MELKY NEVER HAD A SHOT IN THE BRONX

Joel Sherman had a good piece in the New York Post yesterday.  It involved Melky Cabrera and the fact that the New York Mets could target him this offseason. It makes sense, he could be helpful.  

Sherman writes: "The Mets need outfielders and don’t have a ton of money to address their severe needs there. So if they could bag Cabrera as corner outfield insurance against Jason Bay and Lucas Duda, it could make sense, especially if they are unable to retain Scott Hairston. Probably at his worst, Cabrera would be a motivated fourth outfielder who always could hit righties well, with the possibility he is more than that if any of the improvements of the past two years are real." Read HERE.

He goes on to say that the Yankees never considered Melky Cabrera to be a negative force in the world of Robinson Cano, writing: "Yankees officials never viewed Cabrera as a negative influence on Robinson Cano, as some outside the organization did." I am one "outside of the organization." It's a nugget I'll expand on.

This is my take and you can disagree and I respect that; Sure, Yankee officials aren't going to look like they dislike a player publically, why would they?  I believe they saw possible trouble brewing with Melky, after all, Melky and Cano were the best of friends. As far as I know, they still are.

I even laugh when I think about Melky cranking out that home run in the All-Star game and as he circled  the bases and stuck his hand out and Cano just grinned. They're buds!  Look, I know from a very good friend who lived in the same building as Robbie and Melky in Edgewater when they first game to the Bronx.  They had a very very good time while they were there, let's just put it that way.

In the end though, the Yankees saw mad potential in Robinson Cano and the idea of a "trouble maker" bringing Cano down may have hurt their investment. So, in the spirit of upgrading the franchise, they flipped him to the Atlanta Braves for Javier Vasquez.  It looked like a legitimate business deal, after all, the Yankees needed pitching, so it all worked out. Once he was gone, Cano could blossom...and he did.

Now sure, the Yankees did offer a minor league deal the Melky in 2010 after the season ended. But you know how minor league contracts go with the Yankees.  9 times out of 10, those players are usually released...i.e. Russell Branyan, Jack Cust.

I don't ever see Melky coming back to the Yankees.  As Sherman writes of why the Yanks may not bite on Melky after this season when he's a free agent, "Cano ended up being smeared with allegations this season because of the association, so the Yankees might be hesitant to reunite the pair."

Now, in the end, as I've stated in MELKY CABRERA OFF WORLD SERIES ROSTER SENDS A MESSAGE, once this season ends, Melky has a clean slate with me, so does he deserve to get a fair shake with the Yankees and any other team? Damn right.  But the Yankees reuniting with Melky? Well, let's just say I never see it happening and it's probably better for everyone that way.

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I SAW YANKEE MYSTIQUE AT CHASE FIELD

(In Photo: Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Chad Huffman)

There is nothing like watching a Yankee game in the Bronx, but I’m not lucky enough to always have that privilege. I live in enemy territory. Maybe enemy territory is a little bit harsh but, if you were a Yankee fan who lived in the backyard of Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, you would understand why I use these words. The great World Series upset of 2001 is still alive here, time has stood still; the winning bloop single by Luis Gonzalez is still replayed over and over again on the jumbo screen at Chase Field. 

Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling are still idolized as the great pitching powerhouse even though they are not playing anymore. I may not have been in the Bronx, but one of my favorite Yankee memories happened here in Arizona.

I am a maniac; ask my mom and she will confirm. Once the 2010 schedule was released I did a victory dance when I saw that the Yankees were coming in to town. I make more trips to Yankee stadium to see them, and they come out here every four years or so. If I go broke, I guess I will know why. At any rate, I wasn’t satisfied with the idea of going to ONE game, no….I had to go to all three and I didn’t care if I had to go all by myself and I saved all of my pennies.

Lucky for me, I convinced friends and family to come with me. My mom came with me for Game 3 and she still talks about it to this day because it was the first Yankee game we have ever watched together, live or on TV. I bought seats on the first baseline, right by the dugout and in the middle of Diamondback territory; I knew that but didn’t care. I sat there decked out in Yankee gear from head to toe…and I do mean head to toe because I painted my nails blue and put an NY logo on them too.

I took a lot of heat from Diamondback fans, and of course all that they would talk about is the 2001 World Series. The game itself was a nail bitter and the Diamondbacks had control in most of the game, I remember getting very frustrated with Javier Vazquez because he wasn’t fooling the Diamondbacks.

Going into the top of the ninth, the Yankees were down by one run and suddenly the crowd got rowdy after ARod hit a sac fly and Derek Jeter scored. The game was tied….and in came Mariano Rivera. This was the first time I had seen Mo right in front of me, not on TV…and I will never forget what I saw. The 9^th inning was a breeze for Mo, after a lead-off single he retired the next three batters and the game was headed for extra innings. Everyone was on their feet, and I stuck out like a sore thumb, I don’t think I have ever cheered so loudly before in my life. Extra innings can be frustrating when you are at home watching, but not in this case.

That night, I watched Curtis Granderson stand just a few feet in front of me and absolutely crush a ball to right field and give the Yankees a lead. Curtis didn’t just crush a ball, he crushed the hopes of the fans sitting right behind me because they left as soon as the ball went out.

I don’t like the National League style of play, I just don't like watching a pitcher try to bunt  and it gives me nightmares of Chien-Ming Wang all over again, but on this day I got an added bonus because I got to watch Mo pick up a bat and swing. It definitely didn’t look natural, in fact he looked awkward at the plate. I remember watching him rip a ball straight up into the air and out of play before grounding out to first base but the point is…..I got to watch Mariano Rivera AT the plate. How many people get to see that live?

The celebration was still happening, but the game wasn’t over yet. The Diamondbacks still had their turn at bat and they made Mo work. I remember resisting the urge to pace up and down the empty aisle at this point. Mo pulled off a Houdini act, and I think he may have taken a few years off of my life as I watched the first three batters reach base with no outs. Diamondback fans were celebrating, with no outs they were counting on an upset…they clearly didn’t know Mo. With the bases loaded, Mo got Chris Young to foul out, Adam LaRoche to pop out to third and then ended with a glorious strike out to Mark Reynolds. I blinked, I screamed, and I danced my way out of the stadium that night to the tune of a 6-5 Yankee victory.

The Yankees won the series, and I swear Babe Ruth must’ve had a hand in this series because if that wasn’t the great Yankee Mystique, I don’t know what is. I probably gave my mom a headache that night, but I think she will say it was all worth it. It’s rare that the Yankees come to me, and so when they do I make the most of it. Yes, I am a maniac….and I am proud of it.

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Writer and Editor

Twitter: @NyPrincessJ


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THE COMING OF MELKY CABRERA

Melky Cabrera has found his stride in San Francisco and I could not be happier for him.  It took alittle while, but he’s found focus, he clearly likes to play there and some really good news came out yesterday involving the National League voting.  Melky moved into third place on the NL outfielders list and pulled ahead of Ryan Braun.  Wow.  You have to wonder if that happened because Melky is having a nice season or is it a combination of that and a different fan attitude toward Ryan Braun.

 Braun, once a huge fan favorite has found critics after that whole positive testing mess.  Bottom line, he’s clear but it proves that everyone is under a microscope and I often wonder about that.  That being said, I wish Braun well. I like Braun alot, plus, things could change and Braun could pull ahead of Melky again...it's baseball.

But back to Melky for a second.  This season Melky is batting .355, he has 102 hits, 6 homers, 7 triples, 35 RBIs and 49 R. According to a great piece by Joel Sherman (HERE) in the New York Post, Kevin Long was quoted as saying that if Melky had that kind of focus in the Bronx, he’d still be a Yankees. 

 “If Melky committed himself to the Yankees as he does now, he would still be a Yankee...And he would say the same thing. He made himself tradeable then.”

Damn, that's nice to see and it's always great when we have our thoughts confirmed.  It’s true, Melky would still be in New York if he didn’t enjoy being a Yankee as much as he did at such a young age. It was always my opinion that the guy was enjoying things alittle too much and it’s clear to me, once Melky was sent packing in that trade to bring Javy Vasquez to the Yankees for round 2, I felt bad for Melky because I knew his potential, but I also realized it was the best thing for Melky and Robinson Cano, his best buddy to be separated.  Well, as you know, Cano became an overnight sensation, a leader, maybe even a future Captain of the Yankees and Melky has finally gotten settled in San Francisco and is definitely delivering.  That, my friends, is progress in one’s career.

Because of Melky’s great season, I often wonder if the Yankees would ever try and bring Melky back to the Bronx.  I am pretty confident Nick Swisher is going to want to  test the Free Agent market for his first time and I would almost bet that he leaves the Bronx, as sad as that is.  Then the question becomes, what outfielder is available and can we get them at a cheaper price? Hmm... Melky please? 

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TOP 5 YANKEE PROSPECTS OF 2012: #3

#3. Dellin Betances

RHP (4-9, 3.70 ERA, 126.1 IP, 10.1 K/9. 5.0 BB/9, 7.3 H/9, 1.361 WHIP, 21 games at AA Trenton, 4 at AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre)

Another name you'll usually see ranked a bit higher, and if not, it's typically because Gary Sanchez is put ahead of him. However, as high as his ceiling may be, I find the security provided by my next pick makes him marginally more valuable.

Health has usually been an issue with Betances, but I'm happy to report that he made it through the 2011 season without any issue beyond a blister that caused him to miss a very brief amount of time.

Betances is what he is: a flame-throwing (think 93-97), towering right-handed pitcher with a filthy curveball, an improving change-up, and below-average command and control. Those who only briefly saw his somewhat embarrassing Major League debut in which he walked 4, hit one batter, and ultimately gave up 2 runs in 0.2 innings of work saw what Betances could potentially become: a disaster. However, rest assured Yankees fans, he is not doomed to break Javy Vazquez's record for hit batters in a row. For one brief, glorious 2010 season, Betances walked only 2.3 BB/9 while still striking out 11.4 per 9. The stuff is there; you'd be hard pressed to find many minor leaguers with better raw stuff than Betances. His control and command may have taken a step backwards this year, but he's shown that he can harness his abilities.
Remember, this is a big kid at 6'8”, and tall pitchers with power stuff, while generally having an advantage, can struggle to make the jump from thrower to pitcher. Look no further than shoo-in first ballot Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, who led the league in walks for three consecutive seasons with a BB/9 that moved in between 4.9 and 6.8(!). Frankly, that is Betances' ceiling. He could be a right-handed Randy Johnson who throws a curve instead of a slider, or he could crap out and be Daniel Cabrera. My prediction is ultimately moot, but I think with proper coaching he'll be able to develop a more consistent delivery, cut the walks back a bit, and at very least become a solid mid-rotation guy who never quite lives up to his talent level.

Big league comparison: AJ Burnett.

#2 is Next. If you haven't read #4 Gary Sanchez yet, click HERE. #5 was Jose Campos. Read about his HERE.



--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer

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WHICH FREE AGENT DO YOU WANT ON YOUR YANKEES?

So, it goes like this... Here are some of the big names on the free agent market right now. Look through the list and vote in our polls on the home page of Bleeding Yankee Blue. There will be 2 polls, 1 poll on the left will be about free agent hitters and 1 poll on the right will be about free agent pitchers. When the polls are concluded, there will be a feature written about both. In the past, Bleeding Yankee Blue readers have been accurate with their picks, choosing for instance Freddy Garcia as having the best chance to succeed on the Yankees in 2011…and you did that in February! Clearly you were right, he was better than expected.

Here are the polls, take a look and have fun with it:

WHICH FREE AGENT PITCHER DO YOU WANT ON THE YANKEES?

• CJ Wilson
• Erik Bedard
• Jon Garland
  
• Zach Duke
  
• Hiroki Kuroda
  
• Bartolo Colon
  
• Bruce Chen
  
• Mark Buehrle
• Brad Penny
• Dontrelle Willis
  
• Edwin Jackson
• Doug Davis
• Javier Vasquez
  
• Jeff Francis
  

WHICH FREE AGENT HITTER DO YOU WANT ON THE YANKEES?

• Travis Buck OF
• Albert Pujols 1B
• Rick Ankiel OF
• Mike Cameron OF
• Bill Hall 2B / OF
• Prince Fielder 1B
• Eric Chavez 3B
• Endy Chavez OF
• David DeJesus OF
• Russell Branyan 1B
• Wilson Betemit 3B
• Carlos Beltran OF
• Casey Blake 3B
• Johnny Damon OF
• Hideki Matsui DH

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WHY THE YANKS WILL WIN THE DIVISION

We all saw it coming. Javy was pitching and some of the regulars were supposed to rest. It's like playing the Triple-A team against the Jays tonight. What can you do. Javy has a reputation in New York. He had it the first time he was here in 2004. He has it again, mostly now because you can't trust he'll be successful on the mound. He can't start a game. I actually think he can be more effective in relief. But the problem is he's being jerked around. He has to be in that mind set to be relief OR to start but one of the other. If you keep putting him out there to start one week and then change him to be relief another, my opinion is that messes with Javy's head. Vasquez is in a bad place. He's the Joba of last year. The Yankees screwed up Joba last year, who could have possibly had been the next closer for the New York Yankees for years after Mo. They messed him up so bad there was a brief moment he was even on the trading block this July. Good thing he's managed to turn it around, gain some confidence and become effective in the bullpen.

So, the Yanks lost tonight, that stinks only because the last place Orioles beat the first place Rays tonight. While we could have gained ground on the Rays, it actually that brings me to an interesting thought.

The Rays are human. The Rays lose too. They are not machines and the Yankees can take the division this week. Look, it won't be easy because the Yanks have Boston next and the Rays will be playing Kansas City. But stranger things have happened. The next 3 games will be key. If the Yankees win the Boston series, I think we win the division. I just have a gut that's telling me the Rays are going to fall off a bit.

So what was good tonight? A-Rod's homer first off started it for the Yankees. Golson and Cervelli helped out with RBIs. Not enough I guess. Again, when your down 7 runs due to suck ass pitching, you can't expect a team to climb out of it for you. It just ain't fair.

The Bosox are tomorrow. Yes, these games count fans, don't get it twisted. The Yankees may have celebrated getting into the playoffs last night but they still have work to do, and they know it. Some of my friends are telling me they are pissed that the Yankees celebrated "winning the Wild Card" last night. Last time I checked, they still have a shot at winning the Division. I will live and die with the New York Yankees and talking doubt about them only brings me down.

Do the unthinkable Yanks, win the Division. Let's celebrate again. I like champagne, after all.

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