May
25
Fan Confidence Poll: May 25th, 2009
ByRecord Last Week: 5-2 (45 RS, 30 RA)
Season Record: 25-19 (243 RS, 242 RA), 1.0 GB
Opponents This Week: @ Texas (3 games), @ Cleveland (3 games)
Top stories from last week:
- The week started off the same way the previous week ended, with the Yanks beating the Twins. Phil Coke earned his first career save as the team wrapped up it’s first series sweep* of 2009.
- With the team playing the best baseball it’s played all season, the Orioles were helpless when they came to the Bronx. CC Sabathia set the tone with a dominating performance on Tuesday, and the offense took charge on Wednesday. Ben and I were in the stands on Thursday as Joba Chamberlain took a liner off the leg (thankfully he’s okay) and the offense poured it on late. The second series sweep* of 2009 was in the books.
- All good things must come to an end, and it just so happened that the Yanks’ nine game winning streak came to an end when the defending World Champs came to town. AJ Burnett and Chien-Ming Wang continued their struggles in game one of the series, but the team rebounded with a walk-off win the next day against Brad Lidge. They mounted another comeback off Lidge yesterday, but alas, it just delayed the loss.
- Brian Bruney returned from a month long hiatus due to a cranky elbow, but he managed to make only one appearance before it sidelined him a second time. Chien-Ming Wang also came back from injury, but we think the Yanks may have rushed him. Thankfully Xavier Nady is close to starting rehab. Mo knows they could use the extra bat.
- It’s no secret the bullpen has struggled, but it looks like one guy has emerged as a potential stalwart. It might be tougher than expected to get some help since the Yanks are unable to add payroll right now.
- The New Stadium continues to be a hot topic, as one pitcher on the team expressed his frustration. It’s been just 23 games, so this bandbox stuff is a bit overblown.
- Lastly, the new Metro-North Station opened.
Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.
* Two-game series don’t count
Given the team's current roster construction, farm system, management, etc., how confident are you in the Yankees' overall future?
Confidence Level = 10
The team is playing good ball and that run differential is starting to stabilize. Looking forward to next week, I’d be happy w/a 4-3 record on the trip, but I think they could possibly do 5-2 again.
10.
I take an 8-2 homestand 365 days a year.
And it’s not just that the team is winning, but the way they’re playing, It’s *fun* to be a Yankee fan again.
When wasn’t it fun to be a Yankee fan?
When Tomko lost yesterday? Watching Matsui swing like, I don’t know, me?
With no lows there can be no highs.
Shit, if we went 7-3 for the rest of the year we’d win 120 games, including the playoffs.
Winning comes first, then fun!
/Carver’d
That’s McCarver to you, *bub.
*Sorry, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to use “bub” for, like, the past 36 hours.
Confidence Level = 8
Yankees played pretty good baseball showing heart deep in the ball games, last year those come from behind wins would be losses. Still, there was a few disappointing spots. CMW wasn’t all that great, and that we couldn’t win a series against a know contender in Pilly, but overall the yankees are in a good spot here.
8. Will be higher when the bullpen stabilizes, and when Wang gets his shit together, and/or when Hughes shows he can pitch to a 4.00-4.50 ERA or lower.
Confidence Level-0
I’m a redsox troll and this is how I get my jollies.
IETC
I still maintain zero confidence, and answered accordingly, but I also question the ambiguity of “how confident are you in the Yankees’ overall future?”
How confident am I that their future is dire, or how confident am I that they will improve?
See what I’m saying? very confusing.
don’t you feel like an idiot considering Pat parodied your response 2 full minutes before you got yours in there?
Not really.
Which is sadder, the fool that realizes he’s a fool, or the fool that doesn’t?
Go back to your Cheetos steve.
Im still at 8…I was tempted to go up to 9 after the 8 and 2 homestand, but we beat teams we should beat every single day. I want to see us beat the better teams with some regularity.
Im excited to be going to see them in Cleveland next weekend. My birthday is Sat and my family best have put my name up on the screen there, I figure it has to be cheaper than what the Yanks charge for their messages!
Happy Birthday and hopefully the Yanks will give you a win to help you celebrate!
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/schedules
Sabathia vs Carmona, so you picked a good day to be born!
Awesome!! Im going to Sunday’s game too..then to ride the coasters at Cedar Point, with a stop to see the Mets play Pitt at PNC on the way back.
Confidence level = 7
I was about to go to an 8 regardless of yesterday’s loss, but AJ Burnett’s last 3 performances concern me. Walks and untimely hits have derailed Burnett from really filling the void Wang has left at the top of the rotation. Burnett hasn’t been the same since the Boston game. He must bring down his walks per 9 rate. We all know he’s capable of giving 7 quality innings each game. He simply hasn’t.
Minor Org positive: A-jax must be enjoying an insane BABIP. The power isn’t a concern. Ellsbury’s shown more power in the majors than in the minors. A-jax might be another one of those cases.
Yeah but will A-Jax be a grinder that can steal home as well as the hearts of the pink hat female fans of Fenway Park? I think not.
I was going to go with 7, but the new Metro-North station bumped it up to 8.
IETC
8, 8-2 over the last ten games. CWIDT?
I’ve been at 9 for most of the year, with a decline to 8 during the 5 game losing streak.
The Rays, who did it with pitching (and defense)last year are predictably not enjoying the same health they had last year, which was extraordinary.
The Red Sox loaded up on guys with big injury question marks in the off season, since they lost out on their main target Tex. Buying off the discount rack usually comes back to bite you, just ask any Mets fan.
Yanks will win this division, and go at least as far as the ALCS.
Seriously, who voted 3. I assume people who vote 1 are trolls, just trying to piss us off. However, voting 3 suggests some thought went into the selection and they have no confidence in the team. Either that or they figured voting 3 would piss us off more than voting 1, which is clearly true in my case.
To whoever voted 3, seriously WTF.
Some fans are incessantly negative, figuring that if they always expect the worst then they won’t be disappointed. And if they win, they’ll be pleasantly surprised.
It sounds like a good theory, except that it means you spend most of your life being negative, and who the fuck wants to be that guy. Not me, life’s too short.
Some fans are incessantly negative, figuring that if they always expect the worst then they won’t be disappointed. And if they win, they’ll be pleasantly surprised.
That’s the way I looked at every math class I took from tenth grade on.
Im the opposite…I go into EVERY season expecting 162-0! We ARE the Yankees after all
Lanny and douglas quaid
I had a dream the Yankees played all the ALCS games in one day, and won the series.
Then the next day they played all the World Series games in one day against the Mets, and won on a walkoff.
Was it Melky?
That’s weird because last night I had a dream I was lego batman.
I had a dream that a hamburger was eating ME!
HEY! If you were a hot dog, would you eat yourself? ‘CAUSE I KNOW I SURE WOULD!
9
As much as I’m enjoying this year so far, sans the 5 game losing streak, I’m more excited for next year.
LF-Jeter
2B-Cano
1B-Tex
3B-A-Rod
RF-Swisher
DH-Posada
CF-Melky/A-Jax
C-Cervelli
SS-Pena
CC
AJ
Joba
Wang
Hughes
——
Mo
Bruney
Coke
Melancon
Robertson
Marte
Aceves
Lol, I’d rather not move Jeter to LF if the replacement is gonna be Ramiro Pena. That’s weakening us offensively at 2 positions.
I’m with you, but I think they’ll sign a LF this off season, and it will probably be Bay. We’re going to live w/Jeter at SS for another year or two. And even if he did move, they wouldn’t give the job to Pena. They’d go get someone.
You know, according to UZR, Jeter’s been decent at short this year. SSS for sure but as long as he’s not in the bottom 5 defensively at short, I don’t want to move his bat to left field where it looks much less impressive.
I don’t think they go with Bay but perhaps Damon on a 1+1.
JBay is gonna be asking for maaaaad loot and will be 31 in September. No thanks.
If Bay wants like…a two year deal, I’ll be alright with it. Otherwise, not so much. I have a pipe dream of a defensively supreme OF of Melky/Jackson/Swisher, with the Yankees acquiring someone who can just rake for DH (Dunn? Manny?), but that probably won’t happen–mostly because Jorge will probably need to DH.
because Jorge will
probablydefinitely not be able to Catch, thus he will absolutely need to DH.Fixed.
Yeah….I know, haha.
Next year’s got the makings of a down year offensively for the Yankees.
I doubt Bay leaves Beantown. And what SS do you see us getting without giving up Phranchise? If Pena continues to not suck with the bat, his D makes him quite valuable. Don’t be surprised to see my plan come to fruition next year. Jeter gets to usher in the New Yankee Stadium at SS then pass the torch.
Lol, I’d rather not move Jeter to LF if the replacement is gonna be Ramiro Pena. That’s weakening us offensively at 2 positions.
Forget what position they’re playing for a sec. We’d be replacing Damon with Pena. That’s one offensive downgrade, but two defensive upgrades.
One huge offensive downgrade and why are people so sure Jeter is gonna be a defensive upgrade over Damon? Left field is much less important than short sure, but I’m nowhere near sold on Jeter’s viability as an outfielder defensively.
why are people so sure Jeter is gonna be a defensive upgrade over Damon?
Damon turns singles into doubles, etc. His arm is a huge liability out there. Catchers round third as if their 5 y/o daughter were in LF.
BTW, Ramiro Pena is not a major league bat. He was barely a passable minor league bat. I’m not against moving Jeter but if Pena is the replacement (he of 2 career minor league home runs and a high avg of .266 in AA) then we can wait another year or two.
BTW, Ramiro Pena is not a major league bat.
TBD. The 100+ y/o history of baseball is littered with players hitting better in the big then they did down on the farm. His experience against the big boys this season, coupled with work ethic and coaching, cold go a long way in 2010.
Damon also has good range, which turns more doubles into singles than his arm turns doubles into singles.
I’m also of the school of thought that moving Jeter to LF will be a net negative for the Yankees. We have no idea how good he’ll be in left and his bat will most likely not justify LF in ‘10. It’s best to leave him at SS (where his defense has actually been average the past 190 games) where his bat plays best. Ramiro Pena should not be given 500 ABs because of his awesome glove, unless he shows he can hit a lot more in the second half, which is doubtful. I don’t love it, but Derek Jeter will be a SS for at least the rest of his contract.
Good comment.
where his bat plays best
I don’t agree with that POV at all. His bat is in the lineup no matter where he plays D. I doubt managers & GM’s are saying “(insert name here)’s stats look better at SS than LF so lets put him there.”
Damon’s numbers “look better” in CF than LF, but we don’t see him there anymore due to defensive reasons.
Okay but either way, you’re replacing Damon’s career .800 OPS with a guy who struggles to OPS .700 in the minors. If Pena can OPS .650 in the majors I’d be surprised. And Jeter’s UZR for the last 190 games have been reasonable as Matt pointed out. Don’t move him until something better than Pena comes along.
Derek Jeter’s bat does not fit into this lineup wherever he plays. His bat does not justify a corner power position at all and we have no idea how his defense will be in LF. For all we know, it could be terrible. Not to mention the fact that his bat is probably in decline (despite hitting pretty well so far this year).
Damon is still a league average LF bat (which I don’t think Jeter would be) who provides above average LF defense (which I don’t think Jeter would do). Jeter provides an exceptional SS bat, albeit with below average defense. However, his bat at SS is much more valuable than what most teams get out of their SS’s at the plate.
Playing LF instead of SS would probably allow his offensive decline to not be so quick/sharp. Less physical demand on his body.
Jeter’s strength defensively is playing pop-ups. LF is right behind SS. I have no doubt he could move to LF with ease.
Yeah because the pop ups Jeter fields are JUST like pops that come out to left field, right? They’re a totally different animal.
Playing LF might have less of a physical toll on Jeter (we don’t know that for sure) but it’ll speed up his baseball decline since his bat most likely will not play well in LF. Yes, GMs consider these things. Why do you think Hanley Ramirez is still a SS despite iffy fielding (though it’s on an uptick this year)? Because his bat is much more valuable at SS than it would be just about anywhere else (though it is more flexible than Jeter’s).
I’ll guess that it’s because he wants to play there, that’s why. Ramirez’s bat would play well anywhere on the field.
Also: most likely will not play well in LF? really, just most likely? Unlike Ramirez, Jeter’s bat does not play well anywhere except SS and 2B. Last year his OPS would have placed 37th among qualifying OFers, 15th among 3B, 21st among 1B.
You’re seriously picking apart my use of the term “most likely?” I know Jeter’s bat won’t play in LF.
Ok. This thread would make more sense if it was Cano doing the moving. Only problem is, if I assume for a sec that Arod’s hip may ultimately effect his play at 3B, but in as few years his age will, anyway, where does Arod go?
Why would Cano move? He’s a good 2B bat and his defense is fine there.
Would not Jeter be better slotted at 2B? We both know he’s staying a Yankee for eternity.
Oh, oh, oh oh, my bad. I see where you’re going with that now. If there were someone apparent to knock Jeter off of SS (read: not Ramiro Pena), I’d be comfortable putting Cano in left and Jeter at second.
Bay is a serviceable LFer at Fenway but would be lost in the expanse of Yankee Stadium’s. No way is he going to NY, and no way is his agent going to successfully work the NY angle with Bay’s impending free agency, because Epstein knows it’s not happening. He isn’t dumb.
Do you think Bay would agree to an extension during the season? Considering how well he’s played (he’s got most of the leverage in that situation), and that Boras is his agent, I think he’ll at least test the waters before signing on for more years with the Sox.
I think his agent is fantasying about a NY/BOS standoff, or at least praying the market turns so his no-D corner OF winds up with a better market than Dunn, Abreu, etc.. BTW, that agent is Joe Urban.
Why did I think Bay was a Boras client?
Many believe the same.
that could be a pretty mediocre to bad offense.
I’d say next year is:
SS-Jeter
LF-Damon? (only on a 1+1 deal)
1B-Teixiera
3B-A-Rod
2B-Cano
DH-Posada
RF-Swisher
CF-Melky/A-Jax
C-F. Cervelli? Could go out and sign a stop gap for a couple of years?
This Pena as a long-term answer stuff needs to stop.
Why? He’d be one of the best defensive SS in the majors right now. If he can continue to not suck with the bat he’d be very valuable. Ie: if he can hit .270 he is a long-term answer.
He hit .266 in AA, what makes you think he can hit .270 in the majors? And he has zero home run threat. Please, no more Pena as a long-term answer.
what makes you think he can hit .270 in the majors?
I didn’t say “I think he can”. I said “If he could”. With his D, I’d take .260/.310/.370 and hope it improves over time.
The 100+ y/o history of baseball is littered with players hitting better in the big then they did down on the farm. His experience against the big boys this season, coupled with work ethic and coaching, cold go a long way in 2010. Color me optimistic.
Color me realistic. Pena’s triple slash will be less bearable with his OPS under .650 than Jeter’s defense which has actually been better for the last year and change than in the past due to better positioning perhaps. I really can’t see Pena ever playing an everyday role barring an injury and especially not for the Yankees.
Time will tell. If one could be had,would you take Aybar/M.Isturis from LAA as our SS next year?
No. If J.J. Hardy could be had for the right price, that’d be worth considering but there aren’t that many options out there that are better than Jeter right now if he’s fielding at a league average level.
So: All-Star or bust?
Proposing that Pena be the everyday shortstop is more like bust or bust.
Pena would have to have to be Ozzie Smith and Omar Vizquel combined on defense to justify staying in the lineup all season with a .310 OBP.
Bruney going back on the DL as per PeteAbe. Confidence is going down unless of course they finally bring Melancon and Robertson back ot the big leagues.
7
Bruney’s back on the DL, which means we’re back to 2 1/2 reliable relievers.
Swisher and Matsui are teh ice cold suck right now.
Our bench is Gardner, Pena, Cash, Berroa so we’re 1 for 4 there and neither Cashman nor Girardi have made any noise about wanting to change that (Girardi has insisted on starting Cash 2/5 games, even though he’s left us longing for the days of Wil Nieves).
AJ Burnett has been, well the AJ Burnett of our nightmares, not that of our dreams of bright sunny uplands.
Girardi continues to manage at least 1 WTF moment, tactically speaking, in just about every game.
The offense will forgive many mistakes, but there are still areas of concern.
Cash is starting 2/5 games for one reason – so Cervelli doesn’t wear down.
Maybe some of the minor league guys here can back me up – in 2007, I remember Cervelli hitting .300 through early July, and pretty much hitting a wall after that.
Once Posada’s back, Cash is the 3rd catcher (or bye bye, with Chris Stewart ready to come up).
The problem with Berroa is this – Kevin Russo is hurt at Scranton. If Russo were healthy, I don’t think the Yankees would hesitate to send Berroa away.
Put Nady, Posada and Molina back on the roster, and Cash is an afterthought
I could do without seeing Chris Stewart ever again. In one of Hughes ‘08 starts, him and Hughes got crossed up so many times that the Yankees determined Hughes was nearly blind. Stewart proceeded to get crossed up repeatedly with all following relievers.
Well, that’s 1 start for Cash every 5 days explained, how about the other?
Berroa or Russo doesn’t really matter, the question is why are we wasting a roster spot on a player that never plays when that spot *could* be occupied by something with some utility?
If something happened to Arod while playing 3rd 1 day, put in Pena and make a move after the game. If something happened to Pena playing 3rd one day and Arod was DHing, then move Arod to 3rd and make a move after the game. You’d lose the DH for part of 1 game, but either way, you’d gain tactical options for being able to a) pinch hit for the Cash/Cervelli combo with an actual bat and b) spell Nick ‘bats are sick’ Swisher or Matsui in the lineup.
I’ll be happy to revist my ranking *when* Nady, Posada & Molina are back AND productive AND remain healthy.
Because as Brian Bruney just proved, sometimes the line between the DL and being healthy, isn’t nearly as linear as one would hope for.