CASHMAN'S ROOTING FOR .177

No one likes Stephen Drew.  You gotta feel alittle bad for the guy.

 Look, there are things that need to be fixed on the Yankees.  Carlos Beltran isn't doing too well, and Stephen Drew, as much as I see the guy contributing, isn't doing enough at the plate. I'm sorry, batting .177 in the major leagues is terrible. 

Andrew Marchand of ESPN  had a Brian Cashman quote about Drew.  This was what Cash said:

"I think Drew's been fine. Right now, I'm not looking at anyone being an alternative at second base to Drew. I'm surprised you asked the question."

Surprised? Come on man. Do you know what the Mendoza line is?  Here's that definition: "The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball in the United States, deriving from the name of shortstop player Mario Mendoza, whose mediocre batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting. The cutoff point is most often said to be .200^[1] (although Mendoza's career average was .215) and, when a position player's batting average falls below that level, the player is said to be 'below the Mendoza Line'"

Something should be done about Drew.   What would you do? Comment.

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BRANDON MCCARTHY & TOMMY JOHN UNIT... KIND OF

It sucks about what happened to former Yankee Brandon McCarthy... but it's happened and so, we'll see him at some point next year.  According to Ken Gurnick, MLB.com beat writer, McCarthy is going under the knife for a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

McCarthy will have Tommy John surgery Thursday.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) April 29, 2015

Brandon, meet Tommy John.  That really sucks. McCarthy made me really become a fan of his.  As a Yankee, he was truly exceptional and I like the guy a lot, but he went to the Dodgers clearly because the Yankees weren't too interested and I didn't get that at the time.

Oh... and I know you were wondering because I was... what does our pal Amanda McCarthy say about all this?  Well... just check her Twitter feed:

I'm drinks now... https://t.co/6QwLgFK5Pl

— Amanda McCarthy (@Mrs_McCarthy32) April 27, 2015

B's always had a crazy healthy arm. (Shoulder is a separate asshole) this was a total surprise & a tough one to hear. On to the next chapter

— Amanda McCarthy (@Mrs_McCarthy32) April 28, 2015

God bless her. I don't know what I get a kick out of more, her tweets or her avatar of her hubby squeezing her woman parts.

Anyway, Get well soon Brandon! We love ya over at BYB.

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CARLOS BELTRAN JUST LOOKS TERRIBLE

Carlos Beltran is not getting it done. Plain and simple, we signed a guy - albeit past his prime - who could hit .280 to .300 with some power and a decent glove. What we got was a guy who cannot seem to get a base hit. Beltran is a seasoned veteran with a long history of success, not mention a high salary. It is a good thing for him, because if he was 22 years old and trying to prove himself, he likely would be on his way to Scranton by now to work on his swing and hope for a June call-up.

If you have not watched him in the batter’s box this season, you are missing a Yankee tragedy. At no point this year has his batting average been over .200. This is the first time in his career he is without a home run in the first 16 games of the season. Anyone pitching to him would pitch around the guy hitting in front of him, only because he looks like the automatic out. I get that he is not in his prime anymore, but we expected at least some productivity out of him. It is no wonder that his bouncers to third are now starting to elicit boos from the crowd.

I remember the day we signed him to a 3-year, $45M contract. It was a few days after the Jacoby Ellsbury signing, which followed a disappointing season of lackluster hitting and an October on the golf course. Nobody was happy with what happened with the Yankees in 2013, and the signing of high profile hitters brought hope that the end of the hitting drought had arrived. While the hitting is now coming from other places, there is still the nagging frustration with Beltran’s lack of production.

We knew he was 36 years old when the Yankees signed him, and that he was not the dominant hitter he was 10 years ago. We knew he would need rest and that the occasional injury would happen. We even admired his ability to play through his elbow injury last year, hitting 15 home runs in the process. What I do not understand is what the heck is going on with him now. If he were on a normal downward shift that 37-year-old’s experience, I would expect him to hit .250-.260, maybe only go for about 20 home runs. Nevertheless, he would still be a threat at the plate. That is not the case here.

The Yankees have to do some serious thinking here. He is showing all the signs that he might be done. At $15M per year, that is a sobering thought. We continue to see him in the number 5 or 6 slot in the batting order, and I don’t understand why. The only rationale of keeping him in the lineup at all is that he needs to work through whatever funk he is in, and sending him to AAA is not an option. That requires him to take at bats and a spot on the lineup card. It does not mean that you cannot drop him to #7 or #8. Would anyone really raise their eyebrows if Joe Girardi did that? The hitting has been good lately, so the need is not that glaring, but that will not last forever. By the time the Yankee bats reach a dry spell, Beltran will need to have figured this out. Otherwise, it will not be pretty.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row







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REMEMBERING WHEN WILLIE MAYS 'HAD AMPHETAMINES'

It's been discussed for days now about how a San Francisco Giants fan wrote an open letter to Rob Manfred asking him to put an asterisk on Alex Rodriguez's 660 home run if he hits it to tie baseball great Willie Mays.  While I understand what the fan is trying to do, I don't think something like that would ever happen.  By the way, here's that letter:

I found it very interesting, and you know I'm a die hard baseball fan and I love my Yankees. I also respect the history of the game and the players and all of that.  You also know by now that I'm not an ARod fan.  I say all that because I was recently reminded about the time Willie Mays was accused of supplying amphetamines in the New York Mets locker room.  Don't know what I mean? Oh yeah, it was a big deal, for a brief moment back in the 80's and nothing ever came of it, but I was able to find the LA Times article written back in 1985.

"John Milner testified Thursday in a federal cocaine trafficking trial.The former Met said his first introduction to a liquid amphetamine called "red juice" was from a bottle he took from Mays' locker... 'Management wasn't giving me greenies or red juice or speed--Willie had the red juice,' Milner said. He added, however, that he had not seen Mays take amphetamines.

Mays, who joined the Mets in 1972, said that his locker 'was an open book. Anybody could go into my locker because I never had anything to hide.' As to whether he ever used "red juice" or any stimulant, Mays said: 'My record speaks for itself. I never missed a game for misusing my body. I'm 54 right now and I'm in fairly good shape. I could never have played like I did if I'd misused my body.'"

(In Photo: John Milner)
John Milner was a former teammate of Mays and got himself into trouble.  It was pretty ridiculous that he'd even drag Mays into his own mess... but he did. It didn't stick.

I only bring this up because fandom is a fascinating thing to me. With all this PEDs talk these days, we tend to forget that for years in clubhouses there were clouds of suspicion.  We've heard the stories of "bowls of greenies" players would take in locker rooms and there were alot of other suspicious stuff going on.  The reality is, Willie Mays was truly great, and I believed him then when he said he didn't misuse his body.

Then again, I believed Rafael Palmeiro when he testified he never used either.  You remember how that worked out.

Mays never used and no one ever did, or needed to do an investigation into Mays, probably because Willie Mays is the greatest, hands down.  But these days, everyone is under a microscope and under suspicion, hence, no one believes any of these players these days either.

Plus, even after all the Alex Rodriguez stuff, the Ryan Braun stuff, players like Ervin Santana are still getting suspending for 80 games for an illegal substance.  How unbelievable is that?  You would think these players would learn, but they don't, because they don't even know what they're putting into their bodies.

Am I accusing Willie of anything? No way, but when I saw that Open letter about ARod, the home run chase and Willie Mays, it brought me back to the 80's.  It was something I had to go back and look up, that's all.  The suspicions... the accusations... that's always been going on.  These days though, it's much, much more intense, that's all.

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YOU CAN'T WIN THEM ALL, CHARLIE BROWN

In 13 innings, the Yankees lost to the Rays in the final game in this series.  Whatever man, you can't sweat it. 

I mean look, Michael Pineda pitched well today, but the Rays are fighters and they knew they needed this win today.  Pineda pitched 5.2 innings, 6 hits and 2 runs.  The Yanks followed with 6 other pitchers until Chasen Shreve ended up getting the loss. 

The Yankees had 7 hits.  They scoring like this:

With the Rays up 2, zip, Chase Headley hit a solo shot for the first run.  The second run came in the 6th when Chris Young put a solo shot out.  Then it was knotted at 2-2.  In the 13th inning, James Loney singled to knock in the go ahead run, and the Yankees... well, they ran out of time, unable to score in the bottom of that inning.  Damn.

Life goes on... we're about to play the Red Sox... get ready.

Final: Rays 3 - Yankees 2

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GREAT. ANOTHER STAT NO ONE CARES ABOUT

I don't like Sabermetrics. I just don't care about them.  I think you start throwing hundreds of numbers at people it all just becomes way too complex and idiotic.  Call me old school, call me dumb, but don't call me late to dinner... I'm always on time for dinner. 

The fact of the matter is there are only a few basic stats that you truly need to understand a player's ability and I'll always go basic.  Besides, Bleeding Yankee Blue is based on the suggestion that throwing stats and metrics up on this site every day only makes us look more like the others.  We don't do it unless we absolutely have to, and with that, I will never change our approach.  It is why we're successful. We are different... that's it.

I was reading Hardball Talk and they alerted me to something that Baseball Prospectus has done.  They have "invented" yet another unnecessary stat... at least that's my own humble opinion.  Apparently it's called the "Deserved Run Average".

I know... my eyes glossed over too.  WAKE UP!

From Hardball Talk: "...this new metric, DRA or “Deserved Run Average,” is getting a lot of buzz in sabermetric circles today. And the guys who came up with this new metric — Jonathan Judge, Harry Pavlidis and Dan Turkenkopf — are smart cookies."

A very, very basic description of DRA is from Baseball Prospectus:

"...Compile the individual value of all baseball batting events in a season.

When a batter steps into the box, a number of different events can ultimately occur. These range from a strikeout to a single to a double play to a home run. Over the course of a season, those events each, as a category, tend to result in an average number of additional (or fewer) runs. For example, a home run on average results in about 1.4 runs, because sometimes there are runners on base and sometimes there are not. By the same token, a double play tends to cost a team about three-quarters of a run. Although a double play can sometimes allow a run to score (such as when there happens to be a runner on third with no outs), it far more often ends the inning or empties the bases with no runs scored...

Adjust each batting event for its context.

Once we have the average value of each play in a season, we start making our adjustments. Home runs depend, among other things, on stadium, temperature, and the quality of the opposing batter. Ball and strike calls tend to favor the home team. The likelihood of a hit depends on the quality of the opposing defense. The pitcher’s success depends on how far he is ahead in the count, and both a catcher’s framing ability and the size of the umpire’s strike zone help get him there...."

There's much, much more. I actually think I read "Blah, blah. blah" in there somewhere. Anyway, the full description of DRA is HERE.

My feeling on stuff like this is simple. We went this long without it, I am doubtful it will change my own personal life going forward.  Sure, for many baseball stat nerds, this is groundbreaking and I get that. Not for me though.

Carry on.



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'OVERCOMPENSATING' TANAKA MAY JUST COST HIM A SEASON

Don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to Masahiro Tanaka's arm.  I saw an 11 year kid, my own son, overcompensate for an injury we didn't even know he had. And when he couldn't throw anymore because it hurt... and when he couldn't hit anymore because he couldn't open his arm all the way, I just assumed he topped out or he was tired or something.  That wasn't the case.  What happened was he made his body do other things to try and overcome whatever was bothering him.  In the end, we found out he in fact had an arm issue. It was corrected, and this year he's 100% and dominant.  For the record, that arm injury had zero to do with baseball. It was him being a kid and getting banged around with friends.  Now though... he's all better... and pitching his guts out. That's because he can, and he's doing it without overcompensating. And that brings me to Masahiro Tanaka.  A pitcher for the New York Yankees who gets paid millions.  And so, when his elbow started bothering him, he was removed from games to work through it and did.  It's my theory that through that 'rehab', he overcompensated and got through it.  That brings us to this season and him continuing to work through it and overcompensating.  And now, he has a wrist injury and forearm soreness "unrelated to his elbow", according to the Yankees. Yeah right. No... actually it's 100% related to his elbow, I'm sure of it. That's because he overcompensated for his elbow... and there you have it. I feel like I'm right.

Tanaka is a great pitcher, but even at 26, he's got to know that surgery is coming.  Like I've stated numerous times, you need to put things in perspective. So you want to milk it, and not be the same pitcher you signed a monster deal with? OK fine, but don't start "changing up your approach". I suggested getting Tommy John, rehabbing back and hopefully be 100% again.  I could be wrong, but I think I'm right again.  I even had this debate with David Cone recently and he was very strict about NOT doing surgery and I respect that.  Here's that exchange:

@BleednYankeeBlu @mikeyoh21 @suzieprof @dfabulous1 @sweetg35 @foxthechicken @jetdom Only one problem. You assume TJ surgery has no risk.
— David Cone (@dcone36) April 10, 2015

@BleednYankeeBlu @mikeyoh21 Much respect for your thoughts but surgery should be last option. 11 out of 20 last TJ's have been 2nd time.
— David Cone (@dcone36) April 10, 2015

But now the writing is on the wall in my opinion.  Yankee brass and Tanaka can claim that this is unrelated to his elbow, but I'm not buying it.  If there's 1 thing I know about the Yankees, it's that they will lie to your face when it comes to a big investment until they actually HAVE to come clean and tell you the truth.

That's what we're dealing with ladies and gentlemen.  Just wait for that other shoe to drop about May 15th or 25th.  Trust me... I know pitching and I know that something is not right.  Why else would I write:  'MYSTERY' TINKERING WITH TANAKA? COME ON MAN! back in March.

Tanaka is on the DL, because he pushed himself to throw differently and didn't even realize it.  That's it. The End.

Call me when the surgery happens.... this is a big joke.

 

 
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A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN: JEAN FAUT

In it's short 11 year run, the rules for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League changed quite a bit. The pitching rule, for example, changed three times.

Originally, pitchers threw under hand with a large ball, much like softball. Two and a half seasons in, they switched to sidearm pitching, with a smaller ball. By 1948, the pitching changed to over hand. While the size of the ball continued to decrease and the pitching distance increased over time, over hand pitching remained. In the 7 years of over hand pitching in the AAGPBL, there were only two perfect games pitched. Both were thrown by South Bend Blue Sox pitcher, Jean Faut.

Originally, the AAGPBL thought to capitalize on the softball craze. They pulled a lot of their early talent from already existing softball leagues. But, in an effort to streamline the game, and make it more appealing to MLB fans, they switched the pitching to make it resemble the already popular baseball game. The switch from underhand pitching to over hand pitching did not go as well as expected, however. Not every pitcher was able to make the change, and so they started transitioning outfielders who threw relatively hard to begin with into the pitchers position. Faut happened to be one of those players.

Faut grew up two blocks away from a practice field for a semi pro team, in East Greenville, Pennsylvania. She spent a lot of time hanging around the field, wishing she could play, and by the time she was 13, the players had relented and taught her how to pitch.

"I had more experience than most of the girls in the AAGPBL. I came into the league with a fastball, a sharp curve, screwball, drop and change - and a lot of deviations from these basic pitches."

Jean Faut, far left. Manager Karl Winsch.

It has been said that Faut had incredible control over her pitches. Dottie Kamenshek once said "She put them all just where she wanted." On July 21, 1951, Faut pitched a perfect game against the Rockford Peaches, retiring 27 consecutive batters. Dottie, the leagues greatest hitter who struck out twice that night, said it was "the best game I've ever seen pitched. It was just perfect. Overpowering." She was elected AAGPBL Player of the year that year, and again in 1953 after her second perfect game. She was the second person in league history to have received the award twice.

Her 1952 season really shines. She had a 20-2 record with an incredible 0.93 ERA. She only walked 42 and allowed 111 hits in 184 innings pitched. She won the pitching triple crown that season, leading the league in ERA, strikeouts and tying the wins with Rose Gacioch.

Faut retired in 1953. Her then husband, Karl Winsch, was also the manager of the Blue Sox. There was a lot of dissension among the team. Players would not speak to the manager, and by default, would not speak to Faut either. Between raising a child, and the tension among the team, Faut thought it better to retire. She ended her career with a 1.23 ERA. The lowest in the leagues history. She also was the only pitcher in the league to throw two perfect games.

Faut was to pitching, what Dottie was to hitting. Phenomenal!

Don't forget to also check out: A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN: DOTTIE KAMENSHEK

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804

 

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MUSTACHE MANIA!

It's gotta be the mustache!  That's what I was told by BYB writer Suzie Pinstripe and you know what? I believe it.  It didn't work with Joba Chamberlain.  He didn't have the confidence when he was sporting the mustache.  But Brett Gardner... with that facial hair...

Yeah, that guy is reeking confidence and that mustache is a mustache that guys like Burt Reynolds and Ron Jeremy are proud of.  Even James Brolin is enjoying this run. 

Yup... I've basically referenced every guy from the 70's in 1 full swoop.  Anyway... I'm digging the mustache, but I'm digging the Yankee win more.

Yanks won another. By the way, the Mets? They lost, 4-3 to the Marlins tonight. Just sayin'.  Chase Whitley showed up tonight for the Yanks, pitching 5 innings, giving up just 1 run.  He looked good.  The pen continued shutting down the Rays only giving up 1 other run to the Yankees 4.

The Yankee runs went like this:

In the first, Gardy grounded out and in the process, Jacoby Ellsbury scored.  Then, Brian McCann doubled and he knocked in a run.

In the 5th, 2 more runs. Brian McCann doubles again and Ellsbury and Gardy scores.

Then Chris Martin gets the save tonight... and just like that, the Yankees win and mustaches reign.

Final: Yankee 4 - Rays 2

I'm hilarious.

I hope Burt Reynolds was watching...and reading BYB. I want and autograph.




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AROD 'COACHING' GREGORIUS

Didi Gregorius is getting the crap kicked out of him, mainly because of his defense, but lately all of the above. It's been the chanting of "Der-ek Jet-er" by Yankee fans that are just impatient.  I wrote CHANTING "DER-EK JET-ER" AT DIDI? SHAME ON ALL Y'ALL! April 13th saying simply that we just needed to give Didi more time before judging him. It was unfair.  I also wondered how it would effect his confidence and well being.  

Well, here's an interesting nugget coming from Bryan Hoch.  Apparently Alex Rodriguez is trying to help Didi get passed it.  Cool.  Who do you turn to when you're hated? Another guy that's hated... because he knows how it all works!

According to Hoch, he says of ARod:  "...the Yankees had requested his presence in a coaching role. 

Rodriguez, a two-time Gold Glove award winner at shortstop, offered feedback with infield coach Joe Espada as Gregorius took ground balls and whipped throws across the diamond. Rodriguez said that he sees the natural ability in Gregorius’ game, and that regular practice will be important to iron out the kinks at the position. 

'The one thing about playing shortstop that I tried to convey to him was positioning, cadence and also that internal clock that a shortstop needs... You only get that with preparation and experience.'... 

'Everything he brought up was good,' Gregorius said. 'Just really everything like positioning, timing, anticipation and all that stuff.'

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he believes Rodriguez’s experience could be a helpful asset as Gregorius adjusts to the American League and to New York."

I like this. I like what's happening here.  I like that Didi is willing to listen and learn and get better for Yankee fans.  And I love that ARod is contributing to helping get Didi better, not just for Didi, but for us fans.

I found this story interesting and wanted to send it your way. That's BYB... we're good like that.

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SOMETHING BIG JUST HAPPENED TO CHASE WHITLEY

Quick note about our friend Chase Whitley. He was just promoted to the Yankees.

According to the YES Network, "Yankees made it 100 percent official Tuesday, recalling RHP Chase Whitley from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make a spot start against the Rays.

To make room for Whitley on the 25-man roster, the team optioned infielder Gregorio Petit to Triple-A."

We heard this might happen over the weekend.  I am happy to report is HAS happened.

Carry on.

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