GARDY IS A GOLD GLOVE FINALIST

You gotta appreciate Brett Gardner.  While I have always felt that he sometimes looks awkward in the outfield with his body movements, more times than not, he makes the play and I appreciate that.  Rawlings does too apparently, he was just listed as a finalist for a Gold Glove.

According to the Post and Courier:

"Rawlings released the list of finalists for its Gold Glove awards Thursday afternoon, and Gardner is one of three American League left fielders in contention...According to Rawlings, the award 'represents overall fielding excellence, and it is not an award based solely on fielding metrics and statistics, nor does it factor offensive production.'...

The 33-year-old lives in Summerville during the offseason and is competing against four-time winner Alex Gordon of the Royals and Colby Rasmus of the Astros. Winners will be announced Nov. 8. "

Tough competition, but I am confident Gardy can win this!

BYB HOT STOVE: VOLUME VIII

As the old year closes and a new one moves in, it is fitting to reflect on the past year to perhaps get some perspective about where we have gone and where we are headed, or where we need to be headed.  As I see it, the New York Yankees need to battle their way back into our good graces and into a position that will yield their a playoff spot in 2015.  With the moves so far, however, I am not sure we are where we need to be.  Let's look at this week's Hot Stove for a better understanding.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, four teams are interested in Yankee shortstop/second baseman Stephen Drew and I feel blessed!  The Athletics, Cubs, Blue Jays and White Sox all have expressed some interest in Drew, but according to Sherman, "A few teams involved with Drew say his asking price of $9 million-$10 million for 2015 is not in their price range. Drew’s agent, Scott Boras, has emphasized the career .764 OPS the lefty swinger took into last season as representative of his client and not the .536 he posted in a disjointed 2014 campaign."  Sure the Yankees could have an interest too, but with their commitment to Didi Gregorius, there is word that the club does not want Drew around as a distraction to the development of their new short stop.  I guess there will be a enough of a distraction with Alex Rodriguez around, so I do count my blessings, again.

As was reported earlier this week here on BYB, the Yankees sent relief pitcher Shawn Kelley to the Padres for pitching prospect Johnny Barbato.  What does this mean for the Yankees as far as the bullpen this season?  According to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com, "It opened a second spot in the Yankees’ bullpen, that’s for sure. Only five pitchers now appear to have secured spots in the club’s relief corps. Take a look:

RHP Dellin Betances
LHP Andrew Miller
RHP Adam Warren
LHP Justin Wilson
RHP Esmil Rogers."

We still need to land an ace starter, an anchor and with the Padres set on Cole Hamels, who I think would have made a great addition to our team, it doesn't look likely we could be in on that unless, there is a three-way trade deal in the works.  Since we have already connected to the rebuilding NL West team, maybe we will have some sort of opportunity to pick up Hamels or 24-year-old outfielder Wil Myers who is rumored to go to the Phillies in exchange for Hamels.  We shall see.

WEEI is reporting that the Red Sox will not close a deal that would send Max Scherzer to Boston.  According to Rob Bradford, "The Red Sox always valued Lester over Scherzer, so the idea that they would extend beyond the six-year, $135 million offer made the lefty for Scherzer isn’t plausible. One major league source familiar with the Red Sox’ thinking believes the notion of the Red Sox being a player in the Scherzer talks is driven by a desire to use the Sox as leverage against what many believe to be the most legitimate Scherzer suitor, the Yankees." This is getting ugly.  I think the Tigers should just pay their pitcher to stay with them and move on.  As much as I like Scherzer, I worry about six-year deals with anyone.  I know I am not alone in that.

Finally, according to Fox Sports, the Orioles have expressed interest in picking up not only Colby Rasmus and Ichiro Suzuki but now they have their eyes on Kansas City Royal outfield Nori Aoki.  With the outfield looking thin for rival Baltimore, some movement could happen here.

That's it for this week's and 2014's BYB Hot Stove.  Happy New Year and keep the comments coming!

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof



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BYB HOT STOVE: VOLUME VI

Win some, lose some at the Winter Meetings for all MLB teams.  Some teams did better others, but at least we re-signed Chase Headley.  And he said he wants to be here- that's some fire and fervor in our every day third baseman.  Sit down ARod.  Just saying... anyway onto this week's Hot Stove Volume VI.

Cole Hamels is still hanging out there and another two teams have expressed interest.  According to Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants have expressed interest in the Phillies franchise pitcher.  They join the likes of the Red Sox, Dodgers, Padres and Rangers.  Much like the decision to roll out Jimmy Rollins who traded in his Phillie Red for Dodger Blue, the Phillies are also shopping Ryan Howard and there is some interest.  The Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles have DH needs and the Phils are willing to eat most of the rest of his contract, so we may see Howard in the AL East.  Hopefully, the Yankees will sit this one out.

By now you all heard that Melky Cabrera is headed to the White Sox who are stacking their team with pickups Jeff Samardzija, David Robertson, Adam LaRoche and Zach Duke.  But their National League counter part, the Cubs, have been up to their heels in trades and rumors.  After picking up stud pitcher Jon Lester, now the Cubs have their eyes set on corner outfielder Colby Rasmus.  CBS Sports Reporter Jon Heyman says that Rasmus has a two-year deal in him.  This is a deal that could happen very soon.

After being posted on Monday, Korean shortstop Jung-ho Kang will be accepting offers ending this Friday at 5:00 p.m. according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.  The 27-year-old short stop hit 39 home runs and batted .354 in the Korea Baseball Organization.  Some critics are saying that these stats don't translate cleanly to Major League Baseball because of the hitter-friendly atmosphere of KBL, but never-the-less the Mets, Giants and Athletics all have an interest in Kang says Ken Rosenthal.  With the signing of Didi Gregorius, the Yankees will probably steer clear of Kang.

Lastly, Justin Upton remains in the news with the Seattle Mariners showing interest for either him or another right field bat.  There is also talk that Upton would make a great San Francisco Giant.  But another force in the NL West vying for Upton too.  Despite signing Matt Kemp, the San Diego Padres "are all over" Upton according to Mark Bowman from MLB.com.  I bet the Pads sign him. Just a hunch.

That's all for Hot Stove this week.  Hoping for more than a Chris Capuano and Chase Headley signing for the Yankees next week.  Stay tuned!

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @suzieprof






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HOW THE YANKEES STACK UP: CENTERFIELD

It's been an interesting journey for BYB.  Our series HOW THE YANKEES STACK UP is insanely popular. It's because of you, but it's also because of the creator, Steve Skinner.  So far we've examined Catcher, First base, Second base, Shortstop, Third base and Left Field.  Now... we examine Centerfield.  Keep enjoying this series... I am.

--Casey

Centerfield

  

It is one of the most storied positions on the most storied team.  Center field in the Bronx has been occupied by the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Bernie Williams.  Names that lie close to the heart of every Yankees fan.

The current keeper of center field is Curtis Granderson.  Whether or not his name gets mentioned with the others may very well depend on his performance in 2013.

Following this season, Granderson is a free agent, and he is coming off a somewhat disappointing 2012 where he hit a career-low .232, but remained productive by slugging 43 HR with 106 RBI.  It seems that in 2012 it was an all-or-nothing proposition for the multi-talented outfielder.

Between 2010 (when he came to the Yankees) and 2011 it looked as though Granderson’s work with hitting coach Kevin Long was paying off as he raised his average 15 points (from .247 in 2010 to .262 in 2011) and added power (24 HR in 2010 to 41 HR in 2011).  While his power has stayed, the 30 point fall in batting average last year is concerning, and given the team’s self imposed salary cap ($189 million) it means that the Yankees will most likely look elsewhere for a center fielder in 2014 – unless Granderson can make himself invaluable during 2013.

The potential for Granderson is still there at age 32.  We have caught glimpses of his speed (he stole 25 bases in 2011) and he certainly has proven that he can deposit balls beyond the outfield wall with regularity (84 HR the past two seasons).  With consistency at the plate, he could give the team some help at the heart of the order.   As bad as his average was in 2012, he still was one of the better hitters  with runners in scoring position (hitting .254).  

This year will determine if number 14 will remain in pinstripes, and I’m betting that one of the genuine good guys in Major League Baseball will prove his worth.

Here is what the rest of the division will look like in center field:

Toronto Blue Jays:  27-year old Colby Rasmus will be the primary center fielder for the Blue Jays.  Like Granderson, he has shown decent power (25 HR in 2012) but inconsistency at the plate (hitting .225). He is solid in the field (7 assists in 2012, including a double play) and can hit in the clutch (.276 with RISP).

Baltimore Orioles:  The Orioles most talented player will occupy center field in 2013.  Adam Jones at age 27 is just beginning to enter the prime years of his career and will be trying to build on a 32 HR, 82 RBI, 103 runs scored performance from last season.  He is decent in the field (Gold Glove winner) and smart on the base paths (stealing 16 bases in 2012), and will remain the player at the heart of the order for the O’s for years to come.

(In Photo: Sam Fuld)

Tampa Bay Rays: As of this writing it would appear that some sort of combination of Sam Fuld and Brandon Guyer will play center field for the Rays in 2013.  Fuld is 31 years old and hit .255 with seven stolen bases in 44 games for the team last season.  Guyer is 27 and has played in a total of 18 games with the big league club.

Boston Red Sox: In 2011 it appeared that center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury’s career was taking off.  That season he hit .321 with 32 HR and 106 RBI in an otherwise disappointing campaign for the team.  Last year was riddled with injuries, and rather than building on 2011, he took a step back.  The 29-year old still has his best years ahead of him and should greatly improve (if healthy) upon the .271, 4 HR performance (in 74 games) from 2012 – especially since it is a contract year (he’ll be a free agent in 2014).

Here is how we see the AL East center fielders stack up:

1. Baltimore: Adam Jones’ star only continues to rise.
2. New York: “Grandy” will become more consistent at the plate and put up numbers similar to his 2011 season with the “Bombers”.
3. Boston: If Ellsbury stays with the club – and healthy – for the entire season, he could be mentioned as an MVP candidate.
4. Toronto:  Like Granderson, Rasmus needs to improve his batting average to be considered a legitimate threat in the Blue Jays lineup.
5. Tampa Bay: Only time will tell if Fuld or Guyer is the answer for the Rays in centerfield.

Let us know what you think!


 
--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1





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HIGH ENERGY YANKEES WIN BIG IN TORONTO

The game started with the Yankees' magic number for the post-season at three and the division lead at one. With both the Orioles and the Yankees playing the bottom of the division, this would not be a good night to choke against the Blue Jays.

Hiroki Kuroda did not come out looking strong tonight. The final line on him is 5 and a third innings, 10 hits, 2 runs earned, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts. The box score looked a lot better than he actually did. Consider that most of the hits he gave up (6 of the 10) were extra-base hits. Kuroda was helped by the double play and by some poor base running on the part of the Blue Jays. Nevertheless, it was good enough for his 15th win on the season.

The Yankees got on the board early, as pitcher Chad Jenkins struggled to keep the bats down. Starting things off in the top of the first, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano hit back-to-back 2-out singles. They both scored on a double by Nick Swisher, giving us a 2-0 lead.

The Yankees kept it going in top of the second, as Raul Ibanez led off with a base hit and Russell Martin and Eric Chavez reached on back-to-back walks. With the bases loaded, Derek Jeter brought in a run on a ground out double play to make it 3-0.

Russell Martin's clutch hitting continued tonight in the top of the sixth. After a Colby Rasmus home run that shrunk the lead to 3-1, Martin came up with Cano on second, Swisher on 1st and 2 outs on the board. He hit a huge line-drive home run to give the Yankees a 6-1 lead. It was huge not because of the distance, but because of the way it reversed the momentum of the game. Once again, Martin comes through.

The rally in the sixth continued as Eric Chavez walked, Derek Jeter singled, and Ichiro Suzuki singled Chavez in for a 7-1 lead. The Blue Jays answered back in the bottom half of the inning with a Kelly Johnson double and a Rajai Davis base hit. Kuroda left the game for David Phelps, who surrendered the run on a ground out fielder's choice.

The back and forth continued from there. In the top of the seventh, Nick Swisher walked and Curtis Granderson doubled to put men on second and third. A Raul Ibanez fielder's choice brought Swisher in for an 8-2 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Phelps walked Edwin Encarnacion and then surrendered a home run to Adam Lind, making the score 8-4. The top of the eighth had Ichiro Suzuki hitting a double with one out. Reliever Chad Beck came in and, after Ichiro stole third, gave up an RBI single to Robinson Cano to make the score 9-4.

David Robertson was brought in to pitch the eighth, which turned out to be the first scoreless half-inning since the top of the fifth. Nevertheless, that did not stop the Yankees from scoring again in the ninth. Eric Chavez hit a two-run home run with Chris Dickerson on first to give the Yankees an 11-4 lead.

The Blue Jays' miscues were plentiful tonight. After getting a double to lead off the game, Brett Lawrie inexplicably strayed too far from the base and was nailed on a fielder's choice by Nick Swisher. Yunel Escobar was also caught napping on third base in the bottom of the second, thrown out by Russell Martin on a third strike pitch. In both cases, the Jays got base hits following the outs, which could have scored some runs early for the Jays. In the top of the seventh, pitcher Joel Carreno tried to throw out Russell Martin at first and ended up throwing the ball into right field.

The Yankees offense was definitely on tonight.  The Yankees scored in six of the nine innings tonight, including the last four consecutive innings. Four hitters had a multi-hit night, seven of the nine starters scored, six of the nine recorded an RBI, and five of their 13 hits were for extra bases. Let's hope they can save some for the rest of the week, as every win is important. Finally, it was nice to see Brett Gardner again out in left. All around, a very nice night.

Final Score: Yankees 11, Blue Jays 4

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

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SLEEPER

In the seventh inning of Thursday night's series opener in Toronto, Yankee announcer Michael Kay wondered if the Rogers Centre atmosphere was negatively impacting the performance of the Yankee team.  Kay characterized the Yankee performance as "sleepwalking."  Fans who watched may have other theories, but mine tilts toward starting pitching as the explanation.  Very simply Ivan Nova was horrid, again, and Jays' starter Brandon Morrow looked like he was on a late drive to claim the AL Cy Young Award!

Morrow shut down the Yankees for seven full innings in spite of a decline in his fast ball velocity from a top speed of 95 to a low of 88 by the sixth inning.  Regardless, he allowed only four Yankee hits and only two innings of anything resembling a Yankee threat to score even a single run.  In the fourth inning, Robinson Cano reached on a one-out single to center.  Nick Swisher ripped a deep fly ball to left that was caught by Anthony Gose as he crashed into the electronic scoreboard in left.  Cano running all the way was easily doubled off first by Gose and the relay throw by Kelly Johnson.  Inning over; Yankee threat squashed.

In the seventh, Cano led off with a double to left and Swisher followed with a walk.  Two on and no outs and Morrow obviously tiring.  Nevertheless, Morrow rallied and struck out Curtis Granderson who was "K'ed" for the 189th time this season.  Granderson personified Yankee offensive futility.  He is 2 for 16 on the road trip and his average has plummeted to .228.  Yikes!  Morrow followed his strike out of Granderson by forcing fly outs from Russell Martin and Raul Ibanez.  Inning over; Yankee threat squashed.

As for Mr. Nova's performance, he could not come close to matching Morrow.  He allowed a walk to defensive hero Gose in the third inning and that was followed immediately by a "gopher ball" to Brett Lawrie.  The two-run shot was Lawrie's 10th HR of the season.  In the fifth, Nova allowed two more runs on a single by Gose, a ground out by Lawrie that advanced Gose to second, a bunt single by Colby Rasmus, and a two-run double to right off the bat of Edwin Encarnacion. 

The Yankee bullpen, in the persons of Derek Lowe and David Aardsma, allowed tack-on runs in the seventh and eighth innings to end all doubt and eliminate any Yankee hope of a late rally.

By the time the post game rolled around, even Jack Curry was referring to the Yankees as a "sleepy" team.  Obviously New York did not play like a championship caliber team in quest of a division championship.  The Yankees missed a golden opportunity to widen the lead over the Orioles to two games.  Instead, the AL East Division race is a tight one-game differential.

Travel fatigue, lack of quality starting pitching, advanced age and declining performance, too many 'swing and miss' guys on the offensive side are just some of the theories that abound when the warts of this Yankee team are on display as prominently as they were on Thursday night.  Fans can decide for themselves what the causes of such a devastating loss actually are.  Regardless of the reasons, the Yankees' division championship hill got a little steeper on this late-September Thursday night.

Final score:  Toronto 6  New York 0.    

--Frank Gentry, BYB Writer

Twitter: @yankeefrank23

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HUGHES AND SWISHER SAVE THE DAY!

Phil Hughes set the pace in the game last night. It was a very important game for the Yankees. They needed to start a winning streak going and they did. He was very good and he needed a good start! He was steady throughout the game. He pitched 7 full innings and has been getting better and better each start. The key for Phil is to maintain his success throughout every start from this point forward. I love Hughes but he has been inconsistent this season. The Yankees broke the bank first in the 3rd innings last night via an RBI single by Swisher.

Nick Swisher has been red hot and if he continues, he will be a huge key in the playoffs and could make a huge dent. The next inning the Yankees scored as newly acquired Steve Pearce scored on a sac fly by Curtis Granderson.

Hechavarria broke up Hughes shutout in the 5th as he poked a home run into the short porch in right. Hughes looked shaky to start the 6th but buckled down and got help from Robinson Cano on an excellent catch and throw to pick off Colby Rasmus on third. Hughes would end his day with a scoreless 7th inning. New father David Robertson worked a scoreless 8th. Congrats on the child David!

Rafael Soriano looked sharp in the 9th as he proudly bounced back tonight with a scoreless 1-2-3 9th. He looked up, pumped and untucked and he really has been great all season. Closers have there bumps in the road so it is key for them to bounce back the following day. He did. Great work!

Keys of the Game: The bullpen. The Yankees had to come back last night after they lost the game to the Jays the night before. They did and Hughes got the win holding the Jays to 1 run.

Key Player of the Game: Phil Hughes. He was been rather inconsistent this season but I can see he was more consistent this start and hopefully he can continue it the rest of the season.

Final: Yankees: 2 Blue Jays: 1

W: Hughes (13-11) L: Romero (8-12) S: Soriano (34)

--Sam Thaler, BYB Contributor
Twitter: @samt1836


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MIRROR IMAGES, BUT JAYS SHATTER YANKEES' NIGHT

The New York Yankees were back in Yankee Stadium after a sub-par road trip to face a familiar division foe, the Toronto Blue Jays.  The game and series marked the beginning of a stretch of division games that the Yankees face as they work to re-establish some level of comfort in their pennant race against Tampa Bay and Baltimore.  The Toronto game on Monday night was the first of 22 consecutive games against AL East Division foes on the Yankee schedule as August slides into September.

The game was dead even for three and a half innings.  Both teams hit a HR into the Yankee bullpen and each side had an infield single.  Robinson Cano homered for the Yankees and Adam Lind did the same for Toronto.  The game was tied at 1-1 headed into the bottom of the fourth inning.  In the Yankee half of that fourth, New York struck for three runs.  Cano hit his second HR of the game to make the score 2-1.  Mark Teixeira walked and Eric Chavez singled.  Teixeira scored on a on a Russell Martin RBI single to right and Chavez scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Raul Ibanez.  

Martin's single to right ricocheted off the leg of Toronto starter Henderson Alvarez into right field, and Alvarez was forced to leave the game.  The Yankees lost Mark Teixeira to injury in the same inning.  In an odd occurrence, Teixeira was forced to leave the game due to a left leg contusion.  The injury occurred during an at bat when Tex walked.  He limped home on the Martin single and immediately left the game.

In the fifth, once again the teams mirrored one another.  The Jays scored two on a Kelly Johnson walk and an opposite field HR by Yorvit Torrealba.  The Yankees scored two on a Derek Jeter walk and a Nick Swisher 2-run HR to left field.  The score after five was New York 6 and Toronto 3.  The Jays added a run in the seventh on a single by Torrealba and an RBI single by Adeiny Hechavarria.  The Yankees still held the 6-4 lead after eight innings.

The ninth was a Yankee disaster. Rafael Soriano blew a save opportunity.  As he had in the recent past, Soriano lived on the edge as he allowed two singles to Moises Sierra and Rajai Davis.  Soriano also recorded two outs and two strikes on Colby Rasmus.  He could not retire Rasmus.  In fact, he allowed a three-run HR to Rasmus that gave the Jays their first lead at 7-6.

Derek Jeter homered to lead off the bottom of the ninth to tie the score at seven, but that blow only prolonged the Yankee agony.  Derek Lowe relieved Clay Rapada in the 10th and in the 11th inning, he allowed a lead-off single to Torrealba.  Mike McCoy came on to pinch run.  Lowe unleashed an errant pick-off throw to first that rolled down the right field line.  McCoy went to third on the play with nobody out.  He eventually scored the winning run on a ground ball to third by Hechavarria.  Even with the infield drawn in, the Yankees could not keep McCoy from scoring the winning run as Nix inexplicably threw to first to retire Hechavarria.

Cashman's spare parts (Nix and Lowe) failed the team tonight, and Rafael Soriano picked an inopportune time to blow a save.  The Yankees not only failed to solidify their meager lead in the AL East, but lost a full game in the standings to the victorious Orioles.  New York continues down the path of mediocre baseball as the fall to 22-21 since the All-Star Game. Believe me, there is worry in the air.  Sure, we can win the next 2 to win the series from the Blue Jays, but the Blue Jays played like competitors tonight...and they're in last place.  Come on Yanks... let's do this!

Tonight's final:  Toronto 8  New York 7  

--Frank Gentry, BYB Writer

Twitter: @yankeefrank23

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IBANEZ GOES BIG WITH GRAND SLAM IN THE BRONX

It was another nail-biter tonight! What looked like a game that could go into extra innings ended in dramatic homerun fashion like you would expect from this Yankees team. This game had a little bit of everything, great defense, tough pitching, and Raul Ibanez putting the GRAND in Grand Slam during the 8th inning, but more on that shortly.

Pitching is what wins games, and after yesterday’s tough loss it was time for a rebound and Phil Hughes delivered. His line looked like this: 7IP, 4H, 2ER, 3BB. I thought Phil looked good out there, he seemed so confident on the mound despite having some control issues. Phil struggled falling behind hitters but he was able to finish off hitters and kept the Blue Jays to only 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. Phil looks like he is really coming around, he has given up three runs or less in his last four starts.

Russell Martin had another good hit tonight. In the 2nd inning he hit a solo shot off of Alvarez, maybe that shorter swing is helping….let’s hope it’s a sign of things to come!

ARod also had some good at bats tonight despite suffering from a stiff neck. He went 2-for 4 tonight and also scored. One can only hope that this is the start of the second half of the season that we are predicting him to dominate. Girardi did say that he is dealing with a stiff neck and will probably continue to DH for the time being….gotta keep him healthy!

Robbie Cano continued his hot hitting going 2 for 3 tonight with a double. Most importantly he has hit in 19 consecutive games which is a career high for him. He also flashed the leather on the field again assisting Tex in the top of the 8th. Tex dove for a ball but couldn’t come up with it. Robbie did though, and made a nice flip to Robinson who was able to beat Colby Rasmus to the bag.

What can you say about Raul Ibanez? He’s been a force to recon with this year. Ibanez is the definition of a clutch hitter, this season he is 13-for-37 when the Yankees are in the 7th inning or later or down by a run and that’s HUGE. After five straight fast balls, Ibanez got the pitch he was waiting for with the bases loaded and took Frasor out of the park. That Grand Slam also made the Yankees the leaders in the Grand Slam category this year….but that isn’t surprising, right?

Rafael Soriano came in again to save the game during the 9th inning. After making things a little interesting with two runners on base, Soriano finally got the last out and securing his 23rd save opportunity.


Again, Final tonight Yankees 6 - Blue Jays 3.

Tomorrow is the long awaited day where CC Sabathia returns to the mound! It’s been awhile since we have seen him so it will be interesting to see how he has recovered. Stay tuned!

--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor

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