Game 47 Lineup: Yankees @ Rays

Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Curtis Granderson RF
David Adams 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Jayson Nix SS
Chris Stewart C

RHP David Phelps

Some Notes:

-- Ivan Nova was activated from the DL today and Dellin Betances was sent down. Nova's not sure what his role with the club will be right now but he said he will do whatever the club asks him to do. If that's the case, I opt the bullpen.

-- Mark Teixeira had 6 AB's today in extended spring and will be with the Yankees during the Yankees/Rays series.

The 1996 Yankees vs. The 2013 Yankees

All season long we have all heard the comparisons of the 2013 Yankees to the gritty, scrappy, pitching first, timely hitting 1996 Yankees team that nobody expected to compete with a rookie short stop, a team without their captain Don Mattingly, and a new manager that owner George Steinbrenner did not even want, that ultimately ended up winning the World Series. Are the comparisons justified? Let's take a look and before I even get started I just want to compare similarities, in no way am I comparing certain players nor do I think for example that Brett Gardner will ever be Bernie Williams. With that little disclaimer posted let's get started with the comparisons.

Constructing The 1996 Team vs. The 2013 Team

The 1996 New York Yankees finished the season with a 92-70 record on their way to winning the American League East easily by four games over the Baltimore Orioles. This team was not a bunch of All Stars assembled and expected to win but a rag tag bunch of players assembled from the inside out with a few veteran high points inserted where necessary. This team was assembled with free agent moves like Mariano Duncan, David Cone, and Dwight Gooden signing free agent contracts along with trades for guys like Tim Raines, Graeme Lloyd, Cecil Fielder, David Weathers, and Charlie Hayes while mixing in a Luis Sojo claim off waivers. The Yankees implanted young guys in Bernie Williams in CF, Derek Jeter at SS, Jorge Posada serving some time as a back up catcher, and Mariano Rivera as the set up man. The 2013 Yankees are on the verge of giving austerity a shot again and are beginning to assemble a team in a similar way. The Yankees have young guys starting at catcher in Francisco Cervelli, Brett Gardner starting in center, David Robertson as the set up man, Joba Chamberlain as the 7th inning man, and have given young guys like Eduardo Nunez, David Adams, Preston Claiborne, Adam Warren and others every opportunity to succeed this season rather than emptying the farm like in years past.  The 2013 team did not go out and sign the big free agent but rather spent frugally while bringing in Travis Hafner, Ichiro Suzuki, Lyle Overbay, Kevin Youkilis, Chien Ming Wang, and Hiroki Kuroda and trading for guys like Vernon Wells, Shawn Kelley, and Chris Nelson. The Yankees then and the Yankees now spent wisely, took chances on guys nobody wanted in Darryl Strawberry and Vernon Wells, and relied on the prospects in big spots to succeed and did more times then they didn't.

1996 Starting Rotation vs. 2013 Starting Rotation

LHP Andy Pettitte -- LHP CC Sabathia

RHP Jimmy Key -- RHP Hiroki Kuroda

LHP Kenny Rogers -- LHP Andy Pettitte

RHP Dwight Gooden -- RHP Phil Hughes

RHP David Cone -- RHP Ivan Nova/David Phelps

I am just amazed that the fact that the hand that each pitchers throws is exactly the same as it was 17 seasons ago. Andy Pettitte was a young hard throwing lefty who ate up a ton of innings throwing 221 IP and winning 21 games while being the runner up for the Cy Young Award winner. Andy was easily the ace of the staff, the work horse, and the stopper... sounds a lot like CC Sabathia. Jimmy Key was the savvy veteran that made his start every 5th day and didn't over power people but always found a way to win, he won 12 games in 1996 in 30 starts, which sounds a lot like Hiroki Kuroda. Kenny Rogers was the left handed pitcher that did not throw in the upper 90's but hit his spots and had incredible command while winning 12 games in 1996 and draws comparisons to the kind of pitcher Andy Pettitte is at age 40 in my eyes. Dwight Gooden and David Cone were veteran free agents brought in to solidify the back end of the rotation with eating innings and keeping the Yankees in the game. Phil Hughes, David Phelps, and Ivan Nova all are here to do about the same except they are young and entering their primes. Either way the starting rotation seems to be eerily similar to the 1996 staff that won 68 games if you include Ramiro Mendoza and Wally Whitehurt's spot starts.

1996 Starters  vs. 2013 Starters (when healthy)

C- Joe Girardi -- Francisco Cervelli 

1B- Tino Martinez -- Mark Teixeira

2B- Mariano Duncan -- Robinson Cano

SS- Derek Jeter -- Derek Jeter

3B- Wade Boggs -- Alex Rodriguez

LF- Tim Raines -- Curtis Granderson

CF- Bernie Williams -- Brett Gardner

RF- Paul O'Niell -- Ichiro Suzuki

DH- Ruben Sierra -- Travis Hafner

The Cervelli and Girardi comparison does not hold much water to be honest with Cervelli being so young and actually pretty capable with the bat while Girardi was a veteran and all defense and no bat. Maybe the Chris Stewart and Jor Girardi comparison would be better and the Francisco Cervelli as the back up and Jorge Posada comparison would be better but where would that leave Jim Leyritz? Tino Martinez and Mark Teixeira are both veteran bats with stellar defense hitting in the middle of a Yankees lineup. Wade Boggs and Alex Rodriguez are both veteran guys who may have lost a step after setting up big time careers elsewhere before becoming Yankees but can win the Yankees fan base over with a good playoff run, see 2009. Brett Gardner can only be compared to Bernie Williams by being a speedy home grown center fielder because they are two different kinds of players but the similarities are still there at this point in Bernie's career. Paul O'Niell and Ichiro are both the hired mercenary veteran guys manning right field for the Yankees after making big time careers for themselves in other cities. 

1996 Bullpen vs. 2013 Bullpen

John Wetteland -- Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera -- David Robertson

Graeme Lloyd -- Boone Logan

Jeff Nelson -- Joba Chamberlain

Bob Wickman -- Shawn Kelley

Ramiro Mendoza -- David Phelps

Brian Boehringer -- Preston Claiborne

Obviously the first comparison is a shut down closer in John Wetteland in 1996 and the greatest closer of all time in Mariano Rivera in 2013. The next comparison is obvious with a young fire balling Mariano Rivera in 1996 being compared to Mr. Houdini himself in David Robertson from 2013. Graeme Lloyd was a shut down LOOGY, the term LOOGY used loosely here, before baseball knew what a LOOGY was and that sounds an awful lot like Boone Logan from the 2013 team. Is David Phelps not the 2013 version of Ramiro Mendoza by being able to shut down an inning from the bullpen, save a bullpen by throwing a ton of innings, or make a spot start whenever necessary? The Yankees bullpen then was pieced together on the fly, something that Joe Girardi has had to do a lot as the manager of the Yankees during his tenure, and mixed and matched a lot until Joe Torre decided to just pitch Mariano and Wetteland two innings each and turning every game into a 6 IP game. The Yankees bullpen is honestly a lot better and a lot deeper in 2013 which is a scary thought because that 1996 bullpen really came together when it mattered. 

1996 Bench vs. 2013 Bench

Cecil Fielder -- Travis Hafner

Darryl Strawberry -- Vernon Wells

Luis Sojo -- Jayson Nix

Charlie Hayes -- Kevin Youkilis

Jim Leyritz -- Chris Stewart

Cecil Fielder was a veteran that had no business playing the field after finding his fame with another team previously and now chasing a ring with the Yankees, a lot like Travis Hafner is doing right now as we speak. Nobody wanted Darryl Strawberry after his debacle of a career with the New York Mets much like nobody wanted Vernon Wells, as evident by the Angels trying to basically give him away with no takers, before the season and both worked out well for the Yankees. Luis Sojo is that scrappy kind of player that could play all over the infield in a pinch and was not great with the bat but more than made up with it with his versatility, ability to get on base, and defense. Jayson Nix is doing all that and then some for the Yankees this season and was a huge, yet underrated, part of the 2012 Yankees team. The only comparison I could find for the Charlie Hayes and Kevin Youkilis situation is that Kevin Youkilis is going to catch the final out in foul ground at Yankees Stadium to clinch the Yankees 28th World Series title.... Go Yankees!

Nobody expected the 1996 Yankees to win the World Series and nobody expects the 2013 Yankees to even make the playoffs, ask Curt Schilling and John Kruk from ESPN about our last place finish, which made things even sweeter when Joe Torre got his first ring. Will the 2013 version of the Yankees win the World Series? Who knows! Baseball is a different game now and is a story of three seasons, the first half, the second half, and the post season. The best team does not always win anymore it is more times than most the hottest team that ends up hoisting that World Series trophy. The great thing about this 2013 team is though, much like the 1996 team, they won't win the World Series this year because they are expected to they will win it because they want it more and will work harder than anyone and everyone to get it. 

Welcome Our Newest Writer Delia Enriquez

Everyone here at The Greedy Pinstripes wanted to take the time to welcome our newest member of the TGP family Delia Enriquez. You probably know Delia from her awesome work over at Yankees Fans Unite and now she has brought her talents here to TGP for your reading enjoyment. I speak for everyone when I say we are ecstatic to have her over here working with us and we want to open our arms wide and welcome her to the site. Look out for all the good things to come from her and the rest of us at The Greedy Pinstripes and give Delia a follow on twitter and follow us as well on twitter.

This Day In Yankees History 5/24

On this day in 1936 Yankees Tony Lazzeri became the first player in major league history to hit two grand slams in the same game as the Yankees clobbered the A's 25-2. Lazzeri also set a new American League record with 11 RBI's in that game.

On this day in 1986 former Yankees manager Billy Martin had some fun at his own expense when he pretended to be drunk on the set of Saturday Night Live. He would get fired in the show after slurring lines during a skit and would set fire to his office at the end of the show.

Yankees Shuffle Starting Rotation Again

The Yankees management used this off day to shuffle their starting rotation once again before the weekend series with the Rays starts. The Yankees announced that David Phelps will make his regular start on Friday night. Vidal Nuno will make the start on Saturday taking the spot of the injured Andy Pettitte. CC Sabathia will start Sunday after being pushed back for an extra days rest. Phil Hughes will start on Monday and Hiroki Kuroda should start on Tuesday after both of them are also getting pushed back with an extra day. Hiroki and CC can benefit from the off day but I am not so sure about Phil Hughes but I guess only time will tell.

Hiroki Kuroda Expected To Make His Next Start

Hiroki Kuroda left after three innings in last nights loss to the Baltimore Orioles after taking a come backer to the leg off the bat of Manny Machado. I think we all held our breathe last night when we saw Joe Girardi and trainer Steve Donohue come out to the mound to check on Kuroda. They allowed him to stay in the game, hence the collective sigh of relief, only to take him out after the inning was over, cue the holding the breathe thing again. Kuroda was taking out because he was struggling pushing off the mound and could have worked through it but the Yankees wanted to be cautious with their ace, yes I said ace. Kuroda is expected to make his next start so the Yankees, for once, dodged an injury bullet.

Former Yankees Update Jesus Montero

Hey remember that Jesus Montero guy that was going to be the savior to the Yankees offense only to be traded to Seattle about a year and a half ago? Well this disaster of a trade continues to get more and more like a train wreck today when the Seattle Mariners sent down Jesus Montero to their AAA team. Jesus was only batting .208/.264/.327 making him one of the worst offensive catchers in all of baseball. Just as a side not his defense and framing skills were never much to write home about so when the offense struggles you can understand the demotion. It is worth noting that their #1 catcher Mike Zunino is also in AAA so either Montero will have to be a back up to Mike or he will have to learn a new position like first base or be a designated hitter. Either way the Yankees took a small step in "winning" this trade today with Michael Pineda coming back strong, Jose Campos back healthy,and Hector Noesi and Montero struggling.

Pineda Continues To Impress, And Other Injury Updates

The good news regarding the rehab for Michael Pineda continue to be positive. Not only did he throw 5 innings in an extended Spring Training game today, but his fastball was around 93 mph, which is around where Pineda's fastball was prior to his shoulder surgery. The reports on his slider and changeup were also good ones.

An interesting note regarding Pineda, as Cashman said that he does not expect him to be a reliever upon his return to New York. Of course, things can change, but I like that he's still looked at as a starter... even this season.

As for others, Cashman said that he expects Ivan Nova to return "very soon." Sadly, Cashman more or less dimissed the idea of Ivan being sent to AAA, so both Phelps and Nuno could lose starts once Nova and Pettitte are healthy.

Sorry, but I don't have any updates on Andy's return from his trapezius muscle injury.

Mark Teixeira has been getting a number of at bats in simulated games, and Brian Cashman says that Tex could begin a rehab assignment with Trenton as early as Tuesday. So we could have Mark back by the end of the month.

Lastly, and very interesting, is what Cash had to say about Kevin Youkilis. Yesterday it was my understanding that Youk wouldn't be back before June, which is what I had thought for a while. However, Brian now says Youkilis possibly "joins us by next week." And for the record, by "us", Cashman did mean the big league team.

Where I Stand On Vernon Wells Today

"Here I come!"

After Curtis Granderson went 3-for-3 last night, including a double and home run, I figured this would be a good time to re-evaluate something I said almost a month and a half ago.

Yankee fans should enjoy the ride [referring to Vernon Wells hitting] but expect it to be over sooner rather than later, which will make the decision on what to do in the outfield when Granderson returns much easier.

At the time I wrote that the season was only 6 games old, but Wells was hitting .360/.467/.720, and he had many Yankee fans thinking he'd turned the corner. Like what Toronto saw prior to signing Vernon to that 7 year $126 million deal, some Bomber fans thought we had the guy that hit .282/.338/.493 between the 2004 and 2006 seasons, rather than the guy that hit .244/.291/.456 between 2010 and 2012.

While it's true that the numbers have come down, Wells is still hitting pretty well. He's hit .267/.327/.511 over the last two weeks, bringing his total for the season to .287/.341/.506. I wonder if he's changed my mind, and it may be Ichiro that is pushed back to the #4 outfielder instead?

"許" - Japanese for "huh?"

One of the stats I like to look at, and mentioned first in the above linked article, is batting average on balls in play (BABIP). Vernon's was .389 at the time, which was unlikely to continue. Sure enough, his BABIP current stands at .285, which is a number that I can totally see continuing. I got curious about how much contact he's making this season, and I found that his contact percentage of 79.3% is actually a bit lower than his career average of 82.7% (it was 85.6% in 2012). So we could start seeing a few more base hits, assuming he puts the ball in play more than he has been.

When it comes to looking at a players' BABIP, I also take a glance at their line drive percentage (LD%). After all, if a player is not hitting the ball as hard, then it makes sense for his BABIP to be a bit lower. Back on April 12th Wells had a LD% of 30%, which was much higher than his career mark of 19% (it was only 15% between 2010 and 2012), so keeping that up seemed highly unlikely. Sure enough, that number has fallen to 22% today, just a little more than his career mark. It does concern me that Wells' LD% was only 15% over the previous three seasons, but I'm optimistic that it won't drop all the way down to the 12% or 14% it was in 2010 and 2011 (it was 18% in 2012).

Vernon's strikeout rate was pretty close to his career norm, while he was walking a lot more than normal. At the time he was walking in 16.7% of his at bats, as opposed to 6.6% in his career (6% between 2010 and 2012). Today that number sits at 7.8%, and although that's still a bit higher than his average, I think he can keep up that pace.

Lastly, I looked at Vernon Wells' power, which was also out of whack as seen by his Isolated Power (ISO) of .360 at the time. His ISO is currently .219, which is higher than his career ISO of .195, but not so different that it should be of much concern. Breaking Vernon's ISO down, I expect his home run production to slow a bit, as how his home run percentage is currently at 5.6%, as opposed to his career mark of 3.9%. However, his extra-base hit percentage of 8.9% is a bit lower than his career percentage of 9.7% (9.9% between 2010 and 2012).

A few less home runs is not a big problem at all, as Wells should still hit around 25 bombs, which is what he averaged between 2010 and 2012. All that less home runs means is that the guys in front of him will have to get into scoring position more often, so that they can score thanks to Wells hitting more extra-base hits.

To sum things up, you can count me among those that have hopped on the Vernon Wells bandwagon. Not that this particular bandwagon is full of people that think he's going to garner some MVP votes during his time in pinstripes, but he not only has something left in the tank... he's going to show it.

"Now that's more like it."

Off Day Baseball Movie Recommendation

The baseball movie recommendation of the day is "Cobb" so watch the entire movie here on The Greedy Pinstripes. We will be back to work tomorrow when the Yankees travel to play the Rays. Enjoy!