New York Yankees Gameday Thread

[jacksonianmarch]

Really psyched to see Hughes tonight. I understand that he'll be inconsistent, but look forward to it anyway

[yankees228]

Kazmir looked horrible that inning. The first two pitches to Jeter were both nice change-ups, but after that he didn't make a single good pitch the rest of the inning. Unfortunately the Yankees have nothing to show for it.

 

EDIT: But Hughes, who also has no command of his fastball early, just paid for it. And silly cheers from the fans, most of which will surely be leaving around the seventh inning tonight, regardless of the score.

[yankees228]

Robbie Cano just looks spectacular so far this year.

[yankees228]

Subpar pitching, even though they only allowed two runs. Bats were good, and it's a third straight series win against three playoff contenders. Best start to a season since 2003.

[yankees228]

Pure conjecture on my part, but maybe part of the incentive for the Yankees to get rid of Melky was that they thought it might wake up Cano. It would be similar to what they did when they sent Melky to AAA in 2008, a move that I think was just as much for Cano as it was for Melky.

 

If Cano can begin to live up to his potential, this lineup would just get that much stronger.

[yankees228]

A potential negative for the Yankees from tonight...

 

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2010/04/15/park-shutdown-with-hamstring-injury/

[Spudboy]

What was and what now is expected of him?

 

I'd really like to know.

 

Thanks.

[yankees228]

What was and what now is expected of him?

 

I'd really like to know.

 

Thanks.

 

Well, to get a good idea about what was expected out of Cano, lets take a look at his yearly slash lines.

 

2005: .297/.320/.458

2006: .342/.365/.525

2007: .306/.353/.488

2008: .271/.305/.410

2009: .320/.352/.520

 

After a solid rookie year, he was fantastic in 2006, and while he took a slight step back in 2007, that could just be attributed to the natural progression of a young player. However, in 2008 he was extremely streaky, and if it wasn't for a hot start following the all star break those numbers would be even worse. In the list of Yankees' disappointments from 2008 Cano is near the top.

 

He seemed to alter his approach a bit, and he bounced back in 2009 with a really good year. I think there were more contributing factors to his resurgence in 2009 than the simple ebb and flow of a young player. Sending Melky down in 2008 likely told Cano that his spot is hardly a guarantee. I think they also began to really stress pitch selection and focus on defense with him.

 

Most people who watch Cano play agree that he has all the talent in the world. This is just my opinion, but when you consider the fact that he's entering his prime, that he seems a bit more mature based on things I've read, and all his talent offensively and defensively, I think he can be a top fifteen player in this game. This would mean, in my mind, eclipsing a .900 OPS and becoming a plus player defensively. With that kind of production at second base, combined with positive defensive contributions, you could begin to mention him in the same breath as Utley. Maybe that's a bit of a reach, but I've watched him play for five years now, and when you see all that talent, I can't help but hold on to lofty expectations.

 

EDIT: Spud, obviously expectations are purely subjective, and many people might hold Cano to vastly different standards than I do. I don't want to sound like these are the universal beliefs about Cano. This is just the way I see him. Hope this answered your question.

 

EDIT 2: I'm also assuming your post was about Cano, and not Chan Ho Park. Hope I'm right on that count lol.

[Spudboy]

I was asking about Cano.

 

And I now feel guilty given the effort that you put into your post. I was looking for a few sentences.

 

But I'm thankful for your effort and insight. As a Sox fan living in Boston, I don't have the same perspective and was wondering why there is talk of him being so good while being an unfulfilled talent.

 

Again, thanks.

[yankees228]

I was asking about Cano.

 

And I now feel guilty given the effort that you put into your post. I was looking for a few sentences.

 

But I'm thankful for your effort and insight. As a Sox fan living in Boston, I don't have the same perspective and was wondering why there is talk of him being so good while being an unfulfilled talent.

 

Again, thanks.

 

Not a problem. Obviously I really enjoy the topic, and I'm prone to longer posts because of it. Robbie has been one of my favorite players since he came up, so he's one guy I certainly don't mind talking about. For a quick summation, I think there are four main areas (some of them interconnected) where, if Robbie improves on them, he can be elevated into the elite category which I talked about before.

 

-Hitting for more power (home runs).

-Hitting with men on base.

-Patience at the plate.

-An improved focus on defense, and everything that encompasses being a good defender.

 

He has the tools to improve in every single one of these areas, and I'm optimistic.

[Spudboy]

Not a problem. Obviously I really enjoy the topic, and I'm prone to longer posts because of it. Robbie has been one of my favorite players since he came up, so he's one guy I certainly don't mind talking about. For a quick summation, I think there are four main areas (some of them interconnected) where, if Robbie improves on them, he can be elevated into the elite category which I talked about before.

 

-Hitting for more power (home runs).

-Hitting with men on base.

-Patience at the plate.

-An improved focus on defense, and everything that encompasses being a good defender.

 

He has the tools to improve in every single one of these areas, and I'm optimistic.

 

I started wondering about Cano after seeing posts on the "Line-up" thread. As I implied, I don't see enough of him to know why he is so highly thought of.

 

My take is that you see him somewhat as I see Ellsbury. Tremendous talent that has not been fulfilled - yet. It will be fun watching them develop.

[diony]

Nice to see "The Franchise" back in the rotation.

[Dipre]

Nice to see "The Phranchise" back in the rotation.

 

Fixed.

[jacksonianmarch]

Hughes showed really, really good stuff. He got squeezed a bit, as did Kazmir, but I couldnt be more pleased with his first start. Couple things I want to see more of out of him. I'd like to see him throw the change a bit more, and to not be afraid to go after hitters. He only allowed 2ER, which was good, but he was nibbling a bit more than a guy with his stuff needs to. Even though he was throwing 91-93mph, nobody seemed to see it well as most guys were reacting as if it was 98mph. Sometimes, with nobody on, its better to let em hit it than walk em.

 

Cano is a frickin beast. A beast. What I love about him right now, is that even though he has only 1 walk, he is being very patient. He's working the count more than he ever has and it shows. He's only swinging at his pitch and he isnt missing it. I am surprised people are even pitching to him.

 

Granderson has been a breath of fresh air thus far. His speed, power combo has been just wonderful to watch. Hope it keeps up, especially against lefties.

 

Overall, 3 series wins against playoff contenders, 2 of them on the road. Cannot complain, especially with CC tonight

[yankees228]

One final thought on Cano. Whether it's this year, next year, the year after, whatever, at some point I expect him to have the best WAR on the team.

[yankees228]

Definitely one of those nights where I'm happy my tickets are under an overhang. Offense wasn't anything special, but the Rangers were sloppy, and CC was great. Not much else to say about the game.

[msubulldogs21]

Definitely one of those nights where I'm happy my tickets are under an overhang. Offense wasn't anything special' date=' but the Rangers were sloppy, and CC was great. Not much else to say about the game.[/quote']

 

Do you go to a bunch of games?

[yankees228]

Do you go to a bunch of games?

 

I have a friday ticket plan, which gives you all the friday home games (thirteen of them) and two random weekday games. In addition to that I'll get tickets to a couple other home games a year (opening day for instance), one or two series on the road, and maybe a random road game or two in a place like Baltimore, for instance.

 

In a typical year I'd say I go to about twenty games, give or take a couple.

[jacksonianmarch]

The offense took advantage of some bad D. CC was in complete control throughout. A sloppy, but otherwise nice victory

[Gom]

I have a friday ticket plan, which gives you all the friday home games (thirteen of them) and two random weekday games. In addition to that I'll get tickets to a couple other home games a year (opening day for instance), one or two series on the road, and maybe a random road game or two in a place like Baltimore, for instance.

 

In a typical year I'd say I go to about twenty games, give or take a couple.

 

You should come and hang with us in the bleachers. I'll find you some room. Either that, or come and chill at the bodega with us. You seem cool enough to hang. Hit me up on Fridays.

[jacksonianmarch]

Burnett vs Feldman. It's on.

[yankees228]

Not a bad first for AJ. Unfortunately, teams are just going to run at will on the Yankees. After Young's steal, teams have now stolen bases in thirteen of fourteen attempts against the Yankees.

[jacksonianmarch]

Its easy against Burnett. He doesnt even try to hold runners

[yankees228]

Its easy against Burnett. He doesnt even try to hold runners

 

That's true. Unfortunately none of the other guys are great at it either, even Pettitte, who teams now aren't afraid to run on anymore. When you couple that with the arms that the Yankees' catchers' possess, and they're not going to throw out anyone all year. My guess is that they're going to be no better than the Sox this year.

[jacksonianmarch]

They run on Pettitte nowadays by going on first move. They get caught a few times, but most of the time, they take the base.

 

All in all, I dont care if they dont throw out a lot of baserunners. All I want them to do is hold them enough and throw them out enough to keep them from running at all times. The problem is a bit worse with VMart since he can't throw ANd the sox arent holding the runners. Posada typically has to hold the ball because the pitchers do such a poor job of holding runners

[yankees228]

They run on Pettitte nowadays by going on first move. They get caught a few times, but most of the time, they take the base.

 

All in all, I dont care if they dont throw out a lot of baserunners. All I want them to do is hold them enough and throw them out enough to keep them from running at all times. The problem is a bit worse with VMart since he can't throw ANd the sox arent holding the runners. Posada typically has to hold the ball because the pitchers do such a poor job of holding runners

 

That's fair. There was a time (2006) or so, when Posada seemed to really be in a groove throwing out base runners, but, when he has gotten the opportunity to throw this year, it hasn't been pretty. You're right, it's not the worst thing in the world, but it could come back to bite them against teams that run a lot.

[jacksonianmarch]

36 pitches through 1.1IP. Sweet

[yankees228]

Wow that was absolutely filthy after all the foul balls. Great pitch selection and execution.

[jacksonianmarch]

Gardy's speed keeps the inning going

[yankees228]

Really good inning, even though they only got two runs. Feldman isn't long for this game. A-Rod got a great pitch to hit there, and seeing him pop it up is the only thing that stops this offense from clicking on all cylinders (Teixeira and A-Rod).