Opening Day Roster: Agree or Disagree?

1B - Lyle Overbay

How in the world did Lyle Overbay make the team over Juan Rivera? Juan Rivera had a wonderful spring while Lyle Overbay had a terrible spring. While I, in no way, expect Juan Rivera to come anywhere near hitting .300 in the season like he did in the spring but I do, in fact, expect Lyle Overbay to struggle to stay over the Mendoza line like he did this spring. It is not even a veteran over a prospect kind of thing because Rivera is 34 years old and has played multiple positions for multiple teams over the years including having success with the Yankees.

UTIL - Jayson Nix

Jayson Nix I agree with only because Eduardo Nunez is the short stop on Opening Day. Jayson proved he could handle the New York pressure last year and can play defense at multiple positions. I think Jayson is on the team for the long haul as I see Nunez being sent down once again when Derek Jeter finally returns and personally that makes me happy. For what he is, a utility infielder and a bench player, Jayson Nix is good at what he does and is a perfect fit in New York.

RP - Shawn Kelly

I know that you should not put much stock into spring numbers but Shawn Kelly is pushing towards a 6.00 ERA. If it was him making the team for a injured Clay Rapada that would be one thing but he is essentially replacing David Aardsma and that just really pisses me off, pardon my french. Aardsma is on a very team friendly $500K one year contract and seems to be healthy after coming back from Tommy John surgery. Also David was never known for his control and such so what he did this spring should not come as a surprise to anybody.

BN - Ben Francisco

I cannot really agree or disagree with this move because I am so indifferent. I like his ability to hit for power off the bench and play the corner outfield positions but I would have really liked to see Melky Mesa in this spot. Melky Mesa can play center field and has the speed that will keep the Yankees in the outfield and on the base paths that will keep the Yankees versatile. It is hard to complain about a 4th or 5th outfielder though especially in a platoon situation, no?

Juan Rivera Released

"Sorry sir, but this bus won't take you all the way to Venezuela."

Juan Rivera was released by the Yankees, and said that the team will carry Lyle Overbay and Ben Francisco.

Rivera had a good spring batting average wise (.305), but his inability to draw walks and hit for power (.328 OBP, .390 SLG) has apparently led to the team deciding to go another way. And unlike Ben Francisco, Rivera has had plenty of opportunities, both off the bench and as a regular, to get the job done. Juan has averaged over 470 plate appearances a season over the past 4 years, while Francisco has averaged 289.

As for Ben Francisco, he had a pretty poor 2012, putting up a batting line of .240/.285/.385 in 207 plate appearances for Toronto, Houston, and Tampa Bay. However Ben has hit .333/.418/.688 this spring, so perhaps regular playing time will get him back to the guy that hit 15 home runs in 2008 and 2009. Not that he was really impressive then, but he was a serviceable player (between 2007 and 2010 his OPS+ was never lower than 104.

When it comes to the 36 year-old Lyle Overbay, I can only figure that this goes back to the Yankees liking to have veterans on their bench. It's not as though Lyle's .234/.327/.340 this spring wowed anyone, nor did his line of .259/.331/.397 last season between Arizona and Atlanta.

I imagine some people are upset about Rivera being let go, as they think he may have something left. But let's face it... he's 34 years old, and he is what he is. Juan hasn't hit above .258 in the past 3 seasons, so if you really think he could have batted close to the .305 he had in Spring Training this season then you're kidding yourself.

That's not to say either Overbay or Francisco are clearly better choices, but I'm going to trust the team on this one.

Final Spring Notes: Rivera, Boesch, Overbay, Mustelier, Francisco, Teixeira, Jeter, Granderson

Spring Training has come to close and GMS Field is done with Yankees games until next March, but the Yankees still have a job to do before Opening Day on Monday. That includes making cuts, adding people and setting their roster for Opening Day. Here's what happened after today's game.

Juan Rivera:  Juan Rivera was released by the Yankees following today's game, so it's apparent that he won't make the Yankees. The Yankees had to pay $100,000 in order to keep him on Tuesday and cut him today. Hopefully he'll attach to another team. Unfortunatley, that team won't be the Yankees.

Ronnier Mustelier: Ronnier Mustelier had a slim chance of making the roster but he was very impressive this Spring. Brian Cashman made it clear that Mustelier didn't make the team after suffering a knee bruise. He was supposed to play last night in Sarasota but was scratched. Mustelier will stay in Tampa instead.

Brennan Boesch, Ben Francisco & Lyle Overbay: The Yankees seem keen on having Brennan Boesch, Ben Francisco and Lyle Overbay on the Yankees, and Cashman coy-fully suggested that the three of them would be at Yankee Stadium on Monday. I know we only saw Overbay for two days, but his defense was impressive and I wouldn't mind having him on the team. Francisco and Boesch since coming to Yankees camp impressed, so it's not surprising that they're being considered for a role with the ball club.

Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson & Derek Jeter: The Yankees are breaking camp today and only one of these three players will actually go north with the team. Mark Teixeira will go with the Yankees and will get checked on Monday by the doctor for his wrist. If all goes well, Teixeira can take off the brace and will start strengthening his wrist. Curtis Granderson and Derek Jeter are staying in Tampa because they are closer to baseball activities than Teixeira. For example, Granderson can shag fly balls, pick up a bat and grip it without the arm hurting. Derek Jeter will get into a baseball game next week. Teixeira is a little far off from doing those quite yet.

Big Day For Juan Rivera

The Yankees either had to add Juan Rivera to the Active/25-Man Roster or pay him $100,000 to keep him around. Seeing as how Rivera has yet to hear about his roster status, he can start thinking about how he's going to spend that money.

With that in mind, I believe we can assume Juan will be with the Yankees on Opening Day.

Yankees Beat Up On Phillies

Ben Francisco wasted no time getting acclimated with being a New York Yankees player as he hit a two RBI double off the center field wall in his first at bat against Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee. Welcome to the Yankees Ben, do that a few more times and you will make Matt Diaz shake in his boots a little bit more.

Ichiro Suzuki added the third Yankees run in the 2nd off of Cliff Lee with an RBI single after he walked Gil Velazquez and Derek Jeter. I know it is spring training but that cannot be a bad sign for the Yankees offense, no?

Melky Mesa improved his chances of winning the temporary center field spot by driving in Juan Rivera with an RBI single in the 3rd inning to put the Yankees up 4-1. Mesa also got lucky on the wild pitch by Cliff Lee that allowed him to get to second base and allowed Matt Diaz to score the 5th run because the ball did not bounce away from Quintero enough to justify him running.

Mariano Rivera would pitch a quick and perfect inning shattering a bat. Andy Pettitte allowed a run in his 3+ IP and struggled with command but looked good overall. David Aardsma allowed a home run and then a hard hit single but settled down to limit the damage to just the one run thanks to a great running play by Melky Mesa.

The Yankees would win the game 6-2

Yankees Talking With Derrek Lee

According to a story by The Sports XChange at Yahoo Sports, the Yankees have spoken with Derrek Lee about coming out of retirement. Lee hasn't played since 2011, when he hit .267 with 19 home runs in 113 games.

The Yankees have been using Juan Rivera at 1B, and are looking at others such as Dan Johnson and even Travis Hafner. There is a chance the team could use Ronnier Mustelier at third base, where he's playing again in today's exhibition game, and move Kevin Youkilis to first base. 

I'm leaning towards endorsing the move of Mustelier to 3B and Youk to 1B, but I'm not sure due to the fact that the defense on the left side of the infield would be pretty sketchy. It would be nice if I heard more reports on Ronnier's defense, as I guess it's gotten better since he came from Cuba.

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.

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.

Replace Curtis Granderson With Eduardo Nunez In OF

The Yankees love the bat of Eduardo Nunez and would like for him to get 500 at bats this season if possible. With Curtis Granderson now out for the next 10 weeks with a fractured forearm the Yankees are probably scuffling to find a replacement even though Curtis should be back in May. The Yankees already have that replacement if you ask me and it is Eduardo Nunez. Nunez has enough speed and range to play left field with the Yankees and his right handed bat that is capable of power would be better than anything that Matt Diaz or Juan Rivera could give us. Also, let's face it, the Yankees can hide people in left field at Yankees Stadium, see Johnny Damon and Raul Ibanez. Before the Yankees go out and make a knee jerk reaction or lose someone on the 40 man roster for a temporary replacement why not give the at bats to Eduardo Nunez? Makes too much sense not to if you ask me.

Spring Training Notes 2/12/13: State Of The Yankees Address

[caption id="attachment_14794" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Photo taken by Mark Feinsand of the Daily News[/caption]

Today may be the State Of the Union Address for the United States of America, but today was the State of the Yankees Address live from the minor league complex by none other than the Yankees manager Joe Girardi (who might I add is in the final year of his contract). Girardi covered a plethora of topics but one of the biggest topics that Girardi covered was Alex Rodriguez. Here's some notes and news from today.

Girardi on Alex Rodriguez:

"There really isn't a lot to talk about. My concern is for him to get healthy. This club is used to having what people might call distractions."

Girardi hasn't spoken to Alex Rodriguez about the PED topic and has confirmed that Alex Rodriguez will not be in camp this spring. Instead, Rodriguez will rehab in New York.

Girardi on the 2013 team:

"We're going to have to find a different way to score runs. Our offense is going to be different but I believe [we're going to score runs]."

Girardi also believes that the Yankees are going to win 95 games and the World Series. "There's a lot of talent in this room. If we play up to our capabilities, I believe we're a very good team."

Girardi's biggest concern:

Girardi's biggest concern is finding a right-handed DH bat before the actual season begins.

Girardi on Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson and Ichiro Suzuki:

As of today, Brett Gardner will be in LF, Curtis Granderson will be in CF and Ichiro Suzuki will be in RF. There's no plans on moving Gardner and Granderson as of yet, but it could change as he discusses it with his coaches.

Girardi on concerns of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera:

He doesn't have any concerns on both Yankees who are coming off of injuries.

MORE AROUND YANKEES CAMP

-- Austin Romine came into camp thirteen pounds lighter and his back in very good shape. He believes he sees an opportunity.

-- CC Sabathia is also 100% after having elbow surgery over the winter. He says that the surgery was a relief and he now has complete mobility of his elbow. Sabathia also lost a lot of weight, now weighing in at 290. His first bullpen session will be on Thursday.

-- We also have new locker arraignments and numbers in Yankees camp. Here they are:

-Travis Hafner takes Nick Swisher's old number and will now wear #33. Hafner's locker is now next to Youkilis, formerly vacated by Eric Chavez.
-Francisco Cervelli will now wear #29, formerly worn by Rafael Soriano.
-David Phelps changed his number to #35. Mike Mussina used to wear #35 back in the day as did Michael Pineda last season (who we never saw during the season).
-Michael Pineda will now wear #43. His previous number was #35.
-Kevin Youkilis wears #36 and now has Nick Swisher's old locker.
- David Aardsma will now wear #34.
- Matt Diaz will now wear #22.
- Dan Johnson will now wear #27.
- Juan Rivera will now wear #54.

2013 Minor League Options & The Yankees

Chad Jennings over at Lohud had an interesting article earlier discussing who has options left for the 2013 season, who is out of options, and who has certain clauses in their contracts allowing them to opt out of minor league deals. I will direct everybody over THERE for the full write up but I wanted to touch on a few things that I thought were interesting.

Eduardo Nunez, Francisco Cervelli, Cody Eppley, and Ivan Nova all have one minor league option remaining and guys like Clay Rapada and Chris Stewart do not have any options left. David Phelps obviously still has options left and is a no brainer along with the rest of the guys on the 40 man that have not seen major league time outside a September call up. Theoretically the Yankees could start Nunez in the minors to work on being an every day short stop again, the Yankees could start Cervelli in the minors one more time if they decide to trade for a serviceable catcher, Cody Eppley could be sent down to make room for a guy like Mark Montgomery, and if Ivan Nova continues to forget how to pitch he can be sent down to Scranton as well. If the Yankees decide to upgrade either of Rapada's or Stewarts positions those two would have to clear waivers, and they probably wouldn't, before accepting a minor league assignment.

Matt Diaz and Juan Rivera, due to a clause in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement based on their MLB service time, can both opt out of their minor league deals at the end of Spring Training if they are not put on the 40 man roster. Obviously as it stands right now one of these two guys are going to make the club and the other will probably opt out so the competition should be interesting to watch this spring. Dan Johnson has a set opt out date that Brian Cashman would not recollect but if I had to guess I would say it is in late May as they usually are in that time frame. Dan Johnson is all but going to Scranton to start next season due to the Yankees 40 man roster crunch and the delay in the opt out. Thomas Neal, Bobby Wilson, and Gil Velazquez signed your run of the mill minor league deals and can and probably will be assigned to Scranton after Spring Training. Jayson Nix, Jim Miller, and Josh Spence were all designated for assignment and either outrighted to AAA or signed a split contract and can be sent down to the minors after Spring Training as well without having to clear waivers.

Cesar Cabral was the Yankees Rule 5 draft pick last season and a stress fracture kept him from making the big league club out of Spring Training last year so the same Rule 5 draft pick rules apply for 2013. If Cabral does not get added to the 40 man roster when he is activated off the 60 day DL then he will have to go back to the Boston Red Sox. The good news is he can be assigned to the minor leagues under a 30 day rehab assignment barring any set backs or new injuries. This will complicate things because unless a Boone Logan is traded or we decide to carry three left handed pitchers we will lose Clay Rapada or Cesar Cabral once the calendar turns to May 2013.

Yankees Sign Juan Rivera To A Minor League Deal

The Yankees have announced that they have signed former Yankee and right handed outfielder Juan Rivera to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training. Rivera will be entering his age 34 season in 2013 and will be reunited with a Yankees team that signed him as an International Free Agent way back when he was 17 years old in 1997. Matt Diaz and Russ Canzler cannot be happy about this news as Juan is now direct competition to him for the platoon partner for Ichiro Suzuki.