SB Nation - Mark Melancon

Farm system recap: Scranton Yankees, aka A Farewell to A-Jax

Travis G — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:00:18 -0000

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With all the recent events between the Yankees and their division rivals, this had to be delayed.

The Triple-A Yankees finished first in the International League's Northern Division with an 81-60 record. They were swept, however, in the IL finals by the Durham Bulls, three games to none.

The offensive star was once again Shelley Duncan, who won the MVP after hitting .277/.370/.546 and leading the league in homers and RBI. He'll be 30 next year and declined to return to the Scranton Yankees, making himself a free agent. It's too bad that he happened to be in the organization of a team with such talent at the big league level. I believe he could've been (and still might be) a productive ML hitter.

Cuban defector Juan Miranda was the left-handed MVP, batting .290/.369/.498. He's been called the current DH for the big league Yankees, but we all should remember Brian Cashman's statement that Bubba Crosby was the starting centerfielder right before they signed Johnny Damon. However, having Miranda as the platoon DH/1B wouldn't be so bad. He murders right-handed pitchers (.893 OPS vs. RHP, .712 vs. LHP). But having a DH that only plays two-thirds of the games makes for problems by itself. He's a solid insurance policy in case (Mo forbid) Teixeira goes down.

The best prospect on Scranton was Austin Jackson (.300/.354/.405), who led the team in plate appearances because he hit lead-off much of the year. He's what's called a 'toolsy' prospect, basically meaning he hasn't shown much in terms of production but has the raw tools to be a very good player. His best stint to date was a half-season with the Tampa Yankees (.345/.398/.566 in 67 games). However, he has never come close to that incredible slugging average since 2007 (.419 and .405 the two years since). What's also concerning (for Detroit) is his strikeout rate: 522 in 565 career games. Generally a player that K's that much also hits for power - not so with Ajax, who has 30 career homers. The Tigers are hoping that his raw physical ability eventually translates into power (he'll only be 23 next year). He hits for a decent average (.288) and OBP (.356), steals bases (123 SB, 34 CS) and plays above-average defense (by most accounts). He'll never be a superstar, but could be a good centerfielder for many years (which is extremely valuable).

There wasn't anyone too exciting on the pitching side. Romulo Sanchez (65 ip, 4.04 ERA, 64 K, 34 BB, 1.55 WHIP) was acquired from the Pirates in May. The Yankees like his high-90's velocity, but what's perplexing is his relative lack of K's (until this year). He K'ed 5.9/9 before this season. That rate jumped to 9.2/9 this year. Being just 25, he still has a chance at a long ML career. He'll never have a rotation spot, but his heat could make him an intriguing bullpen option in 2010.

Another relief option is Mark Melancon (53 ip, 2.89 ERA, 54 K, 11 BB, .91 WHIP), the former closer for the U. of Arizona. His career minor league stats are sick: 156 ip, 2.54 ERA, 151 K, 35 BB, .96 WHIP. His problem at the major league level, in a brief 13-game stint, was control: he walked 10 in 16 innings. That can be attributed mostly to nerves. His MiL walk rate is very low (2/9), so once he gets comfortable in the majors, we should see the dominant Mark Melancon.

I guess I need to mention He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, who now holds Scranton's career mark for wins, with 29. He led the team in innings (145), wins (10), K's (105), walks (40) and homers allowed (21). Two years to go...

HBP => brawl => ejections and possible injuries (Yankees lose 10-4)

Travis G — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:22:22 -0000

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The ugly way the Yankees played tonight will get overshadowed by the eighth inning brawl.

The Yanks out-hit the Jays, 15-13, but Sergio Mitre thew batting practice, allowing a career-high four homers against none for Roy Halladay.

The fight went down as such: Mark Melancon hit Aaron Hill square in the back in the seventh inning (probably unintentional). In retaliation, Jesse Carlson threw behind Jorge Posada (certainly intentional), who had some words for the pitcher. Posada walked and came around to score on GGBG's double. As he crossed homeplate, he sort of bumped elbows with Carlson, and then it's unclear what exactly happened next. They never showed Posada's reaction to that, so I can only tell you what Carlson did: he turned and yelled something at Posada, who then came back and went after Carlson. It was nearly impossible to tell what happened in the middle of those 60 players (remember, being September, there were extra players surrounding the fight, making it impossible to discern what was occurring). What could be seen were Girardi's crew cut in the middle and (of course) Shelley Duncan wrestling with catcher Rod Barajas on the ground. The after-effects were evident: Carlson had a nasty bruise on his forehead, Girardi has a small cut on his ear and a potential shiner in his left eye, and CC Sabathia was rubbing his head. Posada seemed unhurt.

The brawl was reminiscent of the Knicks-Heat fight from years ago where Jeff Van Gundy got right in the middle and was hanging on for dear life. Joe Girardi was right in the midst of this tussle, trying to break it up to prevent ejections and injuries. The Yankees have a lot more to lose at this point than Toronto. Posada may well get suspended for several games. We should just hope no one is hurt.

As for the game...

It's what we should have expected. Mitre was Mitre, a replacement level pitcher. And to get 11 hits off Halladay was an accomplishment in and of itself, but the Yanks just couldn't get the big one (5-16 with RISP), leaving 12 runners on base.

Nick Swisher over-leaped a short-porch homer. He climbed nearly into the stands but the ball hit right on top of the wall (and about three feet to his right), bouncing into the stands.

A-Rod was thrown out at home on a fine play by rightfielder Jose Bautista and catcher Rod Barajas. Just one of those plays where it needs to be a perfect throw and a perfect tag, and it was. You can't fault Alex or Robby Thompson for that.

6-0 L: The good news is no one got hurt. The bad news is they lost. Call it even?

CrazyYankeeChick — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:22:46 -0000

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CC needs to hold a pitching tutorial on how to maintain effectiveness in the presence of gut

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My sister doesn't believe in holding off on 3-0 counts or resting your starters. She thinks if you're gonna take the field, swing away and sustain momentum above all else. I disagree on the first, and go back and forth on the second. Since the Yankees lost to the Blue Jays at the hands of Roy Halladay's 1-hitter, tonight I'm going to say I disagree on her second belief, too. You don't have to win them all. Just enough to make the playoffs, but not enough to put anyone's health at jeopardy.

So...good thinking, Yanks! Watching the game tonight at my go-to bar, I heard "throw-away game" tossed around more than "put it on my tab." It was eerily reminiscent of the Giants-Vikings regular season-ending game last year. The east beasts handed over the W to Minny...and then lost in the first playoff game. But then again, Roy Halladay isn't a bad pitcher. And the weird permutations of fielders and batters made it seem like the Yankees drew names from a hat to determine who'd play.

I can stomach this loss. I won't lose sleep over it. Let's see what they come up with tomorrow. Was tonight, in fact, a throw-away game? Had they shifted downgear for this one? Stomp on Toronto tomorrow, and all will be forgiven.

As for tonight...

Before "throw-away" game was tumbling out of patrons, the anxious, desperation jinxes of "Look! It's a perfect game perfect game perfect game" played like staccato notes up and down the bar. It worked, thankfully. First by Jorge Posada's walk, then a no-no broken with Ramiro Pena's double. In fact, Pena really was the only Yankee who put ANY numbers on the sheepishly empty scoreboad. 1 hit and 1 error. MLB binary code for 3. As in only 3 men other than Pena even reached a base.

Or 3 is the number of innings it took for Joba Chamberlain to do a sufficient amount of hands on research for his dissertation on "How to Completely Negate the Whole Point of the Joba Rules: Simple Ways Your Reliever-Starter Can Erratically Stuff Innings with Pitches, Much Like a Bank Robber Would Stuff a Large Sack with Twenties." He threw 59 pitches in 3 innings. 59 pitches it took him to let up 6 hits and walk 2. Very economical. How that's protecting his arm, I have no idea.

Or 3 is the number of men on base when Alex Rodriguez struck out looking at a beautiful no-doubter. He was waiting for the outside pitch, but did he really think Roy Halladay was going to assess the bases-loaded situation, see that the tying run he's pitching to happens to be one of the best hitters in the game, and decide, "I'm gonna roll the dice and throw an outside 4-seamer. Why not! We're spoilers!"

Or 3 is the number of batters Michael Dunn walked in his Major League Debut. I felt a little bad for him. He looked so uncomfortable up there, but based on how the rest of the team was playing, he probably thought that was the standard demeanor amongst the team--awkward and uneasy.

Or 3 is the number of hours Halladay kept the game under. Despite the legions of pitches thrown, (253) the game was 2 and half hours long, thanks to Halladay who managed to deal all game, even with a 111 PC. (Beckett/Papelbon, take note...)

Mark Melancon. I'm not a fan. Mainly because he walked in a run, which is right up there with fouling out with a bunt in my baseball gripes. The skeleton crew Girardi syphoned from the bullpen was really a scrappy-looking bunch today. Which is fine because if we're gonna lose, I'd rather see a bunch of "Don't Unpack Your Suitcase Just Yet" relievers, instead of wasting Hughes' filth (and Aceves's, uh, quasi-filth. Dust.)

Adam Lind keeps my fantasy team's slugging respectable. (3-4, 2 RBI). Him and Aaron Hill (2-5, 1 RBI) are an underrated three-four setup.

The Red Sox got carved up tonight. 7.5 lead stays in tact. Another reason why tonight was a good night to lose.

Tomorrow we go back to conventional pitching practices of using a starter to start the game and allow him to pitch for a sufficient period. Andy Pettitte vs Brett Cecil. They'll get this one back. And start another streak, because that's what they do.

New York Yankees Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

John Sickels — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:00:25 -0000

by John Froschauer - AP

New York Yankees reliever David Robertson (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

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New York Yankees Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

This list was originally published December 28, 2008. This is a review of the PRE-SEASON list for 2009, not a revision of that list. This is a REVIEW of the old list. I'm not doing new grades or lists until I start working on the 2010 book.

1) Jesus Montero, C, Grade B+: Season ended early due to injury, but hit .337/.389/.562 between Class A and Double-A before getting hurt. Outstanding bat, defense still questionable.

2) Austin Jackson, OF, Grade B: .298/.355/.404 with 23 steals in 27 attempts for Triple-A Scranton. Power development mediocre, but does other things well.

3) Dellin Betances, RHP, Grade B-: 5.48 ERA with 44/27 K/BB in 44 innings for Class A Tampa, 48 hits allowed, before going down with Tommy John surgery.

4) Austin Romine, C, Grade B-: Hitting .274/.321/.433 with 12 homers for Class A Tampa. Needs to tighten the strike zone as he moves up.

5) Zach McAllister, RHP, Grade B-: 2.31 ERA with 95/31 K/BB in 113 innings for Double-A Trenton, 94 hits. A pretty solid strike-thrower.

6) Mark Melancon, RHP, Grade B-: 2.89 ERA with 54/11 K/BB in 53 innings for Scranton, just 37 hits. Has done OK with 11 major league innings, though command hasn't been as good with six walks.

7) Jairo Heredia, RHP, Grade B-: Just 38 innings combined between GCL Yankees, Charleston in the Sally League, and Tampa. 3.32 ERA with 31/7 K/BB combined numbers. Need to see at higher levels with more data.

8) Andrew Brackman, RHP, Grade C+: 6.08 ERA with 100/76 K/BB in 104 innings for Charleston, 104 hits. He's been terrible overall, though has done better after moving to relief. Command remains a huge problem.

9) Phil Coke, LHP, Grade C+: 5.06 ERA with 41/18 K/BB in 53 innings for the Yankees, 42 hits. Needs to cut back on the home runs, but I think he's capable of better than this.

10) Alfredo Aceves, RHP, Grade C+: 3.88 ERA with 53/12 K/BB in 67 innings for the Yankees, 58 hits. A decent utility pitcher perhaps capable of taking a larger role.

11) Wilkin de la Rosa, LHP, Grade C+: 3.48 ERA with 77/41 K/BB in 83 innings for Trenton, 67 hits. Good stuff, needs to improve command.

12) Humberto Sanchez, RHP, Grade C+: Still recovering from injury, has pitched 33 innings between Tampa, Trenton, and Scranton, combined numbers 3.86 ERA with 34/14 K/BB, 21 hits allowed. Still has strong K/IP and hit rates.

13) Jon Albaladejo, RHP Grade C+: Very strong in Triple-A, 1.54 ERA with 24/3 K/BB in 35 innings 24 hits. Weak in the majors, 5.61 ERA with 17/12 K/BB in 26 innings, 29 hits. Like Coke and Aceves, I think he's a useful arm.

14) David Robertson, RHP, Grade C+: 3.46 ERA with 58/21 K/BB in 39 innings for the Yankees, 34 hits. Control could use some work but love the strikeout rate.

15) Brad Suttle, 3B, Grade C+: Out all year with shoulder injury.

16) Arodys Vizcaino, RHP, Grade C+: 2.13 ERA with 52/15 K/BB in 42 innings for Staten Island in the New York-Penn League. Out since August 8^th with a back injury.

17) Christian Garcia, RHP, Grade C+: 0.71 ERA with 24/17 K/BB in 25 innings for Trenton. Out since June 10^th with elbow injury.

18) George Kontos, RHP, Grade C+: 3.35 ERA with 39/21 K/BB in 51 innings for Scranton. Out since June 25^th with elbow injury.

19) Kanekoa Texeira, RHP, Grade C+: 2.82 ERA with 85/40 K/BB in 99 innings for Trenton, 88 hits and a 2.40 GO/AO. Needs better command but looks interesting.

20) Eduardo Sosa, OF, Grade C+: Raw tools guy hitting .200/.280/.291 for the GCL Yankees. Further evidence not to highly rate players merely on the basis of hot scouting reports from Latin America.

21) Eric Hacker, RHP, Grade C+: Traded to the Pirates, 4.08 ERA with 77/44 K/BB in 110 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis, 129 hits. Looks like a Quadruple-A type.

The Yankees started the season with one excellent prospect in Montero, a solid guy in Jackson, and a bunch of B-/C+ types who may or may not develop into something. Injury attrition has torn through the pitchers. Brackman has yet to live up to New York propaganda hype, and there is a distinct lack of impact talent beyond Montero. On the other hand, Robertson has been strong, I haven't given up on Coke, and Aceves is certainly capable of contributing in a major league bullpen going forward. Melancon, McAllister, and Teixeira are all potential contributors for 2010 or trade fodder.

Yankees, Mariners Continue To Talk Jarrod Washburn

Matt Buggenhagen — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:53:13 -0000

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The Mariners and Yankees continued to talk about a deal for M's left-hander Jarrod Washburn late last night, and the latest offer was for Yankee prospect Jesus Montero, which was immediately rejected, this according to John Heyman of SI.com.

The Mariners have made it clear that they think Washburn has tremendous value, and they're not just going to give him away. However, the Yankees are hoping the M's consider a lesser package of prospects. Montero was recently ranked by Baseball America as the third best prospect in baseball.

Some of the names that are thought the Yankees might be willing to deal are pitching prospects Mark Melancon, Mike Dunn, Ivan Nova and Paul Bush, catcher Francisco Cervelli and infielders Eduardo Nunez and Ramiro Pena.

In a related story the Yankees also inquired about Royals starter Brian Bannister, but that deal broke down when the ever money conscious Yankees were asking the Royals to throw in the $650,000 remaining on Bannister's contract.

6-2 Tampa: Kazmir's still got it

Travis G — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:12:45 -0000

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There's still something about Scott Kazmir that upsets the Yankees because, in the midst of his worst season as a pro, he's still able to shut them down for seven innings.

Tampa Bay just had the better pitcher tonight. Sabathia did not bring his 'A game', and Kazmir did, allowing just one run in seven as opposed to Sabathia allowing six in 5.2.

Two errors and two GDPs certainly didn't help the cause. Jeter, Damon, Cano and Melky went 0-12.

The only real bright spot(s) from were Mark Melancon's 2.1 shutout frames in relief of CC.

The series is on the line tomorrow as Joba faces Matt Garza.

Chien Ming-Wang will have season ending surgery tomorrow, per Pete Abe (h/t to RAB). That really sucks. When it rains, it pours. Does it mean Cashman will definitely acquire a pitcher by the deadline?
The A's have scored three in the top of the ninth, thanks to two Nick Green errors (that's the guy we know and love), to tie Boston at seven.

Around the Yankee Universe: Bronson Arroyo?

Ed Valentine — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:27:08 -0000

As our New York Yankees continue to roll merrily along, let's see what stories are making news around the Yankee Universe.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman is mum on talk about Bronson Arroyo

In typical late-July fashion, trade rumors continued to circulate around the Web Monday, including one that had Bronson Arroyo heading from the Reds to the Yankees. A baseball source dismissed the rumor, saying the Yankees were not engaged in talks for the 32-year-old starter who is due roughly $17 million by the end of 2010.

The Yankees have been pleased with Sergio Mitre since he moved into the fifth starter role, making it unlikely that they would deal for a fill-in pitcher with that much money left on his deal. Yankees GM Brian Cashman declined comment, but the Reds did their part to squelch the rumor via the team's official Twitter page.

"Ignore the Internet rumors," read the team's official Tweet last night. "Bronson Arroyo will start for the Reds tomorrow, as scheduled."

My take: Arroyo is a workhorse, having pitched 200 or more innings four straight seasons. He is also familiar with the AL, of course, having pitched for Boston. He has a 5.21 ERA, though, so how effective he would be is questionable.

The great Mark Melancon conspiracy

Yes, Mark Melancon is still on the Yankee roster. It sure doesn't seem that way, however. Here's Pete Abe on the Melancon situation.

I’m getting a lot of e-mails about Mark Melancon’s inactivity. He hasn’t pitched since July 10. It’s circumstance, not some dark plot by Joe Girardi.

There have been a lot of close games and/or a need to get other guys going. Melancon is the last guy in the bullpen and that’s how it goes sometimes.

They still think very highly of him.

Look at this way: The Yankees have won 10 of 11 and 23 of 29. If they’re biggest problem is not getting a rookie reliever enough work, that’s a good problem to have.

Pete is probably right. I would, however, have liked to see Melancon get an opportunity last night instead of Jonathan Albaladejo.

Damon reflects after latest milestone

Johnny Damon hit the 200th home run of his career last night.

'Kudos & Wet Willies,' All-Star break review

Ed Valentine — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:00:16 -0000

I promised you guys a 'Kudos & Wet Willies' review of our New York Yankees during the break. Here it is.

Before I start, a primer. 'Kudos' go to the best performers. 'Wet Willies' go to the worst. There are some guys who fall in the middle. When I discuss these types of guys over at my football site -- Big Blue View -- I usually talk about guys who do some good and some bad things. They don't fit in either category, so they get a 'kwillie.' We will give out a few of those today, too.

I guess the best way to do this is by going through most of the roster. I may not mention everyone who has donned the pinstripes thus far in 2009, but I will try to get to most of them.

So, let's get started.

Pitching Staff

CC Sabathia -- At 8-6, 3.86 the big fella has been OK. He has also pitched a ton of innings (128.1). The Yankees didn't pay him $161 million just to be OK and eat innings, though. They paid him to win big games like Sunday's, and to be dominant. He hasn't been those things, yet. For now, he gets a 'kwillie.'

A.J. Burnett -- Another guy who has been good, but not great at 8-4, 3.77. He's done a little Mitch Williams' 'Wild Thing' impersonation at times, but he has been pretty much what the Yankees expected. Gotta give him 'kudos.'

Andy Pettitte -- He is 8-5 with a high 4.85 ERA. Probably about what he can be expected to do at this point in his career. He's somewhere in the middle, so he has to get a 'kwillie.'

Joba Chamberlain -- I believe he should start. And I know you have to be patient with a 23-year-old in his first full season as a starter. But, Joba (4-2, 4.25) has a higher WHIP (1.56) than Pettitte and is getting knocked around more than we have ever seen. No question about this one. A 'Wet Willie' for Joba.

Chien-Ming Wang -- Any doubt? 'Wet Willie.' The Yankees need him to pitch better in the second half, but as as Charles Barkley would say, he's been mostly 'turr-a-bull.'

Mariano Rivera -- He's still Mariano in save situations, which means darn close to automatic. So, 'kudos' to Mo. Unless it' a tie game, in which case it's close your eyes, turn off the TV and reach for another beer.

Phil Hughes -- Utterly dominant since going to the bullpen. 'Kudos,' without question.

Phil Coke -- Struggled early, but he has become one of the reliable members of the Yankee bullpen.'Kudos.'

Brian Bruney -- Umm ... 'Wet Willie.' Bruney is riding the Jose Veras train, which we know leads from trusted set-up guy and winds its way into banishment to some other organization.

David Robertson -- Great curveball, decent fastball, terrible control. No way he should ever come into a game with runners on base. For now, a 'kwillie,' which could rapidly turn into the dreaded WW.

Alfredo Aceves -- Looking past his not so successful start last week, 'Ace' (5-1, 2.49) has been brilliant for the Yankees in just about every role. He has started, gone long, pitched in the middle, done the eighth-inning thing, and even picked up a save. 'Kudos.'

Brett Tomko -- Tough one to grade, since the expectation here is really that he just manage not to embarrass himself pitching a few mop-up innings. He's managed to do that, I guess, but I can't do any better than give him a 'kwillie.'

Mark Melancon -- Not enough to judge yet, though a 6.35 ERA in five appearances does not make you think this guy can one day close for the Yankees. I guess I will give him a 'kwillie' until I see more.

Edwar Ramirez/Jose Veras/Jonathan Albaledejo/Damaso Marte -- 'Wet Willies' all, though that might be slightly unfair to Albaladejo who has been decent at times.

Position Players

Jorge Posada -- I love Jorge, and he is a lot more important to the Yankees than many fans give him credit for. He has made a nice comeback from shoulder surgery with the bat this season (.285, 11, 40), but he is adequate at best defensively and at 37 won't get any better. 'Kudos,' but barely. And only because his offense outweighs his defense.

Jose Molina -- 'Wet Willie.' For holding Francisco Cervelli's roster spot hostage.

Francisco Cervelli -- 'Kudos,' of course. He is Francisco the Great, and we know he will return.

Mark Teixeira -- He has been everything the Yankees hoped for, and more. Offensively and defensively he is a force, and he is a class act who was a great addition to the clubhouse. 'Kudos.'

Robinson Cano -- Much better than last season, both offensively and defensively. Cano, though, is still not as good as he should be. He may never be a guy who can be relied on in the middle of the lineup. He gets a 'kwilie.'

Derek Jeter -- 'Kudos.' Both offensively and defensively, Jeter is playing better than he has in quite a while. At 35, he is playing better than we could have anticipated. The Captain is still a big-time player.

Alex Rodriguez -- Forgetting all the drama around A-Rod all the time, I admire what he has done this season with 17 home runs and 50 RBI in just 58 games. 'Kudos.'

Cody Ransom -- Tell me again why Brian Cashman thought Ransom should be the utility infielder for this team? He's hitting .176 and you have to hold your breath every time the ball is hit to him. 'Wet Willie.' If I had a worse honor, I'd give him that. And I can't wait until the Yankees give him the boot.

Ramiro Pena -- At some point, Pena has to return to be the Yankees' utility infielder. He has a terrific glove, and even now is a better big-league hitter than Ransom. He is in AAA learning to play the outfield, and could be a terrific all-around utility guy for years to come. 'Kudos.'

Johnny Damon -- Old man Johnny looks like he is tip-toeing on hot coals every time he goes after a fly ball, ut he sure can hit. When do they paint 'Damon's Deck' on the front of the Yankee Stadium second deck in right field? 'Kudos.'

Brett Gardner -- He is playing better than most thought he could, (.282, 18 stolen bases). He also covers a ton of ground in center field. 'Kudos.'

Melky Cabrera -- As a jack-of-all trades sometimes center fielder, sometimes corner guy, sometimes regular, sometimes bench guy Melky has been terrific. 'Kudos.'

Nick Swisher -- 'Turd' or not, Swisher has been a plus for the Yankees. 'Kudos.'

Hideki Matsui -- His knees won't let him play the outfield any more, and he is streaky with the bat. But, when he gets it going he is a middle-of-the-lineup guy who can really hit. Enjoy him for now because he won't be a Yankee next season. 'Kwillie.'

Eric Hinske -- 'Kudos' so far, but the sample size is too small for a real assessment.

Manager

I am giving Joe Girardi a 'kwillie' for now. There has been good and bad, but the Yankees would make the playoffs if the season ended today so it's hard to give him a 'Wet Willie' Ultimately, Girardi can't be judged until the season is over.

The Yankees are falling ... time for drastic measures

Ed Valentine — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:01:08 -0000

Clearly our New York Yankees are hopelessly broken. They are in complete disrepair and will not win another game in 2009 unless drastic measures are taken. Before Tuesday's game in Atlanta. So, what's to be done? Here are some ideas.

GM Brian Cashman needs to be fired. Clearly, he has no clue how to construct a major-league roster. We need to convince Theo Epstein to come save us -- now! If he's not available, maybe 'CaptainYank' or 'TheRealDeal56' would be our savior. Clearly, if they were in charge no one would ever screw up a bunt, hit into a double play, make a base-running mistake or hang a curveball.
Manager Joe Girardi needs to be shown the door along with Cashman. Any moron who has ever watched a game knows Joe G. has no clue when to bunt, when to hit-and-run, when to go to the bullpen or which pitchers to use. He keeps flashing that 'hit into a double play to kill this rally sign.' Oh, and he keeps insisting on using a five-time all star and borderline Hall of Famer as his catcher. Clearly, Joe G. must go. Maybe Stump Merrill is available. Oh, and I heard the other day Bucky Dent is looking to get back into baseball.
Alex Rodriguez must be DFA'd. It's obvious the Yankees are better with Angel Berroa at third base. Oh, and Cody Ransom is close to being eligible to come off the DL. Gotta make room for him somehow.
Derek Jeter has to sit down. Obviously, he has forgotten how to bunt. And he seems to think hitting into rally-killing double plays is showing good leadership. You know, it gets the game over faster so A-Rod can go party with Kate Hudson. He can't play again until he lays down 1,000 successful sacrifice bunts in a row during BP, and writes "I will not hit into double plays" 10,000 times on his Blackberry.

Starting rotation: A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte (they were both good in their last starts), Phil Hughes (any idiot would agree), Alfredo Aceves and Andrew Brackman.
Bullpen: Mariano Rivera, CC Sabathia (injury shows he can't handle starting), Joba Chamberlain (only the team's second-best starter -- that's not good enough), David Robertson, Phil Coke, Brian Bruney, Mark Melancon. See ya, Chien-Ming Wang!
Institute a Nick Swisher rule. Let's ask Major League Baseball to let us use the Little League pinch-runner rule so that every time Swisher gets on base we can run for him, then put him back in the game.
Actually, forget pinch-running for Swisher. Just cut the king of Red Bull and put Shelley Duncan in right field.
DFA Jorge Posada. Clearly too old, can't call a game, can't throw, doesn't know how to properly catch the ball. Bring up Jesus Montero. Or even the newly-signed phenom Gary Sanchez. They have to be an improvement.
Johnny Damon hasn't homered in a couple of weeks, is old and can't catch the ball any more. DFA him and put Austin Jackson in left field.
Sell the team to Donald Trump. Maybe he will have a clue how to right the ship.

Around the Yankee Universe: Waiting for more on CC

Ed Valentine — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:00:20 -0000

While we hold our collective breath and hope not to explode waiting for more news on CC Sabathia's "bicep tightness," let's look around at some other stories making news around the Yankee Universe.

A couple of observations before we get to the links.

Can we please, please not have any more of Brett Tomko in winnable games? Tomko and his 6.28 ERA are the classic example of the journeyman mop-up guy. He belongs in games the Yankees are losing, chewing up innings when it's obvious the team isn't going to win. He has not business being in games the Yankees actually are winning, or have a chance to win. He posted ERAs of 5.55 and 6.30 the past two seasons, and his implosion Sunday (three runs in two innings) cost the Yankees a winnable game. David Robertson or Phil Hughes have got to be in the game in that spot. Besides that, how much longer can the Yankees carry Tomko and let Mark Melancon (2.48 ERA, 0.93 WHIP) languish at AAA. Gotta give him a full shot before the trade deadline I would think.
Where has the Yankee offense gone? I will forgive the Josh Johnson game because the Florida right-hander is outstanding, but for the most part the offense has been pathetic since battering Johan Santana of the Mets in a 15-0 victory. I'm not jumping off any bridges, and you shouldn't either, but there is no way the Yankees should have gone 2-4 against the Nationals and Marlins.

Now, follow the jump to get to a few other stories of interest.

Is it possible that the Yankees might actually win Manager Joe Girardi's protest of Florida's eighth-inning lineup snafu? The New York Times seems to think it's possible. I would be astounded if the Yankees actually got another shot at those last two innings.
Peter Abraham ran down a list Sunday of possible trade targets for General Manager Brian Cashman. The first name on his list was the versatile Mark DeRosa of Cleveland. If the Yankees want to stick to their new plan to give A-Rod more rest, DeRosa is better than anyone else the Yanks could play at third base. He could also help the Yankees at the corner outfield positions, giving them an alternative to living with Nick Swisher's slumps.
Great piece in the New York Times Sunday about former Yankee and currently disabled Marlin Scott Proctor. It seems that Proctor has admitted to being an alcoholic, and says that is what ultimately got him traded out of the pinstripes. I always loved Proctor. If he is healthy, and sober, I would be perfectly OK with the Yankees bringing him to camp next season as a non-roster guy and giving him a chance. If you haven't the Times piece on Proctor, go do it.
Since I mentioned Proctor, I have to mention the fact there is concern in Los Angeles that Joe Torre might be pushing his key relievers too hard. Gee, where have we heard that before? And, should we be surprised? Here is my take on Torre and relievers. I know his track record is filled with exploded elbows and shredded shoulders, but can you really blame the guy? His job is to win, and these middle relief or setup guys seems to have a short shelf life, anyway. You can't really depend on them from one year to the next. I can't really kill him for riding guys who are getting the job done. Especially when you know that while he was managing the Yankees fans would have killed him for losing games while his best guys rested. And you know you would have been killing him.
In honor of the U.S. Open golf tournament being played ... and played ... and played at rainy Bethpage, NBC Sports has put together lists of the best players to ever come from Long Island. They have separate lists for position players and pitchers. A fun read.