Robinson Cano is kind of good

Consider this—in 2010, the average line for an American League second baseman was .264/.328/.391 (that’s a .719 OPS). Conversely, Robinson Cano, the Yankees’ second baseman, hit .319/.381/.534 (that’s a .915 OPS). I don’t think Robbie captured himself an MVP title this year – that honor probably belongs to Josh Hamilton – but he did establish [...]

Defense the key to Brett Gardner’s future?

In 2010, according to Ultimate Zone Rating, Brett Gardner, with a remarkable 21.7 UZR and 39.6 UZR/150, was the best left fielder in baseball. The gritty one actually contributed over 2 wins with his stellar fielding. Most of Gardner’s defensive prowess stems from his tremendous range, which was 16 runs above average—the best rating in the [...]

Quick Bits: Recap, Posada, Joba, Downs

Here are a few quick items on the day: Thanks mainly to rookie right-hander, Josh Tomlin, the Yankees lost to Cleveland last night, 4-1. Jorge Posada missed yesterday’s game with a sore left knee. Posada also admitted to dealing with a cyst in the back of the knee – the culprit for the soreness – [...]

Yanks on Soria’s no-trade list?

Via ESPN New York: If the Yankees are indeed interested in acquiring Kansas City Royals All-Star closer Joakim Soria, they will face one more hurdle — a no-trade clause.The Yankees are one of the six teams on Soria’s no-trade list, a baseball official with knowledge of the contract tells ESPN New York. Perhaps Soria – [...]

Jayson Werth, a Red Sox or a Ray

Here’s an interesting bit of info to chew on for a bit. Via Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports: Few imagined that the Phillies would be willing to trade one of their most productive players before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. But the Phils’ seven-game homestand before the All-Star break could determine [...]

A.J. Burnett not worth $16.5M per year

Though I have discussed this at length in a number of previous posts, after last night’s brutal start, I have to say it once more–A.J. Burnett is not and and was not going to be worth $16.5M, which is what he currently collects from the Yankees each season. Brian Cashman simply overpaid him when he [...]

Brett Gardner is slap happy

If you’ve watched most of the Yankees’ games this year, the spray chart below probably isn’t much of a surprise. Whenever Gardner gets a hit, most of the time he finds a way to slap the ball to left field, just over the head of the third baseman, or he hits a knee-high pitch just [...]

Cervelli’s offense going forward

Lately, it seems like everyone is talking about the bat of catcher Francisco Cervelli, who has filled in admirably – an understatement, I know – for Jorge Posada during his recent absence (brought on by a mild calf strain). On the season, Cervelli has hit an absurd .429/.500/.500, with 12 RBI. Obviously, that’s a very [...]

Dallas Braden’s perplexing perfecto

Via Jack Moore of FanGraphs: At 3:12 PM local time on May 09, 2010, Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics retired Gabe Kapler to finish off only the 19th perfect game in major league history, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays. Braden struck out six batters in the process and only required 109 pitches to record the 27 [...]

Phil Hughes’ fastball confidence remains

Here’s something I wrote regarding Phil Hughes back in early February: In 2009, working primarily as Mariano Rivera’s setup man, Hughes’ fastball averaged 93.7 mph. In 2008, as a starter, Hughes’ velocity averaged nearly 3 mph less at 91.2 mph. The noticeable uptick in velocity can help to explain the changes in Hughes’ demeanor from [...]

Morning Bits: Recap, Braden, Burnett

Here are a few quick items on the morning: Due to an ineffective outing from A.J. Burnett, the Yankees lost to the Red Sox, 9-3. Believe it or not, but yesterday Dallas Braden tossed a perfect game against Tampa Bay. Back to Burnett—since joining NY, his ERA against the Red Sox at Fenway is 12.68. [...]

Quick Bits: Recap, Aceves, Teixeira

Here are a few quick items on the (Mother’s) day: Thanks to Mark Teixeira and Francisco Cervelli, the Yankees beat the Red Sox yesterday, 14-3, In the sixth inning of the game, Alfredo Aceves exited with a stiff lower back. He’ll miss 2-3 days. Back to Mark Teixeira for a second—prior to yesterday’s game, he [...]

Injury Bits: Johnson, Russo, Posada, Cano

Here are a few injury items on the afternoon: Nick Johnson has been placed on the DL and Kevin Russo has been recalled from Triple-A. Due to a damp field, Jorge Posada will not play today. He’ll return to the lineup tomorrow as the DH. Robinson Cano may or may not play today. That will be [...]

CC Sabathia disses Dallas Braden, yells at Josh Beckett

As if you needed another reason to love CC Sabathia… Braden, who took exception to A-Rod’s crossing of the mound back to first base after a foul ball, hinted he was ready to escalate beyond trading insults. “We don’t do much talking in the 209,” Braden told CSNBayArea.com, referring to the area code where he grew [...]

Quick Bits: Pettitte, Posada, Rivera, Sanchez

Here are a few quick news items on the day: Andy Pettitte wants to make his next start, but the Yankees have said that they will skip him. Even though running might still be an issue for him, Jorge Posada is hoping to play tomorrow. After missing a few days with stiffness in his left [...]

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