Newbies behind the plate for the Yankees & Red Sox

YANKEES

This past offseason, the Yankees made a decision that Jorge Posada could no longer be the starting catcher.  This was partly due to his aging skills, along with a severe concussion he suffered last season.  Posada was reluctant at first, but once he realized the severity of last season's concussion and the potential long-term problems, he accepted his role as the designated hitter.  

The Yankees decided to gamble and picked up Russell Martin, who a few years ago was the Dodgers rookie phenom catcher.  Since 2007 though, Martin has suffered his share of injuries and has not lived up to his expectations especially offensively.  Defensively though, he's a stud.  Last year Martin only hit .248, but he threw out 30.6% of base stealers, which was the 7th best in the majors!  His defensive skills will drastically improve this team. The Yankees actually had a 88.8% stolen base success rate against Yankee catchers in 2010.  This was the highest in the majors AND 5th highest in the wild card era.  Martin was necessary for this team, even if just for the defense.

Surprisingly enough though, Martin is having a great offensive start to the 2011 season, as we saw yesterday with his two home runs against Boston!  He is hitting .321 on the season with 3 home runs & 8 RBI's.

UPDATE:  The NY Times reported today that Russell Martin actually trained this offseason by incorporting mixed martial arts (MMA).  Pretty interesting article can be found here.


RED SOX

This year the Red Sox let Victor Martinez slip away in free agency and named Jarrod Saltalamacchia as the starting catching for the Red Sox. This should be cause for concern to any Boston fan as Saltamacchia can lead to the downfall of their team.  As we have seen in the past two games against the Yankees, he struggles offensively.  Although he caught Jeter stealing yesterday, he hasn't been terribly effective behind the plate either.  In fact, he could be the reason why the pitcher's are struggling so much.

In 2010 he only had a 17%  caught stealing percentage. Over the past few seasons, he has been on the leader board for errors as well.  In 2009 he committed 7 errors and tied for 5th highest in the AL and in 2008 tied for 2nd most in AL with 9.  In 2008 he also played first base, and had the most errors of any first basemen in the AL with 9.

Defense isn't his biggest struggle though as this season Saltalamacchia has struck out in every game he has started!  He has already struck out three times in the Yankees series already, and there is still a game to play today.  Salty (as they call him in Boston) has struck out 9 times for the season and is hitting a mere .182.  He went 0-10 in the opening series in Texas last weekend.  The scouting report on him says he will swing at everything!  On the bright side for Boston, he did hit well against the Yankees on Friday, driving in an RBI to break a 6-6 tie. 

Boston's starting pitchers on paper should be the best rotation next to the Phillies but they are not getting the job done.   I can't help but wonder if putting a young kid behind the plate has anything to do with this.  Varitek was one of those catcher's that could call a game better than nearly any catcher, and Victor Martinez was a seasoned catcher as well.  Varitek is such a heady catcher that he has been the catcher in 4 no-hitters!  Now the pitchers, especially the younger ones, must rely upon themselves more.  Lester & Buchholz have struggled this season so far and Lackey hasn't done much better.   The starting rotation for Boston so far in 2011 is 1-5 with a 7.46 ERA.  Take John Lester out of the mix and the ERA jumps to 9.10.  Hopefully the Yankees will capitalize on this tonight when they face off against Josh Beckett.  Beckett allowed 29 earned runs against the Yankees last season in 26 total innings!!!

Overall, I think the Yankees were more successful in the offseason, behind the plate.  Martin was a bit of a gamble with his numbers declining, but he's a great defensive catcher putting up strong numbers this season.  On the other hand, it should be interesting to see how the Red Sox can make this adjustment to a young catcher behind the plate this season.  Definitely something to keep an eye on!

Another Low Risk, High Reward Gamble for Cashman

The Yankees signed Carlos Silva yesterday to a minor league contract.  Silva who was cut by the Cubs during spring training is a veteran righty pitcher picked up by Cashman to add a little extra depth.  Silva made some headlines this spring after getting into a fight with Aramiz Ramirez (his own teammate), in the dugout.  He eventually was cut by the Cubbies after Andrew Cashner beat him out in the 5th pitcher competition.  Last year, Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild worked with Silva and claims that Silva pounds the strike zone.  Let's wait and see.

Silva is going to pitch down in Tampa, along with another couple veterans, Kevin Millwood & Mark Prior.  All these guys were picked up as insurance.  Fortunately, Silva is being paid 11.5 million from Chicago for this season.  Neither Silva nor Millwood is being paid more than minor league contract numbers, so there is very little risk involved.  Both provide depth presumably in the dog days of summer when other players get injured or Girardi needs to rest the bullpen.  Silva and Millwood seem to fit the Yankees, Plan B, from the offseason.  Plan A was to get Cliff Lee, and Plan B is to fill up the bullpen with big names and sign veterans to minor league contracts.

Plan B seems to be working for now, but I still have a funny feeling that Cashman is going to sign or trade for a big name, before the all-star break

Silva's numbers

2010: 10-6  with a 4.22 ERA.  His first half was better though with only a 3.45 ERA.  He went on the disabled list for a heart problem, which does not seem to be an issue any longer.

Career: 70-70 with a 4.68 ERA in 180 starts.

Shipping Up to Boston

The Yankees are taking their first road trip this weekend to Fenway Park for the Red Sox home opener.  After the first week of games, the Yankees are 4-2 winning 2 series against the Tigers & Twins.  The Red Sox who were touted to be the best team in MLB for 2011, have had a terrible start and have lost every game they have played so far.  (It's the curse of Sports Illustrated predicting they would win the World Series)   But now they are going back home for an 11 Day homestand.  I'm sure with their poor start they are itching to play in Boston.... it should make for an interesting series!


The Yankees have overall looked pretty solid.  They are hitting the ball well especially for power, and the pitching has been everything they were hoping for.  The Yankees are 463-446-4 against Boston in Fenway, all time.

I just couldn't resist throwing this pic in!  Still my favorite game!

The Red Sox have looked awful.  This season they are 7-44 with runners in scoring position, and have only scored 16 runs in their last 6 games.  They are coming off their road trip in Texas and Cleveland, back to Fenway.  Boston hasn't been swept by the Indians since August of 2001!


In the offseason, Boston lost their catcher, Victor Martinez to free agency.   This was quite a gamble for the Red Sox as they were left with the aging Jason Varitek and Jarred Saltalamacchia as the starting catcher.  Saltalamacchia has had a very poor start to the season.  In his first three games of the season, he went 0-10 with 5 strikeouts.  He is batting .071 over the last 6 games.  He swings at Everything!  Saltalamacchia has not been much better behind the plate either.  He caught Lester's first appearance against the Rangers, when Lester allowed 5 ER over 5 innings without one strikeout.  He wasn't much help to Lackey either in game two when Lackey allowed 9 runs over 3 innings.  This was followed up by Buchholz's game when he allowed 4 runs over 6 innings.  Of course it comes down to the pitchers, but I believe that if Varitek was behind the plate things wouldn't gotten so out of hand.

The Red Sox did make some good moves this offseason by aquiring Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez.  Crawford was a great pickup for left field.  He is a quality outfielder who is only 29 years old, and left field in Fenway is small to begin with.  He should have no problems adapting to the new ballpark.  Although Crawford is off to a slow offensive start, his 2010 numbers are impressive.  He had a .307 batting average with a .495 slugging percentage, driving in 19 HR's with Tampa.

Adrian Gonzalez helps fill the middle of Boston's batting order as the cleanup hitter.  His numbers for 2010 are impressive as well.  Gonzalez hit .298 last season driving in 31 home runs with a .511 slugging percentage. 








 Pitching Matchups


Friday (2PM Game): Phil Hughes vs John Lackey

 -This should prove to be a good matchup for Hughes who is coming off a tough start.  Hughes only lasted 4 innings giving up 5 runs on 5 hits.  Hughes' velocity was down which should be a concern going into Fenway.  Fortunately, Lackey is coming off an even worse start.

-The middle of Boston's order could have a field day with Hughes if he isn't sharp today.  Hughes gives up a lot of home runs, and both Crawford, Gonzalez, Youkilis and Ortiz are home run threats.


-In Lackey's start he allowed 9 runs on 10 hits against the Rangers.  He only lasted 3 and 2/3 innings.  He looked terrible and paid for it.



Saturday:  Ivan Nova vs Bucholz


Sunday:  CC Sabathia vs Josh Beckett


Side Notes

Yankees skipped Freddy Garcia's start after the rain out Thursday.  Garcia won't pitch again until April 15 against the Rangers.  His last start was the final spring training game.


The Yankees played the Red Sox on Opening Day last season in Fenway.  The Yankees loss that day taking a 9-7 loss by Chan Ho Park.  The Yankees came back to win the next two games.  Chan Ho Park redeemed himself getting the win in Game 3 of that series.

QUICK UPDATE @ 12:30PM

The Red Sox just activated Felix Doubront from the disabled list for today's game.  They have released Denny Reyes.  Both are left handed relief pitchers, but Reyes has been horrible through the first 6 games allowing.  It comes as no surprise that Reyes will be designated for assignment.  He has faced 10 batters in 5 games and allowed 6 to reach base.  That is not what anybody is looking for in their bullpen.

This was kind of surprising though after Reyes' spring.  He pitched very well during spring training and even beat out Alfredo Aceves for that last bullpen spot.  But this once again proves that spring training numbers mean nothing.
Countdown for Jeter

• Jeter only needs 69 more hits before he hits 3000!

Soriano Struggles

The big story the other night was Rafael Soriano blowing a 4 run lead and the Yankees ultimately losing the game 5-4.  Although I tend to me overly optimistic when it comes to the Yankees, I don’t see much concern about Soriano (or Girardi) at this point in the season.  So fine, Soriano blew a lead and the Yankees lost the game.  It happens!

Soriano led the league in saves last year and he hasn’t done anything different this year.  In fact, the lead he blew the other night was the biggest lead he has ever given up in his career.  This was a fluke.  He looked extremely sharp on opening day against the Tigers and on Monday against the Twins (round 1).  He is so dominant against the AL central that prior to Tuesday’s game, he had only allowed 1 Earned Run in his last 18 innings against AL Central opponents.

The media seems to be playing this up more than anybody and it’s because they were pissed off at Soriano for not fielding questions at his locker after the game.  Bottom line is the guy is an awesome pitcher who had one bad outing.  The media can analyze his body language all they want, but one bad inning isn’t cause for major concern, especially when the wind chill that evening was 36 degrees!  If the Yankees have a close lead in the 8^th inning, they are still giving Soriano the ball.

The bigger story was CC Sabathia.  He pitched great and didn’t get the win.  His fastball was down and had movement.  He pitched 7 scoreless innings and even retired the last 17 batters he faced!  Hopefully this second no-decision for CC will keep him fired up for Sunday night in Boston.  The Yankees will need a quality start as Beckett is on the mound.  Regardless of Beckett’s numbers this season or last season, he is a Yankee killer

UPDATE @ 6:20 PM

Soriano pitched this afternoon for the 8th inning in the final game against the Twins.  He pitched 1 scoreless inning, allowing only a leadoff single.  He threw a total of 11 pitches - 9 for strikes.  I wouldn't be too concerned with Soriano at this point.

Side Note

Brian Duensing seems to have some bad luck when he faces the Yankees.  On Tuesday he pitched very well after the first two innings.  Both Arod and Texeira are red hot right now and hit home runs early, but Duensing didn’t let it bother him and continued pitching into the 7^th Inning allowing only 6 total hits and striking out 7.  Even though the Twins won the game, Duensing didn’t get the win.

Last year Duensing pitched in Yankee stadium on May 25 and faced off against AJ Burnett.  Duensing only allowed 1 run against the Yankees and again, didn’t get the win.  AJ actually pitched a shutout against the Twins.  This was the last win Burnett got until July as he didn’t win one game for the entire month of June.

Not The Same Old Twinkies

While watching last night’s game, I noticed the Minnesota Twins made some moves this offseason.  It seems Gardenhire was frustrated after the 2010 postseason and had the front office make some deals. This may be the result of the team moving to Target Field.   

The move to Target field allowed them to improve their payroll to $115 Million this season.  The drawback of Target Field though, is the lack of home runs in the new stadium.  They dropped from 96 total home runs at home in 2009 in the Metrodome, to 52 at Target Field last season.

Gardenhire wanted to make the team faster and more versatile.  It’s a nice way of saying the Twins could no longer wait for the home runs from Morneau, Mauer & Cuddyer.  Although Denard Span has some speed, the Twins only had 68 stolen bases all season. (Twins lowest in franchise history)

During the offseason they signed 26 year old Tsuyoshi Nishioka to a 3 year deal from Japan’s Pacific League.  Nishioka was named their starter second baseman, when the Twins allows Orlando Hudson to enter free agency.  They also traded JJ Hardy and replaced him with a 26 year old shortstop, Alexi Casilla.  Although it could be dangerous to replace the middle infield, the Twins needed to take a risk in order to score more runs. 

The AL Central is shaping up to be a battle between the Tigers and Twins with possibly the White Sox in contention.  The AL Central now has three teams with payrolls higher than 100 Million!  (Only division in MLB)

Side Notes

• In a battle of lefties, CC Sabathia gets the start tonight against Brian Duensing.  Tonight would be Freddy Garcia’s opportunity to pitch but Girardi bumped Garcia until tomorrow night instead.  Presumably, to allow CC the start on Sunday night in Fenway.
• Even with the Opening Day loss, CC boasts the highest winning percentage of any starter in MLB at home, over the last two years - - .818!!!
• Duensing did not have much success with the Yankees last season.  He took a loss on May 25, when AJ Burnett threw a shutout, although Duensing only allowed 1 run.
• Duensing pitched game 3 of the 2010 ALDS against Hughes and again took a loss, allowing the Yankees to sweep the ALDS.
• The Twins have won the AL Central in 6 of the last 9 seasons.

Things Going As Planned

The bullpen situation for the Yankees has gone pretty much as planned.  Plug Joba in to fill the 7th inning, then Soriano for the 8th and Mo to close it out.  Last night Joba looked sharp and didn't allow any hits in the 7th inning.  Soriano continued to prove himself as a great signing by Cashman and Mo continues to be.... Mo!  With three relievers to dominate the last three innings of a game, the Yankees have essentially created a game that lasts 6 innings.  As long as the Yankees can take a lead early in the game, there is little chance they will lose the game.


Side Notes

Ivan Nova looked sharp last night.  His fastball had movement and was always down in the zone.  He had no problems the first time through the order, and although he got himself in a little jam in the 4th inning (Jim Thome is still a threat!), he pitched himself out of trouble, causing Mauer to ground out on a curveball to end the inning.  If Nova continues to battle batters the second and third time through the lineup, he will have a great season.  We already know how dominant he is the first time through the batting order.

The Yankees have now won the last 18 of 20 games against the Twins.... poor Gardenhire!

Tonight they play again and it looks like Jeter will get the leadoff spot in the order as Andruw Jones will be starting in the outfield giving either Granderson or Gardner the day off.

Arod is continuing the hot streak from spring training, hitting another A-Bomb last night.  I think I speak for most fans when I say..... Save a little for October!!!

The Twins Are In Town

Tonight the Twins come to New York for a 4 game series.  The Twins, who were nearly swept by the Blue Jays this past weekend, seem to be struggling.  Even with their win yesterday, Nathan came awfully close to blowing a save.  It doesn’t help that they lost Jesse Crane, Matt Guerrier and Jon Rauch, as their relievers from last season.  The depleted bullpen doesn’t fare well for them against the Yankees, whose offense has been explosive over this last weekend. 

The Twins have dropped the last 17 of 19 games against the Yankees.  This includes both 2009 & 2010 Divisional Series which they were swept.  The Twins only have one win in the new Yankee stadium so far.  Last year the Yankees went 2-1 at home against the Twins.  The Yankees went 4-2 against them on the season.

Pitching Matchups

Monday/Tonight:  Ivan Nova v. Scott Baker

                -Nova has had a terrific spring which included a no hitter over 6 innings against the Orioles.   I saw his final start of the spring against the Astros and although he wasn’t as sharp, he pitched very well.   He seems to have problems the second and third time going through the order.

-Nova’s ERA in spring training was 1.80   over  5 starts. 

-As long as he keeps that fastball down, he will dominate! 

                -Nova will pitch again on Saturday in Boston against Bucholz

                -Baker faced the Yankees last years on May 14 and took the loss. 

Tuesday:  CC Sabathia  v. Brian Duensing

                -It looks like Sabathia is being lined up to face Beckett on Sunday night in Boston!

Wednesday:  Freddy Garcia v. Carl Pavano

                -I am still living up that glory from the ALDS when Pavano got shelled by the Yanks!  

                -Pavano gave up 10 hits over 6 innings  taking the loss in Game 2.

Thursday:  AJ Burnett v. Francisco Liriano

                -1PM Game…. Anybody need a ticket?  I can’t miss work for the Yankees….. or can I?

                -Liriano had second best strikeout rate in AL in 2010 (9.4 per 9 innings)

 

Time to Worry About Hughes????

After Sunday's poor performance, Hughes is getting a lot of attention about his velocity, or lack thereof.  He averaged about 88 mph yesterday and was mostly throwing his fastball around 87 - 89 mph, although he did top out in the 1st inning with  91 mph. He never hit 91 again for the rest of the game, (he only went 4 innings) and the Tigers never took a swing and missed on Hughes' fastball the entire game.

All the attention about his velocity is coming from the media and it may be a little premature to begin worrying.  I mean, how come the media isn't talking about Jeter's offense over the last three games?  Jeter only squeezed out two infield singles that weren't hit hard this past weekend.

This should not be something everyone is terribly concerned with.... just yet, but it must be looked at over the next few starts.  I would go farther and say the velocity must be gauged when the weather warms up a bit.  It simply could just be the cold weather that Hughes isn't used to yet.  Joba's velocity was down yesterday as well in the 85-88 mph range.  The problem with the Weather issue though is, scouts were reporting that during spring training Hughes' velocity was low, and that was down in sunny Florida.  Hughes' next start is Friday in Boston (another cold weather city) against Lackey, and I am sure this will be the talk of every radio show Friday, but it seems a bit premature.  On the bright side, Lackey looked awful this past weekend in Texas.

I am more concerned about how many homeruns Hughes allows.  Last year, he gave up a career high 25 home runs in 31 starts and on Sunday he allowed Miguel Cabrera to hit 2.  The first of Cabrera's home runs came on an 88 mph fastball.  Although Cabrera owns Hughes and is 7-14 against him, Hughes must do something to prevent all these home runs this season, especially in Yankee Stadium.  It may be just building up his arm strength, or it could be working on his new cutter pitch, but something has to give.

LOOKING BACK AT THE GRANDERSON TRADE... PART II

The Diamondbacks Received 

The Diamondbacks received the up and comer, Ian Kennedy from the Yankees in this deal.  At one point, Kennedy was hyped within the Yankees organization as he came up through the minor league system with Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain.  After an impressive minor league season in 2007, he was given an opportunity to start in 2008, but went 0-4 with an ugly 8.17 ERA.  During the 2008 season he was sent back down to the minors and recalled back by the Yankees several times.  In the offseason he was traded in this deal.

In Arizona, Kennedy had a much better season in 2010:

• Going 9-10 with a 3.80 ERA over 32 starts.
• He had a respectable WHIP at 1.20.
• He threw 168 strikeouts with 70 walks over 194 innings.

The Diamondbacks were impressed with him and named his as their #1 starter for this season.  His Opening Day on Friday was shaky as he allowed 4 runs over 6 innings against the Rockies.  I may have been caught up in that hype when Ian Kennedy was called up in 2007 & 2008, but I thought he had the makings to be a reliable starter.  Time will tell, especially since he is only 26 years old. 

Following a terrific 2009 season, Edwin Jackson was traded from the Tigers to the D-backs as part of this three-way trade.  Jackson who had bounced around between the Dodgers and Rays only throws 2 pitches: Fastball & Slider.  Both are extremely effective which prompted his appearance at the 2009 All Star Game.  In July of 2009, batters were only hitting .216 against him, which was the lowest in the AL.  He finished that season with a 13-9 record and 3.62 ERA.  2009 continues to be his standout year.

He only pitched for a couple months with the Diamondbacks when he was traded mid-season to the White Sox.  Prior to being traded he threw a no-hitter against the Rays in June.  He was traded for Dan Hudson & David Holmberg on the White Sox at the trade deadline.  He went 6-10 for the Diamondbacks with a 5/16 ERA and 1.49 WHIP.  The White Sox like him in 2011 and named him the #2 starter.  He dominated the Indians Saturday, allowing only 2 runs over 6 innings.

Overall, not a bad trade for the Diamondbacks who are trying to rebuild that team, especially for what they gave up.  Kennedy has some serious potential to be a solid starting pitcher, especially in the NL.  Kevin Towers is GM of the Diamondbacks now and they have a lot of rebuilding to do.  I  liked Towers when he worked within the Yankee organziation and hope to see his scouting abilities build a good team out in Arizona.  

Read Part I of the Granderson Trade Here 

LOOKING BACK ON THE GRANDERSON TRADE Part I

Granderson was the Opening Day hero at Yankee Stadium on Thursday against his former team, the Detroit Tigers.  Opening day showed a couple other familiar faces in Austin Jackson & Phil Coke (who ironically gave up the home run to Granderson).  All three of them were traded in a 3-Team trade prior to the 2010 season.  It may be too early but let's see how it worked out for everyone.

Austin Jackson was a touted prospect in the Yankees organization when he was traded in a 3-team trade with the Yankees, Tigers & Diamondbacks.  In that trade, the Yankees sent homegrown talents Austin Jackson & Phil Coke to the Tigers and Ian Kennedy to the Diamondbacks.  In return the Yankees received Opening Day hero, Curtis Granderson. As part of the 3-way deal, the Tigers sent Edwin Jackson to the Diamondbacks, and in return they received Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth.  Let's break that down a bit!

The Tigers Received  

With this trade the Tigers were able to get Granderson off their payroll who was making 25 Million through 2012 with an additional 13 Million club option for 2103. They added Jackson, Coke, Schlereth who are both young and making pre-arbitration money.  Jackson and Schlereth were paid only 400K for 2010 and should receive the same this season.  Coke made 425K in 2010 and will make the same in 2011.  Neither are arbitration eligible until 2013. As far as finances go, this was a solid move for the Tigers.

The biggest gain in this deal for the Detroit Tigers was Austin Jackson.    

• In his first season, Jackson hit .293 with a .345 on base percentage and a .400 slugging percentage.  

• He showed off his speed by hitting 10 triples (2^nd in AL) and stealing 27 bases. 
• As a leadoff batter he ranked 9^th in the AL with 181 hits, with 133 singles (5^th in AL).  
• Jackson ranked 6^th in the AL scoring 103 runs for the season.  

Overall it was quite a good season for Jackson, except for his strikeouts.  He led the AL with 170 strikeouts.  His plate discipline needs some serious work, but that is expected (to some degree) for rookies.  Unfortunately it doesn't look like a "rookie issue" for him as he struck out 3 times on Opening Day!

The Tigers also received, Phil Coke who was one of the lefty’s in Girardi’s bullpen and had improved numbers from 2009 to 2010

• specifically reducing his ERA to 3.76 in 2010.  
• He struck out 53 batters and allowed 67 hits with 26 walks in 64 innings
• Leading to a 1.438 WHIP.  

He’s not great by any means, but still is a decent lefty in the pen.  He must do something about the 26 walks though, as he is giving up a walk every other inning he pitches.  Not a very desirable trait with a relief pitcher!  Coke took the loss on Opening Day for the Tigers as he allowed the home run by Granderson for the Yankees win.

The Diamondbacks who were the unusual third piece to this trade, sent Max Scherzer to the Tigers along with Daniel Schlereth.  Scherzer began the season in AAA but was shortly thereafter called up and had a pretty good season going:

• 12-11 as a starter with a 3.50 ERA in 2010
• With 184 strikeouts in 195 innings.  
• In his first 12 starts he went 6-2 with a 2.62 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 75 innings.  

If you can’t tell, Scherzer is known for his strikeouts.  He fanned 14 batters in 5 2/3 innings against the A’s on May 30!  It will be interesting to watch how he develops in 2011.
 

Daniel Schlereth who was sent with Scherzer to the Tigers began the season in the minors but was called up in July.  He finished the season with Detroit as a reliever, pitching a total of 18 innings with a 2.89 ERA striking out 19 batters. He still needs to prove himself at this point, but he was the only pitcher for Detroit on Opening Day not to allow a run when he pitched the scoreless 8th.

If the Tigers have a winning season this year, they could look back on this trade as a major factor.  The Tigers were able to get big money off their books and add four young players with serious potential!

Part II & Part III coming soon