Friday, March 1, 2013

Robinson Cano Rejects Offer


The Yankees made a "significant offer" to Robinson Cano, and it was apparently made before pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training on February 12th. However it was reported by The New York Post that the offer has been rejected.

Neither side has disclosed any details about the offer, but that didn't stop George King from guessing that it may have been a 7 year deal worth $172 million (an AAV of $24.6 million, just above the $22.4 million Sabathia's deal is worth). Although Robbie probably won't get as much as guys like Joey Votto, Prince Fielder, and Albert Pujols received recently (10, 9, and 10 year deals, respectively), Boras points out that Cano produces like a corner infielder. And being a second basemen, that should up his value to that point.

I can see how some fans would be disappointed at this news, as they want to ensure that Cano is in pinstripes for the rest of his career, and they want that to happen as soon as possible. However, the way I look at it, this is a good thing. If Cano had accepted their first offer, then that would tell me that it was too much. I mean, at this point in negotiations, Robbie would have to be blown away to accept it so quickly. Seeing that he rejected it tells me the offer was likely a fair deal, but not one that the team would regret later like that are with Alex Rodriguez (I don't recall hearing of ARod rejecting a Yankee offer before taking that huge 10 year deal).

"No, I don't feel bad that I get paid a ton more than what I'm worth."

It would be great if the deal got done before Opening Day, as that would lower the Yankee payroll in terms of the Luxury Tax, but Cano could very well be in line for a huge payday so why should he be in any hurry? And when we're talking about a deal that will be around $200 million, I'd rather the Yankees not worry about saving a few million bucks on the payroll thing, and take their time to make sure they don't make another ARod-like mistake.

Cervelli has good game, but Yanks fall to Phillies 10-5

The more we chant "It's Just Spring Training", the more frustrated we become. Why? Because the Yankees last (and only) win came one week ago, tomorrow. Now, the fans don't like to see the Yankees lose, but the Yankees are playing sloppy baseball. That's what summed up today's 10-5 loss against the Phillies. Sloppy.


There was more bad than good that came out of the game, a game that was plagued with four errors. Now, let's try to look at the bright side, because that's all that we can do at this point.


Francisco CervelliFrancisco Cervelli is seemingly pulling himself away from the catchers competition, going 2-for-2 with a walk, and throwing out yet another runner. Chris Stewart hasn't played since the second inning of yesterday's game, where he was ejected for allegedly pointing at the umpire after the umpire warned him not to point, so it gives Cervelli an edge so far this Spring.


David RobertsonD-Rob came into another tight jam, relieving Hiroki Kuroda who only went 1.2 IP and allowing 4 runs (1 earned). In five pitches, Robertson got out of the jam and stopped the game from further damage at that point. I said it once and I'll say it again: D-Rob is in midseason form.


Hiroki Kuroda: Now, some people will argue that Kuroda had a bad outing, but when you watched the game, the numbers don't translate to how he actually pitched. He actually got the ground-balls when he needed them, unfortunately, the infielders were unable to field the ball and their positions, allowing three unearned runs to score. Was Kuroda sharp? No. But did he look decent for his first time on the mound? Yes.


Melky MesaIf the Yankees are looking for someone to take Curtis Granderson's spot for the next 4-6 weeks, then I strongly suggest Melky Mesa. He played the entire game, and hit another home run. He hit one yesterday vs. the Astors as well, making his total 2 HR's and 4 RBI's in the last two days. His bat's on fire, and just in time too. He's planning on going to the World Baseball Classic.


What's Next:


-- The Yankees will try again to get their second win of the Spring tomorrow against the Detroit Tigers, who are coming from Lakeland to Tampa. Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira are both slated to play their last game with the Yankees before heading off to their separate teams for the World Baseball Classic. That game will be at 1:05 p.m. on YES Network.

Is He The Answer?

No, not this answer.

So how concerned are you about the Yankees offense?

I'm guessing that the majority of you at least answered that question with the word "somewhat".

But! Are you concerned enough that you'd give Vladimir Guerrero a minor league deal?

If so, then you're in luck, because the 38 year old former MVP is looking for a minor league deal according to Ken Rosenthal. Vlad was last seen in Major League Baseball in 2011, when he played for the Baltimore Orioles, and hit .290/.317/.416 in 145 games. He did re-join the Orioles in 2012, but asked for and got his release after he didn't appear in the first 12 games.

Unfortunately the Yankees don't seem to be interested. And personally, I'm okay with that.

Pineda Continues Rehab


We found out that Kevin Youkilis is returning from his oblique scare, but I wanted to share with you some even better news on the injury front...
Michael Pineda threw a 30-pitch bullpen this morning. He threw both fastballs and changeups and gave a big thumbs up afterway in the clubhouse. It was the second time that Pineda threw a 30-pitch bullpen with changeups this spring. Yesterday, Brian Cashman said that the Yankees have been impressed by Pineda’s early work.
It's hard to take news like this that seriously, but I'm really hoping Pineda returns to the team and shuts up all those that have lambasted the Pineda/Montero trade. I understand people that follow our prospects, and want to see them come up with the big club and do well, but the trade made sense. Especially when I look and see that the Mariners had a guy that hit .224/.253/.388 in 2011 start 73 games as their catcher.

3/1: Yankees vs. Phillies

Kevin Youkilis is returning from his sore oblique today. When I first heard about his oblique I figured "here we go", but seeing as how he only missed a few days I don't think it was serious, it was just a matter of being careful... which is totally acceptable when it comes to a player with an injury history like Youk.

Here is the lineup the Yankees will use against the Phillies today -

SS Eduardo Nunez
C Frankie Cervelli
2B Robinson Cano
3B Kevin Youkilis
DH Juan Rivera
LF Melky Mesa
RF Thomas Neal
1B Kyle Roller
CF Adonis Garcia

Thanks to Chad Jennings at the LoHud Yankees Blog, here are the available pitchers and position players -

Available Pitchers: RHP David Robertson, RHP Joba Chamberlain, RHP Cody Eppley, and LHP Vidal Nuno will all come out of the bullpen. RHP Mark Montgomery is also available if needed.

Available Position Players: C Gary Sanchez, 1B Greg Bird, 2B Walt Ibarra, SS Gil Velazquez, 3B Addison Maruszak, LF Ronnie Mustelier, RF Zoilo Almonte, and DH Bobby Wilson will all come off the bench. Garcia is scheduled to play the entire game in center.

The History Of Red Sox Coming To The Evil Empire


Kevin Youkilis signed a one year deal worth $12 million to be with the New York Yankees in 2013 after spending his last nine seasons with the rival Boston Red Sox. Youkilis joins a pretty short list of former formidable Red Sox to join the Yankees, a list that includes Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, Johnny Damon, and Babe Ruth to name a few. I thought it would be interesting to look at these guys first seasons and careers with the Yankees after coming over to the dark side. For simplicity sake I am going to keep it to the bigger acquisitions and the most recent signings so this list will not include the likes of Herb Pennock or Waite Hoyt, sorry guys.

Mike Stanton


Mike Stanton, the left handed reliever that Joe Torre tried to run into the ground not the man now known as Giancarlo Stanton, spent the 1995 and part of the 1996 season with the Boston Red Sox before making the switch over to the Yankees and the Joe Torre led bullpen. In his time in Boston he would put up a combined 5-3 record with a 3.56 ERA in 82 games with a 1.366 WHIP. Mike would come over to the Yankees before the 1997 season and would spend the next six consecutive seasons with the Yankees and seven overall, three of them being World Series Championship seasons. In seven seasons in pinstripes Stanton would have a 31-14 record with a 3.77 ERA in 456 games and 448.1 IP. He would also be named to the American League All Star team for the only time in his career in 2001 along with Yankees starters Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. He was a huge part of the dynasty Yankees bullpens and was beloved by all, especially Joe Torre.

Johnny Damon


Johnny Damon spent four seasons with the Boston Red Sox but will forever be remembered for his caveman hair do and beard, his group of "idiots", and reversing the curse in 2004 by winning the World Series with the Boston Red Sox. All told in four seasons Damon put up .285/.363/.458 triple slash with 56 home runs and 299 RBIs including two All Star game appearances and two seasons where he garnered MVP considerations. He would come over to the Yankees in the off season before the 2006 season and would spend the next four seasons with the Yankees including the 2009 World Series run. Damon had a triple slash of .285/.363/.458 with 77 HRs and 296 RBIs and one huge double steal in the 2009 playoffs that he will be forever remembered for. The Yankees fans embraced Johnny Damon and accepted him as their own from day one it seemed and most even wanted him back for the 2012 season before we signed Raul Ibanez for the DH spot.

Wade Boggs


Wade Boggs spent his first 11 seasons with the rival Boston Red Sox before leaving for the Yankees before the 1993 season as a free agent. Wade Boggs would spend the next five seasons with the New York Yankees including four All Star Game appearances, two Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, two times garnering MVP votes, and a World Series ring and a horse back ride in 1996. Boggs first season in pinstripes was 1993 and saw him put up a triple slash of .302/.378/.363 playing in 143 games. All told Boggs career Yankees line, which is abbreviated due to the 1994 Players Union work stoppage, was .313/.396/.407. Most importantly, especially during and after 1996, Wade Boggs was beloved by Yankees fans and embraced as a member of the pinstripe family.

Roger Clemens


Roger Clemens started his career with the Boston Red Sox and spent the first 13 seasons of his Major League career there. In his Red Sox career, you know before he was in the "twilight" of his career, Roger Clemens had a pitching line of 192-111 with a 3.06 ERA while pitching to a 1.158 WHIP and 144 ERA+. Roger would win the Rookie of the Year award while in Boston along with three Cy Young Awards and being in the top six of voting three other times. Roger also garnered MVP votes in five times including winning the MVP award in 1986. Roger would leave for the Toronto Blue Jays for two seasons, and two more Cy Young awards, before coming to the Yankees before the 1999 season. Roger would spend the next five seasons and spend six seasons overall with the Yankees before hanging up the spikes. His combined Yankees record was 83-42 (including his 300th win in pinstripes) with a 4.01 ERA with a 1.307 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. The Yankees and their fans adored Roger Clemens and this would be obvious when George Steinbrenner allowed Roger to announce from his personal luxury box that he would be making a come back in the 2007 season at a Yankees home game. Roger would win two World Series rings while in New York, one of which might still have a bat splinter in it after he threw it at Mike Piazza, and will always be known as a Yankees player.

Babe Ruth


Babe Ruth is the man that started it all when it comes to the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry and the subsequent curse that followed that saw the Red Sox go 80 some years in between World Series victories. We all know the story about how the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees and the "Curse of the Bambino" and yada yada yada so I won't get into it for the 19085765th time. Babe Ruth would spend the first six years of his career with the Red Sox splitting time between pitching and hitting and putting up a hitting line of .308/.413/.568 with 49 HR's and 239 RBI's. George Herman Ruth did not come into his own until he came over to the rival New York Yankees where he spent 15 years of his career playing for. In his Yankees time Babe Ruth hit .349/.484/.711 with a mind boggling 1.195 OPS with 659 HR's and 1971 RBI's. Ruth would win the MVP in 1923 and would garner votes in two other seasons. Babe Ruth would win seven World Series with the Yankees and would have Yankees Stadium loosely named the "House that Ruth built" and will forever go down in history as a New York Yankee

Kevin Youkilis


Kevin Youkilis did not exactly start out his tenure as a Yankee on the right foot when he made comments, however intended, about always being a Red Sock. If your heart is in Boston I do not think that anyone would have a problem with it but it does not mean you have to put it in our face either. I always said that Kevin would not win over any Yankees fans with his mouth and would only be able to do it with his bat and on the field performance. I intend on cheering on Youk all season long like I would any Yankee not named Andruw Jones and by looking at this list I think he can win over the fans. His only disadvantage is that he only has one season where these men had multiple seasons but if anyone can do it I think the fiery and intense Paul O'Niell Kevin Youkilis can.

New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies 3/1


Welcome to March baseball! Hopefully March will be better to the Yankees than February was as we finished February with a 1-6 record including six consecutive losses. The Yankees will take on the Philadelphia Phillies today at George Steinbrenner Field at 1:05 pm ET. We will be sending Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to make his spring debut. The game will be televised on YES and will be on a delay on MLB Network at 4:00 pm ET.

Prospect Profile: Slade Heathcott

Vitals: th-1

DOB: 09/28/1990
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 195
Bats/Throws: L/L
Signed 1st Round 2009 Draft

Numbers:

Slade made his very brief debut in the GCL for a handful of AB's, and then moved on to SI in 2010 where he put up a .258/.359/.352/.712 quad slash over 298 AB's, good for a .335 wOBA and 108 wRC+. He worked 42 walks, struck out 101 times and stole 15 bases in 25 attempts. He also assaulted a catcher after a HBP, a move that sparked the blogosphere to revisit his past. Slade injured his shoulder that year and underwent his first of two shoulder surgeries to repair the damage. He returned to Charleston in 2011 and hit .271/.342/.419/.761 (.346 wOBA, 110 wRC+) working 19 walks and striking out 57 times. His base stealing sunk even further, getting caught in 7 of 13 attempts. Slade saw a promotion to Tampa mid season, but played one game and ended up back under the knife for his shoulder. After two years of injury laden baseball, Slade broke out in 2012. After a delayed start to the season due to a cautious bout of rehab, Slade appeared in the FSL and hit .307/.378/.470/.848, a .389 wOBA and 142 wRC+. He worked 20 walks and struck out 66 times. His base stealing improved dramatically, stealing 17 of 21 bags. After an abbreviated stint in regular season ball the Yanks sent Slade to Arizona to play in the Fall Leagues. Slade went postal, putting up a .388/.494/.612/.1.106 quad slash, good for a .499 wOBA and 192 wRC+ over 67 AB's. Not only did he tear the cover off the ball, but he put up a near 1:1 K/BB ratio (14/12) and stole 5 bags in 8 attempts. The performance got him ranked 6th best in the league, with at least one evaluator giving him top honors.

Tools:

Slade has quick strong hands and exceptional bat speed. He's able to pull his hands in on inside pitches and hit them with authority. He can also extend on outside pitches, covering the outer half of the plate. Line drive hitter that can spray the ball to all fields. Has had a tendency to press in the batters box, possibly due to his lost time from injuries and tries to make up for it by rushing himself at the plate. He can also get overly aggressive making his swing longer than it needs to be. Pitch recognition needs work as well, and his K rate north of 22% indicates just that. His numbers in the AFL saw a bit of a turnaround in the patience department; Slade spoke about his altered approach in the fall leagues during a YES interview, and if he can keep it up it will mean a big step forward in his hitting.

Slade's hitting all around has come around and that includes the power department. He has the strength to turn on the inside pitch and drive the ball, and what has been power to the gaps could lead to balls leaving the park. Some of that will depend on him being able to pick his pitch and let his swing do the rest. He shows power to all fields and the ability to get under the ball and get some lift to it. Being a left hander in Yankee Stadium never hurts either. Overall he grades out as above average power to all fields and some plus power to the pull side. Baseball America gives Slade a 60 potential on the 20-80 scale, putting him in the ~25+ range on the high end.

On defense Heathcott shines. Plus defender whose speed takes him gap to gap with ease. An aggressive all out style of play in the field, he foes back on the ball well and will charge hard on the plays in front of him laying out to make the big play. He shows some good instincts reading balls, gives max effort and his incredible athleticism carries him in spite of some loopy routes on certain plays. Despite a pair of shoulder surgeries, his arm is still a plus tool which will allow him to play any position in the OF. Accuracy an issue on occasion as he let's the ball get away from him from time to time, but easily corrected through repetition. He's shown some decent improvement in the short time he's spent in the pro's and could compete for a fielding award so long as he doesn't run through the OF wall chasing down a fly ball. Slade's plus speed has him launching out of the batters box and gives him a chance to steal 20-25 bases. His reads on the paths were worlds better after returning from his last surgery which should keep his SB% at an acceptable clip.

Makeup:

As many are aware, Heathcott had a bit of a rough upbringing; he bounced around a bit, lived in his car at one point and turned to alcohol as an escape/coping mechanism. This manifested while Slade was a new prospect and the Yankees nipped it in the bud, giving him a mentor that helped him get back on track. No one could ever accuse the kid of not giving it his all, and from what I can gather from various interviews, he's focused on baseball and improving on his craft every day. His max effort approach to the sport will serve him well and take him far as long as his body holds up.

Overview:

An outstanding athlete; physically gifted with explosive athletic ability. Tools are incredible and the ones that aren't there yet have the potential to be a plus grade. Has the tools to stay in center field in spite of the shoulder injuries. His defense is already enough for the position but is still improving. His hit tool has the potential to be a plus grade if he can get his patience at the plate under wraps. If what we saw in the AFL is for real, the hit tool has taken a big step forward. Plenty of pop to both gaps, and has the bat speed and enough projected power to play at a corner spot with plenty of glove to field it. There's no lack of hustle to his game; Keith Law described him as "playing like his hair is on fire". This could actually be a bit of a drawback for him, as he holds nothing back on the diamond which has led to his injuries and sending him to the DL. Toning it down by just a bit wouldn't be a bad thing.

Projection/ETA:

It's really up to him. He ended the year knocking on the door to Trenton and then tore up the AFL. With that said things could move even more quickly....he've heard comments from Mark Newman about how he might make his way up later this year, and Cashman just yesterday indicated that he could be in the Bronx shortly. His biggest obstacle is staying healthy, so if he can do just that we'll be seeing him sooner than later. In summation, Slade is a balls to the wall do or die type of player that is full of tools and ambition. He's the kind of guy that brings people to the ballpark. He has one of the highest ceilings in the entire system, but at the same time due to the aforementioned high risk profile, also has a pretty low floor. He could end up a perennial All Star, or broken down and out of baseball entirely. He's the kind of guy you want to root for because he's going to leave it all on the field trying to win.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4LH8fmyx3s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGs4tOHl3Ko

Prospect Profile: Mason Williams

Vitals: courtesy daily news

DOB 08//21/1991

Height: 6'1" Weight: 165

Bats/Throws L/R

2010 4th Round, W Orange HS

Numbers:

Mason made a short debut back in the Gulf Coast League after being taken in the 4th round of the 2010 draft. He then moved on to Staten Island in 2011 where he hit for a .349/.395/.468/.863 quad slash, with 20 walks and 41 strikeouts in 269 AB's. That works out to a .404 wOBA and 148 wRC+. He swiped 28 bags while getting caught a dozen times. 2012 found Mason in Charleston with several other of NY's big prospects. Before getting promoted to Tampa Williams logged 276 AB's, sporting a .304/.359/.489/.848 line, (.381 wOBA, 131 wRC+) with 21 walks and 33 K's. His SB% fell a bit, getting caught 9 times while stealing 19 bases. His power started to come around though, going deep 8 times as opposed to only 3 in SI in a similar number of AB's. His doubles power increased as well, from 11 in 2011 to 19. Mason, along with Sanchez and Austin earned himself a mid season promotion to High A Tampa. His stint in the FSL was short lived however, as Mason injured an already aggravated left shoulder and ended up having a torn labrum repaired, ending his 2012 campaign. He finished up in Tampa with 83 AB's in which he hit .277/.302/.422/.724, a .331 wOBa and 104 wRC+. He suffered from a bit of a reverse platoon split in the second half, so those numbers and the smallish sample size, combined with him adjusting to a new level are likely a poor representation. In his roughly two years in the minors Williams was named to the SAL AS team, the MiL Org AS team, a Topps short season/rookie AS, BA short season AS, NYPL AS as well as a couple of player of the week awards.

Tools:

Mason's hit tool is easily his best asset. Strong forearms and wrists, simple swing that can get a little long at times but generally consistent. To this point he's shown an innate ability to make contact, which has cut into his walks some. He'll be challenged more as he sees better and better pitching and guys start to tempt him out of the zone, so he'll have to adjust. He has a smooth swing with plus bat speed that he can keep in the zone, but can take a nit to get there. He does on occasion get an uppercut path going, possibly selling out in attempts to go deep. He can sometimes get ahead of himself at the plate, pulling his head and front shoulder off the ball as well as well as getting a little aggressive early in counts and going after some ugly pitches, but his flaws are easily correctable. All in all he has a nice loose easy swing and a great ability to barrel up the ball. He can hit line drives to all fields, as well as lay down a bunt for an infield single. Can handle breaking and offspeed pitches as well the fastball.

Power has been the question when referring to Mason's bat, but that appears to be becoming less of an issue these days. When he was first brought in to the system, he was a rail thin kid that didn't have much projection in him in the slugging department. That's changed over the last season and rolling in to 2013, as he's reportedly added about 30 pounds over that time and could add a bit more muscle yet. Combine some added raw strength with his bat speed and contact ability and you can see those power numbers going up as he moves along. Ultimately his potential lies in him getting stronger and refining his pitch selection, and from what we hear that's beginning to unfold. Evaluators have him pegged anywhere from a 10-15 HR guy, to one that could top 20+ every year. As far as center fielders go that would be a nice addition to the lineup.

Williams shows plus to plus-plus speed in the outfield and on the bases, although his instincts and ability to get good jumps need a bit of refinement. On some plays in the field he'll look like he's knocking on the door of a fielding bible award, but he'll sprinkle in a blooper reel play as well. Mason has excellent range and the ability to track balls, but is hampered by some inconsistent routes and trouble with balls hit straight over him. He also tends to go all out on plays that can lead to either a visit to the highlight reel or unnecessary extra bases. Over time his decision making should sharpen up, but I can't say I don't like a guy that will lay out to make the big play, so long as he's not completely reckless in doing it. His baserunning is under aggressive at times and he needs to work on his jumps, but with work he could see SB totals in the 25-30 range at the ML level. Of all his tools, his arm is the least impressive. It currently grades out as average, having a long release, a ball that doesn't carry well and throwing from a lower arm slot that tends to impart a natural run on his throws. Accuracy is not an issue, and adding some strength and getting on top of the ball more will help to correct that and get him into the above average realm. As it is he's got enough for to play center, anything more is just gravy. Both his base stealing and defense rely more on his raw speed right now than technique, but he shows the plus side and simply needs to be more consistent. He has the potential to become a plus plus defender at a premium position and the ability to steal 25+ bags a year. The arm could use some improvement, but it not detrimental to him staying in center.

Makeup:

While Mason is advanced for his level, he still has some maturing to do. In scouring various articles and reports on him I ran into an account of him being cocky. Being the only source this came from i'm not sure if I buy it. What I have seen repeated by various sources is Mason's tendency to get down on himself when things aren't going well. Wether it's acting out over frustration or failing to run out a routine pop out behind the plate, it's something he needs to address. Being his own worst critic is one thing, but if it causes any sort of distraction or derails his focus then it becomes an issue. Again, we're talking about a 19-20 year old, but the sooner he gets his emotions under wraps the better. He worked hard to get back in line following his surgery last year and is supposedly ready to start the season on time in the FSL, so his work ethic isn't in question. He certainly has a good group of prospects around him, and a few who he's come up through the system with so there's the whole camaraderie and familiarity element with his teammates and some friendly competition amongst the teams best prospects that doesn't hurt either.

Overview:

Impressive young player. His combination of athleticism and advanced skills at a young age profile well. The fact that he has certain drawbacks yet still performs at the level he does is a good thing as it leaves ample room for further projection. A natural contact hitter that uses the whole field, hits for average and decent power while fielding an award capable glove at a premium position is something any club would sign up for. While he has some mechanical and maturity issues to correct, all of them are attainable fixes. Something along the lines of hitting .290-.300 with 20 HR's and 40 doubles seems fair. With impressive contact skills but a yet to realize walk rate he may not be a top of the order high OBP guy, but might profile as a #2 or #5 type when all is said and done.

Projection/ETA:

OK so any time anyone mentions comps it opens up the flood gates for scrutiny, but let's go there anyway. At his best Mason could wind up being in Andrew McCutchen territory. If his body catches up to his physical skills it's not insane to see him as that toolsy centerfield guy that can hit for average, has pop, can steal bases and play outstanding defense. On the low end you're looking at a Brett Gardner type profile albeit with more power. Mason has a while to go, but has a pretty good chance to contribute to a major league ball club. His ceiling may fall a bit short of fellow CF'er Slade Heathcott, but his chances of achieving that potential are greater. If all goes well and Mason stays on the field, you could expect him to make a play for Trenton later this year, a cup of coffee in 2014, and a regular on the big club some time in 2015.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPfOx0HFEfw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOdHovmtyCI

Spring Training 3/1/13 Lineup

Eduardo Nunez SS
Francisco Cervelli C
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Juan Rivera DH
Melky Mesa LF
Thomas Neal RF
Kyle Roller 1B
Adonis Garcia CF

RHP Hiroki Kuroda

Start Time: 1:o5 p.m
T.V: YES Network

Morning Bits: Cano, Kuroda, Pettitte

mug3Good morning all.  It's Friday.   Let's get going with the links...

-- David Waldstein of the New York Times has the write up about Cashamn who says the Yankees have made a significant offer to Cano.

-- The Yankees number two starter Kuroda will be the oldest number two starter in the league this year which is concerning when the 3 starter Pettitte will be 41 in June writes Dave D'Alessandro of The Star Ledger.  This article is about how Kuroda wants to be better in 2013.

From the Yes Network here is the interview with Francesa and Youk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc01363C52o

Join The Greedy Pinstripes Fantasy Baseball League


The Greedy Pinstripes are looking to start a fantasy baseball league this year and invite any of our readers to join up. If we have more then expected turnout I would be more then happy to turn it into two or more leagues. This will be a Yahoo fantasy baseball league and the live draft is tentatively set for Sunday March 24th at 7:45 pm.

The league ID is #59939 and the URL can be found HERE for the league. To prevent spam to get the password I am going to need you to either email us at TheGreedyPinstripes@gmail.com or follow us on twitter @GreedyStripes and send us a direct message.

Here are the scoring categories that I have initially set up but if you have a suggestion for any more please feel free to let me know.

12 teams head to head

Positions:
C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, OF, OF, OF, UTIL, UTIL, SP, SP, RP, RP, P, P, P, P, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, DL, DL.

Categories:
R, HR, RBI, SB, BB, AVG, OPS, XBH
W, SV, BB, K, ERA, WHIP

6 team playoff