With Gary Sheffield back, stabilizing the outfield significantly, the Yankees can now turn their attention to leftfield, their sole position without a clear cut starter. There are several possibilities, and here's the case to be made for each of them. You make the call.
Melky Cabrera
He's shown that he can handle big-league pitching. Defense, however, is a little shaky. But perhaps it's worth it to keep him around for another month or so to see if his offense outweighs his defense. It only makes sense, though, if he plays nearly every day.
Bernie Williams
The wily veteran. He's adjusted to his new role nicely, handling the corner outfield spots with confidence. This would be a tough one, though, since Joe Torre doesn't like playing Williams in leftfield at Yankee Stadium because of the amount of ground he would have to cover.
Terrence Long
Torre likes the experience on his resume, but so far, Long hasn't looked good. It's been only two games, but he's understandably rusty at the plate and surprisingly an adventure in the outfield. We'll see in the coming days if these are just effects from his adjusting period, or whether they're a reality.
Bubba Crosby
The underdog. Would be the best defensive option, for sure. He's currently on the 15-day disabled list because of a hamstring injury, but the Yankees expect him back when he's eligible to come off next week. Unfortunately for Bubba, it also hurts him that he brings good things off the bench -- speed, defense, ability to bunt.
Richard Hidalgo
Maybe he's still got it. Heck, he's only 30. Raise your hand if you also were surprised by that. I sure was. He's got a great arm, always had above-average range, so defense wouldn't figure to be an issue. If anything, that could be an upgrade. But he is strikeout-prone, and there's no telling what kind of offensive shape he's in.
None of the above
Someone else in the system, perhaps? Kevin Reese? Rob Stratton? Jason Conti? Mitch Jones? Or how about outside the system? Someone mentioned the other day Tony Womack has experience in leftfield, and he's available. Maybe they should go for him (and then give out Tony Womack bobbleheads like the one pictured above???)
Let's hear who you think should be the next leftfielder, or who would you platoon?
Comments (7)
Of the options you mentioned, I would stick with Cabrera. With each game, his confidence at the plate continues to grow. He looked over-matched and timid against Billy Wagner, yet 2 days later he was swinging from the heels against Schilling. The kid is a "comer", whose defense will improve as he gets comfortable in the big leagues. At worst, his trade value is growing as July 31 approaches.
I would use Melky Cabrera full time with Bubba in certain situations. Lets see what the kid an do. The Yanks were successful with Cano last year and Cabrera so far has exceeded expectations. The reclamation projects do not work unless you find another David Ortiz out there.
Give Cabrera a chance to win it. The kid can hit, and give him a break on his rookie mistakes for once. Everyone else is just a stop gap, while Cabrera has a chance to make it his spot for years. What happened to injecting the team with youth?
Go with T. Long for now and then Bubba Crosby when he's back. Bernie and Shef can alternate in RF and DH. Cabrera is way over his head in NY!
I'm casting my vote for Melky. He's the opposite of smooth in the outfield, but I think we should take Matsui's injury as a chance to give the kid some time to develop on the big stage.
I have to give my vote to Melky. Everything is on the upside with him. He's still young and if you stick with him and he prospers, we're seeing the 'future' of the Yankees' outfield. He is a switch hitter and showing a lot of confidence on his swing. The season is still young and it's not like the Yankees are in panic mode. Remember, the Yankees doesn't need another power hitter in the lineup. They are pretty solid from no.1 down to no. 7 hitter. His defense is still shaky but you have to take that right now. It can be corrected once he started playing regularly. Bernie William's is for pinch-hitting duties, DH and occassional CF job to give Damon a break. Bubba's a terrific player but the team needs him right now to spell Sheffield in the late innings or to start every 4 days to give Sheff's body a rest. Plus he is a threat on the base path for pinch-running chores(also a good bunter). Long is long gone. He is cut off by his AAA team because he can't hit, what makes him think that he can hit in the Majors now and with the pinstripes? Cashman is doing a very good thing by not going outside the organization trading for established player therefore spending his blue chip commodities but relying on his personnel right now. You think of the confettis falling down on Canyon of Heroes come November but also you have to think about the future of the franchise. What will happen to tradition if you cannot sustain it every campaign?
My first option is Bubba. The kid deserves the opportunity to shine. Its unfortunate that he pulled a hamstring. He has the defensive ability above all outfielders mentioned to play Left field. If he was given a month of opportunity. The experiment would bare fruit for the Yanks. To keep if on the bench as a spare is unfair. Melky should be sent down to play everyday. At the age of 21, he maybe displaying beginners luck. Bernie should be used as occassional DH to keep the bat warm and some OF play. Now, the Yanks must promote from within and rebuilt the farm system. Given the expectation on the farm of promotion motivates the entire system to wear the pinstripes. We had our success from within.