IT'S A MATTER OF TRUST

I’ve just about had it.

I’m tired of watching old players well past their prime breaking down and leaving unfulfilled promises in the hands of our medical staff.  I’m tired of a manager’s misguided loyalty to his players that results in the same lineup letdowns day after day, and I’m tired of watching a win slip away while that same manager seems to be oblivious to the obvious.

It’s all about trust.

We are fielding one of the oldest, if not the oldest, teams in Major League Baseball simply because our general manager would rather try to catch lightning in a bottle with players whose glory years are a distant memory, instead of looking to what we have in our minor league system.

He simply doesn’t trust the youngsters. As a result, we are left with a band of broken part-time players.

Our GM has a strategy of trying to harness a rebirth of former stars.  He throws money at them like it was soft candy at a geriatric parade, and we get stuck with a bevy of mid-to-long term contracts for players that spend more time worrying about what surgery to have next rather than what their approach should be with the next at-bat.

Brian Cashman’s strategy has become as worn as the players he’s acquiring, and it needs to stop.  Start trusting what you have developing in the minor league system Brian.  Why not give a shot to a young outfielder instead of signing Carlos Beltran to a three-year deal?  What would you have lost?

Beltran has appeared in 107 of our 149 (as of this writing) games.  He’s hitting .235.  Tell me how one of our prospects would have done worse.  I’d struggle believing you.

One player Cashman brought on board that isn’t a geriatric (he’s 31), but who plays like one is Stephen Drew.  The GM traded Kelly Johnson to the Red Sox for him on July 31^st.  I’m not altogether sure what “Cash” saw in Drew, given that he was hitting .176 in Boston at the time.  I know he was trying to fill a void at second base because the former superstar second baseman that the GM signed during the off-season – 36-year-old Brian Roberts – hadn’t worked out, but Drew’s last truly good season was in 2010 (I’m being nice) and he had never played second base.

Yet another gamble to rekindle the past has failed miserably, as Drew is batting .135 with the Yankees. He currently ranks 307^th (yeah that’s not a typo) in the American League in hitting, and of those around him in the rankings, only one – John McDonald of the Angels – has played in more than 70 games (McDonald isn’t a starter).

(In Photo: Jose Pirela)
All the while the club has had TWO second basemen at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre who have far out-shone anything Drew has displayed in the Bronx.  24-year-old Jose Pirela has hit .305 with 10 home runs, 15 stolen bases, and 60 RBI at Scranton.  His play at second has been decent with a .979 fielding pct (Drew’s is .971).   If Pirela doesn’t “float your boat”, the RailRiders have another choice in 23-year-old Rob Refsnyder.  The baby Bomber hit .300 with 8 home runs and four stolen bases in half a season with the club.  During the first half of 2014, Refsnyder pounded out a .342 average at Trenton.  In the field, the former outfielder held his own with a .988 fielding pct.

(In photo: Rob Refsnyder)
My only question is what would either Pirela or Refsnyder have done that could be worse than Drew?  Why didn’t we give at least one of them a chance?

Since we are on the topic of Stephen Drew, it brings me to my issue (well, primary issue) with our manager Joe Girardi.

As I mentioned, Drew isn’t exactly burning good memories into the minds of Yankee faithful with his play in the Bronx, yet Joe Girardi continues to put him into the starting lineup.  To date, Drew has appeared in 36 of the 42 games played since he donned pinstripes.  In spite of his anemia at the plate, Girardi puts Drew in the seventh spot of the order, and he’s even batted as high as fifth in the lineup.

Does Girardi feel “obligated” to put Stephen Drew in his daily lineup?  Or, is Girardi an extension of Brian Cashman, believing that Drew is going to have a rebirth soon?  I think it has to do with loyalty.  Our manager is loyal to a fault.  Look at how many times he turned to David Huff in the middle of the season before realizing that the lefty “specialist” was hurting more than helping (that’s just one of several examples).

Joe Girardi has shown himself to be resistant to change.  In previous seasons he used Boone Logan until his arm virtually fell off, and he continues to throw Beltran and Mark Teixeira into the heart of the order in spite of the fact that neither is hitting above .236.

As I sit here pondering our situation, I can’t help but think that maybe the problem with the Yankees is that our management team lacks “creativity”.  They have become so set in their ways that the Bombers are now stale.  The close-mindedness of our GM and manager has snuffed out the candle of yet another season.

(In Photo: Chris Stewart)
I want to believe in Girardi.  After all, I still think last season was perhaps his finest as he kept the team in the playoff hunt until the very end while having to use the likes of mannequins Lyle Overbay and Chris Stewart.  Only, in watching this season I’m starting to think that maybe he just “lucked into” that playoff chase of a year ago.  I think I’ve lost my trust in him.

Unfortunately, our owners have all but pledged to bring back the men responsible for the product we see on the field every day.  They have a blind trust in Cashman and Girardi.  Or, maybe they just don’t care.

I’ll keep hoping that we turn a corner, but with the age of this team and the mentality of those that run it, it’s becoming a struggle to even watch on a daily basis.

I will enter 2015 with no expectations.  It’s a feeling that I haven’t had in quite some time.  We’ll see what the off-season brings, but it will be on the field where this team will have to regain my trust.

    

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


 
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HEY BRIAN, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE FOOLING?

Exactly who is Brian Cashman trying to fool?  We Yankees fans are an intelligent bunch.  We know when our team needs help, and more importantly, we know the kind of help it requires.

Does he think he’ll be able to appease the masses through inconsequential transactions?

It sure seems so.

I think I’ve given him the benefit of the doubt for the better part of the past two seasons, but his latest work on our team has left me shaking my head.

I patiently stayed positive as he put together a team featuring Lyle Overbay and Chris Stewart last year.  Somehow Joe Girardi managed to keep that squad in the playoff hunt until the final weeks of the season.

This off-season my hopes were renewed and my patience seemingly rewarded when our GM landed Masahiro Tanaka while signing Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann to multi-year deals.  Brian Roberts was signed to a one-year deal ($2 million) in the hopes that the Bombers could harness some of the lightning he once had as an elite second baseman (before injuries stole most of the past 5 seasons).  Finally, I thought we were headed back into October play.

Our pitching staff looked deep and strong.  Michael Pineda would finally realize some of his great potential and Ivan Nova would only be more confident and capable with a solid season under his belt.  The rotation of CC Sabathia, Tanaka, Hiroki Kuroda, Nova and Pineda could compete with the best in the league and certainly would give us quality depth in the playoffs.

Sure the bullpen lost our Great One, Mariano Rivera, but David Robertson was more than ready to assume the role of closer.  Shawn Kelley had become a strikeout artist in 2013 and made for a nice setup to “DRob”.  Adam Warren and David Phelps gave us some of the best long relief in the business and each could spot start when needed. 

Oh the best laid plans.

Poor first-half offensive performances by Beltran, McCann and Roberts have derailed – at least temporarily- the team at the plate.  As of this writing, the team has only scored FIVE more runs than last year’s crew at this point in the season. Five.

On the mound, injuries have removed Sabathia and Nova from the equation for the season, and Pineda is hoping to return for the final month.  We have somehow managed to remain within 3.5 games of first place in the division with a rotation of Tanaka, Chase Whitley, Kuroda, David Phelps and Vidal Nuno. Only Tanaka has had an ERA under 4, but Phelps and Kuroda have been stellar as of late.  Even Nuno had pitched better, holding a 3.70 ERA over his last three outings. 

In spite of our ability to stay in the race to this point, it is clear that the team isn’t going to succeed going forward without a boost to the rotation.

Over the past few weeks rumors had been growing that the Yankees were looking into putting together a deal for the Tampa Rays’ David Price.  Their season has been disappointing and they could be one of the “sellers” at the All-Star break.  He’s one of the elite starters in baseball and would make an immediate impact upon our starting five.  Suddenly a one-two punch of Tanaka and Price makes the Yankees a viable contender for the AL East crown.  The only question is whether or not the Rays would deal their star to a division rival.  It would undoubtedly require our team to part with multiple top prospects as well as one or two current stars.

Unfortunately, the Rays have gotten hot (winning eight of their last ten) and sit 8.5 games out.  The prospect of bringing David Price to New York is cooling.

There was also speculation that the team had a shot at landing the Cubs top pitcher, Jeff Samardzija.  That fell through when the A’s acquired him.

Not to worry though, our GM has made a deal for a starting pitcher!

Yes fans, this one will bring us the pennant.  I’m sure.  Brian Cashman has traded 26-year-old southpaw Vidal Nuno for 31-year-old right-hander Brandon McCarthy.

Sorry, but I fail to see the point of it.

Nuno has struggled this season; limping to a 2-5 record with a 5.42 ERA.  He’s given up 15 home runs in 78 innings pitched, but as I noted earlier he has pitched better recently.

McCarthy hasn’t been much better for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  His record this season is 3-10, and his ERA is only slightly better than Nuno’s – 5.02.  Clearly he has more experience, but his best years were with Oakland in 2011 and 2012 when he went 17-15 with a 3.29 ERA over those two seasons.  Last year with Arizona, McCarthy was 5-11 with a 4.35 ERA – not much better than what he is doing in 2014.  

So what then was the point of this transaction?  The bottom line of it all is that we gave up a young left-hander for a right handed hurler whose best years are behind him. 

I desperately want to understand this deal and I want to believe that it will make us better in our rotation, and to that end I decided to dig deeper and analyze what we gave up verses what we are getting.

McCarthy throws a sinker, curve, cutter, 4-seam fastball, and on occasion a change.  His velocity is decent, reaching 95 with the fastball and 94 on the sinker.  While he has a good ground ball/fly ball ratio (2.01), the primary pitch to induce ground balls-the sinker-has yielded a .331 batting average to opposing hitters.  Sure, he can keep the ball in the park, but he isn’t keeping the batters off the base paths.  Given his record and ERA, he may as well just let them hit it out of the park.

Nuno primarily throws an 83 mph slider and a 90 mph fastball. He occasionally adds a curveball, sinker and change.  Obviously his ability to prevent the long ball is not as good as McCarthy, but neither of his two primary pitches are being hit for a .300 average (opponents have a .290 average off his slider and only a .191 average against his four-seam fastball).  Clearly he hasn’t been able to build off his success with the fastball to improve results with the other pitches.

To me, this deal is a wash.  Depending upon how McCarthy reacts with Yankee Stadium’s short right field porch, it could actually turn into a disaster.

I’ve just never been a believer in trading a yet-to-reach-his-prime pitcher for one who appears to have already crossed the summit of his career; especially when it means giving away a left-hander for a righty. 

I feel sorry for Brandon McCarthy.  He has virtually no room for failure.  If he isn’t successful from the start, there will be little mercy shown his way.

For Brian Cashman, this represents yet another move where the belief is that putting on the pinstripes heals all wounds.  His recent long line of similar attempts with Lyle Overbay, Chris Stewart, Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner, Kevin Youkilis, Ben Francisco, Alfredo Aceves, and Brian Roberts (there’s more, but I grow weary) suggests that he’s ignoring his results.

If this recent move is a way of Cashman saying “look over there” to distract us from the fact that he cannot – either because his hands are tied, or he just doesn’t have the resources – really improve the team with a deal, he’s failing.

We are, after all, Yankees fans, and we know a snake oil show when we see one.

    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1


 
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THE KENDRYS QUESTION

When he played for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (near the 5 Freeway, close to Disneyland, of Orange Country, about 50 minutes from San Diego) I referred to him as “Kendrys Bad Company”. It seemed he would always make a fruit smoothie out of any hanging fruit an unfortunate Yankee pitcher might toss over the dish.  I hated seeing him step to the plate in the Bronx because I knew he was always a dangerous hitter. He has serious pop. He can spray the ball to all fields and he has a fairly good eye…or he did anyway. Since moving to Seattle I have to be honest, I haven’t heard much about Kendrys Morales. By the way that’s also a heads up to Robinson Cano.

Robbie, your new home is also where the Federal Government puts most of those who are in the Witness Protection Program. Good luck with that, sport. By I digress…

The recent question for the New York Yankees is should they sign the once up and coming DH/1st baseman. My answer is an ABSOLUTE Yes! Look, I am, to date, wrong about Tex being an absolute bust, but he does still have a wrist that may be held together by spit and tape. He has been putting up good power numbers, but has also needed time on the DL.

As of this minute Tex is in limbo wondering if the recent soreness in his surgically repaired wrist will subside. That question CANNOT be answered with “We’ll go ahead and pencil Kelly Johnson in at 1st.” No, no you won’t. I feel bad for Johnson. He gives it all he has, but he is a true 2nd baseman and has not cut the mustard playing 3rd or 1st. The Yankees need a true backup plan and Morales could be it.

Now if the Yankees sign him prior to the draft they would sacrifice the 55th pick. I am also certain that Morales won’t come cheap, as other clubs may get involved to drive up the price on the free agent. Hey, it’s supply and demand and Kendrys’s people are holding the cards. I wish the Bombers would have held on to Mark Reynolds or Lyle Overbay (both in Milwaukee now) but they didn’t. But the bottom line is that Morales is better than both of those former Yankees…by a great deal offensively. Why wait? Get the young man signed and let him start punishing pills over the fence. The guy is a switch hitter. He can ACTUALLY play 1st and the Yankees need some more pop…ASAP.

I never want to be one of those fans that just look to throw money at a problem. I wish to hell we could bring up a Big League ready prospect to do what Kendrys can. But the sad fact is we can’t at this point. The Yankee Farm system is filled with not yet ripe players. It's time to pull the trigger. If we lose Tex again or Beltran is done for the year the Bombers will be nearly out of Bombers. This deal makes sense and Morales is still fairly young. Yes, we could keep putting Murphy behind the plate and enact the McCann to 1st base plan early, but why? Let Mac catch, let Murph learn and develop and go get Kendrys now! This way he can be “Bad Company” to the rest of the league and not in the Bronx.

** This one is for Mr. Morales. Dial the phone, Cashman…before someone else does.”






--Mike O'Hara, MLB Fan Cave Host, Season 1
   Twitter: @mikeyoh21
"Paulie was always my favorite player."



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THE YANKEES "NEW LIFE"

With the huge turnover the Yankees experienced during the off season, the expectation was that the team would take a while to “gel” and might get off to a slow start.  The club actually did start slow, going 5 – 6 through its first eleven games.  In spite of that start, one got a sense that the “feel” of this team was very different than its 85-win predecessor.

While still “old” at some key positions (shortstop, first base, right field), the Bombers have injected “new” blood at others (third base, center field, pitching), and it’s those unfamiliar faces that are giving this year’s team a new life.

Gone are the likes of the expressionless Chris Stewart and Lyle Overbay who seemed to be there only to fulfill contract obligations.

Instead, “fresh air” is being injected to the club by Yangervis Solarte, Masahiro Tanaka, Dellin Betances, Michael Pineda, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann. 

While Carlos Beltran is on the backside of his tremendous career, he too has brought promise and hope to a team many dismissed before the season began.

A lasting image from 2013 for me was Lyle Overbay allowing two foul pops – on successive pitches – to drop safely behind him without giving much of an effort to make a catch.  He showed no emotion when the batter followed by lashing a single on the next pitch.  My opinion of course.

I don’t mean to pick on Overbay; he did have some moments for us, but to me a professional baseball player should show that they are out there for a love of the game.  After all, it IS a game and why bother playing it if you aren’t going to give your supreme effort every pitch, every play?

That’s why I feel so good about this “new” version of the Yankees.

Brian McCann will never be one to hide his emotions, and that’s what I love about him.  He shows me that he genuinely cares.

In addition to our new catcher, the 27-year-old Solarte is quickly winning me over.

Just the other night he was the start of a triple play against the Rays.  As he trotted off the field he had a grin from ear-to-ear, and the camera followed him into the dugout where he looked around for someone to either hug or chest-bump.  Later in the game, he would hit his first major league home run and was quoted afterwards as saying he hoped the dream never ended.

That’s EXACTLY the type of player our Yankees have missed for some time.

There is no doubt in my mind that Solarte’s combination of talent (on the field and at the plate) and passion is going to keep him in the Bronx for the foreseeable future.

We need him.

McCann and Solarte aren’t the only ones of course.  Tanaka and Pineda have shown dominance from the mound, and Betances is showing that he truly may be our closer of the future.

Ellsbury has been on fire at the plate, and coupled with Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki in the field, he is the centerpiece of one of the best outfields in baseball.

I still shake my head at the prognosticators who predict that this team is only capable at best of matching last season’s win total.  This version of the Yankees is so much better than that team could have ever hoped to be.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our manager Joe Girardi.  I’ll be the first to admit that until the middle of last season I was one of his biggest critics.  It drove me crazy when he’d make moves simply because “the book” called for them to be made.  I threw out the term “Binder Joe” like it was candy at a parade.

Only, Joe has changed.   Or, maybe I have.

Our manager has shown a tremendous ability to use whatever resources he has at his disposal to win.   Last year’s squad should NEVER have won 85 games, yet there we were still in the hunt for a wild card spot with two weeks to go.

In the final game of our recent series with the Red Sox, players seemed exceptionally brittle and by the fifth inning, Girardi had Beltran playing first base – a position he had NEVER played before.  There’s no book in the land that would have told him to make that move.

It worked.

Sure there are going to be moments where I’ll clench my fists in frustration, questioning what the hell our manager is doing, but I’ll never call him “Binder Joe” again.

We’ve had a slew of wins, even slaughtering the Sox 14-5 last night and I don’t know how long it will last.  One thing I do know is this: the Yankees of 2014 are a team headed in the right direction.  From top to bottom this club shows a heart and passion that the 2013 team seemed to have lost.

I really like our “new life”.

    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1




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STAY PATIENT YANKEE FANS, THE TIDE IS TURNING

OK, so we were all Gung-Ho with pupils dilated about the 2014 version of our Bronx Bombers going into Opening Day. 

Except our workhorse ace laid an egg, giving up six runs before the filled stadium seats were warm.

 Not a problem, we’ll get the next one we said.  After all, our consistent “Mr. Reliable”, Hiroki Kuroda, would return our world back to its expected orbit.

Only our offense fell on its face, going 0-10 with runners in scoring position (RISP).  Flashbacks to a lineup anchored by Overbay, Stewart, and Wells have begun to haunt us.

Fear not Yankees fans, there are still 160 games to play.

On my drive into work yesterday morning, I was listening to the MLB network on my XM Radio.  A worried Yankee follower (“Frank”) called in lamenting the plight of our new lead-off hitter Jacoby Ellsbury, who is zero for the season after the first two games.  He pointed out the amount of money we are spending on the former Red Sox outfielder and that “he’d better start hitting…”

Having either played baseball or followed baseball all of my life, my response to “Frank” and others like him would be: “Chill out”.

To use an old adage, “the season is a marathon, not a sprint”.

So our horse has come out of the gates a little behind.  The law of averages will catch up, trust me on this.  Ellsbury isn’t going to go 0 for 560.  His career batting average is .301.  That means at some point he will have a hot stretch to bring his average back to the norm (I graduated with a degree in Math, can you tell?).

CC Sabathia is a notorious Opening Day starter.  Before even taking the mound on Tuesday his Opening Day ERA was well over 5.00.  I’m betting that as the weather gets warmer, so will he.

We need to trust the players we have.  So what if they’ve collectively slept through the first series with the Astros.  It just means that they will collectively bounce back. Last night, we did in THE SUZUKI & SOLARTE SHOW!

There are some other shining points of light that we can hang onto until the Yankees become THE YANKEES.

With three hits, Brian Roberts has begun the season hitting .300 and our new catcher Brian McCann is hitting .375 in the heart of the order. 

Kuroda didn’t pitch poorly.  Over six innings he gave up just three hits and two runs while striking out five.  On any other day in the season, that’s a winning performance.

Our bullpen has looked pretty strong so far.  Other than Matt Dominguez’s home run off David Phelps, the pen has been virtually perfect.

Every MLB team will experience highs and lows throughout the year.  When you play 162 games, it happens.

We Yankees’ fans are a passionate group, and expect our team to win EVERY game. We here at BYB get that.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  We just need to accept reality when it doesn’t happen. 

Remember this: The best team the Yankees ever had (in terms of won-lost record), LOST four of its first five games.  That’s right, the 1998 Bombers were 1-4 after five games against the Angels, A’s and Mariners.

They went on to win 114.

I’m not saying this team will win that many games, but the potential is still there when looking at it from strictly a numbers point of view.

Keep the faith, trust our players.  We have a nice blend of experienced stars and young prospects that will carry us into October play.

Be patient, our problems are nothing that a little “home cooking” won’t fix.


    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1


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ICHIROCARE #STAYCOVERED

You just never know. You can speculate, you can make the best of guesses, but you just don’t know. That is the only real truth every Major League team can bet on at the start of each new season. Did the Yankees know that in the 2013 season they’d field a MASH unit as their everyday lineup? No, no they didn’t. Did Brian Cashman pick up Lyle Overbay in the last days of Spring Training to be his starting First baseman? Not on your life. Things happen and it’s always better to be prepared.

Now, as you can see the title of this post is a play on the Affordable Care Act or as it’s better known, ObamaCare. I am a fairly political person and love a good debate, but I am not one to mix politics and baseball. So no matter where you stand on the President’s signature piece of legislation, know that this piece is not aiming to get folks on the Right or Left agitated. We do NOT do politics here. We have plenty of that now a days don’t you think? The only thing I will offer up is this analogy. If our country were a Big League club we’d have to seriously work on our clubhouse chemistry.

Anyway, the one thing I think we can all agree on is that it’s always better to have insurance. A back up plan to make sure you are ready for the unexpected. This year the Yankees reloaded. They brought in much needed pitching, speed and power. On paper the 2014 club looks like a force to be reckoned with…on paper. Next to having a wealth of options behind the dish, both at the big league & minor league level, the Yankees now have a crowded outfield. The starters will be Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran. Joe Girardi will also have to find some days for Alfonso Soriano in the field, as he will not want to be the everyday DH. Wait, I’m missing somebody…OH! Ichirosan!

This off-season the TV, radio, papers and blogs have been alive with “WILL THE YANKEES DEAL ICHIRO” stories. I can see where they are coming from; he is kind of the odd man out…but NOT SO FAST! Unless it’s an unbelievable, can’t miss trade for the Bombers, I’d hold on to the future Hall of Famer. He is an outstanding insurance policy! Think about it. Yes, he is older, but this guy is in great shape. Have you noticed how much Ichi stretches in the outfield and before at bats? He would make Plastic-Man say, “Damn, that guy is limber.” So injury is not a huge concern. He is still more than sound defensively and can still slap a base hit off his shoelaces. In short, Ichiro can still be a big help. Let’s hold on to him.

I can see this being a frustrating season for a guy that is used to being an everyday player. But the bottom line is that every player gets older. Ichiro must adjust to being a role player and only a role player. He needs to be focused on what he can control. I believe he will do just that. He is a consummate professional and a team first guy. He loves playing in the Bronx, and the Yankees still will give Ichiro a great chance to get his first World Series ring. That would be a great way to wrap up a stellar career.

I know that we have some young guys down on the farm that could also come step in if there are injuries (KNOCK WOOD), but they are still a year or two away. Any scuffing that a Mason Williams or Ty Hensley might experience could shake their confidence and set them back. Why risk it when you have a seasoned veteran on the pine with more than enough left in his tank for one more spin?

Look, the best-case scenario is that we don’t need Ichiro much this season. Hopefully the club stays healthy and all is right with the world come the end of October…but crystal balls don’t exist. The best-laid plans rarely go according to how they were mapped out. We have a solid insurance plan in place. Let’s hold on to it.

Let’s #StayCovered with IchiroCare.

Finally... here's  The Hold Steady – Constructive Summer





--Mike O'Hara, MLB Fan Cave Host, Season 1
   Twitter: @mikeyoh21
"Paulie was always my favorite player."



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!