On the Yankees beat

Damon still has plenty left in his tank

Good game for our offense....even better game for Wang.

Wang did not have his usual "stuff" last night. His sinker and slider were not as good as they usually are. But he was able to use a change up and splitter to get batters out when he needed to.

Only 6 or 7 months ago Wang was not capable of doing this and he ended up getting rocked in the playoffs because he relied to heavily on his best two pitches.

Giambi wasn't just lifted for his glove. He hurt his thumb on AJ's sharp ground ball.

Girardi said that Chad Moeller won't be sent out (they could lose him because he has to go on waivers) until they are sure how Posada's arm will hold up to working behind the dish.

Have fun with the family Kat.

Chip: Jason could end his baseball career and become a goalie in the NHL. I watched the rerun of the play. His back hand which is his throwing hand was struck either diving for the ball or falling for the ball but the glove was no where the ball.

Great stats on Wanger. A couple more from Feinsand at the DN:

"Over his last 28 starts, Wang is 20-3, leading the majors in wins and winning percentage in that stretch. He also became the first Yankees pitcher since Kevin Brown in 2004 to win his first four decisions to open a season."

Kevin Brown! Ha! Didn't see that coming.

Bleeker...

Be cautious. You are reading the bad name. That name attracts Those We Do Not Speak Of. You must bury that article.

; )

I'm glad that both Damon and Abreu are swinging the bat well and getting some big hits.

I got home late from work last night so I caught up with the game in the top of the 6th. I saw Giambi's last 2 at bats where he grounded out to the right fielder, opps, I mean the 2nd baseman, and he struck out looking at a pitch that I thought he could drive. He didn't even swing the bat and it looks like his confidence just isn't there now.

DRU,

Thanks for the tip. But are you referring to the pitcher or the article writer? If it's the pticher, I can understand and will gladly send it back to the grotto from which it came. If it's writer, I'm not sure I understand. Please advise.

Loved the way Jorge navigated Wanger through the game. He does not get enough credit sometimes on how to identify what is working right and what isn't and finding a way to get the most innings out of his pitcher. I think Hughes and Kennedy will benefit a great deal because Posada is behind the dish, although Moeller did a good job in his and Molina's absence.
Anybody know how our bullpen guys in the minors are doing?
Melancon
Patterson
Cox

A couple of league notes:

Cincy fired their GM and replaced him with Walt Jockety - my guess is that Jockety will move Griffey and Dunn before August.

Also Detroit has switched Carlos Guillen and Miggy Cabrera - Cabrera will now play first and Guillen will play third.

Barry Zito is fast approaching Mike Hampton level of FA busts

I think the Mets will end up making a move for a new first baseman - possibly Scott Hatteberg, Doug M or Brandon Inge - Delgado's level of play is approaching unwatchable (and that's from someone who is suffering through Giambi)

Jose Guillen is not having a good start for the Royals and what's more, as good as Gil Meche was last season for KC he has come crashing down to reality this season.

Mike:

Patterson (Trip A) 7 innings 7 hits 4k 4.50 ERA
Cox (hiA) 5 IP, 6 hits, 2 BB, 1K, 3.60 ERA
Melancon (hiA) 12 IP, 15 hits, 4 BB, 7K 5.25 ERA

Patterson Update IP 8.2 ERA 5.19

Great source:
http://yankeesprospects.com/daily.php

Bleecker..lol...the pitcher.

Chip - thanks for the stats, I was just reading about Melancon's last outing, not pretty. Any word on Sanchez?

I log onto MILB.com for all the minor league action

CHIP

Be prepared for NY to offer Abreu the same kind of deal they offered Posada.He's 2 yrs younger and could still be productive at the age of 38.

ruse -

I would not mind them keeping Abreu - but I think a lot of it will depend on how many years he wants (he'll want 4-5 they'll want to give him 2-3) and the development of Gardner, Tabata, A-Jax, and also what happens with Tex and Sabathia.

I think if the Yankees signed Tex they would be alright letting Abreu leave and going with an OF of Damon, Melky, Matsui.

Oof. Patterson's ERA. A lot of us were clamoring pretty loud for him to make the club out of camp. Not looking so hot in Scranton. Is it just a let down after having such a great Spring and not making the team? Or has he come back to earth? Probably a little of both. Wonder what we could expect of him if he came back up.

What about Brackman? Is he on the mend or is he out all year?

Dru -

Humberto is still not in games, but he and Brackman are throwing in Tampa and Sanchez should be ready for rehab games soon. Brackman is out all year.

Bleecker -

As for Patterson's ERA - it's not pretty but then again Moeller and Alberto Gonzalez were batting in the .100s when they got called up so you can never really tell.

Sanchez was moved to the 60 day DL when the Yanks went through their roster shuffling, so my guess is that he's worse off than some had initially expected and probably will not have any impact on the big club at all this year. With the SI Yanks season starting in June, that's a possible destination for him, but there would need to be more roster shuffling to take him off of the 60 day DL.

It's also been rumored that Brackman may pitch some for SI late in the season as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see either Sanchez or Brackman in one of the fall leagues.

Patterson has been losing ground on the depth chart for call-ups with the Yanks and Edwar's strong performance doesn't help Patterson at all. The key to Patterson's pitching is his funky delivery and the distance he closes before releasing the ball. He's not a "stuff" pitcher and he's not a kid, so he's not getting much stronger. Currently, my guess for bullpen callups including the two obvious ones are:

1. Abalejedo
2. Ramirez (for now)
3. Veras (he pitches so hard and is doing well closing games for SWB)
4. Britton (he needs to get a shot)
5. Patterson

Wild Card: If Traber continues to struggle, Henn will get the call.

Notice I'm not including any of the starters (i.e. Igawa, Rasner, White), anyone currently out hurt (Horne), or anyone below AAA (Wright, Jackson, Robertson, Whelan, Cox, Melancon).

Shelley has cooled down at SWB, his BA is only .271, though his OPS is 1.046 with .400 coming from OBP, so the guy is taking walks, 10 in 13 games.

I think there has been some confusion between Yankee INF prospect, Cody Ransom with St. Louis Cardinals OF prospect, Colby Rasmus. Ransom has not started the season well, hitting .213 through 19 games. I don't see him getting a call-up anytime soon. Only one true prospect for the Yanks is even hitting over .300 down there though (Gardner), I'm not counting C Chris Stewart as a true prospect.

The other Gardner:

You know, the guy taken from us in the Rule V draft, but then returned to us after getting lit up during spring training? He's not doing too bad down at Trenton, but he's not great either. He's pitched 10.1 innings and has an ERA of 2.61 with 11 Ks. That's the good. The bad? His 1.74 WHIP.

That WHIP number scares me. It amazed me that Wang got away with so many baserunners last night. What was it, 10 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings? Generally a WHIP of 2.00 = BIG TROUBLE. On the other hand, Dave Robertson has been fierce down there. 6 games, 12.1 innings, 17 Ks, an ERA of 0.74 and a 1.05 WHIP. Steven Jackson has been sharp too, getting the most action of any reliever for Trenton with 7 appearances and 16 innings. His ERA is a little high at 4.50, but I just think he's been unlucky as his peripheral numbers are good, 18 Ks and a 1.06 WHIP. To me, I look at an ERA of 4.50 as meaning that a relief pitcher has a 50% chance of giving up a run this inning (I know, simple math) and that it progresses down from there. Hopefully, Jackson's peripheral numbers will prevail.

With all the money being freed up next year, I wouldn't be surprised to see them go after Tex AND Sabathia. P.S. I see Andy also coming back for another year. Also, I'm all for keeping Abreu!

Thanks Chip and Jon K - Guess Joba will need to be in the pen a little bit longer.

Wake up, Moose. Gotta have a few more pitches in that arm somewhere. Where is Doyle Alexander when you need 'em?

Sheesh!

Let me tell you that I love the potential of AJax and Tabata, but those that think that AJax or Tabata will slide into the Yankee roster with a better chance than Gardner (or pushing Melky out in the future) may want to look at their performance so far. I'm not criticizing Tabata or AJax here. I think they'll both do better than they've shown, especially Tabata as young as he is, but let's look at something:

AJax:(turned 21 in february) 20 games, 80 ABs, .300 Avg, .404 OBP, .388 SLG and 0 HRs - that .388 SLG is not going to get anyone rushed through the system

Tabata: (turns 20 in august) 20 games, 78 ABs, .218 AVG, .319 OBP, .256 SLG and 0 HRs - Hopefully just a slow start, but if things don't turn around for him, he might need a spin down in Tampa (where he should be anyway at his age)

Gardner: (turns 25 in august) 16 games, 60 ABs, .333 AVG, .400 OBP, .567 SLG and 1 HR - I get it, he's considerably older, but those other guys aren't exactly knocking him over

Melky: (turns 24 in august) 19 games, 61 ABs, .279 AVG, .352 OBP, .443 SLG and 3 HRS

It's early, but I like to keep things in perspective. In other words, let's speculate about which of these OFs are being blocked by Abreu and whether Abreu should be offered a 1, 2, 3 or 4 year deal, once we have A LOT more information. I've spoken on where I stand, but let's hope something special happens for one of these players this season that changes what I currently think.

I guess Sheets being injured again will only further the fear that many teams will have with signing him. The contract he gets will be very interesting to me this offseason.

Rick -

I personally think the Yankees could go after both Sabathia and Tex. The comments about one vs the other are the result of a conversation I had yesterday with a buddy of mine, if you could only get one which one would you want more...

Keeping in mind that it's April here are the teams I think would be in the bidding for each of them:
Sabathia
Boston (he would slot into Schilling's spot)
LAAngels (If Kelvim Escobar's career is over)
LADodgers
NY Mets (Ollie Perez is a FA and said to want Barry Zito money - if the choices are 17 mil a year for Perez or 20 for Sabathia I can't see why they wouldn't be interested)
NY Yankees

For Tex:
NY Mets (Delgado is a FA)
NY Yankees
Baltimore Orioles (he's from there and Angelos has wanted to get him - sort of a hometown hero thing)
Atlanta Braves
San Fran Giants
Seattle Mariners

For Abreu:
NY Yankees
NY Mets
St. Louis Cardinals
Cleveland Indians
Seattle Mariners

I can see Tex for sure and I think Abreu would take 2 years with a club option for the 3rd year. I am not sold on Sabathia. His cheeseburger diet may work against him and the number of innings pitched may be catching up to him right about now. I can see Jackson or Gardner getting a cup of coffee in the near future.

Get Moose a protein shake.

"Dave Robertson has been fierce down there. 6 games, 12.1 innings, 17 Ks, an ERA of 0.74 and a 1.05 WHIP"

Love that kid, he was a beast last year. I would love to see what he can do in Scranton.

Good to see Steven Jackson's WHIP low, if he could get better control he could be something for us.

I was reading that Montero is raking, I hope the Yanks take it nice and slow with him to let him fully develop, that kid has a bright future.

As for Bobby, he's a great #3 hitter, forget his wall phobia, he sees 30 pitches a game and makes the entire lineup better. If he puts up better numbers than last year, its gonna be tough to retain him for only 3 years, I see him looking for 5 if he puts up a line of

125-20-110-20 .280

I think the Yanks may need to do it at 4. It looks like Jackson may be ready before Tabata, plus we lose Damon and Matsui after 09.

The hard part is Posada, he's gonna need to DH A LOT those last 2 years of his contract. So if you sign Bobby for 4 then in 2010 you have...

Gardner - CF
Abreu - RF ( 3 more years )
Melk - LF

Jackson/Tabata - 4th OF for at least 2 of those years. Not the worst thing due to their ages.

Even if you make Bobby and Jorge share DH duties, you still have to find AB's for Tabata..but what if Tabata and Jackson both blow up next year after we sign Bobby to 4?

Its a tough spot, much of this depends on how well Jackson and Tabata do this year and if we can sign Teixeria. The problem with that is since Mark employs Boras, and there are tons of other suiters for Teix's services, that process could go until X-Mas. Do you tell Bobby to wait? Good luck with that..

A very confusing situation, much is still up in the air.

HYD -

Tabata is coming back from hand surgery that ended his season last year - it may take a little while for him to get his stroke down.

Jackson may be a little tired at this point - he went through all season last year and then went to Hawaii and then right to Spring Training - that's a lot of baseball - he may just be hitting a wall right now.

In the ideal world I think Cashman would like to have all three of them in the majors when Damon and Matsui leave. Which leaves no room for Melky, but here's the thing about Melky - he's one of these guys that has a lot of value now because he doesn't make much money but is good enough to start. As he gets more service time his value respective to his salary will decrease (in other words he won't be worth the dough he's getting) and I think Cashman would rather have Gardner or Jax in CF than the Melk man.

You mentioned Ransom as an infield prospect earlier - he's really not. He's a veteran utility guy who just happens to be in the minors.

Gardner showing a lot more power this year and has great speed - he will be up if any of our outfieders get hurt.

Would Jeter agree to a 1B move?
It makes all the sense in the world
So did a move when they picked up the best shortstop in baseball.

I've said this before but I wouldn't give Abreu more than a one-year contract.

There is a big difference with Posada's deal last season. There is nobody in the Yanks' minor league system ready to take over the catching duties anytime soon. It's also the most demanding position in the majors and Posada is still among the best.

On the contrary, they do have a couple of young kids that could take over in the outfield as early as 2010 with Tabata or Jackson. They could sign a one-year stopgap if they don't sign Abreu until one of the kids are ready.

I just don't think signing Abreu to a multi-year deal makes any sense. The team is now suffering because of all the long term deals and age that has plagued this team in recent years.

It just doesn't make sense to sign another aging player in decline when the team seems committed to the youth movement.

They should learn from their past mistakes and stay away from those signings.

Abreu will never agree to a 1 yr deal with any team.

Sully,

I said it on the last string - I think that moving Jeter COULD happen (not as soon as next year though) but to move Jeter off SS the Yankees need a no doubt star to come up and play there in his spot - if not - the guy who plays there will be crucified by fans (much the way A-Rod has been)

I think more likely, if they don't get Tex, would be to move Cano (a weaker defensive player than Jeter) to first and use Alberto Gonzalez at second.

Abreu will never agree to a 1 yr deal with any team.

-------------------

That's right. Which is why I would let him walk.

At 35 and declining, Abreu not worth the multi-year deal he's going to want.

Take advantage of his contract year and hope he has a monster season. Then collect the draft pick for letting him walk and go from there.

Viper, I agree. Jason Lane is doing well in Scranton and could be that short term stopgap. The only thing I worry about is who will bat 3rd in the lineup. Unless Cano is just a slow starter and has the breakout season many were predicting, it may be a tall order to get a solid #3 hitter like Abreu. We shall see...

Joe (Hoboken): Are you ready to admit the greatness that is Jesus Montero or do you prefer to be in denial?

John Manuel: I apparently have this reputation for not liking Jesus Montero. I just never got a straight answer for why his signing bonus was reduced, and got several reports that he had a bad mini-camp/instructional league when he first signed. That said, I ranked him 6th in the Yankees system behind five pretty good prospects, so I believe he's quite talented. He's got a 15-2 K-BB ratio so before you go fitting him for his monument in the new Yankee Stadium. That Charleston team is quite loaded, very much a prospect-laden low Class A club, and it's winning a lot, also encouraging.

Jason Lane is a Houston Astro castaway give me a break!
Abreu is the same age as Jeter and has shown he is not in decline.Why because he got off to a slow start last yr? Don't give me garbage about his power numbers being down.

CHIP
Cervelli
Romine
Montero
should all have MLB futures.
Romine and Montero will be at Tampa by mid season

Sully/Chip, although I would love to pencil in "Derek - SS" for the next 10 years, it’s just not realistic. In 2-3 years when the man is 36-37, he will go from average ( today ) to below average. I illustrated in the last thread that his fielding % has gone down every year the past 3, he finished 16th in the league at SS in 07. Cal moved from SS to 3B when he was 35, he was 10 times the defender Jeter is/was. There is also no other SS in the system that can be tabbed as the next great Yankee SS ( funny, can only think of 2 in the entire history of the franchise who fit that description ), so we may have to suffer through a couple years of Gonzo flashing Gold Glove caliber D for a few years..I know, what a crime. Jeter HAS TO move eventually, he's not gonna play SS until he's 40, he's no Omar Vizquel. So where are you going to put him? OF? We already have 4 potential starters for 3 spots. 1B is the only other logical choice. If you guys can think of a better idea to keep Jeter’s bat in the lineup without sacrificing the overall infield D...please..offer it up!

Dru -

If the Yankees sign Tex he would be my bet to bat 3, if not they could go Damon, Melky, Jeter at the top of the lineup.

Ruse - Lane hit 26 HR's in 05 ( his only full season ), he killed the ball in the Spring and is doing the same in Scranton ( 6 HR ). I listed him as a "Stop Gap", not as a savior. He's still young ( 31 ) and cheap, he could fill in and do a decent job at the bottom of the order.

Matt (PA): Melancon, Cox, Sanchez or Horne.. Who gets that call up first for the Yankees once Joba hits the rotation? So I guess around the all-star break.

John Manuel: Good question, but there are many other options--David Robertson is a sleeper who could be a factor, he's dealing at Trenton right now. Also Dan McCutcheon, who is a starter but could slide into a relief role with his stuff and aggressive approach. I actually like both those guys better for a middle relief role this year than those you mentioned except for Melancon. If Melancon is at full strength, he's the guy. Sanchez and Cox won't help the Yankees in New York this year, IMO.

Chip - Agreed, Teix fits everything we need right now and I would love to have him on the team. A switch hitting, slick fielding 1B that can hit 3rd....SOLD! Im just trying to play devils advocate in case we dont land Teix.

Would love to see Robertson up this year.

DRU
C'mon there is a reason 31 yr old Jason Lane is at Scranton and not playing for a major league team 29 other teams passed on him ,the Yanks needed to fill out their minor league roster. He had the luxury of being RH and hitting in Houston's ballpark..298 at home .239 on the road in 2005

Ok Ruse, who is your stopgap player if/when we dont sign Abreu? Next year is easy =

Damon - LF
Gardner - CF
Melk - RF
Matsui - DH

The year after that it gets tricky when Matsui and Damon are gone. Who's your stopgap player until Garnder and Tabata are ready? I offered up a cheap option in Lane who costs us nothing in draft picks/money, wont want a long term contract, could be a .260-20HR guy in LF/RF with a decent arm. Your move, and please dont say Shelly.

Dru -

you can't worry about what the Yankees are going to do for a stop gap right fielder in the year 2010.

Chip,

The stopgap would be for next season, not 2010.

We all agree that Abreu isn't going to sign a one-year contract with the Yanks this offseason so I'd rather see him walk.

Never mind. I see what you're saying now. My bad.

Wasnt that the question though? If we dont sign Abreu who would be our stopgap until Jackson and Tabata were ready?

Chip: The Yanks would be looking for a LF in 2010 since Damon and Matsui would be the guys exiting. Agreed on Ransom, I was just trying to clarify because Ant confused something Ruse posted. He started rambling about Rasmus and they're VERY different players. As far as the Tabata injury and surgery, he played last season with the injury (hamate bone) and then had surgery. I get it, but every report was that he was fine months ago. He didn't hit for power last year and I think he needs to hit that switch.

I would be shocked if BOTH Romine and Montero ended up at Tampa this year. There's a chance neither will, but all indications are that Montero will stay at Charleston all year and Romine might too. Neither has caught a full season before, so the DH/C platoon is good for both of them. Towards the end of the season, they might promote one to give them regular time, but that's the most I see. By the way, Romine just went on the DL (Heredia too). Upper body injury for Romine (removed from last night's game) and lower body injury for Heredia (retroactive). I know, not much detail, but here's the link: http://www.riverdogs.com/news/headlines/index.html?article_id=1397

I haven't seen it anywhere, but I'm assuming since they only called up one player that Suttle might be coming off the DL.

The response about Montero just doesn't get it. Ok, fine, his K/BB rate is poor, but the guy is hitting .373. When you're getting hits that easily, you're much more inclined to swing. Sometimes you miss, but who's complaining? In 19 games, he has 83 ABs, 3 HRs, and 7 2bs. 47 total bases. I'll take it. The stats for Charleston are insane and I feel like I should book a flight there...IMMEDIATELY! I had Montero as the Yanks 3rd best prospect (behind Tabata and AJax).

Do I have to call John Manuel out twice in this post? Yes, yes I do. I agree about Robertson and Melancon. Probably even Cox and I already made my statement about Sanchez, but anyone that has seen McCutchen pitch knows it would be a mistake to turn him into a reliever (though he has the stuff for a long man). He's got 4 pitches (he uses all 4). He consistenly pitches deep into games (6/7 innings) and pitched ~150 innings last year between Tampa and Trenton. He or Chase Wright would be my guess for SP to be promoted this year from Trenton to SWB. He doesn't have the kind of dominating two pitch combo of a Joba and that's not what he is. He lacks an "out pitch". He'd dramatically lose value if he became a RP. Dan is one of my favorite people in the organization, but I'd rather see the Yanks trade him as a SP for someone else than waste him as a RP here.

So, who's going to give up candy and other junk food whenever the Yanks are on the road as a statement of solidarity? You know there will be trolls coming in to bash the Yanks for this one. I just saw it on Rome is burning and even I laughed. Is this really a problem for this team?

Reminder:

This Friday, April 25, is the SWB family & friends promotion. 4 tickets, 4 hats, 4 value meal coupons for $30. Sounds like a great deal to me for anyone that was thinking of making trip at some time during the season.

Yeah, but Chip is only worried about 2009 right now and I tend to agree with that.

They can determine how close Tabata or Jackson is to the majors after the end of 2009 and go from there.

I'd be surprised if Lane isn't somewhere else by this time next season.

Well if we are talking about just 2009, no need for a stopgap then Viper. Your Abreuless 2009 OF

LF - Damon
CF - Gardner
RF - Melk
4th OF/DH - Matsui

That was an easy one. The issue was after the 09 season when Damon and Matsui are gone, but like I said before, much depends on how Tabata and Jackson look this year. If they show something and both get promoted to Scranton at the end of the season ( or at least their numbers indicate they should be ), then Abreu is not needed.

What was the original question again????

I'm content with Melky in RF and Gardner in CF. I think that's the real difference of opinion that we've had all along.

The Jeter to 1b thing is definitely interesting. I'd rather see that than Cano. Cano is improving defensively each year and many of the "experts" have projected him as a future gold glove (not to say the GG means all that much, Jeter has two).
DRU, I think you're being generous in calling Jeter an average defensive SS right now, but to each his own. He might be Mr. Intangible, but he's not an average fielding SS.

I was just going by Fielding % rank ( 16th out of 30 ), but that’s not the best measurement either because it doesn’t factor in lack of range. I think you at least get my point, ANON on the last thread was ready to hunt me down for saying Jeter is just an average fielding SS....lol

DRU,

I'm not the biggest Gardner fan. Yes, I know he can steal bases and all that, but I think he's more of a fourth outfielder.

I don't think the Yanks are going to make him a starter next season when he hasn't even played a major league game yet.

Viper, point taken, but I think he is ready. I LOVED what I saw from him in the Spring and it looks like he's carried that over to Scranton. I think he would not only improve our OF D, but would be a great #9 hitter to team up with Damon at the top. Those two guys back to back could rattle a SP big time. Speed is a very underrated attribute in a ball player. We havnt had a speedster in the lineup like that since...well since Ricky??? Cant really think of any other speed demon that can take a walk and steal a base like this kid can.

Let me slow down though, I dont mean to compare Henderson to Garnder, just saying speed like that is an asset. Sure he hasnt played a single MLB inning, but I think he should be given 1st crack at it. For a #9 hitter, we wont need him to hit that much. His speed in the OF will help our staff immensely. I think the Yanks would give him a shot.

The more I think about the Abreu situation, the more I don’t want to sign him. I think we do have something to agree on Viper, either a 1 year deal, or bye bye. If that’s the case, looks like bye bye because there is no way in hell he signs a 1 year deal…not a chance.

Well Im outttttta here. Enjoy the game folks, talk to you all tomorrow.

GO YANKS!

Viper, we'll have to agree to disagree about Gardner. I'm ok with that. The Yanks have used Gardner a couple of times in LF. Here's what I think: there's an assumption that either Damon or Matsui will get hurt at sometime this season. That could either open up a spot for someone at 1b and Giambi can DH or it opens up a spot in LF, a possible Gardner destination. If Giambi continues not to hit, he may find himself relegated to PH duty on the bench. But, in the first scenario, who would you rather have from an offensive perspective, Ensberg/Shelley/Betemit or Gardner? Ensberg might be the better option, but he makes more sense on the bench than Gardner does at this stage in their career (not based on skill set because speed is great on the bases) and I think Garnder is a bigger fielding upgrade in left over Damon than Ensberg is over Giambi. Right now though, I would take Gardner's potential over Giambi's actual, so I'd relegate Giambi to PH duties when one of the inevitable injuries hits this team. If Abreu or Melky were to get hurt, then Gardner would be playing, so there are A LOT of scenarios where Gardner could get time this year, not to mention the September call up if all else fails.

HYD,

I don't doubt that Gardner will get an opportunity to play in the majors this season.

My disagreement with DRU is that he already has Gardner penciled in as a starter next season before he's even played a game in the majors.

He could be on the roster as a fourth outfielder, but a starter? I tend to doubt it very much.

I'd bet the ranch that the Yanks aren't going into 2009 expecting Gardner in the starting lineup everyday.

Viper: The Gardner we know now, yes, but if he comes up and plays well for the Club and Melky is a 20/20 guy this year, then I see Gardner as our starting CF next year, especially if we have Tex at 1B.

I'd bet the ranch that the Yanks aren't going into 2009 expecting Gardner in the starting lineup everyday.

I'll throw in some Horse Sh*t along with that ranch .

The yare not going to make Gardner their STARTING CF without some major drawback to make this possible will he be on the roster ? he will be given a look and I hope he gets a call up but i am not hoping for an injury to make his (gardner) play long meaning that there will not be enough at bats to determine if he would start