Amazing how quickly the perception of a team can change. The Yankees were potentially in major trouble this offseason, as C.C. Sabathia had an out clause in his contract, and the rest of the starting rotation appeared to be in serious trouble. The lineup was old, and it appeared that the Yankees’ run may, in fact, have run it’s course.
Fast forward to January 23rd. The Yankees locked up Sabathia, providing them with a legitimate anchor for the rotation. Sabathia is, despite concerns about his weight, extremely durable and consistent. The Yankees then traded for rising star Michael Pineda, giving them a much needed young potential stud for the rotation. Three days later, they signed dependable veteran Hiroki Kuroda to a one year contract. Suddenly, the rotation, which looked like a severe weakness, had become a strength. 16 game winner Ivan Nova holds down the fourth starter slot, and despite the expected regression he will have this season, is a solid piece. The fifth starter will be either Phil Hughes, who imploded last year, or Freddy Garcia, who put up a surprisingly solid year. A.J. Burnett was traded to the Pirates, which will improve the Yankees’ rotation simply by his absence. The rotation, once a weakness, is suddenly a strength.
The bullpen is solid, with future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera returning to lock down the ninth inning. Even at age 42, he shows no signs of wearing down, and looks as dominant as ever. David Robertson may have been the top set up man in baseball last year. Despite his wildness (35 walks in 66.1 innings), he was virtually unhittable, holding the opposition to a .170 batting average against while striking out over one-third of the hitters he faced. Boone Logan, Rafael Soriano, and the recently signed David Aardsma provide excellent bullpen depth, and give the Yankees plenty of options should Robertson stumble or if Rivera gets hurt.
The outfield returns intact, with Nick Swisher in right field, Curtis Granderson in center, and Brett Gardner in left. Gardner is a solid player, capable of providing a bit of power, excellent speed, and a decent glove. Granderson had a career year last season, as he finally figured out how to hit left handed pitching. His 41 home runs were far and away his highest total, and he actually drew a solid amount of walks, showing an improved batting eye. While regression is expected, he may finally be past the possibility of being a platoon candidate. Swisher is a solid left fielder, able to get on base at a good rate, hit the occasional home run, and play decent defense. Even if the outfield is not spectacular, it is a solid group.
The infield for the Yankees is a solid group, although there are concerns at shortstop and third base. Derek Jeter returns at shortstop, but one has to wonder how long he will remain an effective major league player. 2010 looked like the beginning of the end, but Jeter returned with a solid 2011, particularly in the second half when he posted a .327 batting average and .811 OPS. Alex Rodriguez has been plagued by injuries over the past couple of years, and looks like he is nearing the end of the line. If he can stay healthy, Rodriguez can still produce at a level just below elite. The question is, how many games can he play? Otherwise, Eduardo Nunez may see a lot more playing time than a team with this payroll should allow. At second base is the dependable Robinson Cano, who is one of the top two or three second basemen in the game. While known primarily for his offense, Cano has won a Gold Glove, and is one of the best at making plays at his position. First baseman Mark Teixeira has seen his batting average on balls in play dip over each of the past five seasons, but remains a solid power hitter in the middle of the lineup. Teixeira is also a very underrated defensive player, having won four Gold Glove awards.
Russell Martin had a career rennaisance last season, and was rewarded with a $7.5 million dollar deal. While his batting average suffered a bit, he regained a power stroke, and showed flashes of his former ability. Francisco Cervelli is a capable backup, and may be one of the better backup catchers in the game. At DH, the Yankees finally put Jorge Posada out of his misery. Look for a platoon with Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones to take over the position, as they finally get some production from the position over a full year.
The Yankees are poised to make a deep run this season. After having problems in the playoffs due to their pitching staff, they may return to the World Series again this season. At this point, they are the favorites to represent the American League in the Fall Classic.
Showing posts with label Derek Jeter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Derek Jeter. Show all posts
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
A Tale of Two Milestone
When Derek Jeter was staring down 3000 hits, it was practically impossible to avoid coverage of his quest. Whenever one turned on ESPN, looked at a sports website, or listened to a baseball game, there was Jeter. It got to a point where it almost seemed as though it was a part of his contract that he needed to be mentioned everywhere. Of course, if it was, Alex Rodriguez would have negotiated a clause in his contract where he needed to be mentioned more than Jeter.
Meanwhile, there was another player marching towards a milestone. In fact, the milestone that he was chasing was more exclusive than getting to 3000 hits. While Jeter became the 28th player to get 3000 hits, only seven people had gotten to this other feat. Yet, due to the low profile approach to the game the player has, very little attention was paid to his quest. The player? Jim Thome. The milestone? 600 home runs.
With a two home run game last night, Thome became the eighth player to get to 600 home runs for a career. His name now joins players like Mays, Ruth, Aaron, Griffey, Bonds, A-Rod, and Sosa. Yet, it seems as though no one cares. Why is this?
There are a number of reasons for this. First, Thome never really captured the imagination of America. He has only been an All-Star five times over his twenty year career. He has never finished higher than fourth in the MVP vote. He has played for teams that aren’t exactly constantly on television with the Indians, Phillies, White Sox, Dodgers, and Twins. His peak was during the height of the steroid era, where he was being overshadowed by players like Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, and A-Rod. He just isn’t an exciting player.
Secondly, there is the entire steroid era. Thome has never been linked to PEDs, but he played during that era. Baseballs were leaving the yard with amazing frequency. In fact, three of the players he joins in the 600 home run club have been linked to steroids, and one is an admitted user. Yet Thome was never hauled in front of Congress, was never the focus of a smear campaign headed by Major League Baseball, and just destroyed the ol’ horsehide with regularity.
This actually leads to the third reason. Due to the steroid era, people are jaded with home run hitters. Remember the old baseball ad stating ‘Chicks dig the long ball’? Maybe they did back in the day, but now people just expect them to happen. Over the past decade, five players joined the 600 home run club. Meanwhile, only three players have joined the 3000 hit club in the same time frame. The oversaturation of the home run in baseball has led people to think that 3000 hits are a more difficult accomplishment to get to, when that is simply not the case.
When Derek Jeter got to 3000 hits, you could not escape the coverage. Meanwhile, Jim Thome got to 600 home runs to a collective yawn. It’s unfortunate that a player who did things the right way is not getting the due he deserves.
Meanwhile, there was another player marching towards a milestone. In fact, the milestone that he was chasing was more exclusive than getting to 3000 hits. While Jeter became the 28th player to get 3000 hits, only seven people had gotten to this other feat. Yet, due to the low profile approach to the game the player has, very little attention was paid to his quest. The player? Jim Thome. The milestone? 600 home runs.
With a two home run game last night, Thome became the eighth player to get to 600 home runs for a career. His name now joins players like Mays, Ruth, Aaron, Griffey, Bonds, A-Rod, and Sosa. Yet, it seems as though no one cares. Why is this?
There are a number of reasons for this. First, Thome never really captured the imagination of America. He has only been an All-Star five times over his twenty year career. He has never finished higher than fourth in the MVP vote. He has played for teams that aren’t exactly constantly on television with the Indians, Phillies, White Sox, Dodgers, and Twins. His peak was during the height of the steroid era, where he was being overshadowed by players like Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, and A-Rod. He just isn’t an exciting player.
Secondly, there is the entire steroid era. Thome has never been linked to PEDs, but he played during that era. Baseballs were leaving the yard with amazing frequency. In fact, three of the players he joins in the 600 home run club have been linked to steroids, and one is an admitted user. Yet Thome was never hauled in front of Congress, was never the focus of a smear campaign headed by Major League Baseball, and just destroyed the ol’ horsehide with regularity.
This actually leads to the third reason. Due to the steroid era, people are jaded with home run hitters. Remember the old baseball ad stating ‘Chicks dig the long ball’? Maybe they did back in the day, but now people just expect them to happen. Over the past decade, five players joined the 600 home run club. Meanwhile, only three players have joined the 3000 hit club in the same time frame. The oversaturation of the home run in baseball has led people to think that 3000 hits are a more difficult accomplishment to get to, when that is simply not the case.
When Derek Jeter got to 3000 hits, you could not escape the coverage. Meanwhile, Jim Thome got to 600 home runs to a collective yawn. It’s unfortunate that a player who did things the right way is not getting the due he deserves.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Derek Jeter gets another Gold Glove why?
The American League Gold Glove awards were announced the other day. There were few surprises amongst those who received the awards (Ichiro getting his tenth in ten years, Mark Beuhrle getting his second, Franklin Gutierrez being recognized) and for the most part, there were few flaws with those who received this award. However, that is unless one looks at the winner of the Gold Glove award for shortstop - the essentially immobile Derek Jeter.
Looking at the metric for defensive capability (Rfield - which measures the number of putouts, assists, and double plays made by each fielder, and comparing those totals to positional norms of other fielders to arrive at a figure above or below average. Each extra out made, or hit allowed, is worth X runs which leads to the FR figure) Jeter ranked dead last in the American League, and 27th of 28 shortstops in baseball that played a minimum of 100 games at that position (here is a link to the chart at baseballreference.com: http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/9067 ). Now, this is taking nothing away from Jeter; he is a smart baseball player who knows almost exactly where to position himself with each hitter. If he is able to get to the ball, he typically makes the play, as exemplified by his six errors all season. However, he simply does not have any range at this point in time in his career. He has major problems getting to a ball hit in the hole or behind second base unless he is already shaded in that direction. Getting to a ground ball anywhere beyond two steps of his location either way is improbable at best.
The best choice for the AL Gold Glove award based on the chart would have been Jack Wilson. However, he plays in Seattle on a dismal ballclub and is not a 'name' for the fans. Let's face it, how many people out there care about Jack Wilson's baseball career outside of his family? Having the career that Jeter has had, and playing in pinstripes, definitely helped him get this award.
Looking at the metric for defensive capability (Rfield - which measures the number of putouts, assists, and double plays made by each fielder, and comparing those totals to positional norms of other fielders to arrive at a figure above or below average. Each extra out made, or hit allowed, is worth X runs which leads to the FR figure) Jeter ranked dead last in the American League, and 27th of 28 shortstops in baseball that played a minimum of 100 games at that position (here is a link to the chart at baseballreference.com: http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/9067 ). Now, this is taking nothing away from Jeter; he is a smart baseball player who knows almost exactly where to position himself with each hitter. If he is able to get to the ball, he typically makes the play, as exemplified by his six errors all season. However, he simply does not have any range at this point in time in his career. He has major problems getting to a ball hit in the hole or behind second base unless he is already shaded in that direction. Getting to a ground ball anywhere beyond two steps of his location either way is improbable at best.
The best choice for the AL Gold Glove award based on the chart would have been Jack Wilson. However, he plays in Seattle on a dismal ballclub and is not a 'name' for the fans. Let's face it, how many people out there care about Jack Wilson's baseball career outside of his family? Having the career that Jeter has had, and playing in pinstripes, definitely helped him get this award.
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