Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Spring Training 3/5/13 Lineup

Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Jayson Nix 2B
Travis Hafner DH
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C
Dan Johnson 1B
Zoilo Almonte RF
Corban Joseph 3B

RHP David Phelps

INJURY UPDATE: Mark Teixeira has been scratched from the Team USA exhibition game due to a sore forearm. Also, Robinson Cano was struck by a foul ball while standing at third base. Cano waved off trainers and is expected to be okay.

NEWS AND UPDATES:

-- Mark Teixeira went in for x-rays and his diagnosis is that he has a strained forearm. He said he felt something in his arm while taking swings in the cage. Teixeira's injury means he's out of the World Baseball Classic and will be out of the Yankee lineup between a week and ten days.

-- The Yankees made more cuts today in camp: Cito Culver, Ron Segedin, Tyler Austin, Gary Sanchez, Francisco Arcia and Kyle Higashioka.

-- Mariano Rivera could be in a Yankees game tomorrow according to Joe Girardi. He didn't sound entirely committed, but it seemed like he was leaning towards yes.

33 comments:

  1. Yes, he's taking a few day off after spraining his thumb but he expects to pick up a bat sometime this week. His MRi came back clean and the Yankees are just relieved that it's not serious

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  2. Hopefully the injury to Tex isn't serious. Opening the season with Granderson, tex & ARod injured would mean a very weak lineup. They don't even have an established back-up 1B. Dan Johnson and Juan Rivera can play 1B but don't do much for me offensively.

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  3. Has there been any word on David Adams? Was looking forward to seeing him in ST.

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  4. I for one would rather see real prospects such as Austin Tyler playing RF instead of Zolio Almonte and Austin Romine catching instead of Chris Stewart

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  5. Austin has already been cut from camp.

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  6. Would like to see more of the big prospects too but they have their reasons for doing what they are doing.

    Zoilo & Melky are getting a lot of time in the OF because they are both on the 40-man roster and have legit chances of making the team with Granderson's injury. While Austin is considered a better prospect he still has to prove himself above A-ball. AA is usually the proving ground for prospects....if a player performs well in AA at a young age he is considered a legit step away from MLB.

    As for Romine, he would be MLB ready if not for his injuries. He needs to Catch everyday, prove he's healthy and get regular ABs then he'll be ready for a call-up. Since Stewart and Cervelli have no more options, they can't send them to the minors without losing them. I thought the yanks should have signed a 1-yr stopgap like AJ Pyrznski behind the plate until Romine is ready next yr.

    I wish the better prospects were ready which is why I think the Yankees $189 plans should be postponed a year or 2. Coincide the budget cuts for when you have legit-MLB ready prospects to plug in. Otherwise, you get cheap vets like Stewart and Cervelli and cheap "B-/C" level prospects like Zoilo & Melky.

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  7. fishjam, everything you said is true, but sometimes the B/C prospects turn out to be better than the top prospects. I don't see the outfield as a problem in the future, between Mesa,Almonte,Autin,Heathcott, and Williams the Yanks look good there. The catching is another story.

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  8. paul, players like Austin, Heathcott, and Williams will not make the team until the Yanks are sure they are ready. I would say June next year would be a good target. In this way there clock doesn't start ticking on free agency. Teams like the Rays and Nats have done this with talent like Harper.

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  9. Delia is smiling ear to ear with those two hits already from Gardner

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  10. This year will be a big year to see what the Two big catching prospects can do in Sanchez and JR Murphy.

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  11. Gardner had me smiling all Spring so far. He needs to keep it up. :)

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  12. I've been impressed with the relief pitching so far this spring, Joba looks like he will be the 7th inning guy. Other pitchers like Pinder, Monte, Whitley, Rondon, Rimirez,and Clairborne look like major league material.

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  13. Montgomery looks like his arm may be bothering him a bit tonight. Doesn't seem to have any pop at all, no snap on his Slider and he's laboring big time. get the kid out!!

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  14. That's true Doug. And I think both Zoilo and Melky will have MLB careers. They both look pretty good so far in ST but they both have the same weakness........strikezone judgement and making enough contact. Things like that can be difficult to judge in early ST when pitchers are throwing a lot of strikes and a lot of Fastballs. I've always liked Zoilo better than Melky but Melky may be better suited to make the team out of ST since he's better defensively and is older with more experience.

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  15. fishjam, I agree, he pitched in the Arizona Fall League may have been taxing on him. They have been laying off the slider and teeing off on the fastball. He may have to pick up a change like Whitley. Pinder,Clairborne,Whitley, and Rondon will be pushing Eppley and Rapada for jobs this year. The thing Eppley and Rapada have going for them is that they did well last year and the funky delivery. Sometimes throwing out of a different window is better than pure stuff.

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  16. While the young pitchers and outfielders have looked good for the most part, the infielders have looked bad. Maruszak, Joseph, Johnson, Segeden, and Murton look to need some work to become major league material.

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  17. fishjam, Girardi could play Zoilo in RF and move Ichiro to LF, or play Melky in CF or LF with Gardner in the other position. Zoilio can switch hit while Melky is faster and better defensively. Girardi likes veterans so he might still take Diaz and Rivera.

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  18. If Adams is anything like Joseph he won't be much help this year. I know he was injured at the beginning of the spring, problably not in the picture right now.

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  19. In Joseph's defense he really hasn't played much 3b before. Adams at least played there the last month or 2 last season and then in the AFL. Plus he has a much better defensive reputation than Joseph. I'd rather see him at 3b than Rivera at 1b but if Tex is lost for an extended period they may have to look at Rolen bc the lineup will be severely punchless.

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  20. Pretty sure I saw a tweet that said Adams was cut yesterday

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  21. fishjam, maybe so but an infielder should be able to play much better than he has shown with his arm and glove. I would like to see what Adams can do. Tex out would be a major hit the Yanks might not be able to work around.

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  22. Well looks like they will find out. Tex is out about 10 weeks!

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  23. fishjam, looks like Dan Johnson is the next in line. I would take him at first over putting Joseph at 3rd and Youk at first.

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  24. I would too but I'd like to get a look at Adams. Or do they dare try Nunez at 3B again? Playing guys like Dan johnson, Juan Rivera and even Chris Stewart is a waste to me. If we are going to go with subpar players I'd at least like to use young players so they can get experience and we can see what they are made of.

    Look at the potential Opening Lineup vs a RHP....not very scary for a Pitcher. i think they have to bat Jeter or Ichiro down in the lineup in a RBI slot like 3rd or 6th. Maybe something like this?

    CF - Gardner
    SS - Jeter
    RF - Ichiro
    2B - Cano
    DH - Hafner
    3B - Youk
    1B - Johnson/Adams/Nunez
    LF - Zoilo/Diaz/Rivera/Mesa
    C - Cervelli/Stewart

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  25. fish, wrist injuries are tricky, I might go after a player like Morneau, the Twins would dump him at little cost other than his salary. He could be a back up for Hafner who is still a ?

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  26. At this point moving Youk to first,his best position, and platoon Nix/Nunez at 3rd.

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  27. Nunez is the SS/DH only. Youk to 1st seems a no brainer to me (as you so stated)!

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  28. fishjam...
    I like your thinking, Jeter will be at the #1 or #2 spot only, Brett is a lead-off hitter from way back. Itchy is the best pure hitter right now.
    I think:
    CF-Brett
    SS-Jeter/Nunez
    RF-Itchy
    2nd-Cano
    1st-Youk
    DH-Hafner
    3rd-Adams
    LF-Zoilo/Mesa...et. el.
    C-Cisco/Stewart

    Being realistic without denigrating Jeter!
    No one knows how Jeter is going to do this year but, my gut tells me he will not play as well as last year. He and others can say what ever they wish but, I think he will now learn that age does matter, along with his ankle injury. I hope he can play very well but, last year was his last Jeter type season! He has had an outstanding 18 years with the Yankees, can he do one more like before? The hope is, YES but I don't think so! Can I be wrong again? Your damn right and I hope I am!

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  29. old yankee, I like your line-up but I would substitute Nunny for Adams. I think Adams is out with a back problem.

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  30. I might even give Ronnie Mustelier a chance to play third this spring.

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  31. The pitchers are going to hurt from this the most. Look how many home runs and rbi's are off the board already to start this season first last season. The pitchers are going to know they won't have that run support anymore

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  32. doug...Nunez is the SS and DH only. Nunez is one of those guys that is more an athlete than a baseball player. He has to be in one position for a while to learn the small stuff needed to be an effective SS.
    You, of all people know, playing SS in the bigs is much more involved than even college ball! Heck, in high school I closed and played 2nd, 3rd and SS. In college I ended up at 2nd and closer, there are many more things to do and be aware of as one moves up the chain in each position. Thus, you see real bad play from the farm hands when they play out of position.
    They want Nunez to be the SS of the future and back-up Jeter this year! Putting him at 3rd would hurt his development!

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)