Off Topic · Yankees Talk thread (page 440)

Bonn1997 wrote:

Finestrg wrote:Ivan Nova got the call up and will start the next time Pettitte's turn comes around. I like it..Kid's had a damn good year at AAA and deserves a shot..

Instead of Mosely?

Why did CC come out after only 76 pitches? (I wasn't watching.) Was it just to keep him well rested or did he get injured?

Mosley is pitching on Tuesday. This is most likely a 1 times appearance, unless they want to move Javy to the Bullpen or something. Everybody is getting pushed back. However, Kay and Singleton did discuss the idea that CC may pitch on Friday, which he'd have his 5 days. Whether it's true, we shall see.

CC pitched great today though. He was at his best, but his start was cut short after 6 because of the rain delay.

Robbie Cano .325 BA / 25 HR / 86 RBI / .953 OPS

to all the trolls who used to come around here ragging on Robbie & telling us Jose Reyes was a better prospect over the years

nice performance out of Ivan Nova... buzzed the tower on Jose Bautista after he hit a HR off him the previous AB & barked at him... kid's got some cahones i'll say that much for him.

Damon claimed off waivers by the Sux... @#CK!

TMS wrote:nice performance out of Ivan Nova... buzzed the tower on Jose Bautista after he hit a HR off him the previous AB & barked at him... kid's got some cahones i'll say that much for him.

I'll say..Loved it when he came up and in..Didn't hit him but he sent a message...You can definitely see why this kid was 12-3 with a 2-something ERA at AAA..He was showing some electric stuff out there -- mid to upper 90s with the fastball the whole time with solid-looking secondary pitches (big sweeping slider and he's got that Sabathia power changeup in the 87 MPH range that he broke out later in the game that was effective)..That HR Bautista hit was actually a slider that backed up on Nova and caught too much of the plate inner half..Outside of that one mistake -- dude was awesome...I think Joe may have even yanked him too quick - I think I would've left him out there a little more. I guess Joe just wanted to pull him on a good note (plus he had Logan locked and loaded for the lefties that were coming up) but he definitely had more in the tank.. As crazy as this sounds, outside of CC, Nova might be our best starter until Andy gets back..How crazy is that?? Can't wait for his next start. Young fella did very well. Showed me a ton.

Kenny Singleton saying on the broadcast that Nova will be making a start Sunday against the White Sox -- Vasquez will be going to the pen. Good move..

Also Flash just mentioned before that Damon WILL NOT be going back to Boston - he has refused to waive his no trade clause to go back there...LMAO!! How 'bout that kick in the teeth Boston? LOL! Love it!

I don't understand why Thames would have less than 400 (let alone only 133!) at bats by now. The guy is an awesome hitter.

Finestrg wrote:Also Flash just mentioned before that Damon WILL NOT be going back to Boston - he has refused to waive his no trade clause to go back there...LMAO!! How 'bout that kick in the teeth Boston? LOL! Love it!

those fuggers just claimed him to block him from coming back to the Yanks i bet... fuggin' aholes... shoulda just signed him to begin with this season. SMH.

Finestrg wrote:Kenny Singleton saying on the broadcast that Nova will be making a start Sunday against the White Sox -- Vasquez will be going to the pen. Good move..

i'd prefer Vazquez getting DFA'd.

I bet Thames would have been an all-star if he'd gotten regular playing time all year

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_lea...

Fri Aug 27 11:52pm PDT
Report: Scout clocks Reds' pitching prospect Chapman at 105 mph

By David Brown

Hang onto your catcher's mitts, people. They reportedly clocked Cincinnati Reds prospect Aroldis Chapman(notes) at 105 mph Friday night.

No, not in a car, driving home from Louisville Slugger Ballpark. Chapman was pitching for the Triple-A Louisville Bats of the International League. And, Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse reports, the left-hander threw 105 mph.

One-oh-five.

Your first thought might be, "Yeah, right. Did he strike out the Loch Ness Monster on three pitches while he was at it?"

Price, who usually isn't given to hyperbole, tweeted the news.

Via @Ed_Price:

Aroldis Chapman tonight hit 105 mph and "sat at" 103, with a 90-91 slider. Scout: "best fastball I have ever witnessed"

Do I believe 105 mph? It seems pretty fantastic, doesn't it?

Hall of Famer Bob Feller, legend has it, once threw a ball 107.9 mph. Feller (right) probably would tell you he did it. But I think they timed him pitching against a speeding motorcycle. By the time the Army got involved clocking Feller after WWII, he was throwing about 99.

It's rare for any pitcher to reach 100 mph; Most top out in the low 90s. Perhaps 95 is considered "really fast" for a major leaguer.

Maybe the Chapman gun was a little hot. And yet, Price says a scout, along with the ballpark scoreboard — presumably using another radar device — had the same reading.

It wasn't a start; Chapman tossed an inning of perfect relief against the Columbus Clippers. Checking the box score, Chapman threw 16 pitches — including 11 strikes — and got three swinging strikeouts.

For one inning, a guy who has been clocked at 100 or 101 before could put a few extra feet on his fastball. It's possible.

The question is, do the Reds really want him to be throwing 105? The human arm isn't really meant to pitch at all, much less at those speeds. One of these days, Chapman's elbow is liable to fly off his arm doing 45.

Look where Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg(notes) is right now.

Chapman is expected to join the major league pennant race come September. The Reds could use him, but only if he promises to keep it under 100.

we really should have signed this kid up this past summer.

Bonn1997 wrote:I bet Thames would have been an all-star if he'd gotten regular playing time all year

Hard to project this kind of performance over a full year. He's hit in the past with more AB's but not at an all star level. He's always had a good homer rate but hasn't always hit for average. He's a little like former Yankee Glenallen Hill

BTW, I'm not sure which one I'd rather have in the rotation and which one in the pen at this point between Burnett and Vazquez. Burnett is more of a disaster in my opinion right now.

I really like the way Nova pitches. Was hoping we'd have brought him up earlier. I'd leave him in the rotation for the rest of the year.

Still worried about the bullpen but Wood has helped quite a bit. Just wish Joba or Robertson had more consistency.

BTW I do wonder how much Vazquez was hurt by not having Dave Eiland around. They found a mechanical flaw that got his velocity back up a bit....

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2010...

we really had no need to make that Berkman trade when we already had Thames on the bench... dude has been hitting all year... Berkman's been another bust just like Nick Johnson & Javy Vazquez... Curtis Granderson i'd put on the list too but at least he's been getting some key hits from time to time... Kerry Wood has performed better than i expected him to over a limited sample... hopefully he carries it through for the rest of the stretch run.

TMS wrote:we really had no need to make that Berkman trade when we already had Thames on the bench... dude has been hitting all year... Berkman's been another bust just like Nick Johnson & Javy Vazquez... Curtis Granderson i'd put on the list too but at least he's been getting some key hits from time to time... Kerry Wood has performed better than i expected him to over a limited sample... hopefully he carries it through for the rest of the stretch run.

I have no idea why we got Berkman AND Kearns. At least Kearns can play the field. At this point he's probably a better bat too. Not sure I bother to take Berk on my playoff roster to be honest.

Granderson trade is one I regret IMO. AJax and Kennedy would've been huge. Jackson has shown he can hit for average and Kennedy would've been a big boost IMO. His peripherals looks great- god BAA and K Rates.

VDesai wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:I bet Thames would have been an all-star if he'd gotten regular playing time all year

Hard to project this kind of performance over a full year. He's hit in the past with more AB's but not at an all star level. He's always had a good homer rate but hasn't always hit for average. He's a little like former Yankee Glenallen Hill

I'd agree that you don't know for sure what would happen in a full season and I may have just gotten overly excited. However, when looking at his past stats, it's important to realize that he's never been protected by guys like Cano and Posada before (batting right before and after him). That said, per 600 at bats (basically one full season), he still has averaged about 40 HRs for his career.

VDesai wrote:

TMS wrote:we really had no need to make that Berkman trade when we already had Thames on the bench... dude has been hitting all year... Berkman's been another bust just like Nick Johnson & Javy Vazquez... Curtis Granderson i'd put on the list too but at least he's been getting some key hits from time to time... Kerry Wood has performed better than i expected him to over a limited sample... hopefully he carries it through for the rest of the stretch run.

I have no idea why we got Berkman AND Kearns.

Basically, it's hard to tell in advance with these guys how it will work out in NY. But if you throw enough darts, just by chance some will hit the bulls eye. That's why, if you're giving up very little, I'm always in favor of grabbing guys with good track records.

I'm highly skeptical of Wood. His ERA as a Yankee is good but his WHIP is high. Usually the interpretation stats experts give when the WHIP is high but the ERA is good is that the player just luckily got out of some jams and his ERA is misleadingly low and likely to rise.

Wood is walking too many batters but he's pitching a lot better than he had earlier in the year and he's been a big help so far.

Whats amazing is that Mariano Rivera at age 40 has a 1.11 ERA and 0.76 WHIP. The guy is managing to get better and he was already the most dominant reliever ever. He defies explanation.