Jorge jeading back to the DL

By now, I'm sure you've all heard the news that Jorge Posada is heading back to the DL, and there's a strong possibility that he won't be back until next season. Posada is to have an MRI today to help decide whether he should have season-ending surgery now in order to make sure he's ready for next year, or play through the injury and finish out the season. Personally, I'm hoping that he chooses the latter. It's far more important for the Yankees to make sure that they have Jorge Posada the borderline Hall-of-Famer for the next few years than it is for them to try and have Jorge Posada the catcher who can't throw for the rest of the season.

Assuming that Posada does opt for the surgery, the question the Yankees must now answer is whether they can do better than Jose Molina at catcher. The short answer is probably not. The long answer is that good catchers are hard to find, and the names that are currently being floated as possible trade candidates, like Yorvit Torrealba and Paul Lo Duca, aren't any better than the defensively great and offensively terrible Molina. Right now, the only catcher who might be available and might be an upgrade over Molina is Rangers' prospect Taylor Teagarden.

Teagarden is a very good defensive catcher who has good power and plate discipline, but struggles to make contact. At worst, he'd be Molina's equal, and he has the potential to be much better. However, Teagarden's availability depends on whether or not Texas believes that either Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Maximiliano Ramirez is a long term solution at catcher. Additionally, a prospect of Teagarden's caliber wouldn't come cheap, and considering the Yankees' weak bargaining position, they'd have to give up a lot. In other words, I wouldn't hold my breath for this deal to happen.

Hear no Evil

You know, as long as I'm asking for favors from people who probably don't read this blog, here's another. I don't normally bother writing about players' personal lives (as shown by my non-existent coverage of A-Rod's divorce), because I generally don't care. However, this story in the New York Post about Joba Chamberlain dancing on the tables at MLB.com's 33 Club party concerned me.

Now, I can't begrudge Joba for having his fun. He's certainly earned it, and I don't think it's anyone's place to tell him what to do in his free time. However, I can't stop imagining him falling off a table and injuring himself. As I said, I don't think anyone has the right to ask Joba to stop dancing, but I would like to ask the New York Post, or anyone else, not to tell me about it. I think it's best for everyone.

Picking Nits

It was most certainly a good day for the Yankees. New acquisition Richie Sexson made an immediate contribution by knocking in the Yankees first run, and the rest of the team followed his lead by knocking six runs off of Greg Smith on their way to a 7-1 win. Meanwhile, on the mound, Mike Mussina continued to baffle the the opposition, giving up just one run in six innings, and the bullpen work of David Robertson, Edwar Ramirez and LaTroy Hawkins was absolutely dominant, striking out six in just three innings of work. On a day like this, complaining might seem a little petty, but Brett Gardner managed to pick at one of my pet peeves.

In the bottom of the fourth, Gardner attempted to bunt for a base hit, and was just barely out as he slid headfirst into the base. It's that last part that gets me. Sliding into first is one of those things that drives me crazy, because it doesn't get you to the base any faster, and you run the risk of injuring yourself. Brett, I implore you, don't do that again.

Remembering Murcer

As we wait for baseball to start again, I thought I'd share a great little story with you. Steven Goldman is one of the best writers covering the Yankees, and his post on Monday about Bobby Murcer brought a tear to my eye. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to check it out.

Bringing the Thunder

I don't like the home run derby. It's not that I'm opposed to the concept, mind you. I actually think it's a good idea, but whenever I watch it I find myself incredibly bored by it. There's obviously no interest in the outcome, and watching a glorified batting practice while the three or four hundred announcers and analysts ESPN has covering it try to squeeze in as many product placements as possible just isn't that enjoyable for me. That said, I needed to balance my checkbook last night, so I had the TV on in the background. If nothing else, I figured, the small army of children they have shagging flies are kind of amusing.

Thank goodness for those kids, because otherwise I might have missed Josh Hamilton put on a show that people will be talking about for a long time. Twenty-eight home runs, hit into parts of Yankee Stadium that have only been hit a handful of times before. It was an epic performance, and if you missed it you should definitely check it out here.

I can only hope that something similar manages to save the All-Star Game, another event which I like in theory but manages to have all the fun sucked out of it by Major League Baseball and Fox.

Feeling the Burn(ett)

After an oh so brief respite, the Yankees returned to their offensive futility this afternoon as they were thoroughly dominated by AJ Burnett. For many people, though, this performance was more than just another bad day for the Yankee offense; it was also a look at a potential trade target.

Obviously, what we saw out of Burnett was good, even taking into account the slumping ways of the team he was facing. To me, it confirmed what I had suspected, that Burnett is pitching better than his 4.96 ERA would have you think. Taking a closer look at his stats this year, you see that he's still striking guys out (in fact, he leads the league), and isn't allowing any more walks and home runs than he has in the past. The only big difference has been that more of the balls that have been put into play against him are going for hits rather than walks. At .337, his batting average on balls in play (or BABIP) this season is far higher than it has been over his career. That suggests that he's either been a victim of bad luck or bad defense (or both). This means that his perceived value might be less than his actual value, and the Yankees could get themselves a bargain by taking advantage of that.

That said, there's another factor to consider with Burnett: his contract. Burnett is signed for two more years and is owed $24 million. This would be a good deal for a pitcher with his talent, except that Burnett has only managed to remain healthy for only three out of his eight full seasons in the majors, so it's a safe bet that he'll have problems in the future. When you consider the plethora of young pitching talent the Yankees have in their system and the excellent pool of free agent pitchers available after this season, it's easy to see how Burnett could easily turn from an asset to an albatross in a few months.

Bobby Murcer, 1946-2008

Bobby Murcer passed away earlier today. I never saw him play, as I was only two years old when he retired, and I certainly never met him, so I'll leave the task of paying tribute to him as a player and as a person to those who did. Instead, I'm going to spend a few moments talking about Bobby Murcer as I knew him; an announcer.

My first memories of Murcer are of the guy who would occasionally talk about the game I was watching while Phil Rizzuto was talking about something else entirely, and who would then be left alone when Rizzuto would suddenly head home before the game was over. As entertaining as Rizzuto was, I can't imagine it was an easy job for Murcer to be the straight man, but he did it well.

It was after Rizzuto retired, I think, that Murcer really came into his own as a broadcaster. There are plenty of ex-players out there who bring experise and love for the game to the broadcast booth, but there aren't many who were as likable as Murcer. His midwestern drawl and genial manner made him a great storyteller; the perfect company for a summer afternoon. He worked well with whoever was in the booth with him, no mean feat when you consider the revolving cast of thousands that make up the YES Network's announcing teams, but he was especially good when paired with Ken Singleton. Too often, the sportscaster's version of humor involves a barrage of self-aggrandizing catchphrases, but the team of Murcer and Singleton were genuinely funny, and were one of the few that actually made me laugh.

When measured against the accomplishments that his family, friends and colleagues can attest to it's a small thing, but I truly enjoyed Murcer as an announcer, and I'll miss him.

An Epic Battle

I've been having some technical difficulties lately, which have kept all my posts from the past two weeks from actually appearing on the site. I've got it sorted out now, so I'll be posting some of the relevant stuff that was lost over the next few days. Today, however, I want to talk about last night's game between the Staten Island Yankees and the Brooklyn Cyclones. It might not be as important as the Yankees' seven game winning streak or Chien-Ming Wang's injury, but it's just too cool of a story to ignore.

You see, last night marked the professional debut of Pat Venditte, a reliever drafted by the Yankees in the 20th round out of Creighton University. Venditte, of course, is the pitcher who gained national attention last year for his ability to pitch with either arm. The advantage of being able to pitch right-handed to a right-handed batter and left-handed to a left-handed batter is obvious, but it raises the question of how to deal with switch-hitters. In college this question was answered by NCAA rules, which stated that Venditte had to declare which arm he was going to use before the first pitch. Thus, Venditte would have to give up his advantage and settle for forcing switch-hitters to hit from their weaker side. However, no such rule in professional baseball, so the question arises again: What happens when a switch-pitcher faces a switch-hitter?

Well, in the ninth inning of last night's game, the answer was "hilarity". After facing the first three batters of the inning as a right-hander, Venditte saw Cyclones DH Ralph Henriquez taking warm up swings left-handed and switched his custom made glove to the other hand. Seeing that he was now facing a lefty, the switch-hitting Henriquez stepped to the plate as a right-hander. Venditte then proceeded to switch his glove back. Henriquez responded by crossing over to the other side of the plate. The switch-pitcher and switch-hitter continued to dance like this, neither player willing to give up his advantage in a hilarious game of chicken. Finally, after discussions with the players and managers, the umpires ruled Henriquez had to bat right-handed and Venditte proceeded to strike him out as a right-hander. You can watch the whole eight-minute affair here.

There's still no word on how this will be handled in the future. There's no rule dealing with this situation in the Major League Baseball rulebook (which also governs the Minor Leagues), and the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation manual only says "In the rare occasion of an ambidextrous pitcher, pitcher and batter may change positions one time per at-bat.", which isn't that helpful. Officials from MLB and PBUC are still figuring things out, but while they do I've got my own suggestion. As far as I can tell, there's no rule saying that a player has to use a glove at all. Since the glove is the only sign a hitter has of what arm Venditte will use before stepping into the batter's box, maybe he should just leave it in the dugout. That way, batters won't know where the ball will be coming from until Venditte is set to throw. That surprise could be an even bigger advantage than what he's already got. Plus, it'd be very, very cool.

Draft Day 1, Part 2

With their third pick of the draft, the Yankees have taken Scott Bittle, the closer for the Ole Miss Rebels. Bittle doesn't have classic closer stuff, as his fastball sits around 90mph, but he dominated hitters with a devastating cutter, striking out 130 in just 70 innings. Don't, however, make the mistake of comparing him to any other closers who rely on a devastating cut fastball. Unlike Mariano Rivera, Bittle doesn't break 90mph with his cutter, and it's more of a swing and miss pitch than a breaker of bats. To me, it seems like a kind of high pick for someone whose ceiling is as a setup man. I'd rather have seen them take Preston Paramore, the catcher for the Arizona State Sun Devils who walks more than he strikes out and is very good defensively.

Update 7:25PM:I'm much happier with the next pick, David Adams. The second baseman for the University of Virgina Caviliers, Adams began the year as a possible first round pick, but had a disappointing season where he was merely good and not the star he was in his previous two seasons. If he can bounce back to his earlier form, he'll be a steal in the third round.

Update 7:59PM:We're reaching the limits of my knowledge, but what little I know of the Yankees' fourth round pick, Corban Joseph, is good. A shortstop out of Franklin High School in Tennessee, Joseph possesses a short lefthanded swing and uses the whole field. He has the ability to stay at shortstop, though he probably won't be a gold glover, and is only an average runner. It sounds like a solid pick to me.

And I think that's it for me tonight. I'll be back tomorrow with a review of the entire draft.

Live Blogging 6/5/07, Draft Day Special

I'm sorry about the recent lack of posts, but I've been feeling under the weather lately. I thought I'd make up for it by doing a double live blog, covering both today's game and the First-Year Player Draft, which will commence at 2pm. So, without further ado, here are your starting lineups:

Yankees

1. Johnny Damon - DH
2. Derek Jeter - SS
3. Bobby Abreu - RF
4. Alex Rodriguez - 3B
5. Hideki Matsui - LF
6. Jorge Posada - C
7. Robinson Cano - 2B
8. Wilson Betemit - 1B
9. Melky Cabrera - CF

Pitcher: Chien-Ming Wang

Blue Jays

1. Shannon Stewart - LF
2. David Eckstein - SS
3. Alexis Rios - CF
4. Scott Rolen - 3B
5. Matt Stairs - DH
6. Lyle Overbay - 1B
7. Kevin Mench - RF
8. Rod Barajas - C
9. Joe Inglett - 2b

Pitcher: Dustin McGowan

Obviously, the big story of the game is the return of Jorge Posada. I'd be very surprised if the Blue Jays don't test his shoulder.

Update 1:13PM:Well, Toronto's not going to be able to test Posada's shoulder like that, as it take Wang only ten pitches to send the first three batters back to the dugout. He's definitely got his best sinker today, and just as importantly, he's throwing it for strikes at the knees.

Update 1:25PM:Considering how many baserunners they've stranded this season, you've got to be happy with the Yankees getting two runs here. Still, after a leadoff walk followed by a double, I kind of hoped for a bigger inning.

Update 1:30PM:If, by the way, you're someplace where you can't watch the game on TV, you can watch the draft online here. Right now the various teams' delegations are being introduced. The Yankees, I believe, will be represented by Tino Martinez.

Update 1:35PM:Wow. Posada wastes absolutely no time as he rips the first pitch he sees into right field for a single. Even if baserunners go wild against him, his bat is going to be a major boost.

Update 1:48PM:MLB.com is reporting that Tampa Bay will select Tim Beckham, a high-school shortstop from Georgia, with the first pick. Obviously, Beckham wasn't a player the Yankees were watching, as he was always going to be taken well before their turn came around. As they've done in recent years, I think the Yankees will be focusing on players who other teams might pass on because they'll be expensive to sign. Unfortunately, more and more teams are willing to shell out big money for their big draft picks, so the Yankees may not be able to do that in the first round. That said, there is a chance that either first baseman Eric Hosmer or shortstop Casey Kelly, both high-schoolers out of Florida with top 10 talent, will be available, as Hosmer is a Scott Boras Client and Kelly has a strong commitment to the University of Tennessee as quarterback as well as a baseball player.

Update 2:01PM:Wang manages to wriggle out of trouble thanks to a nice play by the Captain, but he's really got to get that sinker back into the strike zone or this game is going to get ugly.

Update 2:17PM:Well, the draft has officially started and the Rays, annoyingly, took all five minutes to make the pick they knew they were going to make all day. Congratulations to Tim Beckham.

Update 2:18PM:Matt Stairs hit a sky-high fly ball that very slowly drifted over right field. It looked like an easy out right until it landed on top of the fence for a two-run home run. That might have been the laziest home run I've ever seen.

Update 2:28PM:So much for Eric Hosmer, who was just taken by the Royals with the third pick. As I said, more and more teams are becoming willing to pay big money to their high draft picks, and Kansas City is a perfect example. That said, the Yankees can still flex their financial muscles in the later rounds, as they've done in recent years with players like Austin Jackson and Dellin Betances, two players who other teams felt were too expensive to sign away from college.

Update 2:38PM:What a horrible error by Melky Cabrera. He completely missed an easy fly ball that could've resulted in a double play and the end of the inning. Instead, the ball bouces off his glove, a run scores and there's two men on with one out.

Update 2:44PM:That'll do it for Wang. who leaves with the Yankees down 7-2. Obviously Melky's error hurt him, but he wasn't doing well to begin with. If anyone knows where his command went, I'm sure he'd like it back.

Update 2:49PM:Prior to this year, Chien-Ming Wang gave up 2.41 walks per nine innings. Over the past month, that number is at 5.88. I'm not sure what the problem is, but the Yankees need to figure it out fast.

Update 3:04PM:Now that's dissappointing. Bases loaded with no one out and all Abreu, Rodriguez and Matsui can muster is two runs off of a ground ball and a sacrifice fly? That's a huge waste of an opportunity to get back in this game.

Update 3:08PM:There aren't many times when I'm happy to see LaTroy Hawkins, but this is one of them. Hopefully this means that Joe Girardi realizes that Ross Ohlendorf is only effective as a short reliever.

Update 3:35PM:Wilson Betemit doesn't have the bat to be an everyday first baseman, and I can understand why people might be upset to see him in the lineup instead of Jason Giambi for the second straight game, but he's still a valuable player. There simply aren't many guys with that kind of power that can play every infield position.

Update 3:50PM:How is it that Jose Veras managed to jump ahead of Chris Britton in the bullpen? He did a nice job bailing out Hawkins here, but his stuff doesn't really seem special, and Britton is the one with a track record of success in the majors.

Update 3:55PM:Over at the draft, Casey Kelly is still available, as is Christian Friedrich, a lefty from Eastern Kentucky who would be a real coup for the Yankees.

Update 4:07PM:The Cubs, Mariners and Tigers just took three college relievers in a row, which I think is good news for the Yankees, since I doubt that they were interested in any of them.

Update 4:10PM:Well, Brad Wilkerson provides the first test of Posada's shoulder, and it doesn't go so well. Wilkerson's jump was too good for anyone to throw him out, but Posada's throw was way off target, and only a leap by Robinson Cano saved it from heading into the outfield.

Update 4:23PM:Just three picks left before it's the Yankees' turn, and there's still quite a few interesting players still left. Aside from the aforementioned Casey Kelly and Christian Friedrich, there's Tulane ace Shooter Hunt and high-school righties Gerrit Cole and Tim Melville. All of these would be strong picks, so the Yankees have to be feeling pretty good right now.

Update 4:28PM:I understand the impulse to have Robinson Cano bunt here, but considering how bad he looked trying it, you've got to question the move. Bunting is a skill, and a manager should know which of his players has it and which don't.

Update 4:37PM:Finally, the Yankees turn has come. Christian Friederich is gone, but there's still plenty of good players that have fallen. So many, in fact, that the Yankees really need to base their decision as much on what players might fall to their next pick at number 44 as on their talent.

Update 4:45PM:The Yankees take Gerrit Cole, a right handed pitcher from Lutheran High School in Orange, CA. The folks on ESPN are comparing him to Phil Hughes, based largely on the fact that he's considered the best pitching prospect from southern California since Hughes. Cole, however, is a very different kind of pitcher. Hughes is all about command, while Cole is all about power, throwing his fastball consistently from 94-96mph and occasionally hitting 98mph. However, even though he's got more velocity, Cole's command is erratic, and his mechanics make some scouts worry about the possibility of injury. If the Yankees can improve upon those weaknesses, he's got potential as either an ace starter or closer. It's exactly the kind of high risk, high reward pick the Yankees have been making over the past few years, and it's a good strategy for them.

Update 4:56PM:Meanwhile, back at the game, the Yankees wasted their opportunities to take the lead in the eighth, and now find themselves down to their last out with Matsui at the plate representing the tying run. He's been pretty bad today, as the only starter without a hit, but there aren't many hitters I'd rather see in the clutch.

Update 5:00PM:And that would be why. Now it's a question of whether Jason Giambi's moustache can overcome the gimpiness of Jason Giambi's foot.

Update 5:02PM:The Moustache delivers! A walk off, pinch-hit home run into the upper deck in left field, and that's the game.

Update 5:17PM:The first round of the draft is over, and with it goes ESPN's coverage, but MLB.com will be showing the rest, which is going to continue until 9PM today. The Yankees next pick is in the supplemental first round, which they recieved as compensation for losing Luis Vizcaino to the Rockies. So far, two of the players who I had hoped would fall to the Yankees, Casey Kelly and Shooter Hunt, have been taken by Boston and Minnesota respectively.

Update 5:27PM:And the Yankees surprise me greatly by taking Jeremy Bleich, a lefty from Stanford that most people saw as a third or fourth round pick. It's especially surprising since Tim Melville, a right hander from Missouri has fallen from his expected mid-first round status because of the money he's asking for. I guess the team didn't want to take two high school pitchers in a row and went for some polish instead. Anyway, Bleich is a pretty classic lefty who throws his fastball in the 88-91mph range and complements it with a good curveball and changeup. At best he's a middle of the rotation starter, and it won't take him long to develop.

Update 5:42PM:With the end of the first round, there'll be a break till 6:15PM, so I'm going to wrap up this post and start a new one when the Yankees make their next pick at number 75.