Open Thread: 3/1 Camp Notes

March 1, 2012 by Mike Axisa 74 Comments

Short day in Tampa because the Yankees had their annual team bonding experience in the afternoon, which was held in a comedy club. The players performed pre-written sketches while others were improvised. Apparently Freddy Garcia and Hiroki Kuroda did an Egyptian dance to Notorious B.I.G and Mark Teixeira was the MVP of the event. I dig it, nothing brings people together like forcing them into uncomfortable situations with each other. Sounds like a good time was had by all. Here’s the latest from camp…

Chad Jennings is the man with the pitching and hitting plans. Every big league starter threw live batting practice today except for Ivan Nova, who threw a bullpen session as a tuneup for Saturday’s start against the Phillies. Everyone but Austin Romine (back) took their swings.
Robinson Cano was back in camp after spending a few days in the Dominican Republic following his grandmother’s death. He hit in the cage with hitting coach Kevin Long and then later out on the field. [Erik Boland]
Joba Chamberlain felt no lingering stiffness or soreness following his first full mound session on Tuesday, and the plan is to have him throw 3-5 more fastball-only sessions before mixing in some breaking balls. [George King]
George Kontos is scheduled to throw tomorrow for the first time since tweaking his oblique last week while Manny Delcarmen will miss a few days with a lat problem. David Robertson and Rafael Soriano will throw in the bullpen tomorrow. [Jennings]
Non-Yankees Injury News: A.J. Burnett broke the orbital bone around his right eye yesterday when that bunt hit him in the face. He’s going to have surgery tomorrow and they won’t know how long he’ll out until after the procedure. That really sucks. Why are pitchers hitting again? [Pirates]
Adam Warren gets the start against the University of South Florida tomorrow, a game that will not be televised. Joe Girardi said all of his regulars except Cano will play, with the infielders getting two at-bats while the outfielders get one. Cano will play in Saturday’s game against the Phillies, as will the starting outfield. That game will be on MLB Network, and it looks like ~~future Yankee~~ Cole Hamels will be the opposing starter. [Mark Feinsand]

Here is tonight’s open thread. All three hockey locals are in action tonight, but feel free to talk about whatever you want here. Have at it.

[Photo via Marc Carig]

JobaWockeeZ

I just want to see Banuelos and Betances face real major league hitters again…
- vin
  
  Watching Manny pitch was definitely the highlight of ST last year.
  - Soviet Swag
    
    That 3-1 changeup to the red sox last year completely destroyed my pair of pants
    - Jesse
      
      That was against Youkilis right?
gageagainstthemachine

Is it ok to commemt on this thread about AJ’s eye?! It was removed on the other. Anyhow, saw a clip. It was nasty. Blood pouring off the brim of his helmet as he bent over. Get better AJ. Good question Mike, why are pitchers hitting?
- Dave203
  
  LOL — good starter question…
  
  I still think it’s hilarious when someone is so bad at bunting that they get hurt doing it. Really just pathetic honestly. I’ve heard of broken fingers, but how do you manage to take it off your face?
  
  Regarding why pitchers are hitting… HE WAS PRACTICING BUNTING — How do you get hurt practicing bunting? He wasn’t even running and they weren’t throwing 95mph fastballs.
  
  You can say it’s not funny all you want, but I’d be laughing if this was CC. It’s the fact that someone honestly go injured bunting during BP — so ridiculous that I find it HILARIOUS!
  - gageagainstthemachine
    
    it was more of a rhetorical question (the second)…but thanks!
    still wondering on the first one though…lol
  - FIn
    
    Dude he fouled the pitch off and hit him in the eye. Unusual shit like that happens all the time in baseball. You must have been on the floor laughing when Wang got hurt just rounding a base. Or when Howard blew up his achelis just leaving the batters box, that was truly hysterical. How bout when guys break their foot with foul balls, those are always good for a laugh.
    - gageagainstthemachine
      
      I think there’s some confusion. I was not laughing at AJ. I was posting about how nasty it was largely because I felt bad for the guy and so many people were laughing it off. I wanted to say it was nasty and not just a “bunt to the face” as so many people were laughing it off to be. I apologize if my remarks were interpreted as anything else. I was happy AJ was traded for the team’s sake, but no athlete deserves to be laughed at for an injury taken while trying to perform or better themselves. I’ve been there myself, so I know what it’s like.
      
      Again, please don’t bash me. I apologize if I wasn’t clear enough in my intention of my remarks, although in my defense I thought the words “Get Better AJ” were pretty clear that I felt bad for the guy. Which I do.
      - Plank
        
        I don’t think anyone was talking about you. Unless you are also the guy who called it HILARIOUS.
        
        gageagainstthemachine
        
        I wasn’t in the slightest sense. I was just looking at the comments off of my comment so it seemed like people were assuming my comments were made in jest. Just wanted to make sure people knew they weren’t. I feel bad for AJ. I always thought he was a decent guy that just didn’t end up working out in NY. I wish him well in Pittsburgh (even if I’m glad I don’t have to watch him pitch for the Yankees every five days; but that’s strictly on baseball terms not personal terms)
      - gageagainstthemachine
        
        also, my question about why pitchers are hitting was rhetorical because, well, they really shouldn’t be because they don’t do it enough (especially if they’re like AJ and haven’t had to do it for a while) and well, this kind of thing happening. So yeah, “Why are pitchers hitting” = “Pitchers shouldn’t be hitting”. Is that more clear? Just want to make sure I’m not misunderstood any more on this issue. Summary 1) AJ’s injury sucks and I feel bad for him 2) No one should be laughing at it 3) Pitchers don’t need to hit in this day and age.
  - https://twitter.com/richardiurilli Richard Iurilli
    
    You can say it’s not funny all you want, but I’d be laughing if this was CC.
    
    There have been some terrible comments on this blog over the years. That was the worst one I’ve ever read. Congratulations.
    - Manny’s BanWagon
      
      If ever there was a comment for which someone should be banned, this surely is the one!
      - joe
        
        I worked a long day and my brains done, so can someone please explain why it would be funny if anyone did it, much less CC?
        
        Plank
        
        I feel comfortable saying the person who said that is either a cop or in the military.
        
        Havok9120
        
        ……
        
        Right then.
        
        Plank
        
        If I’m wrong, then I’ll apologize. Being that detached from humanity makes me think they chose a violent profession, though.
        
        Dave203
        
        LOL — you’re way off on the profession. I don’t choose to discuss my personal life with you, but I’ll hint you closer that I work in an Emergency Department. Yes, we find humor in most stories behind injuries. Most are never straight forward. It is how we get through a day of seeing people broken and die all day long.
        
        85 year old who find it a good idea to shovel their roof and fall off — usually a tragic ending but a funny story that unfortunately had a poor outcome. Same applies with AJ — funny story about how he broke his face — unfortunate outcome.
        
        Plank
        
        It is how we get through a day of seeing people broken and die all day long.
        
        How was I way off in saying someone with your worldview (shared by your co-workers apparently) would choose a violent profession?
        
        GardnergoesYardner
        
        Some people just get a thrill from seeing a player’s face broken by a batted ball. Especially the ace pitcher of their own team.
        
        Jesse
        
        Wait, I thought Nova was the ace?
      - Dave203
        
        LMAO!
        
        I must have missed the censoring section of the guidelines. Do you not laugh at the “most shocking” tv shows when some some guy breaks his arm doing something stupid? It’s not laughing at the guy himself, but the event that led up the ridiculous injury.
        
        I’ve been playing and watching baseball my entire life and have never seen anyone bunt a ball of their face. I find the event itself “hilarious” — I’m not happy he got hurt, but how he managed to do it makes me laugh.
        
        nsalem
        
        You’re the only one laughing. I think the comments you made were truly idiotic. It wasn’t pathetic honesty, simply pathetic. There are places in this world where you can find people who find humor in events that lead to serious injury. I don’t usually like to speak for other people but, in this case I believe it would be safe to say you would find very few here People get seriously injured and killed in freak accidents in the nature of what happened to AJ.. In all sincerity I hope you or anyone close to you never has to deal with such a terrible event. From personal experience I can assure you there is no humor in freak accidents when it happens to someone ou actually know.
        
        Dave203
        
        Spare me the drama of an orbital fracture. This is far from “life-threatening”. I have taken care of patients with an ruptured globe and we can still put them back together.
        
        Again, I am not laughing at the injury itself or AJ himself, but rather, the event and how he pulled it off.
        
        Also, why bring the drama of relating it to a personal experience. I doubt significantly you know ANYONE who has ever bunted a ball off their face.
        
        You can all continue to take life way too seriously and be offended on behalf of others. I find humor in a lot things. We don’t all have to agree on what is funny. I find it hilarious — you get all melodramatic and find it tragic. It is what it is…
        
        https://twitter.com/richardiurilli Richard Iurilli
        
        So am I right in assuming that you’ll laugh if you go home tonight and trip on your neighbor’s kid’s skateboard, falling on your face and fracturing your eye socket, an injury that will not only result in surgery and weeks or months of pain but could also cause blindness and a change in your entire way of life?
        
        Dave203
        
        You must have high blood pressure…
        
        I probably wouldn’t laugh at the time due to the pain, but if I watched it afterwards on video, would probably be laughing at it.
        
        https://twitter.com/richardiurilli Richard Iurilli
        
        Nope, no high blood pressure. I’m just astounded by your pathetic attempt to make fun of a bad situation and your refusal to see anything wrong with it.
Dropped Third

No DH is killing AL pitchers. ThBey are not trained to be batting against the highest level of competition in the game. They are pitchers, not hitters.
- Dave203
  
  AJ had nearly 70 ABs in 2005. Yes, 6 full seasons ago, but seriously, he should know how to bunt.
  
  Let’s all blame the system and require all pitchers to wear full face mask helmets when batting.
  - Havok9120
    
    No, that would be silly.
    
    Nearly as silly as requiring pitchers to waste time and risk injury by batting at all.
    - Dave203
      
      It’s been part of the game forever and now, because some gets hurt bunting, we need to change the game? I’d even be game for allowing pinch runners for pitchers, since they can’t run, but if you can’t handle bunting without getting hurt, oh well.
      
      I like the DH, but the NL teams do not. Neither league is caving in. Everyone keeps speaking like pitchers get hurt all the time batting. Batting injuries have to be less than 1% of all pitchers injuries. While you can argue it should be zero, rule changes for fluke crap is not needed IMO.
GardnergoesYardner

Sounds like the team had a great time at the club today. I think it’s really important to hold events like this, as these are the guys you will be spending the next seven to eight months with, and chemistry is key to fielding a good team.

Is there any video of the skits, or even pictures? I wanna know why Tex was the MVP. All I can find is Nova saying that he saw Tex “in a way he never imagined.”

Gonna let slide how wrong that sounds…
BK2ATL

Poor AJ. If he’s not hitting batters or missing catchers’ mitts, he’s beating himself up….again.

Hope he gets better soon.

I can’t see how many could say that the Yankees lost this trade. He picked right back up with his previous injury-prone luck, after NY.
Johnny

Poor AJ. :(

Any clues on what Teixeira did? Here’s him on Twitter:

“Once they started playing the ‘King of Pop’, it was game on! Thanks to Steve Shenbaum for putting on a great…”
http://twitter.com/matt__harris Matt :: Sec110

at what point does Romine’s back become a concern?
- FIn
  
  I suppose its what type of issue hes having. If its just back spasms I dont think its a big deal. If last year and this years issues are the same, and its more than spasms, it would certainly seem cause for concern.
http://twitter.com/matt__harris Matt :: Sec110

Here’s J.P. Arencibia’s Tim Kurkjian Impression, With Tim Kurkjian Looking On

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s983TpLdTdU
- steve (different one)
  
  this was awesome. thanks
- Manny’s BanWagon
  
  Hysterical. Thanks for the link.
- Reggie C.
  
  Hilarious stuff.
Manny’s BanWagon

Where has Ted Nelson been? I haven’t read a post of his in what seems like at least a week, if not more.

I miss his daily Battle Royale’s with Plank.
- Plank
  
  I can honestly say I don’t miss that in the slightest.
  
  Good riddance.
  - Manny’s BanWagon
    
    What evidence can you present that proves you didn’t enjoy the battles?
    
    I disagree and think it’s very possible that you do miss them.
    - Plank
      
      I have documentation going back several years attesting to that viewpoint.
      
      It’s locked away safely in a bunker deep below the Earth in Northern New Mexico. It’s right next to my extensive Pez dispenser collection and other valuables.
  - Robinson Tilapia
    
    That’s pretty frigging sad. Ted has more to say than 70% of the new posters here put together.
    - Plank
      
      That’s fine. He’s just really mean.
      - Robinson Tilapia
        
        I think the guy engages in as much dick-waving as anyone else on here. Nothing against you personally at all, but there’s mini-chips developed on people’s shoulders here because that’s what’s brought to the table by everyone else. Everyone here has been “mean” at one point or another if you’ve been here long enough.
        
        I hope he hasn’t given up, and I wish a lot of folks who’ve given up on commenting here would come back.
      - G
        
        Dude if you scored a 720 on the verbals of the SAR, you’d be waving your sick around too…
        
        Hahahahaha
        
        Jesse
        
        And right after he said that he’s like “The Yankees do there homework”. The irony.
        
        G
        
        dick* seriously screw autocorrect…
      - G
        
        SAT*
- Jesse
  
  “I haven’t read a post of his in what seems like at least a week, if not more.”
  
  What’s your source?
  
  In all seriousness, I believe I saw him comment on a post just the other day.
- Havok9120
  
  I’m sure he’ll be back. I’m not concerned quite yet. I honestly don’t like the guy based on what I’ve read, which is odd for me, but I like that he’s willing to open and continue discussions. If only he knew when to pull the plug.
GardnergoesYardner

I think it’s cool how the Yankees play the U of South Florida tomorrow. The college kids must feel pretty cool playing against legends like ARod, Tex, and Jeter.

Of course, until they get demolished. (Has a college team ever won against an MLB team? And if so, how embarassed would you feel if you were the MLB team?)
- TQStormrider6
  
  Actually, the Pirates lost to a college team a few years ago… So sad.
  - pat
    
    Question still stands….
    - Havok9120
      
      I laughed.
- ThatstheMelkyMesaWaysa
  
  Tex is not, and never will be, a legend. He is good at best.
Gonzo

Grady Sizemore.
- YanksFanInBeantown
  
  poor guy, he was the best player in the AL from 06-08
  
  and everyone thought he was just getting started.
  - Plank
    
    He’s a good example of why it can be a bad idea to lock up young players long term.
  - G
    
    This guy named Alex Rodriguez. Hear he was pretty good from ’06-’08.
    
    To be fair he only outWARed Sizemore by 1 win those years so I guess a case could be made.
    - YanksFanInBeantown
      
      fWAR has Sizemore up by 1, so I guess that means they’re pretty much equal.
      
      admittedly, 06-08 is a completely cherry-picked sample size
- WayneD
  
  I’m glad someone brought up Sizemore. During the offseason several Yankee fans on this site & others were ludicrously calling for the Yankees to trade Swisher and replace him with Sizemore, which I argued was an insane supposition. And where would we be today if we’d done that? Totally screwed would be a good description.
  
  Then a few years ago many fans & some columnists on this site & others were calling for the Yankees to sign Nick Johnson because of his OBP when healthy. The problem is, he’s historically never been healthy for long stretches in his career, with something like 9 trips to the DL in 10 or 11 years. Yet many fans isn’t it was the right move to sign NJ, which the Yankees did for about $5MM wasted dollars.
  
  At the time, I jokingly predicted that NJ would go down for the season on opening day when he bent over to tie his spikes. Unfortunately for the Yankees, my prediction was only off target by a few short weeks.
  
  My point in writing this in light of Sizemore’s unfortunate injury is this: you should always be very leery of any player with a lengthy history of recurring injuries. And you should only sign guys like that to minor league deals, unless your team is desperate for a player at a given position, as the Yankees were last year for pitchers when they gambled on Garcia and Colon, and when they signed Russell Martin.
  
  I’m writing this as a plea to my fellow Yankee fans to keep this in mind in the future when some guy with a lengthy injury history is available and everybody starts screaming for the Yankees to sign him and install him as a starter. (And by lengthy I mean multiple trips to the DL, like NJ and Sizemore, not guys who’ve been on the DL once or twice in five years or so.)
  
  You should only sign guys with lengthy injury histories when your team is desperate to fill a hole and no other viable options are available. Signing injury-prone players like NJ and Sizemore should never be done to replace a legitimate (and healthy) player, like Nick Swisher, as several people suggested this offseason.
  
  Have a great night folks. Hopefully we’re zeroing in on another World Championship this year!
  - Plank
    
    If we take the ‘what if’ game one step further, if they had dumped salary by trading Swisher and signing Sizemore, they could have had enough money to sign Carlos Pena instead of Raul Ibanez. They would also have a stronger farm system with whoever they traded Swisher for.
    
    I think I would rather have Sizemore/Jones in RF and Pena at DH than the current alignment, since they will have to address RF next year anyway.
    - MannyGeee
      
      But even then, you woulda been short anOF because Pena ain’t that guy. So what, Damon at more than he’s worth because h fills a need?
      
      Slippery slope, man….
      - Plank
        
        Pena at DH would be a huge upgrade over reality. There would certainly be a downgrade in RF, but I would be willing to make that tradeoff. Yes, I realize we are too far from reality playing ‘what if’.
    - Steve (different one)
      
      You guys are acting like Sizemore signed for $1M. He signed for $5M plus $4M in incentives with his “hometown” team.
      
      What would the Yanks have had to give him to get him to move? $6-7M plus the incentives?
      
      Obviously, he won’t be hitting all those incentives now, but the Yankees would not have known that at the time they would be making these decisions.
      
      IOW, I’m not seeing enough savings from this exchange to sign Pena (who also took a “hometown” discount).
      - Plank
        
        I would prefer 5 MM for Sizemore, 8MM for Pena, and Laird at BUCI (plus whatever the trade brings in) than 10.25MM for Swisher, 1.1MM for Ibanez, and .9MM for Chavez.
        
        If Sizemore hits his incentives than the contract would likely be considered an unmitigated success. I understand how much he costs and what his limitations and upside are. I would prefer that lineup to the real one.
WayneD

The point is they wouldn’t have Sizemore in right now; he’s going to be out for a minimum of 2 to 3 MONTHS with yet another in a long line of injuries.

And Pena is no upgrade over having Swisher, in my opinion; you, of course, are entitled to a contrary opinion.

And, finally, you and I have no idea who we might have gotten for Swisher, and no one knows whether any prospects we received would ever made it to the majors. Swisher is a known, solid player, while prospects are always crap shoots.

I’ve been a Yankee fan since the late 1950s, and I can rattle off dozens of names of the “next Mickey Mantle” or the next great Yankees. The fact is, the overwhelming majority of prospects never make it. Steve Whitaker, for example, was supposed to be the next Mantle; he was a can’t miss prospect, and yet he missed just about every pitch thrown his way.

Pasqua was another seemingly can’t player, but he did for a variety of reasons, including injuries. Jerry Kenny was another can’t miss player, who did miss. Shane Spencer looked like a future star, but his star burned out very fast. The list goes on and on. For every Jeter or Cano, there are hundreds of kids that never reach their projected potential.

A known commodity who’s produced at the major league level, like Swisher has during the regular season, is typically a better gamble than a prospect or an injury plagued player like Sizemore or Nick Johnson.
- Plank
  
  So the hypothetical players received in the hypothetical salary dump of Swisher didn’t pan out?
  - MannyGeee
    
    Neither did the real players Swisher got traded for in the first place
    
    But Wilson Betemit says hi….
    - Plank
      
      I was just pointing out the absurdity of knocking the non-existent prospects in the non-existent trade for not panning out.
      
      Wilson Betemit was a disappointment but he still had some upside which turned out to be justified. He was a top prospect for years and while disappointing in the majors, was only 26 at the time of the trade. He finally blossomed, just a few years too late. Kind of Hughes-like actually.