? It’s 25-year-old Indianapolis righty Mike Crotta at 2.35.) Nova completed two scoreless relief appearances for the Yankees in May, and there may be more of that in his future this September.
And, since I mentioned Man-Ban, here’s a glowing scouting report on him from MLB FanHouse writer Frankie Piliere. On the heels of his write-up of Andrew Brackman a few weeks ago, I’d say that those carping about the lack of talent in the Yankee system need to open their eyes. The farm may not be a top-5 system but I’d say it’s probably top-10 and that’s good enough for me.
Well, obviously I didn’t get a chance to see this one as I was at work. I actually wanted to ask a question to you, the reader. Since many of us work during the day and there’s rarely an opportunity to watch a weekday game on TV, would you guys prefer an open thread while the game goes on? Leave feedback in the comments.
Anyway, the Yanks blew this one open in the 6th putting up a 9 spot highlighted by a Cano homer. That would be his 3rd straight game with a homer to go along with a single and double.
Hughes had a pretty decent pitching line, surrendering 0 walks and only 2 runs on 4 hits. By the way, his last 34 and 2/3 inning pitched have been pretty decent (3.63 ERA 23-6 K/BB).
I can only pray that Jesus Montero ends up having something close to Miguel Cabrera’s hitting prowess (they’ve been comped in the past), cause Cabrera is an absolute beast at the dish. That would be his 5th homer in his last 5 games.
Last week, Baseball America published their lists of “Best Tools” across each of the affiliated minor leagues. Now, they’ve released their list for the MLB universe, broken down by league. Here’s how the Yankees fared:
Best Hit-and-Run Artist: Derek Jeter (1)
Best Baserunner: Brett Gardner (3)
Fastest Baserunner: Brett Gardner (3)
Best Pitcher: CC Sabathia (2)
Best Curveball: AJ Burnett (2)
Best Slider: CC Sabathia (3)
Best Control: Mariano Rivera (3)
Best Pickoff Move: Andy Pettitte (2)
Best Reliever: Mariano Rivera (1)
Best Defensive 1B: Mark Teixeira (1)
Best Defensive 2B: Robinson Cano (1)
Best Defensive SS: Derek Jeter (3)
Please note that this is not Baseball America’s opinion here. Instead, it’s an aggregation of surveys they passed out to MLB managers. Honestly, if people think AJ Burnett still has the AL’s second-best curveball or that Derek Jeter is the AL’s third-best defensive shortstop, I weep for the profession of MLB managers. Do these guys not watch the same games?
To see how this year’s list compares to last year’s, click here.
So sayeth the Old Grey Lady…
Federal authorities have decided to indict Roger Clemens on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, according to two people briefed on the matter.
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The indictment comes nearly two and half years after Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee testified under oath at a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, directly contradicting each other about whether Clemens had used the banned substances.
I’m no lawyer, but I’ve heard that perjury is a very tough case to prove, so I’d be curious just how far this goes.
Regardless, we can all say that Congress has better things to do (and they do), but the real takeaway here is this: It is never the crime that kills you, it is the cover up.
Andy Pettitte and Clemens were both essentially in the same spot – fingered by the Mitchell Report as possible PED-users. Pettitte stood up apologized and told his story. Clemens stood up and pointed the finger at everyone else, took it to court and stomped around daring the world to prove it.
In their obituaries, PEDs might figure in the fourth or fifth paragraph of Pettitte’s, but its likely to be the first line in Rocket’s as a result.
Update: Below for all you legal eagles is the indictment. It would appear that “Strength Coach #1″ is McNamee, “Player #1″ is Jose Canseco and Andy Pettitte is referred to in the indictment as “a former Yankees teammate” who “misheard or misremembered.”
Roger Clemens Obstruction Indictment
