THE OTHER AARON

Source: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America

All this focus on Aaron Judge is incredibly exciting.  He's quickly becoming the most dangerous hitter in baseball today.  As YES says, "he's must see TV."  But there's another outfielder who's flown under the radar mostly because of Judge's success also named Aaron who is having one heck of a year. The other outfielder named Aaron Hicks is realizing the potential originally identified when we was drafted by Minnesota Twins in the first round in 2008.  The 27-year-old centerfielder is a must have in the lineup every night even when Jacoby Ellsbury is ready to return.

Source: Mike Stobe/Getty Images North America

Former teammate Torii Hunter said he always gave Hicks some "tough love" and he's responding in a big way.  "Hicks was always a five-tool talent; he just needed to learn how to study pitchers, master the mental side of the game," said Hunter as reported by Fox Sports.

Source: Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images North America

So you could say that Hicks has studied and is getting some A's, if you will, in his at bats, raising his batting average to .313 just before last night's game.  Besides his rising batting average, Hicks has a ".424 on-base percentage and .578 slugging percentage – good for third in the American League in OPS (Judge is first). He already has established his career-high with 14 doubles, and his 10 home runs are one short of his previous best," reported Fox Sports

Source: Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images North America

Besides Hunter providing Hicks some much needed mentoring, Hall of Famer Rod Carew has kept in touch with the young outfielder and offered his advice and guidance.  “He’s real big on going to left-center,” Hicks said, chuckling. “I always would tell him that I wanted to hit the ball in the air. He would say, ‘Hit the ball to left-center, that’s how you get 3,000 hits," reported Fox Sports

Source: Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images North America

The Other Aaron has become as critical to the Yankee team as the guy to his left, the guy he lost right field to in spring training. Hicks has made the most of the opportunity he has been given.  He can hit, he can hustle and he wins ball games, consistently. His contributions are valuable and when Ellsbury is ready to play again, Joe Girardi will have to make some tough decisions.  As far as I'm concerned, the Other Aaron has earned his place in the lineup all season.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

CC SABATHIA OPENS UP ABOUT ALCOHOLISM

I just wanted to share with you a very touching interview with CC Sabathia and how he started to realize that he may have had a drinking problem.  Much of the interview is stuff that we expected.  CC and Amber are working through it, and that's important. He received calls from all the Yankees, Torii Hunter, Big Papi... that's class when players reach out to support...there's no denying that. Over all, it's a touching 5 minutes and you should watch it.  I will tell you though, the best part was when Amber speaks of their oldest son and how the son is smart enough to know it's happened to his father because of social media and how you just can't hide it. Anyway, Amber says their son said:

"Dad is going to learn to not abuse alcohol and there are other ways to handle stress and anxiety. I'm so proud of dad for being a great father."


It's near the end of the interview... and it got me right in the heart.

Look, CC will be fine because he knows he has a problem.  I applaud him.  We love this family.

Go get'um big guy. Beat it.

 

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WOW, THAT WAS QUICK TORII HUNTER!

Quick note, and I only bring it up because it only seemed like yesterday that Torii Hunter was diving over walls and making outstanding plays in the Twins outfield.  It turns out Torii Hunter is retiring after 19 seasons and after being with 3 teams in his career.

Hunter said this:

"I’m sad because it’s all I’ve known for half of my life... This great game of baseball has done so much for me. I have learned a lot of lessons. … I still love the game, but time has taken a toll on me mentally and physically.”

Hunter was a 5 time All-Star, 9 time Gold Glove winner.

Enjoy retirement pal.  You did good.

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BYB HOT STOVE: VOLUME IV

Can the Yankees flip from worst to first and contend for a championship in just a few short months? That's the question facing the legendary club and the chatter around the free agency free for all among today's sports media.  With the Winter Meetings scheduled to begin on Sunday, December 7th,  teams are poised to go face to face with each other and player agents. The result?  Well, it's anyones story to write.  I, for one, hope the Yankees have a few ideas up their sleeve for an award winning novel in 2015.

Things are heating up in Yankeeland as the front office looks to acquire left hand reliever, Andrew Miller from the Baltimore Orioles.  According to Mark Rodgers, Miller's agent, as reported by ESPN "I think Andrew's evolution in the bullpen and his numbers this year fortify the belief in baseball that he's a closer-in-waiting -- and maybe the time for waiting is over." And with David Robertson holding out for what is being reported as "Papelbon money" or a 4 year $50 million deal, Miller could make his way up 95 North to the Bronx.  Since coming to the Orioles from the Red Sox at the end of the trade deadline, Miller was 2-0 with 1.35 ERA and one save last season.  Sounds like a deal to me!

Jon Harper of the New York Daily News still thinks the Yankees will make a run at Max Scherzer even if they pick up Miller or keep Robertson.  Actually, an interesting twist of events is that Harper thinks the hype around Miller is deliberate in order to get DRob to sign with the Yankees.  Could be, could be.

According David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Atlanta Braves have not made top free agent pitcher Jon Lester an offer.  And they don't plan on it either.  The team didn't feel that their offer would be competitive enough for Lester and have decided to bow out.  The top teams in pursuit of Lester are the Cubs and Red Sox.  But don't count the San Francisco Giants out yet.  They met with Lester on Monday and with some room in their pockets with Pablo Sandoval on his way to the East Coast, they are in the hunt.  We will know within the next few days.  The Yankees will most likely sit this one out.

Lastly, despite signing Nelson Cruz to a big four year deal, the Seattle Mariners are still in need of a right fielder and there are two possibilities staring them right in the face.  According to Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune, the two likely candidates are Torii Hunter and Alex Rios.  With Torii Hunter signing with the Twins late last night, Rios could be a contender but also on the radar for the Mariners and actually the Orioles is Matt Kemp.

That's all for us on Hot Stove for this week.  Keep up to date with trades, rumors and chatter right here on BYB.

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








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ATHLETES & BASEBALL: WHO TOPS THE LIST?

When I think of athleticism I think of speed, dexterity, finesse, strength, movement, power, balance, precision, and how these features work together to make a person successful in his sport.  It has often been said, mostly by MLB players themselves that baseball players can succeed in multiple sports because of the depth of their athleticism.

According to ESPN.com “Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, a great athlete, said, "I've told players from other sports, 'We [baseball players] could play your sport better than you could play our sport.” In other words, players of other sports can’t hack it in baseball, no matter their athletic ability.  In my eyes, the best NBA player of all time is Michael Jordan.  No one has ever moved like Mike, hustled like Mike, floated in the air like Mike or scored like Mike.  Sure we have LeBron and Kobe, but they are no Michael Jordan.  To see him beat Patrick Ewing in the Garden back in the early nineties was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever witnessed.

No one can hold a candle to Michael Jordan, and I am not even a big NBA fan, let alone a Bulls fan.  But he couldn’t play baseball, even when he tried to for the Chicago White Sox as he neared the end of his NBA career.

There have been a number of two sport athletes over the years, most of which eventually chose one sport over the other.  Bo Jackson played left field for the Kansas City Royals and running back for Los Angeles Raiders in the late 1980s before a hip injury ended his football career and cut short his baseball career.  He was the only athlete to be named an All-Star for two American sports.  He was and still is an incredible athlete who is sharing his knowledge with newbies at White Sox camp this spring.  He even warned Seattle Seahawk Super Bowl winning quarterback, Russell Wilson to “keep his talents on the football field, and not expand to the baseball  diamond.”

Wilson has been drafted by the Texas Rangers and has been working out with them this spring.  Wilson would join the likes of Jackson and Deion Sanders who has been encouraging Wilson not to give up his dream of playing football and baseball. 

So why am I saying all of this when it comes to taking the crown of best athlete? Because being a top athlete in any sport means you have depth in multiple areas.  In baseball it means you have power and precision and speed.  And that means you top the charts in hitting and base stealing and defensive magnitude.  There are a number of players that come to mind who fit this profile.

Guys like Chris Davis, Robinson Cano, Miguel Cabrera and Torii Hunter certainly come to mind.  But no one is more vivid in my mind than Mike Trout, my pick for the number one athlete in MLB right now.  He seems to have it all.

“Via Baseball Prospectus’ True Average stat, which expresses runs created per plate appearance on a batting average scale after adjusting for park and league scoring conditions, he’s been an even more effective hitter than last year (2012). Like Cabrera (.377), he’s on pace for a season that would rank among the top 25 since 1950, which is as far back as BP’s stats go,” according to Sports Illustrated Strike Zone at the end of last season.  And he is bringing on the heat again this spring, batting .400 with four home runs.  He can run, he can cover center field well and he gets on base.  He is my choice for best athlete.  But I will also say that guys like infielders Manny Machado and Dustin Pedoria, outfielder Bryce Harper, pitcher Max Scherzer and catcher Carlos Santana also should get consideration.

What about the Yankees’ best athlete?  I am hugely behind Brett Gardner for that award but I wouldn’t rule out Alfonso Soriano and Jacoby Ellsbury who definitely place well on the charts in slugging and speed as well.  The one thing that sets Gardner apart of from the pack is his powerful combination of commitment, persona and poise.  He exemplifies what it is to be a Yankee athlete and I appreciate having him on our team.

Baseball is exciting to watch today because of all of the competition and athleticism in the game.  It is exciting to watch young and old play well.  Guys like Derek Jeter this season and even Mariano Rivera last season, who had the athleticism and rigor to come back from debilitating injuries and climb to the top of their game make it even more special to watch.  I look forward to watching records being broken, web gems in the field and monster homeruns topping the highlights of every game.  It’s the great American pastime and it’s baseball at its finest.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof



 
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THE YANKEES FRONT OFFICE IS PLACING THEIR BETS

This past week, the Yankees made some significant deals, and may be tipping their hand on their strategy. I think we've all been a little frustrated at the lack of movement by the front office to either acquire talent or to retain existing talent. But they did sign contracts with Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, avoiding arbitration in both cases (Read HERE and HERE.) At the same time, they let some popular players go (Nick Swisher, Russell Martin, Raul Ibanez) and they failed to even pursue a bunch of big-name talent (Zack Greinke, Josh Hamilton, Torii Hunter, and others). Is Brian Cashman letting the team fall apart?

I don't think so. It looks to me like the Yankees are picking their spots. If I use their recent roster moves as indications, it appears that they're targeting a few specific areas. They really like young talented pitchers who are prime to take the next step.

So they made sure that they nailed down the Hughes and Chamberlain, avoided arbitration, and kept the development going of talent that should positively impact the Yankees for the next decade. I know there are question marks around these guys, but there's some serious talent in the both of them. Hughes had 16 wins with as many quality starts in 2012, despite a rough start in April. At age 26, assuming he continues to develop his skills, he has tremendous upside potential. Joba has the same kind of potential.

I think there's a decent chance that we might see the 2008 Joba again, and soon. If you look at last year, he had a rough first month after his return from the DL. But after September 9th, he was stellar, striking out 13 in 10+ innings while not allowing a run. That doesn't include four postseason appearances where he didn't allow a run. This is where the Yankees need to be investing their money.

There is a limited number of players for which the Yankees are willing to open their wallets, but it makes sense that they would do this for their core team. As of this writing, the Yankees are projected to pay 70% of their budget to their top 7 players. For all other spots, they're clearly looking for average or above-average players at economy prices. Gone are the days of wild spending, trying to acquire an All-Star at every position. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. We've had the largest team budget in the majors, but we've won the Series one time in the last 10 years. Clearly spending everywhere doesn't win you a championship, but I think smart spending in key spots increases the odds. Certainly this strategy brings a set of problems with it - not knowing what the catcher spot looks like, not having a solid DH, etc. But I think the strategy makes sense, and maximizes our odds for winning while avoiding financial regrets down the road.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

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TWO STORIES OF PRIDE, COURAGE & GIVING

The kickoff to the "holiday season"  officially kicks off tomorrow, unless you were in a certain bodega in the city with me yesterday.  "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Williams was blasting on a radio with tin foil on the antenna.  I'm not kidding by the way. I joked with the owner and told him it was 2012 and he should upgrade.  Needless to say, I've been stopping in there for 10 years off and on and I think I overstepped. I should have kept my mouth shut...maybe I'll buy him a new radio and make a truce. Anyway, I'm getting off track...

(In Photo: Rich Porcello / Megan M, Indianapolis Colts Cheerleader)
Last week when Torii Hunter was traded to the Detroit Tigers for a 2 year deal, read HERE, it was revealed that teammate Rick Porello decided to give up his #48 for Torii, who wore that number with the Angels and the Twins before that.  The exchange was simple, Hunter gets the number, but Hunter needed to step up to the plate and give money to Sandy Relief.   Porcello is a New Jersey native.

Porcello said, “Being from New Jersey, I’ve been looking at opportunities to help... I’ve seen the impact the storm had, the devastation it caused. I wanted to try to make some difference and when Torii made his offer, this was definitely one way. We’re putting something together for the relief efforts and I’m going to be giving back as well.” Read HERE.  Can you say Big Heart? Kudos to Torii and Porcello for that classy exchange.

But that's not all. There's another story that really gets to me every time I read it. Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Chuck Pagano has leukemia. Currently it's in remission but the city of Indianapolis loves Chuck and wears "ChuckStrong" shirts in support for him and leukemia is a bitch of a disease. The whole thing is a mess. But this is what gets me...you want to cry? Watch Pagano give a speech to the Colts players in this video below:


So here's the deal, the other day, the Colts Mascot tweeted this:

Soon after, one of the Colts cheerleaders, Megan M, accepted the challenge and if all $10,000 is raised by the game on Sunday, we should expect Megan's locks shaved. So once again, if $10,000 is raised for leukemia research, the clippers come out! Read about it HERE. If you can donate, donate! Let's do this!

It's feel good stories like this around this time of year that just makes you realize just how many wonderful people there are out there.  Sure, we get nagged by family and there is a ton of stresses involved with the holidays. But when you're dealing with that stress and that nagging, think about Chuck Pagano... think about those victims that are struggling after Sandy and realize... you don't know it that bad.

I applaud Torii Hunter, Rick Porcello, Megan M. and Chuck Pagano for standing tough and doing the right thing when called upon.  These stories allow you to just stop and think.  You gotta love it.

Smile today...

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KURODA IS A YANKEE. IBANEZ IS NEXT

 Hiroki Kuroda is coming back to the New York Yankees. A 1 year deal worth $15 million. You can read about it HERE. Look, if there was ever a pitcher that I believe needed to return to New York, it was Kuroda, and now that that's done, Cashman smells the turkey at his dinner table.  Personally I think the goal is to knock out a few of these signings before the holiday, maybe relax for a day and then knock out the rest. Who am I kidding, every time I see Cashman, he's on the phone. I suspect he'll be on the phone on Thanksgiving.

Look, this all makes sense. The Yankees will finally begin getting their ducks in a row. Now we can sign Raul Ibanez, who, when chatting with Bleeding Yankee Blue, didn't speak unsure of the possible marriage. He was confident saying "I can't wait to come back to the Yankees!" Read our interview with him HERE. Ibanez will be signed by the weekend. Originally I gave it 24 hours, but who the hell really knows these guys and their schedules and if they can get the deals done or the incentives or whatever.  Sometimes it's complicated. I do know this, it feels like an incredibly slow, drawn out process between the Yanks and Raul, doesn't it? For 2 parties that really like each other, what the hell is taking so long? Trust me though, it will be done...soon! 

Then, once we knock out the Raul deal, we still need to knock out the Mariano Rivera deal as well as get an answer from Andy Pettitte on whether or not he's retiring. For the record, my gut says Andy comes back. Chalk it up as unfinished business.

And back to Mariano for a moment. Rivera is truly an interesting dude and it's my feeling he'll play hard to get, meaning, he's not going to jump at the first figure the Yankees throw at him. He'll mess around with them alittle, negotiate, because after all, he knows the Yankees want him back and he also knows if he wanted to go anywhere, he could. He's a baseball God and he knows it.  Eventually Mariano Rivera will come back to the Yankees this winter, but it'll cost the Yanks a extra few bucks, because in the end, it may be a game and Mariano may be a Yankee for life... But it's also business.

The rest of the pieces will start to fall into place. I promise. You know the Yankees, they make moves slowly. Historically they do this. Why? Because of a few reasons lately. That $189 million payroll hanging over their head, and the magic of Brian Cashman. Remember Cash... he's pulled off some pretty incredible trades in the dead of winter not to mention free agent signings and it usually happens when no one sees it coming.

 Sure, while that payroll thing is a big deal, the genius of Cashman sometimes shows it's handsome little face.  Yeah. We may have passed on Torii Hunter, but that's because Cashman has another plan and hopefully, when the time is right, he'll execute. You know what I mean?

True, the slowness and lack of urgency is killing me too. But sit back, enjoy "the Cashman show", because I believe something good's coming down the pike... Something for the better of this Yankee team. What is it? Who knows, but trust me, it's pretty quiet right now... Almost too quiet. Something's coming, don't you think?

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ICHIRO IS WHO BYB READERS WANT IN RIGHT FIELD

The Bleeding Yankee Blue fans have spoken and you've overwhelmingly chose Ichiro Suzuki as the Yankees right fielder for 2013. I guess the reality was it wasn't exactly fair. I mean, I didn't have guys like Justin Upton or BJ Upton or even Giancarlo Stanton there, that would have probably sweetened the pot a bit, but that being said, this poll was concise, and I was hoping for a closer vote... That didn't happen.

Let's review. Nick Swisher only received 10 votes. Yankee fans don't know what to make of Nick Swisher these days. A lot of us were ticked off by the way he turned his slump around on us, like it was our fault. I'm willing to forgive, but I won't forget. What he did was JV.

But look, Nick's still solid, he's just a free agent right now, his first time ever so a lot of us just aren't quite sure he wants to come back. Nick came in last place.

Torii Hunter came in second and as this poll (14 votes) and down to it's final few hours, we didn't know that the Tigers would sign him that quickly, but they did. Hunter signed to a 2 year deal to go play for them, read HERE. It really didn't affect the poll, the majority of people had already picked Ichiro, but good luck to Torii. I believe he could have had a great few years in the Bronx, but hey, we'll never know.

Ichiro was the big winner with 65 votes out of 89 total voters. Good work. For me, my money is on Suzuki, especially if you go along with the Yankees "cheap but talented" plan. Ichiro is old, but what does that really mean if the guy is a singles hitter who can run, get on base and give you a chance to win? Ichiro is that guy. Sure, the Yankees don't really play small ball, but if he gets on base, that's a duck on the pond, that's a run and we have the lineup to do it.

You really can't deny his athletic ability in the field as well. He's a 10-time gold glover. He still has outstanding ability to get to the ball and plays hard every time. It's a new energy you saw when he came to the Bronx, where in Seattle, he looked like he was going through the motions. Even David Shields, author of The Understated Ichiro said so:

"Ichiro had become a lazy ex-superstar, living only for padding his stats. Frankly, the feeling here was 'Good Riddance.' It was no longer working for him in Seattle."


That's a Seattle fan ladies and gentleman. By the way, read our interview with Shields titled THE UNDERSTATED ICHIRO: THE INTERVIEW.

Bottom line, Ichiro just wants a ring, which is why he came to the Bronx in the first place. Bringing him back will be a huge plus for the Yankees lineup. He's the spark plug and if you interchange he and Brett Gardner 1 and 9, you have quickness and 2 lead off guys. You can't beat that with that Yankee lineup.

So, the BYB readers picked Ichiro, and I'm on board with that. Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll, we appreciate you.

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TORII HUNTER SIGNS WITH TIGERS... WAKE UP YANKS!

Look, I'm not even really super disappointed with this signing because if I was the Yankees GM, I already have a plan in place, because remember, I want to keep the big spending to a minimum, but look, it's being reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, HERE, that Torii Hunter has signed a 2 year deal with the Detroit Tigers worth $26 million, pending a physical.

Now, the Yanks have guys like Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez, Cody Ross and Ichiro Suzuki all out there, so, after this Hunter signing, I would strongly suggest we get moving because now it's evident, the market has begun.

We'll try to bring you more about this over the next few days at BYB, you know, a few opinions. But for all you guys and gals that are disappointed the Torii was snatched up... you should be. Know this though, Torii just didn't want to come to New York in the end.  No problem.... I do wonder what the Yankees move will be though, if any...

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BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE PLAYER TRACKER #8

Shane Victorino: The Red Sox are interested, and his ability to play all outfield positions would give them a lot of versatility. They aren’t the only ones interested though, the Rangers, Indians and Reds are also inquiring. Read more HERE.

Cody Ross:  In our last update, BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE PLAYER TRACKER #7, we mentioned that the Phillies were checking in on Ross, read HERE. Now CBSSports.com reports HERE that the Braves also have interest in him. Torii Hunter’s decision could directly impact where Ross signs because the same teams are interested in both players.

Torii Hunter: There are new headlines on Hunter every day. Latest on Hunter is that he was in Detroit on Tuesday, and that both sides want to come to an agreement. Read the latest from Scott Miller at CBSSports.com HERE.  There is no contract yet, but it sounds promising.

Jed Lowrie: Several unknown teams have checked in on Jed and read about that HERE, but unless the Astros are overwhelmed with an offer they don’t have much reason to give him up. There are few shortstops that are available this year and he is under team control through 2014.

Jonny Gomes:  It looked like Gomes was headed to Oakland, but things didn’t pan out. Now that he is back on the market the Orioles are interested and could use him for DH and outfield duties. Read more on that HERE. 

Jason Bay: The Red Sox are a team that may be interested in a guy like Jason Bay and his services. Buster Olney tweets that HERE. Bay is looking for a job and the Red Sox know what he's capable of in Fenway.  I wouldn't give up on Bay just yet, I would just chalk up his problems in Queens as bad luck and nothing more. He's still solid.

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Writer and Editor

Twitter: @NyPrincessJ


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