Ian Kinsler is ready for all that awaits him this season, Don Kelly's chances to make the 25-man roster, and the Tigers' first full workout focuses heavily on baserunning. Oh, also, someone drove a tractor to practice yesterday. My money is on Dirks.
Tigers links:
The Detroit Tigers will be more reliant on speed and defense in 2014 MLB.com, Anthony Castrovince In all honesty ... I haven't been this excited about a Tigers team in awhile. I just can't wait to see how all of the offseason moves come together.
With mane but no pain, Tigers' Andy Dirks ready to hit again The Detroit News, Lynn Henning Again? That's assuming he's ever hit. Which ... uhhh ... is up for debate.
New Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler doesn't mind admitting he had gotten comfortable in Texas.
My 30 Years Watching the Detroit Tigers TigerSnark Can someone check on Rogo? He said something about understanding Jerry Green. I'm worried.
Ask Schmehl: Will Don Kelly make Opening Day roster? Can Casey Crosby win spot in Tigers' bullpen? MLive.com, James Schmehl Don Kelly debates start ........................ now! We can officially welcome baseball back.
Detroit Tigers' first full-squad workout places emphasis on baserunning Detroit Free Press, Brad Ausmus Fundamentals. Fundamentals. Fundamentals. Wheeeeeee!
Lineup discussion: AL Central SweetSpot Blog, David Schoenfield "Key question: How do they replace Prince Fielder's production and presence?" Fair question, I guess. But when I think about the season, that question really doesn't even cross my mind.
5 Things The Detroit Tigers Need To Do To Win The AL Central Motor City Bengals, Josh Paulisin There's actually only one thing they need to do, which is win more than everyone else. But perhaps that's too simplistic.
Elsewhere in baseball:
Live in Los Angeles? Wanna watch the Dodgers? Well, about that . . . HardballTalk, Craig Calcaterra I think the most shocking part of this article is that rabbit ears still exist.
The qualifying offer system doesn't help teams re-sign players and it kills the market value of a few mid-level free agents each year. What should MLB do to fix it?
Though Ubaldo Jimenez has signed, there are still several players out on the market feeling the sting of the qualifying offer. In particular, you have to feel a little bit bad for Stephen Drew, even if he is attracting some attention at last. He looked like he was on his way to becoming one of the top shortstops in the game after a breakout performance in 2010 but he ended up battling injuries that severely hampered his performance at the end of 2011 and through the first half of 2012. He then got shipped away from the organization that drafted and developed him late in the 2012 season and hit free agency without much hope of landing anything better than a one-year deal. He got that one-year deal with the Red Sox and became a key contributor for Boston as they marched their way from last place to a World Series Championship.
Drew was practically everything Boston hoped he would be in 2013. He hit .253/.333/.443, played solid defense at short and even though he didn't completely avoid injuries, he remained healthy enough to play 124 games. It was enough to endear him to manager John Farrell and to get the Red Sox to chance a qualifying offer, but at this point, it doesn't appear to be enough to land him a deal that reflects his potential value. He made the most of the pillow contract the Red Sox gave him and for his trouble he has been rewarded with a tour through qualifying offer purgatory.
Misguided as the concept seems now, the qualifying offer was created with noble intentions. It was meant to give teams a chance at hanging on to a key player or, failing that, to earn draft picks to make up for the loss. The teams benefiting are the richest instead of the poorest and while the offer has little effect on the top tier of free agents, it is clearly hurting the market value of the guys in the middle. Something needs to be done. How would you fix this mess?
Playing baseball is a little bit like trying to win over a girl that you like, you have to find some kind of comfortable middle ground between pretending you don't care at all and crazy-eyed obsession. Sadly, in both baseball and in love, only a small percentage ever strike the right balance.
The final 11 players who should fit into the Yankees top 50 prospect list
Last week Jesse, Tanya, Andrew, and I released our top 30 prospect list. We also included a list of nine prospects who some of us thought could have made the list. I went a little further and tried to fill out the rest of the top 50. I wanted to rank them, but I felt uncomfortable claiming that one rookie ball player was better than another, so here are 11 players who were previously unnamed, who I feel belong in the top 50, in some order.
Danny Burawa, RHP: This right-hander profiles to be a middle reliever. After missing all of 2012 because of injury, he was able to put together a strong return season, despite a high walk rate. If he can impress in camp and show that he has improved his control, Burawa might line himself up for a call up at some point.
Jordan Cote, RHP: Drafted back in 2011, Cote has dealt with injuries that have led him to be a 21-year-old in rookie ball. He has been impressive in small samples, but if he stays healthy he can finally build off that success.
Rookie Davis, RHP: Another 2011 draft pick limited by injuries, Davis got his first taste of A-ball this year. His velocity and size make him projectable as a big time arm, but he needs to be healthy if he wants to make up for lost time.
Taylor Dugas, OF: He had a successful season in A-ball as mostly a singles hitter, but he should move up to Trenton to begin the season. Unfortunately, he's already 24 and could face a logjam with all the outfield prospects in front of him.
Thairo Estrada, SS: In his first professional season, Estrada had a solid offensive year. With the added benefit of being a shortstop, he might end up getting a lot more attention if he continues to hit.
Giovanny Gallegos, RHP: His second season ended up being a little disappointing, but he is known for his control and high-velocity curveball, so he has the tools. Hopefully he'll have a better go in 2014, whether he repeats short season or moves up to Low-A.
Taylor Garrison, RHP: Thought to be a high-level reliever in the making, Garrison has succeeded everywhere he's been in his short career. He got a cup of coffee at Triple-A last season, but will likely start the 2014 season in Double-A which he could still easily blow through.
Omar Luis, LHP: The big lefty finally made his debut at rookie ball this season. Scouts like him for his good velocity and ability to throw strikes. He's already 21, so hopefully he has a big year in 2014 and moves quickly through the system.
Jose Pirela, 2B: Now that Robinson Cano is gone, Pirela has suddenly become an intriguing replacement. He's proven that he can hit, but he's also been in Trenton for three years. At the most, he might be able to provide a league-average bat, but his glove is a mystery.
Rob Segedin, 3B/OF: All of Segedin's value is in his ability to play third base. If he can't stay at the position, he's not going to be of much value. There's also the fact that he underwent hip surgery last season, so it's entirely possible his value is shot.
Charley Short, RHP: Once relegated to a relatively obscure indy league, Short signed with the Yankees and has blown hitters away for the last two seasons. He might be 25, but he did shoot through three levels in 2013. If he keeps it up again this year, he could put himself in line for a big league job at some point.
Robinson Cano is gone and Yankee staffers are taking shots from afar. Should we really care whether a great player runs hard to first?
The Yankees aren't used to losing players in free agency. Over the past fifteen years or so, Andy Pettitte and Robinson Cano are just about the only big names who've left the Bronx by their own design, though they did so for very different reasons. Things were actually fairly cordial with Pettitte. He took less money to leave, not more, and three years later, he was back. Does anyone outside of Houston even remember the time he spent there?
With Cano, things are going...differently. It's not often the big bad Yankees get outbid for a player, much less their own player. For some time now they've been ever-so-daintily planting seeds to explain why they did the right thing in not matching their former second baseman's ten-year, $240 million offer from Seattle. In doing so, they've taken a page straight out of the Red Sox playbook. You know those guys...every departing player, it turns out, was actually a detriment who was holding them back all along. From Wade Boggs to Roger Clemens, Nomar Garciaparra to Johnny Damon to Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis - former Sox have gone from loved to loathed in Boston with the flick of a pen and with the organization's subtle nudging. Somehow Jacoby Ellsbury's avoided the burn so far, but we all know what's coming.
In the Cano saga, the latest little salvo came from hitting coach Kevin Long who had a few things to say to reporters this weekend about Robbie's well-documented "lack of hustle." As Jason Cohen told us on Tuesday, Long said:
"If somebody told me I was a dog I'd have to fix that. When you choose not to, you leave yourself open to taking heat, and that's your fault. For whatever reason, Robbie chose not to...We all talked to him, I'm pretty sure Jeter talked to him a number of times. Even if you run at 80%, no one's going to say anything. But when you jog down the line, even if it doesn't come into play 98% of the time, it creates a perception.
He just wouldn't make that choice to run hard all the time. The reasons aren't going to make sense. He might say his legs didn't feel good, or he was playing every day and needed to save his energy. To me there was no acceptable answer.''
This isn't a new complaint. Interestingly, it became a much larger issue, at least on YES broadcasts, in Cano's walk year when Yankee brass began to come to grips with the real possibility of losing him. It's a tiresome narrative. Over the past seven seasons, Cano has showed up for and played in 1,120 of a possible 1,134 games, the second most in the majors over that span, while many of his teammates have crumbled around him. He doesn't take "personal days" when tough lefties are on the hill. He doesn't leave games with big leads or deficits. He was known for getting to the park early, taking as much batting practice as anyone and constantly fine-tuning the tools that make him one of the very best hitters in the sport. All of that is hustling - much more than making a show of running hard to first is, anyway.
Robinson Cano doesn't run out grounders. So what? Why should any of us care? How many times did he actually cost himself a hit? Turn a double into a single? You could probably count them all on one hand. Maybe he truly believes saving his energy for when it matters is what keeps him among the healthiest players in the majors. Maybe he gets frustrated when he hits a ball poorly and doesn't feel like charring down the line. Maybe he thinks sprinting to first on an obvious out just looks silly. Regardless, if you're making a list of important things about Cano's game, his refusal to bust it out of the box should sit far down the list somewhere around his iffy choices in at-bat music and his weird off-season beardage.
Still, it's what the Yankees want you to remember. Never mind that their best player over the past four seasons - their best second baseman since Tony Lazzeri - will now play elsewhere. Forget that since 2010, Cano is second in the major leagues in fWAR and ninth in wRC+. They want you to think of him as that lazy good-for-nothing who chased a few million bucks clear across the country - that selfish bum who didn't care about legacy or tradition or being a "true Yankee." Maybe it'll bring a smile to Hal Steinbrenner and Randy Levine's faces when Cano gets booed mercilessly on April 29th when the Mariners come to town - and he will, because Yankee fans, just like their brethren in New England will take that bait hook, line and sinker. But none of that changes anything. Cano is a phenomenal player and it'll be some time before he's adequately replaced.
To be fair, Long had plenty of complimentary things to add about Cano, too:
"He overcame so much while he was here. As a young kid there were holes everywhere. There were holes in his swing, in his makeup, in his body composition. This kid grew and grew and grew. All the other stuff ... he'd take plays off in the field, he'd give away at-bats in RBI situations. He made a lot of personal decisions to get over the hump in those areas. People don't know how hard he worked, how many times he was the one asking me to do extra work in the cage.''
He was answering questions from reporters. He didn't run out onto the field in Tampa screaming "have I got some dirt for you!" But he had to know which portion of his comments the press would focus on, and he also had some idea of what his bosses would probably like to hear.
The thing is, there's no reason for it to be like this. The Yankees don't need to make up reasons why they let Cano walk because the actual reason was a pretty decent one. They weren't wrong for not matching the Mariners' bid of too much money for too many years just like Cano wasn't wrong for taking an extra $65 million and running with it.
Let's look back fondly on the nine great seasons Robbie had in pinstripes instead of picking at his very few warts because we're mad he's no longer here. Let's give him a standing ovation on the 29th - let's let him know we appreciate what he accomplished as a Yankee - that we miss him - that we're grown up enough to realize that baseball's a business and that sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to.
Derek Jeter held a press conference Wednesday to discuss his impending retirement, but though the Yankees shortstop said he is "ready to do other things," he emphasized that he isn't done just yet.
Derek Jeter held a press conference Wednesday to take questions about his retirement, but it was not his "retirement" press conference. Jeter emphasized the difference several times, saying that he still has "a season to play ... I can't reiterate enough that we still have a season to play."
Jeter did not have a speech prepared. He decided to field questions, only, in an apparent attempt to keep proceedings low-key. Then his own teammates betrayed him. They lined up along the wall facing him, damn near the whole squad, and listened.
Large crowd, inc the Steinbrenners & Derek's teammates, were here as he spoke about his decision to retire after '14 pic.twitter.com/nft2m8184I
So inevitably the non-retirement press conference started sounding like a retirement press conference. Jeter was asked about his decision to leave the game after one more season, and he answered honestly, saying he is "ready to do other things." He was candid about the grind of baseball and how important his off-field life is to him.
Jeter said he wants to have a family and doesn't know how guys with kids do his job. Said missing time with his young nephew is hard enough.
When the Yankees traded for shortstop Brendan Ryan last September shortly before shutting Derek Jeter down for the season, it was a move that was made simply to get Eduardo Nunez off the field in a last-ditch effort to make the playoffs. Despite Ryan's lack of much offensive talent at all, it was understandable, even though it didn't work out.
It was a little surprising to see the Yankees re-sign him in the off-season to essentially a three-year deal worth $5 million, but it was hard to quibble too much with it--in the past, the Yankees signed similar bench players Luis Sojo and Jose Molina to multi-year deals. Although he's turning 32 in March, Ryan is still an excellent defender at shortstop, and while he hasn't played there in a few years, it wouldn't be shocking to see him back up second and third, too. It would be nice to have a bench option who could hit a little and play good defense, but if that was the case, said player would likely not be riding the bench. Depth is important to have around, and if Ryan can provide valuable defense off the bench now and then, it likely will not be too difficult to make the $5 million investment worth it.
The Yankees' non-pursuit of legitimate insurance plans for shortstop in case Jeter's recovery from the 2012 ankle injury causes problems again was frustrating, but it did provide some comfort that Ryan would be around to play caddy to Jeter at shortstop. Jeter's difficulties with range are well-documented at this point (most notably in Ben Lindbergh's direct comparison to Ryan's defense during the latter's days with the Mariners), and few soon-to-be-40-year-olds are very good good on defense anyway. The Yankees would be starting Jeter every day, but it seemed logical that they could easily stick Ryan in the game for defensive purposes following the Captain's last at-bat of the game, much like they did with Brett Gardner during the 2009 season to get the aging Johnny Damon off the field.
Cashman and manager Joe Girardi said they haven’t so much as discussed the idea of removing Jeter for late-inning defense. The job is, essentially, just as it’s been for nearly two decades: it belongs to Jeter, except with the added probability that he’ll have to rest a little more often.
Oh.
If this statement is to be taken at its word, then the only time fans will see Ryan is when he's starting every other game, not late in games to sub for Jeter. While it makes sense to take the hit on offense by starting Ryan every other day over Jeter (limiting Jeter to a figure in the vicinity of the recently-retired Chipper Jones's total of 112 games at third base in his final season of 2012 is a fair goal), it is quite confusing why the Yankees wouldn't try to improve the team on defense during the late innings of Jeter-started games. If they were willing to help the defense in '09 by subbing Gardner for Damon, why not do it now with Ryan for Jeter?
It calls Ryan's whole purpose on the team into question if he's not being used in such an obviously advantageous way. Some of those grounders that skip on by Jeter are less likely to get by Ryan. It's not unusual to see a blown save result from a couple "seeing-eye" singles that find a hole, and that's what the Yankees risk by keeping Jeter in the game. Is that worth keeping Jeter in the game in case the game goes extra innings so that his bat stays in the lineup? That's certainly debatable.
Small things like late-game defensive replacements for aging players are what can be the difference between a win and a loss. Just ask the 1986 Boston Red Sox. The Yankees have a more-than-capable defensive replacement for Jeter in Ryan. If they don't use utilize him to the best of their ability, it could certainly end up biting them in the ass.
Despite speculation that the Blue Jays would add to their rotation this offseason, they haven't yet, and now they are unlikely to sign the best remaining free agent pitcher in Ervin Santana.
Even as the list of free agent pitchers shrinks, the Jays are still unwilling to pony up the extra years and cash it would take to sign someone like Santana. After the team's pitching staff struggled mightily in 2013 (finishing with the sixth-worst ERA in the AL at 4.26), Toronto has yet to upgrade its rotation this winter. One AL executive told Stark that Santana would have to "fall in their lap" for the Jays to ultimately sign the right-hander.
Many observers expected the Jays to add to their pitching staff following a dreadful 2013 campaign that saw the club's lack of rotation depth exposed when starters like Josh Johnson and Brandon Morrow succumbed to injury.
Instead of adding a veteran arm, the Jays are planning on having one of their young, up-and-coming pitchers fill the last remaining hole in their rotation. The team has R.A. Dickey, Morrow, Mark Buehrle, and J.A. Happ penciled into the first four spots of the rotation, with youngsters Drew Hutchison and Kyle Drabek ready to vie for the fifth role. Both Hutchison and Drabek are finally healthy after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2012.
"We'd love to add a starter to maintain that depth," Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Stark. "But we're comfortable with what we have."
Along with Hutchison and Drabek, the Jays also have top prospect Marcus Stroman on the way, with the 22-year-old likely to make his big league debut in 2014 after reaching Double-A last season. Toronto also has Esmil Rogers and Todd Redmond, two starters who filled in at times last year, still under contract.
But even if they expect better depth in the season ahead, it is fair to wonder how the Jays expect to compete in the AL East without upgrading their current rotation. Dickey posted a 4.21 ERA after moving from the NL to the AL East in 2013, while Mark Buehrle also struggled after moving to the AL, finishing with a 4.15 ERA. Morrow has thrown more than 150 innings in a single season just once back in 2011.
If the Jays don't sign Santana, the 31-year-old still has a number of suitors. The Mariners, Indians, Royals, and even Yankees have been linked with the right-hander in the past week, although nothing appears imminent.
What we do know, at this point, is that the Blue Jays probably won't be inking Santana to a deal this offseason.
People have been quick to heap up criticism on the young third baseman after a disappointing 2013, but could a savvy owner reap fantasy gold this year with Middlebrooks as their starter?
At the time of writing I cannot think of another more polarizing player at the hot corner in fantasy circles than Will Middlebrooks. One the one hand, he offers a tantalizing combination of power, swatting moon shots off the Monster, and hitting amongst the top batting lineup in baseball in 2013. On the other hand, no one is 100% sure whether or not he'll even get a full slate of at bats this year, what with Stephen Drew's ghost haunting the situation. What is reasonable to expect from Middlebrooks this year and do you want him on your roster?
THE REASONS YOU DRAFT WILL MIDDLEBROOKS
1. This is easy. The power. In 2013, there were 270 fewer homeruns hit league wide, ISO dipped from .151 to .143, and wOBA dipped to .314 (the lowest offensive production since 1989). Among third basemen from 2011-13 (min. 650 PAs), Middlebrooks posted the 6th best ISO and 11th best slugging percentage. He hits an above average amount of fly balls (37.3% career) without popping up much (5.9% career), and owns the 5th best HR/FB rate as well. His batted ball distance of 278 ft. leaves something to be desired, coming in around fellow mashers Michael Young and Manny Machado (read: sarcasm), and eight of his homers last year were of the "just enough" variety. However, considering he plays a lot of games in Fenway, Yankees Stadium, Rogers Centre, and Camden Yards he happens to be in the right region of the American League to let his power play up.
2. The potential counting stats. Even hitting near the bottom of a stacked lineup, the Red Sox scored 60 more runs than the next closest team, got on base more, and had a better slugging percentage than every one else. This means that with a full slate of plate appearances he could still approach 70 runs and 80 RBI, at his current projected 8-spot in the lineup. If he gets on a hot streak it's conceivable that he's moved up to the 6-hole and his stat totals could increase, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. The bottom line is, due to no skill of his own Middlebrooks finds himself, again, in the midst of the perfect situation.
3. He's still relatively young, aged 26, so there's a sliver of a chance he can improve a bit in the power category although I don't see the approach changing much at this point.
THE REASONS YOU DON'T DRAFT WILL MIDDLEBROOKS
1. The approach is pretty awful. He doesn't walk (5% career) and he strikes out too much (25.5% career). As mentioned above, though, he doesn't hit an inordinate amount of ground balls, he gets the ball in the air, and he doesn't pop out much, all while keeping a league average line drive rate (21% career). So, it's not necessarily an all-or-nothing proposition here but no one is going to mistake Middlebrooks for a high on-base, patient slugger. Bottom line is that he could fill the stat sheet and still cost you in the batting average, and on-base departments.
2. His playing time is in question. If Stephen Drew comes back he's not merely going to get paid millions of dollars to sit the bench. At the very least it will eat into Middlebrooks' at bats. Personally I still don't think that will happen but in the middle of draft season you have to take that into account.
3. He doesn't steal many bases, but then again, neither do most third basemen. That being said, there's an opportunity for 4-5 thefts to be had from him in 2014.
Finally, let's do a little player comparison here:
BB%
K%
AVG
OBP
SLG
OPS
ISO
Spd
BABIP
wOBA
wRC+
Player A
5.00%
25.50%
0.254
0.294
0.462
0.756
0.208
3.1
0.295
0.324
100
Player B
8.80%
30.50%
0.230
0.300
0.438
0.738
0.208
2.6
0.288
0.319
102
BABIP
GB/FB
LD%
GB%
FB%
IFFB%
HR/FB
Player A
0.295
1.12
20.80%
41.90%
37.30%
5.90%
18.90%
Player B
0.288
1.39
19.60%
46.70%
33.70%
5.10%
23.60%
O-Swing%
Z-Swing%
Swing%
O-Contact%
Z-Contact%
Contact%
Zone%
F-Strike%
SwStr%
Player A
30.10%
64.00%
45.80%
62.80%
82.40%
75.50%
46.20%
59.10%
11.00%
Player B
34.20%
69.70%
48.50%
52.70%
80.70%
68.90%
40.40%
60.50%
14.70%
Now look at these numbers carefully. Player A doesn't walk quite as much but he doesn't strike out as much either. He has hit for a higher average, similar OBP and ISO, and has been a better overall offensive player according to wOBA. He hits less ground balls, and more fly balls, and in general has a more consistent BABIP. Player B has a better HR/FB rate, no doubt, which is backed up by his batted ball distance being #3 overall in the league. However, Player A's overall approach is better as he makes more contact, whiffs less, and is less aggressive outside the strike zone. The interesting part is that Player B is being selected, on average, with the 81st overall pick, whereas Middlebrooks is being taken with the 220th pick, according to NESN. So, while it seems that no one has a problem drafting Player B (Pedro Alvarez), everyone seems to have a problem with Player A (our Will Middlebrooks).
For me, if you're willing to take a shot with Alvarez that early then you might as well take a shot much later in the draft with Middlebrooks. In no way am I comparing the power potential of these two, but Middlebrooks just happens to be in the right place at the right time and could be a bargain for your team this year.
Who is going backup Tex at 1B, and heaven forbid, take the job full-time if Tex gets injured?
Despite having attempted to put Plan 189 into place, the Yankees spent a lot of money on the offseason to improve the outfield, pitching, and the position of catcher. The rest of the infield did not receive the attention that it should have, thus leaving a lack of depth and a vast array of question marks. The current game plan for first base seems to be that of throwing Mark Teixeira out there and hoping that it works out okay. The scariest part about that strategy is that Tex only played 15 games last season, and has yet to fully recover from his season-ending wrist surgery. Tex has admitted to continued wrist tightness, particularly when swinging left-handed.
In a recent interview, Tex said that he's expecting to play 150-plus games this season, and that he's also expecting to bat in the middle of the lineup, hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs. That would be great, but we all want things (right, Greg?). Tex hasn't produced like that since 2011 though, and those might not be realistic expectations, especially considering that Jose Bautista and David Ortiz both experienced a decrease in power upon their returns from the same wrist injury.
Tex went on to say:
"Everyone can go out after major surgery and go, 'I'm fine, I'm going to be good as ever,' but you don't really know that until you go out there...For me, it's just kind of two steps: make sure I'm healthy, and that means taking full swings at a 95-mph fastball in a Spring Training game."
This begs the question: If Tex can't stay healthy, who exactly is going to play first base?
Kelly Johnson played some games at first base for the Rays last season, but his glove is already needed over at third base. Brian McCann is open to transitioning to first base, but that would surely be years down the road. There are very few players on the 40-man roster who could realistically serve as Tex's backup, unless the Yankees want to force someone to learn the position. Perhaps Eduardo Nunez could secretly be an amazing first baseman, if only he were given the opportunity?
Of the Non-Roster Invitees, Russ Canzler is really the only player with any experience at first base. He played 492 games there at the minor league level, while the likes of Corban Joseph and Yangervis Solarte have played five games total at first base between them. Canzler has only played 29 games at the major league level, however, and most of those occurred during 2012. He split time in the minor leagues between the Pirates and the Orioles last season, batting .194/.277/.240 through 39 games on the Pirates Triple-A team. He performed much better through 86 games with the Orioles Triple-A team, hitting .276/.369/.430. As Jason wrote, there's only one open spot on the roster for a position player, and it remains to be seen if Canzler could snag that spot.
The fact that there is no real backup for Tex at this point is quite worrisome at best, and at worst, makes me feel like I need to breathe into a paper bag. The infield only works right now if every single person stays healthy, and half of the infield is old and/or coming off of major injuries and/or very injury-prone. I'm not a fan of the "let's hope for the best and not get any backup players who are actually good both offensively and defensively" plan.
Who do you think is going to backup Tex? Do you think Canzler stands a chance, or that it'll be someone already on the 40-man? Or do you think that there are more pressing issues than who will be the backup first baseman?
But just before Thanksgiving last year, the Padres traded him to New York in exchange for RHP Ben Paullus. Now the Yankees have signed the former Friar to a major league deal. According to the press release from Anna's management company, WCM, the infielder has been in Tampa training with the team since January and the Yankees announced the signing on Sunday.
The contract doesn't necessarily guarantee him a spot on the 25-man roster on Opening Day, but it does help his chances. Anna showed versatility last season, playing games in second, third, and short, as well as in the outfield; so he looks to be a valuable asset in the Yankees lineup if and when he makes it to the bigs.
The Padres probably would have liked to hold on to Anna, but there really wasn't a place for him on the 40-man roster and they didn't want to risk losing him for nothing in the Rule 5 Draft. So although we lost some organizational infield depth by trading him (and then soon after trading Logan Forsythe to the Rays), we got some bullpen depth in return, and we still have some options in the middle infield throughout the system. Anna seems to have a much better chance of making the big league roster sooner rather than later with the Yankees than he had with the Padres, and with a spot opening up in their infield after this season, Anna looks to be part of the future of that club.
In an article about the St. Louis Cardinals' interest in Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz, Post-Dispatch columnist Joe Strauss noted that the Yankees are involved in the Diaz sweepstakes:
It's just a passing line, but it offers at least some hope that the Yankees are giving legitimate consideration to signing the 23-year-old infielder. Jason wrote about Diaz in December, and even though it's unclear whether or not he will stay at shortstop, a move to second would also help the Yankees' future since there is no obvious prospect candidate in the minor league system to reach the pros in a timely manner. The Yankees have been relatively quiet on the Diaz front aside from attending his showcases so this could very well end up as another Ninja Cashman-type move if they do end up with him.
Since he falsified his age to make himself one year older than he actually was in 2013, MLB prohibited him from signing with a MLB team until February 19th. That date has now been passed, and he will reportedly be signing with a team sometime within the next few days. All of the aforementioned seven teams came to a December showcase in Mexico for Diaz, and scouts for the Yankees, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Mariners, Giants, and San Diego Padres were in attendance for a recent February showcase in Arizona on February 13th.
Media members have said that the Yankees are done adding MLB players to the 2014 roster, but those rumors might not include Diaz since he will likely need time in the minors before reaching the pros. They have said that they want to spend internationally in 2014 as well, and while that might mostly be referring to the international player signing period in July, it could very well refer to Diaz as well. It seems like the Cardinals will be the Yankees' chief rivals for Diaz since Strauss reported that they plan to give him an offer.
It is currently unknown if the other rumored teams plan on giving him an offer as well, but the Yankees should be in on this intriguing infielder. With a lack of middle infielders close to the majors, they could really use a prospect like Diaz in their system. If a well-run organization like the Cardinals is interested, then the Yankees better be in the mix as well. There is a dearth of that type of talent, and while Diaz would surely cost about the four-year, $28 million deal the Dodgers gave Diaz's countryman, Alexander Guerrero, it is the price to pay to provide the system with an infusion of talent. Hopefully, the Yankees will at least make Diaz a legitimate offer. With the only middle infielders with MLB experience under contract past 2014 being Brendan Ryan and Eduardo Nunez, they badly need a player like Diaz.
Alfonso Soriano may consider retirement after the 2014 season.
According to George King of the New York Post, Yankees' outfielder/DH Alfonso Sorianocould retire following the 2014 season. Soriano told the Post "It depends on how I feel. If I am healthy, I will play (in 2015). If not, I will let it go. It depends on how I feel." Soriano is in the final year of his eight-year contract he signed with the Cubs prior to the 2007 season.
Soriano, who turned 38 in January, hit .255/.302/.489 with 34 home runs and a 112 wRC+ in 151 games and 626 plate appearances split between the Cubs and Yankees in 2013. He did his best to help keep the Yankees afloat last summer after being acquired by New York, hitting .256/.325/.525 with 17 home runs and a 130 wRC+ in 243 plate appearances. Health hasn't been too much of an issue for Soriano in the past four seasons, as he's played in 586 of a possible 648 games, good for 28th-most in the entire sport.
Following the retirement talk, Soriano mentioned that the Yankees told him he would play some left field and DH this season, though he said he'll play wherever the team needs him. This is significant because once the Yankees signed Jacoby Ellsbury, it was assumed that Brett Gardner would shift from center to left. However, Gardner did say that he would play right field if Joe Girardi needed him to. No matter where Soriano plays this upcoming season, he would give the team a nice boost if he can pick up where he left off last summer in what could be his final season in the big leagues.
Now, Capuano might just be a bit part, but it wasn't that long ago he could have saved the Red Sox' season.
The 2011 Red Sox had been a dominant force for months, but September 2011 was not going their way. Through Thursday, September 22, the Sox had played 21 games in the month, and had won just five of them, giving them enough failure to drop them out of first place in the American League East, 7.5 games behind the now division-leading Yankees. Boston clung to just a two-game Wild Card lead over the Tampa Bay Rays heading into the season's final week.
The Sox had two series left: a three-game weekend set against the Yankees in New York, and a three-game series against the Orioles in Baltimore. Boston's pitching had been at the root of their issues all month long, with the starters combining for a 6.82 ERA, 1.4 homers per nine, and just a 1.8 K/BB in their 21 games, averaging under five innings per start in the process, and now, they lacked a proper option for the series finale at Yankee Stadium that would took place on Sunday.
It should have been John Lackey's spot since he was working on five days rest, but his elbow had become problematic again. Early in the season, Lackey was crushed by opponents, and was eventually put on the disabled list after receiving a cortisone shot in his elbow. While his performance temporarily rebounded, it was clear by the end of the year that he had little left to give, and earlier rumors of Tommy John surgery (reported by Peter Gammons on Twitter) being the only fix for his condition started to make much more sense. Alfredo Aceves was an option, but with the way the rotation had struggled to rack up innings, the rubber-armed right-hander was almost necessary out of the pen so he could be deployed whenever he was needed: Aceves had already made eight appearances and pitched 17-2/3 innings in relief in September, and would throw an entire start's worth, another 7-1/3, before the season was out.
Then-manager Terry Francona had ruled lefty Erik Bedard out of the discussion for the Sunday start. Bedard, who had been acquired at the trade deadline in order to replace the injured Clay Buchholz in the rotation, had pitched well enough when he could make it to the mound, but did not do so often enough to help the Sox avoid their current predicament. He had also just been shelled in his previous outing, as he couldn't get out of the third inning against Baltimore, giving up four runs in the process. When combined with his final start of the season, a 3-1/3 inning effort against the Orioles once more, it's fair to wonder if the oft-injured hurler was just out of gas by season's end, and therefore not an option in a must-win game against the Yankees in Francona's mind, not if the Red Sox could find help elsewhere.
Don't worry, we made the same face during your last few starts too, Erik. Photo credit: Tom Pennington
That's exactly what they were trying to do on their final off-day of the season. The Red Sox had been in contact with the Mets in an attempt to bring Massachusetts native Chris Capuano into the fold in Boston to pitch Sunday against New York. The Boston Herald's John Tomase reported at the time that the Sox wanted Capuano because Yankees hitters were unfamiliar with him, and the team would be unable to perform advanced scouting on him since he wouldn't make a start between the time of the trade and the game the Sox needed him for. It wasn't just sleight of hand the Sox were looking for, though, as Capuano, despite an ERA that could have been better, could throw strikes and avoid walks, two things Red Sox pitchers had been having trouble doing all month long. Plus, even if Capuano's 4.55 ERA on the season didn't look all that special, it was more than two runs better than what the Sox rotation had managed over a three-week span of incessant losing.
It goes to show you how desperate the Sox were at this time that they were looking into Capuano, as well as another back-end lefty, Bruce Chen, to pitch one game in Yankee Stadium. Limiting the offense of lefty hitters in that park is a sound strategy for pulling out a victory, and when you combine it with the unfamiliarity angle, the Sox at least had a clear plan to give them an edge. The Mets were asking for too much in exchange for Capuano, however, and the trade never occurred: The Red Sox wanted to essentially buy Capuano for cash, something they felt the Mets would be amenable to as he was a free agent once the season was over, but that wasn't enough for general manager Sandy Alderson, who gave a few reasons for a trade falling apart. "It could be a number of reasons for it -- not getting back what you think is fair compensation, wanting to finish the season as strongly as possible, perhaps wanting to retain a player from one year to the next." Capuano would leave New York for the Dodgers and a two-year deal that off-season.
Capuano never got his chance to save the Red Sox, and it very well might have ended Boston's season. The Red Sox won their Sunday game at Yankee Stadium -- now part of a double-header thanks to a Friday postponement -- when John Lackey took the mound in spite of his elbow trouble, and gutted out six innings of four-run ball in a game Boston would take 7-4. You could say that nothing changed because Capuano wasn't acquired, but imagine, for a moment, that Capuano starts on Sunday against the Yankees, and the Sox see the win they were so desperately hoping for by pitting an unfamiliar southpaw in a park where he's needed. This could have left John Lackey available for the Monday or Tuesday start against the Orioles, changing the entire rotation for the final series that would see the Sox lose their Wild Card lead and end their season in shame.
While you can't guarantee a victory on either Monday or Tuesday, the possibility exists, especially given Lackey's performance against the Yankees, that he could have out-pitched either Monday's starter, Josh Beckett -- who allowed six runs in six innings thanks to homers to Matt Wieters and Robert Andino -- or Bedard, who, as mentioned, lasted just 3-1/3 innings, forcing the bullpen to once again pitch more than it should have, an outcome that very likely affected them the next evening as well, in what was yet another (and final) September defeat for Boston.
Capuano isn't in Boston for anything that grand this time around. He's a swingman who could stick in something of a LOOGY role depending on Boston's circumstances. He might not ever see a start with the Red Sox, as that all depends on the development of the kids at Triple-A, Capuano's own pitching, and whether or not an injury opens up a spot in Boston's rotation early. Given how things turned out when Capuano was truly a necessity for Boston just a few years ago, the Red Sox are probably okay with his diminished importance this time around.
It's true... Sometimes the best moves are the moves you don't make.
As our good friend Mibby pointed out on Wednesday, the Homer Bailey extension is, "the single most defining move made by Walt Jocketty and the Reds ownership this offseason." Some analysts love the move, some hate it, and most are somewhere in between.
Count Dave Cameron as one of those in the middle - Cameron basically says the Reds probably over-payed for a "good-not-great" pitcher. However, he concedes there are, "plenty of scenarios where this deal works out just fine." The other good news is that Bailey's price tag isn't ridiculous enough to prevent the Reds from trading him (should they decide they need to down the line). In short, it's a deal like many Walt has made over the years: probably too much money, but reasonable enough to make some sense.
Tanaka cost the Yankees $175 million over a seven-year commitment. The Reds will get Bailey for less than 60 percent of that. The Reds probably could have justified spending $10M, $20M, maybe $30M more. As it turned out, locking Bailey up wasn't that difficult after all.
What if Chapman didn't throw so hard? - More from FanGraphs. It's kind of a strange concept for an article. Unsurprisingly, they conclude that Aroldis wouldn't be as good without elite heat.
Yes, I know. He's not a Cub any more. But he was for quite some time, and I'm sure you have an opinion about him. And I have a question I want you to answer.
Alfonso Soriano could join Derek Jeter in retirement following the end of the upcoming baseball season.
"It depends on how I feel," Soriano said when asked by The Post if he wants to continue playing. "If I am healthy I will play [in 2015]. If not, I will let it go. It depends how I feel."
Soriano will be 39 in July and this will be his 14th big league season. Between the Cubs and Yankees last year, Soriano hit 34 homers and drove in 101 runs proving he wasn’t in decline.
The splits were eerily even. In 93 games with the Cubs, Soriano batted .254 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs. In 58 games with the Yankees he batted .256 with 17 homers and 50 RBIs.
Let me issue one correction to that quote. Soriano's birthday is in January and he just turned 38, so he won't be 39 until early in 2015. Also, later in the article the writer, George King, says the Cubs deal was a "nine-year" contract, which we know to be not correct.
Alfonso Soriano was always a contentious figure in his six and a half years as a Cub. At times, he was dominant; the Cubs would not have won the N.L. Central in 2007 without his incredible September (.320/.354/.754 with 14 home runs in 28 games). Injuries took away most of his speed (though he did manage to steal 18 bases in 2013 and despite not being on the Cubs for the last two months of the year, led the team in stolen bases with 10), he was an indifferent outfielder after leading the league in outfield assists (19) in 2007, and he never got back to his 2007-08 level of performance until 2012, largely due to those injuries.
The article notes that Soriano doesn't really care to be a DH, but in the 35 career games he's played as a designated hitter, he has hit .289/.315/.587 with nine home runs in 121 at-bats. He seems well-suited to the role.
The question I have for you is: What is Soriano's legacy? If he does indeed retire after 2014, let's assume he has a similar year to 2013. That would leave him with career totals of approximately 2200 hits and 440 home runs. If he can steal 12 bases -- not impossible -- that would give him 300. Here are the three players who have hit that many career HR and stolen that many bases: Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays and Barry Bonds. He needs 34 doubles for 500 in his career; that's doable (he had 32 last year). All of the 11 eligible players who have at least 500 doubles and 440 home runs are in the Hall of Fame.
So he's got the counting stats. What about WAR?
Well, that's where Soriano falls short. He enters 2014 with 28.6 bWAR, far below most Hall of Famers (most have at least twice that number), and here's his top-10 comps from baseball-reference:
No Hall of Famers in that list, most likely. Note, though, that the highest comp number is 882 -- meaning that even Soriano's closest comp isn't that close (over 900 is considered better).
Alfonso Soriano doesn't fit in any one historic box. He was a second baseman for several years -- granted, not a very good one -- but he hit for more power than almost any second baseman in history while he played there (159 home runs from 2001-05, the years he was primarily a second baseman). He's a seven-time All-Star, but never finished in the top five in MVP voting, not even in the massive year he had in 2006 for the Nationals, the year that got him the big-money deal from the Cubs.
I'd have to say "probably not" if asked to vote for Soriano for the Hall of Fame, but it's closer than you might think -- and if he does continue playing beyond 2014 and perhaps gets to 500 career home runs, then what?
Thought this might be an interesting Friday discussion topic, so have at it, and vote in the poll.
Examining where players without guaranteed spots on the Yankees' Opening Day roster stand in their quest to make the team!
The Yankees will have 66 players in camp, the 40-man roster members, plus 26 Non-Roster Invitees (13 pitchers and 13 position players). From those players, the Yankees are mainly looking for a fifth starter, relievers and infielders.
We're going to be keeping track of their chances by bringing back the Making the Team Meter for spring training 2014. This weekly feature will serve as your look at the competitions going on in camp. Once spring training games start up in a few weeks we'll have two different articles per week, one breaking down the hitters and another looking at the pitchers.
Here is a look at the 50 players we will be covering in this series because they don't have a guaranteed spot on the 25-man roster:
This series will allow you to track what they have done and give you their constantly changing chances of making the roster. We use a color coordinated system to make it easier and much more fun: Red means there's no chance, Yellow means they theoretically have a shot if something unexpected happens, Chartreuse means they have a decent chance if they can beat out the competition, and Green means they are the favorites for the job.
Spring training! Excitement! Colors!
Look for our breakdowns at the end of each week. Who do you guys think has the best chance of making the team?
Homer-happy Yankee Stadium has a history of lifting new players' home run totals, so how do their recent acquisitions' previous performances translate to their new home?
Yankee Stadium is an outstanding park for hitters, especially those who can hit left-handed and aim for the short porch in right field (#HotTake). For pretty much their entire existence with the exception of old Hilltop Park and the brief two-year foray to Shea Stadium in the '70s, lefty hitters have been able to take aim at cozy targets in right field, from the Polo Grounds to the three different iterations of Yankee Stadium (original, remodeled, and new). The Yankees' lineup took a serious hit in power with the loss of Robinson Cano, who was pretty much their only legitimate homer source during the 2013 season until they traded for Alfonso Soriano in late July.
Although Cano is gone, the Yankees signed four players in the off-season who are highly likely to combine to make up for Cano's absence and then some in the power department. Only four switch-hitters in baseball history have ever hit more home runs than Carlos Beltran (358), and with nine more, he will pass Lance Berkman for fourth on that all-time list. He has sustained that power into his mid-30s by belting 78 homers over the past three seasons, an average of 26 per year. Beltran is joined in 2014 by three other lefties with power potential. Brian McCann is a catcher with pop in his bat, and he has been a safe bet for 20 homer in seven of his last eight seasons. Jacoby Ellsbury only has one big homer season on his record, but it was a 32-dinger show just two years ago--in a cozier park for lefties than Fenway, it shouldn't be hard for him to reach double digits. Infielder Kelly Johnson is overlooked, but he has also been good for double-digit homers in six of the past seven years.
While it's fun to simply dream about these players shooting bombs into the short porch, it is interesting to evaluate how these players might have performed with Yankee Stadium as their home park in recent years. Thanks to Katron.org's useful spray chart overlay tool, it is possible to take these players' home spray charts and put them in the more accommodating environment of Yankee Stadium. Katron.org notes that every location is where the ball was fielded by a player, not where it landed, so there could be some variance in there regarding the ball's downward arc. Obviously, these spray charts can only tell us so much since they can't exactly indicate whether or not the ball had the height to get out of the park, but they are still fine estimates.
Carlos Beltran
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Actual home HR: 32 (146 G) Missed Yankee Stadium HR: ~11
Based on Beltran's previous two years of spray charts playing at the Cardinals' Busch Stadium, he stands to possibly gain the biggest boost of all from playing at in the Bronx. At least seven of his 2013 non-homer balls in play seem likely to have gone over the wall at Yankee Stadium. That would have pushed his 2013 homer total to 31. It's optimistic, but boy would that be nice.
Brian McCann
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Actual home HR: 25 (109 G) Missed Yankee Stadium HR: ~3
Somewhat surprisingly, few of McCann's long drives would have been assisted by cozier dimensions than the Braves' home of Turner Field. None of his 2013 non-homer balls in play appear to have had the distance to get over the Yankee Stadium fence. So perhaps the talk about McCann's swing being perfect for Yankee Stadium is a little overstated; when he gets a hold of one, it seems to have the power to get out of any park. Still, there's little doubt that he would prefer 314 down the right field line instead of 330.
Jacoby Ellsbury
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Actual home HR: 7 (97 G) Missed Yankee Stadium HR: 7
After a collision with Reid Brignac sapped Ellsbury's power in 2012, he had a much better year in terms of power in 2013. It was no 2011 of course (for the record, he could have had five more homers that year at Yankee Stadium, an overall jump to 37 on the season), but despite only a slight difference in homers (four in 2012, nine in 2013), he definitely had more of a charge in his bat. That is evidenced by jumps in slugging percentage (.370 to .426) and wOBA (.300 to .343), and it is also apparent in the home spray chart comparison. Whereas none of his non-homer balls in play at Fenway in 2012 would have even come close to going out in Yankee Stadium, he might have nearly doubled his 2013 home run total had he played at Yankee Stadium for half his game. Seven drives appear to have possibly gone out of Yankee Stadium. Ellsbury's power could very well catch Yankees fans by surprise in 2014 thanks to Yankee Stadium.
Kelly Johnson
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Actual home HR: 16 (127 G) Missed Yankee Stadium HR: 0
Way to end the exercise on a dud, Kelly. None of his non-homer 2012-13 drives appear to be that close to going over Yankee Stadium's walls either. The Rogers Centre and the Trop treated him equally.
Checking spray chart park overlays do not tell the whole story about plate appearance results, but they do add some credence to the hope of a better power lineup in 2014. The short porch beckons. The Yankees just have to hope that the results can come close to the expectations.
