GETTING THE YANKEE EXPERIENCE FIRST HAND

A lot of different names being thrown around in this piece, but it all goes back to 1 thing; the youngsters and the Yankee experience.First off is Jesus Montero who's been hitting and in a rhythm. Girardi moved him up the 5th spot in last night's game against Anaheim. He's usually in the 6 to 9 hole. That's expected because he's a rookie, but because of his consistent hitting, and injury to Swisher and Alex Rodriguez, Joe moved him up. I mean, I know it's early, but Montero is batting .348. Gotta love it.

The Yankees have now called up a total of 36 players this September and it was revealed by Joel Sherman that Dellin Betances is in Anaheim to hang with the Yankees. This move is done for 1 reason and 1 reason only, bonding and experience. Although I have a hunch Dellin Betances will be pitching at some point. According to Bryan Hoch, Joe Girardi said “If we need him, we’re going to use him.” I like that thinking... all hands on deck, and if that means the kids get to play, do it. It's the best way to get experience. It can't hurt. It's not like Betances is going to be thrown into a situation where they make him throw 123 pitches, no. They will monitor him and track everything he does. I say that's the way to go.

And speaking of Yankee experience. Lance Pendleton was been claimed by the Astros and is no longer with the Yankees. I was always a fan of Pendleton since his debut where he struck out the first 2 batters he faced. To me, that showed guts. In 11 games for the Yankees, Pendleton had a 3.21 ERA, struck out 8, walked 10 and gave up 5 earned runs in 14 innings. He'll improve over time with his new team in Houston, I wish him well.

Josh Norris tweeted the Yankees will bring up Manny Banuelos, David Phelps and Adam Warren and they'll be most likely called up closer to or during the Red Sox series. Norris says this is a move to workout with the team and get "Bigs" experience which, let's face it, it doesn't get better than the Yankees/Red Sox... am I right? These are the games you want to be at and witness first hand, and if Betances was say to, get into a game, his peers will be there to root him on.

While it’s exciting for these kids, I’d really love to see Manny Banuelos come into a game. No, it probably won’t happen, but I can dream can’t I?

Finally, a quick note about rookies and the Yankee experience. Not sure if you realized it last night but due to the fact that Swisher was out with elbow tendinitis and is day to day, Eduardo Nunez got the start in right field last night. Read about it HERE. Clearly, Girardi wanted Nunez's bat in the lineup. Nunez said, "That's the only time I've played right field in my life."

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WHY YANKEE TRADE RUMORS ARE FLYING

"We aren't going to do anything stupid." -- Brian Cashman

Let the craziness begin. There is no doubt that the Yankees know they can win it all this year. They have the guys and they have the talent and it’s just a matter of picking those few extra pieces of the puzzle and setting them into place to see if they have what it takes to win number 28. Several names have been mentioned. Some are absolutely ridiculous. Others are possibilities. We like to give our opinion here and luckily for us, you like to hear about it. Check these names recently attached to the Yankees. Tell me what you think…comment.

Ty Wigginton: Wigginton’s got pop in his bat no doubt and if the Yankees are looking for an extra bat in the lineup to ensure runs and wins, this could be helpful, plus, he can fill in at third until Alex comes back. Read about it HERE. The other thing you should know is Wigginton is on the Rockies and wow, so is Ubaldo Jimenez. If a deal was going to happen with the Rockies, it could be in 1 swift movement and no doubt the Rockies would want every youngster we have. Would I pull the trigger? Well, My opinion is I like Wigginton’s bat, but not for a Jesus Montero type. Now, according to reports, if the Rockies were to trade someone like Ubaldo Jimenez to the Bronx, Montero wouldn't be the centerpiece of the deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI so there you go. But I see it this way, the Rockies seem to want pitching, Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and who knows who else for Jimenez. Now, Cash has already made it clear that certain players aren't going anywhere. But my question is this; if the Rockies were willing to ship Wigginton and Jimenez, what would the Yankees offer? Would Montero be in the cards then? How about a David Phelps, a Ivan Nova and Dellin Betances? Would we keep Montero? Would we keep Austin Romine? Just a question and I'm probably premature, but it is interesting, isn't it? That's where Cashman comes in.

Heath Bell: For a few days around the All-Star break, the Yankees were hot and heavy for Heath Bell, at least that what reports said and why not, he’s incredibly talented, as great rental and so damn likable. The Yankees have also apparently have been connected to Bell’s teammate Mike Adams as well... Read HERE. Both Adams and Bell are equally talented but to be honest, I don’t see how the Padres would part with both. The Pads are looking for a prospect, probably pitching for Adams in return. Again, this rumor is getting a lot of play and we need to keep an eye on it. I personally see the Yankees snatching up a Bell or Adams before a Jimenez merely for the fact that Jimenez, while an affective starter, is about as reliable as an AJ Burnett, some days and the Rockies are asking for way too much.

Ricky Nolasco: Ken Rosenthal says this guys a possibility for New York and we all know the power of Joe Girardi and his connection with former players. Just ask Sergio Mitre, he’ll map it out for you or read THE CURIOUS CASE OF SERGIO MITRE. Also, read about the Rosenthal rumor story HERE. Nolasco pitched for Girardi briefly back when Girardi was manager with the Marlins and if you know Girardi, he remembers talent. Now, I believe this move is more of a possibility than a Ubaldo Jimenez but in this scenario, the Yankees would need to pay alittle and give alittle talent away. It all depends on how smart Cashman is in negotiation, so we shall see. I do believe that Girardi’s connections run deep though, so while it’s not Chicago, it’s still a former player of Joes and we all know he loves to collect.

Slow and steady wins the race here... Cashman's no dope, he won't pull the trigger and unload all our prospects, there is too much talent down there and he knows it. The deal's got to be right... we just have to trust him.

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YANKEES TARGET #1: UBALDO JIMENEZ

On Saturday, Casey posted a piece discussing the possibility of a trade for Ubaldo Jimenez to fill out what appears to be a deteriorating rotation. Hughes is improving from his horrific start, but Bartolo has imploded recently, Garcia has shown signs that he's ready to follow suit, and AJ has been AJ, which is to say good, but not a true #2 guy.
(Photo: Neil Miller)
Now, it is true, maybe Bartolo Colon will bounce back and be the #2 guy like he seemed to be in the first half and maybe Phil Hughes will suddenly reach his full potential to be the second guy.
Hell, maybe even AJ Burnett will suddenly be able to actually command the ball. And what about Freddy Garcia, lest game could have been a fluke, or a result of sign stealing and he come back strong next time. However, let's not hope, we need to act now. So what should we do?

The answer is pretty clear; the Yankees should trade for Jimenez, and form the best 1-2 punch in the AL for at least the next 3 years.

Jimenez's 2011 stats (4.08 ERA, 5-8) certainly seem like a huge step down from those of his Cy Young Award campaign 2010, so to the uninformed reader, a blockbuster trade for him may seem like a terrible idea. After all, who would trade the farm for a #4 guy? Never fear, I'm here to show you why he's probably still one of the 10 best pitchers in baseball through the use of splits, sabermetrics, and trends. Let's start with...

Home vs. Away Splits

Jimenez pitches for the Colorado Rockies, who play in the notoriously hitter friendly Coors Field. Routine fly balls become majestic bombs at the high elevation and pop outs become bloop doubles in the ludicrously oversized outfield. Even when the ball appears to be headed right for an outfielder, the bizarre floating at such an elevation can make it incredibly difficult to field. Jimenez's ERA at home is a Javier Vazquez-esque 5.89. His phenomenal 2.28 ERA in away games couldn't be any more different. The Rockies have never once had a true ace, and this is why: you can't be an ace in Coors. The simply ridiculous .360 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) Ubaldo has allowed to opposing batters supports this theory. When the ball went in play, it was a hit 36% of the time. Compare this to his very low .215 BABIP in away games and it becomes perfectly evident: Jimenez is one of the 10 best pitchers in baseball in every park except for Coors.
FIP (Fielder Independent Pitching)

FIP provides a fairly accurate estimate of what a pitcher's ERA would be assuming his fielders neither botched plays that didn't go down as an error, nor made brilliant plays. Ubaldo's season FIP is 3.41, which means that if it weren't for a) shoddy defense by the Rockies or b) the difficulty of playing the outfield in Coors, his ERA would be closer to a very solid 3.41.

ERA+

Adjusted ERA is just what its name says it is, an ERA that is adjusted based on what fields a pitcher has been pitching. His season ERA+ is 111 (below 100 is below average, over is better than average). This is by no means absolutely dominant, but it certainly indicates that if he weren't regularly pitching in Coors Field his ERA would be much better, likely in the mid 3s.

Recent Record/ERA

In Jimenez's last 6 starts, he's 4-1 (his lone no decision came against the White Sox when he went 7.0 innings and allowed 2 ERs) with a 3.05 ERA. In the month of June he had a 2.45 ERA, and he's continued that success by posting a 2.79 ERA thus far in July. This is a massive improvement over March/April (6.75 ERA) and May (5.45 ERA). Why the sudden increase? He went through Spring Training and much of April injured and did not have ample time to build his fastball up to it's usual blistering 96-99 mark, and began the season missing 2-3 MPH. As we saw with Hughes earlier this year, 3 MPH off your fastball can be all the difference. Jimenez has built back up to his regular velocity lately. In his past two starts he regularly hit 96 and 97 MPH on the gun with huge movement. His struggles seem to be behind him and he appears to be ready to show us why he started for the NL in the All-Star game last year.

So, while his season marks don't look up to standards by traditional statistical measurements, his sabermetric stats show that he's been much better than advertised, Coors Field has clearly screwed him over, and he's improving rapidly.

Casey touched on what it would cost to bring Jimenez to the Bronx in WHY THE YANKEES AND THE ROCKIES ARE CHATTING. In my opinion, it would cost no less than Jesus Montero, Dellin Betances (not Manny Banuelos, pitchers like him come around rarely, and even more rarely are they lefty,)(In Photo: Manny Banuelos)
Hector Noesi/Adam Warren/David Phelps, and some filler guys (Jorge Vazquez could potentially seal the deal). I've praised many of those guys to high heaven recently, so you may be surprised to hear that if I was Brian Cashman and the Rockies were going to accept this offer, I'd pull the trigger faster than you can say “Yankees win, theeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees win.”

I've had nothing but praise for Montero since I joined, but there's no way to deny that his stock is dropping. He's hit for a respectable .288 average, but his OPS is down 110 points from last year (.870 to .760). Even worse he's thrown out a dismal 17% of base stealers. He's shown improvement lately, batting .297 with an .867 OPS in his last 2 games (2 home runs), so he's certainly not a lost cause and is still considered a top 10 prospect. This value is enough to make him an excellent center piece in a deal, and the Rockies won't have to worry about putting him at catcher because word is they'd want to train him to be Helton's heir at 1st base. Austin Romine has swung a hot bat this year and is excellent defensively, not to mention that whether or not he's hitting Russell Martin has guided the pitching all year, so perhaps sticking with one of them is the better idea. Of course Gary Sanchez might be better than any of the 3, so we may end up losing nothing by trading him anyway.
(In Photo: Dellin Betances)
Dellin Betances is a little harder to trade since he's been excellent this year, but if his replacement is Ubaldo Jimenez, we aren't losing much. Jimenez is a similar pitcher to Dellin (high K/9, good ground ball rate) and has the advantage of actually being in the MLB. Besides, Betances grew up in New York. The instant he's a free agent he'll happily sign to come right back home. Or maybe he'll be a flop and we'll laugh as Jimenez mows down opposing lineups. Everyone else I mentioned for the deal is standard fare that comes along in practically every draft and would be replaced shortly.

The price is high, but for a 27 year old ace under team control through at least 2013 (possibly 2014) that costs a mere $17.5 million for the next three seasons combined, it should be. The Rockies aren't actively shopping him, but they've said they'll listen if teams want to talk top prospects. They've been scouting the Trenton Thunder and SWB Yankees teams extensively, and the Yanks have had scouts watch Ubaldo. The potential for a trade is definitely there, and it could save the season. But only time will tell if such a deal is me.




--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer

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WHY THE KIDS WILL GET THE CALL

(In Photo: Hector Noesi)
Who will it be, who will it be? With Bartolo Colon out, the Yankees are going to need a starter to replace him this Thursday. Phil Hughes, while making velocity progress in his rehab isn’t available, others are and we need to look at them a moment.

Hector Noesi: To me, it’s a no brainer, Hector Noesi has been up a few times this year in the Big Show and I feel like it would only be right to see what he has as an official starter. To me, I feel like it would be unfair to just call up another youngster ahead of Noesi, but that’s what makes me a blogger and not the GM. I don’t know the answer and I’m not going to pretend to know like the others. I’m being honest, respect it.

David Phelps: There is a lot of talk about David Phelps though and his ERA is under 3.00 in the minors so, it’s not totally out of whack to give him a shot. This year his line looks like this: 4-4, 2.95 ERA, 76 innings pitched 76 hits, 66 K’s and 20 walks. That’s with Scranton Wilkes-Barre. Phelps also has good control and a good fastball over 90. Michael Kay had Cashman on today and suggested he's "leaning toward" Phelps. We shall see.

Manny Banuelos (photo) & Dellin Betances: No dice. ESPN is reporting that our pitching favorites of Manny and Dellin (sounds like a 70’s cop show) will probably not be given a shot right now because of their lack of dominance in the farm. So, frankly, we will need to wait for them, that’s fine.

Again, if I was me, I'd say Noesi should get the call. In the majors in relief, he is 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA, 4 G, 15.1 IP, 6K and 5 BB. If he can keep those walks down and lock it up early and go 5 or 6, I call it a good outing. Cashman though, seems to want Phelps to start, but no official commitment yet. We will see soon enough though, so stay tuned.

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