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Cito Culver signs with Marlins on a minor league deal

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(Presswire)
(Presswire)

The Yankees drafted Cito Culver on June 7, 2010. I remember the date, because everyone was pissed.

Things were going pretty damn well at that point. Fresh off World Series No. 27, the Yankees were 35-22 heading into that night, 2 games back of the Rays in the East but with the second-best record in the AL. They had no game that night, so all eyes were on the draft.

Although the Yankees were picking 32nd, there were still many intriguing names that should have been available. Keith Law had them taking Gary Brown, Tyrell Jenkins, and Christian Yelich in the various versions of his mock draft. (Neither Brown nor Yelich would be available when the Yankees selected.) Baseball Prospectus had them taking Brown as well, and before that suggested that they could take Jedd Gyorko. I also distinctly remember hearing the name A.J. Cole mentioned.

Let’s go to Mike for the official reaction to the Yankees’ selection:

I remember saying “who in the world is that?” when then-commissioner Bud Selig announced the Yankees had selected New York HS SS Cito Culver with their first round pick, the 32nd overall selection. Culver ranked 168th (!) on Baseball America’s top 200 draft prospects that year and the consensus at the time said he was a third or fourth round talent.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Culver never really worked out. By all accounts he was solid enough in the field, but his batting average topped out at around .250 and his OBP around .320. By 2015 he had completely worn out his welcome as a prospect, hitting .199/.249/.279 in 390 PA for Trenton. He came back with two of his better years in 2016 and 2017, but there was no real value in hanging onto him.

The Marlins signed Culver yesterday to a minor league contract, which is interesting for two reasons. First, that’s one place he might actually get to crack a major league roster at some point. They have no one entrenched at shortstop, and their main gloveman in 2017 is 29 and has 757 career PA. Culver could also fit in at second base in the wake of Dee Gordon’s departure. The second interesting bit is the connection you’d always make between the Yankees and Marlins: Gary Denbo. In 2010 Denbo was a player development consultant for the Yankees, so he’s seen Culver throughout his career.

(And who knows, maybe the plan is to turn him into a pitcher/two-way player.)

The Yankees as an organization won’t miss Culver. They have plenty of up-the-middle talent. Yankees fans won’t miss Culver, either. But we’ll always have that night in June, when everyone as pissed that the Yankees took some kid they’d never even considered.

River Avenue Blues Podcast, Episode 17

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In our second episode back we’re chatting with RAB regular Sung-Min Kim about the lineup, starting pitching, Josh Harrison, Todd Frazier, and more.

We added audio questions to this one, so you can see how much better it is than us reading the questions. Dial-in info is below. Leave your questions for when we record later this week.

Some notes:

  • We’re having some technical issues with iTunes, but expect to be up and running this week. Until then you can subscribe by URL in the Podcast app (or in any podcast app, I believe): https://riveraveblues.com/category/podcast/feed
  • You can call our voicemail at 716-393-5330 to leave us questions for future shows. Much better to play the audio of you asking rather than reading it ourselves
  • Please email us or comment or whatever to leave some feedback. While our re-launch show feels same-old same-old in terms of podcasting, we’d like to make the show as original as possible. We have some ideas, but you’re the listeners. You know what you want. We’re seeking your help.

The Return of the River Avenue Blues Podcast: Episode 16

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It’s been three and a half years since we last podcasted*, so please bear with us as we shake off some of the rust.

The River Avenue Blues Podcast returns for what we hope will be a long, prosperous run. We’re starting it off simple, with Jay and me running down the Yankees’ current needs.

No guest today, though that should change for the next show — which we’re hoping is next week. You’ll also see a rotating cast of RAB characters on the show in addition to Jay and me.

Some notes:

  • It appears that iTunes dumps your podcast if you’re inactive for a while. I expect we’ll be back up and running shortly, but until then you can subscribe by URL in the Podcast app (or in any podcast app, I believe): https://riveraveblues.com/category/podcast/feed
  • You can call our voicemail at 716-393-5330 to leave us questions for future shows. Much better to play the audio of you asking rather than reading it ourselves
  • Please email us or comment or whatever to leave some feedback. While our re-launch show feels same-old same-old in terms of podcasting, we’d like to make the show as original as possible. We have some ideas, but you’re the listeners. You know what you want. We’re seeking your help.

*Funny, my daughter is three and a half years old…

Mike Mussina is a Hall of Famer (Or: Wins are a really stupid metric for evaluating anything)

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Updated 12/28/2018

This post comes from RAB commenter tommiesmithjohncarlos — which is a freaking throwback, I know.

I was thinking about this again this morning, so I did some quick research on Baseball-Reference.com. Enjoy the following narrative, brought to you by The Committee to Induct Michael Cole Mussina into the Hall of Fame.

#1: June 22, 1992

Mike pitches 8.0 innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs, strikes out 7, and is replaced after the 8th with a 4-2 lead. In the top of the 9th, Orioles reliever Mike Flanagan gives up a single to Mel Hall and is then pulled for Orioles closer Gregg Olson, who gives up a game tying home run to the first batter he faces, Roberto Kelly. In the bottom of the 9th, the Yankees bullpen gives up a run and the Orioles win, 5-4. Moose gets the ND.

#2: August 15, 1992

Mike pitches 7.2 innings, giving up 9 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs, strikes out 5, and is pulled during the 8th with a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the 9th, Orioles closer Gregg Olson gives up a single, a walk, a bunt groundout, a single, and a sac fly and the Royals win 5-4. Moose gets the ND.

#3: August 17, 1995

Mike pitches 8.0 innings, giving up 6 hits, no walks, and 2 runs, both unearned (on a dropped flyball by Bobby Bonilla in the second inning that would have been out #3), strikes out 8, and is replaced after the 8th with the game tied at 2. In the top of the 10th, Orioles reliever Jesse Orosco gives up a leadoff homer to Gary Gaetti in his second inning of work and the Royals go on to win, 3-2. Moose gets the ND.

#4: September 28, 1996

Mike pitches 8.0 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run, strikes out 9, and is replaced after the 8th with a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the 9th, Orioles closer Armando Benitez gives up a one-out home run to Ed Sprague to tie the ballgame. In the top of the 10th, Roberto Alomar hits a home run of his own to retake the lead and the Orioles go on to win, 3-2. Moose gets the ND.

#5: July 7, 2001

Mike pitches 7.0 innings, giving up 6 hits, 1 walk, and no runs, strikes out 10, and is replaced after the 7th with the game still a scoreless tie. After two more scoreless innings from Jay Witasick, in the top of the 10th, Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera has one of his rare implosions and gives up a walk sandwiched around 4 line-drive singles, all with two outs, to score 3 runs and the Mets go on to win, 3-0. Moose gets the ND.

#6: July 17, 2001

Mike pitches 7.0 innings, giving up 8 hits, 3 walks, and 1 run, strikes out 3, and is lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the 8th with the game tied at 1. Much later, in the top of the 12th with the game still knotted at 1, Phillies reliever Wayne Gomes gives singles to Jeter and Tino and a homer to Jorge and the Yankees go on to win, 4-1. Moose gets the ND.

#7: August 12, 2001

Mike pitches 8.0 innings, giving up 2 hits, no walks, and 2 runs, strikes out 9, and is replaced after the 8th with the game tied at 2. In the bottom of the 9th, Yankees reliever Mike Stanton walks Johnny Damon and, one batter later, gives up a two-run homer to Jason Giambi. The A’s win, 4-2. Moose gets the ND.

#8: September 19, 2002

Mike pitches 7.0 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 walks, and 1 unearned run (on a first inning error by centerfielder Raul Mondesi), strikes out 8, and is replaced after the 7th with a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the 8th, Yankees reliever Steve Karsay gives up a game-tying homer to the first batter he faces, Randy Winn. Two innings later, Yankees reliever Sterling Hitchcock gives up a single, a double, an intentional walk, and then a single and the Devil Rays win it, 3-2. Moose gets the ND.

Had Moose had a slightly better collection of relievers (or fewer defensively challenged outfielders) over the years, and had the 2001 Yankees not been utterly shut down by Mets “ace” Kevin Appier in that 7/7/01 game, etc., Moose could have won these 8 contests, since he pitched damn well in all of them. What’s the significance of these eight games, you ask? Well, if we use our magical time machine to alter these games and give Moose the victories instead of the no-decisions, not only would Mike’s career record now be 278-153, he’d now have SIX, COUNT ‘EM, SIX twenty-win seasons:

1992: 20-5

1995: 20-9

1996: 20-11

2001: 20-11

2002: 20-10

2008: 20-9

…which means none of us would be having this conversation about “Is Moose a Hall of Famer”? Bill Plaschke, Jon Heyman, Jay Mariotti, Wallace Matthews, George King III, Joel Sherman, and even Mike Lupica himself would be singing Moose’s praises from the mountaintops and viciously excoriating anyone who dared question the credentials of an absolute stud ace who won 20 games an unbelievable six times.

(And don’t forget that Moose went 16-5 during the strike-shortened 1994 season, where he was robbed of probably 10-12 potential starts. Do your own math on that one.)

So please, people. Seriously. We can’t allow media idiots to keep Mike Mussina out of the Hall of Fame because of a few bad games from Gregg Olson, Armando Benitez, Bobby Bonilla, Raul Mondesi, Steve Karsay, Mike Stanton and one good game from Kevin Appier. That’s insanity.

Mike Moustakas: a Yankees extravagance

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(Charlie Riedel/AP)
(Charlie Riedel/AP)

Make no mistake: Mike Moustakas fits well with the 2018 Yankees. Not perfect by any stretch, but well enough that, should the right situation present itself, the Yankees should seriously consider signing him. Until this point in the off-season, however, that did not seem feasible.

Given how slowly the hot stove has unfolded, it is only natural that we’ll hear speculation about certain players taking pillow contracts. If history is any indication, most of those players will end up with long-term deals. How many times have we heard that Scott Boras overplayed his hand, only to secure a meets (or exceeds) expectations contract in January?

At the same time, baseball is at a strange juncture. The Dodgers and Braves just worked out a junk swap that allows Los Angeles to manipulate the luxury tax situation. The Yankees, as we well know, have a mandate to stay under the $197 million luxury threshold so they can reset their rate. Might it be worth the whiles of players such as Moustakas to sign one-year deals this year in order to cash in when at least two big-market teams are ready to spend?

Ultimately, I’d guess that Moustakas lands a multi-year deal for high eight figures sometime in January — something like five years, $85 million. But until that happens, there is no shame in speculating. And Buster Olney got us started down that path.

Before we start imagining Moustakas popping baseballs over the wall in right, let’s be clear about one thing: The Yankees can’t make this work with Jacoby Ellsbury’s full contract still on the books.

I mean, by the most technical definition they could. According to our latest Yankees payroll update, they have roughly $24.5 million left to spend. The above-guessed contract has an AAV of $17 million. Even if we go with that number and don’t go to, say, $20 million to help justify the short commitment, that leaves the Yankees with $7.5 million left. That’s close to the amount they’ll likely retain heading into the season so that they can make mid-season maneuvers.

Do they really want to go down that path?

By all indications, they’re trying to add another starting pitcher. Unless they land Michael Fulmer, that pitcher will cost them more than $7.5 million. They could trade a reliever, but Mike argued pretty solidly against that idea. Looking around the roster, if it’s not an expensive reliever changing jerseys it’d have to be Ellsbury.

Practical considerations aside, adding Moustakas’s left-handed power to the lineup would create a run-scoring bonanza the likes of which we haven’t seen since the 1931 Yankees*. The 2017 home run total for the projected starting lineup is 252 — which is more than any other team in 2017 including the Yankees themselves.

*And since none of us saw that, we should probably say the 1999 Indians. But, you know, Yankees Only.

Another advantage to adding an established third baseman such as Moustakas: it’s much easier to justify opening the season with Gleyber Torres at second. Opening the season with two inexperienced players in the infield? Not out of the question, but also not ideal. Adding a third baseman such as Moustakas, however, makes that decision easier. It also gives Miguel Andujar a season to take reps at third at Scranton. You know, just in case they don’t get Manny Machado. Which is the entire idea behind finding a stopgap third baseman.

To reiterate, were I a betting man I wouldn’t bet against Boras getting Moustakas a good multi-year deal this off-season. That’s largely because I’ve learned not to bet against the best in the biz, but also because Moustakas is a good enough player that he should get a decent contract. That’s out of the question for the Yankees, for good reason. But if we’re imagining the possible, it’s easy to dream on a 275-homer team.

Yogi Berra Passes Away at 90

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yogi

Yogi Berra passed away last night. He was 90. Chances are you’ve seen the news already. Consider this our memorial to Yogi, whose body may have perished but who will remain immortal through his words and acts as a baseball player and human being.

“Yogi Berra’s legacy transcends baseball,” said Hal Steinbrenner in a statement. “Though slight in stature, he was a giant in the most significant of ways through his service to his country, compassion for others and genuine enthusiasm for the game he loved. He has always been a role model and hero that America could look up to.

“While his baseball wit and wisdom brought out the best in generations of Yankees, his imprint in society stretches far beyond the walls of Yankee Stadium. He simply had a way of reaching and relating to people that was unmatched. That’s what made him such a national treasure.

“On behalf of my family and the entire Yankees organization, we extend our deepest condolences to Yogi’s family, friends and loved ones.”

RIP Yogi.

Poll: Next in Line for Fifth Starter

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So Chris Capuano suffered a grade 2 quad strain this afternoon, which means he’ll be out for many weeks — certainly opening the season on the DL. That opens the door for another pitcher to make the staff, whether it’s a starter or a reliever who pushes someone from the pen to the rotation.

Who do you think should be the fifth starter to open the season? The Yankees only need one three times in April, but considering they’ve contemplated a six-man rotation, chances are they’re not going to skip the fifth starter early in the season. This can be a big opportunity for someone to step up and earn a full-time rotation spot. It’s not as though the Yankees are wed to Capuano.

Please note that we purposely left off Luis Severino. We assume he’d have won the poll in a landslide. If he shows evaluators that he’s ready to make the big leap, he might get his chance. But the odds are against it, given that he has just 25 innings above A ball.

Perhaps the better question is, who will win the fifth starter job?

Who will win the fifth starter job?