WHY THE 2012 YANKEES WILL LOOK DIFFERENT: PART 2

Let's take a look at the Yankee catchers... who will stay and who will go?
Francisco Cervelli: .266, 4 HR, 22 RBI in 43 games. Cervelli may never be a star catcher, but he’s energetic and calls a great game. He’s currently recovering from a concussion and there’s no telling if he’ll ever be the same (see Brian Roberts or Sidney Crosby). If he’s able to recover, the Yanks should bring him back to reprise his role as well as filling in at other infield spots.

Russell Martin: .237, 18 HR, 65 RBI in 125 games. Martin is a terrific catcher. His batting average dropped from the NL, but his home runs and RBIs are on par. The pitchers love him and he’s tough as nails. If he’s not resigned someone in the front office needs their
head examined.Jesus Montero: 20 for 61, 4 HR, 12 RBI in 18 games. Montero is the real deal, offensively. Defensively, he’s average at-best. Yes he’s 21 and will continue to improve. With all of the high profile veterans on the team, the Yanks are not in a position of carrying a full time DH. Nor at 21 does Montero want to pigeon holed as just a DH. I say trade him now, while his value is at its highest, for top level Major League-ready pitching. Many disagree. That's what opinions are for.
Jorge Posada: .235, 14 HR, 44 RBI in 115 games. Look, Jorge has had a fabulous career but a 40 year-old catcher needs to know when to hang up the spikes. I know he says he wants to play next year, but I can’t imagine him in any other uniform. I know where Jorge should spend
2012, but more on that later.

Austin Romine: .286, 6 HR, 47 RBI in 85 games at AA Trenton. Obviously, Romine needs to show what he can do at a higher level. He looked sharp behind the plate during September. Hopefully a full season at AAA will do him some good and we’ll see him in 2013.

-- Lem Allen, BYB Freelance Writer
bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com



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WHY REAL MEN CRY

Jorge Posada has been a great New York Yankee and that means something... he's never let down the true fan base and while this season was frustrating, the playoffs was his for the taking and me personally, I loved every minute of it, because it wasn't a great player fizzling, it was fizzling player shining. If there was a way to go out on a high note, Jorge did. I'm proud of him.

Jorge was never supposed to be a superstar catcher, but he was many a season. Sure, there were down seasons but 4 rings later this guy has transformed into a Yankee icon. The Core Four truly had a great run and after Andy Pettitte retired and now Jorge Posada's possible career in pinstripes coming to an end, well, it looks like we may be saying goodbye to our hero.Look, anyone who reads Bleeding Yankee Blue knows how much I love and appreciate Jorge Posada. I didn't like the way he was squeezed out and I watched the poor guy get pushed to the back of the line throughout the season. It could have been done differently, although, I understand, that's business.

I wrote AN OPEN LETTER TO JORGE POSADA because after everything that went on, his changing role and the reality that the Yankees needed to move forward, as did Jorge, I wanted to express my emotion. Well, that emotion came full circle watching my hero get choked up after Game 5 of the ALDS. Jorge cried, and guess what...good for him. Real men cry.



Look, this is a guy that gave his heart and soul to the New York Yankees and it had ended, while on a personal high note because successful in the ALDS, it ended on a low note for the Yankees as a team. Team is all that Jorge thought about. At that moment, as far as he knew, his tenure in pinstripes is over. He's probably not coming back to the Bronx, a place he's called home for 17 years. It's saying goodbye and so, Jorge cried. Look, I totally get it. I cry when my son wins a heat in a swim meet, or when my other guy gets a winning hit. I cry when I watch Rudy, or when the Yankees win the World Series. It's a life thing...success, the thrill of victory, or in his case the agony of defeat.

No one knows what will happen to Jorge Posada, but his future with the Yankees is certain, no, not as a player, put perhaps a coach or an advisor or maybe he'll just stay away for awhile reflecting, but expect something big to happen, when we least expect it...perhaps a number retiring, or a Jorge Posada Appreciation day. One things for sure, Jorge will never be forgotten. With the future of the Yankees catching looking bright in Jesus Montero and Austin Romine and hopefully the return of Russell Martin the Yankees will be OK. And guess what, so with Jorge Posada. No doubt Poe will go down as a Yankee legend for if anything, his incredible drive and heart as a member of the New York Yankees. He is truly Bleeding Yankee Blue and as a fellow peer, meaning, he and I are the same age, I say this, "You played your guts out Jorge. Now's your time. Walk into the sunset and remember all the great times, and most of all, thank you."

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WHY MONTERO TRADE TALK IS RIDICULOUS

(Photo: Getty)
The Yankees season is over and already it's starting. John Harper has a piece out titled Yankees may part with catcher Jesus Montero in order to get the top pitcher they sorely need. Read it HERE.

John Harper makes you think and I like him a lot, but the suggestion that Montero should go is already getting me aggravated. The Yankees have lost and I get the need to want to panic, but it's not like we didn't have the parts to perform, we did, we just never had the timely hit. Yes, we need a pitcher, but I find it ironic that after all the hype about how Montero was the real thing and how the Yankees PR machine went into overdrive in September proving the Yankees were right to NOT trade Montero in the Cliff Lee trade last year, that suddenly, Montero would be available. Honestly, I think the story is bogus and I don't buy it.

The reason is simple, Jesus Montero can hit and he can catch. Austin Romine, it appears, can catch and not hit, yet at least. You're not going to unload this Montero's bat especially after he had a terrific fall run in the pros.

In 18 games, Montero had 20 hits in 61 at bats. He batted .328. He had 4 home runs and 12 RBIs. Yes, he struck out 17 times but this small sample proves this kid's got a future. Don't forget, Reggie Jackson struck out 2597 times in his career, yet, he was considered one of the greatest home run hitters in the game. I'm not comparing Montero to Reggie, but I am making a point; Montero's young, it's early, patience at the plate will come, you just can't give up that bat, it's too early.
(Photo: Getty)
Austin Romine's defense behind the plate was awesome this fall, but his bat needs some work. In 19 at bats, Romine struck out 5 times and only had 3 hits. Again, yes, it's a small sample, but the fall is your audition and while Montero made more plate appearances, he took advantage of that and shined, Romine did not.Also, let's not forget Jesus Montero's appearance in the ALDS. He had 2 hits in 2 at bats and had an RBI. I'm not saying Montero will be a superstar, although, from what I've seen, he can be.

Harper suggests that one Major League scout said Cashman may flip Montero to the San Francisco Giants for Matt Cain. I don't see it. Why would the Giants trade away one of their top pitchers for hitting? Money? Maybe, but I've watched the Franchise on Showtime and I see how dependant the Giants are on likes of Cain. Yes, if Cashman can trade someone on the farm and not part with Montero, I see this as a great scenario, but what do I know?

Harper continues: "Cashman, of course, was willing to trade Montero for Lee in July of 2010 in a deal that was nearly made with the Mariners. Since then he has said publicly that it would have to be a pitcher on that same ultra-elite level for him to even consider dealing Montero.

Still, while Cashman says the organization is committed to Montero as a catcher, not just a DH, questions about his defense remain. When Francisco Cervelli missed the last few weeks of the season because of a concussion, the Yankees called up Austin Romine to back up Russell Martin, even though Montero was already here."

Look, again, I get it, it's panic time, but is it at Montero's expense? Personally, my gut says no.
Look, the New York Yankees may have lost the ALDS this season, but they had the best record in the American League and Montero contributed.

What ever happened to Patience? Remember that? Everyone needs to take a deep breath... the Yankees may have lost the ALDS, but we didn't die. Let's not panic.

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WHY THE YANKEES WILL RISE AGAIN

I woke up early today. I went to be around 2am this morning but I couldn’t sleep and woke up at 5. I decided to go into work early this morning. While I traveled, I kept thinking about everything that could have been done differently in Game 5. The reality is, everything was done right, except of course the timely hit that would have propelled us into the ALCS.

I’m mad at the Yankees right now. I’m not sure why, I understand baseball. John Sterling says it all the time, “It’s baseball Suzyn, you can’t predict it.” Bottom line, last night’s game was ours for the taking and we didn’t take it. But, like a real Yankee fan, I did what I was supposed to do this morning; I threw on my Yankee jacket and walked out the door to go to work. After all, I’m a Yankee fan, I’m a true Yankee fan and I’m not going to NOT wear my jacket because they lost. I’m not ashamed, I’m just disappointed. My family was asleep when I left and I knew that when my son found out this morning, he'd be crushed. I put his 2011 Topps Yankee set back on his nightstand with a note "It didn't work this time, we'll try again next April," I wrote. He gave it to me to put next to the television last night for as he put it "Good luck for the Yankees." Man, I'm superstitious, but it must be rubbing off. He’ll be disappointed and I get that.

I received a text from a good buddy of mine this morning. He’s a huge Tigers fan. He wrote “Tough one.” Yeah, it was. The dude wasn’t rubbing it in. We have a mutual respect for each other’s teams. He could have razzed me, he could have told me the Tigers were much better. He didn’t. He understands defeat, so while he was just texting me as one baseball guy to another, it stung, but with win comes loss. I get it. That’s not even a baseball thing, it’s a life thing.

My iPod this morning had a song called Goodnight, Goodnight by Maroon 5. While the song itself has nothing to do with the New York Yankees, I just found it ironic and the first set of lyrics I heard hit home to how I was feeling:

“I licked my wounds but I can’t see them getting better. Something's got to change... it cannot stay the same.”

Change is needed and we'll be hearing about it soon enough. We can try and blast Joe Girardi but personally, I don't think you can. You definitely can’t blame AJ Burnett this time Ladies and Gentlemen, he was the best pitcher for the Yankees ironically… 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in this ALDS. You can’t blame Granderson, Cano, Jeter, Gardner… and you can't blame the bullpen, no. What about our hero this ALDS... Jorge Posada? Nope, they were all terrific.

I know... when we lose, we’re always looking to blame someone. You want to blame Ivan Nova for being hurt? You can’t. How about CC Sabathia for giving up the 3^rd run? Personally, I wouldn't.

Blame the Yankees for not having the timely hit. That’s it. Blast Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher for being the heart of the lineup and giving us absolutely nothing, but then, may I suggest, you don't blame them either... instead, let's just move on. Bitching about those guys won’t change anything. Season’s over. Steinbrenner said it best: "Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing."

Take a minute and applaud Brian Cashman. After all, every move he made this season turned to gold. We fell in love with Russell Martin... the Freddy Garcia & Bartolo Colon combination was amazing. How about Nova, huh? Remember when he almost went to the Mariners last season? We had 97 wins… the best record in the American League, that’s a great run.

We have nothing to be ashamed of... being disappointed is another story, but one thing you can't do is hide the interlocking N-Y. Don't NOT wear the Yankee cap like you're punishing the Yankees. Instead, embrace it. I wore my gear proud today. I was looking for someone to say something. I wanted to engage. I wanted to get it off my chest and move on. Yes, we're the Yankees and we blew it, but we rise above it. Bottom line... we lost, we didn't die. It could be worse... we could be Red Sox fans.

So yeah, as I was writing this, ironically another close pal just sent me a a text. He knows I’m a gigantic Yankees fan. He wrote “Sorry about your Yankees. You’re the biggest fan I know and I know you’ll rise above it. They’ll be back.”

Damn. It is crazy how things happen. I believe in my New York Yankees, no matter what and he’s right, we will be back, it’s the Yankee way. So, take a day or 2 and forget about the loss, but don't be ashamed of our New York Yankees...EVER. After all, we had a great run... all of us... together in Yankeeland.

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RUSSELL MARTIN: REVIEWING OUR PROJECTIONS

We've reviewed our projections on the Yankees pitching and now we will review the rest of the players. If you remember, we wrote YANKEES PROJECTIONS 2011: THE INFIELD. Over the next few weeks, we'll review all our projections. We start with Russell Martin.

RUSSELL MARTIN

• Projected: .255 Avg, 13 Hrs, 45 RBI

• 2011: .237, 18 Hrs, 65 RBI

We were pretty much off the mark on everything with Martin. He didn't hit for the average like we thought, and he hit for more power and produced more than we thought as well. At the beginning of the season we thought that Martin wouldn't be the full time catcher by the middle of the season... we were dead wrong with that. Although Martin's numbers don't look spectacular, he's been probably the best offseason pickup for the Yankees. He arguably had the biggest hit of the Yankees season on September 1st against the Red Sox and Daniel Bard when he hit a 2-run, two out double when the Yanks were trailing by a run in the 7th inning. Also, Martin's defense this season has been very solid this season, throwing out nearly 30% of base runners this season.

Read a few of our pieces on Martin. Click and enjoy:

WHY RUSSELL MARTIN HAS BALLS

WHY MARTIN'S A FACTOR

JETER & MARTIN EXCHANGE TEXTS

MARTIN'S COMING TO THE BRONX




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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THE YANKEES ARE ALIVE!

The Yankees had their backs against the wall and no one was hitting Burnett was to pitch...and all day today, it was the only thing on my mind. Then, like I said in WHY I'M IN AN EMPIRE STATE OF MIND, something happened. I felt better because my iPod was telling me something. Why else would Empire State of Mind just randomly play on shuffle? It was a sign...The Yankees are back and tonight proved it.
(Photo: AP)
The first inning for AJ Burnett was horrendous, but I had hope. After walking 2 and 1 more intentionally, the bases were loaded with 2 outs. Don Kelly then hit the crap out of the ball to deep center and Curtis Granderson made a tremendous catch. Brian Anderson, the announcer called the play a "big break" for the Yankees. A big break? He also called it "kind of a mis-play". How about an outstanding catch? I'll never understand the TBS guys. I will give Ron Darling some credit. He's complimentary to the Yankees while trying to give constructive analysis. Smoltz is terrible. Sorry John.

The top of the second inning, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher went fast. One positive though, Alex and Tex hit the ball hard, which led me to believe they are close to snapping out of their rut. The bottom of the second went quick for AJ. Thank God. He started to get into a rhythm and actually looked good.

The top of the 3rd was beautiful. The Yankees actually had Ducks on the Pond and got them home. Jorge Posada was hit by a pitch. Russell Martin then singled. Brett Gardner stuck out on a lousy, high third strike call and then Derek Jeter came up. He cranked a double to center field and Posada and Martin scored. Martin's slide was sweet around Avila and touched home with his hand as he slid by. He was pumped.(Photo: AP)
The 4th inning just showed me Nick Swisher striking out and looking ridiculous. Let's face it, Swish can't do a thing in the postseason right now. The bottom of the 4th Victor Martinez took the ball yard. He just crushed it, there was no doubt about it. At this point, the score was 2 to 1 Yankees. Then Jhonny Peralta doubled. This is right about the time where AJ starts to feel the pressure. Right around the second time around the order, the opposing team sometimes gets to AJ. At this point, I was wondering what was up Girardi's sleeve. Then, AJ struck out Wilson Betemit stranding Peralta... inning over.

In the 5th inning Russell Martin singled again. Man was he pumped tonight. Then red hot Brett Gardner singled moving Martin to second. At this point there were no outs and Jeter coming to the plate. Jeter bunted and give credit to Rick Porcello, he threw to third and nailed Martin. 1 out. Curtis Granderson then rips one down the right field line, base hit and it scores Brett Gardner. Jeter moves to third. Robinson Cano was then intentionally walked to load the bases. Alex comes up the plate and you know he had home run on his brain. Instead, he sacrificed and Jeter scored. 4-1 Yankees. Mark Teixeira shit the bed and stuck out. Between he and Swisher, I really don't know who's worse at this point.

The bottom of the 5th, Austin Jackson singled to left. Then a quick double play and a beautiful scoop by Teixeira in the dirt to complete the double play. Delmon Young then knocked it back to AJ and the inning was over. Nice work so far AJ.

In the 6th, Nick Swisher now came up for his third time of the night. A hit to second and out number 1. I tell you... I have no use for Swish right now, what is going on with this guy? Will he ever hit?

In the bottom of the 6th with 2 outs, Girardi came out and relieved AJ of his duties. At this point I was excited to see the team pat him on the shoulders and tell him "Good job." We fans tend to forget that these guys are human. Rafael Soriano came in and his first batter cranked one to center field. Now I've seen outstanding catches in my 40 years of life, but seeing Granderson horizontal and making that catch to end the inning is something I have never seen. You think the Yankees want to win this one? I do.

The bottom of the 7th was smooth for Soriano who got out of the inning fast, 1,2,3.

In the 8th inning Alex Rodriguez finally got a hit. I said it earlier, you can tell by the swings, he was going to get a hit soon. Now, all I wanted is for that to rub off on Teixeira and Swish. Then a dribbler for Tex down third and suddenly 2 men on and no one out for Swisher. Then, it happened... Swisher got a single. See? There are 2 things that are addictive in baseball, losing and hitting. The Yankees are hitting in this Game 4 and now, everyone is starting the hit. That's a good sign.

Jesus Montero came to the plate with the bases loaded as a pinch hitter. It's good to see this kid in a postseason game. Phil Coke was replaced by Al Alburquerque and suddenly, a balk. ARod scores and it's 5-1. Montero crushed a single through 3rd and Short and Tex scored. 6-1 Yankees at this point. Alburquerque was replaced by Schlereth and Gardner keeps on hitting and another run comes into score. At this point I cracked open a beer and sat back. I felt the need to finally relax. With the bases loaded, Jeter came to the plate and struck out. Then a wild pitch brings in a run... 8-1. Cano came up to the plate and looped a single over shortstop. 2 runs scored and at that point it was 10-1. Another pitching change and then Alex came up and cranked a single. He hit it hard...he's hitting now. Like Ron Darling said, the bat speed is there now, Alex is back. Remember I said that.

Mark Teixeira then ripped one to right field and deep, but it was caught to end the inning. "Mark" my words, pardon the pun, Tex is back too.Phil Hughes came in and he got the Tigers 1,2,3. He looked great and it was a relief to see because who knew what he'd have. Girardi used him perfectly, a non-pressure situation to get some confidence and it worked.

In the 9th, Jesus Montero got postseason hit number 2. Martin then hit into a double play and the inning was over. The bottom of the 9th brought in Boone Logan. I knew it was 10-1, but why was I nervous? I shouldn't have been, Logan struck out the side.

Final Score: Yankees 10 - Tigers 1

The Yankees are going back to the Bronx, and Jose Valverde can suck it. The New York Yankees are back and just in time, we have everyone hitting and we're headed home, just where I love to clinch. I believe. I know we can do it.

I leave you with this:



Looking forward to seeing my guys clinching the ALDS at home in the Bronx bitches!!!!! Go Yankees!

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WHY I'M IN AN EMPIRE STATE OF MIND

We’re going to be fine tonight. That’s right… The New York Yankees will win tonight and force a Game 5 back to the Bronx, to an Empire State of Mind. Why? Because today while I was on my way home, Jay Z’s Empire State of Mind came on my iPod. I had it on shuffle, so it wasn’t strategic, it just happened. And with that, I listened and smiled and looked around and saw a ton of Yankee fans in the city, wearing hats, shirts and jackets. It's Yankeeland, we’re all fans and we all have faith in our New York Yankees. I thought about our run in 2009 and how magical it was. Empire State of Mind was on a loop that World Series. So yes, when Jay Z came on the old iPod, it gave me chills.

Tonight, there are a few important things to think about. AJ Burnett could be a pleasant surprise. AJ Burnett could be the shining moment in our dim past 24 hours. And if he’s not, look for Joe Girardi to have a short leash. There is no way in hell this game gets out of hand. Look for the bats to explode because our backs are against the wall. While it’s not the last game in the series, we need to be smart about this, we need to play to win, but not play to blow our load. I found this on Youtube:

After all, we need to get back to the Bronx and we will, because everything happens for a reason and let’s face it, I haven’t hear Empire State of Mind in months. Why would that song just pop up on my iPod today? I know why… because it’s GO time New York!

I saw this story today from George King III of the New York Post. When the Yankees go to a 5^th game back in the Bronx, Joe Girardi had mentioned that CC Sabathia would not start, but would appear in the bullpen. I like that idea. I said “When” because there is no “If”. The Yankees have to go to a Game 5. We need to win this ALDS and we need to win it in the Bronx.

I also found these nuggets today I wanted to bring to your attention. Check them out:

Russell Martin: Anthony McCarron has a piece today titled Tigers catcher slipping nearly opened door for Yankees. In it, Martin is described as saying “This could be it…this could be the break.” In reference to Alex Avila slipping on the on deck circle in the Bronx in the 9^th inning of game 2. While at the moment it happened, I thought the same thing, I find a full story about this stuff silly. Bottom line, breaks help, but the Yankees need to win on their own, pitching, bats and defense. This is all much, much bigger than luck, the playoffs are about talent. The ALDS is too important to lose. That’s my take at least. You can read McCarron’s piece HERE.

Robinson Cano: Jim Leyland likes Robinson Cano. Newsday has this quote: “Well, I think Robinson Cano is a star, a superstar.” Read the Newsday piece HERE.

Finally, Curtis Granderson has been nominated for the 2011 Hank Aaron award. And dammit, I hope he gets it.

Go Yankees!!!

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2011 ALDS YANKEES VS. TIGERS GAME 2 PREVIEW

(Photo: AP)
Last night's resumption of Game 1 was awesome. Ivan Nova proved to everyone he can pitch on the big stage against a very good Detroit Tigers team, while Robinson Cano continues to become a great postseason hitter. Did you know, that in Cano's last 10 postseason games--three series--he's hit .375 (15/40) with five homers, and 12 RBI (six in last night's game)? He's been amazing, and he's really one of the best hitters and probably the best second baseman in all of baseball, and because of it the Yankees have a 1-0 lead in the best of five ALDS against the Tigers.

Anyway, the game this afternoon is huge. In a best of five--or seven--series, visiting teams like Detroit really aim to win one of the first two games in the series so they can go back home and win their home games and win the series. With that being said, it's very important that the Yankees get this one. Justin Verlander is going on Monday in Game 3, so the Yanks would love to have a 2-0 lead.The pitching matchup for Game 2 is Freddy Garcia (12-8, 3.62 ERA) for the Yanks, against Max Scherzer (15-9, 4.43 ERA) for the Tigers. Garcia has an 18-8 career record against Detroit with a 3.88 ERA while losing his only start against the Tigers on May 4 in Comerica Park while going 7 innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out a season high eight batters. Some guys who've had good success against Garcia in their careers are Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera, Alex Avila, and Delmon Young. Ordonez is hitting .327 (17-52) with a homer and six RBI while Cabrera is hitting .391 (9-23) with three homers and six RBI career against Garcia. Some hitters who don't fare quite as well against Garcia include, but aren't limited to, Victor Martinez, Austin Jackson, and Ryan Raburn. Martinez is a .233 hitter (7-30) while Jackson and Raburn each hit .222 (4-18) and .111 (1-9) against Garcia, respectively.(Photo: AP)
Max Scherzer is 3-0 in three starts with a 2.84 career ERA against the Yanks, while going five innings and allowing six runs in his first start of his season on April 3 at the Stadium, and pitching eight shutout innings while striking out eight Yankees at Comerica Park on May 4. It's tough to find too many players who've had good success in a big sample size against Scherzer, but Mark Teixeira is 3 for 10 with a solo homer and Curtis Granderson is 3 for 12 against Scherzer. After last night's 0 for 5 Alex Rodriguez probably won't enjoy seeing Scherzer because he's 0 for 8 in his career against him.
(Photo: Getty)
The other starters that include Russell Martin, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, and Brett Gardner have combined to hit .166 (10-60) against the Tiger right-hander in their career. It should be interesting how this one will turn out.

This would be a huge win for the Yankees if it can happen. Being up 2-0 and putting Detroit on the brink of elimination would be great.

Go YANKEES!!!




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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