Good evening everyone. Marc here as the Yankees open up a three-game series against the Texas Rangers. Mike Mussina (10-5, 3.93 ERA) will be going for the Yankees (44-38) as they look to shake off Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Mets. In his last official outing, Mussina gave up four runs on 10 hits in eight innings in a 4-2 loss against the Reds on June 20. Last Thursday, the 39-year-old right-hander threw 46 pitches at Pittsburgh before the game was postponed. Scott Feldman (1-3, 4.60) will be on the hill for the Rangers (42-41) and is looking for his first career road win.
Stat of the Day: Mussina, who has not lost to Texas since May 18, 2003, is 6-0 with a 2.72 ERA in his last nine starts against the Rangers.
Top 1st: Mussina worked in and out trouble this inning. After giving up a single to Michael Young (though replays showed that Jeter threw him out), he walked Josh Hamilton before retiring the next three batters.
Bottom 1st: Newly arrived Brett Gardner grounded out in his first major league at-bat. As did Jeter. Abreu followed with a walk and was thrown out at second with A-Rod at the plate.
Top 2nd: 1-2-3 inning for Mussina, who fanned Davis and Saltalamacchia.
Bottom 2nd: The Yankees wasted walks by A-Rod (who also stole second) and Giambi as Posada, Cano and Melky were set down in order.
Top 3rd: Moose surrendered a run after giving up a double to Kinsler and an RBI single to Hamilton. Rangers 1, Yankees 0.
Bottom 3rd: Nothing for the Yankees this inning as Molina and Gardner struck out before Jeter grounded out.
Top 4th: Mussina issued another run this inning. After walking Murphy, who moved to second on a Byrd’s ground out, Moose gave up a run-scoring double to Davis. Rangers 2, Yankees 0.
Bottom 4th: A-Rod crushed a long homer. It was his 16th homer and 534th of his career, tying him with Jimmie Foxx for 14th place on the all-time home run list. Two batters later, Possada doubled to center, but he was stranded at second as Cano grounded out to end the inning. Rangers 2, Yankees 1.
Top 5th: Moose gave up a double to Young, but nothing else as he fanned Bradley for the third time this game. Bradley, not surprisingly, had words with the ump before walking away.
Bottom 5th: Gardner showed his speed this inning. He reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second on a pitch out. But the Yankees didn’t score as Jeter grounded out to end the inning.
Top 6th: Another 1-2-3 inning for Mussina, who is over 100 pitches.
Bottom 6th: Giambi missed a homer by a few feet as he ripped a two-out triple off the wall -- his first of the year -- to send Feldman to the showers. Frank Francisco came on and struck out Posada. Feldman’s line: 1 run, 4 hits, 3 strike outs, 3 walks in 5 2/3 innings. He is in line for his first road victory.
Top 7th: Edwar Ramirez replaced Mussina (2 runs, 5 hits, 8 strikeouts, two walks in 6 innings) and didn’t allow a run. Molina threw out Saltalamacchia, who singled, at second. He has thrown out 19 out of 44 base runners.
Bottom 7th: The Yankees, who have just four hits, can’t seem to get anything going. They go away quietly as Cano, Melky and Molina are set down in order.
Top 8th: Veras gave the Yankees a big lift as he got out of trouble. Veras issued a leadoff double to Young, who missed a homer by a foot, then hit Molina with a pitch on an apparent cross-up as Young took third. But Veras got Hamilton to line, fanned Bradley (who struck out for the fourth time) and got Byrd to line out.
Bottom 8th: Once again, the Yankees go down in order. This time it’s Damon, who hit for Gardner, Jeter and Abreu. By the way, Texas reliever Eddie Guardado injured himself during warm-ups at the start of the inning. He left with what appeared to be tightness in his shoulder. Jamey Wright replaced Guardado.
Top 9th: Dan Giese came on and issued a two-out walk to Vazquez before getting Kinsler to ground out. Last licks for the Yankees coming up as A-Rod, Giambi and Posada are due up.
Bottom 9th: Yanks go down in order. Rangers win. Final: Rangers 2, Yankees 1.
Comments (37)
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I wish the Yanks have listened to me and acquired Josh Hamilton. Now he will be starting the All Star Game in CF.
We could have gotten him!
Oh well ... we have Melky! Bueno!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did you see Manny Ramirez throwing the Red Sox 64 year old ticket man to the ground?
Pretty sick ...
I wonder what Sully would say about that.
Ant, wrong! He was 66...lol
Oh Manny, Papi's comment after the incident was priceless =
"David Ortiz even joked about the incident with reporters Monday, calling a group of them over to make a mock statement.
"I'm going to activate myself, even if I'm hurting, because I have this sword that can control the beast of Manny Ramirez," he said."
Its funny because its true!
What Manny did was incredibly sh*tty and I was really disappointed when I read it.
Hopefully it's over but yeah, as a big Manny fan, it was a bitter pill reading that.
As for Josh Hamilton... yeah the Yankees could have gotten him.
It cost the Rangers Edinson Volquez who right now looks like a Cy Young candidate.
Exactly which pitcher would you have sacrificed?
Brett Gardner - I thought he looked real good, as good as you can look without getting a hit. He took the pitcher deep into his AB's, beat out a DP and stole a base ( on a pitch out ). He is a speed demon/high OBP guy that is the future leadoff hitter of this team. Its no coincidence that they gave him #11, the number of our last true leadoff hitter in the bronx before Damon..Chuck Knoblauch. Lets hope he can replicate Chuck's hitting stats of 98 + 99, but not his fielding stats. Im very excited that this kid is up! If he can show enough, he's the starting CF next year with Melk in RF and Damon/Matsui in LF. Then the year after we bring up A-Jack after Damon/Matsui are gone. At that point, we would have an all under 25 OF, all home grown talent and all 3 can play CF. That OF would cover A LOT of ground helping our staff out BIG TIME. It would be a very light hitting OF though, so to really make it work we need to get Teixeria for the middle of the lineup.
CF - gardner
SS - jeter
1B - tex
3B - arod
2B - cano
DH posada/miranda ( looking real good at AAA this year, should be our DH along with Jorge, 2 years from now )
C - posada/cervelli
RF - Melk
LF - A-Jack
Thats more than enough pop to win games, its more of a small ball team than what we have today. Gardner, Jeter, Arod, Melk, Austin can all steal double digit bases. Gardner has the ability to swipe 50+ bases. I like the look of that team, young and fast with the big smashers in the middle. That Arod/Tex combo could be as good as Manny/Papi has been. A big part of the equation is the continued development of Cano into a top run producer. I think that will happen in the next two years. He's a good guy to hit behind the big boys because he puts the ball in play, either moving runners over or driving them in. I really believe the All-Star game threw Cano's game off. That all he was talking about in the spring was getting off to a good start so he can man 2nd in the All-Star game. He started killing the ball in the Spring, then fell off the map once the season started. Just another learning experience for the young hitter. I think Robbie is in for a big 2nd half.
Do you think we can get 3 consecutive singles tonite?
Ant Colony doesn't know what he's talking about. He throws names up against a wall to see if they'll stick with no regard to the pieces it would actually require to make such a deal.
In his mind, the process is as simple as a video game or fantasy baseball.
If it required a pitching talent like Volquez to get Hamilton, you can bet your @ss said talent would be in the Yankee rotation rather than packaged in a deal for an outfielder they didn't have room for.
Sully - My uncle was in the bigs as a RP back in the 80's, he currently works for the Texas Rangers. I saw him this past weekend and we talked about Hamilton and Volquez. I asked him, "did you guys expect Volquez to pitch his well?" He said not in a Million years. Before this year Volquez was called up 3 times over the past 3 years. Each time he was ROCKED. I bet before this season Volquez and Ian Kennedy were ranked about the same. Remember last year Ian was awarded the MiLB SP of the year over some highly ranked prospects. He came up and pitched great at the end of last year. If the Reds took Volquez, they would have taken Ian as well. Hamilton is an elite talent, but the Reds were stacked in the OF and they figured Josh was a big time injury risk. In the end, both sides made out great, but neither team thought either guy would be doing so well.
Ant, you know they say hindsight is 20/20. Im sure a number of teams are kicking themselves for not taking a chance on Hamilton, dont just bash the Yanks for not pulling the trigger.
As a side note, my Uncle also did the broadcasts for the University of Texas. I spoke with him about Joba since he saw him live when Texas played Nebraska. He said that Joba was a little fatter, but was a work horse on the mound, always pitching deep into games..7th and 8th. He also liked JB Cox when he was closing for Texas.
Melky better not be the starting right fielder next season.
His numbers are abysmal for a center fielder - the least demanding, offensively, of all three outfield positions.
Melky is a fourth outfielder - and Gardner may or may not turn out to be the same - so you can't put two guys like that into the starting lineup with another no-power guy in Damon in LF.
I just can't see that happening. Sure, the defense will be significantly improved, but it would be at the cost of having the worst offensive outfield in MLB.
One of these guys will probably start next season, but not both.
Does anyone know the extent of Alan Horne's injury?Last I heard it might be serious.
Like John Sterling said on last night's broadcast you can't have a .240 hitter playing the OF no matter how strong a throwing arm he has.
A considerable weakness of NY offense is the lack of energy players.When Damon slumps so goes the Yankee offense.Hopefully Gardner will show something.he might turnout to be a Dave Roberts type (4th OF) or like his namesake Bret Butler a good table setter.
Yeah, but your comparing the Yanks to other teams. If we sign Mark Tex, and Cano hits like he did after the break last year, we will have one of the best hitting infields in the game. Do other teams have 3B that can hit 50 Hrs? Or have their hot corners hit 80+ HR's? Or have 2 middle infielders that hit over .300? Or a catcher that hits 20+ Hrs? Melk and Gardner and Damon will be our 8th 9th and leadoff hitters. You dont need 30 HR's out of those spots. What they will lack in power they will make up for with SB's and runs. In a vacuum, sure thats a light hitting OF, but you have to look at the entire lineup from top to bottom before saying its not going to work. A 09 lineup of.
Damon
Jeter
Tex
Arod
Matsui
Posada
Cano
Melk
Garder
Has MORE than enough pop to win a championship. More pop than the Yanks of the late 90's had. The key, as always, will be the pitching.
Guys, obviously if Melk continues to hit .240, thats an issue. His last two months were miserable, .234 + .206. I agree that if his hitting does not improve, he cant stay in the linupe. I think he's going to improve on those numbers though, he hit .368 last July and .306 last August. His K/BB ratio in June was still solid at 16/12, meaning he's taking his walks and putting the ball in play. These hits will find holes and he'll go on a little run. If he doesnt, and Gardner hits well, Melk would be the odd man out when Damon is fully healed. Lets see if Melk can step up and prove his worth before casting him off though.
DRU,
But you are assuming Teixeira is going to sign with the Yanks and there are many reasons why the odds are good that won't happen.
• Teixeira wants to play in Baltimore.
• Cashman is probably not going to want to sign another position player to the 6-7 year deal that Teixeira's asking for.
• They've waited three years to get the payroll down and now $85M is coming off the books at the end of the season. I highly doubt they want to spend like drunken sailors and drive it back up again.
• With Giambi gone and Matsui the everyday DH next season, what happens with Posada if his shoulder doesn't improve significantly after surgery? He's already seeing time at 1B, so that's only going to increase over the next couple of years.
• What about Jeter? He's gonna have to move from SS eventually and 1B may be an option. They can't move Jeter to 3B because A-Rod is the better defender and his SS playing days are over.
There would be a huge domino effect on the rest of the team that would follow if they sign Teixeira and I'm not so sure Cashman is going to go that route.
DRU,
Melky has had two years to improve and his numbers are getting worse - not better.
I have to laugh at some people who preach patience with him when he's been a starter for two years.
How much more patient do we have to be with him?
I guarantee you that Gardner doesn't get that much time to show his worth.
Even if Melky does have a good month of July, what does that really matter?
If he's only hitting well 2 or 3 months of a 6 month season, there's no justification to keeping him in the every day lineup.
Again, like I stated before, signing Tex is the key to my scenarios, it's not a guarantee that he's signs with us, but should still be the #1 priority next year..
I'll have to disagree with you on the Yanks stance with Mark though. Lets rehash.
- Teixeria doesnt want to play in Baltimore, he's from there, thats all. Donnie baseball was Mark's idol growing up, NY and BALT have just as much going for them on the personal side of this equation.
- Cashman is willing to sign Mark to a 7 year deal, that would bring the 28 year old Mark to age 35, the perfect age to end a contract.
- Yes they've waited to get their payroll down, but spending on a BIG need is hardly spending like a drunken sailor. Arod's and Jeter's contracts arent killing the Yanks, its the other crappy player contracts that are like Pavano and Giambi.
- If Posada does not improve then we will be in the same situation we are this year with our 1B/DH platoon. Matsui and Damon will split LF, Posada/Molina/Cervelli will split C, Damon/Matsui/Posada will split DH..the same as this year. These situations of too many players for one position tend to work themselves out, just like they did this year, non issue in my mind.
- Jeter, he's not going anywhere next year or the following. Now 3 years down the line, if he needed to be moved, you could move him to the OF. He's still got speed, loves making over the shoulder catches and has a great arm. If Melk continues to fall off, you could put Jeter in RF 3 years from now. Thats still a long way off though and should not be a reason to not sign Teixeria.
So in conclusion Viper...you're just reaching right now. Mark Teixeira is a 28 year old, switch hitting, gold glove caliber 1B that hits for power and average, drives in runs and is an all around athlete that will be on the field every day. Thats the kind of player you spend the money on. The Yanks need his bat and his glove in a bad way. Open up the checkbook once..Giambi, Pavano, Farny, Hawkins, Abreu, Moose are all gone and pay the man. The domino affect occurs if you dont sign him, then its just back to the plug and play at 1B...you would also need to sign Abreu to a 3/4 year deal to be your #3 hitter, which pushes back the OF talent in the minors..thats the problem, not getting him. Again, Im not saying the Y anks are 100% sure they will get him, but they need to make a huge effort to do it.
Didnt improve? Do you remember Melk when he was called up to play RF as a 20 year old? He was horrible in the field and at the plate. Melks BA may be bad right now ( .269 ) compared to his 1st 2 years, ( .280 ) and ( .273 ), but his power numbers are up. 7 HR in 219 AB's compared to 7 in 460 and 8 in 545. His K and BB rates are the same. Players have slumps all the time. Many times the player is just unlucky. Melk just missed a grand slam last week, it hooked a couple feet foul. His current BABIP is well under .300 proving that he's been unlucky. Lets give him the rest of the year to see how his numbers look. He's had two years of service, but is still just 23, the age of many AA players. Im not saying he's going to be Ken Griffey Jr. But he could turn into a 20/20, .300 hitter that plays stellar D. His numbers project to be at least that in the near future, if not better. The Angels shelled out 50+ Million for an OF that has worse numbers than that in Gary Matthews JR. Just because he's not a super star doesnt mean he cant develop into a solid OF for us.
Melky had 5 HRs in the month of April 1 each in May and June.So you can't extrapolate from his numbers he's hitting more HRs if he finishes the season w/ 15 or so then it can be stated as fact right now his game is in the toilet.maybe he goes on a rampage....
Melky is hitting .244 not .269 ??? Everyone almost hits a grand slam one time or another.?????
DRU,
My remarks were hardly a reach.
I’m assuming you are also on the “Sign Sabathia” bandwagon if my memory serves me correctly. Right?
Well, signing those two players alone locks up almost half of the $85M coming off the books. And they haven’t spent a dime anywhere else yet.
If the Yanks re-sign Pettitte for one more season, a very likely scenario, that’s $55M+ on three players.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I just don’t see it. Cashman didn’t work hard for three years to lower this payroll just to drive it back up again at the snap of his finger.
Secondly, here’s a very important point that is overlooked among Yankee fans. One of the many domino effects of the Steroid Era and the banishment of “greenies” is that players in their mid-30s are clearly slowing down at an earlier age than they did a decade ago.
You say Teixeira’s contract would end at a perfect age of 35 - but Damon, Matsui, Abreu, and Jeter have been clearly slowing down for the last couple of years and they all fall into the 33-34 age range. Giambi has unquestionably been slowing down for years now.
Miraculously, A-Rod might be the only player in this category who has really showing no signs of slowing down. But he’s a freak of nature.
MLB is increasingly becoming a young man’s game with players moving through the minors at a record pace. So tying up so many players to long term deals in their mid-30s is not a good strategy if you want to contend for a World Series every year.
It should be no surprise that the Yankee offense is so inconsistent this season considering they are loaded with older players.
The bad thing is that the farm is bare with position players, so Cashman is eventually going to have to part with some of his young arms to acquire younger pieces in the everyday lineup.
GMs are starting to see this evolution. The old way of quick fixes with signing aging players to long term deals is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
DRU,
Melky was first called up and played horribly in 2005. I’m not comparing his play now to those days. He became the starter when Matsui and Sheffield went down in 2006 and has been there ever since.
Melky has not shown significant improvement since 2006 no matter how much you try to spin it.
The big problem with Melky is that when he's not hitting, he's essentially useless because he doesn’t do anything to make pitchers work or get on base.
Even when Giambi was hitting .150 - his OBP was over .300. He was still helping the team by doing what he does best.
That’s not part of Melky’s game and probably never will be.
Melky had a very good April, but he has been absolutely dreadful and among the worst offensive players in baseball ever since. You can’t be a starter in the bigs if you only have two or three productive months on the season:
April: .299 / .370 / .494 in 87 AB
May: .234 / .270 / .319 in 94 AB
June: .212 / .297 / .263 in 99 AB
Sorry, that’s not going to cut it. He needs to sit for awhile and watch someone else play. And the Yanks would be insane to make him the everyday RF next season.
Would it be a bad thing to send Melky to Scranton for awhile? He could fix his swing and stay out of the media's attention. Also, a little time away from Cano may be good for both players. This may make them mature a little bit.
Viper makes some very good points, as well as DRU, but I think Melky is a goner for the simple fact - even hitting .280 in AAA, Gardners OBP is .412. Significantly better than Melky, plus he covers more ground in the outfield, can steal a base, and has a decent arm. Sterling is right, Yanks can't live with a .230 hitter in the outfield who constantly swings for the fences and has shown in the past he could make contact if he wanted but lacks the plate discipline necessary for a "table setter" which he is supposed to be. Doesn't move runners over, doesn't work the count, swings for the fences.
Melky has got to go down or away. Period.
No Viper, Im not in the sign CC camp. Teix should be the Yanks #1 move because, like I stated earlier, he fits many needs that the Yanks have. I understand your point, but we cant let a couple bad apples spoil the entire crop ( FA crop ). Teix is young enough that we should get 5 dominate years, even if he only has decent years at 34 + 35, the contract would still be worth it. There are no players in the system that fit that bill. He is the #1 need.
As far as Melky goes, he has had 1 good month and two bad months, even elite players have a couple bad months per year. It is very rare that a player has 6 good months in a year, if they do they're All Stars. Look at Abreu last year. He had 3 months where he only hit 1 HR per month while batting..253..208..272. The 4th month was only 2 HR and a 287 Avg. So for 4 of the 6 months last year Abreu hit a whopping 5 HR's and hit under 260 total. Bobby is considered an above average player, but a 23 year old Melk is just a crap "4th OF"?? What about Jeter? In April he hit .277 with a 303 OBP and 0 HR. He followed that up with a 262 Avg 336 OBP and 2 HR, thats 2 crap months already...why not pick on him??? Again, its very rare to have any player produce 300 BA with power every month over 6 months, doesnt happen that often. The kid's in a slump, period, happens to every player who ever laced em up.
Ok guys....let me throw this out there for youzzz.
Tex signs with Baltimore or the Mets.
Abreu will not sign anything below what Matsui and Damon got, 4 years at 50/60M.
What do you do for next year and the following year????
Mike, Im not saying that I like Melk over Gardner, two different players and I LOVE me some Gardner. Im just saying that its an overreaction when someone says to trade a 23 year old who is slumping. Would a demotion to AAA be the worst thing, absolutely not, but trading him now while his value is at its lowest is insane. Im gonna go back to my prime example of a young kid turning it around.
Back to Bernie...
at 22, horrible....238 avg...686 OPS
at 23, better....280 AVG....760 OPS
at 24, worse....268 AVG....733 OPS and struck out a career high 106 times.
at 25 and 26 he started to figure it out and went on to be one of the great Yankees of all time.
Melk
at 21, his best year...280 AVG....751 OPS
at 22, little worse....273 AVG....718 OPS ( but did drive in 73 + stole 13 bases )
at 23, started off great, should finish the year with the most HR's of his career, still has a chance to get back close to 300 for the year.
Do I know what Melks future holds? Hell no, could he have peaked at 21 and do no better the rest of his career? Unlikely, but could be, that would be a rare feat to have your best year at 21 and do nothing better the rest of your career. Could he turn into a 20/20, .300 hitter, could be, could he be better and become the next Bernie Williams? Not likely, probably about the same chance of him having a career year at 21. Again, the point is nobody knows what a 27 year old Melky Cabera is going to be. Prospects come and prospects go, so anything can happen. Lets see what the numbers look like at the end of the year and then make the call about who's starting in the OF for the Yanks in 09 and beyond. To write off anyone at this point of the season...or this early in a player's career, is madness.
DRU,
Why am I picking on Melky and not Jeter and Abreu?
Because there are no internal options to replace those guys or light a fire under them. Same with Cano.
There is another option to replace Melky. Plain and simple.
Also, Jeter isn't going anywhere and he's the face of the franchise. He will be a Yankee his entire career no matter what.
I've advocated all season that the Yanks should let Abreu walk and take the draft pick as compensation. Never been a big fan of him.
We've been talking about this offseason and Abreu would not be part of those plans if it were my decision.
And this is not just a slump with Melky, it's a pattern.
This is the kind of player he is - a fourth outfielder who happens to start.
Its time to give someone else a chance and move on from the Melky experiment as an everyday player.
Also, please stop with the Melky vs. Bernie comparisons. It's an insult to Bernie to make such an argument.
Viper..missing my point with Bernie and Melky, reread my statements. And please, lay off the "its an insult to compare the two" BS, Bernie was a ball player, not the high priest of Apollo..he is a perfect comparison based on minor league states and major league stats at the same age. You said that Melk regressed this year so he's done, well Bernie had his worst year at 24, you would be saying the same things about him as you did with Melky.
"He's been here for 3 years"
"He hasnt shown improvement"
"He will always be a 4th OF"
Those statements were all made by the NY media back in 94, I remember them very clearly. If it was up to you, and King George, Bernie would have played elsewhere. Im not saying Melk will be as good as Bernie, what I am saying is that you dont know how good Melk can be since he's not in his prime yet. Do you really think this is it for Melk? That no improvements will be made over the next couple years? Start Gardner over Melk if he doenst show anything in the next couple weeks, Im fine with that. What I am saying is that Melk fits into the Yanks plans next year when Bobby is gone. Unless you want to blow 10+ M per on a fill in player. Who would that player be? Im all ears.
Let me help you out Viper...here are the FA's for 1B and OF next year.
First basemen
Ben Broussard (32)
Sean Casey (34)
Tony Clark (37)
Carlos Delgado (37) - $16MM mutual option for '09 with a $4MM buyout
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for '09 with a $5MM buyout
Scott Hatteberg (39)
Eric Hinske (31)
Doug Mientkiewicz (35)
Kevin Millar (37)
Richie Sexson (34)
Mark Teixeira (29)
Left fielders
Moises Alou (42)
Garret Anderson (37) - $14MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout
Milton Bradley (31)
Emil Brown (34)
Pat Burrell (32)
Adam Dunn (29)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Luis Gonzalez (41)
Raul Ibanez (37)
Jacque Jones (34)
Kevin Mench (31)
Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for '09
Craig Monroe (32)
Jay Payton (36)
Wily Mo Pena (27) - $5MM club option or $2MM player option for '09
Manny Ramirez (37) - $20MM club option for '09
Juan Rivera (30)
Center fielders
Rocco Baldelli (27)
Mike Cameron (36) - $10MM club option for '09 with a $750K buyout
Jim Edmonds (39)
Jacque Jones (34)
Mark Kotsay (33)
Corey Patterson (29)
Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (35)
Casey Blake (35)
Milton Bradley (31)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Brian Giles (38) - $9MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout
Ken Griffey Jr. (39) - $16.5MM club option for '09 with a $4MM buyout
Vladimir Guerrero (33) - $15MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout
Jacque Jones (34)
Bobby Kielty (32)
Brad Wilkerson (32)
=========================
The only other options I would be good with to play RF are Juan Rivera and Pat Burrell ( Dunn K's too much ). Still, Burrell will be looking for Matsui/Damon deals at least ( having a great year ). Rivera would be the only other option, but he has trouble staying healthy. As far as 1B goes, Tex sticks out like a black bean in white Rice.
Just my 2 cents Guys.
I don't believe that Melky is going anywhere for the simple fact that the Yanks can't count on Damon and/or Matsui to play regularly in LF. If they could I can see the Yanks sending him down to AAA to work on some stuff and sticking with Gardner in CF. They need Melky right now and they're going to have to find a way to get him back on track. It's like this kid has earplugs on when the coaching staff talks to him about pitch selection or something. It's just not getting through to this kid. It kinda reminds me of myself when someone tries to explain insurance to me. DUH!!!
John G..lol
We all hope he turns it around, it makes decisions a lot easier if he does well for this year and beyond.
I would not be surprised if Melky was traded for bullpen help and Yanks brought Christianson up again as a just in case back-up, and Yanks handed the CF spot to Gardner - and will live with the results.
Regarding the Bernie/Melky comparison, Bernie had a couple of things against him that Melky doesn't have - namely Mel Hall and a couple of others who rode Bernie visciously and caused him to regress as a player. Once those imbeciles were sent away, Bernie grew into the player we all loved. BIG DIFFERENCE between Melky, who has always had the full support of his teammates and Bernie, who at times was argueably the best player in baseball.
Lets Go Yankees! Joba on the Hunt!
Last night's game was pitiful! 4 stinkin' hits. That's 2 games in a row now that they got 4 stinkin' hits!!!
The Yanks HAVE to win the games that Pettitte, Moose and Chamberlain are pitching in because they can't count on Rasner and Pontoon. They get a great game from Moose last night and they lose. Giambi winds up on 3rd with a triple and they can't get him in? Come'on now. They couldn't even get a ball out of the infield when Texas trotted out their pen. They couldn't make a dent against a pitcher that got creamed by the Mets last month.
This is not acceptable. They're too good a hitting team to get shutdown with only 4 hits for 2 games in a row especially by pitchers that they can beat.
DRU,
As far as replacing Abreu is concerned, we need to see what's available on the market in November before making any decisions about 2009.
And options aren't limited to the FA market. There's a trade market too. Players who are not available now may become available in 4-5 months.
See what happens on that front before you pencil in Melky again next season.
Also, here are some things that you aren't taking into consideration with the Melky vs. Bernie comparisons.
* Bernie Williams didn't have the firepower surrounding him back then that Melky does now.
* Bernie didn't have any internal options that could replace him
* The Yanks hadn't made the postseason in over a decade back in the early 90s. Times have drastically changed.
BTW, don't compare me to King George in his heyday.
I'm the one who keeps preaching youth, energy, and staying away from big long-term contracts and you are the one one who says Teixeira should be the #1 priority this offseason.
There has been no bigger advocate on this blog for the youth movement and I've demonstrated that time and time again over the last year.
I was against the Santana trade and I'm against trading for Sabathia now. I'd like to see Abreu walk at the end of the year as well as Giambi.
How is that anything like King George back in the 80s or 90s?
It's not. You are just overreacting.
I just happen to believe that Melky is nothing more than a fourth outfielder. It's as simple as that.
Oh Viper, dont get bent out of shape my friend, you continue to take the bits and pieces of my posts and spin them. Lets rehash....."If it was up to you, and King George, Bernie would have played elsewhere". That is based on your thoughts about Melky, who is at the same point in his career as Bernie was, hence you would have advocated trading Bernie. Bernie and Melky are equal right now at the same age of their careers, no denying that statistically. Now Bernie worked hard and was able to bust out and become a legend, does Melk have that same inner drive? Probably not, what are the chances of Melk turning into Bernie? Very slim indeed, but if you give up on Melk there is a 0% chance that he will become the next Bernie Williams, if you stick with him, there is maybe a 5% chance of it coming true. Isnt the risk worth the reward? I mean, Melk is making nothing in salary. Maybe you're right, Im willing to say there is a 95% chance that Melk will not develop into one of the better OF's in the league. There is no denying that there is a 50/50 chance Melk becomes a 20/20...300 hitter, based on his numbers so far in his early career. Thats good enough for me to take a wait and see approach instead of pulling out the branding iron and marking "4TH OF" on Melk's forehead.
I am also a huge, "keep the kids", supporter, been that way since I joined this blog. There is a balance though, youth and experience, that is needed to win long term. Im willing to pass on CC and make Mark the only big FA pickup this offseason. Do you suggest the Yanks pass up on Abreu, Tex and CC..and also get rid of Melk? Im interested to see what you think the Yanks lineup should look like next year....
OK Viper, Ive had enough fun for today. Good talking to you brother, even if we dont see eye to eye on the subject.
I still would love to read what your 09 lineup will look like if you say get rid of Abreu, Melk and Giambi while also passing on CC and Tex..thanks man, have a good one, talk to you tomorrow.
Another Joba start tonight! He needs to work on getting that changeup over for strikes while cutting down on his free passes. As good as Joba has been, its still a work in progress. Cant wait to see the finished product!!!!
GO YANKS!!!
That video of Santana makes perfect sense after all these months it's been here. It's now a reminder that we kicked his butt last time we faced him. Thanks, Webmaster. You're doing a terrific job.