Kuzul

Coming into the season one of the bigger questions was whether or not Robinson Cano was ready to hit out of the no. 5 spot in the Yankees lineup. Afterall, protecting Alex Rodriguez in the batting order is a big deal.

If that question wasn’t answered on opening day when Cano went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored there probably were no doubters left when he started off with a 10-game hitting streak that saw him crush four home runs. By the end of April he had a line of .400/.436/.765/1.201 with eight homers and 18 RBI’s.

That hot start has turned into a hot season. Cano has maintained a .323 average, a .945 OPS to go along with 36 doubles, 25 home runs, and 87 RBI’s. He hasn’t even trailed off as the season has progressed, putting up a 155 OPS+ the first half and a 158 OPS+ so far in the second half. Even the knock against him last season, that he couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position, has been forgotten thanks to a 147 OPS+ in those situations this year.

Cano’s bat doesn’t tell the whole story about just how good he’s been in 2010 as his glove work has been equally superb. He’s got soft hands, a quick transition on double plays. His range is good, not great, but his strong arm makes up for that. Combine all of that together and he is second in UZR with a 3.2 only behind Orlando Hudson in the American League.

Unfortunately for Cano, Miguel Cabrera and Josh Hamilton play in the same league and those two players are having absolutely monster seasons.

Cabrera leads the trio in OPS+ with a 186. He has 40 doubles , 33 home runs, and 106 RBI’s. He’s even walked more than he’s struck out, 79 BB vs. 77 SO. He is ahead of Cano in runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, BB, batting average, OBP, slugging, and OPS. The only way Cabrera might not take the MVP is because his team isn’t going to make the playoffs.

That brings us to Hamilton. Hamilton’s season is only slightly less impressive than Cabrera’s and he’s carrying his team to an AL West title. With a league leading .357 batting average, 30 home runs, and a 1.042 OPS he leads Cano in runs, hits, doubles, homers, RBI, stolen bases, average, OBP, slugging, and OPS.

The thing that Cano has going for him that could help him get back in the MVP race is his defense and his position up the middle. Cabrera is a below average defender and plays first base, a non-premium position. Hamilton is average in center and slightly below average in left, where he gets most of his starts. If he was a full-time starter in center field than he might be equal to or even have a slight edge over Cano defensively, but 90 starts in left vs. just 38 in center.

Looking at WAR, wins above replacement which takes into account defensive ability and position, this is a pretty close race. Cabrera leads the three with a 6.3 WAR, Cano is second at 6.2 and Hamilton is pulling up the rear at 5.7. However, when you break down the numbers, I just can’t see Cano beating out either of these two stars who are having huge seasons.

I’m sure not everyone will agree with my assessment so here are the stats for the trio and you can decide:

Related Stories

• August 24, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Nova, Aceves, Marte, Pettitte, and More
• August 19, 2010 — Back In The New York Groove: Yankees Finally Win First Series In August
• August 10, 2010 — Pregame Notes: Cano, Granderson, Posada, Teixeira
• August 1, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Cano, A-Rod, Pettitte, The Boss

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Via Chad Jennings of the Journal News:

Andy Pettitte sounded much more encouraged today than he did on Friday. He threw 35 pitches in the bullpen, and despite a plan to throw with the same intensity as last time, Pettitte said the last 20 pitches or so were like a normal bullpen session.

“I heated it up pretty good,” he said. “I just felt good.”

Pettitte guessed that two weeks is the soonest he could possibly be ready, but he was encouraged by how strong his arm felt. He graded it a nine out of 10.

“My arm bounced back big time,” he said.

That’s great news from Pettitte. Any further setbacks would have hurt him and the Yankees because the minor league season is coming to a close and it would be hard to find a place for Pettitte to pitch to get ready to face major leaguers.

They are saying that two weeks is the earliest that Andy will come back. That would mean a September 12th return against the Rangers in Texas, but I think a more realistic estimation would be later in the week.

The Yankees are playing the Orioles starting September 17th. If Pettitte is limited to about 75-80 pitches in his first game back it would be much more wise to do that against the Orioles later on than to rush him back against a possible playoff opponent if he can’t go deep into a game.

That would be a good warm up for him before he would have to face both the Rays and the Red Sox in the final weeks of the season.

Those are big starts for the Yankees and they’re going to need Pettitte out there because as good as Dustin Moseley has been (I know he hasn’t been amazing, but he’s done the job), you do not want him starting those big games against the division rivals in the final weeks of the season.

Related Stories

• August 29, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Recap, Nova, and Injury Updates
• August 28, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Burnett, Pettitte, Aceves, Berkman, and Nova
• August 27, 2010 — Pettitte Throws Bullpen Without Pain
• August 26, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Swisher, Marte, Aceves, Johnson, Pettitte

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Two things that have been going well for the Yankees lately, CC Sabathia and their bullpen, both struggled last night, but when your offense scores 12 runs those kind of things are forgiven.

Here are some notes:

• Sabathia went seven innings, but allowed five runs and David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain only managed to get one batter out between them.
• Offensively the star was Eduardo Nunez who went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI.
• Marcus Thames continued his hot streak with a pair of home runs.
• Nick Swisher continues to shine against his former team, he is 4-for-9 with two homers and five RBI in this series.
• Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada also had multi-hit nights.
• Mark Teixeira injured his hand while diving for a ball the day before and tried, unsuccessfully, to play through it. He’s day-to-day and could play this afternoon.
• MLB is investigating Ivan Nova for possibly self administering a B-12 shot (the shot isn’t illegal, but if a doctor isn’t the one giving it to you it is). Naturally, he’s denying the charges.

Some injury updates:

• Andy Pettitte, down with a groin injury, will throw another bullpen today. He’s still not expected to go at 100 percent, but is expected to throw harder than he did the other day.
• Alex Rodriguez, calf injury, will begin taking batting practice this week.
• Lance Berkman, out with an ankle injury, has been taking infield practice and it seems he’ll be ready to go September 1st.
• Alfredo Aceves, back, has been rehabbing in the minors. They are being deliberate with him because this is essentially his spring training.
• Damaso Marte threw a bullpen recently, but has since been shutdown. It’s possible he won’t return this season.

Today is kind of a big day for the Yankees. The White Sox currently sit outside the playoffs looking in, but there is certainly a possibility that they could be a playoff opponent. It would be nice to see the Yankees take a series against them. Also, they really haven’t been playing well now for a decent stretch and they really have to focus on winning series.

It is also a big day because Nova is on the hill today. If he can establish himself as more than just a September call-up that could be really big for the Yankees who have struggled with their starting rotation.

Also, there is Pettitte. He can’t have any more setbacks.

Related Stories

• August 26, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Swisher, Marte, Aceves, Johnson, Pettitte
• August 18, 2010 — Yankees Notes: A-Rod, Pettitte, Swisher, Johnson, Marte
• August 16, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Berkman, Pettitte, Aceves, Marte, Vazquez
• February 28, 2010 — 10 Problems the 2010 Yankees Could Face

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Everyone knows by now that A.J. Burnett is pitching terribly, leading to speculation that he, like Javier Vazquez, will be skipped in the rotation. Perhaps this will be the case, but it doesn’t seem like the solution for the Yankees or Burnett.

First off, would skipping a turn actually benefit Burnett? Obviously, I am not a pitching coach, but it doesn’t seem like AJ’s velocity has been down (like the case was with Javy) or he’s been overworked. If some extra rest is really what he needs, then it’s a no-brainer—skip him once and see what happens.

Otherwise though, the Yankees have too much invested in Burnett to let him sit in the bullpen. Unlike Vazquez, Burnett is under contract for three more seasons. Also, the playoffs are a little over a month away, and it’s hard to imagine the Yankees going deep into them without him. Presumably Burnett will still be taking up a roster spot no matter what, so isn’t the best solution just to run him out there and have a shorter leash with him and bring in Sergio Mitre as soon as it’s clear Burnett doesn’t have it?

We all know by now that AJ is the type of pitcher who can be dominant and tends to go in streaks. However, if he’s not allowed to pitch, there is no chance he’ll ever straighten things out. Being in a pennant race complicates matters, but it’s not like there is some can’t-miss pitcher waiting in the wings.

They had one young arm who was ready, and that’s Ivan Nova and he’s already up. Putting Vazquez back in the rotation in favor of Burnett just makes the Yankee rotation start to look like a game of musical chairs—whoever is the last one to have a bad start gets skipped.

Also, Phil Hughes will be having his workload cut down in September and really it’s his innings that Nova should be replacing—not Vazquez or Burnett.

On a slightly related note, all of this really makes me wonder what the long-term plan is for Joba Chamberlain. The Yankees went to great lengths last year to stretch him out as a starter, presumably so he could be a starter again in 2011 or 2012. With Kerry Wood, Boone Logan, and David Robertson throwing important innings out of the bullpen, the Yankees could have stretched Joba out a bit and let him take a couple starts down the stretch.

At this point, there are likely way too many moving parts to try and make Joba a starter again this season, but I am still surprised that throughout the year he has made so few appearances of longer than one inning. I have to wonder if the Yankees could go back and do it again, if they would have kept Joba as a starter, even if that meant him starting the season in the minors.

Getting back to the current rotation though, there are no options in the minors or on the waiver-wire that are going to necessarily be more effective than AJ Burnett. The Yankees still have over a month to get him on track and that needs to be their focus.

Related Stories

• August 28, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Burnett, Pettitte, Aceves, Berkman, and Nova
• August 21, 2010 — Yankees Notes: A-Rod Injured, McAllister Traded, Nova to be Called Up
• August 16, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Berkman, Pettitte, Aceves, Marte, Vazquez
• August 10, 2010 — Pregame Notes: Cano, Granderson, Posada, Teixeira

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

A.J. Burnett allowed four runs in the first inning and never settled in, as he gave up eight earned runs and the Yankees lost 9-4 in the first game of a three game series against the Chicago White Sox.

Here are some notes:

• Since May 9th, the Yankees are 6-14 when Burnett starts. His numbers during that stretch: 20 G, 110.2 IP, 52 BB, 85 SO, 6.34 ERA.
• It’s possible that Burnett could lose his spot in the rotation.
• Buster Olney expects Andy Pettitte back by September 15th at the earliest.
• Alfredo Aceves made a rehab appearance in Triple-A last night, his line: 1.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO.
• Lance Berkman has begun taking ground balls. He should be back by September 1st.
• I missed this one yesterday, but MLB is investigating whether Ivan Nova is in connection to a B-12 shot he might have had administered by his minor league teammate, Wilkin De La Rosa.

So, Burnett sucks. Everyone has been talking about it. When he’s good, he has control of his fastball, gets ahead in counts, and uses his curveball to put batters away. When he is bad, he has poor control of his fastball, falls behind in counts, and then his curveball is much less effective because batters are smart enough to lay off it when the count is in their favor. When he’s bad, he’s not just bad, he’s terrible because he is so desperate to get ahead in the count that he lays pitches in there and they catch too much of the plate and are entirely too hittable. That’s the story.

The big problem is that the Yankees need him. People have been talking about Pettitte all week and how important it is for him to be healthy and pitch for the Yankees in the playoffs. Well, Burnett is probably equally important, and if he doesn’t have control of his fastball in the playoffs, he’s going to put the Yankees in a big hole come October.

What can they do about him? Not much that they haven’t already been doing. At the very least, I’d like to see him skip a start and work with pitching coach Dave Eiland for a week straight to try to smooth out his mechanics. That should at least give him the best opportunity to be successful during the stretch and into the playoffs.

Related Stories

• August 16, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Berkman, Pettitte, Aceves, Marte, Vazquez
• August 24, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Nova, Aceves, Marte, Pettitte, and More
• August 9, 2010 — Extended Yankees Notes: A-Rod, Burnett, Posada, Pettitte, and More
• June 20, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Hughes, Jeter, Burnett, Aceves, Thames

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Via the NY Post:

The Red Sox have claimed Johnny Damon on waivers, but the Tigers outfielder must waive a no-trade clause to return to Boston.

Damon said before Monday night’s game against Kansas City that it’s one of the toughest decisions of his career.

If Damon waives the no-trade clause, the Red Sox and Tigers have 48 hours to complete a deal. The Tigers also have the option of pulling him back or letting him go to the Red Sox on the waiver claim and get nothing back.

Damon, who is hitting .270 with seven homers, is owed about $1.8 million of the $8 million he is being paid this season on a one-year deal he signed with the Tigers after he and the Yankees couldn’t agree on a deal last winter when he was a free agent.

This has been an interesting bit of news. The Red Sox claimed Damon, but I’m not sure if they actually want him, or are trying to block the Rays or Yankees from acquiring him. They do need some outfield help with Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron out, but Damon has largely become a DH of late.

Hopefully this will not go through and Damon will stay in Detroit because this could potentially setup another 2004 scenario which forces the Yankees to use Javier Vazquez in the playoffs against Damon again. I’m not sure the fragile pitcher could handle that, or a lot of Yankee fans for that matter.

We’ll find out tomorrow afternoon if Damon is staying in Detroit or lands in Boston.

Related Stories

• May 28, 2010 — Cashman Made A Mistake Signing Winn
• April 28, 2010 — Damon Gets His World Series Ring
• March 29, 2010 — Damon: Everything is Good Now
• March 10, 2010 — Breaking News: Damon Won’t Play in Meaningless Game, OMG!!

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees lost a tough one yesterday 3-2 to the Toronto Blue Jays as Ivan Nova made his first big league start. Nova wasn’t overpowering, but if it weren’t for a dominant 12 strikeout performance by Brandon Morrow the Yankees could have won this game.

Here are some notes:

• Nova ran into trouble early when he allowed a homer to Jose Bautista in the 1st. He then raised some controversy in the 6th by throwing up and in on Bautista. Overall though he went 5.1 IP and allowed just 2 ER.
• Nova’s next start? There is no answer to that yet, but if Javier Vazquez keeps pitching poorly then Nova could get another shot.
• The rest of the rotation is just pushed back one day, except for CC Sabathia who will go on his normal rest on Saturday. This splits Vazquez and A.J. Burnett.
• Alfredo Aceves will make another rehab appearance today.
• Damaso Marte will throw a bullpen today, his second.
• Andy Pettitte will throw a bullpen on Friday.
• Talk of Robinson Cano winning a gold glove has started.
• The Yankees are going to have a dedication for George Steinbrenner on September 20th in Monument Park.
• RHP’s Hector Noesi and D.J. Mitchell have been promoted from Double-A to Triple-A.

Not a bad start for Nova. At this point I like him for the rotation over Dustin Moseley and probably Vazquez as well. It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to at least skip Vazquez once or twice to have him rested before the playoffs.

Related Stories

• August 16, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Berkman, Pettitte, Aceves, Marte, Vazquez
• February 28, 2010 — 10 Problems the 2010 Yankees Could Face
• May 29, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Hughes, Cano, Sanit, Posada, Aceves, Duncan, Single-A All-Stars
• May 19, 2010 — The Yankees Long List of Injuries, Updated

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees made three deals at the July 31 trade deadline acquiring Lance Berkman, Kerry Wood and Austin Kearns. So far Berkman hasn’t entirely worked out and has been on the DL, but Wood and Kearns have been big contributors since coming to the Bronx.

Kearns was acquired primarily for his outfield defense and his ability to hit left-handed pitching. He has done both of those things extremely well, playing stellar defense and putting together an 11-game hitting streak.

During that time he has two home runs, a .400 batting average, a .462 on-base percentage, and a .657 slugging for a 1.119 OPS overall.

Wood was brought in to lengthen the bullpen and take some of the pressure off of Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson, and he has done exactly that. Not only has Wood not given up a run in his last seven appearances, but Chamberlain and Robinson have been great since he’s arrived as well.

The two have done such a good job down the stretch that the Yankees are almost certain to try to bring both of them back next season. Especially Kearns, whom the Yankees could use as they’ll be lefty heavy in the outfielder with Curtis Granderson, Brett Gardner, and Nick Swisher as they have been this year.

Wood might want to look for a closer’s job elsewhere, but if he’s willing to stay on as a setup man the Yankees could have bullpen strength for an entire season.

Berkman has largely been a bust.

In 12 games he hit .179 with a .555 OPS and then landed himself on the DL with an ankle sprain. There is still time for him to turn his season around and this 15-day stint on the DL could be the rest his knee—still recovering from offseason surgery—needs. Even if he doesn’t turn his time in the Bronx around, the Yankees could still break even on this trade thanks to Berkman’s type-B status as a free agent.

His insistence on returning to Houston after this season means the Yankees are almost certain to get a supplemental draft pick for him.

So two trades have been working out for the Yankees and another could break even either way. Of course, Yankees fans know that if they don’t show up in October all of this can be reversed.

Related Stories

• Aug. 2, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Wood, Berkman, Lowell, and Laird
• Aug. 21, 2010 — Yankees Notes: A-Rod Injured, McAllister Traded, Nova to be Called Up
• Aug. 19, 2010 — Back In The New York Groove: Yankees Finally Win First Series In August
• Aug. 19, 2010 — Berkman Placed on DL; Nunez Called Up

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There were no updates yesterday because I was busy with a family member’s wedding.

There is a silver lining to that, however: On my way home I stopped at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and got plenty of great Yankees-related pictures that I will post later today. If you have never been to the Hall of Fame, I highly recommend that you go as soon as you can.

Here are some notes from the weekend:

• Alex Rodriguez‘s calf has become a bigger problem than the team initially thought, so he’s going to spend some time on the DL.
• It looks like the Yankees will platoon Eduardo Nunez and Ramiro Pena at third base with A-Rod out.
• In his place they have called up right-handed pitcher Ivan Nova. Nova will start on Monday as the sixth starter, but that could be just one time through the rotation.
• Plan on seeing Jonathan Albaladejo, Romulo Sanchez and Juan Miranda in the Bronx when the rosters expand in September. Colin Curtis might also join them.
• CC Sabathia, who has an opt-out clause in his contract after next season, has pledged that he will not exercise it and that he plans on fulfilling his contract in its entirety.
• The Yankees have promoted two of their top pitching prospects, lefty Manny Banuelos and righty Dellin Betances, to Double-A Trenton.

Banuelos and Betances weren’t expected to be promoted this year, but injuries and trades made it necessary. They are now part of a rotation with Andrew Brackman, Hector Noesi and Adam Warren that could be one of the best rotations in the minor leagues.

Thanks to Robinson Cano, A-Rod’s absence hasn’t killed the Yankees. Hopefully he stays hot and continues his MVP campaign.

Related Stories

• Jan. 1, 2010: John Sickels Ranks the Yanks
• June 23, 2010: Yankees Notes: Pettitte, A-Rod, Posada, Curtis, Joba, Betances, Future Games
• April 19, 2010: Minor League Monday: April 19th, 2010
• Feb. 8, 2010: Minor League Monday: February 8th, 2010

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees are taking on the Seattle Mariners this weekend and they start with a showdown between A.J. Burnett and King Felix Hernandez at the stadium tonight.

Here are some notes:

• Alex Rodriguez took fielding practice this afternoon, but he isn’t expected to be back in the lineup at third base tonight. If after BP his calf feels OK he could DH.
• The Yankees are almost ready to unveil their plans for limiting Phil Hughes‘ innings. Right now he’s on track for about 188 innings, but the Yankees would like to keep that at least below 180.
• The Yankees are treating Alfredo Aceves‘ rehab like spring training. That means he’ll have at least one and maybe two more rehab appearances and may not be activated until September 1st.
• As the Yankees get deeper into the season, the Yankees ticket prices are actually going down.

The Yankees offense built some momentum this week against the Detroit Tigers, but they might be running right into a buzz saw tonight against King Felix. Hopefully they can carry that momentum over into tonight. A win against him would be huge as it would give them a big chance to win this series, which would only be the second series win during the month of August.

Related Stories

• June 14, 2010—Yankees Notes: 1st Place, Hughes Rules, A-Rod, Aceves, Thames
• March 5, 2010—If Your Favorite Yankee Was a Beer He Would Be…
• August 10, 2010—Yankees Notes: Jeter, Burnett, Teixeira, Aceves, Melancon
• June 22, 2010—Yankees Notes: Burnett, Eiland, Hughes, A-Rod & Posada

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com