Archive for August, 2009
DotFast
Posted by: | CommentsI’m super busy over at MLBTR with the signing deadline and all, so I’m going to cop out and leave you with a bullet pointer for tonight. DotF kinda sucks without Jesus Montero anyway.
In case you missed it, Russ Ortiz opted out of his contract and became a free agent. Big whoop, no big loss. Sean Black was named NY-Penn League Pitcher of the Week.
- Triple-A Scranton: Austin Jackson threw three walks (!!!) and Mark Melancon threw two hitless innings.
- High-A Tampa (Game One): Damon Sublett doubled while Dan Brewer & Austin Romine took 0-fers. DJ Mitchell put nine guys on base in 4.2 IP.
- High-A Tampa (Game Two): Dan Brewer homered & drove in five while Jairo Heredia went the distance with 7 shutout innings
- Low-A Charleston: Taylor Grote doubled twice and Dan Kapala hung zeroes on the board for five innings in a spot start.
- Rookie GCL Yanks: Kelvin DeLeon & Judd Golson each drove in a run while Nik Turley struck out six and walked four in 3.2 IP.
Double-A Trenton had a scheduled off day, and Short Season Staten Island is off until Wednesday for the All Star break. Regular DotF comes back tomorrow.
Game 119: I’m going going, back back, to Cali Cali
Posted by: | CommentsThe Yanks are making their second trip to California this season, yet somehow they still have one more to make after this. This time, they’re in the East Bay playing the A’s, but this isn’t the same team the Yanks faced earlier in the year – Orlando Cabrera is gone, Matt Holliday is gone, Jason Giambi is gone, and Russ Springer is gone.They’ve been replaced by guys named Everidge and Cunningham and Gray, among others.
The Yanks hopefully got their clunker out of the way yesterday and will start another winning streak tonight. They’ll be faced by ex-mate Brett Tomko, whom the A’s are starting out of desperation. Tomko had his moments in pinstripes, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to keep his job. He had been working in relief with Oakland’s Triple-A club, and I don’t think he’s stretched out. Hopefully they put this one to bed early.
Here’s the starting nine:
Jeter, DH
Damon, LF
Teixeira, 1B
A-Rod, 3B
Posada, C
Cano, 2B
Swisher, RF
Melky, CF
Pena, SS
And on the mound, AJ Burnett.
Oh, and make sure you vote in this week’s Fan Confidence Poll. It kind of got buried underneath all of our draft coverage this morning, so you might have missed it.
Lack of lefties makes Matsui’s loss easier to stomach
Posted by: | CommentsOne concern for the Yankees offense heading into the season was the condition of Hideki Matsui‘s knees. He had an operation his right knee following the 2007 season, and then missed significant time in 2008 with left knee problems, which led to another surgery in September. This relegated Matsui to DH-only status, as the Yanks fear that playing him in the field could further aggravate his fragile joints. After Matsui had his left knee drained in April, it appears those fears were well-founded.
The latest news is that Matsui has again had his knee drained and will miss the series opener in Oakland. For Hideki to miss any time at this point is a bummer. He’s been on fire since the All-Star Break, hitting .267/.344/.488 with four doubles and five homers in 96 plate appearances (counting Saturday’s 0 for 4, when his knee was clearly bothering him). But considering the timing, it might not be that big an issue.
What’s worked most in Matsui’s favor this year is his ability to hit lefties well. He’s posted a .258/.336/.619 line against them in 110 plate appearances, and has his 10 of his 19 home runs against pitchers of the same handedness. His BABIP is a mere .211, which explains away the low average, but his power against lefties is undeniable. It would appear that there aren’t many lefty starters on the horizon for the Yanks.
Oakland will feature righties Brett Tomko and Vin Mazzaro Monday and Tuesday, so the wise move would be to hold Hideki out of both of these contests, opting to use Eric Hinske in the DH spot instead. While his splits also favor lefties this year, it’s in a small 40 PA sample against them. Over his career Hinske has hit righties far better than lefties, a .804 OPS vs. a .673 mark. Might as well let him face the righties in Oakland’s rotation.
Then on Wednesday, if he’s able, Matsui can enter the lineup against Brett Anderson and the A’s. The day off will help, as the Yanks travel to Boston on Thursday. They will then have a three-game series, in which none of the Sox starters will be lefties — Jon Lester will start Thursday against Toronto. This gives the Yanks flexibility to give Matsui another two straight days off. Or perhaps they’ll opt to give Matsui the entire A’s series off, in hopes that five idle days will clear up all issues with the knee.
In any case, the Yanks have the flexibility to deal with Matsui’s current malady. They can give him as much time off as he needs, because they have a bench deep enough to mask his absence. That they’re playing the last-place A’s helps even further. Losing Matsui’s bat would be a detriment to this offense. Thankfully, it appears that they’ll be able to get him back in the lineup in due time.
2009 Draft: Yankees sign 16th rounder Bryan Mitchell
Posted by: | CommentsVia Jim Callis, the Yankees have signed 16th rounder Bryan Mitchell to an $800,000 bonus. It’s the third largest bonus given out by the Yankees so far this year (that I know of). Callis says the North Carolina high schooler “throws a lively 90-91 mph fastball and a hard slider.”
The Cody Miley Memorial Fund
Posted by: | CommentsBaseball Fever, the official booster club of the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees, will be hosting two fundraisers this Sunday to raise money for the Cody Miley Memorial Art Scholarship Fund. Cody is the son of Triple-A Scranton manager Dave Miley, and was killed last August in a car accident just a few days short of his 18th birthday. The first fundraiser will be a silent auction held during Scranton’s 1:05 game against Buffalo, and the second will be a picnic with the players after the game.
You can find more information about the fundraiser as well as contact info here. If you’re going to be in the Scranton area this Sunday, stop by the ballpark to help out a good cause.
Saving Yankee Stadium history but at what cost?
Posted by: | Comments
According to critics, the plan to save Gate 2 comes with a hefty price tag.
As the Yankee Stadium demolition continues apace, the effort to save Gate 2 is gaining traction. Yet, despite the increased publicity and focus on the preservation effort, critics contend that it is far too late and far too costly to save this bit of Bronx baseball history.
The latest development in this fight over parkland and the historic parts of Yankee Stadium comes to us via the Daily News. Today’s article sums up the current state of the movement, and it doesn’t sound as though things are falling into place for those of us who wish to see a part of Yankee Stadium incorporated into Heritage Park.
Eitan Gavis and Larry McShane talked to a few unnamed critics of the plan, and these naysayers point to the price and historical modifications of Gate 2. According to those who oppose the effort, it could cost up to $10 million to restore Gate 2 to its historical image and stabilize the gate so that it stands without the help of the existing stadium. These critics also contend that the gate was “significantly changed” during the renovations to the stadium in the 1970s.
According to the Daily News and previous reports, the Parks Department plans to leave the giant bat in place. There is, however, a functional aspect to it as it serves as a vent from the physical plant located below ground. The department will also incorporate some of the frieze into plans for Heritage Park.
Proponents of the plan though hit upon the real reasons for saving Gate 2. For too many years, we have simply destroyed baseball history, leaving plaques in out-of-the-way locations or home plates buried under parking lots. “We visit some of these places where the original field is gone, and all we have is a brass plaque saying, ‘This is where home plate was,’” Bill Turner, a supporter of the movement, said.
Lloyd Ultan, Bronx borough president, compared Yankee Stadium to some of the world’s more famous architectural and archeological ruins. “If you go to Rome, you can get some idea of what the Forum was like from the ruins,” Ultan said to the News. “If it’s feasible, it’s worthy to save that part.”
As I said last week when I wrote about the plans for the park, the Yankees and the City should figure out a way to better incorporate the old stadium into plans for Heritage Park. The team could front some of the money for preservation, and Save the Gate 2 could fundraise for it as well. Too late will we realize what is missing if the stadium is demolished with no eye toward both the future and the past.
Open Thread: 2009 Draft Signing Deadline Day
Posted by: | CommentsThe deadline for teams to sign their draft picks is the stroke of midnight tonight, and you can expect most of the high picks to sign just a few minutes before that. You can read up on the Stephen Strasburg situation here; it’s not worth the bandwidth for me to regurgitate it all. I think he signs for something in the $18-22M range right before the deadline. That’s just too much money for him to pass up, and realistically his stock can’t get any higher.
The Yankees have already announced three significant signings today, landing first rounder Slade Heathcott for $2.2M, second rounder JR Murphy for $1.25M, and fifth rounder Caleb Cotham for $675,000. You can see all of the Yankees picks here, the names in bold are guys who have signed. As of right now, they’ve signed their top eight picks and 13 of their top 14.
My quick take: they definitely overpaid Heathcott, that’s 7th overall pick money. He’s just not that kind of talent, however the Yanks had their backs up against the wall because it was an unprotected pick. No complaints about the money given to the other two players, both are solid talents. I’m going to post my annual post-draft signing period top 30 prospects list on Wednesday, so be on the look out for that.
While we wait for some signings to be announced, use this sucker as an open thread to talk about all things draft. I’ll post more updates later as signings are announced.
2009 Draft: Yanks agree to terms with second rounder JR Murphy
Posted by: | CommentsVia KLaw, the Yankees have agreed to terms with second rounder JR Murphy. The terms aren’t yet known, but slot money for his pick (#76 overall) was roughly $478,000. He’ll get more than that, probably seven figures. You can learn all about the high school catcher here.
Lane Meyer of NoMaas was all over this earlier today. The Yankees have now signed their top eight picks, and 13 of their top 14 picks.
Update (12:35am): Jim Callis says Murphy received $1.25M. That’s the largest bonus given out in the second round so far this year.
2009 Draft: Yankees sign first rounder Slade Heathcott
Posted by: | CommentsVia Jim Callis, the Yankees have signed Slade Heathcott, their first round pick, to a $2.2M bonus. Slot money for his pick (#29 overall) was roughly $1.1M, so he received double that. Good for him, that’s pretty much 7th overall pick money. My guesstimate of $1.5-1.7M was obviously way off. Shows what I know. You can learn all about the high school outfielder here.
Lane Meyer at NoMaas had the news earlier today.
2009 Draft: Yanks sign Caleb Cotham
Posted by: | CommentsVia Jim Callis, the Yankees have signed fifth rounder Caleb Cotham to $675,000 bonus, considerably overslot. The draft eligible sophomore out of Vanderbilt struck out 84 in 79 IP last year, and put up a nice and clean 0.00 ERA in 13 IP in the Cape Cod League this summer.
Use this thread throughout the day to talk about draft signings and what not. I’ll post more updates as players sign.
Just 21 days 'til pitchers and catchers report.
