YANKEE NUGGETS & THE FIRST OFFICIAL SPRING GAME

I just wanted to give you guys alittle update around Yankeeland. There are some stories out there not worthy of a full post, but stories and information you should know about. So, check it out:

AJ Burnett: Him again. OK, seriously, this is sad and I just wanted to point it out. Burnett as you know by now is with the Pittsburgh Pirates and is really excited about it. One problem. Earlier in the week while batting, a ball ricocheted and hit him in the face and fractured his orbital bone. Read HERE. He was immediately flown the Pittsburgh and yesterday he had surgery. He’s out for 8-12 weeks. You can say a lot of things about AJ Burnett, but you have to feel bad for this guy right about now. We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue just wish Burnett well. That just sucks.

Mark Teixeira: Mark Teixeira hired Derek Jeter’s agent Casey Close to be his new agent after he canned his old agent Soctt Boras. That happened last year…read about it HERE. It’s worth telling you this because I wish all these guys would dump Scott Boras. My biggest worry is someone like Robinson Cano, who recently signed Boras will get ruined by Boras somehow. I can’t stand the guy and I feel like Boras ruined the game. That’s my opinion of course. As far as Teixeira goes, he needs to do more than hire a new agent. Tex needs to get back to his old form.

Adonis Garcia: Who? Garcia is a Cuban infielder and there are plenty of teams that have interest in him, including the Yankees and Athletics. The Yankees like him for sure and there is conflicting reports that the Yankees made an offer to Garcia worth $16 million. Read HERE. That report was disputed by my favorite guy, Marc Carig at the Star-Ledger that reports that in fact, an offer was NOT made. Read HERE. I’m going with Carig, he’s always right.

Manny Delcarmen: Delcarmen, the former Red Sock righty relief pitcher is trying to win a spot on the Yankees roster but he’s had a setback which may hurt his chances of making the team. He has a strained lateral muscle, read HERE. Understand that the Yankees literally have just a few spots left and there are also guys like Clay Rapada, a lefty, trying to win a spot. I personally like the idea of having another lefty in the pen and Rapada would be my pick, but we will see of course if Delcarman can get back and make a run for it before time runs out. We’ll keep you posted.

Ivan Nova: Nova gets the ball today in the first official Spring Training game between 2 pro teams involving the Yanks. It's at 1:05pm today in Clearwater against the Philadelphia Phillies. Read HERE. It’s just an exhibition game so I’m not about to give you a play by play after the game is complete, but if there are some interesting highlights, we’ll mention them in a future post. All good...all good, baseball is back.

Go Yanks…

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WHY IT'S THE MAKING OF ANOTHER YANKEES CHAMPIONSHIP

You can look at what we have and make a very very good argument for a future World Championship Yankees club...2012 style. It's true. We have the tools and as far as I'm concerned, that combination of veterans and youngsters sprinkled in with the reliables and a Captain like Derek Jeter in the new Yankee Stadium... well, let’s just say it gives me goosebumps.

We have "the ace", the guy that literally can set the tone every 5^th day. CC Sabathia is better than anyone ever anticipated, and it’s happening in front of our eyes. We have our veteran closer in Mariano Rivera to shut the door when we need him but more importantly, we need to get to him, and we do with pitchers who can eat innings and a bullpen that will once again be touted as the best in major league baseball. I didn’t just make that up, they’ll live up to that hype. I have no doubt.

David Robertson by far is the hungriest of our bridge to Mo, and let me also state that I never had a “favorite” relief pitcher before Mo, but he set the tone and I find myself rooting hard for Robertson now because you can see it in his eyes... he never wants to lose. Any chance they’re selling Robertson shirts this year? If so, I’ll need to pick one up.

The Yankees are inviting 27 players to Spring Training and it’s a crew made up of guys as young as 18 that probably won’t have a shot, to older guys like Russell Branyan who has enormous power. Branyan needs to make the club first, after all he signed a minor league deal and received and invitation to Spring training, but assuming he does make it, he will be there strictly for home runs at Yankee stadium.

He, Andruw Jones, Bill Hall Manny Delcarmen, Dewayne Wise, Hideki Okajima… sure, the names seem random but there is talent there. It’s actually a very nice makeup and I applaud Cashman for his patience, his weeding through the fat to find the diamonds in the rough…hopefully at least.

Alex Rodriguez is supposed to be healthy and ready to do damage, and Yankeeland needs to get behind this guy, he’s overdue. Mark Teixeira needs to put the criticism behind him and mash the ball. He needs that average to rise dramatically or he will get the rep of being the next Jason Giambi, high home runs, low average. No one wants that for Tex, we want the guy to succeed.

Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson will hopefully continue their assault and put up sick numbers. Granderson is a new man ever since Kevin Long helped get his swing on track. The relationship with Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher and he is tight knit and there will no doubt be pure dominance this season in GGS…speed and power, it’s the perfect combination. Hopefully Curtis and Brett will run more, speed helps a ball club dramatically.

Sure, it all looks great on paper, but now comes the hard part, winning 95 + games and getting to the playoffs again. Girardi needs to make smart choices this year. If he does that with Kevin Long and Larry Rothschild by his side, there is nothing this guy can’t do. In the end, it comes down to team, the New York Yankees, the greatest franchise ever… it’s my team and I cannot wait for the smell of fresh cut grass and the crack of the bat…baseball is just about here Ladies and Gentlemen… I can smell it.

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

WHY I HAVE THE YANKEES SPRING TRAINING INVITES LIST

Just a quick note. Here's the list of the 27 guys invited to Spring Training. In this list they have invited 13 minor leaguers which is always fun to watch, as well as some of the guys they just signed like Manny Delcarmen, Bill Hall and Russell Branyan. Check it out... this is in no particular order:
DeWayne Wise: Wise is a terrific outfielder. He'll be a good asset to the Yankees outfield if he makes the Bigs again. The problem with Wise is he has a horrendous career average of .211 in 9 seasons.Russell Branyan: Great lefty power. He was signed yesterday, read HERE. He had 31 homers in 2009. With the Yankees short right field porch, this season could be fun for Branyan and the Yankees.

Manny Delcarmen: A former Red Sock but don't hold it against him. He could be helpful in the pen if he makes the big club. Read all about his signing HERE.Hideki Okajima: I've always like Okajima but it appears that batters have figured him out. In 5 years he has a career 3.11 ERA. Read about his signing HERE.

Doug Bernier: Bernier is an infielder that played for Scranton Wilkes Barre in 2011. He batted .237 last season with 13 doubles and 29 RBIs. He's 31.Manny Banuelos: What can we say about Banuelos other than we can't wait to see him again. I expect to see him up this season at some point. Read about him in THE GUMPTION OF MANNY BANUELOS.

Juan Cedeno: The New York Daily News has this on Cedeno: "has not pitched during the regular season in each of the last three seasons, appearing only in the Dominican Winter League. In 2011, he made 15 relief appearances with the Tigres de Licey and went 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA (8.2IP, 1ER)."

Matt Daley: We got Daley from the Colorado Rockies and he's played in the minors with them. He's 29 years old. In 92 games with the Rockies (MLB) he is 1-2 with a 4.71 ERA.
Colin Curtis: Colin is a solid outfielder and I expect to see him at some point this season. The Yankees are holding on to him believe it is my opinion they believe in him. He did have an injured shoulder in 2011, but in 2010 he has 11 hits in 59 at bats with 3 doubles and a home run.

Kyle Higashioka: Kyle was drafted in the 7th round of the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft. He's a 21 year old catcher, one of many in the Yankees farm system.

Brett Marshall: The New York Daily News has this on Brett Marshall, "played the entire 2011 season with Single-A Tampa and went 9-7 with a 3.78 ERA (1401.IP, 59ER) in 27 games (26 starts)."
Jayson Nix: We wrote about Jayson Nix HERE when the Yankees signed him. Nix is an infielder who is better defensively than he is with his bat. Maybe he can be useful for the Yanks at some point this season.

Daniel Burawa: a 23 year old right handed pitcher with a lot of potential. Between Charleston and Tampa he was 5-4 with a 3.64 ERA.

Cole Garner: Garner was with the Colorado Rockies minor league system and has 76 home runs in 7 years in the minors. He has a career .286 AVG and is 27 year old outfielder.

Jose Gil: A catcher for the Yanks. The New York Daily News has this on the 25 year old catcher: "has appeared in 506 career minor league games, all in the Yankees organization, hitting .240 (405-for-1,691) with 98 doubles, 34 home runs and 224 RBI over 8 seasons."
Bill Hall: A strong second basemen and outfielder with some pop in his bat, I believe Bill Hall is a low risk pickup the Yankees will be thrilled to have signed down the stretch. Read about Hall HERE.

Adam Miller: We got Adam Miller this winter and he is a former Cleveland Indian. He's never gone pro. His minor league career with the Indians is 33-30 with a 3.71 ERA.
Gustavo Molina: Molina was helpful last season in the beginning of the year when we needed him. He is a solid catcher and a likable guy. Last year he batted .253 with 4 home runs and 21 RBIs for Scranton Wilkes Barre.


JR Murphy: Many expect big things from this kid, another catcher in the Yankees organization. He's only 20 and has a career .274 AVG. Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2009 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Mike O'Connor: O'Connor is a lefty pitcher from the Mets organization. I believe we'll see him this season to help out our lone lefty in the pen, Boone Logan. Read about Mike O'Connor HERE.Ryan Pope: The New York Daily News has this on Pope: "combined to go 2-3 with a 5.12 ERA (45.2IP, 26ER) in 40 combined relief appearances with Single-A Tampa, Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2011."

Gary Sanchez: BYB likes Sanchez but we don't care for his attitude and there has been plenty written about it. We just wrote a recent piece about Sanchez and you need to check it out HERE. In Charleston this year, he had 17 homers and 52 RBIs. There is no doubt he could be a star, but I'd prefer that he lose the attitude and become a team player.

Adam Warren: Warren was in Scranton the entire season and racked up a 3.60 ERA and a 6-8 record. He's only 24 and I will bet we see Warren at some point this season, even if it's brief.

Graham Stoneburner: The Daily News has this on the 24 year old righty pitcher: "owns a career 10-13 record with a 3.03 ERA (234.1IP, 79ER) in 45 combined minor league games in the Yankees organization since 2009. In 2011, he combined at three different levels (GCL, Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton) to go 1-5 with a 4.04 ERA (91.1IP, 41ER) in 18 games (16 starts)."

Jorge Vasquez: We love Vasquez and his bat and we believe he can do a lot of damage, but his strikeouts are incredibly high and we wonder at Bleeding Yankee Blue is there is a way for fix that. We wrote about Jorge back in December...read HERE.
Kevin Whelan: Whelan had 23 saves and a great 2.75 ERA in Scranton this season...that was in 45 appearances. He can improve but that's not bad, he's 28. We recently wrote about Whelan HERE.

Chase Whitley: The New York Daily News has this in Whitley: "has appeared in 72 combined career minor league games (one start) with the Yankees since 2010, going 7-7 with a 2.17 ERA (128.1IP, 31ER). In 2011, he went 3-5 with seven saves and a 2.47 ERA (91.0IP, 25ER) in 42 combined games at Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton."

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

WHY THE YANKEES SIGNED MANNY...DELCARMEN

The Yankees are stockpiling arms and I have no problem with that. According to the New York Post's Joel Sherman, the Yanks signed Manny Delcarmen to a minor league deal. Read about it here in this TWEET. DelCarmen also gets an invitation to Spring Training. So, what does this mean?It simply means the Yankees get a look-see and will check out if Delcarman has what it takes to become an extra helper in the Yankees bullpen. Manny was a Red Sock and was also a member of the Rockies in 2010...that was the last time he pitched in the pros. He split time between those 2 teams and racked up a 4.99 ERA in 52.1 innings striking out 38 and walking 32. Before you barf all over your shoes, just understand the Yankees just want to see what this guy's got, he was available, probably cheap and you know that's how the Yankees roll right now. Don't look more into it than you need to. He spend 2011 in the minors of both the Rangers and Mariners farm systems. Oh and by the way, if you're worried about him not pitching since 2010 in the majors, Bartolo Colon didn't pitch in 2010 and he pitched pretty well for the Yankees in 2011. I'm just saying... anything can happen.

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