REMEMBER JEFF KARSTENS? SOMETHING HAPPENED

Jeff Karstens was a good pitcher for the Yankees, but they just didn't give the guy enough time and much like they do with their young prospects, he was eventually traded.

Baseball Reference had it best: "July 26, 2008: Traded by the New York Yankees with Daniel McCutchen, Ross Ohlendorf and Jose Tabata to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady."

Jeff then pitched with the Pirates after that up to 2012, but never made it back to the show due to injury.  Today, on Instagram, he made his annoucement... he retired.  It was a cool way to do it actually:

A class act. Wish Jeff well.

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REMEMBER WHEN JOSE TABATA WAS THE "NEXT BIG THING"?

Remember when Jose Tabata was on the Yankees farm and he was the next Derek Jeter? I was just thinking about it this week when the Pittsburgh Pirates suddenly decided that it was time to shop Tabata because they found alittle something extra in prospect Gregory Polanco. It's amazing how quickly time flies.

It was July 26, 2008 and the Yankees made a move to trade Tabata, Ross Ohlendorf, Daniel McCutchen, Jeff Karstens to the Pirates, even after they hyped up Tabata as being the prospect that was "untouchable" and someone they "wouldn't move". Well, we did move him... and that's something the Yankees seem to always do.  In return, we received Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte.

(In Photo: Damaso Marte)
Now, Nady didn't give us much, but Marte was part of that Yankee pen that put us over the top in 2009 when we won the World Championship.

But before that trade, Tabata was supposed to be the "next big thing". Tabata was psyched to be a Yankee an if you read Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News from back when the trade went down, you almost felt bad for Jose:

"... Jose Tabata was considered the top prospect among position players in the Yankees' system. A trade to the Pirates ended Tabata's dream of playing in pinstripes, but the 20-year-old believes the move was the best thing that could have happened for him. 'I think it's better for me,' Tabata said Tuesday night before playing right field against the Yankees. 'I have more of a chance here. There's less pressure, where with the Yankees, there's a lot of pressure. I feel good.'"

It was good for Tabata for alittle bit. But now, according to CBS Sports, his baseball career almost comes full circle and we see a new guy in town for the Pirates and their eagerness to ship him out:

"The Pirates top prospect Gregory Polanco really impressed the team with his performance in spring training this year, to the point that they’re now reportedly shopping Jose Tabata."

Does this affect your life in any way? No.  But I am always fascinated by certain things, one of which is how the Yankees have always given away their farm system even after they prop them up.  It's strange. I mean sure, Marte worked out, but what if he didn't? And what if Jose Tabata became larger than life in Pittsburgh, much like Jay Buhner did in Seattle, what then? All I'm saying is, I hope the Yankees learn to keep our guys and develop them right.  We actually have a lot of potential, whether Baseball America thinks so or not. Sometimes talent is part of it, but giving chances and believing in yourself help as well.

Whatever the case, Tabata's back in the news... not a Yankee anymore, but still playing and we wanted to report it, like we try to do with our former Yanks... Good luck to him.

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RAUL IBANEZ: WE COULDN'T ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE

This past off-season, upon the retirement of Jorge Posada, the Yankees were left with a void to fill.  No, I’m not talking about the catcher position.  Posada had pretty much already vacated that spot and it was handed to Russell Martin et al.

I’m talking about the designated hitter spot. 

In 2011, Posada was the DH in 90 games for the Bombers.  He hit 14 hrs and contributed 44 RBI during the season with many of the hits and RBI’s seemingly coming at key points in games.

Then, he left.  Or rather, the Yankees decided to move on – leaving our team not only with statistics to fill in the lineup, but with an emotional leader to be replaced.  Posada was more than just a catcher-turned-dh, he was a veteran who conducted himself with class both on and off the field.  He was someone with a strong work ethic, and who quietly led by example with grittiness and heart.

Those were pretty large shoes to fill if you ask me.

The search for a replacement began with rumored checks into former Yankees Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.  Reports surfaced that free-agent/free-swinger Vladimir Guerrero also lobbied for the role. 

Through it all, one name kept recurring:  Raul Ibanez.

On February 21^st, GM Brian Cashman inked Ibanez to a one-year $1.1 million contract and the DH role was filled.  Little did the Yankees know just how much more they were getting with the former Philadelphia Phillie.

April started with much less than a bang for Ibanez.  Through the second week of the season he was hitting .158 and social media sites were alive with questions regarding his advanced age (40) and the wisdom of the acquisition.  Through the early struggles Ibanez kept his composure and all you heard from the Yankee side was how he set an example as a hard-worker.

His hard work would pay off.

By the end of that first month, his average was .241 and he hasn’t looked back.  In spite of his age, it seems that the veteran slugger has only gotten better – so much so that in August he is hitting .310 with a .929 OPS.  His totals for the year read: .250 avg., 15 HR and 51 RBI.  He has already exceeded what Posada gave the team in 2011 and there are still 43 games remaining on the schedule.

In addition to his offense, Ibanez has been a pleasant surprise in the field.  With injuries to Brett Gardner keeping the budding superstar on the disabled list, Ibanez has been unexpectedly called upon for significant playing time in left and right fields.  To date, Raul has played 70 games in the Yankees outfield, and has had 105 total chances without committing an error.  It is difficult to imagine Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui or Vladimir Guerrero giving us such valuable consistency.

Past signings for the spot have not been as rewarding for the Yankees.  Remember Randy Winn?  He was signed by Cashman in February 2010 and released before the end of May after hitting a forgettable .213 for New York. 

(In Photo: Xavier Nady)

Or what about Xavier Nady?  In 2008 he was came to the Yankees as part of a six-player deal and in two seasons played in a total of 66 games due to a variety of injuries. 

See how lucky we are to have Raul Ibanez?

For the better part of two seasons with the Phils, Raul Ibanez was one of the NL’s premier sluggers.  In 2011 his performance at the plate slipped and Philadelphia let him slide to free agency.  

Their loss has been the Yankees gain, and we can only hope that the cries of “RAUUUULLLL!!!!!” echo within Yankee Stadium through late October. 




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

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YANKEES NEW, YANKEES OLD AND KATE UPTON

Look, there's a ton of Yankees news and names that I needed to fill you in about.  And sure, I wanted to post this Kate Upton video as well.  God Bless America and the New York Yankees...

David Aardsma: So great news for David Aardsma, he's on track, according to him.  Gotta love Twitter, read HERE.  20 fastballs he threw and he felt good.  That's good and once he starts mixing up the pitches he'll move on to the next step and hopefully we see him after the All-Star break.  Look, the Yankees pen right now is terrific and if Aardsma comes in and he can contribute, that can only be a good thing.  I'm psyched about this guy and again, I love that he communicates with us fans on Twitter.

Alfonso Soriano: According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times, Soriano is interested in being traded to a contender. Read HERE. The question is, would the Yankees have a need or want to bring him back to the Bronx to utilize his bat off the bench?

Jose Contreras: Remember Jose Contreras? He's with the Phillies these days and I just wanted to fill you in on his life.  He has a tear of his ulnar collateral ligament and a flexor pronator tear...read HERE.  I always liked Contreras but he wasn't Yankees material.  I really loved what George Steinbrenner did with Contresas, outbidding the Red Sox back in the day...you gotta love that. It was right around then that the Yankees were called the Evil Empire...sour grapes much?

Austin Romine: Romine is back...kind of.  He announced on Twitter that he can begin baseball activities finally. Read his Tweet HERE. Let's not forget, this guy's had back problems since Spring. Hopefully he gets going, I'm really looking forward to seeing him at some point.

Ross Ohlendorf: Ross Ohlendorf had that potential that the Yankees always say they like about their kids, then, in a flash he was shipped off to the Pittsburgh Pirates near the trade deadline in 2008 with 3 others for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady. Marte ended up being valuable to us in the 2009 World Series, so, it would have been interesting if we didn't make that move. The point is, I wanted to give you update on Ohlendorf who's on the move again. He was with the Red Sox on a minor league contract but opted out of it over the weekend. Well, he just signed with the San Diego Padres to a major league deal. Read HERE. Good luck Ross.

Cesar Cabral: Cabral was the lefty pitcher who was competing against Clay Rapada in spring training and literally got hurt right before the first day of the season.  Rapada made the team by default, Cabral was put on the shelf.  Here's the latest on Cabral, he's been moved from the 60 day to the 15 day DL. Read HERE.  That update was mid-May and to be honest, I haven't been able to get a better update now on June 4th, except to tell you that the consensus is he will miss the first half this season. Stay tuned.

Kate Upton: Kate Upton has been all over the place lately.  She recently appeared on the Dan Patrick show on one of the funniest shows by DP I've seen in a while. Read WHY IT'S ALL KATE UPTON ON DAN PATRICK'S SHOW. Upton recently danced the Cat Daddy and the video was "directed" by a guy named Terry Richardson.  Well... I guess he deserves an Oscar, because it's considered by many to be a great "film".  Here it is.
 
So there you have it, the New York Yankees, former Yankees and Kate Upton. Enjoy your Tuesday.

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CHECKING IN WITH ROSS OHLENDORF & JUSTIN CHRISTIAN

Give 2 former Yankee kids credit, they may have left the Yankees organization but their still trying to climb the Major League ladder and good for them. A few guys just signed minor league deals with the Red Sox and the Giants and I wanted to just keep you in the loop. Check it out:

Ross Ohlendorf: Yes, He’s back in the American League East after spending some time with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox. Ohlendorf was one of the guys that was traded with Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen and Jose Tabata for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte back in 2008. He’s a pitcher with a good head on his shoulders and he has OK stuff. I never envisioned Ohlendorf as becoming a superstar and neither did the Yankees, but the bottom line is, the Red Sox have faith in the kid…there you go. While Ross was with the Pirates, he posted a 4.60 ERA and was 13-27. He was released by the Pirates at the end of 2011 after he posted a 8.15 ERA and was 1-3 in 9 starts.

Justin Christian: Remember him? Not many do but Christian was a kid I liked and was only with the Yankees briefly back in 2008. Christian signed a minor league deal with the Giants after he was designated for assignment 8 days ago…by the Giants, read HERE. Hmm. Ok. I just remember Christian as being a hungry kid but again, it was a brief time for him in the Bronx and I don’t remember much. With the Giants in 2011, Christian had a .255 AVG, 12-47. Back in 2008 with the Yankees, he had a .250 AVG and was 10-40.

Good luck to both of these crazy kids. I’m glad they’re still playing and still able to latch on to a club.

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