Aug
20
Fan Confidence Poll: August 20th, 2012
ByRecord Last Week: 5-2 (31 RS, 23 RA)
Season Record: 72-49 (597 RS, 492 RA, 72-49 pythag. record), 5.0 games up in AL East
Opponents This Week: @ White Sox (three games, Mon. to Weds.), Thurs. OFF, @ Indians (three games, Fri. to Sun.)
Top stories from last week:
- The week opened with four games at home against the Rangers. David Phelps and Derek Lowe combined to give New York a win on Monday, then Hiroki Kuroda tossed a two-hit, complete-game shutout on Tuesday. Freddy Garcia secured the third win of the series on Wednesday, but Ivan Nova and the bullpen were unable to finish off the sweep in the finale.
- The Red Sox came to town for three weekend games, and Jayson Nix got the big hit in Friday’s win. The Yankees couldn’t do much against Jon Lester in Saturday’s loss, but Kuroda dominated again in yesterday’s win.
- Injury News: CC Sabathia (elbow) felt fine after Saturday’s bullpen session and will thrown another one on Tuesday before potentially returning to the rotation on Friday. Alex Rodriguez (hand) and Andy Pettitte (leg) are healing well per the latest round of x-rays. Mark Teixeira (wrist) has missed a few games with lingering soreness. Robinson Cano (neck) missed two games but has since returned to the lineup. Pedro Feliciano (shoulder) made two more minor league rehab appearances.
- The Yankees officially signed Lowe on Monday and will use him strictly out of the bullpen. Right-hander Ryota Igarashi was outrighted to Triple-A, removing him from the 40-man roster.
- OF Slade Heathcott, IF David Adams, and C Austin Romine are all headed to the Arizona Fall League. RHP Danny Burawa (oblique, ribs) could join them if he gets healthy in time.
- The Yankees signed undrafted free agent outfielder Daniel Aldrich (at least $150k) as well as Nicaraguan left-handers Corby McCoy ($150k) and Luis Garcia ($50k).
- MLB will test out a new expanded replay system for fair-or-foul calls in Yankee Stadium and CitiField for the rest of the season. The results will not be made public, but if all goes well, the system could be officially implemented at all 30 parks next season.
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 interactive Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.
Given the team's current roster construction, farm system, management, etc., how confident are you in the Yankees' overall future?
54 Comments»
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Yankees News from YESNetwork.com
- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders get back Betances, activate Murton
- Yankees claim left-handed pitcher David Huff off waivers from the Cleveland Indians
- Yankees put Granderson on 15-day disabled list
- Yankees activate Nova from disabled list, send Betances to Triple-A
- Yankees down Rays in series opener, but lose Granderson to broken pinkie knuckle
- Curtis Granderson leaves game after fracturing knuckle on his pinkie finger
- Teixeira to play for Double-A Trenton Thunder on Wednesday and Thursday
- Teixeira plans to play in Minors Wednesday
- Brian Cashman speaks to media about injured Yankees pitchers
- Alberto Gonzalez clears waivers, will report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
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I think you have to be at a 9. And you’re only not at a 10 because the Rays are coming on so strong. Hiroki Kuroda, Eric Chavez, and Ichiro Suzuki are the best pick ups Cashman has ever made. Kuroda was supposed to be a 3rd starter and he has taken over as staff ace for the team with the best record in the AL. Does he deserve the Cy Young for that? Absolutely. No CC, Gardner, Pineda, Mariano, Andy, no problem thanks to Hiroki, Chavy, and Ichy.
As much as I like Hiroki, he’s not getting the Cy as of now.
Not even worth saying the usual to, is it?
No, it is not.
Still at a 7, down from a high of 9 in June… Sabathia’s injury, Granderson’s reversion, and the pending 2014 subsistence budget (#sarcasm) looming…
I’ve wondered for a while whether there shouldn’t be, say, three scores — one for the team making it into the playoffs, one for winning the World Series, and one for the next, say, two years going forward. Breaking it out this way would help pin down (at least for me) what folks mean by an 9 or a 4 or whatever.
Regarding making it into the playoffs: At this point a 9 seems obvious, and only those of us who have seen a few uncomfortable collapses should be leery of a 10. Going deep into the playoffs: Count me as a hard-grader 7, only because few teams seem to be a lock (might give the Nationals an 8, my wind up with a lot of egg on my face).
As for next year/going forward… given the amazing moves Cashman has made… given the unpredictable nature of the offseason… this is the main reason I’d love clearer definition about what these scores mean. Does time get frozen? Do players never age? Do prospects continue whatever trajectory they’re on?
I’m hard-pressed to give more than a 7. Maturing/aging team. Salary caps. Impending free agencies. And the knowledge that no matter what I predict, I’ll be proven spectacularly wrong.
So yeah, three scores. What say the rest of you about this idea for a bit more clarity?
Because, of course, baseball NEEDS more numbers…
I agree that the present vote is misleading because it lumps together too much. However, a 3-category poll, of the kind you propose, may just be too unwieldy.
Absolutely, right, and wasn’t seriously suggesting three polls. This was more of a call for setting terms in the comments section, as opposed to just saying “6″ or “9″ without any common ground for discussion.
I don’t consider the 3-poll idea unwieldy (after all, I’m not running it). I like it and it certainly helps understand what people feel. The only issue I have is with the “playoffs” vote. Can you really vote above a 5? Even the best team can go cold at the wrong time, have an unexpected injury (see “Nova, Ivan, 2011 ALDS”) or just run into a couple of opposing pitchers that have completely unexpected games during the playoffs. While the Yankees should do well if Kuroda keeps this up and CC comes back strong (yet to be seen), they can win even without Pettitte. (I like what I’m seeing from Phelps so far, but doubt he displaces Garcia, Hughes, or Nova). If Pettitte returns strong and any of Garcia, Huhes, Nova or Phelps pitches well, this team will be hard to beat. Then again, the same can be said of every other team that makes the playoffs.
5 for the playoffs? Really?
Tough grader.
Hey, it’s such a crap-shoot, that unless you have a team like they had in ’98 (and even the ’01 Mariners had a better record than them, but still lost in the playoffs), how much confidence can you have?
Nah. This is just for fun. No need to pretend it’s more scientific, or any of that. One score is fine. It’s what people have to say about their score that I find more interesting anyway.
9 for this year, 7 for the next 3.
They look like the best team in baseball right now, especially when they get Pettitte and Arod back healthy.
The next 2-3, I’m not so sure with the looming budgetary restrictions, weak free agent market and lack of high quality prospects in AA and AAA.
Stupid for MLB to even acknowledge this happening @ NYS & CF.
If they come back & conclude it can’t be done, something we all know is BS, they will look even dumber & bring this already heated topic to the forefront.
IMO MLB should have had replay for fair/foul, traps & plays @ plate in playoff games at this point.
I mean, there shouldn’t be any real issue aside from calibrating everything right. The technology is fairly proven, tennis uses it to amazing accuracy and its a fast system. Tennis challenge calls literally take 5 seconds and thats only because they put the full animation to make it look cool. I dont really see why this technology cannot be applied to baseball so I think everything will work out.
it is amazing how tennis can use this technology and make it work so quickly and efficiently, but baseball cant wrap their heads around using it. Or refuse to, as it were.
Much, much, much smaller playing field in tennis, with entirely predictable and far fewer lines where a close play might happen. Cameras can be cited to anticipate all close plays.
A trap/catch can happen just about anywhere on the much larger field, and you’d need multiple cameras just to cover home on plays at the plate, because it’s possible for players’ bodies to block the view of one or even two cameras on some plays.
9! Let’s here it for Cash on being the first one to figure out the new market inefficiency: old players who have been damn good at baseball for a long time, and still care enough to work hard at getting better/slow their declines.
They showed an amazing stat last night on ESPN. Since 2008, Hiroki is one of 5 starters in basbeball to start over 20 games and have a sub-4.00 ERA in each season. Last year was probably the best of his prior four.
And he signs for 1 yr 10 mill. Old age is the new on base percentage!
The others were CC, Cain, Felix, and Cliff Lee from the youthful Phillies, I recall – these four all make a whole lot more than Kuroda does with long-term guaranteed contracts.
I hope HK signs again – either 1 year for up to $15 mm (2013 only) or I would do 2 rs for $27 million. Best would be 1 year with a mutual option for 2014. For 2013, we could skip the Garcia experiment if we needed to pay HK more than what he currently gets. Also who knows whether Andy wants back and whether we have to pay him market value.
You joke about old age is the new OPB but I can see that is the way Yanks will have to work it until Arod/Tex deals go away – aging hign cost superstars like Arod/Tex,CC, young promising fodder (Phelps, Nova, Pineda) and older guys who want to be on Yanks who we protect by platooning and not over-exposing. Not sure how we fit any young prime superstars that we would have to get in trade (like Justin Upton) the next few years. We don’t have the near major league ready talent to trade for someone like him and the people we would trade we need for the 2014/2015 budget (I thought the real savings mostly come if a team is below $189 million for two years, not just one.)
The other thing is to pull a Swisher or Grandy trade – “declining” younger stars who are coming off bad seasons and we hopefully benefit from turnaround or a Hughes for Shin Soo Choo type deal – we trade one-year-before -free agaency pitcher for one-year- before- FA outfielder.
They won last night so …10!
41 games remaining. NY goes 21-20 they win 93. I think I predicted 97 wins after the trade for Pineda, before the trade something like 89. I don´t for the life of me remember. 25-16 gets them to 97 which would truly amaze me. Given all the injuries and a few erratic performances, to be in the drivers seat right now perhaps cakewalking into the playoffs is no small feat. Just wow !
They’ve had a great regular season and overcome a lot of injuries but they’ve also been helped by disappointing seasons by the Rays, who likely won’t even win 90 games and especially the Red Sox who have far too much talent to be under .500.
The true tests are to come in October.
Yanks won 97 games in the AL east in 2011, 6 games better than the Rays who caught fire down the stretch ending up with 91 wins. In 2012 you can flip the Orioles(?) for the Sawx. I don´t see much difference.
that said, they have played VERRRRY well against Texas, Detroit, Chicago and Anaheim this season… the “true tests” as it were.
I’m not trying to rain on your parade and it’s all well and good that the Yankees have had a great regular season to date but another wash out in the first round of the playoffs and I for one would not be happy with this season.
true tests ? Isn´t the true test weathering the ups and downs of the season winning around 95 games and getting back into the playoffs for the umpteenth time?
of course being a Yankee fan one would like to see another WS winner.
Maybe a slight paradigm shift recommended? You wouldn’t enjoy the result of the season, but the season would have given you plenty of moments to be happy about.
I get what you’re saying, and it sure feels like it once you realize you’re done watching your team play, but someone else isn’t. I do think we need to resist the “all or nothing” a bit.
I’m not saying it world series victory or else the season is a failure but I think they need to win a round or 2 in the playoffs to consider the season a success.
The most memorable and joyful moments in Yankee history for me over the last 20 years were in seasons when they didn’t win the WS, notably the Aaron Boone homer and games 4 and 5 against the Dbacks in 2001 so I’m not one of those “all or nothing” fans.
if the season ended right now the CYA voting would probably go in this order:
King Felix
David Price
Verlander
Kuroda
Ichiro Playing Very Well As I Predicted Do Ya Think The Yankees Re-sign Ichiro In The Offseason ?
Only if they can trade for a power hitting left fielder because I don’t think you can have Gardner and Ichiro as your corner outfielders since they might not hit 10 homers combined.
I don’t see a place for him but, if one could be invented, I’ll be sad to see him go.
Guess the ideal situation would be to pair him with a power hitting right handed outfielder. Ichiro would get the majority of the playing time and hopefully would be able to continue with the hot hitting he’s shown while on the Yankees. Limiting him to primarliy playing against RH pitchers should help, as should playing his platoon partner primarily against LH pitchers. While Andruw has been pretty good, I’d prefer an upgrade for someone that would be pretty much a regular outfielder. Of course, Irchiro’s contract would need to match his role. Not sure what he’ll be offered in the open market. He might even consider a return to Seattle on a home town discount.
I dunno but it would be great to have him as insurance in case Gardner isn´t 100%.
Sure. The problem is that, no matter how much older he may be, he’s Ichiro. Someone will see him as more than insurance.
“insurance“ is just a word. If NY wants him back and he´s amenable to staying, it will work itself out.
I can see him having a super 4OF on this team if he comes inexpensively. Got to remember that Granderson has played all but one game this season in the field, and Ichiro can play CF…
That said, he gets a starting job somewhere else. hes kinda shown that he’s not washed up since coming over to NYY.
As Chou-en-lai said (re whether the French Rev. was a success): “It’s too early to say.” We need to see how Ichiro does down through September and, I hope, into October. He’s been hitting about .320 since coming to NY. Were he to keep to something like that pace, and if he were amenable to being a 3-spot backup (LF/CF/RF), permitting rest all around, he might be worth pursuing in the off-season.
8. Still a slight butterfly or two in my stomach as to CC’s elbow, which is what keeps me from my usual sunshine and flowers and shit. Otherwise, first place, really encouraged by what I see out of Phelps, etc.
Love your new name
Maybe we can rotate the “aka” a bit. I’ve gone too far with RT to come back now, no matter how obscure the reference.
“Melky’s Webmaster” – phenomenal.
These are so much more pleasant when the Yankees win on Sundays.
Seconded. And infinity’d.
still an 8. hooray for interchangable spare parts from the scrap bin!!!
And like i said in the post game from last night, nothing makes me happier than watching the Red Sox flounder under the guise of the Injury Bug, but the Yankees have the best record in the AL, injury bug be damned.
YUP, we’ve lost big pieces and still had the ability to stomp all over those whiny babies.
8, a very strong 8. I’m usually a 9, but the injuries do add up to force a lower score. If a healthy and productive Arod, Pettitte & CC occurs next month, toss-in a (very) remote Mo chance…I would be a 10.
If CC & Arod had bigger issues health wise (long term), I could see going down to a 7 due to the dough invested. However, it seems like the farm has seen more than its fair share of the injuries as well, which might be just as big as an issue; as it will hurt development.
Can’t wait for ARod to come back. I couldn’t watch that dreadful Chavez/McGehee platoon any longer.
Bazinga!
Trolling? Chavez is a dream.
Voted 8. No reason to vote any less. Great news about A-Rod and ANDY! I miss Andy so much.
How ’bout that Ichiro? And Kuroda? Big Member must have been beside himself with their respective successful games – ALL that emotional support surely had to pay off. *eyeroll*
Again, Chavez has been just fantastic to watch.
less that 3-0 swing with the bases juiced, he has been a godsend.
Chavey for the re-up in 2013…assuming his body approves.
10. Yankees the best. Kuroda for Cy. Swisher for MVP.
Ten. Yankees the best. Kuroda for Cy. Swisher for MVP.
An 11, just for the sake of signing a left-handed Nicaraguan named Corby McCoy. I’ll be even more excited with they sign that big righty out of the Isle of Kintyre, Scotland, named Fausto Gutiérrez.