Off Topic · Yankees Talk thread (page 441)

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.

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. 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.

Kearns i was glad to get, because we know what his role would be... Berkman is clearly past his prime & starting him at the DH was a proposition i was never excited about... i think Thames gives us much more in terms of clutch hitting & i think he adds more to the overall team chemistry... Berkman just seems out of place & uncomfortable here... that was a wasted acquisition.

i agree w/u about Jax... kid looks like a future Allstar & Gold Glove winner... the hope is that Granderson can bounce back & have a good year next year, because he's not yet past his prime... i do like the pop he gives us late in the batting order... really, if we had just held onto Johnny Damon we could have avoided a couple of other mistakes like Nick Johnson & Lance Berkman, & maybe we are not so quick to pull the trigger on acquiring Granderson... being as tho Crawford & Werth will be FA's next season, i think we just needed a place holder this summer.

VDesai wrote: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.

We'll have to see what happens with Wood. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Mariano is amazing!

clone cc...

Yanks won a waiver claim on Ted Lilly, but Dodgers are unwilling to deal him for now... i would really like to get Lilly back in pinstripes... he's been pitching great for LA since he got traded there from Chicago.

Yankees should bat Jeter at bottom of order
By JOEL SHERMAN
Last Updated: 11:46 AM, September 4, 2010
Posted: 2:59 AM, September 4, 2010
There are many ways to think about a lineup, but there is one inarguable concept when constructing a batting order: You want your best hitters to bat most frequently.

So why does Derek Jeter continue to hit in one of the top two spots in the order?

The short answer is because he is Derek Jeter.

At this moment, Jeter is the weakest link in the everyday lineup, which means he should be batting eighth or ninth.

He isn't, Joe Girardi says, because the manager "believes" in Jeter. I think it is because he believes he would be creating tension and controversy around his club if he makes such a public rebuke of Jeter's skills. Girardi knows the decision by his predecessor, Joe Torre, to bat Alex Rodriguez eighth in the 2006 Division Series forever damaged the relationship between manager and slugger, and Girardi surely sees no upside in making the iconic Jeter an enemy.

To defend Jeter's presence near the top of the order, Girardi cherry-picked Jeter's runs scored (95) as an example of his continuing value. But that is more a reflection of how well the guys hitting behind Jeter have done. If he were having a familiar season, he would have 115-plus runs. Instead, he leads the majors in outs and has an on-base percentage of .332 -- 92nd out of 155 players who are qualified for the batting title.

In the Yankees lineup, the top of the order also can be an RBI position. But Jeter has one hit in 16 at-bats with the bases loaded and is hitting just .255 with runners in scoring position.

As if to accentuate what the top of the Yankees order can generate, in yesterday's 7-3 victory over the Blue Jays, on-base machine Brett Gardner led off, reached base three times, scored three times and drove in a run. The resurgent Curtis Granderson, batting second, delivered two doubles, two walks and three RBIs.

Jeter did not start as Girardi kept his struggling shortstop (3-for-his-last-34) away from a righty, Brandon Morrow, who Jeter cannot handle (3-for-16, seven strikeouts). The next two players on the shortstop depth chart, Ramiro Pena (who started at third) and Eduardo Nunez, combined to go 4-for-8.

But this is not about removing Jeter from the 2010 everyday lineup. Pressure games are coming and the Yankees know Jeter will not be unnerved in those situations. This is about recognizing that there is no meritocracy when it comes to Jeter. When, for example, Javier Vazquez lost his fastball, he lost his rotation spot. Jeter has metaphorically lost his fastball as a hitter, becoming a groundball metronome who hardly ever strikes the ball with authority. Yet he not only does not lose playing time, he continues to bat more frequently than more deserving teammates.

I directly asked Girardi whether, if Jeter's name were Joe Smith, he still would be hitting atop the lineup.

"Yes," the manager said. "I don't know if a change would bring shockwaves [to the clubhouse]. All I know is that I believe in Derek."

But that is about nostalgia, not current reality. The best present-day Yankees lineup should have Gardner leading off and an RBI type such as Granderson or Nick Swisher hitting second. Gardner went into yesterday leading the majors in pitches seen per plate appearances. He has forced 104 full counts (11th in the majors), and that is a tribute to the hitting eye of a player that opposing pitchers desperately want to dispose of quickly and keep off base. He saw 26 pitches in five plate appearances -- his combination of patience and speed ideal for leadoff.

Since changing his swing under the tutelage of hitting coach Kevin Long, Granderson is batting .303 with seven homers in 76 at-bats. More amazing has been his transformation against lefties. In that span, he is hitting .423 (11-for-26) against lefties with four walks (.500 on-base percentage) and six extra-base hits (.769 slugging) compared with .206/.243/.275 with four extra-base hits in his first 102 at-bats against southpaws this year.

In just 285 at-bats out of the two-hole, Swisher has 15 homers (second best in the majors) and 42 RBIs.

Nevertheless, Jeter will continue to bat first or second. Not because he deserves that. But because his name is Derek Jeter.

joel.sherman@nypost.com

good article on how kevin long has helped granderson:

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/n...

quote:

"Long worked with Granderson on keeping his hands still, closing his stance and making sure he finished his swing with both hands on the bat. The changes have allowed Granderson to hit the ball squarely to all fields. Prior to the Texas Tweak with Long, Granderson says he wasn't hitting the ball to left field with any authority and was trying to pull everything.

He sat out two games in Texas against left-handed starters and returned to the Yankees lineup on Aug. 12 at Kansas City. Since then, Granderson is hitting .303 (23-for-76) with four doubles and seven homers.

Need more evidence that Granderson is red hot? Two of his seven home runs have come off left-handed pitching, which had been a death sentence for Granderson during his struggles in the first four months of the season."

i hope DJ has enough fortitude to go to girardi at some point and say "you can hit me wherever you want." gardner has been awesome and he has the speed and eye to be the ideal leadoff hitter.

also, i'd love to see girardi keep cano in the cleanup spot. he has been absolutely torching the ball all year, i'd rather see arod protecting him than vice versa. gardner at the top, swisher 2, tex 3, cano 4, arod 5, posada 6, granderson 7, mix and match DH, and then DJ at 9 setting up the top of the order seems to be the best lineup based on april thru august results.

unless Jeter asks Joe to bat him lower i would bat him 2nd behind Gardy. i dont want a repeat of the Arod fiasco from Torre. i also think Cano should be batting 3rd in front of Teix or Arod.

BigSm00th wrote:Yankees should bat Jeter at bottom of order
By JOEL SHERMAN
Last Updated: 11:46 AM, September 4, 2010
Posted: 2:59 AM, September 4, 2010
There are many ways to think about a lineup, but there is one inarguable concept when constructing a batting order: You want your best hitters to bat most frequently.

So why does Derek Jeter continue to hit in one of the top two spots in the order?

The short answer is because he is Derek Jeter.

At this moment, Jeter is the weakest link in the everyday lineup, which means he should be batting eighth or ninth.

He isn't, Joe Girardi says, because the manager "believes" in Jeter. I think it is because he believes he would be creating tension and controversy around his club if he makes such a public rebuke of Jeter's skills. Girardi knows the decision by his predecessor, Joe Torre, to bat Alex Rodriguez eighth in the 2006 Division Series forever damaged the relationship between manager and slugger, and Girardi surely sees no upside in making the iconic Jeter an enemy.

To defend Jeter's presence near the top of the order, Girardi cherry-picked Jeter's runs scored (95) as an example of his continuing value. But that is more a reflection of how well the guys hitting behind Jeter have done. If he were having a familiar season, he would have 115-plus runs. Instead, he leads the majors in outs and has an on-base percentage of .332 -- 92nd out of 155 players who are qualified for the batting title.

In the Yankees lineup, the top of the order also can be an RBI position. But Jeter has one hit in 16 at-bats with the bases loaded and is hitting just .255 with runners in scoring position.

As if to accentuate what the top of the Yankees order can generate, in yesterday's 7-3 victory over the Blue Jays, on-base machine Brett Gardner led off, reached base three times, scored three times and drove in a run. The resurgent Curtis Granderson, batting second, delivered two doubles, two walks and three RBIs.

Jeter did not start as Girardi kept his struggling shortstop (3-for-his-last-34) away from a righty, Brandon Morrow, who Jeter cannot handle (3-for-16, seven strikeouts). The next two players on the shortstop depth chart, Ramiro Pena (who started at third) and Eduardo Nunez, combined to go 4-for-8.

But this is not about removing Jeter from the 2010 everyday lineup. Pressure games are coming and the Yankees know Jeter will not be unnerved in those situations. This is about recognizing that there is no meritocracy when it comes to Jeter. When, for example, Javier Vazquez lost his fastball, he lost his rotation spot. Jeter has metaphorically lost his fastball as a hitter, becoming a groundball metronome who hardly ever strikes the ball with authority. Yet he not only does not lose playing time, he continues to bat more frequently than more deserving teammates.

I directly asked Girardi whether, if Jeter's name were Joe Smith, he still would be hitting atop the lineup.

"Yes," the manager said. "I don't know if a change would bring shockwaves [to the clubhouse]. All I know is that I believe in Derek."

But that is about nostalgia, not current reality. The best present-day Yankees lineup should have Gardner leading off and an RBI type such as Granderson or Nick Swisher hitting second. Gardner went into yesterday leading the majors in pitches seen per plate appearances. He has forced 104 full counts (11th in the majors), and that is a tribute to the hitting eye of a player that opposing pitchers desperately want to dispose of quickly and keep off base. He saw 26 pitches in five plate appearances -- his combination of patience and speed ideal for leadoff.

Since changing his swing under the tutelage of hitting coach Kevin Long, Granderson is batting .303 with seven homers in 76 at-bats. More amazing has been his transformation against lefties. In that span, he is hitting .423 (11-for-26) against lefties with four walks (.500 on-base percentage) and six extra-base hits (.769 slugging) compared with .206/.243/.275 with four extra-base hits in his first 102 at-bats against southpaws this year.

In just 285 at-bats out of the two-hole, Swisher has 15 homers (second best in the majors) and 42 RBIs.

Nevertheless, Jeter will continue to bat first or second. Not because he deserves that. But because his name is Derek Jeter.

joel.sherman@nypost.com

That's an excellent article. This is a business not a charity. You can't keep batting Jeter at the top of the order. Hopefully he will approach Girardi like BigSm00th said. I'm curious about what kind of contract the Yankees will offer him this off-season. He'd probably get very little from any other club.

Jeter can bat anywhere he wants.

He can also snap out of slump.

In the clutch, he is the man.

You win with him, not without him.

I thought that for the first 100 or 200 at bats of his "slump" but now it's almost 600. I'm not saying cut him or bench him. I'm just talking about changing where he hits in the lineup. If it were anyone else, that would have happened months ago. Maybe getting sent down to 8th in the lineup will put a spark in him.

I know Jeter hasn't been himself but I still want him batting either the first or second come October. If you look at it like that, would you rather drop Gardner or Swish? I'd rather drop Gardner. I'm okay with the lineup as is

where Jeter bats in the order is the least of our problems... we need a reliable setup man in the bullpen & another reliable starter if we want any chance of repeating this season... if Hughes goes back to the pen that solves 1 problem but opens up another.

HUGE HR today by Swish. HUGE win. Kim Jones getting some pie in the end was AWESOME!! Got Rays/Red Sox coming on now on ESPN..I can't believe I actually might be rooting for the Sox in this game...Crazy!!

TMS wrote:where Jeter bats in the order is the least of our problems... we need a reliable setup man in the bullpen & another reliable starter if we want any chance of repeating this season... if Hughes goes back to the pen that solves 1 problem but opens up another.

Joba has really been excellent for the last month and a half or so. He might have hs mojo back for that role. And Wood has obviously done well. I hope Logan is up for the task because he's gonna need to get all the tough outs Marte got last year when Marte was randomly lights out. The weird thing is last year the setup guys who were so great in the regular seasons weren't all that great in the playoffs, while a guy like Marte was huge. Sometimes your just lucky.

Whats gonna kill us is if Pettitte doesn't get healthy. We are 1 deep in the rotation right now and everyone else is an unknown variable.

Finestrg wrote:HUGE HR today by Swish. HUGE win. Kim Jones getting some pie in the end was AWESOME!! Got Rays/Red Sox coming on now on ESPN..I can't believe I actually might be rooting for the Sox in this game...Crazy!!

Someone threw a pie in her face?!

VDesai wrote:

TMS wrote:where Jeter bats in the order is the least of our problems... we need a reliable setup man in the bullpen & another reliable starter if we want any chance of repeating this season... if Hughes goes back to the pen that solves 1 problem but opens up another.

Joba has really been excellent for the last month and a half or so. He might have hs mojo back for that role. And Wood has obviously done well. I hope Logan is up for the task because he's gonna need to get all the tough outs Marte got last year when Marte was randomly lights out. The weird thing is last year the setup guys who were so great in the regular seasons weren't all that great in the playoffs, while a guy like Marte was huge. Sometimes your just lucky.

Whats gonna kill us is if Pettitte doesn't get healthy. We are 1 deep in the rotation right now and everyone else is an unknown variable.

i think Hughes will be our setup man in the postseason because of his innings cap... if Andy doesn't come back healthy we are in a serious bind w/no one other than CC a reliable starter right now other than maybe the kid Nova... our offense is going to have to carry us this postseason because we are not nearly what we were last year in our pitching.

I dont think Hughes is coming out of the pen in the postseason. If he was I think he'd be in the pen right now in anticipation. I dont know if the Yanks would throw someone into a new role that quickly. If they did he'd probably be pitching as a long man. They already skipping his start this week to keep him under the regular season cap. I don't know if they had a postseason cap as well.

Kim Jones' walk off bukkake

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/arti...

& i'm gonna say it again... Nick Swisher has been our best trade acquisition in years... the guy was made for the NY stage.

VDesai wrote:I dont think Hughes is coming out of the pen in the postseason. If he was I think he'd be in the pen right now in anticipation. I dont know if the Yanks would throw someone into a new role that quickly. If they did he'd probably be pitching as a long man. They already skipping his start this week to keep him under the regular season cap. I don't know if they had a postseason cap as well.

The starting rotation is weaker than the bullpen and needs more help right now. The bullpen has several guys with ERAs below 4. Out of our pitchers whose inning totals qualify for ESPN's ranking, we have only one with an ERA below FIVE!