NY Yankees News, Information & Community

Update: Jeter has small crack in ankle, out until after All-Star break

April 18, 2013 by Mike 120 Comments

4:22pm: A CT scan revealed a small crack in the area of the previous break, according to Brian Cashman. “We’re looking at sometime after the All-Star break,” said the GM. Jeter had been having more trouble with the ankle recently, but he doesn’t need surgery. Just rest.

4:06pm: Derek Jeter made an unscheduled visit to see Dr. Anderson in Charlotte following yesterday’s workout, Joe Girardi confirmed. He wouldn’t elaborate, only saying “put two and two together.” Brian Cashman will discuss the situation shortly.

Jeter, 38, did not workout last weekend and recently had his baseball activities scaled back. Sure sounds like he had another setback of some sorts, but maybe it’s just something minor and he’ll be back on the field in a few days. I wouldn’t hold my breath though, ankle injuries are never easy. Based on yesterday’s poll, RAB readers expected Jeter to return to the team in no fewer than four weeks.

Speed game has yet to get going for Yankees

April 18, 2013 by Mike 16 Comments

Thanks to the offseason losses and Spring Training injuries, it appeared as though the Yankees would be relying on speed to generate offense this year more than they have at any point in the last 15 years or so. Surprisingly great starts from guys like Vernon Wells and Kevin Youkilis have made the loss of power basically nonexistent — the Yankees have hit an AL-leading 20 homers. The speed game, however, has yet to show up.

The idea of creating runs though speed revolved around two players: Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki. Eduardo Nunez joined the mix once it became apparent Derek Jeter’s ankle would prevent him from starting the season on time. Gardner’s return from injury and a full season of Ichiro meant the team had two 30+ steal (maybe even two 40+ steal) candidates on the roster, and in the past Nunez has stolen bases at a clip that suggests 30+ is doable for him as long as he got enough playing time. A hundred total steals from those three seemed entirely possible.

Instead, 13 games into the season, the Yankees have stolen three bases as a team. Two of those steals came four innings apart in the same game, when Wells and Chris Stewart (!) took advantage of Ubaldo Jimenez’s slow delivery to take second base with ease. Nunez stole a base in the second game of the season and that’s it, three steals in 13 games. They’ve been caught three times as well (Gardner twice), and those six stolen base attempts are a bottom-five total in baseball. Definitely not what I expected.

The surprising power output means the lack of steals have not hurt the Yankees, but it is an area where they should be getting more production than they have. I don’t think any of us seriously thought Gardner would still be sitting on zero stolen bases 13 games into the season, especially since he’s been hitting reasonably well — .256/.333/.426 (110 wRC+). Ichiro has been awful, so I guess his excuse is that he simply hasn’t been on-base enough to use his legs. We’ll see how long that continues.

Moreso than maybe any other non-base hit offensive event, stolen bases tend to come in bunches. If the Yankees run into a particularly poor-throwing catcher at some point soon, Gardner would wind up stealing like six bases in a three-game series. It’s inevitable that he and Nunez and even Ichiro will get going on the base paths at some point, but I didn’t think we’d be sitting here halfway through April will just six stolen base attempts to the team’s credit. It’s not a huge problem or anything, but at some point these guys need to create some havoc with their legs to supplement the homers. It’s a big part of the reason why they are on the roster in the first place.

More science, more baseball, more success

April 18, 2013 by Matt Warden 21 Comments

Last night, my brother hooked me up with his 2013 MLB Preview edition of ESPN The Magazine. As I was perusing through the articles, one particular piece caught my eye. An author by the name of Anna Clemmons wrote about a sports facility in Foxborough that opened last June. The facility is Mass General Orthopedics Sports Performance Center.

The article begins by discussing Minnesota Twins prospect Andrew Ferreira, standing shirtless on a fake pitcher’s mound with “62 button-size reflective markers attached to his body.” Ferreira throws 25 pitches off of a fake mound in a simulated pitching session. Meanwhile, the facility’s bioengineers gather and analyze huge amounts of data about the athlete under observation.

The 22 high speed LED 3-D cameras reveal arm speed, rotation, but most importantly isolate the movements of various muscle groups and how they behave under duress. The cameras expose inconsistencies in body motions, in addition to tracking velocity and pitch movement. In other words, Ferreira’s session basically represents the strange, albeit fascinating, nebulous where anatomy begins to merge with advanced baseball metrics. What’s more incredible, is that Ferreira’s personal evaluation cost him only $75.

After reading the article, my mind immediately arrived at two conclusions. First, this is pretty awesome stuff – it actually reminds me of the type of innovation that a guy like Ray Kurzweil might endorse. If knowledge is power, than boy, athletes could potentially have a lot to gain. What was once seemingly proprietary (and probably limited) information is now cheap and completely available, and can be accessed by any player looking for a competitive (legal) edge. As the facility notes, their job is not to replace the pitching coach. It’s designed to revolution how players train.

The second thought was that I hope the Yankees are absolutely keeping their eye on this type of technology if they haven’t already begun exploring like options. Obviously player development and injuries are not entirely controllable, and as we all know, setbacks are inevitable. After all, players still have to execute a plan, and injuries can happen to even the most durable guys. Still, if there is any possible way of preserving players and helping them reach their maximum potential, I think it should be explored. A small investment now could pay off in a big way down the road. I would think that nominal cost would pay for itself and then some the first time a player who may not have been able to “put it all together” was able to do so thanks to a different approach.

Anyway, if you get a chance, check out the website. It’s cool stuff and it’s definitely the future of sports.

CC Sabathia’s new reality

April 18, 2013 by Mike 52 Comments

We all knew this would happen eventually. The unnatural act of pitching has a way of wearing down even the most durable athletes over the years, sapping velocity and arm strength after thousands of innings and tens of thousands of individual pitches. Andy Pettitte went through it, Mike Mussina went through it, Pedro Martinez went through it … heck, even Mariano Rivera went through it. Father Time remains undefeated.

At age 32, with just under 2,700 total innings on his arm, it appears CC Sabathia has lost his best fastball. He topped out at 91.2 mph with his fastball last night and averaged just 90.1 mph according to PitchFX, a bit short of the 90.7 mph he averaged during his first three starts. Last year he averaged 93.0 mph. The year before it was 94.7 mph. The year before he became a Yankee it was 94.9 mph. It’s been a gradual decline over the years, just like it was for Pettitte and Moose and Pedro.

When most pitchers lose their fastballs, the initial results tend to be very bad. Sabathia is not most pitchers though; he’s used his diminished heater to post a 2.57 ERA (2.69 FIP) in 28 innings across his first four starts of 2013. After allowing four earned runs to the Red Sox in five innings on Opening Day, the left-hander has allowed just four earned runs in his last three starts combined. The diminished fastball hasn’t led to diminished results, at least not yet.

Adjusting to life with a new, slower fastball can’t be easy. Mussina is one of the smartest pitchers I’ve ever seen, yet it took him all of 2007 to learn how to work with reduced heat. Roy Halladay is arguably the best pitcher of his generation, but he’s having a devil of a time figuring it out in Philadelphia right now. Part of the problem, at least initially, is just denial. No world-class athlete wants to admit his skills are declining, especially pitchers and their fastballs. Sabathia, however, seems to be very aware that his heater doesn’t have as much oomph as it once did.

“I’m hoping some more velocity comes back. If not, we’ll work with this,” said the southpaw to Mark Feinsand after last night’s win. “It’s reality. You never know. I’ve never been through anything like this, so I don’t know. I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I’ve been pitching for a long time. Eventually, it was going to happen … It’s something everybody is going to go through. We’ll see if this is my time.”

With the obvious sample size caveat, it does appear to be Sabathia’s time. I’m almost certain he’ll add a tick or two as the season progresses and the weather warms up, pretty much everyone does, but his fastball is down quite a bit this year compared to his first four starts of last year — 90.6 mph in 2013 vs. 92.6 mph in 2012. The velocity drop has been real early on and not even Sabathia is denying it.

“It’s definitely going to be hard, but I’ve got guys in here that I can turn to like Andy,” added CC. “We can work on game plans and just try to keep getting better as a pitcher … If I make pitches (I can be effective with less velocity). I always felt like that. I would take some off to make pitches when I had more velocity, try to stay at 91-92, then hump up when I needed to. I can pitch at this.”

Saying and thinking he can pitch with reduced velocity is an entirely different thing than actually doing it. The early signs on promising, but who knows what will happen when the weather heats up and the ball starts carrying a bit more. We saw the Diamondbacks hit a number of long fly balls last night, long fly balls that would have presumably been a lot more dangerous had it been the middle of July or August. This is very much a wait and see thing.

Sabathia suffered the first arm injury of his career last summer and needed offseason elbow surgery. His fastball velocity has been dipping for a few years now. This is his new reality, and he not only seems to be completely aware of it, he doesn’t seem to be bothered by it at all. That’s reassuring but only to a point, because I don’t know if Sabathia can continue to be an ace-caliber pitcher with reduced velocity, especially if it continues to slide in the coming months and years. One thing I do know is that whenever CC stops pitching like an ace — it will happen at some point, it’s inevitable — it won’t be from a lack of effort. If there’s anyone who can figure this diminished fastball thing out, it’s Sabathia.

Yankees come back for win over Diamondbacks

April 17, 2013 by Mike 108 Comments

This was one of those games the Yankees really had no business winning. Diamondbacks left-hander Wade Miley kept them completely off balance for the first six innings, and his pitch count was so manageable that it looked like a complete-game shutout was a very real possibility. Instead, the Bombers mounted a late-inning comeback and walked away with a very satisfying 4-3 win.

Bottom Of The Order Gets It Done
As I said, Miley was in complete control for most of the game. He held the Yankees to a single, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch in the first six innings, cruising into the seventh with his pitch count at 77. Kevin Youkilis made a first pitch out to start the seventh, but Ben Francisco started what proved to be the game-tying rally with a single down the line as the next batter. It was his first hit in pinstripes. Brennan Boesch followed a Frankie Cervelli strikeout with a bloop double to put men at second and third with two outs, setting things up for the bottom of the order. That’s usually a bad thing.

Instead, it turned out to be a very good thing on Wednesday. Eduardo Nunez took three straight pitches out of the zone in a two-strike count to load the bases with a walk, and five pitches later Jayson Nix put the Yankees on the board by forcing in a run with a bases loaded walk. Just like that, after cruising for most of the night, Miley was done. In came left-hander Tony Sipp to face Brett Gardner, who laced a two-strike single to the opposite field to plate two runs to tie the game. Nunez is pretty fast, but I thought the ball was hit too hard and fielded too cleanly by left-fielder A.J. Pollock to send him home. Thankfully the throw was pretty damn poor and he was safe easily.

Boesch, Nunez, Nix, and Gardner all reached base with two outs to extend the inning and tie the game. That’s the kind of stuff that won’t happy very often, but when it does it usually contributes to a win. The Yankees needed something unexpected like that to wake up because Miley had been lulling them to sleep for the first six innings. It really did look like a lost cause of most of the night.

Eight Innings Later…
The night started rather ominously for CC Sabathia, who allowed a bloop double and a two-run homer within his first eleven pitches of the game. His command was wavering and he was running a lot of deep counts … it sure looked like he was having an off night. It happens, but it’s never fun when it does.

Rather than wilt and put the team in a huge hole, Sabathia did what he always seems to do in this situations. He settled down and gave the offense a chance to get back into the game. After four of the first five men he faced reached base, just three hitters reached base against him in the next seven innings. Sabathia ended the night having thrown 108 pitches in eight innings, holding Arizona to just three runs. He did give up a lot of long fly ball outs, but he also struck out six, walked one, and threw a first pitch strike to 22 of 31 batters faced. Sabathia starts are like sex: even when they’re bad, they’re still pretty good.

Pinch-Homer
I thought Travis Hafner should have pinch-hit for Vernon Wells in the seventh, when there were two outs and men on second and third. The D’Backs brought in side-winding right-hander Brad Ziegler and his massive platoon split — career .242 wOBA against from righties and .369 from lefties — so everything seemed setup for the lefty pinch-hitter. Go-ahead run at third, insurance run at second, late innings, platoon advantage against the pitcher, short porch in right … instead Joe Girardi stuck with Wells, who grounded out on the first pitch to end the inning and rally.

Hafner was saved for Francisco’s spot, which came up with the bases empty and two outs in the following inning. Naturally, Pronk jumped all over a first pitch fastball from super-setup man David Hernandez and parked it in the right-center field seats for a go-ahead solo homer. It wasn’t quite Raul Ibanez-esque (these games are slightly less stressful than the ones Ibanez saved last year), but it was a damn clutch homerun. Even though I would have rather seen him hit against the low-slot righty with two men on-base, saving Hafner for Francisco’s spot worked out beautifully.

Leftovers
Mariano Rivera worked a perfect ninth for his fourth save of the season and second of the series. He’s worked back-to-back nights now, so I wonder if Girardi will stay away from him on Thursday given his age and the knee surgery and all that. They’ve been taking it easier on Mo in recent years. If they do play it safe again, David Robertson figures to be the closer du jour.

The Yankees only had six hits as a team — doubles by Wells and Boesch, singles by Francisco and Gardner (two), and the homer by Pronk. Youkilis took a pitch to the elbow armor while Nunez and Nix (two) drew walks. That’s all the offense right there. I guess timing is everything. Six of 12 batters reached base in the sixth and seventh innings while just four of 21 batters reached base in the other six offensive innings.

Gardner almost made an insane sliding catch in right-center field — close to right than center, really — but the ball was just out of his reach on the warning track. It fell for a Josh Wilson triple, and he later came around to score on a sac fly. Would have been some catch, Gardner ranged a long way. Very long way.

Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings
Now that is the kind of WPA graph I’ve been waiting to see since the season started. Good stuff. MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs some additional stats, and ESPN the updated standings.

Source: FanGraphs

Up Next
It’s so nice not to have to rely on Phil Hughes to avoid the series loss, no? The Yankees will instead send the right-hander to the mound with a chance to complete the sweep on Thursday. He’ll be opposed by left-hander Patrick Corbin. Check out RAB Tickets for some last minute deals.

Heathcott returns in Trenton loss

April 17, 2013 by Mike 32 Comments

Triple-A Scranton (7-0 win over Rochester)

3B David Adams: 3-4, 2 R, 1 BB — had been in a little 4-for-18 rut (.222)
LF Zoilo Almonte: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB — eight hits in his last 13 at-bats (.615) with six walks and no strikeouts … where did this come from?
CF Melky Mesa: 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B — three straight games with an extra-base hit
RF Thomas Neal: 2-4, 2 R, 1 CS
C Bobby Wilson: 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 K, 1 PB — he didn’t hit a grand slam in case you were wondering, it was a two-run shot
RHP Graham Stoneburner: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 10/5 GB/FB — 51 of 73 pitches were strikes (70%)

[Read more…]

Game 13: Lefties

April 17, 2013 by Mike 355 Comments

The opposing starter. (Christian Petersen/Getty)

Starting tonight, the Yankees are scheduled to see five left-handed starters in their next seven games. NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Wade Miley kicks off the stretch that will also see them face Patrick Corbin (tomorrow), Mark Buehrle (Saturday), Matt Moore (Monday), and David Price (Tuesday). Hard-throwers, soft-tossers, medium-tossers … you name it and the Yankees will see it from the left side over the next week.

In the past, this was never much of a problem. The Bombers were among the most productive teams against southpaws in 2012 (111 wRC+), 2011 (124 wRC+), 2010 (114 wRC+), and so on. They’ve hit lefties very well in recent years. This year though, thanks mostly to injury, they are much more susceptible to lefty throwers. They come into today with a team 52 wRC+ against lefties, the fifth worst mark in baseball, compared to an MLB-best (by far) 146 wRC+ against righties. Outside of Kevin Youkilis, Vernon Wells, and Robinson Cano (who didn’t hit lefties last year but has throughout his career), the Yankees just don’t have much to counter left-handers right now. Here’s the lineup…

CF Brett Gardner
LF Vernon Wells
2B Robinson Cano
1B Kevin Youkilis
DH Ben Francisco
C Frankie Cervelli
RF Brennan Boesch
SS Eduardo Nunez
3B Jayson Nix

And on the mound is New York’s own left-hander, CC Sabathia.

Tonight’s game is scheduled to start at 7:05pm ET and can be seen on My9, not YES. Enjoy.