Yankees Magic Number

Yankees magic number to win the AL East

Magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 4

Thinking About 2013 : The Catching Situation

As we all know Russell Martin will be a free agent after the 2012 season, thankfully not signing the extension this past off season, and so will backup Chris Stewart. That only leaves the Yankees with long time back up and fist pumper Francisco Cervelli and Austin Romine, who missed most of the 2012 season with a back injury. What should the Yankees do to shore up, or stop gap for guys like Gary Sanchez, the catching situation for next season? One guy comes to mind when I looked at the 2013 Free Agents from MLB Trade Rumors, Mike Napoli.

Napoli is not going to bat .300, he is not going to be Pudge Rodriguez behind the plate and controlling the running game, but he will be a definite improvement over what we have had the last couple of seasons. Napoli is a power hitting catcher that is currently playing for the Texas Rangers and has played for them the last two seasons. Napoli strikes out a little more then you would like to see but also has a nice on base percentage to even it out. That is just the beginning of what Napoli could bring to this team.

Napoli, like I said, is in his second season with the Texas Rangers so he has post season, pennant chase, and World Series experience which is always a plus in New York. You do not hear about Napoli being a trouble maker, a club house cancer, or anything like that so I consider that another plus to the Yankees. Mike Napoli is also easily considered the best available catcher, unless the Braves somehow have a computer glitch and click DECLINE when asked to pick up the option on Brian McCann, and the Yankees love to get the big names.

While both Napoli and Russell Martin are both hitting around .200 the similarities pretty much stop there. Napoli's OBP is usually around .120 points higher then his batting average and has a mid .400 SLG% year in and year out.In 2014 Napoli will be two years removed from a 30 home run season while Russell has never had a 20 home run season in his career. Napoli is having a considerable "down" season this year and still has a 20 point higher wRC+ at 106 so this kind of seems like a no brainer to me. Napoli also has less errors then Russell Martin, although he is no defensive catcher by any means, and also has some experience at 1B which could come in handy to give Teixeira days off.

The downside of Napoli will be that there are not a ton of power hitting catchers so the market should be pretty high for Mike. Not to mention that this will be his first year of free agency so he will probably want a multi year deal. This season Mike Napoli signed a 1 year,$9.4 million deal to avoid arbitration and stay with the team so expect a, and I say this loosely, significant raise on that. Is he going to command $15 million a season? Doubtful but I do not see him taking an AAV of less then $12 million in my opinion. This should be considered by the Yankees brass and the Yankees fans alike because this, assuming the money is right, makes too much sense NOT to do.

Plus his girlfriend would be a very welcomed addition to the wives and girlfriends section...

Chris Dickerson in 2013

Earlier today Chris Dickerson went 2-4, with 2 RBI and 2 runs, including a home run in the 6th inning. Not only was it a great game for the "kid" (in quotes since he's actually 30 years old), but his first hit of the game came off left-hander Brian Duensing. Which is something as Chris has been criticized due to his ineffectiveness versus same-side pitching (in 592 plate appearances in MLB he's hit .270/.354/.419 against right-handed pitchers versus .244/.337/.308 against lefties).

"Don't get a big head, Chris."

Lately I've been screaming for Dickerson to get a shot, at least in the outfield, over Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones. Which is due more to the poor play of Raul and Andruw, and less about the potential that Chris possesses. The idea of playing a guy with better defense, who's a pest on the basepaths, was attractive thanks to the rest of the lineup being so potent offensively. However, I'd be lying if I said I had Chris penciled into my plans for the team in 2013.

Brett Gardner should be ready to go, as he was activated today and was in the field for the final out of the today's win. Other than him, though, next year's outfield is up in the air. Nick Swisher will be a free agent, Ichiro Suzuki is a free agent, and Curtis Granderson's deal is technically up at the end of the year... although the Yankees do hold a club option on him for another season.

"Sitting here watching sucks, I want in."

Since it's something I'll talk about more in-depth during the offseason, here's a quick synopsis of what I see happening...

Looking at Fangraph's dollar value, Granderson has been worth over $18 million a season since joining the team in 2010. Making that club option of $13 million seem like a bargain. Even if you see Fangraph's dollar value as inflated it doesn't matter, as $13 million for a guy coming off a season with 40 HR truly is a bargain. Regardless of how many times he strikes out. You can bet on him being in pinstripes next season.

Nick Swisher is looking at his final "big" contract, as he turns 32 in November. On top of being able to bat .265, get on base 36% of the time, and hit 25 or so home runs a season, he's also a switch-hitter that can play RF and 1B. There are going to be a number of teams, including the Red Sox, that would love to bring him to their team. All that without bringing up his great attitude. I love Nick, especially since he played college ball at Ohio State, but I can easily see another team offering him more, meaning he won't be back.

That leaves one more spot in the starting outfield. So what will happen? Will they bring back Ichiro, who has hit .326/.350/.474 in his 59 games since being dealt to New York? What about Cody Ross, regardless of the fact he's a right-handed pull hitter, which doesn't play well in Yankee Stadium? I don't know, but I'll tell you one thing that won't happen... they won't give the starting gig to Chris Dickerson.

This is how I imagine some fans are reacting to what I just said.

Dickerson is 30 and has only started in 36 MLB games the last three years, and only played in 100 MLB games the last 3 seasons too. But the main reason I don't see him starting for the Yanks in 2013 is the fact he only had a little over 2 years of MLB service time coming into this season, meaning he won't be a free agent. The team has no reason to press him into playing time, since it's not like he can take a job elsewhere as a starter, like what Jerry Hairston and Jose Molina did after 2009.

And let's face it... injuries are going to happen. Chances are the 4th outfielder is going to see quite a bit of playing time, so Dickerson will play a role with the team next year regardless of whether it's as a starter or a bench player.

So who is the 3rd starting outfielder going to be for the Yankees? Who will join Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson out there? I'm going to save that post for the offseason.

My cliffhanger is better.

Yankees @ Twins 9/26/12

Update:

Yankees win 8-2

The Yankees will finish their three game set with the Twins this afternoon at Target Field looking for a series win and to take one step closer to the playoffs. On the mound for the Yankees will be CC Sabathia coming off of a dominating performance his last time out. The Twins will send Samuel Dedundo to the mound to look at being spoilers. The game will be televised at 1:05 pm ET on MLB Network.

Lineups

YANKEES (89-65)
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Derek Jeter SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Eric Chavez 3B
Raul Ibanez DH
Chris Stewart C
Chris Dickerson LF

TWINS (65-90)
Denard Span CF
Ben Revere RF
Joe Mauer DH
Ryan Doumit C
Chris Parmelee 1B
Matt Carson LF
Jamey Carroll 3B
Alexi Casilla 2B
Pedro Florimon SS

Go Yankees!!

This Day In Yankees History 9/26/12

In the season of 1961 Roger Maris hit his 60th home run of the season today tying Babe Ruth for the single season record, asterisk or not.

Yankees Magic Number

Yankees magic number to win the AL East!!

Thinking About 2013 : To #HIROK or not to #HIROK

A Real Head Scratcher

The Yankees got more then they ever could have imagined or hoped for when they acquired Hiroki Kuroda as a free agent on a one year $10 million deal this past off season. He has more then filled that second starter position that the Yankees have been looking for, for what seems like forever. Kuroda has been an ace for this club, win loss record withstanding, and a pleasant surprise in a pitcher that came from the light hitting NL West to the big time offensive AL East. The question the Yankees face will be whether they should bring him back for one more season in pinstripes.

"It's All Good"

Let's start with the good things to say about Hiroki Kuroda and the 2013 season. He has far exceeded anyone's expectations coming into the season, including my own. I personally considered Hiroki Kuroda to be the best #3 or #4 starter in the majors when we signed him on the same day we acquired, what I thought would be #2 starter, Michael Pineda. He would come into the 2013 with pitching in New York and the AL East experience and probably post season experience. He has only pitched over 200 IP once in his career, last season, but he does expect to exceed that this season and only pitched over 200 IP twice in his Japanese career. His max innings in his career was in 2005 with Hiroshima Toyo Carp only pitching in 212 IP and CC Sabathia has that by the All Star break #sarcasm.

Yankees COULD Fall Flat On Their Faces

Let's continue with the bad things that could keep Kuroda out of the Bronx in 2013. First and foremost Hiroki will be entering his age 38 season and you have to wonder when the guy will begin to break down and slow down. The other problem will be that he will want a significant raise, one would think, from the $10 million he made last season. Another thing would be whether he wanted a multi year deal, which the Yankees would be absolutely insane to give to him. A third question mark will be whether the Dodgers, who Kuroda has been open about preferring to play for, will continue to open the wallet to sign a fan favorite coming off of very solid season. Not to mention I believe that the Red Sox, with their new found payroll flexibility, could be involved to simply drive up the price or stick it to the Yankees.

"Well? Which Is It?"

This is really a tough situation and decision for the Yankees to be in, although that may not be a bad situation to be in. Kuroda has not shown signs of slowing down, fatigue, or losing anything so most of me wants to say give Kuroda another one year deal worth big bucks and go out and dominate one more time before the Yankees have to get fiscally responsible. Some of me just worries about signing a guy with such age and innings on his arm after all the aging train wrecks we have seen in pinstripes, like Kevin Brown to name an example. At the end of the day I would wait out the market and see what happens but I think Kuroda has forced our hand into giving him another contract. I just hope, and would be totally in agreement with, it is a one year deal for big money rather then a multi year deal.

This Has Been A Paid Advertisement From The #HIROK For 2013 Campaign

Yankees @ Twins 9/25/12

Update:

Derek Jeter extends his hitting streak to 19 games

The Yankees bats came to life in Target Field last night and will look for more of the same as these same two teams go at it again tonight. There are only 9 games left in the regular season, barring any play in games, and the Yankees have their biggest division lead in almost a month at 1.5 games. The Yankees magic number to clinch a playoff spot in down to 5 with the Angels and Yankees losses compared. The Yankees will send Phil Hughes to the mound tonight to face off with Esmerling Vasquez. The game will be televised at 8:10 pm ET on MLB Network.

Lineups

Derek Jeter SS
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano DH
Nick Swisher 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Raul Ibanez LF
Jayson Nix 2B

Go Yankees!!

Pat Venditte To Miss At Least Half Of 2013

Yankees switch pitcher Pat Venditte, 27, will miss at least half of the 2013 season with a torn labrum surgery in his right shoulder. I wonder more if Venditte was a fan draw and less of a legit prospect for the Yankees because while his numbers look good he is vastly underwhelming from both sides of the mound. Venditte tore his labrum in mid May of this season and tried to rest and rehab it before opting for surgery. At 27 years old time is really running out for Pat. Get well soon!

Brett Gardner & David Aardsma Activated

Both Brett Gardner and David Aardsma were activated tonight off the 60 day DL as late season reinforcements for the Yankees post season push. Steve Pearce and Justin Thomas were designated for assignment to make room for the two on the 40 man roster. I fully expected Cory Wade and Derek Lowe to get the ax but I guess with Mark Teixeira progressing well and the need for pitching outweighs the need for first basemen depth.