- Part 13

8

Sep/10

New York Yankees: A Walk-Off Win in the Bronx

The Yankees almost had one of their worst series of the season until Nick Swisher won the game with a ninth-inning walk-off home run off of the Orioles Koji Uehara to lead the Yankees to a 3-2 victory.

Here are some highlights:

This was the fourth walk-off win for the Yankees this year.
Ivan Nova was great on the mound today making only one mistake, a two-run home run allowed to Matt Wieters.
Brad Bergesen held the Yankees to just four hits.
The victory avoids the Yankees first home sweep by the Orioles since 1986.
It also keeps them from their first four-game losing streak of the season. They are the only team in the majors who haven’t had one.
Derek Jeter was 5-for-36 (.139) during this homestand.
Jorge Posada didn’t pinch hit in a situation where he was direly needed because he has concussion symptoms after getting hit with a foul tip last night.

That win is actually a big one. The Yankees offense looked great coming into this series, but fell asleep against mediocre Orioles pitching. Winning the last game like that should give them back some momentum going into Texas this weekend.

Also, a big game from Nova is huge as it helps alleviate some of the pressure in the rotation. Nova could be a legitimate pitcher on this team and a good bullpen option in the playoffs over the likes of Dustin Moseley and Chad Gaudin.

Ney York Yankees: Heyman’s Take on Derek Jeter Negotiations

by Bronx Baseball Daily under MLB

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated is a lot of things, but this is a great take on the upcoming contract negotiations with Derek Jeter.

Take a read:

Derek Jeter will be back as a Yankee next season, and for more seasons after that. Of course he will. Doesn’t matter whether he’s hitting .264 today. Or .364. Or .164.

Jeter will be back with the Yankees because they want him back, he surely wants to be back and no other team will likely compete with the Yankees financially for him. Oh, there’ll be interest in him as a free agent, all right. And while some teams may want to make a big splash with a monster Hall-of-Fame name, everyone assumes (and rightly so) that no one can beat the Yankees for Jeter.

“He’s worth more to them than anyone else,” one AL executive said.

Another AL exec, who agreed with that assessment, guessed Jeter’s worth $12-to-$18 million over two years based on his current stats but speculated he could get maybe $30 million for three years from a team trying to make that splash (though, that exec honestly conceded he tends to guess low — it is a management perspective, after all, and I would agree that that sounds a bit light).

The exec also said he could see the Yankees going to $45 million to $50 million over three years, in part because they can.

Fifty million over three years actually sounds like a very informed, reasonable current estimate for Jeter. But who knows? That still represents a pay cut from the average salary of $18.9 million of his current contract, and 2010 salary of $21 million.

If that sounds high, remember that Jeter is an alltime Yankee, the Yankees understand his place in the clubhouse and, more importantly, they know his place in Yankees lore. In no way do they want to risk him going elsewhere. The Yankees also recall that Jeter has gone to the mat with them on contract talks, beaten them in arbitration and once made an extra $70 million after George Steinbrenner nixed a $118.5-million deal that was nearly in place before he signed for $189 million a year later.

This won’t necessarily go easily. But it will get done.

Yankees bosses view Jeter not just in terms of only his stats but in terms of history. There are no active peers in those categories. As a Yankee great, he now ranks somewhere in the group with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra.

The Yankees won’t hand Jeter a blank check, but there’s no chance the historic franchise is about to nickel and dime an icon, either. The Yankees are the one team that can afford to pay iconic players for their past greatness. They are also the one team that doesn’t view all of its players though only a current business prism, and that’s because the Yankees’ business is so good it doesn’t have to look at things the normal way. Jeter and Mariano Rivera are two such players.

Jeter’s worst offensive season to date has to have some effect on the contract negotiations, though. It will mean he won’t approach the original estimates of the contract. Of course, those were only estimates since no negotiations are known even now to have taken place (the policy is to wait, after all).

Early speculation (some of it here) had Jeter possibly trying for a contract that could keep him a Yankee until he’s 42, like Alex Rodriguez. Others guessed that $100 million over four years could get it done, or maybe $125 million over five years, which is the very amount his agent Casey Close received for another of his famous clients — Ryan Howard.

There is more to that article so read on if you’d like, but I think that all that needs to be said is right there.

MLB Trade Rumors recently conducted a poll and asked readers how much they thought Jeter would sign for. The majority of readers said $50 million or less. For those that follow the Yankees know that if that actually happened it would huge win for the Yankees, because whatever happens this offseason, Jeter is going to get paid.

Phil Hughes To Be Skipped, Alfredo Aceves and Damaso Marte Done for 2010

by Bronx Baseball Daily under MLB

Here is a quick couple of updates via the Daily News:

Phil Hughes will be skipped one start in the Yankees rotation to limit his innings, manager Joe Girardi said before Wednesday’s series finale against Baltimore. Dustin Moseley will start Sunday in Texas, and Hughes will return to the rotation next Wednesday in Tampa.

Also, Girardi said Alfredo Aceves (back) will not return this season, and Damaso Marte (shoulder) will “probably not” be back in 2010.

Alex Rodriguez is in the lineup and Mark Teixeira is the DH, with Lance Berkman playing first base.

It’s a good idea to skip Hughes as often as possible between now and the playoffs. He’s currently at 155.1 innings pitched this season, which is the most he’s ever thrown in the majors and the most he’s thrown in his pro career since he threw 146 in 2006. He really looks like he’s hitting a wall, and if the Yankees are going to be successful in the playoffs this year, they are going to need a lot from him.

As for Aceves and Marte, this was expected. Either or both could have surgery. If they do, hopefully it is soon and they are ready to go by spring training.

Yankees Notes: Sabathia, A-Rod, Berkman, Lee, MLB Playoffs, and a Giveaway

by Bronx Baseball Daily under MLB

The Yankees haven’t been swept at home by the Baltimore Orioles since 1986, so they’ll be trying to avoid that as they go back to playing afternoon games, at least for one day. Ivan Nova will be on the mound taking on righty Brad Bergesen who has a 6-10 record with a 5.47 ERA.

Here are some notes:

CC Sabathia was denied his 20th win last night. He also had a 21-game unbeaten streak in the Bronx snapped. That is a record he now shares with Whitey Ford.
Alex Rodriguez sat yesterday just as a way for manager Joe Girardi to get him some extra rest. He didn’t rehab so Girardi is being cautious. He did pinch hit and grounded into a fielder’s choice.
Since returning from the DL, Lance Berkman is batting .500 with a 1.154 OPS in seven games (three starts).
Cliff Lee, who had a start skipped due to back issues, is expected to start this weekend against the Yankees.
Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton start their playoffs tonight. On the mound for Trenton is RHP Dellin Betances and on the mound for Scranton is RHP D.J. Mitchell. For a complete preview, click here.
Also, this is very last minute, you have just an hour left to enter, but I was going to post this yesterday and forgot about it. Our old friend Lenny Neslin over at lenNY’s Yankees is having a giveaway where you could win $100 in Yankees gear. Check it out and enter.

I have to say, looking at the rotations the Yankees minor league teams have going for them and looking at the rotation the Yankees look forward to using in the playoffs, I’d almost rather go with one of their rotations. Trenton has Betances, Andy Pettitte, LHP Manny Banuelos, RHP Andrew Brackman, and RHP Cory Arbiso. Scranton’s isn’t quite as impressive, but still formidable with Mitchell, RHP David Phelps, LHP Kei Igawa, RHP Hector Noesi, and RHP Lance Pendleton. Not bad. The future looks bright for the Yankees pitching staff. Unfortunately none of these guys can contribute this season.

Jayson Werth May Hire Scott Boras

by Bronx Baseball Daily under MLB

Via Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk:

On Friday, Jerry Crasnick tweeted that Jayson Werth has parted ways with agent Jeff Borris. Werth was cagey about it when asked over the weekend, denying that he has left Borris and Beverly Hills Sports council. That’s likely a matter of semantics, however, because Crasnick’s source says Werth is “shopping” for new representation. I’m hearing the same thing.

What else I’m hearing: the front-runner is Scott Boras, with whom Werth is “way down the road,” according to my sources, and it’s looking like he will sign with him.

This is bad news for Yankee fans hoping that they sign Werth this off-season. The Yankees do have a history of signing Boras clients, but that was more back in the day when The Boss was in charge.

Lately, Brian Cashman and company have not have as much success when dealing with Boras. It started when Alex Rodriguez opted out of his last contract with the Yankees, and of course there was last off-season and the whole Johnny Damon debacle.

Dealing with Boras also means that the Yankees would have to pay top dollar for Werth’s services. It was certainly possible the Yankees would have tried to go after Werth this off-season, but not if he’s likely to demand upwards of $20 million per season ,and will probably ask for at least seven years.

Many of you might be saying, so what, it’s only money and the Yankees have an unlimited supply. Even if that were true, it isn’t, they still have an attractive option in Brett Gardner at a much cheaper price.

If Werth signs on with Boras, it all but closes the door on the possibility that he will end up in pinstripes.

Baltimore Orioles Similar to Early 90′s New York Yankees to Buck Showalter

by Bronx Baseball Daily under MLB

Via the NY Post:

Maybe it is not a mirror image, but Buck Showalter admits becoming manager of the Orioles feels a bit like when he once became manager of the Yankees.

“It does [resemble it] a little bit,” Showalter said yesterday in The Bronx. “[There are] some similarities. ”Showalter has returned to the AL East after a 15-year hiatus. He has returned to managing any team after a 3½-season break. The 54-year-old skipper managed his first game with the Orioles on Aug. 3, and they promptly won his first four games and eight of his first nine. Yesterday he came back to Yankee Stadium, beating his old team 4-3 to make the Orioles 20-13 (.606) under his tenure.

Baltimore’s winning percentage prior to Showalter’s arrival was .305.

“I just came in and listened to a lot of people,” Showalter said. “I think people make a mistake when they come in and think everything here is bad or wrong because of a lot of losses. And I came into New York, that was one of the things we said, just try to create a good environment for guys’ talent to come out and play.”

For those of you who don’t know, Showalter managed the Yankees before Joe Torre, from 1992 until 1995. He was instrumental in changing the atmosphere surrounding the Bronx coming out of the 80′s.

The Yankees had the highest winning percentage during the 80′s, but failed to reach the playoffs after 1981. Because of that, things turned quite sour under George Steinbrenner. It became a regular occurrence to trade away young prospects for overpriced veterans and to pay too much for veterans who couldn’t hack it under the pressure in New York on the free agent market.

Things got so bad that the Yankees became a laughing stock and they couldn’t even over pay to get good players to come to the Bronx. Greg Maddux is one example. Maddux became a free agent after winning the Cy Young in 1992 and signed with the Braves, even though the Yankees were the highest bidder for his services that offseason.

The Boss was kicked out of baseball in 1990, right around the time when Showalter became a coach. Showalter, along with Gene “Stick” Michaels, changed the atmosphere surrounding the Yankees by removing the malcontents and returning the focus on the team instead of the individual.

Soon the Yankees were able to convince the likes of veterans like Jimmy Key and Wade Boggs to come to New York. The team made shrewd trades for players like Paul O’Neill and hung on to prospects like Bernie Williams. The pathetic Yankees that Showalter inherited after 1991 quickly became the best team in the American League in 1994.

Now Showalter has taken over the Baltimore Orioles. They are another team that cannot convince free agents to help them out; Mark Teixeira is an example of this. Teixeira is from the Baltimore area, and despite the fact that the Orioles had the money and desire for the first baseman, he never seriously considered joining them. They also have quite a few young prospects to build around in the likes of Matt Wieters and Brian Matusz.

Can Showalter do for the Orioles what he did for the Yankees? It’s possible, but the AL East is a much tougher division than it was in the late 90′s. The Yankees were lucky then, as the Blue Jays were on their downfall, the Red Sox were a joke, and the Rays never existed.

Even if the Orioles don’t become a power house in the AL East, Showalter will certainly be able to return them to some level of respectability. After all, he is a two time manager of the year.

New York Yankees Notes: Sabathia, Pettitte, Kearns, Swisher, and Curtis

by Bronx Baseball Daily under MLB

The Yankees finally go back to playing night games as they try to end their two-game losing streak tonight against the Orioles with CC Sabathia on the mound. Sabathia is going for his 20th win of the season.

Here are some notes:

James “Mudcat” Grant once wrote a book about all of the African American pitchers to win 20 games, he called them the “Black Aces.” If Sabathia wins 20, he would become the 14th member of the Black Aces.
CC is also going for a record 22 consecutive games at Yankee Stadium without a loss. He is currently tied with Whitey Ford at 21.
Andy Pettitte‘s rehab start has been pushed back to Thursday. He is scheduled to throw four innings or 65 pitches, whichever comes first.
Because of Austin Kearns‘ bone bruise on his right hand and Nick Swisher‘s knee, Colin Curtis was called up from the minors.
Swisher played yesterday and hinted that he wasn’t 100 percent, but an MRI showed no structural damage. That means he’s just playing through pain and shouldn’t be making the situation worse by being active.

So the Yankees are finally back to playing at night, at least for one day. They go back and play another day game tomorrow. That means you can probably expect Jorge Posada to sit one of these games out. My guess is tomorrow’s game, since Francisco Cervelli has a lot more experience catching Ivan Nova from the minors.

If Sabathia misses out on winning 20 tonight, he will have at least four more chances to get it done.

Yankee Quick Hits: Showalter’s Revenge

by Bronx Baseball Daily under MLB

Under Buck Showalter, the Orioles have become a different team and it showed this afternoon as the O’s beat the Yankees 4-3. A.J. Burnett wasn’t horrible, but wasn’t good enough, as he allowed four runs over seven innings for the loss.

Here are some quick highlights:

The Yankees had a guy with a .331 OBP leading off and a guy with a .395 OBP batting ninth, Derek Jeter and Brett Gardner respectively.

Alex Rodriguez homered and drove in a pair of runs. That gives him 100 for the season, his 14th season with at least 100 RBI and 13th in a row.

A-Rod is 3-for-6 with a homer and three RBI since returning from the DL.

Nick Swisher started and went 0-for-3 with a walk.

Colin Curtis was activated before the game. He pinch hit and struck out looking to end the game (the pitch was in the opposite batter’s box).

Brian Matusz held the Yankees to just three runs on five hits.

The Orioles’ bullpen held the Yankees hitless over three innings.

New York Yankees: How Bad Is Derek Jeter’s 2010?

by Bronx Baseball Daily under MLB

Everyone knows by now that Derek Jeter is having the worst season of his career.

His career OPS-plus is 120, and this year it’s 95. Last year he had one of his best years, with an OPS-plus of 132 and the best defensive season of his career (finally posting a positive UZR). This year, his defense hasn’t been the worst of his career, but he is not a good fielder.

People often talk about how Jeter is “clutch,” and while he has posted good postseason numbers in general, when was the last time he came through in a big spot at the end of the game?

When the Yankees were in Detroit a few weeks back, Jeter came up with runners on base in the ninth inning, down by a run with one out, and facing Jose Valverde. Was I thinking, “This is the guy we want up?”

No. I was just hoping he struck out and didn’t hit into a double play. Of course, he hit into a double play.

I give this example because I know many people like to say that Jeter is more than his numbers—surely, everyone has heard of Jeter’s “intangibles” by now—but I think even those supposedly unquantifiable things are no longer there.

So you get it by now: I’m not a huge Jeter fan.

Obviously, his consistent on-base abilities while playing shortstop make him one of the greatest ever. He’s a no-doubt Hall of Famer. But right now, he’s not very good. All that said, here is something I find immensely interesting:

AL OPS-plus Leaders, SS

Blue Jays – Alex Gonzalez: 114 (101 for Braves)
White Sox – Alexei Ramirez: 97
Yankees – Derek Jeter: 95
Royals – Yuniesky Betancourt: 92
A’s – Cliff Pennington: 91
Indians – Asdrubal Cabrera: 91
Twins – JJ Hardy: 88
Red Sox – Marco Scutaro: 87
Rangers – Elvis Andrus: 82
Tigers – Ramon Santiago: 82
Angels – Erick Aybar: 80
Rays – Jason Bartlett: 80
Mariners – Josh Wilson: 72
Orioles – Cesar Izturis: 48

So, despite having his worst year ever, Jeter is still one of the best hitting shortstops in the American League, only behind Alex Gonzalez, who had a fluky home run binge with the Blue Jays before being traded, and Alexei Ramirez, who is having a decent year but has never been a consistent OBP guy.

If Jeter can bounce back even a little, he could very easily once again be clearly the best hitting shortstop in the league.

I guess what it comes down to is, will Jeter simply continue to decline, or will he be able to bounce back a little?

I may not be a huge Jeter fan, but I still think he is capable of at least being as good as he is now for a few years. Maybe the Yankees won’t be able to bat him first or second anymore, but there aren’t really any other options anyways.

The reason all of this becomes so interesting is because Jeter is about to be a free agent.

Joe Posnanski has been writing extensively about this, including his most recent entry. I agree with most of the points he makes, except I think he is failing to notice just how bad Jeter’s competition is.

I think it’s pretty obvious that Jeter will come back to NY, if for no other reason than the Yankees don’t have any other good options. Look at that list. Again, at his worst, Jeter is still a good hitting shortstop.

Last night, Rob asked via Twitter what Jeter’s next contract will look like.

My guess is three years, $60 million. I’ve read people suggest it will be over $100 million. People have also guessed as low as $30 million.

The Yankees have bargaining power because no one can afford to give an aging shortstop that much money. Jeter has leverage because he’s the face of the franchise and the Yankees don’t have any other options.

Three years at $20 million a year, I think, is a reasonable compromise.

Let’s face it: Jeter isn’t going to make less than AJ Burnett. Three years is also a short enough time that the Yankees can reasonably expect Jeter to still hit enough to stay near the top of the shortstop OPS-plus list. They just might not be able to bat him at the top of the order anymore (I mean, they probably shouldn’t be right now), which I suppose is an issue unto itself.

But that discussion will probably have to wait until Jeter’s contract is figured out.

Yankees Notes: Pettitte, Swisher, Curtis, and Match-Ups

by Bronx Baseball Daily under MLB

The Yankees have owned the Orioles this season, beating them in 10 of the 12 times the two teams have faced each other, but Baltimore has been a different team since hiring former Yankees manager Buck Showalter. So this week’s three game series will not be as easy as the head-to-head record would make it seem.

Here are some notes:

The Yankees will announce today what the next step for Andy Pettitte will be. Most likely he will pitch with Double-A Trenton on Wednesday, but he could do a simulated game instead.
Nick Swisher had an MRI on his left knee which revealed no structural damage. There is inflammation though, but Swisher hopes he will be back in the lineup today.
Nothing has been announced yet, but it appears that OF Colin Curtis is going to be called up today. He was pulled from a Triple-A game yesterday while his team was on the field.
Here are the pitching match-ups vs. the Orioles:
- Monday: RHP A.J. Burnett (10-12, 5.15) vs. LHP Brian Matusz (7-12, 4.72).
- Tuesday: LHP CC Sabathia (19-5, 3.02) vs. RHP Jake Arrieta (4-6, 5.11).
- Wednesday: RHP Ivan Nova (1-0, 2.89) vs. RHP Brad Bergesen (6-10, 5.47).

The Yankees play the Orioles six more times over the remainder of the season. Hopefully they can still manhandle them, but it might not happen. The next six games will go a long way to showing if the Orioles are for real or not. If they are real they still aren’t going to compete for the division next season, but it will make the AL East that much harder.

Also, we’ve got Curtis likely coming up. That’s a good move because with Swisher being a question mark Greg Golson had to start yesterday. Golson is a good runner and fielder, but you really don’t want him starting down the stretch, Curtis is a better option.

Kuzul

Online Sports Council

Author Archive

New York Yankees: A Walk-Off Win in the Bronx

Related Stories

Ney York Yankees: Heyman’s Take on Derek Jeter Negotiations

Related Stories

Phil Hughes To Be Skipped, Alfredo Aceves and Damaso Marte Done for 2010

Related Stories

Yankees Notes: Sabathia, A-Rod, Berkman, Lee, MLB Playoffs, and a Giveaway

Related Stories

Jayson Werth May Hire Scott Boras

Related Stories

Baltimore Orioles Similar to Early 90′s New York Yankees to Buck Showalter

Related Stories

New York Yankees Notes: Sabathia, Pettitte, Kearns, Swisher, and Curtis

Related Stories

Yankee Quick Hits: Showalter’s Revenge

Related Stories

New York Yankees: How Bad Is Derek Jeter’s 2010?

Related Stories

Yankees Notes: Pettitte, Swisher, Curtis, and Match-Ups

Related Stories

Categories

Recent Posts

Sponsors

Recent Posts

Archives

Tags