Yankees Yearly 2012 – Buy my Magazine!

Borrowed from our friends over at The Yankees Analysts

Please buy my magazine!

Longtime readers know that in each of the past four springs, I’ve written for a magazine called Yankees Annual. This magazine used to be published by Maple Street Press, and was distributed pretty widely throughout the Tri-State Area. Unfortunately, Maple Street Press has ceased doing business due to financial difficulties related to the NBA and NFL labor turmoil. That happened just after all of the Yankees Annual writers put together our work. As a group, we decided to self-publish the content online.

A few months later, the result? 109 pages of awesome content. A full 12 of those pages are my work. I wrote three articles: one on Michael Pineda, one on the 2011 ‘last great wild west draft’ class, and finally one on Dante Bichette Jr. I’m very proud of these pieces.

We’re doing this on a profit-sharing deal. This means that, unlike previous years, none of us earn money without selling enough copies to cover expenses. The cost is $9.99, and you can read it on any number of e-reader formats. That’s cheaper than the print edition would have been under Maple Street Press, and we believe well worth it for 109 pages of high-quality content. Don’t be fooled by the cover low-budget cover (no publishing company = no fancy graphic designers), because all of the writing is professionally quality.

If any blogger or member of the media would like a review copy, please email me at fagan.ej (at) gmail.com.

Details:

The team that brought you the Yankees Annual (and before that Bombers Broadside) now brings you the newly revamped YANKEES YEARLY! With all the features that fans of the world’s greatest baseball team have come to love and crave every new season, including our Top Prospects List, Team Roster Preview, interviews with current players, former players, and up-and-coming prospects, analyses of the lineup and team strengths, and great historical articles.

The 2012 edition features:

• Robinson Cano on Hitting, interviewed by David Laurila
• Top Prospects, by Howard Megdal
• Jim Bouton on the 50th anniversary of 1962, interviewed by Chip Greene
• Curtis Granderson’s grand 2011: stacking up against the great NYY center fielders of the past, by Dave Golebiewski 2011 Year in Review by Keith DeCandido
• E.J. Fagan profiles hot new pitcher Michael Pineda and number one draft pick Dante Bichette Jr.
• and much more!

ISBN 978-1-61390-048-2 EBOOK ONLY
ISBN 978-0-61561-659-9 paperback

B&N Nookstore: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/yankees-yearly-cecilia-m-tan/1109517546?ean=2940014307703
Amazon Kindle Store: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JW68V2
Not live yet but will be soon, Apple iBookstore: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781613900482
Live at OmniLit: http://www.omnilit.com/product-yankeesyearlyanannuallookatthenewyorkyankees-751139-324.html (where people can buy the PDF, epub, OR Kindle/mobi version).

Spring Training 3/15/12

Borrowed from River Avenue Blues

Chien-Ming Wang strained a hammy today. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

The Yankees beat the Nationals today by the score of 8-5. Michael Pineda allowed two runs and struck out four in 3.2 IP before reaching his pitch count (video), and his fastball was sitting right around 90 mph and topping out at 92 [Marc Carig]. He said he only threw about ten changeups, but it felt like a ton more than that, particularly with no one on base. He got a few swings and misses with it (and at least one ground ball), and his slider was stupid good for the most part. Neither Pineda nor Russell Martin think much of the velocity, but the right-hander was pretty thrilled about the changeup. [Jayson Stark]

Bill Hall (2-for-3) doubled off the wall to the opposite field to drive in a pair, and Justin Maxwell went 2-for-2 in garbage time. Jose Gil also drove in two with a single in his only at-bat. Brett Gardner went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, and he must have seen 20 pitches in the process. He was fouling off everything it seemed. Clay Rapada walked a left-handed batter after getting ahead in the count 0-2, which is a definite no-no. Brett Marshall threw the best 2.1 IP of two-run ball you’ll ever see, I thought he looked very good. Here’s the box score, and here’s the rest from the day in Tampa…

• Freddy Garcia has a big wrap on his right hand but says it’s just a bad bruise. He thinks he’s only going to miss a few days after getting hit by an Edwin Encarnacion comebacker yesterday, but who knows. [MarcCarig]
• Joba Chamberlain will throw 50 pitches in the bullpen tomorrow, with the last ten being sliders. No, they’re not stretching him out to be a starter, it’s all about building arm strength at this point. [George King]
• Austin Romine took some dry swings today, the first time he’s done anything with a bat since hurting his back earlier in camp. He’s still a week away from full workouts. [Carig]
• Ramiro Pena left today’s game with a sore ankle after sliding into second awkwardly while attempting to steal a base in the fourth. There are no tests planned. Martin is fine following the collision with Wang you see above. Here’s video if you want to see what happened. [Carig, Carig]
• D.J. Mitchell broke out a new cutter during his three stellar innings yesterday, though apparently he started working on it last year. Boone Logan has also been focusing on a changeup during side sessions, which is a pitch he threw a while ago but has since scrapped as a reliever. George Kontos (live batting practice), Ivan Nova and David Phelps (bullpens) threw today. [Chad Jennings]

Here is your open thread for the night. All three hockey locals are in action tonight, plus MLB Network will be airing a game a little later tonight. You folks all know what to do by now, so have at it.

No Expanded Replay in 2012

Although MLB felt the need to push through the extra Wild Card into the postseason quickly, they didn't feel like pushing through expanded replay as fast. Expanded replay will not be implemented for the 2012 MLB season.

Apparently umpires wanted something in return to agreeing to implement more replay this season, which would include fair/fouls calls, trapped balls, and fan interference. But the umpires' union couldn't come to an agreement on what that would be, if anything, with the players' union.

I'm not as cynical as some fans, who are lashing out at the umpires for caring more about their wallets than the integrity of the game, but I do think this sucks. Replay is a great tool for an umpire to make the correct call(s). But, as a fellow baseball umpire, I'm concerned with replay taking over the game. I don't believe a robot could ever do the job as well as a human, and expanding replay too far could make umpires worse due to laziness since "the robots will correct me if I'm wrong".

Face it, there are some calls and decisions that take a human brain. For example, how could a robot determine whether or not a pitcher has an illegal substance under the brim of his hat?


And what if a coach has a question on the rules' interpretation? Is he supposed to type the question to the robot behind home plate?

I understand fans just wanting calls to be right. But that starts with putting the best umpires on the field, instead of those with the most seniority or the ones that are great politicians (I can tell you from personal experience that playing the political game with the guys running the officiating associations can be the difference between working a lot of games, or watching a lot of games). What some fans don't seem to understand though is that umpires get 99% of the calls correct. Some of which are amazing, like bang-bang plays at 1B, or bang-bang tag plays when stealing a base. But people harp on that 1%, and claim that that 1% ruins the game. Sorry, but I call "bullsh*t" on that.

Mitchell in '13?

I'm not the prospect guy around here. In fact, we go outside of TGP in order to post information on them. But I would like to point out something that I've noticed this spring...

DJ Mitchell finished 14th in our Top 20 Prospect list (behind Banuelos, Betances, Campos, Warren, and Phelps), he finished 16th in River Ave Blue's Top Prospect list (behind Banuelos, Betances, Campos, Warren, Phelps, and Marshall), and DJ was 16th according to Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus (behind Banuelos, Betances, Campos, Marshall, and Warren). But so far this spring it's Mitchell that's the one impressing me the most.

I know, Spring Training stats don't mean a whole heck of a lot. But it's hard not to be impressed by his 7 innings this spring, in which he's given up a batting average against of .130 and WHIP of .71. What's stood out to me the most is that he's using a cutter, to go along with three other pitches (fastball, changeup, and curveball).

In 161.1 innings last season Mitchell had an ERA of 3.18 and WHIP of 1.351. His 6.2 K/9 is not going to blow people away, and neither will his BB/9 of 3.5, but there's a chance that DJ Mitchell is in the Yankee rotation to start 2013, instead of some other names that have been discussed well before him.

Zoilo Almonte and the Future of RF in New York

Borrowed from Greg at Evil Empire Prospects

Zoilo Almonte has a chance to fill the void in RF that could be left by Swisher, but it could be a while before he's ready for that. Image thanks to It's about the money stupid.

There is a lot to like about Zoilo Almonte. He has excellent tools, including solid speed, developing solid power, and very good arm. Zoilo has had an interesting pattern of moving through the minors since 2010. I have followed him since the beginning of 2010, when he began to break out in a major way. Starting in Charleston, he got off to a slow start in 2010, but then caught fire and by midseason had earned a promotion to High A Tampa. In Tampa, Almonte was able to hold his own for the rest of the 2010 campaign, but his power was decreased and he was unable to hit for average like he was during his hot streak. 2010 ended, and he started back at High A Tampa to start off 2011. His season in 2011 almost exactly mirrored the course of his season in 2010. He struggled out of the gait, and then caught fire, even more than he had in 2010. He got promoted to AA Trenton, and cooled off majorly, but held his own. Again, the power disappeared (12 HR in 259 at bats in High A, 3 HR in 175 at bats in Trenton). Now, we move onto this year's spring training, where Almonte has gone 4/10 with 2 doubles and no walks.

The man I like to call "Boilin" Zoilo Almonte has received more attention from the media and blogosphere this year than ever before. The contract of a certain beloved right fielder for the Yankees is coming off the books after this season, and it has the press taking notice of Zoilo. Many are writing that he could be the right fielder of the future. Watching the game last night, one radio announcer even compared his swing to fellow Dominican Robinson Cano from the left side(come on now). The hype is coming from a good place, and it is not completely unreasonable given Almonte's tools and recent performance, however I would caution that Zoilo still has a long way to go before he will be major league ready. It remains to be seen whether he will ever be anything more than a backup outfielder, or even a AAAA type player.

There are some other issues with Zoilo. Assuming he follows the same course as the last two seasons, then he will destroy AA pitching for the first half of the year, head to AAA midseason, and proceed to suffer a decrease in production in AAA while holding his own for the second half. This would mean he would not be major league ready by 2013, which is when the decision has to be made about resigning Swisher or signing another right fielder. Of course Almonte could surprise everyone and light it up in AA and AAA this season, but color me a skeptic on that one.

Almonte has also never produced above A ball yet. This season will be a huge test for him in AA, and there is no telling whether he will pass that test or not. He performed poorly in winter ball this year, hitting his the high .100's. I don't hold a ton of stock in that, but it is still something to consider. We have seen similar players stumble at AA. Melky Mesa is the most recent example. Mesa destroyed the ball in High A in 2010, and then couldn't hit a beachball in 2011 in AA. Almonte may not be able to make the adjustment to AA pitching. The key theme here is that he's far away.

It is important to mention that I really like Zoilo Almonte. When he is on one of his hot streaks, he is one of the best prospects to follow, and he's got all of the tools coaches dream about. He's still relatively young, as a 23 year old in AA this season, so it's not yet make or break time for him. He does a great job adjusting to each level, and his power AND stolen bases have improved every year since being signed by the Yankees. His batting line last season was a .276 average, 15 HR, 18 SB, 5 CS, a .345 OBP, and a .459 slugging percentage. He's a switch hitter, which is always a positive. He has great numbers, and great potential. He's a solid prospect with a chance to become something good in the major leagues somewhere down the line. Most importantly, his name is Zoilo.

While there are a lot of positives with Zoilo Almonte, I think developmentally he still has a long way to go before he can be considered the right fielder of the future. He has a lot of work ahead of him to become a successful major leaguer, and he is certainly not a sure thing. If things go really well for him this season, then it is possible he will be the answer to the void in right field. I think it is important to temper those expectations though, as Almonte is still relatively raw, and hasn't yet put together a full season of consistent statistics. Unfortunately, prospects like Almonte do have a high rate of failure. There is a high risk associated with guys like him, but there is also an even higher reward. The sky is the limit for this kid. He's already strong enough at the age of 23 to hit 15 HRs. His strength should only get better now.

Hopefully, Zoilo will get a shot in the major leagues at some point. I don't think he will be ready next season, but he has certainly made progress and hopefully will continue to do so. Almonte has been one of the most fun prospects to follow, and I wish him continued success in the future. Plus, with a name like Zoilo, how can you really go wrong.

Could Pineda Open the Season in the Minors?

According to George A. King III, it's definitely a possibility:

Paperwork might determine what the Yankees pitching rotation looks like, and it's not out of the question Michael Pineda could start the season at Triple-A.

Wednesday, for the second straight day, manager Joe Girardi mentioned minor league options and how they may factor into the four-arm competition for the three spots left after CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda.

"That's a possibility,'' Girardi said about a hurler being sent to the minors to start the season. "Some of the guys have options if that's what we need to do. But if it makes us a better team putting them in the bullpen we might do it.''

Phil Hughes has one option remaining, as does Ivan Nova, and Pineda has all three options left, so they can be sent out with fear of being lost. Hughes has 4 years and 113 days of service time. When he gets to five years (in 67 days) he can't be reassigned without permission.

Pineda makes his third exhibition start Thursday against the Nationals and the Yankees will be looking closely to see if the large right-hander's velocity starts to climb.

The article did go on to mention that options might not even be an issue because the guy who doesn't earn the rotation spot could always be added to the bullpen. But options aren't the entire story either.

When 23-year-old Pineda arrived in camp and admitted he was 10 pounds above the 270 he ended last season, the Yankees weren't too concerned because they really didn't know him. Now, they are staying the course when it comes to arm strength, an issue with Hughes last spring that led to a nightmare of a season and may have been the reason he missed significant time with an inflamed right shoulder.

"Some guys are a little bit slower coming along than others,'' Girardi said. "We haven't had him in spring training to really know how he is. We don't want him to conserve but we also want him to be ready to throw 95 to 96 when he is doing it. I don't want him going out there and just airing it out just so he can hit 95, 96 on the gun.''

Girardi is taking into account Pineda's age and one year of big league experience that consisted of a strong first half last season and a drop off in the second.

"You have to see how a guy does and how he responds,'' Girardi said. "This is not a kid who is 27 or 28 years old. Some of these springs are uncharted for him, too. As long as he is going in the right direction, that's the important thing for me.''

Spring Training 3/14/12

The Yankees faced the unbeaten Blue Jays today in Grapefruit League play and the Blue Jays left the game still unbeaten with a 7-5 win today over the Yanks. Edwin Encarnacion hit a pair of home runs and JP Arencibia had one of his own in route to the win. Encarnacion was busy with the bat because he hit a line drive come backer off of Yankees pitcher Freddy Garcia's right hand and he was taken out of the game immediately. The Yankees offense came from a two run double by Doug Bernier and a two run single by DeWayne Wise in the 7th inning but it was not enough to earn the come back win. Curtis Granderson had the other rbi with an rbi double off the Blue Jays starter Henderson Alvarez.

Freddy Garcia was taken out of the game and diagnosed with a hand contusion (bruise) and was sent for x rays. The x rays have come back negative so that is a great sign and a great bit of news. Who knows if he will miss any time but I think one start would be a safe assumption.

We also got an update on Nick Swisher, who was taken out of the game today due to tightness in his groin. According to reports Nick was seen moving around the clubhouse with no problems and no limp. No tests were scheduled and since he was not scheduled to travel with the team tomorrow anyway I think this was just precautionary.

David Robertson ran on a treadmill for 30 minutes with no soreness or anything today and he could possibly throw a bullpen session as early as this weekend.

MSI and Bernie Williams

I'm really excited as I'm going to see Mindless Self Indulgence tonight. Not a lot of people know about this band, but they are great, and even better live. So I'm in music-mode today, which got me thinking about Yankees and former Yankees that play music. And, of course, that led me to Mr. Bernie Williams.

Happy 21st Birthday

To Yankees left hander and #1 prospect Manny Banuelos.

Spring Training 3/13/12

Eduardo Nunez was scratched today after feeling more pain in his hand, he was expected to return to the lineup tonight when the Yankees and Red Sox renew their rivalry. He asked the Yankees if he could play through the pain but the Yankees quickly said no. No need in rushing him back, especially this early in spring.

Ivan Nova starts the game tonight against Boston so hopefully his command comes with him this time around. Mariano Rivera is scheduled to pitch his second inning of the spring tonight against the Sox so expect him to come in the game in the 4th or 5th inning tonight.

I will post the lineup when it is updated with the Nunez scratch. Doug Bernier is slated to start at SS for Nunez tonight and probably bat 9th but I do not want to guess at it.