Saturday, January 25, 2014

Masahiro Tanaka vs. Boston Red Sox Meme


Courtesy of our friends at BleedingYankeeBlue.com and Sergio A Holfmann we bring you this really awesome meme of Masahiro Tanaka out for Boston Red Sox blood. Any New York Yankees fan can appreciate this I'd say.

Stephen Drew Is Not The Answer


The other day it was rumored that the Yankees were interested in making a run at Stephen Drew, and I commented on that news here at The Greedy Pinstripes that I was for it. Although I didn't do any research into the possible move, and just assumed Drew > Johnson, I was wrong. Here's why...

Over the last three seasons, while playing for Arizona, Oakland, and Boston, Drew has hit .245/.322/.403 with 25 home runs. All of that is good for a bWAR of just 4.6. And it's worth noting that during those three years Drew made $21.9 million.

Meanwhile, the guy he would likely replace as the Yankees third baseman in 2014, Kelly Johnson, has hit .226/.307/.395 with 53 home runs. Those numbers, along with some other stuff, was good for a bWAR of 4.7.

Basically, thanks to a few more home runs, both Johnson and Drew are worth just as much to their team. But the difference comes in the fact that Stephen Drew could very well make three times as much in 2014 as Kelly Johnson is (Johnson will make $3 million). The dollar amounts just don't add up in Drew's favor... not by a long shot.

"Yeah, the math is all wrong."

The only thing that may be good about signing Stephen Drew would have to do with Derek Jeter. Jeter will turn 40 years old on June 26th, and is currently playing with a one-year deal with the Yankees. That doesn't mean this is Derek's final season, but I wouldn't call you crazy if you thought that. For that reason, Drew would slide in at shortstop in 2014 and beyond.

But is that a good thing? I don't think so.

Drew's bat is nothing to write home about, although he's a good defender. But there are plenty of guys like that. Heck, Brendan Ryan is one of the best fielders in baseball, but I don't hear any Yankee fans begging the team to lock him up long-term. I don't think anybody is clamoring for Ryan to be Jeter's heir, either. 

Not only is Stephen Drew not a great choice to replace Derek Jeter, but there are some intriguing shortstops that will be free agents next year...

Asdrubal Cabrera - He had a down year in 2013, batting .242/.299/.402, but the Venezuelan is just 28 years old, and he hit .273/.333/.419 the previous three seasons. In 2012 and 2011, Asdrubal was an All Star selection, and actually won the Silver Slugger Award in 2011. Unfortunately, Cabrera's UZR/150 of -16.8 last season at shortstop does not help matters.

Jed Lowrie - Although Jed's 2013 season, in which he hit .290/.344/.446, is a bit of an outlier, that type of production is not unheard of from the 29 year-old shortstop. Back in 2010, with the Red Sox, Lowrie hit .287/.381/.526 in 55 games. However, like Cabrera, Lowrie's UZR/150 of -9.2 at short last season doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence.

Hanley Ramirez - Even though his performances in 2011 and 2012 are far from amazing, as he hit .252/.326/.416 with 34 home runs, Hanley's numbers in 2013 made people think the guy they saw between 2006 and 2010 may still be around. Last season, Ramirez bounced back and hit .345/.402/.638 with 20 home runs. Mind you, Ramirez has never been a defensive whiz at short, but he was average there last season (0.5 UZR/150). 

The point of this is Stephen Drew is not the answer to the Yankees infield woes for 2014, nor is he the answer at shortstop for 2015 and beyond. If it comes down to Drew or Johnson, I'm perfectly content in seeing if Kelly can continue to hit double-digit home runs while playing above average defense at third base (24.4 UZR/150 there in 118 innings last season with the Rays).

High fives for being just "okay".

Omar Luis Arrested for DUI

Early Friday morning, Omar Luis was arrested for driving under the influence in Tampa. Luis apparently had a BAC of .102, which is quite a bit over the legal limit of .08. Omar reportedly drove the wrong-way down two different one-way streets, before two police cars got him pulled over. Luis was released after posting bail.

Luis was the final signee for the Yankees before the latest regulations on international free agents was imposed. You may remember that he was originally signed for $4 million, but it was reduced to $2.5 million after his physical revealed a bit of an issue. Omar defected from Cuba two years ago, and last season was sent to the Gulf Coast League, where he put up an ERA of 5.68, and WHIP of 1.863, in 11 starts.

I don't care who he plays for, or how big a prospect he may be... anybody that drives drunk should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. He not only put himself in danger, but due to his actions he could have hurt many more. Hopefully he'll learn his lesson, and come back as a better person for it.

Yankee Stadium Legacy: #66 Dave Righetti


Dave Righetti was named the American League Rookie of the Year as a starting pitcher in 1981 in Yankees pinstripes. Righetti soon was converted into a late inning reliever and a closer and quickly made a name for himself as the best closer in the game. "Rags" nailed down at least 25 saves in each of his first seven seasons as the Yankees closer and ranks second in Yankees history with 224 saves.

66 days until Yankees Opening Day

This Day In New York Yankees History 1/25


On this day in 1943 The New York Yankees sold Lefty Gomez to the Boston Braves. Gomez will be released before playing a game with the Braves and will sign with the Washington Senators in May.


On this day in 1945 the Ruppert estate sells the New York Yankees to Dan Topping, Del Webb, and Larry MacPhail for $2.8 million. Topping and Webb, who ended up buying out MacPhail two years later, will sell 80% of the Yankees to CBS for $11.2 million after 1964.


On this day in 1966 the Yankees Tony Kubek announced his retirement after nine seasons. Kubek was diagnosed with having three crushed vertebrae from a childhood injury and decided to retire rather than risk further harm to his back.


On this day in 1999 the Yankees lost one of their free agents after winning the 1998 World Series in Tim Raines. Raines signed with the Oakland Athletics on a one year deal worth $600,000 at age 39.


On this day in 2008 the New York Yankees offered Robinson Cano a six year contract worth $55 million to buy out his arbitration and some free agent seasons. Cano was 25 years old and was under contract through the 2011 season with the Yankees, although New York held two team options for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Cano was coming off a season in which he hit .306 with 19 home runs and 97 RBI's.


On this day in 2012 the second of the Cour Four announced his retirement when Yankees catcher Jorge Posada announced it at a SRO Yankee Stadium news conference. Posada played with the Yankees for his entire 17 year career and joined Bernie Williams and Andy Pettitte in retirement.