River Avenue Blues

Winter Ball updates

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I figure this is a good way to get a break from all the steroid stuff. If you’re suffering from baseball withdrawal, Licey is taking on Aguilas in a Dominican Winter League game on ESPN Deportes right now. The broadcast is en espanol, but hey, it’s baseball.

Jon Albaladejo: 24.1 IP, 22 H,  6 R, 6 ER, 8 BB, 18 K in 26 appearances
Bobby Abreu: 0 for 3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K in his lone game way back on November 29th
Wilson Betemit: 10 for 35 (.286), 6 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 7 BB, 14 K in 12 games, last played on December 1st
Frankie Cervelli: 5 for 26 (.192), 1 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 9 BB, 8 K in 13 games
Alberto Gonzalez: 32 for 96 (.333), 15 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 6 BB, 9 K, 1 SB, 2 CS in 26 games
Edwar Gonzalez: 15 for 60 (.250), 3 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 15 K, 2 SB, 2 CS in 26 games
Jesus Montero: 29 for 81 (.358), 18 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 14 BB, 14 K, 2 SB, 0 CS in 23 games
Ivan Nova: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K in his lone appearance was back on November 19th
Scott Patterson: 21.1 IP, 18 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 17 K in 18 appearances, hasn’t pitched since December 1st
Edgar Soto: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K in 2 games, hasn’t pitched since November 9th
Edwar Ramirez: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K in 2 games, last pitched on November 16th
Marcos Vechionacci: 27 for 97 (.278), 11 R, 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 13 K, 1 B, 0 CS in 34 games
Jose Veras: 8.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 13 K in 9 games
Guillermo Villalona-Bryan: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K in 3 games, last pitched on November 21st

Don’t worry about the guys that haven’t played in a while, they probably just went home. I doubt any of them got hurt seriously.

Pettitte owns up to HGH use

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Andy Pettitte became the first newly-named player in the Mitchell Report to admit to HGH use. In a statement released by his agent on Saturday, Pettitte said he used the drugs while recovering from his 2002 elbow injury.

Here’s what Andy had to say:

“In 2002 I was injured. I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster healing for my elbow. I felt an obligation to get back to my team as soon as possible. For this reason, and only this reason, for two days I tried human growth hormone. Though it was not against baseball rules, I was not comfortable with what I was doing, so I stopped. This is it — two days out of my life; two days out of my entire career, when I was injured and on the disabled list. I wasn’t looking for an edge. I was looking to heal.

“I have the utmost respect for baseball and have always tried to live my life in a way that would be honorable. If I have let down people that care about me, I am sorry, but I hope that you will listen to me carefully and understand that two days of perhaps bad judgment should not ruin a lifetime of hard work and dedication. I have tried to do things the right way my entire life, and, again, ask that you put those two days in the proper context. People that know me will know that what I say is true.”

I have no reason to doubt the veracity of Pettitte’s admission. He used HGH twice while attempting to recover from an injury, and that’s it. It takes a brave man to apologize, and that’s just what Andy Pettitte is. While I’m a little disappointed, I’ll still cheer for Number 46 come Opening Day, and this admission in no way changes my opinion of the Mitchell Report.

Santana talks will not die

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Ed Price has a quote from Hankenstein on the Santana talks:

“We’re still thinking about it,” senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said yesterday. “We haven’t ruled it out completely. We’re still considering it. I haven’t closed the door completely on Santana.”

He goes on to say that Cashman has talked to Bill Smith in the past couple of days. The report states that the Yankees would get back into the Santana Sweepstakes if they could shed Hideki Matsui’s contract. That seems like a red herring. No way you let $13 million stand in the way of you and Santana if you really, truly want him.

In other news, Mark Prior’s agent John Boggs has confirmed that he has received some interest from the Yanks. The only problem is that Prior is looking for a one-year deal without an option so that he can prove himself and get a shot on the market in 2009. We saw how this failed in the case of Octavio Dotel, though the Yankees surely have learned their lesson on rushing guys back from major surgery. If they take all the precautions, Prior could be an incredible help in the second half.

The Nationals and the Mets are also in on Prior. If I’m him, I’m definitely going to the Mets. It would otherwise be tough to land with a contender and have a pretty-much guaranteed slot in the rotation come June.

Hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors.