Oct
15
Yanks add Guzman to ALCS roster
ByChad Jennings has the news: Fast Freddy Guzman has been added to the Championship Series roster in place of Eric Hinske. Hinske has gotten just 15 plate appearances in the last month, and most of those came as the Yanks were resting players down the stretch. Guzman at least gives the Yankees another pinch running threat. I assume Hinske will head to Tampa to stay sharp, because his bat could be extremely valuable off the bench if the Yanks make it to the World Series.
In case you’re wondering, Hinske was not only left off Tampa’s ALCS roster last year, he was also left off their World Series roster. He wasn’t added to the WS roster until prior to Game Four, when Cliff Floyd hurt his shoulder.
really? in place of hinske? wow. but eric hinske takes teams to the world series….
seems like hinske might be more valuable than marte
Moot. One is a pitcher, the other a position player. Apples, oranges. Unrelated.
i suppose, but i would think the player to come off the roster for the next round would be the ineffective marte for one of bruney/guzman, didn’t really expect to see hinske taken off
Marte=worthless
No.
I assume Hinske will be back on for the World Series.
This of course would be to pinch hit him for A.J. after A.J. went 1-2 with a HR to right field in Philly.
Exactly.
Um, not really. People compare them all the time based on their worth, and it would actually be pretty easy to make an argument that one was more valuable than the other.
Yes, but it’s moot because we can’t swap one for the other without a corresponding move of a different pitcher for a different position player, because we’re not going to roll with a 10-man staff and a 6 man bench. That’s an unbalanced roster.
So the “Guzman is more valuable than Marte” or “Hinske is more valuable than Marte” concepts both have merit and may or may not be true, but they’re both irrelevant because of the numbers involved. We’re carrying 11 pitchers minimum for the ALCS. Can’t lop off Marte without replacing him with another pitcher. Just can’t do it.
Something tells me Hinske will not be a Yankee in ‘10.
What aboot Jerry Jr.?
I like him, but is Pena or Russo a better fit?
I doubt Russo makes it yet. I’ll say one of the two vets (Hinske/Hairston) returns and the other gets the boot.
I’ll bet our 4 man bench in ‘10 is Cervelli, Peña, Gardner, J-Hair.
I’ll bet our 4 man bench in ‘10 is Cervelli, Peña, Gardner, J-Hair.
+1
I would, however, like to see Russo get a shot and Pena get some time in the OF to get some more value out of him.
I’ll bet our 4 man bench in ‘10 is Cervelli, Peña, Gardner, J-Hair.
That bench seems very light in terms of power. Pena and Hairston are pretty much the same player, I see no reason to have both on the roster.
Hairston plays a good OF, Pena doesn’t really play OF at all.
CBLL wants Shelley Duncan.
I know you’re joking, but I’d rather not have him on the roster for an extended period of time.
I see your point, but didn’t they give him time in the OF in AAA at the end of the year? Hairston is probably the better defensive OF, but I guess Pena would be serviceable there in 2010. Plus, Pena is the better defensive IF. I just don’t see the big difference between those two.
Yeah, that’s a pretty damn bad bench when you look at it.
That’s the only flaw in the plan. Perhaps we let J-Hair walk (especially if he ends up a Type B and nets us a free sandwich pick) and add some bench muscle instead.
There’s not many good options for said bench muscle, though, outside of Hinske. So maybe we should bring him back after all.
Miguel Tejada?
Melvin Mora?
Mark DeRosa?
Fernando Tatis?
(don’t laugh)… Gary Sheffield?
(okay, you can laugh.)
Carlos. Delgado.
Heh.
Also, I know he is a forgotten man. Xavier Nady.
Yeah, he’d really be the perfect fit here. But, were he healthy, he’d be expensive and he’d go off in search of a big league deal, so he’s kinda moot as well. It’s a catch-22: If he’s injured, he’s cheap and desirable but may be worthless; if he’s healthy, he’d good and desirable but too expensive.
He’s a type B as of now–offer him arb?
You offer him arbitration. He wouldn’t be that expensive in arbitration and could be a very useful bat off the bench. There’s a chance that he won’t be completely healthy, but the success rate of TJ surgery is so high (especially since he’s not a pitcher), that it’s not that big a risk. Worst case is he comes back throwing like Johnny Damon.
You offer him arbitration. He wouldn’t be that expensive in arbitration…
He’s making 6.5M now. Is that “not expensive”, in your opinion? 6.5M is not necessarily chump change, it’s a decent amount of money for someone who may not A) be healthy at all or B) be able to play the field at all.
My gut instinct is we don’t offer him a thing and he just walks.
Barry Bonds.
Your mind = http://a-m-p.gr/media/image/la.....dblown.jpg
Ugh, sadly that ship has sailed. I wish they’d gone for Bonds instead of Sexson.
I’d be all over Bonds if I thought he could actually play the field. With HazMat likely back for another year + maybe Damon, we can’t sign a true DH for that “Hinske” spot on the bench, we need to be able to actually stick him in one of the four corner spots (RF/LF/3B/1B) for at least a handful of starts…
There are not a lot of OF that are attractive, maybe some small trade. And I’d rather have a OF than an IF on the bench. Re-sign Hinske? Xavier Nady?
…maybe some small trade…
Mark Teahen? Ross Gload? Jason Michaels? Laynce Nix? Reed Johnson?
Garret AtkinsNo, forget I mentioned it.
Mark Teahen? He was one of the first guys on my mind. Would like to have him around cuase he could play the infield in a pinch.
Ross Gload? Nah, I don’t really like him. I just don’t see what he could bring to the table.
Jason Michaels? Didn’t play a lot last year, but he would be a nice guy to have on the bench.
Laynce Nix? Had a nice 2009, but I don’t see him keeping it up.
Get Gabe Gross on the cheap, maybe? Their doesn’t seem to be a lot of bench-type OF anymore, compared to like 2003. I’m confident Cashman has some idea for this spot.
Reed Johnson? See Gload.
The question for all of them is price. It’s all price. If we can get one of them without giving up anything of real value, go for it. Otherwise, see what Hinske wants to return.
i like teahen off the bench. he plays all over the field and is young enough that it’s conceivable he could get back to ‘06 levels.
Just remember: The more you like a guy over another, the more expensive his price tag probably is.
I like Teahen, but if I can get Reed Johnson or Ross Gload for cheaper, I like cheaper more than I like Teahen.
Mark Teahan kind of sucks on defense though.
Meh, so does Hinske.
I’m not asking for a good defender; the bench will already have Cervelli, Peña, and Gardner. Those three can play good defense at all 8 spots on the field. That last bench player doesn’t need to play GOOD defense, just be capable of actually putting a glove on and standing on the field for 9 innings. Bad defense is fine.
i think jerry will def. get offered arb because he is a type B and if he comes back that’s fine it wont be that expensive and if not we get a pick.
Hinskie is probably gone, but i am sure we can find one of these old FA’s that are going to be out there to be a bat off the bench, occassional DH.
That list of old FA DH/bat off the bench isn’t very appealing, though.
i agree but i would love to add a derosa over even hairston because he has more pop without losing any versatility and could play LF if we left Damon walk while also giving A-Rod days off and using melky in LF on some days.
Marlon Byrd is another potential OF if we let damon walk. Kapler as a bench OF wouldnt be bad.
I bet DeRosa and Byrd price themselves right out of bench spots. Also, they’ll want to start for someone.
Kapler is eminently available, but I’d much rather bring back Hairston or Hinske over him, Kapler’s pretty bleh.
which is why i said both if damon walks as they wont get only bench money, especially derosa.
Is it raining in ny today???
Yes. And cold. And windy. Miserable weather, hope it’s nothing like this tomorrow night but looking at the forecasts, I doubt it.
Yes.
he only got 1m from the Pirates after last season and didnt get playing time, why would anyone offer him more after this year?
I guess I can see that. I mean, whom are we pinch hitting for? Only Melky, and we can have Hairston hit for him if necessary. When Molina plays, Posada is his PH.
I suppose the only time you’d have Hinske hit is if you lifted Posada for a pinchrunner and then had to pinch-hit for Cervelli or Molina if the game was still going when they came back up to bat… but we would probably doubleswitch the catcher and Hairston for Melky and postpone the decision a bit.
I’m fine with this move. Guzman the pinchrunner probably sees the field more than Hinske the pinchhitter, and Guzman adds defensive value to boot.
exactly. hinkse isn’t exactly a defensive whiz. gotta stop the angels from getting XBH’s as much as possible.
Yeah, they can go uber OF defense with Guzman/Gardner/Melk
Please explain why you would pinch hit Hairston for Melky.
Career:
Hairston: .259/.328/.373/.701 85OPS+
Melky: .269/.331/.385/.716 87OPS+
2009:
Hairston .251/.315/.394/.710 84OPS+
Melky .274/.336/.416/.752 97OPS+
I wasn’t necessarily saying I’d be doing it left and right. You’re correct, they’re basically a wash.
We don’t really have much need for pinchhitters on this club.
At least, not until we play in NL parks, that is.
Guzman is a great call. I’d also take bruney over marte
I like the move but i would of move Marte of the roster. U would Have a lot of speed and power with Hinske on the bench we really dont need Marte on the roster in this round.
Again, you can’t swap Marte for Guzman. That leaves us too shorthanded in pitching.
Melky is also 1-12 against Jered Weaver, Gardner might start that game. I found that out completely on my own and not from Pete Abe’s twitter.
lol i just saw that on Pete twitter but i was cracking up wit his new pik.
http://a1.twimg.com/profile_im.....-30-11.jpg
True story, he hit a fly ball that reached the monster.
And then he kicked the catcher in the face, Alcantara-style.
He was later called out when attempting to slide into first.
“big dig part deux”
wow, pedroia has really let himself go
lol
I dislike the move. Not in of itself, as neither player will get much burn, but because it illustrates that the Yankees are thinking like fans. Why make this move now as opposed to the ALDS? Nothing changed. They did it because of the idea that some fans and apparently the manager have about “beating the Angels at their own game.” They run, so we need to run. Being that the two offenses do not actually play each other, that line of thinking is silly.
or maybe because of damon’s slump and melky’s struggles against weaver it gives gardy a start which would be a change and guzman takes gardy’s spot as the runner.
Possibly. I just think that after the two games where they beat the Angels with Gardner’s speed, everyone in Yankeeland seemed giddy over beating them at their own game, even in the clubhouse. I hope you are right (Gardner for Melky, not Damon).
everyone in Yankeeland seemed giddy over beating them at their own game
The irony is that a good throw would’ve nailed Gardner. If the Yankees get run happy in this series, they could lose. With the poewr they have, there is on reason for them to be running themselves into outs and out of innings.
But that’s part of the problem with speed. It causes people to rush (pitchers, catchers, infielders). When people rush they make mistakes.
I like how the Yanks are talking about dealing with the Angels running. Get the batter put. pay attention to the runner but dont be obsessive. The batter is the most important thing.
this
Girardi via CJ:
“We thought we could use another speed guy in this round. We’ve had some success doing those types of things late in the game, and in a seven-game series stuff could come up late in the game. We saw the games against Minnesota were very close and sometimes you can use a couple of pinch runners. If Gardy gets a start, then you don’t have a pinch runner (without Guzman). It just frees us up to do some more things.”
I hear you, but I think we have to give Girardi a little more credit than to think he’s going to fall prey to a fan-driven, or even media-driven, narrative of the ilk of ‘the Yanks have to beat the Angels at their own game.’ I think we’ll see the Yanks play the same game-plan they’ve played all season. They’re not going to, and adding Guzman to the roster does not signal that they would, suddenly try to emulate the Angels’ style in the ALCS.
It’s a good thing that the Yanks are “thinking” rather than sitting back on their heels. The Angels bring a different set of issues than the Twins and having some running game flexibility is one of the ways you should approach playing the Angels as compared to the Twins (and what’s so bad about thinking like a fan; many who post on this site have special knowledge/insight due to their intensity of interest in the Yanks and baseball and many good and correct ideas are brought to the light of day on these posts. The irony of the remark is thinking like a fan is what we all (you included) bring to the table; nothing more, nothing less.
It’s a good thing that the Yanks are “thinking” rather than sitting back on their heels.
Out of curiosity, had we “thought” about it and decided to not make any roster changes, would you have chastised them for sitting back on their heels? Because that’s kind of hard to judge without firsthand knowledge, isn’t it?
If the Yanks considered the move and did nothing that would have been fine too. I agree with the move because Hinske was basically a waste of a roster spot in the last series and would most likely have been one in this series. If the Yanks decided to keep Hinske because he has good numbers against Weaver and would think of starting him in Damon’s place if Damon was still slumping that would be ok too. If the Yanks were asked and said they were going with the same roster and didn’t even bother to consider any other possibilites then I would chastise them for not doing their homework.
Because fans get caught up in narratives like beating them at their own game. Why is speed more important than it was against the Twins?
Mauer is not the kind of guy you plan on running on. The biggest vulnerablity on the Angels defensively is their catching (besides hiting a ball near a wall for Abreu) and Yanks showed in their last series with LA the benefits of an effective running game against them.
Minnesota allowed 21 less steals over the season than the Angels, but actually caught baserunners at the same percentage- 23%. I really do not see what has changed.
For the same reason the Yanks probably wouldn’t have taken both Coke and Marte on the ALDS roster if they’d been playing the Tigers.
Preparing for a particular opponent does not necessarily signal a reactionary, wholesale attempt to alter one’s game-plan. Some fans might see it that way, but I highly doubt that’s Girardi’s and Cashman’s intent.
does this make a start for gardner more likely, either for melky or damon now that we have another “speedster” off the bench to pinch run?
I think so.
Yes.
I just hope Girardi is careful with his use of Guzman. I don’t want him to run the Yankees out of innings and I don’t want him thinking that because the Angels are a “running” team that the Yankees should turn into one.
http://riveraveblues.com/2009/.....ent-625031
But the Yankees should turn into a running team because running teams are good (if they can run successfully at a good rate, which both Gardner and Guzman can).
The Angels part of it is irrelevant. We added Guzman in September not with the Angels in mind, but with the playoffs in general in mind. (In fact, we probably added him with the Red Sox specifically in mind, but I digest.)
Heavy lunch?
no one is telling them to run all crazy or anything. but with the success rate we have around 80% and the fact their catchers only throw out 25%, those are good odds and running or even just the threat of it forces defenses to make mistakes.
This makes sense. Let Hinske go face some live pitching in Tampa. He will do nothing but rot on the bench if he stayed with the team and we’ll need him to PH in the WS.
As for Guzman, he’s the second option to PR so I don’t have any issue with it.
ALCS plz. kthxbai
if hinske is back on the roster for the world series, who comes off ?
Probably Guzman.
Hopefully, Molina.
Hasn’t anybody on this blog realized that without Hinske we don’t have a pinch hitter who can hit the ball past the infield? And that we already have pinch runners in Gardner and Hairston? The move to keep Hinske off the roster is insane, in the words of my friend and baseball writer Richard Lally. And it could come back to hurt them. Freddy Guzman is a total waste of a roster spot.