UPDATE:
Derek Jeter led off the game with a solo home run and was followed by a Nick Swisher double, although no other runs would score that inning. After that we saw the emergence of Cy Chen as he shut down the Yankees to the tune of 12 consecutive Yankees shut down before a Russell Martin single in the 5th inning. Speaking of the 5th inning, 5 wild pitches for Freddy Garcia later and he left with the Yankees behind 4-1 in the bottom of the 5th inning.
The Yankees put together a little rally in the top of the 6th as a sacrifice fly, scoring Cano, and an error on Mark Reynolds allowing a runner to score allowed the Yankees to creep within one run to 4-3. Gardner then tied the ball game up with a clutch 2 out rbi single to even up the score at 4-4. THANK YOU MARK REYNOLDS. Cy Chen , now over 100 pitches, looks more like the guy we all expected and less like Randy Johnson in his prime when he was finally taken out by Buck Schowalter after the Gardner single.
Sweaty Freddy Garcia will make his first start of the season tonight at Camden Yards and against the Baltimore Orioles. Here is tonight's lineup
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Andruw Jones DH
Russell Martin C
Brett Gardner LF
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Utilizing Brett Gardner Better
A commenter at Yankee Fans Unite brought up a really good point after last night's game. The commenter said that the Yankees should play Brett Gardner regularly, as opposed to sitting him against left-handed starters like they did by starting Andruw Jones in LF last night. I have to whole-heartedly agree with him. I've been saying it for a while... the offense is more than good enough for the team to be a big success. What the Yankees need to work on is their pitching and defense.
Although Gardner's on-base percentage vs. left-handed pitchers is pretty good (career .351, with an OBP of .354 vs. RHP), his batting average suffers (career .243, with a BA of .271 vs. RHP). On the surface I can understand why Yankee fans would be against Brett facing lefties, as his bat would create a bit of a hole in the lineup that day. But like the commenter at Yankee Fans Unite asked... is a stronger lineup more important than a stronger defense? When it comes to some teams, who have an average offense, I'd be on the side that would sit Gardner vs. LHP. But you can't tell me that a lineup of Jeter-SS, Granderson-CF, Cano-2B, Rodriguez-3B, Teixeira-1B, Swisher-RF, Jones-DH, Martin-C, and Gardner-LF isn't that good. Add that still strong offense to a really good rotation, one of the best bullpens in baseball, and an improved defense, and I see no way this team can't win 65+% of their games against left-handed starters.
It's not like Brett Gardner can't improve his offense vs. left-handed pitchers either. Heck, I'm not even talking about Brett hitting more "traditional" base hits vs. same-sided hurlers. The first thing Brett needs to do is get his walk percentage closer to the 13.9% it was in 2010, rather than the 10.2% it was in 2011. A walk to Brett Gardner is almost as good as a double, thanks to Brett's ability to steal 2B after getting a free pass to 1B. And I don't have to tell you what Brett being in scoring position could mean when the team has Jeter, Granderson, and Cano batting after him.
On top of that it would be a really good idea for him to learn how to bunt better. Brett had 11 bunt hits last season, which is really good (tied for 6th most in MLB). But I'd like to see Gardner get around 23 bunt hits (that was Juan Pierre's total, which led MLB). Being a bigger bunting threat alone could lead to more "traditional" base hits, as third basemen would have to move up against him, and Brett hits a lot of balls to the left side.
You'll hear plenty of people talk about Derek Jeter still being a great hitter. You'll hear a lot about Granderson's ability to garner more MVP votes this season, and in the future. You'll even hear many mention ARod's and Teixeira's ability to bounce-back and have very productive seasons. Surely this being Swisher's walk year has led to more talk of his ability to have another high OBP, along with 25+ home runs. But what you don't hear enough of, at least in my opinion, is talk of what Brett Gardner could mean to the Yankees this season and for another 4+ years.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Reminder : Free Yankees Tickets Giveaway
Just a friendly reminder Yankees fans that this opportunity to get free Yankees tickets plus the Yankee bag full of goodies ends tomorrow. 4/10 so go ahead and sign up now for a chance to win. I would love it if a Greedy Pinstripes fan won it!
Also remember if you follow them on twitter and like them on facebook you get two more opportunities to win so why not right? Do it, Do it now!
Who Wants Free Yankees Tickets?
Of course these guys are not going to just GIVE you the tickets, you are going to have to work for it a little. For everyone that goes to the website, http://metrocommuternetwork.com/, and signs up for an account gets one free entry. For two free additional entries you can go to their FACEBOOK page and "like" them and you can also go to their TWITTER page and follow them for the other entries.
The contest starts at 12:00 AM ET on April 4th (today.... now) and ends at 11:00 pm ET on April 10th so I would suggest all to go ahead and sign up now while reading this so you do not forget and let this opportunity pass you by. On April 10th one lucky Greedy Pinstripes reader will win the tickets and be notified by email so make sure you are using a real email address and not a fake one. Good luck to everyone and I am officially jealous of who ever wins!
Yankees @ Orioles 4/9/12
UPDATE:
The Yankees jumped on the board early in the first inning when Mark Teixeira had a rbi single to put the Yankees ahead 1-0 and put the Orioles playing from behind for the first time this season. The lead would be short lived as Orioles Catcher Matt Weiters hit a solo home run to tie the ball game at 1 off of Ivan Nova.
The Yankees got some insurance runs in the top of the 4th inning as Russell Martin had an rbi single, Derek Jeter had an rbi double, and a Eduardo Nunez sac fly accounted for 3 innings. Brian Matusz was made work all night throwing well into the 90 pitch count in the 4th inning.
Andruw Jones added a solo shot in the top of the 6th inning to extend the Yankees lead to 5-1. Gardner added an insurance run with a single in the top of the 7th inning to make it 6-1. Ivan Nova now has a 13 start win streak in the regular season dating back to the 2011 regular season. The best news is that Nova looked a lot more like the Nova we fell in love with last season and less like the Nova that struggled in spring.
These same two teams go at it again tomorrow, same time, same place.
Tonight at Camden Yards the Yankees and Ivan Nova will take on the 3-0 Orioles and Brian Matusz. Here are the lineups for the Yankees.
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Andruw Jones LF
Russell Martin C
Eduardo Nunez 3B
The Yankees jumped on the board early in the first inning when Mark Teixeira had a rbi single to put the Yankees ahead 1-0 and put the Orioles playing from behind for the first time this season. The lead would be short lived as Orioles Catcher Matt Weiters hit a solo home run to tie the ball game at 1 off of Ivan Nova.
The Yankees got some insurance runs in the top of the 4th inning as Russell Martin had an rbi single, Derek Jeter had an rbi double, and a Eduardo Nunez sac fly accounted for 3 innings. Brian Matusz was made work all night throwing well into the 90 pitch count in the 4th inning.
Andruw Jones added a solo shot in the top of the 6th inning to extend the Yankees lead to 5-1. Gardner added an insurance run with a single in the top of the 7th inning to make it 6-1. Ivan Nova now has a 13 start win streak in the regular season dating back to the 2011 regular season. The best news is that Nova looked a lot more like the Nova we fell in love with last season and less like the Nova that struggled in spring.
These same two teams go at it again tomorrow, same time, same place.
Tonight at Camden Yards the Yankees and Ivan Nova will take on the 3-0 Orioles and Brian Matusz. Here are the lineups for the Yankees.
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Andruw Jones LF
Russell Martin C
Eduardo Nunez 3B
Exclusive Interview With Mitch Hilligoss
The Greedy Pinstripes got their first exclusive interview and it was with former Yankees farm hand Mitch Hilligoss. While I know that he is no longer with the Yankees I still wanted to interview him because he was one of my favorite Yankees prospects in his time here and I wanted to see what it was like to be a Yankees minor leaguer. He was more then happy to do the interview and was very prompt with his response and I personally thank him for that. Here is the interview.
TGP: Was your dream as a child always to be a baseball player? If not then what did you want to be when you grew up?
MH: I always wanted to play baseball. of course when you start off you never say hey i want to be exactly this or that. i was like any other kid. i just played and had fun. i live on a farm so i always thought i would stay close to my roots growing up.
TGP: What team did you root for growing up as a kid?
MH: I grew up a Cardinal fan and was a huge Ozzie Smith fan. I loved to watch him play shortstop.
MH: That was definitely my parents. They were the ones that knew when to push or knew when to calm me down. They were always there through thick and thin, and they logged a lot of miles watching ballgames haha.
TGP: Favorite moment as a Yankees prospect?
MH: Its hard to pick a favorite moment as a Yankee. There are so many really. I mean from the people you meet and the history of the organization. But if you would pin me down to one it had to be the 2007 Charleston Riverdogs team and when I had the 38 game hitting streak.
TGP: Who was the best prospect in the Yankees system that you ever played with?
MH: In the Yankees organization, wow, there were a lot. A lot of guys you would sit there and think this guy is unreal what he can do. Probably the 2 best were Austin Romine and Jesus Montero. Pitcher wise David Robertson was pretty much unhittable in the SAL league.
TGP: Do you keep in touch with any other current or former Yankees prospects or coaches?
MH: Oh absolutely I keep in touch with guys and coaches. Now as we get farther apart and farther away from the game its harder, there are a lot of guys I still try to keep in touch with and a few coaches. They were the ones that made it fun. That is what makes minor league baseball special, the people.
TGP: Hardest part of being a prospect?
MH: Hardest part is sometimes you know you are not performing. And I’ve been on both sides. You have a pressure of an organization, but more importantly you want to live up to expectations.
TGP: Coming out of college and in your early Yankees career you were a short stop but moved to third base. Was that an organizational decision? Was it based on size? Maybe as a way to climb the organizational ladder faster?
MH: Well, that was the best option for all of us. They try to fit you where they think you can perform the best and where they will need help in the future. That decision was discussed way before draft day. A lot goes down before draft day.
TGP: Were you disappointed when you were traded to Texas for outfielder Greg Golson?
MH: No, I was not disappointed. I was excited to get a fresh start. I was excited but at the same time it was starting over. From learning names, coaches, and new philosophy. It was tough, but something I enjoyed really.
TGP: Will you try and continue your baseball career after your release from Texas this December? Do you have any plans for life after baseball?
MH: I think I’m done. I think it’s time. I would have liked to make it one more year, but it just didn’t happen. I have plans after baseball. Nothing in concrete, but I have ideas. We’ll have to see how they all unfold.
TGP: Most famous person in your cell phone?
MH: My most famous person is probably Austin Jackson, but he probably doesn’t have the same number he gave me years ago haha.
TGP: Most embarrassing song/artist in your ipod?
MH: haha, Donna Lewis, I Love You Always Forever. There is a story behind it from my first spring training. Everytime I have it on shuffle and I hear it, it takes me back to then.
Thank you again to Mitch for taking the time to do this interview, even though we only started this blog in January of 2012. We really do appreciate it and hope you, the fans, enjoyed the interview as much as I did.
TGP: Was your dream as a child always to be a baseball player? If not then what did you want to be when you grew up?
MH: I always wanted to play baseball. of course when you start off you never say hey i want to be exactly this or that. i was like any other kid. i just played and had fun. i live on a farm so i always thought i would stay close to my roots growing up.
TGP: What team did you root for growing up as a kid?
MH: I grew up a Cardinal fan and was a huge Ozzie Smith fan. I loved to watch him play shortstop.
TGP: Your biggest inspiration when it came to baseball?
MH: That was definitely my parents. They were the ones that knew when to push or knew when to calm me down. They were always there through thick and thin, and they logged a lot of miles watching ballgames haha.
TGP: Favorite moment as a Yankees prospect?
MH: Its hard to pick a favorite moment as a Yankee. There are so many really. I mean from the people you meet and the history of the organization. But if you would pin me down to one it had to be the 2007 Charleston Riverdogs team and when I had the 38 game hitting streak.
TGP: Who was the best prospect in the Yankees system that you ever played with?
MH: In the Yankees organization, wow, there were a lot. A lot of guys you would sit there and think this guy is unreal what he can do. Probably the 2 best were Austin Romine and Jesus Montero. Pitcher wise David Robertson was pretty much unhittable in the SAL league.
TGP: Do you keep in touch with any other current or former Yankees prospects or coaches?
MH: Oh absolutely I keep in touch with guys and coaches. Now as we get farther apart and farther away from the game its harder, there are a lot of guys I still try to keep in touch with and a few coaches. They were the ones that made it fun. That is what makes minor league baseball special, the people.
TGP: Hardest part of being a prospect?
MH: Hardest part is sometimes you know you are not performing. And I’ve been on both sides. You have a pressure of an organization, but more importantly you want to live up to expectations.
TGP: Coming out of college and in your early Yankees career you were a short stop but moved to third base. Was that an organizational decision? Was it based on size? Maybe as a way to climb the organizational ladder faster?
MH: Well, that was the best option for all of us. They try to fit you where they think you can perform the best and where they will need help in the future. That decision was discussed way before draft day. A lot goes down before draft day.
TGP: Were you disappointed when you were traded to Texas for outfielder Greg Golson?
MH: No, I was not disappointed. I was excited to get a fresh start. I was excited but at the same time it was starting over. From learning names, coaches, and new philosophy. It was tough, but something I enjoyed really.
TGP: Will you try and continue your baseball career after your release from Texas this December? Do you have any plans for life after baseball?
MH: I think I’m done. I think it’s time. I would have liked to make it one more year, but it just didn’t happen. I have plans after baseball. Nothing in concrete, but I have ideas. We’ll have to see how they all unfold.
TGP: Most famous person in your cell phone?
MH: My most famous person is probably Austin Jackson, but he probably doesn’t have the same number he gave me years ago haha.
TGP: Most embarrassing song/artist in your ipod?
MH: haha, Donna Lewis, I Love You Always Forever. There is a story behind it from my first spring training. Everytime I have it on shuffle and I hear it, it takes me back to then.
Thank you again to Mitch for taking the time to do this interview, even though we only started this blog in January of 2012. We really do appreciate it and hope you, the fans, enjoyed the interview as much as I did.
Are They Too Old?
While looking around at various blogs, to see just how many Yankee fans were overreacting to the Yankees terrible start to the season, I ran across a question that many Yankees fans have heard time and time again... "are they too old?" My immediate reaction was "no", but I decided to do a bit of research to see if I was right.
Instead of looking at the whole team, I wanted to concentrate on the regular position players. First of all, pitchers can be serviceable longer than position players. I mean, just look at the fact that Jamie Moyer is back in MLB at age 49. Heck, right here on the Yanks Andy Pettitte, who will turn 40 in June, is trying to make a comeback. So I'm skipping over the fact that Hiroki Kuroda turned 37 in February, and Freddy Garcia will be 36 in October. On that note, I'm also not counting the bench. These guys aren't looked at to play many innings anyway, so I see no reason to worry about them being older. On top of that, nobody on the bench is signed beyond this season either.
Derek Jeter is getting up there at age 37 (turns 38 in June), but his performance this season doesn't concern me. When it comes to Derek I'm more concerned about the last/next two years of his contract (assuming he takes the player option for 2014), especially being the starting shortstop. Derek's had a healthy career through 2010 (averaging 152 games/year during 15 full seasons), but after 131 games in 2011 (he only DHed in 10 of those games), how long before he'll need to DH or sit the bench for 50 or so games?
The only other player whose age concerns me is Alex Rodriguez. Alex is currently 36 years old (37 in July), which isn't exactly "ancient". But seeing as how he missed 63 games last season, mainly due to knee surgery in July, I tend to think he's more apt to play in 137 games a season like he did in 2010, rather than 158 games like he did in 2007. Actually, even 137 games a season could be pushing it, as that'll likely be the maximum number of games he appears in this season. Just imagine how many games he'll play per season at ages 39-41... the last three seasons he's under contract.
After those two we have Mark Teixeira, who'll turn 32 in a few days. I'm not worried about him at all at this point. He's averaged 157 games played the last three seasons, and I expect that to continue for a couple more years. Even in the last two seasons of his contract I think he can play in 130+ games a year. Of course it helps that he's a first basemen, and first basemen don't have to endure the rigors of the other 7 positions on the diamond.
The rest of the regular position players are either on a one year deals (Raul Ibanez), or are 31 or less. And they all could be out the door within the next year or two.
But how do they compare to other teams? To find out I made a spreadsheet using the Yankees and five other "top" teams in the American League. By "top" I mean the teams favored to be in the postseason this year. I only used the AL due to them having the DH, which can skew team's average ages when compared to National League rosters, as many DHs (like Raul Ibanez, David Ortiz, and Michael Young) are older players that shouldn't be playing the field anymore (*cough*Ibanez*cough*).
*For argument's sake I used Raul Ibanez instead of Andruw Jones at DH, since Raul is older. Not to mention that Raul will likely get more plate appearances than Andruw, seeing as how there are more right-handed pitchers in MLB, and that's who Raul is going to face.So the Yankees, when compared to other "top" AL teams, are the oldest. I was hoping that it would turn out they weren't the oldest, and I could rub it in the faces of people that like to talk about the "aging Yankees". But I proved myself wrong, and instead must continue putting up with the comments. Although, I don't think it should be a big concern at all. After all, the Yankees are still favored by many to not only make the playoffs again, but to win the whole thing. We'll see if I'm singing a new tune come 2015, or if Brian Cashman can install some youth into the lineup.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Series Wrap - @ Rays 3/6 - 3/8
Well it wasn't a good start to the season. Game 1 ended with a 7-6 Yankee loss after CC Sabathia's poor start (6IP, 8H, 5ER, 3BB, 7K, 2HR), and a blown save by Mariano Rivera (.1IP, 3H, 2ER, 2BB, 1K). Curtis Granderson failed to reach base after going 0-5 with two strikeouts. Yankee fans did get a bit of a surprise when Raul Ibanez hit a 3-run home run, while Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez had two hits apiece.
Game 2 didn't go any better. Hiroki Kuroda gave the team another poor start (5.2IP, 8H, 4ER, 4BB, 2K, 1HR), followed by a poor relief effort by Clay Rapada (.2IP, 2H, 2ER, 2BB, 0K). Mark Teixeira failed to give the offense anything, going 0-4 with a strikeout, leaving 4 men on base. Granderson bounced back from a hitless Game 1, hitting a single and a triple, while Derek Jeter added on two singles. Nick Swisher hit a 3-run HR in the 9th, but the comeback fell short as the team lost 8-6.
Phil Hughes didn't pitch poorly in the third and final game of the series, putting up a line of 4.2IP, 5H, 2ER, 2BB, 5K. But the offense could only muster 3 hits (all doubles), leaving 11 men on base, thanks to a very well-pitched game by Jeremy Hellickson (8.2IP, 0ER, 3H, 4BB, 4K). All of which led to a 3-0 loss, leaving the Yankees winless so far in 2012.
Jake Taylor Award*
Alex Rodriguez - 3/10, 2 Runs, 4 Walks, 2 Doubles
Gentry Award*
Mark Teixeira - 0/9, 1 Run, 3 Walks, 4 Strikeouts, 8 Left On Base
Rick Vaughn Award*
Cory Wade - 2.2IP, 1 Hit, 0 Earned Runs, 5 Strikeouts, 0 Walks
Kelner Award*
Hiroki Kuroda - 5.2IP, 8 Hits, 4 Earned Runs, 4 Walks, 2 Strikeouts
Next Series
@ Baltimore Orioles 4/9-4/11
Click here to talk about the series at the Daily Sports Pages Yankees forum.
--------------------
*The awards are named after one of the best baseball movies of all time... Major League.
Jake Taylor Award - Awarded to the most valuable position player in the series. Named after the hard-nose veteran catcher that, despite making the league minimum, was the heart and soul of the 1989 American League East winning Cleveland Indians.
Gentry Award - Awarded to the least valuable position player in the series. Named after the very first man cut from the 1989 Cleveland Indians, #47 Gentry. A man so insignificant he wasn't even given a first name.
Rick Vaughn - Awarded to the best pitcher in the series. This one is, of course, named after the "Wild Thing". The man that made Clu Haywood look silly in the division deciding game.
Kelner Award - Awarded to the worst pitcher in the series. Named after the Opening Day starter for the '89 Indians. Not a good game for Mr. Kelner, as Indians' announcer Harry Doyle famously quipped "thank God" after Kelner left the game. And yet another bad player without a first name.
Game 2 didn't go any better. Hiroki Kuroda gave the team another poor start (5.2IP, 8H, 4ER, 4BB, 2K, 1HR), followed by a poor relief effort by Clay Rapada (.2IP, 2H, 2ER, 2BB, 0K). Mark Teixeira failed to give the offense anything, going 0-4 with a strikeout, leaving 4 men on base. Granderson bounced back from a hitless Game 1, hitting a single and a triple, while Derek Jeter added on two singles. Nick Swisher hit a 3-run HR in the 9th, but the comeback fell short as the team lost 8-6.
Phil Hughes didn't pitch poorly in the third and final game of the series, putting up a line of 4.2IP, 5H, 2ER, 2BB, 5K. But the offense could only muster 3 hits (all doubles), leaving 11 men on base, thanks to a very well-pitched game by Jeremy Hellickson (8.2IP, 0ER, 3H, 4BB, 4K). All of which led to a 3-0 loss, leaving the Yankees winless so far in 2012.
Alex Rodriguez - 3/10, 2 Runs, 4 Walks, 2 Doubles
Gentry Award*
Mark Teixeira - 0/9, 1 Run, 3 Walks, 4 Strikeouts, 8 Left On Base
Rick Vaughn Award*
Cory Wade - 2.2IP, 1 Hit, 0 Earned Runs, 5 Strikeouts, 0 Walks
Kelner Award*
Hiroki Kuroda - 5.2IP, 8 Hits, 4 Earned Runs, 4 Walks, 2 Strikeouts
@ Baltimore Orioles 4/9-4/11
Click here to talk about the series at the Daily Sports Pages Yankees forum.
*The awards are named after one of the best baseball movies of all time... Major League.
Jake Taylor Award - Awarded to the most valuable position player in the series. Named after the hard-nose veteran catcher that, despite making the league minimum, was the heart and soul of the 1989 American League East winning Cleveland Indians.
Gentry Award - Awarded to the least valuable position player in the series. Named after the very first man cut from the 1989 Cleveland Indians, #47 Gentry. A man so insignificant he wasn't even given a first name.
Rick Vaughn - Awarded to the best pitcher in the series. This one is, of course, named after the "Wild Thing". The man that made Clu Haywood look silly in the division deciding game.
Kelner Award - Awarded to the worst pitcher in the series. Named after the Opening Day starter for the '89 Indians. Not a good game for Mr. Kelner, as Indians' announcer Harry Doyle famously quipped "thank God" after Kelner left the game. And yet another bad player without a first name.
Meet A Prospect : David Robertson Edition
As we continue our special edition Meet A Prospect posts I decided to choose David Robertson as our next player to look back on. I was skeptical to do so because, unlike everyone else that I chose, David does not have nearly the MLB experience and sample size as the others to prove or disprove the scouting report. David Robertson is a guy that came out of no where though as far as Yankees prospects go, is a great guy with his High Socks for Hope foundation, and most importantly follows us @GreedyStripes on twitter so I decided to include him anyway... Enjoy.
David Robertson, better known as Houdini to most Yankees fans and teammates, was born in Birmingham Alabama on April 9th 1985 so Happy Birthday to you a little early from The Greedy Pinstripes!!! David started at short stop and pitcher in High School at Central Tuscaloosa High Shcool where he started his first three years at school. There he helped his team win back to back area titles as well as back to back 6A State Playoff appearances. In his Senior year his high school was split into three smaller schools and David was sent to Paul W. Bryant High School where he led his Stampede team to an Area title and a 5A State Playoff appearance. That is one hell of a high school career if you ask me.
David then attended the University of Alabama for college and as a freshmen in 2005 he led the South Eastern Conference (SEC) with a .183 Batting average against (BAA) with a team high 32 games played, 3 of them being as a starting pitcher. That season he was named Freshman All SEC team and Freshmen All American by Baseball America. His success did not stop there as he led the Crimson Tide to a 25th SEC title in his sophmore season appearing in 29 games and led all of the SEC with 10 saves. David Robertson was 21 years old after that season so that made him eligible for the MLB First Year Player draft after his sophmore season and not after his junior season like most college players. The Yankees ended up drafting him in the 17th round of that draft in 2006. That season he also played in the Cape Cod league in summer ball and ended up winning the Cape Cod League MVP. The Yankees signed him in August of 2006 .
In college Robertson threw very hard while easily and comfortable sitting in the 94-95 mph range. He now obviously sits in the low 90's with what is described as a "natural" cutter. Robertson, surprisingly not that you can tell by his stats, actually struggled with his control while in college. Control is something that he has definitively not struggled with in his major league career. In college, and it is still true today, he had a fastball that he could not throw straight to save his life thus making it a "natural" cutter to go along with a plus curve ball and a plus slider.
David Robertson, albeit in a short sample size, has had a very good start to his career. Being called up in 2008 from Scranton (twice) he did not take advantage of the experience, being sent down the first time after compiling a 6.31 ERA. In 2009 he was called up again from AAA after a Xavier Nady injury shut him down but was sent down the very next day to make room for Juan Miranda. Finally in May of 2009 Robertson was called up, and stayed up, after a Brian Bruney injury. The 2009 playoffs is where he received his name of "Houdini" as he came into two separate situation with multiple runners on, once in each of the ALDS and ALCS, and did not allow a single run to score.
David Robertson was named an American League all star in 2011, replacing David Price, and finished that season with an astounding 100 strike outs as the Yankees set up man.He also received one vote, probably from his mother, in the AL CY Young and AL MVP award voting in 2011. David Robertson, in my opinion, is the heir apparent to Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. All the best to him and his family and especially to his foundation the High Socks for Hope, which I recommend everyone checking out. Basically he set it up to help members of his home town in Alabama recover from the tornado strikes in 2011 and even donated $100 for every strike out that he got in 2011.
That is it. Our special edition posts of Meet A Prospect is over. I hope you enjoyed, I hope you shared the posts, and most of all I hope you learned something. Thank you everyone for reading.
David Robertson, better known as Houdini to most Yankees fans and teammates, was born in Birmingham Alabama on April 9th 1985 so Happy Birthday to you a little early from The Greedy Pinstripes!!! David started at short stop and pitcher in High School at Central Tuscaloosa High Shcool where he started his first three years at school. There he helped his team win back to back area titles as well as back to back 6A State Playoff appearances. In his Senior year his high school was split into three smaller schools and David was sent to Paul W. Bryant High School where he led his Stampede team to an Area title and a 5A State Playoff appearance. That is one hell of a high school career if you ask me.
David then attended the University of Alabama for college and as a freshmen in 2005 he led the South Eastern Conference (SEC) with a .183 Batting average against (BAA) with a team high 32 games played, 3 of them being as a starting pitcher. That season he was named Freshman All SEC team and Freshmen All American by Baseball America. His success did not stop there as he led the Crimson Tide to a 25th SEC title in his sophmore season appearing in 29 games and led all of the SEC with 10 saves. David Robertson was 21 years old after that season so that made him eligible for the MLB First Year Player draft after his sophmore season and not after his junior season like most college players. The Yankees ended up drafting him in the 17th round of that draft in 2006. That season he also played in the Cape Cod league in summer ball and ended up winning the Cape Cod League MVP. The Yankees signed him in August of 2006 .
In college Robertson threw very hard while easily and comfortable sitting in the 94-95 mph range. He now obviously sits in the low 90's with what is described as a "natural" cutter. Robertson, surprisingly not that you can tell by his stats, actually struggled with his control while in college. Control is something that he has definitively not struggled with in his major league career. In college, and it is still true today, he had a fastball that he could not throw straight to save his life thus making it a "natural" cutter to go along with a plus curve ball and a plus slider.
David Robertson, albeit in a short sample size, has had a very good start to his career. Being called up in 2008 from Scranton (twice) he did not take advantage of the experience, being sent down the first time after compiling a 6.31 ERA. In 2009 he was called up again from AAA after a Xavier Nady injury shut him down but was sent down the very next day to make room for Juan Miranda. Finally in May of 2009 Robertson was called up, and stayed up, after a Brian Bruney injury. The 2009 playoffs is where he received his name of "Houdini" as he came into two separate situation with multiple runners on, once in each of the ALDS and ALCS, and did not allow a single run to score.
David Robertson was named an American League all star in 2011, replacing David Price, and finished that season with an astounding 100 strike outs as the Yankees set up man.He also received one vote, probably from his mother, in the AL CY Young and AL MVP award voting in 2011. David Robertson, in my opinion, is the heir apparent to Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. All the best to him and his family and especially to his foundation the High Socks for Hope, which I recommend everyone checking out. Basically he set it up to help members of his home town in Alabama recover from the tornado strikes in 2011 and even donated $100 for every strike out that he got in 2011.
That is it. Our special edition posts of Meet A Prospect is over. I hope you enjoyed, I hope you shared the posts, and most of all I hope you learned something. Thank you everyone for reading.
Happy Easter Yankees Fans
Your treat for this Easter will be the Yankees finishing their opening series against the Rays down at Tropicana Field at 1:05 pm ET on the YES network. Phil Hughes will "need" to be our "savior" and "rise above" all the shifts and that good stuff to stop the bleeding for these Yankees fans who are already thinking that the sky is falling. Here are the lineups for the Yanks today.
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Nick Swisher DH
Raul Ibanez RF
Brett Gardner LF
Chris Stewart C
Curtis Granderson CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Nick Swisher DH
Raul Ibanez RF
Brett Gardner LF
Chris Stewart C
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Yankees @ Rays 4/7/12
UPDATE:
Let's not mince words, Hiroki Kuroda looked like the NL only pitcher that a lot of people labeled him when we signed him. I , being one of the more level headed and patient Yankees fans, do not think that this is the case I simply chalk this up as a bad start. When CC can have a bad start then I am more then happy to give Kuroda a bad start because he is coming to a new league, a new state, a new team, new batters, etc. CC knows the Yankees, knows the fans, knows the Rays, and knows the league very well. Kuroda ended up allowed six runs, four of them earned, in 5.2 IP and seemed to struggle with control and polish. He was definitely not the Kuroda that we saw all spring long but I think it will come with time , adjustment, and the such.
Nick Swisher hit a three run home run in the ninth with two outs to make it interesting but ARod grounded out , as the tying run, to end the game. DAMN THE SHIFTS is all I have to say.
The sky is falling in New York because how quickly we forget the last two times that the Yankees started out 0-2 to start the season were 1998 (114 win campaign) and 2009 (103 win campaign) and both seasons ended in a World Series victory. If that is what it takes to win the ring then I never wanna win on Opening Day ever again.
These same two teams play again tomorrow, Easter Sunday, at 1:05 pm ET on YES with Phil Hughes making the start for the Yankees to "stop the bleeding."
Hiroki Kuroda and the Yankees face off against David Price and the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at 7:05 pm ET at Tropicana Field. The game will be broadcasted on the YES network and on MLB Extra Innings which is still free all weekend long. Here is your lineup
Derek Jeter DH
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Andruw Jones LF
Russell Martin C
Eduardo Nunez SS
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Andruw Jones LF
Russell Martin C
Eduardo Nunez SS
RHP Hiroki Kuroda
Interesting lineup changes with Gardner sitting against David Price who, let's face it, kills left handed hitting.
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