NY Yankees News, Information & Community

Hughes doing fine after latest throwing session

March 5, 2013 by Mike 36 Comments

Via George King: Phil Hughes made 50 throws from 60-feet on flat ground yesterday as he works his way back from the bulging disk that sidelined him for roughly two weeks. “We amped up the intensity a bit and doubled the throws,” he said. “I didn’t feel anything (in my back). I felt like I lost a tick of arm strength. Hopefully that comes back quick, it’s only been two weeks. Hopefully I get that back and go from there.”

Hughes, 26, said he has been pain free for five days and expects to begin a long-toss program to rebuild that arm strength soon. The trainers and coaches have yet to tell him when that will happen though, and they don’t have any throwing planned for today or tomorrow. If Hughes doesn’t get back on a mound and in game conditions within the next 10-14 days or so, it’s unlikely he’ll be stretched out in time for what would have been his first start of the regular season.

Thoughts following the off-day

March 5, 2013 by Mike 128 Comments

The Yankees had their first off-day of Spring Training yesterday, nearly three full weeks after pitchers and catchers first reported. I figure this is as good a time as any to cull together some random thoughts for a post.

1. I mentioned this the other night, but I’ve been really impressed by left-hander Francisco Rondon so far. Obviously three Grapefruit League appearances totaling 4.1 innings means nothing in the grand scheme of things, but his stuff is better than I expected. Usually when the top scouting publications like Baseball America, Keith Law, and even Minor League Ball ignore a player, he’s a non-prospect. The 24-year-old Rondon looks like someone who has legitimately flown right under the radar. His delivery is real smooth and simple, plus he’s been sitting 90-93 with his fastball and showing a real wipeout slider. That’s lefty specialist stuff right there (30.8 K% vs. LHB last two years). Rondon isn’t a finished product despite spending time at Triple-A last year and being placed on the 40-man roster this winter — he needs to work on his overall command, particularly with the fastball to setup the slider — but he’s definitely someone to watch. I probably would have snuck him onto the back of my preseason top 30 prospects list if I hadn’t published it before camp opened.

2. While on the subject of lefty relievers, Boone Logan’s elbow trouble isn’t very encouraging given that big workload last year. Remember, it’s not just appearances and innings, it’s all the times he warmed up and didn’t get into the game as well. The Yankees do have decent left-handed relief depth but if Logan has to miss the start of the season for whatever reason, I’m guessing his replacement would be a righty like Shawn Kelley or Cody Eppley simply because those guys are better than southpaws like Josh Spence or Juan Cedeno or Rondon. Lefty Cesar Cabral should be ready in late-April/early-May-ish and will be another bullpen option. He needs to spend at least 90 days on the active (non-DL) roster to satisfy the Rule 5 Draft rules before he can be optioned down without being exposed to waivers. Either way, Logan’s elbow will continue to be a question until he actually gets on a mound and throws some innings without breaking down.

3. Obviously Derek Jeter’s injury has contributed to this, but Eduardo Nunez has played more innings this spring than anyone other than Melky Mesa. The Yankees have been running him out there at short at pretty much every opportunity, to the point where Jayson Nix — the only other utility infielder candidate in camp — has started just one game at the position. That can change in a hurry of course, but it sure seems like the club is leaning towards carrying Nunez into the season with Jeter’s ankle a question. Even if the Cap’n is ready in time for opening day, he’s going to DH a ton in April — especially against lefties — and someone needs to man short in his place. That’s fine, I’m actually in favor of using Nunez in that role (to a certain extent), but I do wonder if this will be his last chance to correct his defensive issues and stick with the team. I doubt it happens since he’s always been a bad defender, but I can’t imagine the Yankees would tolerate that much longer.

4. Speaking of Mesa, he’s played ten (!) more innings than any of the other left field candidates this spring. That number is a bit skewed because Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz have gotten a healthy share of time at DH, but that ten-inning difference stands out when you’re talking about unproven guys like Zoilo Almonte and Ronnie Mustelier. Again, this could all change in a hurry — it would have had Mesa not withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic — but it’s hard not to think all that playing time means he has a leg up on everyone else in that competition. Given his ability to contribute on both sides of the ball — Almonte and Mustelier are clearly bat-first players — he probably deserves to have a leg up in the competition. None of these guys will replace Curtis Granderson’s offense, but at least Mesa offers power, speed, and defense instead of just one of the three.

Open Thread: 3/4 Camp Notes

March 4, 2013 by Mike 163 Comments

The Yankees were off on Monday and it was a full day off — no bullpens, no simulated games, no batting practice, no fielding drills, nothing. Robinson Cano and bench coach Tony Pena were at George M. Steinbrenner Field for a workout with Team Dominican Republic in advance of the World Baseball Classic, but that’s all. Everyone will reconvene tomorrow and play the Braves at 7pm ET.

The big news of the day, which you’ve surely heard by now, is that Brian Cashman suffered a broken right fibula and dislocated right ankle while skydiving with the Army Golden Knights this morning. He had/will have surgery at some point today and blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda. The GM having to spend a few weeks on crutches is no big deal. The good news is the broken ankle likely brought even greater awareness to the Wounded Warriors Project, which is why Cashman was jumping in the first place. Sucks for him but good in general.

Anyway, here is your open thread for the evening. The Devils and Knicks are both playing tonight, plus MLB Network will be airing some baseball as well. First Spring Training and then the World Baseball Classic overnight. Talk about any of those games or anything else here. Enjoy.

Nova working on new arm action in camp

March 4, 2013 by Mike 19 Comments

Via George King: Ivan Nova has been working on a new, shorter arm action early in camp as he hopes to move beyond his struggles from last summer. “It was something we worked on before Spring Training,” said pitching coach Larry Rothschild. “He actually had done it with his curveball a lot. That made it a little bit easier to introduce.”

Nova, 26, looked very sharp in his Grapefruit League debut over the week, specifically because he was pounding the bottom of the zone (22 of 27 pitches were strikes). His improved strikeout and walk rates were very encouraging last year, but it seemed like every mistake pitch he made was clobbered for extra bases. That needs to be fixed. “New pitching mechanics” stories are on par with “best shape of his life” stories this time of year, so we’re going to need to see a lot more before we can declare Nova cured of whatever ailed him in the second half. This weekend’s performance was encouraging and it’s good to know there’s some work going on behind the scenes.

Cervelli’s throwing stands out early in camp

March 4, 2013 by Mike 42 Comments

The Yankees have a history of fake Spring Training competitions — the 2010 fifth starter’s competition stands out the most — though this spring’s catching competition both is and isn’t legit. Austin Romine has almost no chance of making the team because both Chris Stewart and Frankie Cervelli are out of options, so in that sense the competition is fraudulent. Neither Stewart nor Cervelli has a first grasp on the starting job though, and those two are in a real competition for playing time.

We don’t learn much after just ten Grapefruit League games, but one thing is very obvious so far this year: Cervelli’s throwing has been demonstrably better than it was from 2010-2011. He threw out 36.4% of attempted base-stealers as a minor leaguer from 2005-2008, then he threw out 43.5% of attempted base-stealers during his big league time in 2009. Something changed though, and that number dropped to just 14.1% in the show from 2010-2011. That defensive decline is a big reason why the Yankees traded for Stewart at the end of camp last year and surprisingly demoted Cervelli to Triple-A.

“It made my mind stronger,” said Cervelli to Mark Feinsand about the demotion. “I kept learning that nothing comes easy … Right now, I look at the past and I think it was the best. Maybe last year, the first two months in Triple-A was bad. The frustration, you don’t understand it in the moment, but when you have a little time and you think a little fresh, you realize things happen for a reason – and always a positive reason.”

Cervelli credited his parents — who spent a lot of time with him last summer — for helping him get over the disappointment of being demoted and focusing on the things the Yankees wanted to improve, including his throwing*. Frankie has thrown out five of six (!) attempted base-stealers during his five games behind the plate so far this spring. Obviously that is an unsustainable pace, but his throws have been strong and right on the bag at second as opposed to short-hopping the infielder or winding up in center field as they had in recent years. The improvement is noticeable.

“Rushing,” said Cervelli to Chad Jennings when asked what he was doing wrong before. “I tried to throw the ball too hard and I tried to get the ball before it was in my glove. Now I work relaxed behind the plate. Same energy, but I just try to be more relaxed and let my body go … The past few years in the big leagues, I had bad habits. Maybe frustration, or if you don’t play every day, you want to do things perfect. I was a little young, too. You’re a little desperate sometimes. When you get more mature and have more experience, play every day like last year, you start to get that feeling.”

Cervelli threw out 30.0% of attempted base-stealers with Triple-A last year — on par with his 2005-2008 performance — then went to winter ball and threw out nine of 14 attempted base-stealers (64.3%) in his 21 games. No one will ever confuse him with Yadier Molina, but Cervelli had a track record of throwing runners out at a better than average rate before falling to some bad habits (to use his words) in recent years. His performance these last ten months or so suggest he’s back to where he needs to be.

“I just think he worked hard at it,” said Girardi to Feinsand about Cervelli’s throwing. “He had a chance last year to catch every day. He also went to winter ball, and I think he worked really hard at it. As I said, I think he got a little out of whack from maybe rushing or trying to do too much, and he was able to go down there and really get it back together like he had when he first came up for us throwing the baseball. It’s shown up.”

Cervelli will turn 27 later this week, and among the team’s catching options, he has (by far) the best chance to contribute offensively this summer. That doesn’t mean he’ll be above-average or anything, just less below-average than Stewart or Romine. If his throwing and defensive improvements are real and not just a small sample/early-Spring Training fluke, his value to the team could be much greater than anticipated. We need to see more before we can say he’s over those bad habits for certain, but the early returns are very encouraging.

* Brian Cashman spoke more about the things the Yankees wanted Cervelli to improve during an on-air interview this weekend, which you can watch here. Apparently Frankie will no longer go into a Tony Pena-esque crouch as he had in the past. I thought that was interesting.

2013 Season Preview: The Catchers

March 4, 2013 by Mike 72 Comments

Starting today and continuing through the end of the Spring Training, we’re going to preview the Yankees position-by-position and on a couple of different levels.

Chris Stewart got ejected for arguing a bang-bang play at first. Seriously. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette) — (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

The Yankees made a lot of moves (and non-moves) this winter, but I don’t think any was quite as curious as letting catcher Russell Martin depart via free agency. The club offered him a three-year contract worth $20M+ a year ago, but something changed and they didn’t even bother making an offer this time around. I don’t think we’re ever going to know what happened behind the scenes there. Martin now plies his trade with the Pirates after taking a two-year pact worth $17M.

Since New York never bothered to find a replacement starting catcher, they’re left with a hodgepodge of has-beens and never-wases behind the plate. The Yankees are very likely to receive their worst offensive output from the position since before Jorge Posada broke into the league in the late-90s. Brian Cashman & Co. have preached defense defense defense at the position since Martin left for Pittsburgh, which is fine. Punting a position offensively is no way to win the AL East, however.

The Starter
The actual starting catcher is still to be determined, but based on the way the team’s decision makers talk about things, it sure sounds like Chris Stewart is the favorite. The 31-year-old was a zero at the plate — .241/.292/.319 (65 wRC+) in 157 plate appearances — as Martin’s backup last summer, and there’s nothing in his track record to suggest more offensive is coming. Pretty much the only thing Stewart has going for him offensively is his ability to make contact (career 12.2 K%), so maybe he’ll fluke into a .350 BABIP or something.

The defensive side of the ball is where Stewart earns his money. The various catcher defense rankings (2010, 2011, 2012) consistently rate him as average or better, plus those newfangled pitch framing studies say he’s one of the game’s best at turning would-be called balls into strikes. Whether that defensive value is enough to overcome his offensive shortcomings remains to be seen, but the Yankees have painted themselves into a corner and must hope that’s the case.

The Backup
With Stewart the likely starter, Frankie Cervelli is the odds on favorite to serve as his backup. Those two roles could easily be switched, but you know that already. Both guys are out of minor league options and Cashman has all but confirmed that ensures they will open the season in the big leagues.

Cervelli, 26, is another poor offensive player, but he is slightly better than Stewart — career .271/.339/.353 (88 wRC+) — and a bit more likely to surprisingly turn in a league-average performance. Despite coming up with a strong defensive reputation, Frankie’s defense was pretty awful from 2010-2011 and was part of the reason the team replaced him last year. The club had him work on some stuff in Triple-A last summer and the early returns are positive, especially with his throwing. That has been demonstrably better in camp.

Knocking on the Door
As they tend to do, the Yankees are faking a competition this year. The three “candidates” for the starting catching spot are Stewart, Cervelli, and 24-year-old Austin Romine, who has missed much of the last two years with back problems. He can hit a little and has a good defensive reputation, but he’s unrefined and in need of regular at-bats. Romine has the best long-term potential of the three catching options, but he’s very likely to open the year with Triple-A Scranton. Given all the lost time, playing everyday in the minors instead of playing half-time in the big leagues is the best thing for his development at this point. He’s miss a lot of at-bats since the close of 2010.

The Top Prospect
New York’s top prospect behind the plate also happens to be their top prospect overall, 20-year-old Gary Sanchez. He hit .290/.344/.485 (~125 wRC+) in 474 plate appearances split between Low-A Charleston and High-A Tampa last summer, and his 18 homers led all minor league catchers. Sanchez doesn’t have the innate hitting ability of Jesus Montero, but he does have a bit more power — career minor league ISOs: .193 vs. .210 in favor of Sanchez — and a far better chance of remaining behind the plate long-term. Give the catching situation at the upper levels, that’s pretty good news. Sanchez is expected to return to Tampa to start 2013 and should receive a midseason promotion to Double-A Trenton, meaning the only way he will be a factor at the big league level this summer is as trade bait.

The Deep Sleeper
The good news is that the Yankees are blessed with quite a bit of catching depth, which is absolutely intentional. J.R. Murphy will start the year back with Double-A Trenton, sandwiched between Romine in Scranton and Sanchez in Tampa. Further down the later is 16-year-old Luis Torrens, who signed out of Venezuela for $1.3M last July 2nd. Despite converting from third base to catcher within the last year or so, the Yankees are expected to bring Torrens to the United States with one of their two Rookie Level Gulf Coast League affiliates this summer. His defense lags behind his offense at this point (duh), but he still has breakout potential because he has an advanced approach at the plate and can hit to all fields.

* * *

The 2013 outlook behind the plate at the big league level is pretty grim at the moment, and it will almost certainly be New York’s least productive position this summer. That isn’t surprising in and of itself, but the possibility of the catching tandem being several standard deviations below average is. Say what you want about Martin and his low batting averages, but he was close to a league average hitter with the Yankees (98 wRC+) while being above-average defensively and even on the bases. That’s an above-average player and the team will go into this season with a clear downgrade.

Fan Confidence Poll: March 4th, 2013

March 4, 2013 by Mike 62 Comments

Spring Training Record: 3-7 (45 RS, 47 RA)
Spring Training Schedule This Week: Mon. OFF, vs. Braves (Tues. on YES), vs. Dominican Republic (Weds. on YES), @ Cardinals (Thurs.), @ Marlins (Fri.), vs. Braves (Sat. on YES) @ Blue Jays (Sun.)