JOBA: OUR GUY

Passionate people stir up passion in others.  Once again, Passionate people stir up passion in others.  There is no denying it.  For example, Joba Chamberlain.  The former Yankee, Tiger and now Toronto Blue Jay (by way of the Buffalo Bison) is a Passionate person.  Joba wears his heart on his sleeve.  He always has, and I hope he always will.  The fiery right-hander doesn’t do anything half way.  Whether it is throwing the baseball, being a dad to his son Karter or growing his now infamous beard, Chamberlain goes all in.  It is lousy to see him on the outside looking in on the game again. He exercised his opt out clause with the Blue Jays.

Yankee fans see Joba one way or the other.  There are those of us who truly like the guy.  We believe that he had the potential to do great things in the Bronx, but the Yankees, the culture of coddling young pitchers and Joba himself got in the way.  There are others that are happy that the big kid from Nebraska is gone.  They believed the nonsense drummed up by the likes of Jon Heyman about Joba dishonoring the Great Mariano Rivera. 

They watched him slide down the list on names to call in the pen and booed him as he fell.  Why? It’s Because Passionate people stir up passion in others.  If Chamberlain didn’t throw at Kevin Youkillis, if he’d merely strolled off the mound after a big strikeout without a peep, if he didn’t say things like, “I’d prefer to start.” Would fans care much either way?  I don’t think they would.  When Joba was allowed to be Joba he was truly a force of nature.  He didn’t over think he just threw hard.  And when he did we ALL stood up and cheered.

I hope Justin finds another team and soon.  I’d love to see him and his reps reach out to the Yankees, sign a minor league deal and work his way back up.  He could do it.  I’m telling you there is a redemption story in Chamberlain.  He was our guy once upon a time…he could be our guy again.

Either way I wish Joba the best. We all do here at BYB.  I’ve known him for a while now, and he is really one of the good guys…good guys deserve a break.

Keep your head up, Joba.  One more round!

** His arm was made strong by the hand of the Almighty…to paraphrase Mr. Marley.**



 
--Mike O'Hara Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21



 
You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

KEVIN YOUKILIS CALLS IT A CAREER

Quick note... just because Kevin Youkilis was a New York Yankees for 3 minutes.

Youk is retiring. According to Pro Star Management, it's over:

15-yr client, Kevin Youkilis, after deep thought about family and health, is calling it a career. Been a great one! Love ya, Youk. #YOOOUUUK
— Pro Star Management (@prostarmgmt) October 30, 2014

Youk did well for a bit, but when he showed up in New York, it was not the best of times.  It appeared he was hurt more than he actually played in 2013.  In 2014, he played in Japan.

Youk has his moments. As Jeff Todd wrote on MLB Trade Rumors: "Youkilis’s excellence at his peak cannot be ignored. He finished third in the AL MVP vote in 2008, and might have won were it not for teammate Dustin Pedroia. He was named to three All-Star teams over his ten MLB seasons."

In the end, from what I have heard, Youk was a good, solid teammate.  We wish the guy well here at BYB. Hey, maybe we'll reach out and even try and interview him one day.

Good luck with retirement Youk! It was a good run.

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  

PLAYING THIRD BASE... KELLY JOHNSON ?!?

“Who’s on first? I don’t know – third base!”

Okay, we have all heard that a million times, one of the greatest comic routines of all time. But that line is starting to make you believe in the Oscar Wilde quote, that life really does imitate art more than the other way around, as you look at who is playing third base for the Yankees.

If you look at the playbook, Kelly Johnson is the guy at the top of the list to take over the hot corner. Can he play third base? We don’t know. As that line of reasoning goes through my head, I do the mental equivalent of Lou Costello letting out a high-pitch squeal of frustration, as this does not look like the best plan possible for the Yankees. In many ways, we are repeating some of the same mistakes we made last year.

We knew that Alex Rodriguez’s injury was going to keep him out for at least the first half of last year. Therefore, we signed Kevin Youkilis to take over at third. Then Mark Teixeira was injured, and Youkilis became the first baseman, before Youkilis had a season-ending injury himself. That left third base to the likes of David Adams, Mark Reynolds, and a cast of characters that made third base look like extended spring training for anyone who could fill the void. Does today’s roster sound familiar?

Maybe you are a Kelly Johnson fan, and you are wondering why I am being so hard on this choice. Don’t get me wrong – I do not dislike the guy. I just wonder why the Yankees would sign a 32-year old with a career .253 batting average and put him at third base where he has only played 16 times in his career. That’s right – sixteen career games at third base. To put it in perspective, Mark Teixeira has played more games in his career in right field (18) than Johnson has at third. To add to the comedy, Tex’s fielding percentage in right is higher than Johnson’s fielding percentage at third. So what am I missing?

What nobody is admitting to is that there is no plan for third base. The guy they signed to be the backup at second if the Yankees could not swing an Omar Infante deal, he is the guy who drew the short straw. It makes you wonder why an organization like the Yankees cannot do better. I know we cannot sign All-Stars to every position, and we have certainly put a few in the outfield, behind the plate, and the starting rotation. However, we should be able to do better than this.

We are all die-hards here at BYB, and we pull for our players. Kelly Johnson is no exception. I will be the first to admit to my error if he turns into a superstar. Nevertheless, the numbers do not indicate that.

The hope here is that he can perform decently. If he hits in the .260 range with good coverage on defense, and I think we dodge the bullet. Otherwise, we may see another rookie experiment or mid-year trade to bring some talent in. Let’s hope for the former.

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

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

A PHOTO OF YOUKILIS IN JAPAN

A special thanks to @FLcity71 who sent me a cool shot of Kevin Youkilis, already in his Japanese baseball club's uniform.  Here is a great shot of him with the Rakuten Eagles helping out a young Japanese player with the greatest sport on earth:

I just thought this was cool.  Youk was a Yankee but barely played for the year that he was with us.  We all kind of predicted that, but whatever the case, it's always cool to see our guys moving on.

Thanks again for the shot! Good luck to Youk.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

KEVIN YOUKILIS WILL PLAY IN JAPAN

Breaking news of sorts... It seems as though the Rakuten Golden Eagles have signed Kevin Youkilis.  That news comes from several sources but we'll go with Alex Speier of WEEI.com on this one.  According to Alex:

" Kevin Youkilis has reached an agreement to play for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan in 2014. The one-year deal calls for him to earn a $4 million base salary with another $1 million in what one source called “very earnable” incentives."

I guess the Free Agent market in the U.S. just wasn't working out for Youk.  It was a shame how he went out last season for the Yankees as well, barely playing due to injury and back surgery.  He really had no chance of ever stepping foot in the Bronx again.  I guess many teams here just didn't want to take a chance on him.

Well, good luck to Youk.  Hope it all works out.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

SNAP OUT OF IT!

Been having the worst time writing about the Yankees lately. What’s the point, you know? They ain’t in the playoffs. In short, I’ve been acting like a spoiled brat.

Think about it. The Yankees fell short of the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Only the second time since 1995. In nineteen years, the Yankees failed to make the post season all of two times.

And this is not to mention that the Bombers were never expected to make the playoffs at all this year. Or have you forgotten the doom and gloom of the pre-season? They were supposed to never have a chance in the first place. Instead, they held First Place. For a while, anyway.

The Yankees never gave up. They clawed their way through the year. Every time we thought they were done, New York fought back. Even in that Boston series, when the Sox found ways to win late in games, the Bronx was still Bombing.

The Yankees scored over twenty runs in those three losses in that four game series.That would have beaten anyone else. Boston had blazing hot bats. They rode them all the way to the World Series.

Dana Cavalea just lost his job. Some argue the Yankees missing the post season was not the strength and conditioning coach’s fault. To them I say; Derek Jeter; Brett Gardner; Michael Pineda; CC Sabathia; Andy Pettitte; David Phelps; Chris Stewart; Kevin Youkilis; and Ivan Nova. Just to name a few. All of these players spent time on the Disabled List due to strains, sprains, or general pains.

I am being fair to Dana here. He is not getting any blame for Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, or Francisco Cervelli for receiving fractures or breaks during game play. But the list of players with incidental and incremental injuries are what damned him. That is a LOT of injuries that were supposed to be preventable. It was Cavalea’s job to stem that tide. He couldn’t do it. He had to go.

The point here, is that New York had a staggeringly insurmountable mountain of injuries to try and overcome. They had an entire All Star team, all positions, on the DL at one point or another this season. Can you comprehend the depth of that statement? They were always always always missing pieces of the equation.

The Yankees were NEVER full strength at ANY time this past season.

But we are spoiled as Yankee fans. We not only expect and demand our team be in the post-season, we assume it will be so. Even when it shouldn’t be possible. I reported to all of you over and over and over again how amazing it was for the Bombers to be where they are. They had no business getting as close as they did. And they STILL bucked the speculators.

Side note; the Toronto Blue Jays were predicted to run away with first in the AL East this season. They were last. Where the Yankees were supposed to be. Shows how much the pundits know, huh?

At any rate, I didn’t even believe my own press. I assumed the Yankees would make it, and was devastated when they didn’t. Even though I had been telling everyone repeatedly how amazing it was for them to even be in the race. Even though I could see how wounded they were. I still assumed they would make it. Hindsight is 20/20. Reviewing the season, it only becomes far more clear; Yankee fans are spoiled.

We have been treated to baseball greatness year after year. We are used to pulling for the best team in baseball history. We are arrogant. We are complacent. We needed a wake up call. We almost didn’t get it.

Welcome to the real world, Yankee fans. This is what every other team goes through pretty much every year. Our team lost. Our team is done. Our team is human.

Remember this feeling. All those complaints we made in previous seasons? We were whining. We shouldn’t. If we can win as Champions, we can lose as same. I am the worst for whining. I have been sulking for weeks. I should grow up.


Flipping through the channels the other day it was Cher, of all people, who brought me back to Earth. I landed on “Moonstruck” just in time for her to say “Snap out of it!” Like her or not, she sure had a point. Out is where I snapped from.

So. Moves will be made during the off season. Brian McCann is the first big one. Players will return from the DL. New York will be stronger this season than last, one way or another. Do not forget the disappointment you may feel right now. Instead, hold on to it. Treasure it. Let it burn inside of you.

The Yankees did not so much fail as simply show us they were human. That’s all. We needed to be reminded of this. We are too spoiled, and we need to feel like every other team from time to time. They missed the playoffs this year. Just remember how it feels.

And remember what they did next after missing the playoffs the last time.

 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Features Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

FORGET FREESE... HE'S BEEN TRADED

Remember all the hype surrounding the Yankees really wanting to work out a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals about 3rd baseman David Freese?  Forget it, he's gone.

The Cardinals have traded him to the Angels for Peter Bourjos. That comes from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

#Angels getting Salas along with Freese from #STLCards. Freese and Salas for Bourjos and Grichuk.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 22, 2013

Oh good.  So glad the Yanks are being aggressive.  And speaking of aggressive, remember the Yanks wanting lefty reliever Javier Lopez? The San Francisco Giants just re-signed him. We're too slow... good players go quickly. 

The Javier report comes from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat writing: "Lopez, a free agent left-hander, reached agreement on a $13 million, three-year contract to stay with the Giants." 

Oh Goodie. Great start.  Please tell me this isn't going to be a repeat of the winter of 2012... I can't stomach that. I'm not in the mood for signing Kevin Youkilis again. I just can't do it.

The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

FREEZE! YANKEES WANT DAVID FREESE

When I read the report about the Yankees discussing a trade, or being "close" to acquiring David Freese from the Cardinals... I got giddy.

I know, many don't think Freese is a big deal. I do.  I always have.  Freese seems to be a guy that comes up in big moments and delivers.  I like clutch players.  Freese can be one of those guys in the Bronx. I believe in him.

The report is all over the place, but we'll go with the New York Daily News on this one. They write: "According to a source, the Yankees have discussed a potential trade for Cardinals third baseman David Freese. It’s unclear what St. Louis would want back..."

Now look, this is a 2011 World Series MVP and a dude who can give you solid defense at third base, alittle pop with probably 20 home runs a season and will keep his average hovering around .290.  If the Yankees can get him for a reasonable price, it would work out nicely.  Lord knows what's going to happen with Alex Rodriguez this season, so, this is a smart idea. Plus, it's a helluva lot better than a Kevin Youkilis who shit the bed for us last season.

Your wondering why the Cardinals want to unload Freese? Well, they want to move Matt Carpenter into 3rd base from 2nd.  That means they can afford to move Freese.  If we can get him, we should.

Stay tuned on this one...

The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

GUESS WHAT KEVIN YOUKILIS IS GETTING READY FOR?

So, we all can agree that when Kevin Youkilis is healthy, he's productive, but he's usually hurt more than he's not.  We all saw that when he was with the Red Sox and it really didn't surprise anyone when he came to the Yankees and was hurt and eventually out for the remainder of the season with a back injury.  Youk was a bust in pinstripes, and it sucked, but whatever.

Now the word is Kevin Youkilis is fully healthy and he's ready to see what teams out there are willing to roll the dice on him in the free agent market. Come on bro... seriously?   According to the New York Daily News, "Kevin Youkilis’ 2013 season with the Yankees was wrecked by back surgery, but the infielder will be back in the free agent market this winter with no physical issues, his agent says.

'He’s fine,' said Joe Bick, Youkilis’ representative. 'Had the Yankees made it to the postseason, there’s a pretty good chance he would’ve been ready to play... He shouldn’t have any issues whatsoever going forward. It’s a normal off-season; just try to figure out where he’s playing.'”

Look, the Yankees learned their lesson. That's at least that's what I think.  Let Youk walk away. Do NOT engage him on coming back to the Bronx in another 1 year deal!  We signed Youk because ARod was hurt, and this off-season we should either look at a younger guy, like Chase Headley or we should try keeping Eduardo Nunez there instead. Nunie could turn out to be a pretty decent 3rd baseman.  I wrote about Nunez in THE IMPORTANCE OF BRENDAN RYAN this morning.  Read it.

I'm satisfied with our Youkilis experiment... it didn't work out... we move on.

The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

SORIANO WAS THE BEST TRADE THIS SEASON

I'd like to start this piece by saying that I was adamantly against the Alfonso Soriano trade. I had a list of reasons, as a lot of fans did. For me, I thought the excitement was more a sense of nostalgia. No one was really happy when Fonzie left the Yankees. It is a frequent topic of conversation between my husband, and myself in fact. Fonzie was a fan favorite, so of course when the news broke that he would return, fans were more than thrilled. I wasn't moved in the slightest. And I am here to say that Fonzie has made me eat my words.

For me, I couldn't understand why the Yankees would go after him. The line-up was falling apart, and in desperate need of a productive bat. Fonzie, while an excellent home run hitter, has a high strike out ratio, and that bothers me. The home run is great. Fans get excited for it. But really, what we needed, or rather what I wanted, was a guy to get on base, and move runners around. You can't do that if you have a large amount of strike outs. Regardless of what my opinions were on it, the trade went through, and Fonzie would once again grace the outfield in Yankees Stadium.

I rooted for the guy. Granted, I wasn't on board, but I will never root against a Yankee. As long as he can be productive in our line-up, and help the team, he's got my support. I mean, if I found it in myself to root for Johnny Damon, and  Kevin Youkilis, surely rooting for Fonzie wouldn't be an issue. And with his first at bat in pinstripes once again, he homered. Quite the pleasant "Welcome Back Kotter" moment, I must admit. But still, I remained unconvinced.

Since that late July day, Fonzie has continued to be an excellent addition, providing power to a line-up that had otherwise fallen flat. He has come in with big hits in crucial situations. Honestly, Fonzie is a huge part of the reason why there is the slightest glimmer of hope for the Yankees during this play-off run. It may have been possible to get here without him, but let's face it, he is making it easier.

So yes, I am eating crow. I was wrong. Fonzie was an excellent idea, and Hal Steinbrenner was a genius for not wanting to wait, and getting the deal done quickly. Write that down, because I may never call Hal a genius again. So thank you, Yankees Front Office. You got this one right. And thanks to Fonzie, for making me very happy to eat my words.

 
 
--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804



The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

UNBREAKABLE

Derek Jeter. Mark Teixeira. Alex Rodriguez. Kevin Youkilis. Michael Pineda. Curtis Granderson. David Phelps. Francisco Cervelli.

With the exception of Second Base, the Yankees’ entire infield lineup is on the Disabled List. Think about that. First Base, Catcher, Shortstop, and Third Base, twice over. This isn’t even mentioning losses to the rotation and the outfield. The Bombers are absolutely hobbled.

Once again, the press is all over the Pinstripers. Everyone is calling for the Yankees to fall. Between all the injuries and the suspensions circus, the Yankees will have no chance. Headlines scream about how they’re done. Other teams are pointing and laughing.

Know what else? That’s not even the first time this season.

At season’s start, we told you Vernon Wells was a good pickup and he proved us right. When Wells hit a slump we said he would snap out of it and he did. When the Yankees began to free fall not long ago, we reminded everyone that it is our job to show the team support. What do you know, the Pinstripers pulled out of their dive. We even went to the Mets game to show you actual suffering fans. The whole point of that piece was to show you how much worse we could have it.

Even though the Yankees continue to buck the odds with a patchwork team, what do we see when surfing forums and fan pages? Doom and gloom. Oh, woe is me. Yankees are done. Tears in beer. Clearly, we need to remind Yankee fans, once again, what they have.

You are cheering for a team that will not give up. Even though they have had an arm and a leg sheared off they are still lurching forward. They are not out of the race. They are like baseball’s version of the Terminator robot. Blown up, face torn off, shot to pieces, knocked off of something high, but still coming. This team will not quit until you absolutely kill them.

Don’t help them die. Pick them up and carry them. After everything they have brought us, all the wonders they have accomplished, why would you doubt them? They have proved it time and time again just this season. This is not even mentioning their long and storied history.

How many Championships have they won? How many heroes have they produced? When did Yogi say it would be over?

The Yankees keep picking themselves up and fighting back. Even with all of us on their backs. Every time we have called on the fans to support them, the Bombers have surged back. Let’s do it again.

And if and when they fall again, we will remind you again that it is our job to support them. They have given us so very much. There is no honor in turning away from the Yankees now. They are fighting back despite having the majority of their stars on the DL. No other team could do as much as the Yankees have done. It’s time to show the Yankees you Bleed Blue.

Yes there are injuries. Yes the Yankees are in for a tight race. But if there were one word that would describe the Yankee spirit, it would be “Unbreakable." So. Show us you are Unbreakable.
Nobody listens to us and we’re always right.

 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants

The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

CARLOS RUIZ IS ON THE YANKEES LIST

According to Jayson Stark of ESPN, Phillies Catcher Carlos Ruiz is currently on the Yankees radar.  He tweeted that below:

First appearance of the weekend by a #Yankees scout in Philly. Michael Young & Carlos Ruiz could both be on NY radar screen this month.
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) July 7, 2013

Now he also Tweeted that Michael Young, the Phillies 3rd baseman is also a possibility, but you guys are smart enough to know that we already told you that a week ago in BIG TRADE RUMORS IN YANKEELAND.

We wrote then, "George King III of the New York Post (HERE) has the best nugget so far this year.  With Kevin Youkilis out, and Alex Rodriguez still out, he's suggesting maybe the Yankees would be interested in Young.  King says: "One feature that makes him a good fit in The Bronx is that he isn’t signed beyond this season, when he earns $16 million. The Rangers are paying $10 million of that. Essentially, the Phillies owe Young $3 million for the rest of the season."

I am a huge Ruiz fan and would love him in pinstripes.  In fact, I may be at the Phillies-White Sox game this upcoming Friday night.  If I am, I'll let you know what I think.  Could be fun.

The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

PINEDA POWER!

Guess where Michael Pineda goes next? According to Drew Silva at Hardball Talk HERE, "has a 2.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 22/10 K/BB ratio in 22 1/3 innings since he was cleared last month to begin a minor league rehab assignment."

So that being said, the Yanks are now sending him to AAA, that's Scranton Wilkes-Barre to you and me.  Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger says HERE, "Pineda appears likely to be optioned here (Scranton) once his rehab assignment ends. He allowed two runs, both in the first inning. He also committed a fielding error in the second, looking sluggish on a comebacker toward the mound." 

The Yankees are being cautiously optimistic.  They want to make sure their injured are 100% when they return.  We were burned with Mark Teixeira, Kevin Youkilis and Pineda's been out too long to just throw into the major leagues... baby steps.  If the Yankees can continue winning another few weeks, Pineda will be back and probably back at 100%... look for it.

I'm excited about this.

The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

BIG TRADE RUMORS IN YANKEELAND

Michael Young: George King III of the New York Post (HERE) has the best nugget so far this year.  With Kevin Youkilis out, and Alex Rodriguez still out, he's suggesting maybe the Yankees would be interested in Young.  King says: "One feature that makes him a good fit in The Bronx is that he isn’t signed beyond this season, when he earns $16 million. The Rangers are paying $10 million of that. Essentially, the Phillies owe Young $3 million for the rest of the season.

Another is that Young wouldn’t get in the way of players such as Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson coming back from the disabled list. That would be the case with White Sox outfielder Alex Rios, who is a turnoff because, though he hits right-handed, he is owed $12.5 million next year and a $1 million buyout on a $13.5 million club option for 2015."

Jesse Crain:  Crain is a White Sox reliever.  According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (HERE): "Don’t rule out the Red Sox on this one.... But there will be others vying for Crain, including the Orioles and Yankees."  I would prefer to go after hitting and starting pitching, but you never know what is on the Yankees' minds.

Ricky Nolasco:  According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com (HERE) Nolasco may be an interesting fit for the Yankees, although the Orioles are also looking at him.  Frisaro says: "In the AL East, the Orioles have been keeping tabs and filling out scouting reports on Nolasco. The Yankees are managed by Joe Girardi, who managed Nolasco during his 2006 rookie season." Not sure what Joe managing Nolasco in 2006 has to do with anything, I mean Girardi has managed Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia too and they aren't exactly lighting it up lately.  Anyway, we'll keep an eye on the Nolasco rumors.

Chris Carter: According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Yankees may be interested in the first baseman. "Carter is an interesting righthanded bat the Astros would move for the right package of young players. The Yankees are a possibility since they need a righthanded hitter who can play first base and the outfield." Cafardo also says Carter strikes out alot, and he does.  109 times so far in 2013.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

THE NEW BATCH OF YANKEE KIDS ARE COMING

It is a field of dreams for the kids? Like something out of a Final Destination sequel, it seems that some unknown forces are determined to send the Yankees’ most talented players, the stalwart foundations of the roster, to the dreaded disabled list. Other players who were supposed to be the next wave of young talent have not panned out, forcing the team to go to other players in the minor leagues to find some support. The silver lining in all this is that the Yankees get an opportunity to see how the farm stacks up against major league players and where they land in the development cycle. If you are a kid on the way up, this is the year!

Zoilo Almonte must think he won the lottery. With left fielder Vernon Wells becoming a virtual black hole in the lineup, the Yankees call Almonte up and he goes on a hitting rampage. He has yet to cool down, with a slash line of .318/.400/.545, and a perfect fielding percentage as of this writing. It is hard to call him a kid at age 30, but Jayson Nix is another player who has benefited from concurrent injuries to Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Youkilis, and Eduardo Nunez. He may not be winning any batting titles or Gold Gloves, but in the Yankees’ hour of need, he is hitting 25 points above his career batting average and fielding at 10 points above his career fielding percentage. David Adams initially starting hitting terrifically, but now he has faded. I think what we’ve seen is that Adams has the potential to be a real force in the future, but maybe he’s not quite ready for the big leagues. Still, we have all had a good view of what he can do.

(In Photo: Adam Warren)
What can we say about the pitching? Adam Warren has been stellar since the Yankees’ need for a more reliable bullpen surfaced. He had two bad outings around the end of May, but aside from those, his ERA is a hair above 1. The opposition is hitting .257 against him and he is sporting a K/9 of 6.69. At age 25, in his first full season, that is not too shabby. Preston Claiborne has been impressive since the Yankees called him up in early May. In 21 appearances, he has held the opposition scoreless 18 times and hitless 9 times. Seven times, he did not allow a base runner. Sixteen times, he recorded at least one strikeout. In short, he has been consistent and he has been good. Finally, while he has not pitched in the majors this season yet, Michael Pineda has been tearing up the minors, and the Yankees are expecting his imminent return to the rotation.

The news is not all rosy, however, even amongst the healthy. With the success of some of the recent call-ups, it raises the obvious question of what to do with the old guard. Joba Chamberlain should be feeling some pressure from the success of the kids. His ERA is still in the 6 range, and he has yet to put in consecutive run-less appearances in the month of June. Phil Hughes has turned into the poster boy for the failed experiment. Despite the potential we all saw earlier in his career, he is proving his supporters wrong and is the subject of many trade rumors. Likewise, for Ivan Nova, 2011 is far in the rear view mirror. I have always loved Super Nova, but he has lived up to his nickname – a huge explosion that emits huge amounts of energy, followed by a steady fade to dark.

The Yankees have had a great look at how the next generation of players will fare against top-line opponents. We have seen how they handle the pressure, and how well they can perform under that pressure. If nothing else, the Yankees are in a better place to make informed decisions on which players to invest in, and on which ones they can cut bait.




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



Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

EDUARDO NUNEZ BEGINS REHAB

Yeah... I forgot he played for us too.  This season is the strangest season that I can remember. It's being reported that Eduardo Nunez has begun his rehab assignment.  Lou DiPietro of YESNetwork.com has that story HERE. According to Lou:

"...Nunez began a rehab assignment with the Class-A Tampa Yankees on Thursday night, going 0-for-2 at the plate and playing four innings at shortstop in Game 1 of a doubleheader against Daytona.

Nunez grounded out in both at-bats and took two ground balls at short in his four innings, leaving well before the end of the T-Yanks dropped a 6-1 decision to the Cubs. It was his first official game action in nearly two months..."

Do you believe that? I mean at this point, why bother? This was the Derek Jeter backup a few years ago.  Now where are we? I mean, look, injuries happen. I'm not hammering the guy, I just can't believe he's been down on the farm still not playing games until last night. It's nuts.  I'm sorry, we need to start questioning the conditioning of these players don't we? Am I crazy  to suggest that?  I'm thinking out loud, sorry.

Sure... I look forward to Nunez returning... only for him to go back to the DL...I kid, I kid. Get it? Kind of like Mark Teixeira, Kevin Youkilis and Curtis Granderson? Ha ha...funny.  Right? No? Crap... whatever.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

MAKING THE MOST OF AN OPPORTUNITY: ZOILO ALMONTE

(In Photo: Zoilo Almonte)
Last month I wrote an article titled MAKING THE MOST OF AN OPPORTUNITY.   It focused on the success rookie pitcher Preston Claiborne had when called up to the big league club to take the place of an injured (at the time) Joba Chamberlain.

Claiborne pitched “lights out” when given the chance, and he has become an integral part of the bullpen.

Now we have Zoilo Almonte.  The 24 year-old Dominican was called up to give a tiring (and slumping) Vernon Wells some time off in left field.

A funny thing happened to that plan.  Rather than play a backup role to Wells, the phenom has become the starter in left field the last three games.

Almonte has shown that the promise he gave us a glimpse of this past spring was no fluke.  As of this writing, the youngster is hitting .583 with a 1.000 slugging percentage in five games.  In the three starts he is six for ten with a home run, two doubles and four RBI.

It’s going to be tough for the team to send him back to Triple A.  In fact, the team would be CRAZY to send him back to Triple A.  He has injected new life into a sluggish offense and has been flawless in the field.

His presence may have benefited Wells too.  In his first AB as Almonte’s backup, the veteran outfielder laced a bases-clearing double to right center while coming off the bench as a pinch hitter.  It was the deciding factor in a victory over the Rays this past weekend.

For a guy who has had one multi-hit game since May 13th it was his first RBI in June.

(In Photo: David Adams)
Almonte and Claiborne aren’t the only success stories for “Baby Bombers”.  David Adams has played a sparkling third base in the wake of Kevin Youkilis’s injury and ARod’s absence.

Yes Yankee fans, we have a future.

As 2013 shapes up it has become clear that we need to trust some of the talent we have in our minor league system.  Claiborne, Almonte, and Adams are proof of that.

Rather than signing a 30-something player who is in the twilight of his career to a one-year contract, let’s forgo the “they still have options left so we should keep them in the minors” mentality and trust our instincts.

(In Photo: Preston Claiborne)
These youngsters are part of our organization for a reason and each one of them is hungry for the chance to show what they can do at the major league level.

If anything, it will give us fans something exciting to watch as well as a picture of what our team will look like a few years down the road.

I like what I’ve seen so far and look forward to the seasons to come.  In the meantime, let’s let the new energy of the up-and-coming players carry us as far as it can.  It might just be a lot farther than you think.

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

 

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.