Sunday, March 3, 2013

Yankees Spring Training In Pictures Part 5

A member of The Greedy Pinstripes family has been spending his time down in Tampa at George M. Steinbrenner Field watching the Yankees Spring Training. Our friend, @RobbinsDynasty, has recently started his own blog Draft 2 Dynasty so click the link and give his site a view and follow him on twitter @Draft2Dynasty. We want to thank him for these pictures of the Yankees Spring Training and hope that we see many more from him to share with out readers.

Yankees In Spring Training Pictures - Infielders Edition

Good luck in the WBC Mark Teixeira -- Go Team USA

Kevin Youkilis at the plate

Pronk! Travis Hafner

Kevin Youkilis in the field

Yankees Spring Training In Pictures Part 4

A member of The Greedy Pinstripes family has been spending his time down in Tampa at George M. Steinbrenner Field watching the Yankees Spring Training. Our friend, @RobbinsDynasty, has recently started his own blog Draft 2 Dynasty so click the link and give his site a view and follow him on twitter @Draft2Dynasty. We want to thank him for these pictures of the Yankees Spring Training and hope that we see many more from him to share with out readers. 

Spring Training In Pictures - Catchers Edition

Bobby Wilson

Chris Stewart Before Home Run 3/2

Chris Stewart After Home Run 3/2


Gary Sanchez Looking Bored

Gary Sanchez Staying Warm

Kyle Higashioka

Austin Romine & JR Murphy Killing Time



Gardner In CF, Granderson In LF Experiment Is Over


Joe Girardi, in a post game interview, told reporters that the experiment that would see Curtis Granderson switching to left field and Brett Gardner going back to center field is over. Joe stated that he did not want Curtis to have to learn left field in major league games and did not want the switch to affect his production. I know that I am just a fan and not a player but is it really THAT big of a change to switch from left field to center field in Yankees Stadium? I would not think so but maybe that is why I am a blogger and Joe Girardi is a World Series winning manager.

Most Wanted Man In Yankeemerica

Yankees Beat Red Sox 5-2


Brett Gardner continued to wreak havoc on Spring Training teams as he began the game with an infield single that Stephen Drew could not charge and get. He has a hit in seven straight Grapefruit League games. I do not know if this was a sign of what is to come or not but Melky Mesa played center field today while Gardner led off and played left field. Interesting nonetheless. Gardner's average this spring is .563 just as an FYI.


Adam Warren looked good even with that monster home run that he allowed to Mike Napoli. Warren finished with a pitching line of 3 IP 1 H 1 R 1 BB 2 K's. Take out that home run and he looks as dominant as he ever has.


Jose Ramirez pitched 3 IP with 3 H 0 R 1 K. Chase Whitley, Preston Claiborne, and Josh Spence combined for the next 2 IP not allowing a hit and not allowing a run. Chase Whitley had the only strike out. Kelvin Perez finished the bottom of the 9th with a 2 BB's, 2 wild pitches, and a run scored.


The Yankees offense came from a Thomas Neal solo home run, the third RBI of the spring for JR Murphy, and a RBI for each of Eduardo Nunez and Jayson Nix. The Yankees would win the game 5-1 for their second consecutive Grapefruit League win.


Yanks edge Red Sox 5-2 with three run outburst in 6th

The Yankees hadn't exactly played their best baseball to start off Spring Training, but they racked up another win against the Boston Red Sox, giving fans a small preview of their Opening Day match-up. The Yankees remained silent until the 6th inning where all nine hitters batted around, pushing three runs across with the aid of a Corban Joseph single, an error that allowed Bobby Wilson to reach first, a Brett Gardner walk, an RBI single for Eduardo Nunez, a fielder's choice from Jayson Nix and an error that allowed Juan Rivera to reach first.


The Yankees pushed two more runs across in the eighth inning after an RBI double by JR Murphy plated Jose Pirella and in the ninth inning on a homer by Thomas Neal. Before the three run outburst in the 6th inning, the only hit going into the 6th was the lead-off single by Brett Gardner in the 1st. Gardner has now hit  safely in every game he's played in Spring Training thus far.


Notes:


-- After the game, Joe Girardi confirmed that once Curtis Granderson comes back, Granderson will be the CF and Gardner will move to LF.


What's Next:


The Yankees have an off-day tomorrow, meaning that there will be no news at all. No one will be at the ballpark except for a few players to get treatment but other than that, no one will be there. On Tuesday, the Yankees will host the Atlanta Braves in the first night game of the Spring Training season. That game will be on YES Network and coverage will start at 7:00 p.m with play-by-play at 7:05 p.m.

New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox 3/3


Rivalry renewed! Ok maybe not, it is still Spring Training after all but the Yankees travel to face off against the Boston Red Sox for the first time in Grapefruit League play today. The Yankees will send Adam Warren to the mound with only Brett Gardner, Juan Rivera, and Eduardo Nunez as potential major leaguers behind him in the field so that should be interesting. Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira, among others, are gone to be with their World Baseball Classic teams so it is the Yankees youngsters time to shine. The Red Sox will send out newly acquired Ryan Dempster to the mound so that should be fun. The game will be televised at 1:35 pm ET on YES.

Here are the lineups

Brett Gardner LF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Jayson Nix 2B
Juan Rivera DH
Dan Johnson 1B
Melky Mesa CF
Zoilo Almonte RF
Corban Joseph 3B
Bobby Wilson C



Greg Bird Has Been Reassigned To Minor League Camp


We saw eight Yankees minor league pitchers and one first basemen go down to the minor leagues last night and the Yankees cut one more today when they reassigned 1B Greg Bird to minor league camp. After having a breakout 2012 season this is good news for Bird since he can go down and get ready for the 2013 season. He had no real shot at making the team anyway and the Yankees still have 10,385,759 players in camp (or 70 players, whichever you prefer).

Phil Hughes Comes Through Side Session Healthy


Phil Hughes threw a 25 pitch side session today and came through it pain free and setback free. This is the first time that Phil has thrown the ball in over two weeks because of a bulging disc in his back. The Yankees found the disc after Hughes had some back discomfort after covering first base in a pitchers fielding practice drill. Hughes will throw again tomorrow and then will be reevaluated by team doctors and we will go from there. This is a very minor step but it is an important step because it is the first step to getting him back on the mound. Stay healthy Phil!

Happy 35th Birthday Matt Diaz


Happy 35th birthday to Yankees outfielder (@Diazfoundation) Matt Diaz. Hope it is a good one!. Follow Matt on twitter and read about his family foundation that helps less fortunate family in the Florida area @diazfoundation.

Ichiro Unharmed In Car Wreck Yesterday Afternoon


Ichiro Suzuki was involved in a motor vehicle accident that has totaled his car but Ichiro has walked away unharmed. Ichiro hit a woman in front of him who was trying to make a left turn causing that woman to hit a third car. The woman hit was cited for the accident and not because of who Ichiro was. The cop stated that he did not know who Ichiro was and only pays attention to the Rays, not the Yankees. The Yankees will have Ichiro see the team doctors just to be sure but everything seems fine with Ichiro. The Yankees seem to be cursed or something this spring with Nick Goody spraining his ankle in a car accident and already playing without Curtis Granderson because of a fractured forearm. The spring of the injury dodged a bullet here, thank goodness.

“Experienced” players will decide the outcome of 2013

Turning 39 years old this June, Derek Jeter has re-iterated over the past few years that age is simply just a number to him and the rest of his veteran teammates.

Of course, most baseball minds have thought otherwise, saying as they have in prior offseasons that this upcoming season will be the season the old guard finally breaks down and prevents the Yankees from making the playoffs.

“I’ve heard it before,” Jeter told the New York Post in response to the skepticism. “Regardless of how old anyone is, it’s our job to come here and be ready to play and help us compete. We’ve been able to do that pretty successfully over the years. Our plans don’t change.”

It’s definitely great to hear The Captain having that mindset, and he’s right. With the old age and doubt at its highest, the Yanks have won consecutive division titles and made two ALCS appearances in three years. Mind you, the reason there was even a chance for a pennant last October was thanks to a 40-year old carrying the team on his back in the late innings - Raul Ibanez.

So whether it’s the experience factor, fate, plain luck, or some other reason, time nor age has phased this Yankees team. They have remained just as big a threat to win the World Series as they were when Robinson Cano was a teenager in the late nineties.

Without saying its a problem, however, the oldest guys on the roster must do the un-expected once again to keep the Yanks at the top of the American League’s totem pole.

That may have been stating the obvious, but the team is definitely centered around a group of extraordinary, extra-old veterans who somehow have kept up with the rest of MLB over the past decade. Jeter (38), Andy Pettitte (40), Hiroki Kuroda (38), Ichiro Suzuki (39), and Mariano Rivera (43) are absolutely essential parts of this year’s ball-club. As I said, it’s not too often players their age are still in the game, let alone performing at a high level.

Now is it fair to doubt them, with all they’ve done in each of their careers? No. But people will, and have some reason to do so. To think that these players can lead the team through a six-month season and still have it in them to keep it up [hopefully] in October is a lot to ask. It’s not impossible, but I wouldn’t consider it the most likely scenario.

I refuse to say this will be the year the Yankees’ age finally catches up to them, as each year in thinking that they surprise me and win the division. They are not too old to compete, but we’ve seen in the past few seasons the team dominating in the regular season, and just running out of gas come October. Things could change between now and September, but a realistic take on the 2013 Yankees is that they have the talent to return to the postseason. But their efforts to win in the postseason may again derail their quest for a 28th title.

Spring Training 3/3/13 Lineup

Brett Gardner LF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Jayson Nix 2B
Juan Rivera DH
Dan Johnson 1B
Melky Mesa CF
Zoilo Almonte RF
Corban Joseph 3B
Bobby Wilson C


RHP Adam Warren


Start Time: 1:35 p.m.
T.V: YES Network


Notes:


-- Yesterday afternoon, Ichiro Suzuki got into a car accident shortly after leaving the stadium. Luckily, he wasn't injured, he wasn't hospital, and he's slated to play on Tuesday.


-- The Yankees reassigned 8 pitchers back to Minor League Camp: Corey Black, Matt Daley, Nick Goody, Shane Greene, Bryan Mitchell, Zach Nuding, Mike O'Brien, Ryan Pope. The Yankees also reassigned 1B Kyle Roller to Minor League camp as well


-- Boone Logan has been shut down for a few days after experiencing soreness in his shoulder. He went for an MRI which revealed no damage, so the best thing for him to do is rest.


-- Slade Heathcott has a sprained thumb after he collided with the right fielder two games ago. There's no significant damage in his thumb, so all he has to do is let it heal.

Predicting The 25 Man Roster Two Weeks Into Spring


I have proven by my Free Agency Prediction post that I should not be buying any lottery tickets any time soon but two weeks into Spring Training I wanted to take a stab at predicting the 25 man roster. We have a general idea of what is going to happen after seeing who Joe Girardi has been using and where Joe Girardi has been playing them. This is obviously subject to change.

C - Francisco Cervelli
1B - Mark Teixeira
2B - Robinson Cano
SS - Derek Jeter
3B Kevin Youkilis
LF - Melky Mesa
CF - Brett Gardner
RF - Ichiro Suzuki
DH - Travis Hafner

BN - Chris Stewart
BN - Dan Johnson
BN - Jayson Nix
BN - Juan Rivera

SP - CC Sabathia
SP - Hiroki Kuroda
SP - Andy Pettitte
SP - Phil Hughes
SP - Ivan Nova

LR - David Phelps
MR - David Aardsma
MR - Joba Chamberlain
MR - Boone Logan
MR - Clay Rapada
SU - David Robertson
CL - Mariano Rivera


Obviously Melky Mesa would not be listed if Curtis Granderson was not injured and set to miss the first month of the season. Mesa has proven he can play all three outfield positions, has enough defense and speed to suffice, and can hit and drive the ball for power. It is going to be a close competition between him and Zoilo Almonte to be honest but I like Mesa more in this situation.


Obviously Eduardo Nunez was not on this list and he originally was until I heard he was working on a new throwing motion. When teams do things like this to players with minor league options it almost always seems like they are destined for the minor leagues. Dan Johnson will be the 2013 version of Eric Chavez being a left handed hitter that can fill in at third base and first base when needed.


The pitching should be no surprise but I ALMOST put Jim Miller in instead of Clay Rapada after a strong start to the spring. Joe Girardi seems like he has a sort of obsession with having a second lefty in the bullpen though especially considering all the miles that are on Boone Logan's arm lately.


Juan Rivera seems to be outshining Matt Diaz in the 4th outfielder competition so I put him in there as the early winner. He is seeing the ball better and hitting the ball better and is not a slouch out in the field. I really like Matt Diaz especially considering that I live in Atlanta, Georgia and have been watching him for years but he is just not getting it done right now.


It is still really early in spring and all of this is still scheduled to change obviously but if I am Joe Girardi this is what I am penciling in for Opening Day.