It Has Begun, Chase Headley Sucks

Ladies and gentleman it has begun. I thought we could go a whole season without donning a new Stephen Drew, which used to be a Sergio Mitre and used to be a Chris Stewart and used to be an Andruw Jones and used to be a whole plethora of people, but we were not that fortunate. Ladies and gentleman, Chase Headley sucks.

When the New York Yankees acquired him at the trading deadline in 2014 I have to admit that a big part of me was ecstatic. Yangervis Solarte had ridden his hot streak and wave and had been at the low point in the tide for the better part of a month at the time of the trade while Chase brought a clutch switch-hitting bat and some stellar defense with him. His defense was immediately compared to that of the great Graig Nettles and after some research I salivated over his clutch hits and huge seasons he had in an even huger ballpark in San Diego. What New York got in return though was a shell of that man with throwing problems and a bad back.

I’m not making this personal and I’m trying not to be down on the guy but something has got to give. New York gave him a huge contract over four seasons and the first year the Yankees got in return was littered with throwing errors and a total zap of any sort of power. This season, and yes I am still preaching the small sample size, he has somehow found new ways to get worse with the bat. The defense has been solid, maybe even great, but he’s making Stephen Drew look like a .300 hitter right now, hence the honor of my “Chase Headley Sucks” tweets.

I’m rooting for Headley, I truly am and I truly mean that, and I’m borderline hoping that this can be used as motivation to get better or do whatever it is you have to do to get better. I don’t want to tweet four or five times a night that he sucks, I don’t I want Headley to have the monster seasons he had inside Petco Park and I want him to lead the Yankees back to the promised land but as a fan that not only supports the Yankees from afar but a fan that buys the merchandise, purchases tickets when they are close, purchases this television subscription and that television subscription to see them etc. I feel like I have the right to at least say something.

And this is what I say. Chase Headley Sucks. Prove me wrong. I like being wrong.

What About Raul Ibanez for the New Yankees Hitting Coach?

Earlier in the week I discussed the possibility of Jason Giambi replacing the recently departed Yankees hitting coach Jeff Pentland and while writing it another intriguing name came to mind, former Yankee Raul Ibanez. Ibanez spent just a short time as a member of the New York Yankees but made the most of his time here in the Bronx leaving the fans with memorable home run and clutch hit after memorable home run and clutch hit. You think he could teach some of the Yankees hitters, namely Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann, to do the same in 2016?

Raul is a 19-year veteran of Major League Baseball spending time with the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Raul is the type of hard-nosed veteran type player that any team would be lucky to have if not for his production but what he brings to a group of young guys in the way of teaching. Much like Jason Giambi I truly believe that Ibanez is a candidate for a managerial job if that’s the route he so chooses to go in, he always seemed to have a grasp and a true knowledge of the game. That cannot be taught.

Raul has zero formal coaching and managing experience so he would likely be better suited as an assistant hitting coach or the potential replacement for Marcus Thames in the minor leagues (assuming Thames takes the big league job) but either way I think everyone would benefit from having him back in the organization. Raul, You’re so cool… now come back. 

Quick Hit: Brian McClutch

Has anyone been better or more important to this Yankees club since Mark Teixeira fouled a ball off his shin? Has anyone been more important to this Yankees club all season long, especially in the clutch, than Brian McCann? In a word, no.

Bases empty: .212/.293/.418

Runners on base: .285/.368/.559

Runners in scoring position: .327/.410/.664

Runners in scoring position, two outs: .302/.439/.604

Runners at first and second: .415/.500/.927

*stats courtesy of Lohud

Numbers like that translate into good September numbers and even better October numbers.

Quick Hit: I Wish This Was RBI Baseball 14

Boy do I wish this season was RBI Baseball 14, things would be so much better. I am not much of a gamer anymore but I did purchase RBI Baseball 14 for my iPhone, $4.99 in the app store case you were wondering, and I am loving every minute of it. With two kids, a wife, a 40+ hour a week job, another writing job on the side, and you guys I don’t get much time to play anymore but I did finally finish the month of April with surprising statistics.

Keep in mind that I could not hit for crap in my first four games for whatever reason. I was either early on everything, I pounded perfect pitches into the ground, or the defense just flat out robbed me. I also pretty much skipped the tutorial and thought I could do it my own way and started the season 1-4. I finished the month of April 20-7 and lead the American League East by 1.5 games over the Boston Red Sox and have the best record in the American League. Two teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies, have better records than me in the National League.

My best pitcher by far has been Hiroki Kuroda. I could face the suckiest(not a word but stay with me because I used it for emphasis) batter in the game and still give up a single using CC Sabathia in this game making me wonder if I just suck with him or if the game is that realistic. My best hitter has been Alfonso Soriano and my best clutch hitter has been Brian Roberts. Yeah, they need a roster update and no, it’s not realistic. I just suck with Sabathia.  

Imagine if RBI Baseball were real and Alfonso Soriano and Brian Roberts had great seasons with the Yankees. Imagine if Tanaka was still pitching and Yangervis Solarte was coming off the bench somehow with a 1.000 batting average in nine at bats. Imagine if the Yankees made the playoffs this season. 

The Daily Dozen - August 6, 2014

The Daily Dozen - August 6th, 2014 Edition
(Twelve Takeaways from Last Night's Game)

I am late on this again...so sue me!

1. Remember when a 1-run lead used to be an automatic win for Verlander?  Justin's record now sits at 10-10 with a 4.57 ERA.  This after a very good 7 inning outing in which he only gave up 2 earned runs.  It really stinks that someone had to lose the game as both starters pitched very well.

2. Andrew Romine strikes again!  The guy goes 2 for 4 last night to RAISE his batting average to .219.  He's batting 8th for the Tigers and he got 40% of their hits.  Go figure.

3. Jacoby Ellsbury breaks up the perfect game in the 4th inning.  How often do you see a pitcher go perfect for several innings and then after that first hit, things fall apart?  Verlander didn't fall apart per say, but he did allow a follow up walk to Teixeira.  But of course...no runs out of it.

4. Chris Capuano was dealing last night!  The only run given up was in the first and it was unearned due to a Jeter error, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly by Miguel Cabrera (more on him later).  If you would have told me that Capuano was going to pitch 6-2/3 innings with 0 earned runs and 8 strikeouts this late in the season, I would have told you to sign him to a free agent deal for 10 million a year in the offseason.

Come at me bro! (Photo Credit: NY Post.com)

5. Errors are absolutely killing the Yankees...well not really, but they should be.  The Yankees made another 3 errors in last night's game but only 1 led to a run.  But I can tell you, it is giving everyone ulcers because seemingly every pitch matters.

6. Derek Jeter sits at 3,429 hits.  Only 1 from tying Honus Wagner for 6th all-time on the career hits list.  He may just break the 3,430 mark today during the game that I won't be able to watch.  Such a shame.  I wonder if he gives out a gift basket for every hit?  That would be epic.

7. If Mark Teixeira were a free agent next year would you sign him for $25 million a year? When does the .230 batting average become worth it?  Is 19 home runs enough to make up for the low average or the frequent injuries.  I'm not buying it, although he came up clutch to provide an insurance run in the 8th inning.

"I will consistently deliver you 30 home runs and a .230 average."

8. YES YOU McCANN! It isn't just a catchy political slogan anymore.  Brian McCann hit his (un)lucky 13th dinger last night to put the Yanks up 2-1 and put a loss on Verlander's record.  He still has a year in my book to live up to expectations after a lofty offseason free agent deal, but he's also in the Teixeira zone with 49 RBI (to Mark's 52) and a .239 batting average.

9. Adam Warren was effectively wild in the 8th inning.  I say effectively wild because he threw 13 balls and 14 strikes total of which many were foul balls.  But when it mattered most he kept the Tigers from scoring with both Cabrera and VMart on base.  This took away any chance for a momentum swing and allowed the Yankees to tack on some insurance later in the inning.

I think I might start calling him Mr. Warren G...

10. There was a ton of speed on the basepaths in the 8th inning last night.  Which is the way we want it...well we got it.  And we've got it for years to come in the tandem of Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury.  How great will it be to have those 2 messing with pitchers while sluggers such as McCann and Beltran try to drive them home?  Not to mention their stellar defense.  Kudos to the front office on those two guys who have an equal shot at being the next Captain in my humble opinion.

Ichiro: "Hey guys...wait up for me...!" (Photo Credit: SportsWorldReport.com)

11. The challenge paid off for the Yankees in the 8th.  Here's my problem with the challenge.  The manager is allowed to saunter out to the umpire delaying the game in order for someone upstairs to look at a replay to say whether they should challenge or not.  In this case it worked in the Yankees favor, but the team shouldn't have access to the replay...they should have to go with their gut just like in the NFL.

12. Day games suck!  Working people can't go to or watch a day game.  It's time to get rid of weekday games before 7 pm.  Seriously...unfortunately I won't be writing a Daily Dozen for August 7th, because I won't know of which I am speaking without "watching" the game.  See you Friday night!