Jorge Posada’s struggles are no secret. And I don’t want to kick a man when he’s down…. But I’m saying it now: Jorge won’t be back in a playing capacity with this organization next year. How do I know? This is the Yankees and we’ve seen this show before.Exhibit A: Jorge is currently batting .169 (.209 vs. Righties & a whooping .000 vs. Lefties) It's gotten so bad he’s been benched against Lefties.
(Photo: Getty)Exhibit B: Russell Martin is hitting .236 which is on par with the rest of the AL catchers. It doesn’t hurt that Martin is also handling all of the Yankees starters without much issue. Remember Burnett’s issues with Posada last year?
Exhibit C: When the Yankees make a decision that someone is old and expendable, they don’t hide it. When the organization decides someone is “washed up”, they move them to DH and replace them with a younger model. It’s like buying a car or a new electronic gadget.
I know you all are saying, “Lem, this is all your opinion” WRONG! Fact: In 2006, Johnny Damon was signed as the new center fielder displacing longtime fan-favorite Bernie Williams. Williams was in the last year of his contract, and the organization determined Bernie was done. 2006was Bernie’s last year, where he hit .281, 12 HR, 61 RBI.
(In photo: Ken Griffey Sr.)Isolated case? WRONG! They’ve been doing this for a long, long time.... In 1983, the Yanks had a decent first baseman. Ken Griffey hit .306 and played decent defense. In 1984, Griffey was moved to the outfield and later to DH, only to be replaced by a fresh-faced kid from the cornfields of Indiana waiting to take Griffey’s job. Don Mattingly went on to win the AL batting title in ‘84 and the AL MVP in ’85, while Griffey bounced around the league for another 6 seasons.
Look, I’m a huge fan of Jorge Posada’s. I’ve met him on 2 different occasions and he couldn’t have been nicer. But lets face it, time isn’t on his side and the precedence has been set. I believe he should be a no-doubt Hall of Famer, and at this point might want to consider bowing out gracefully. I thank Jorge for everything he’s done while he’s here, but this is a younger man’s game.
By the way... Jeter, Rivera, A-Rod take notice…..
-- Lem Allen, BYB Freelance Writer
bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com
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It goes back further than that. The reason Lou Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp in 1925 wasn't that Pipp was beaned, that came weeks later. It's because Pipp wasn't hitting. Same with shortstop Everett Scott, who held the "iron man" record before Gehrig. That was a big transition year for the Yankees, and they won the next 3 Pennants.
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees also began to shunt aside the Joe McCarthy guys when Casey Stengel came in, in particular the outfielders, as Charlie Keller, Tommy Henrich, and even Joe DiMaggio began to give way to guys like Gene Woodling, Hank Bauer and that kid from Oklahoma, what's his name... oh yeah, Mickey Mantle. The Yanks were so loaded there at the time they could not only afford to not wait out the injuries of Keller and Henrich, but to trade capable guys like Cliff Mapes and Jackie Jensen (a future MVP).
Even when I was a kid, the Yanks had no qualms about letting go Chris Chambliss and Graig Nettles, who both had a bit left when they were let go, and also guys who proved it right that they should be let go, like Sparky Lyle, Mickey Rivers and Bucky Blessed Dent. It may be cold, but that's why the phrase "coldly efficient" is familiar.