Well, it's not the off-season anymore. Time to focus on some actual baseball. Here's a bunch of news from camp today: http://yankees.lohudblogs.com/
Yankees (along with the Mets) interested in a talented 16 year old from the D.R. Have to love his name. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/13/s...tml?_r=2&ref=baseball&oref=slogin&oref=slogin It sounds like the Sox have the upper hand. Not that I like it, but unfortunately Theo is like Cashman when it comes to scouting. Then again, if Cashman wants a kid from the D.R., he'll get him.
Is it the school, or the cable provider? Seems pretty stupid that YES hasn't been reconnected, since the Nets season is in the final couple months, and the Yankees are back to games at least 3x a week. If it's the provider though, there's nothing the school can do. I know I remember yet another provider was making a big stink a few months ago with YES. A lot like Dolan with his Cablevision trying to block YES forever. Try checking out the provider's web site, and see if they have a listing of channel offerings. If YES isn't on the list, you can't really blame the school. If it is, I suggest filling an empty vodka bottle with gasoline, stuffing a rag in the hole, and throwing it through the window of an administrative office.
Is Karstens really this good, or is this a product of spring training for the hitters? I have to believe Karstens must be pretty damn good right now, considering the Yanks are hitting the ball. He's totally shutting down the Twins.
I've always felt he and Rasner had the potential to be solid mid-rotation starters on a good team, and battle it out for #5 on a team like the Yankees. Karstens will be the first guy called upon when one of the starters go down with an injury. After April, when the rotation gets going 1-5 on a regular basis, he'll probably be called up to be the long man.
Truth be told, between what I saw of him last year, and what I've seen of him tonight, he's getting better every time he hit the mound. I'd rather he didn't go into the pen at all. I haven't seen enough of Igawa to make a solid decision on him, but what I have seen, I think I'd rather have Karstens in the 5 spot. I'm not a fan of moving guys between the pen and rotation. If a guy is going to be a reliever, let him stay there. Otherwise, the broken rhythm can be tough to overcome. Karstens, so far, looks like he has the potential to be a real starter. (Rasner looked pretty good last year too, but I haven't seen him yet this year. Has he been with the team?)
Does anybody know the deal with Chase Wright? He pitched pretty well tonight so I looked him up and his stats are excellent.
Wright was a starter with horrible control and decent stuff up until last year. They moved him into the bullpen, which improved his control (his problem was after the first time through the order) and better showcased his stuff. Right now, he's a decent reliever prospect. He has to make a huge step this year, though. Last year was the first good year he had, and even though it may be because he found his calling as a reliever... it may also be because he was a 23 year old in single A. Right now, I doubt he ever becomes anything significant in the Yankees bullpen. If everything breaks right, I think he could be the 4th or 5th guy in the Yankee bullpen. His splits are meh, so he doesn't project as much as a specialist. Also, I heard they might try to convert him back to a starter at Trenton. Not sure if they'll do it, but I think it'd be a mistake.
http://blog.nj.com/ledgeryankees/2007/03/kkkkarstens.html Very interesting. He had the potential to be an effective back-of-the-rotation guy with a mid-80's fastball. That extra MPH could make a huge difference. If Karstens is for real (and I don't see why he wouldn't be), I'd pretty much take anything at this point for Pavano.
Have to watch Tabata's opposite field HR again. It's hard to believe he's only 18 with a swing like this (Girardi said 19, but he's really 18): http://www.yesnetwork.com/media/mp_...07_clenya_tabata_hr_400.wmv&type=v_free&_mp=1
I agree, but sadly, right now, Pavano has looked better than Igawa. Igawa is supposedly the 5th starter right now, right? So will he maybe get sent to AAA for a few weeks, get in some tuning, then join the club? It'd be really nice if Karstens can grab the 4 spot, and Igawa can get it together by May. Then ship Pavano for a box of jockstraps.
Another thing I wanted to discuss is Cano. I know he's been compared to other hitters already, but I was watching last night, and he reminded me of a guy who I haven't heard him associated with before. His swing looks like a clone of Ricky Henderson. I noticed it in his first at-bat, and I was sitting there just sort of shocked. So I watched his next at-bat, and it still looked the same. That would be something if he had the plate presence Ricky had. With a lineup like this, he'd murder the ball. I wonder how much Donnie had to do with this. Speaking of whom, unfortunately, he lost his father this week. Another topic I want to discuss is the batting order. I think Matsui and Giambi should be switched. Sure, Giambi is going to generate a lot of run support from the 3 hole, but Matsui is going to get on base far more often. Plus, Giambi would probably provide more support for ARod. My idea for a modified lineup would be: Damon Jeter Matsui ARod Giambi Cano Abreu (when he's actually playing.) Posada Mienk (however you spell it.) I'd actually love to have Cano in the leadoff spot, but obviously, with Damon here, that's a few years off right now. So what do you guys think?
Giambi consistently has one of the highest OBP in baseball year after year but Abreu should be the # 3 man. Damon Jeter Abreu A-Rod Giambi Matsui Posada Cano eye chart/Melky
Hughes finally sent down: TAMPA - Phil Hughes may have been sent packing from Yankees camp before last night's game, but the 20-year-old phenom still could emerge later this season to begin his career in pinstripes. Hughes showed his age during his three exhibition outings, posting a 7.71 ERA in 4-2/3 innings. His final outing was the roughest, as he allowed three runs on four hits and three walks in just 1-1/3innings against the Indians on Sunday. "I took a lot of things out of it, especially from that last outing," Hughes said. "There are things that I have to work on. You can only benefit from the experiences you have, so I'll take as much from it as I can." Hughes' fastball and curveball appear to be ready for prime time, but he knows he'll need to develop his changeup more when he heads to Triple-A Scranton. "You can't come in here and expect to get big-league hitters out with just two pitches," Hughes said. "I knew that from the start." The Yanks want Hughes to throw a maximum of 180innings this season, so he won't be summoned from the minors if the rotation suffers an injury early in the season. What happens after that, however, is anybody's guess. "A lot of things have to happen to consider him this year," Joe Torre said. "Our goal is to have him have a good year under his belt down there." NICE PITCH: Jeff Karstens delivered his third impressive outing of the spring last night, throwing four innings of one-hit ball in a 4-1 win over the Twins. Karstens has now thrown nine shutout innings this spring, striking out nine batters without issuing a walk. He is making a pitch for the long-relief spot in the bullpen - if not the fifth starter's job, though he remains quiet when asked about making the team. "I'm just going to come in tomorrow and do the same thing I've been doing, which is to sit in my corner, hide and do my workouts," Karstens said. "That's totally up to them. I have no say in that."... In addition to Hughes, the Yankees sent pitchers Chase Wright, Ross Ohlendorf and Matt DeSalvo across the street to the minor-league camp.
You can't have your two best on base guys hitting 5th and 7th. That's a recipe for disaster. In reality, you'd like to have Abreu 3rd and Giambi 4th, but A-Rod will probably hit 4th to break up the back to back lefty situation.
