Jerry Crasnick Answers My Bullpen Questions from Yesterday

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick had some interesting comments about the Yankees' bullpen today in the rumor section of their website. I'll run it as a whole quote:

"The Yankees bullpen has logged 225 innings, fourth most in the American League, so I can see Brian Cashman trolling around for a veteran reliever. David Robertson, Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke and Brian Bruney all have solid numbers, but that's a pretty inexperienced group. Depending on what happens with Chien-Ming Wang, you never know when Phil Hughes might have to slide back into the rotation. The Yankees also aren't sure when or if Damaso Marte will return from shoulder problems this season. So I can see the Yanks being interested if Jose Valverde, Huston Street or someone of that ilk becomes available."

Crasnick goes on to say that the Yankees don't need a bat, because they are first in the league in OPS and second in runs scored even with A-Rod scuffling and Xavier Nady rehabbing. The site also made note of Cashman opting to attend yesterday's Braves/Yankees game. It is significant. When Cashman does this, it often means (in the words of Sam Cooke) that a change is gonna come.

Michael Kay said during last night's broadcast that Cashman had planned to attend Sergio Mitre's start in Scranton until he jettisoned to Atlanta. Mitre could enter the equation soon. He almost certainly has to be better than Brett Tomko.

But, Cashman's presence at the game yesterday has to have a similar feel to Vladimir Putin showing up at a Russian newspaper. Somebody's going to go, but who will it be? Jose Veras was the first bullpen casualty. We'll see who Cashman axes next.

On another note, Valverde and Street are both solid relievers, but trading a lot for them may not be a great idea. It seems like whenever the Yankees acquire a big name reliever (especially from the National League, where both of these guys currently pitch) midseason they implode on arrival. The bandbox in the Bronx can't help. I'd rather see them get an AL arm if possible. Preferrably someone with good numbers in a small ballpark.

The Final Chimp Rodeo Count...And I'm back to Suicide Squeeze

Hey there loyal non-readers!
I have officially finished my stint with the Chimpanzee Rodeo blog for Kevin Blackistone's sports journalism class at the University of Maryland. This blog now has my undivided attention again. Here are some links with recent work of mine.

1) On Nick Swisher's hot start...link here.

2) On the new Yankee Stadium...link here.

3) On Xavier Nady's injury...link here.

4) On Johnny Damon's choice words for Chien-Ming Wang...link here.

5) On Jed Lowrie's injury and the Boston shortstop situation...link here.

6) On Wang's demotion to the minors and Phil Hughes' callup...link here.

7) On Carlos Pena's prowess...link here.

8) On Hughes' debut...link here.

9) On Robinson Cano's resurgence...link here.

Hope you enjoy the last of my blogs from that wonderful experience. I look forward to devoting my time to this site once again.
All the best,
Nick Ruggia

Posada Crushes the Ball in Home Debut

Jorge Posada looked sharp yesterday in the Yankees home debut, which they won 5-1 over Tampa Bay to improve to 2-0 this spring. In the third inning, the temporary designated hitter mashed a monster shot off Chad Orvella to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. His swing looked fantastic. He followed that with an RBI ground-rule double in the fifth, finishing 2-2 with a pair of RBI.

Mark Teixeira hit a single in two trips in his debut, and Xavier Nady had a ground-rule double of his own prior to Posada's second hit. The other starters didn't fare as well. Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera and Jose Molina were all 0-2, and Derek Jeter was 0-3. Rodriguez struck out and grounded into a double play.

Shelley Duncan provided the rest of the Yankee offense with a 3-run home run in the seventh.

On the mound, Phil Hughes pitched two innings of shutout, no-hit ball with two strikeouts. He was wild, however, walking one and hitting two batters. Phil Coke got the win, pitching two scoreless innings while allowing one hit and fanning one batter. Brian Bruney, Mark Melancon, and Jonathan Albaladejo all pitched perfect innings, and Bruney and Melancon each struck out a batter. Damaso Marte allowed one hit in his inning, but didn't surrender any runs, and J. Brent Cox gave up a run on three hits in his inning of work.

The World Baseball Classic is fast approaching...and I hope this year's MLB games have a Classic mode...

BERROA VERSUS RANSOM: BATTLE OF THE SPRING!!! sike...

The Yankees have filled the most glaring void on their team: a weak-hitting shortstop with a lower fielding percentage than Derek Jeter last season. The man: Angel Berroa. A player so good, the Kansas City Royals outclassed him, and the Dodgers picked him up for a poopsicle, a washing machine, an autographed copy of George W. Bush's autobiography and a dead parrot.

Berroa, a former Rookie of the Year who has become one of the worst players in Major League Baseball, will compete with fellow fringe-man Cody Ransom for the backup infield job created when we traded Wilson Betemit for the now irrelevant and apparently on-the-market Nick Swisher.

Im rooting for Ransom! He is less disappointing because he hasn't done anything of note at the big league level to hope for.

As for Swisher being on the market, apparently the Yankees are trying to move either him or Xavier Nady to thin out their corner outfield/first base surplus.

I was going to write a post imploring the Yanks to keep Nady, but Rob Neyer beat me to the punch again, so it seemed I was stuck to writing about Berroa until I read what he wrote.

Nady is a fourth outfielder in Neyer's opinion. And for once I strongly disagree with him. The guy hit .305 with 25 homers and 97 RBI last season, which he played much of for the Pittsburgh Pirates. I am very confused what about those numbers says fourth outfielder. To me, that says number 5 hitter on most teams. He doesn't walk enough. Which is a big deal, but come on. The rest of the stats are there and he is a good enough all-around player to warrant time on the field. That being said, I bet he hits closer to the .268 he hit after the trade last season, and his OBP might be too low next year if it does happen that way, but he deserves a shot after the flashes of brilliance he showed in '08. I don't feel comfortable with what Swisher and Hideki Matsui will produce next season. They both have serious question marks, based on performance and health, respectively. He is not expendable, especially with Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner in center field. It's frustrating that Neyer thinks he would be worth trading for a decent reliever, especially considering the strength our bullpen showed last season without an effective Damaso Marte.

I view Professor X as one of the keys to next year's squad. Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada and Nady will determine how good the lineup really is. Unless we acquire a Jorge Julio-type for him, in which case the Yanks may not be as good as advertised. If we could get someone near Carlos Marmol's level of setup effectiveness, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but I don't think that that many Major League GMs take LSD as a performance enhancer.

Where Does Swisher Fit Now?

Earlier this offseason, the Yankees acquired Nick Swisher from the Chicago White Sox for Wilson Betemit and minor leaguers Jhonny Nunez and Jeff Marquez. Marquez, at the very least, was a good talent with high upside. Some reports said that the Yankees thought Marquez was overrated, however. Brian Cashman insisted that Swisher was going to be the Yankees first baseman this year, and some people claimed that the Bombers even saw him as a "Scott Brosius type." But where does Nick Swisher fit now that the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira?

Let's look at the Yankees potential defensive lineup this season:

C: Jorge Posada (or Jose Molina if Posada's shoulder isn't right)

1B: Mark Teixeira

2B: Robinson Cano

3B: Alex "Sally Girl" Rodriguez

SS: Derek Jeter

LF: Johnny Damon

CF: Melky Cabrera, Brett Gardner, Austin Jackson (if he's ready), Nick Swisher?

RF: Xavier Nady

DH: Hideki Matsui

I'm going to assume, for the sake of sanity, that Nick Swisher will not be pitching. And the Yankees aren't apparently high on Swisher as a center fielder, thanks to wisdom inspired from the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The only sense I can make of this, if Brian Cashman always intended to make a serious run at Big Tex, is expiring contracts. Both X-Man and Johnny Damon will be free agents after next season. Swisher will have two years left on his deal after this upcoming season. Hopefully the Yanks will extend Nady, and it's hard to believe that they won't be set in center with Austin Jackson after 2009. So Swisher may ultimately be the Yankees left fielder following this year, when he'll serve as injury insurance. Unfortunately, Swisher showed that he can be vocal when he is unhappy with his role last season with the White Sox. So this could be a recipe for disaster: will the Yankees trade him before the season? It seems to me he was acquired the same way Wilson Betemit himself was: as an insurance policy that became obsolete all too quickly to get a real chance to thrive.