A.J. PIERZYNSKI SLAMS MLB OVER PETE ROSE HALL OF FAME ELIGIBILITY & IT'S HILARIOUS!

It's funny, because I never really imagined a moment that I would agree with A.J. Pierzynski on anything baseball related. I also thought of him as polarizing. He's been very vocal about a lot of issues in baseball and that is especially true about another polarizing name in the sport....Pete Rose.

There's been a lot of chatter about Rose recently. Now that he is reinstated for Hall of Fame consideration it's been a major topic at my dinner table and here at BYB, read PETE ROSE IS ELIGIBLE, BUT WILL THE WRITERS DO THE RIGHT THING? It's a polarizing topic. There are very strong opinions on both sides.

So, what's A.J's beef now? Well, he went on Foul Territory this week and didn't hold back at all. He believes Rose should NOT be reinstated. I know many people who are on both sides of the argument. His argument is that article 21 of MLB's Rule Book prohibits players and coaches from betting on baseball. If that was the argument he wanted to stick with I wouldn't be laughing as I am now. Check out the video clip below.

There's a real hole in this argument for me. As soon as he ran with the "You can't have the integrity of the game questioned at all" is where it went sideways for me. Has he been living under a rock? Serious question because this sport has lost all of its innocence. The integrity went out the window a long time ago. Let's just go back to the steroid era, shall we? Is Barry Bonds so long ago that baseball got a "get out of jail free" pass and I missed the memo? I mean, he and Bonds were playing at the same time from 1998-2007 so it's not like it's ancient history. It happened, while AJ was getting his feet wet on the big league stage and it's a huge part of history. 

Let's fast forward to 2017. It's a topic I will NEVER let go of but the Houston Astros literally cheated their way to a World Series Championship. Trash can signals and buzzers are NOT part of the game, AJ. Integrity went out the window there. To make it worse, after Carlos Beltran is named one of the leaders of this cheating scandal the same time he is in consideration for a Manager role with the Mets? So you cheat, you work your way up to a manager gig. That's the message sent here. If you ain't cheatin, you ain't tryin? The Mets only "mutually agreed" to part ways with him after details came out which was a horrible message to send. They changed their mind to save their hide. I have despised the Mets more just for that alone. It was completely tone deaf.

And what about Alex Cora? The equally tone deaf Red Sox hired him for 2018 & 2019 knowing he was implicated in the cheating scandal, then took a brief step back to let the dust settle and let Ron Roenicke manage in 2020 and then reunite with Cora again in 2021 and ever since. What a minor slap on the wrist for a guy that was involved in the biggest cheating scandal in decades and then put him in charge of a different team. Integrity gone....

Oh and to make it more disturbing the General Manager of the Astros at that time Jeff Luhnow lost his job after the scandal. He's not back in the baseball world. In fact he is the CEO of Blue Crow Sports Group, which owns several soccer clubs, including Leganés in Spain and Cancún FC in Mexico. The guy with the least amount of involvement with the scandal not even around the team every day like Cora was and he pays the ultimate price. Integrity gone....

And last but certainly not least....you can't talk about gambling without talking about the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal that rocked baseball last year. It was alleged that his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole millions of dollars from the star to pay off massive gambling debts. Shohei denies placing any bets or paying off any bookies and it's funny how the money just disappeared without being detected, huh? Because are we supposed to be that nieve to believe the person who is in charge of Shohei's personal finances just didn't notice that massive amount of money just magically vanished into thin air? Apparently, because AJ himself came out in defense of Shohei saying there was no evidence to prove he was in fact gambling. So, it's okay for his money to be used on betting even if he didn't bet himself? Come on....if "you can't have the integrity of the game questioned at all" why is this any different?

If Pete Rose can't be reinstated for betting on games when he was a manager, why is it okay for Ohtani to be accused of it as a player and have no consequences even though his money was used? If the integrity of the game can't be questioned at all then this is no exception and it's hypocritical. By the way, Ippei took the fall for this and in February was sentenced to 5 years in prison over it....but he's not actually sitting in prison yet. His sentence has been pushed back, read more HERE. 

So yeah, A.J and I agree that the integrity of the game can't be questioned at all. If the ban is good for Rose, it should've been good for Ohtani, too but you can't really ban the new face of baseball can you?He brings international draw. Unfortunately, the integrity of the game has been questioned many times, and will continue to be (especially under Rob Manfred's command). 

We agree on the sentiment, but AJ is oblivious to how un-innocent baseball really is. His argument is a swing and a miss. It did give me a good laugh though.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

COULD THE MLB COLLISION RULE BECOME A HORNET'S NEST?

The official MLB rule on home plate collisions came down the other day, and while many didn't see it, some did. If you didn't see it, it reads like this:

"A runner attempting to score may not deviate from his direct pathway to the plate in order to initiate contact with the catcher (or other player covering home plate).  If, in the judgment of the Umpire, a runner attempting to score initiates contact with the catcher (or other player covering home plate) in such a manner, the Umpire shall declare the runner out (even if the player covering home plate loses possession of the ball).

Unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting to score.  If, in the judgment of the Umpire, the catcher, without possession of the ball, blocks the pathway of the runner, the Umpire shall call or signal the runner safe."

And there is more:

"In determining whether a runner deviated from his pathway in order to initiate a collision, the Umpire will consider whether the runner made an effort to touch the plate, and whether he lowered his shoulders or pushed through with his hands, elbows or arms when veering toward the catcher.  The rule that will be in effect in 2014 does not mandate that the runner always slide or that the catcher can never block the plate.  However, runners who slide, and catchers who provide the runner with a lane to reach the plate, will never be found to be in violation of the new rule.  Beginning immediately, Clubs will be required to train their runners to slide and their catchers to provide the runner with a pathway to reach the plate at all levels in their organizations."

Now I understand the reasoning behind this.  Over the years, there have been pretty severe collisions at home plate.  No one wants a player getting hurt, but at the same time, fans want hard play. Fans don't want the balls stripped from the game.  It concerns me, but again, I understand concussions and injuries.  How though, can a player who has played the game hard every day all his life since he was a kid change his passion and style at the plate with this new rule? That's the only question I had about it.

Now, I read what Brian McCann had to say about it.  It was interesting. This is from the Star-Ledger. He said:  “I think it’s a step in the right direction... I think it’s that throw from right field where you’re in no-man’s land; you can’t see the runner. You don’t know if he’s going to slide or run you over. So, yeah, I think it cleans it up from that standpoint when you can’t see the runner.”

At first I was surprised.  McCann's a tough guy and I immediately thought "Well, he wants the grit of the game, like Munson, like Posada." Then I realized, McCann has had a concussion before.  So yeah, his comments make sense.

But there were others as well.

 And this reaction goes along the line with that I was saying. It's from AJ Pierzynski who told USA Today:

"I disagree with it. I understand why they're doing it, but next, they're going to tell us that you can't slide into the guy at second base. It's one of those things, as a big-league catcher, I signed up for it. You never want to see guys get hurt, and you never want to see guys go down because of it, but it's part of the game you signed up for. There are going to be plays at the plate, late in games, where you need to block the plate and try to keep that guy from scoring, saving save a run that ultimately gets your team into the playoffs.”

And that's my point.  Wow, I'm actually agreeing with Pierzynski, what's this world coming to?

Here's another from Buster Posey, who told ESPN :

"Just reading through it, the main thing it does is eliminate the malicious collision... If the catcher is not set up right on top of the plate, it doesn't allow the runner to run through him. For the most part, I think it'll stay pretty much the same... We've never been taught to set up right on top of the plate; we've always been taught to give the runner a little bit of the plate. [As a baserunner], my mindset, when I'm coming around third, is to slide hard and late."

OK, interesting and don't forget, Posey got seriously hurt from a collision a while back.

Now yes, it's not a ban, and that's good, especially for us fans that love the passion. And it's an experiment that will be reviewed after the 2014 season. Plus, home plate collisions have been going on a long, long time.  After all home is protected by the catcher and the runner wants it! When you put it like that, it's truly gritty and daring, but as long as it doesn't take away from the integrity of the game, and the others players are on board... let the game go on! 

This piece was nothing more than to explain 2 things... what some of the top catchers think about the ban, as well as to state here at Bleeding Yankee Blue that all we want, is for the game to stay as close to the same as possible, without stripping the balls from it.  It appears that it's OK, but interesting.  Again, when a catchers standing in, in a split second moment of the ball coming home, and the runner is attempting to get in there... what will happen? Not more shoulders... will the runner stop? tip toe? jump? Pull a Ichiro Suzuki? Many players are that nimble!

How will they alter their slide? What will happen?

We'll have to wait and see, won't we?

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WOW. AJ PIERZYNSKI WENT TO BEANTOWN

I thought the Red Sox would re-sign Jarrod Saltalamacchia. But I guess not.  

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, AJ Pierzynski just signed a deal to go to the Sox.  

aj pierzynski, red sox agree to a deal
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 3, 2013

Wow.  I didn't see that one coming.  Now personally, I don't care. I've heard Pierzynski is a cancer in the clubhouse. Sure, it's a rumor, but rumors are sometimes said because there's a hint of truth to it. That being said, he's been on plenty of great teams in the past so he must be doing something right.

Just wanted to keep my BYB freaks in the loop this morning. Don't go punching a Red Sox fan, it's no biggie, but it is news. 

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IS FRANCISCO CERVELLI OUT OF A JOB?

People make mistakes. We all know that. Problem is with the Yankees there are certain mistakes you just can't make because of their great legacy and reputation. There is a mistake, and then there is just a lack of morality and integrity. Francisco Cervelli is in a lot of trouble here. Even if it is your opinion that this was just a mistake and not an integrity issue...there is one thing you may be overlooking here. Cervelli didn't just make one mistake.....he made two.

No one likes a cheater. Unfortunately, now Cervelli has that label forever attached to his name and  that is something he will just have to live with and accept. You can say that he made a bad choice and he is paying the price. However, he made two mistakes here. It's one thing to make the bad choice for his "quick fix" in the first place. You can read more about what he had to say about that HERE, however, after he was named one of the players under investigation he lied about having any involvement. We stood behind him here at BYB. As soon as the list was revealed we were quick to defend him because you are innocent until proven guilty. Some people agreed with our take on WHY I'M STANDING BEHIND FRANCISO CERVELLI and some did not. Now that Cervelli has finally come clean about his PEDS use, it could spell trouble for his future on this team.

Throughout his entire career, Cervelli says he has been fighting just to keep a job here. The Yankees had a disappointing season this year, but even when Cervelli missed time on the disabled list, the Yankees were able to use the duo of Chris Stewart and Austin Romine to man the catching position. Not to say that it was perfect, but it served its purpose. Now that the Yankees are in rebuilding mode, he may not be part of the future.

The Stewart / Romine combination may not have been the best but they didn't hurt the team either. Now that there is a more impressive free agent marker, Cervelli could be in trouble. I think his days here are numbered. If the Yankees weren't hurting so much without him, why bring him back? The offense was the problem this year. Sure the catchers weren't exactly pulling their rate but the roster as a whole was not. So here comes change....maybe.

The Yankees like veteran players, and a veteran catcher right now could be of great benefit. One name that stands out and is available is Brian McCann. He hasn't hit for average in awhile, but his power numbers are good and they could be a weapon at Yankee stadium. He has also been a fan favorite and has been named an All Star seven out of the nine years he's played. He has the experience and he can help a veteran team....which is something the Yankees need.

Then AJ Pierzynski is still out there. The Yankees supposedly considered him last season but it never happened. If the Yankees want some extra pop in the bat he is also a good option. He will hit for power, drive in RBIs, and also get a lot of extra base hits. If the Yankees could convince themselves to give him a shot with the pitching staff there could be a fit there.

I have a bad feeling for Cervelli. I have always been part of his cheering section, but after this Biogenesis scandal with teammate Alex Rodriguez is finally ruled on the damage may be done already. Has Cervelli's reputation cost him a job? Possibly. At this point, the Yankees are considering making changes....and his bad decisions may have helped decide his fate.





--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ


  
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PETTITTE PASSES KOUFAX BUT THE YANKEES FALL SHORT

Watching these Yankees games have been cringe worthy. I almost feel like a glutton for punishment. But, what can you do? I watch the games, invest time, and money, because darn it! I will stand behind my boys.

Andy Pettitte went 6 IP, and gave up 2 runs. An RBI single, and a solo homer, both to AJ Pierzynski. Still, he managed to pitch an excellent game, and passed the great Sandy Koufax on the all time strike out leaders board.

Shawn Kelley came in the 7th, after Pettitte put two runners on base, and played clean up very well. He ended up giving up his first home run to David Murphy since May 16th, in the 8th inning.

The offense was asleep. They struggled with leaving runners stranded, as per usual. Robinson Cano was able to get an RBI single in the 6th, after Brett Gardner got a triple on an error by Matt Garza. That would be the Yankees only run scored.

Final: Texas 3 - Yankees 1

I'd like to put out a "Missing Persons" flyer out there. If you find the Yankees offense, please return it to 161st, and River Ave, in the Bronx. Thanks!


--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer
@e_morales1804

 

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IS NO GNEWS, GOOD GNEWS FOR YANKEE FANS?

When I was a kid, I remember watching a show called the Great Space Coaster.  On it, there was a guy named Gary Gnu.  He was a puppet newscaster that often said "No Gnews is good Gnews"  Let’s be honest… it annoyed the shit out of me and to this day, when I hear the expression, "No News is good News", I think back to that stupid puppet.


The Great Space Coaster producers are laughing their asses off right now because after all these years, that tiny nugget of pop culture is stuck in my brain…. And I hate it.

The New York Yankees haven’t done much of anything this winter, and I wonder is no news is good news. I mean, I can’t help but think that it isn’t the end of the world like so many believe today was going to be…12-21-12. 

No, in fact, the Yanks made a few good moves, like Ichiro Suzuki and sure, they let a lot of guys go sign elsewhere, like AJ Pierzynski, read HERE. Many didn’t sign with the Yankees because we felt they were too expensive, or wanted too many years, or just weren’t worth it.  Cashman is stealth in that regard, we never really know the reasons "why" we don't sign them, but we do this year.  Think back to that Wall Street Journal piece from a month ago or so, (HERE) revealing the details of why the winter meetings were so lackluster for the Yanks… a lot of it makes sense.

I’m not mad at my Yanks. I'm also not thrilled with this new sluggish mentality they have either.  I know what they’re doing, I’m doing my best to try to accept it, but Lord knows, that if you were a child who grew up in the Steinbrenner era, this is very, very weird…like Gary Gnu.

With all that’s been done this year with the Blue Jays, the Red Sox and the already hot Baltimore Orioles, can the Yankees succeed? Of course they can, but it will not be easy.  There are plenty that think that the Yankees run is over and we will see a few seasons of third place, or worse.  I say “Believe.”  Believe in the players we have and root your heart out.  Because at the end of the day, I truly just love to see my Yankees play hard.  I love to watch them on a hot July day at the stadium, or in March when they doing pre-season ball.  It doesn’t matter to me.  There is something very refreshing about watching Yankees baseball... dudes in Yankee pinstripes being announced or signing autographs for little kids.  I feel alive when it comes to the Yankees.  I feel like I’ve invested a lot of time in these guys over the years, and while I understand the mentality of any fan, that we need to win and win it all,  I often think about just how hard it is to get there in the first place too.  Think about it, all those players came up the same way, hard work, heart, soul and baseball.

(Photo Credit: Marci Hensley / Ty Hensley)
No one made me realize that more than a guy named Jorge Posada. And someone reminded me of it recently...  Ty Hensley's mother Marci Hensley who watched her own husband Mike struggle to get to the top in baseball in the 1990’s as well as her son now.  She said in our interview THANKSGIVING WITH THE HENSLEYS :

“I do know that making it to the majors is more about a bunch of factors such as health, opportunity, and work ethic coming together.  That doesn't happen in one season with kids coming out of high school. It takes some time, in pinstripes or in some other jersey, it doesn't matter."

It’s true.  Were just the fan who pay big money to watch and root, but have we even thought about just how hard it is to make it there? I’m opening my eyes lately.  

So yeah, the Yankees didn’t do much and who knows, they still may or may not, but I have a sneaking suspicion that we aren't getting anything this Christmas this year.  I’m OK with that, but I still want a winning team on the field come Opening day...That’s what I want from Yankee brass.   Then, when the season starts, we’ll see who the real men are and who falls by the waste side.  At the end of the day… these are still my  Yankees, yours too and we love them like true fans… and that’s the honest truth, whether it's big money players or rookie sensations, or the guy with the biggest heart on the field.  In the end, they are 25 guys who have to win it all....for us.

Enjoy your Friday. 

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AJ PIERZYNSKI WILL GO TO THE RANGERS

AJ Pierzynski has signed a 1 year deal with the Texas Rangers. That comes from Jim Bowden's tweet HERE. That means Geovany Soto becomes backup catcher for the Rangers and life goes on for Yankee fans.

Me personally... I didn't want AJ on the Yankees merely because I didn't like what I heard about Pierzynski's reputation in baseball clubhouse's throughout his career.  That being said, as a fan, why the hell do I care? I just want my team to win.  But in the end, the Yankees didn't go after Pierzynski because they didn't like him defensively. Read THE IRONY OF HESITATING ON AJ PIERZYNSKI for guidance on that.

Anyway, good for the Rangers... good for Pierzynski.

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THE PLOT THICKENS WHEN IT COMES TO THE YANKEE CATCHER ROLE

When Russell Martin made a mad dash to Pittsburgh, it left the Yankees with yet another hole to fill. Now that we signed Kevin Youkilis and Ichiro Suzuki, we are all curious about who will become our next starting catcher.

Brian Cashman originally said that the Yankees would look internally to address the issue before making any big contracts. That left us with Francisco Cervelli, Chris Stewart and Austin Romine. All guys I like well enough, but none that scream "starting catcher" to me. Who knows though, the Yankees might surprise us. We wrote about how Cervelli might have a shot at it and same thing for Romine. Read both ALL EYES ON CERVELLI AS RUSSELL MARTIN BOLTS NEW YORK and  GIVE AUSTIN ROMINE A SHOT! WHY NOT?

Both Cervelli and Stewart have a better bat than Martin had, I believe that. However, when it comes to defensive skills, Martin won that contest. For me, it is important to have a catcher that runners are afraid to go on. Neither Cervelli nor Stewart are that guy in my humble opinion.

Romine is young talent with a bright future ahead of him. But he is still wet around the gills. He is a decent enough fielder but his bat could use some work. He has the potential to become a starting catcher, but I don’t think that 2013 is the season in which he will accomplish that.

The Yankees have now signed Bobby Wilson to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. He will be the fourth catcher fighting for the starting position. It’s like trading one .211 hitter for another. Wilson would make a good option for a back-up catcher, but I just don’t see him making it as starter.

With the salary crunch that Brian Cashman is under, it is probably safe to say that no big contracts will be signed this season. So, it's safe to assume that this is what we will have to look forward to. While Mike Napoli and A.J. Pierzynski might have made nice additions, the asking price is a bit high for what the Yankees are doing. 

This kind of puts me between a rock and a hard place as a Yankee fan. Choosing between the lesser of two evils is not something we are accustomed to. The 90’s and Jorge Posada have spoiled us. We want a great defensive catcher with a great bat. Gems like that are far and few in between though.

Right now, for me personally, I would like to see Chris Stewart as our starting catcher and Francisco Cervelli as our back up. Of the four, they are the two I trust most behind the plate. How about you?

--Erica Morales, BYB Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804




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THE IRONY OF HESITATING ON AJ PIERZYNSKI

I did my reading like I always do... when I can of course. Life comes at you pretty quick, it ain't easy.  But I found a Tweet on the Yankees reaching out to AJ Pierzynski and I read this nugget to it HERE:

I laughed alittle.  Now, I don't know if this nugget is actually true, or if it's from "someone familiar with the situation", as Heyman likes to say, but for argument sake, let's' say it is true... Heyman's the baseball insider and I'm the guy in my basement with my worn out Reggie t-shirt, sipping a peach Snapple, he's got the upper hand on this one.  

The fact of the matter is, if the Yankees floated their concern of AJ being an "average" catcher, why the hell weren't they willing to throw alittle extra money on "Munson-like" Russell Martin? I mean if you say "Munson-like", like Cashman threw out there about Martin last season, you know what that means right? It means the guy has the potential to be a true leader, a warrior, a great defensive catcher and perhaps one day being the best catchers in the game, like Thurman Munson.

But no, they let Martin run off to Pittsburgh and now they're toying with the idea of AJ Pierzynski as their new catcher, read HERE, but their concern is he's not better than average.  If you aren't laughing hysterically at this point, read it again, because you should be.  It begs the question... who the hell's running my New York Yankees?

Look, do the Yankees need a top catcher? Sure they do, but there is also a lot of people in Yankeeland that will give the keys to Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart with an option to see Austin Romine by June... and they're fine with that.  Me? I think we could use an upgrade, but I'm happy to let Cervelli get an opportunity to shine, he's earned it.  We'll just have to see how it plays out, because right now it looks like Yankee brass is kind of sluggish on a lot of guys in alot of moments where they used to be aggressive.

But back to being "Munson-like" for a moment... am I the only one who thinks the Yankees reasoning to balk on Pierzynski is ridiculous?  Why are they floating it if they know the phrase "Munson-like" is going to come back to bite them in the ass?  Or, maybe they're just so unorganized these days they don't even realize that they're contradicting themselves...

I feel like it's going to be a crazy 2013, the Bronx Zoo revisited... anyone agree?

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BYB TRADE RUMORS & FREE AGENTS: PART 2

Put a fork in it, the 2012 season is over. Instead of focusing on what could have been, it’s now time to look at what 2013 could be. Sure, we miss watching our Yankees here at BYB but when we can’t watch, we imagine and we make predictions which can help pass the time until spring comes back. Be sure to read our first Trades and Rumors installment titled BYB TRADE RUMORS & FREE AGENTS: PART 1

Here are some more names we are keeping tabs on:

Angel Pagan:  Pagan is sitting pretty right now. Not only is he relishing with his World Series Championship, but he may have a lot of opportunities out there. We haven’t heard him be tied to the Yankees yet….but I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens at some point, especially if the Yankees want to part ways with Curtis Granderson eventually. This could be the best shot he has in landing a multi year deal. I am sure the Giants want him back, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he declines. We will watch this one, it is a mutual fit.

 AJ Pierzynski:  In the event that Russell Martin does not come back, AJ is an interesting option. He knows how to perform under pressure, and is championship proven so he knows how to win. He also makes left handed pitchers sweat a little and he has power. He hit a career high 27 home runs this year, so he could do damage in Yankee stadium.  He would be a cheaper alternative to say another popular name of Mike Napoli, who will surely be looking for a big deal. Both names are possible if Russell Martin isn’t back in pinstripes next year.

Jeff Keppinger:  Yes, you read that correctly. The Yankees are a perfect fit for him, theoretically. To be realistic, Alex Rodriguez probably won’t give the Yankees 130+ games next season. Even if he did, some of those days are going to be in a DH role and that leaves a vacancy at third base. If Eric Chavez doesn’t come back, he could fill that role. Keppinger is known for hitting left handed pitching, he had a .376BA this season but he can also hit righties (.303BA) which could come in handy if the Yankees need to sit Alex Rodriguez out for a night or two. He is also a good hitter, tough to strike out and can be used all over the infield except for shortstop. He has also played in the AL East when he was with Tampa Bay so could make him an even better fit. Read another BYB theory about 3rd base as well, read our piece titled IF YOU COULD LAND KEVIN YOUKILIS, WOULD YOU? I know what you're thinking... Yuk!

Shohei Otani:  WHO?! You may be asking that….and after you read this, prepare to do some extra Google researching. Otani is an 18-year old Japanese phenomenon from Japan. He is a starting pitcher that features a strong fastball that he can throw between 95-100 mph. He also has a good slider and a curve ball with good movement. Several teams will be interested in Otani because he is strictly a free agent who has not played in Japan yet. He is free to play with any team he chooses and there would not be a posting fee to get him here. Some people may still be recovering from the Kei Igawa backfire, but Yu Darvish proves that not all Japanese pitchers are a bust.

This is just the start of a busy off season and we will have all of the news…bring on the rumor mill!

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Writer and Editor

Twitter: @NyPrincessJ


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THE RUSSELL MARTIN QUESTION

After the 2011 season, the New York Yankees just had to have Russell Martin. They offered him a three year $20 million contract. Martin didn’t sign. Instead he went with a one year $7.5 million deal and goes into free agency at the end of this season. So now what? We’ve all watched Martin this year, struggling at the plate. So, do the Yankees re-sign him? And if so, for how long?

Let’s start with what we already know about Martin. He is an average hitting catcher. He has never hit over .300 in his career. That is common among catchers, with the exception of a few guys like Ivan Rodriguez and Joe Mauer. Last season, he hit .237. But he is a great defensive catcher. That’s possibly why the Yankees snagged him in the first place. While I am not a huge fan of Sabermetrics, his .994 fielding percentage this season is impressive.

(In Photo: Mike Napoli)
I guess the biggest thing to consider is, what are our other options as far as starting catchers and at what price. AJ Pierzynski and Mike Napoli both become free agents at the end of this season. Both are better hitters then Martin but Martin is a better defensive catcher. So I guess we have to consider whether it is best to have a good defensive catcher or a good hitting catcher. Of course we could always default to having Chris Stewart being our everyday starting catcher. We could also use Austin Romine or Francisco Cervelli.

Look, I like Martin. He is a gritty player. He can stop balls and gets the runners out. To me, that is important to have in a catcher. But his at bats often leave a lot to be desired. I do think it will be a difficult decision when considering Martin’s contract. Will the Yankees get their money’s worth if they re-sign him? Honestly, if they do re-sign him, I don’t see it being more then a two-year deal and possibly with a pay cut.

--Erica Morales, BYB Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804




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