Don’t Tell RAB

The guys at RAB coined the phrase “The Big Three,” a nickname designed to describe the Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy collective. The name has been a big hit on the blogging scene, in fact, I use it regularly. It’s a simple phrase that provides you with a lot of information, implicitly. However, Phil Hughes tells us that the group has opted for “The Three Amigos,” which, quite frankly, sounds pretty lame.

(Thanks to Scott Proctor’s Arm).

Pete Rose Weighs In On Rays-Yanks

From the moral authority himself (via Kat O’Brien):

Pete Rose became the latest to weigh in Tuesday, saying on XM Satellite Radio: “There’s one way to play the game of baseball and that is to win. If you try to win and you are within the rules, that’s the only way to play … I don’t know why Joe Girardi would get mad; he’s a catcher and that’s what happens.”

Why go all out to win a meaningless exhibition game in the spring? Again, even if you’re trying to impress your club, there are other ways to do it then demonstrating a wreckless attitude through overly aggresive plays that could injure important teammates and players (e.g. business investments) before the actual season even begins. Also, Rose’s “Girard is a catcher” comment is simply perplexing. Joe Girardi was a catcher and now he’s the manager of a baseball team, so his frustration is definitely understandable.

These games are played to help people get into shape, go over mechanics (for hitters and pitchers), and work on overall conditioning. Lineups are also ironed out through spring battles, which can be seen with our own bullpen. But Elliot Johnson, the second baseman that plowed through Francisco Cervelli, hit .207 in 463 AB’s last year (AAA). Did he really have a chance anyway?

Breaking Bats With Bowling Balls

Chien-Ming Wang was solid in his outing against the Blue Jays, a team that he normally struggles against. He pitched 3 2/3 effective innings, holding the Jays to just 2 hits. Wang also induced 7 groundouts and broke two bats (1 K), using his patented sinker-slider combination while mixing in an assortment of fastballs, splitters and changeups.

Bryan Hoch notes that Wang’s previous outing against the Reds which had him facing 10 batters in the first inning and exiting after allowing 6 runs, seems to have been caused by a series of mechanical issue. Apparently, Wang wasn’t staying back and was overstriding (e.g. “dropping his leg in front of his body”), allowing his pitches to stay up in the zone. To rectify the problem, Posada and Wang had an “extensive” bullpen session earlier in the week and he also went over his mechanics with pitching coach, Dave Eiland.

Posada also said that the delivery issue could have effected Wang towards the end of the 2007 season as well:

“The delivery got a little bit off toward the end part of the year last year,” Posada said. “When he was in the stretch [this week], he was a lot better than he was from the windup. Then he took that stuff to the windup and he looked good.”

This could definitely explain Wang’s breakdown in October. He had a 19.06 ERA against Cleveland and batters were hitting .438 off him. Anytime you hear that Wang is doing better in the stretch (runners on), you know something is wrong, especially since his numbers are typically better when pitching with no men on base (windup). Maybe his bouts of ineffectiveness are primarily due to mechanical issues, rather than pitch selection and stuff.

Salcedo Update

 

A few weeks ago I wrote about Edward Salcedo, a toolsy Dominican prospect (SS) that’s garnered interest from the Indians, the Yankees and other clubs (the Rangers?). For a long time, the Cleveland Indians were supposedly in the lead for Salcedo’s services, especially since he’s been training at their Dominican academy. However, the Yankees were also rumored to have offered Salcedo a multimillion dollar contract in late February. Essentially, Salcedo’s agent, the beloved Scott Boras (insert punchline here), has created a bit of a bidding war for his 16-year old client.

There seems to be some new information on this topic by Cleveland’s Paul Hoynes (The Plain Dealer). In his blog, Hoynes states that the Indians expect an answer from Salcedo and Boras sometime this week (earlier rather than later). Anthony Castrovince (MLB) confirms this, saying that the Indians “hope” to hear back from Salcedo within a few days. Therefore, for Yankee fans, we’ll also know whether or not Salcedo will be joining our blossoming farm system, or if he’ll be headed to midge-infested pastures in Cleveland. Of course, he could always head to Texas, but who wants to play there?

No Roids Necessary

From Tyler Kepner on Alex Rodriguez:

Bobby Meacham was a shortstop who had been a first-round draft choice, so he kept an eye out for players of the same pedigree. One such player crossed his path in Zebulon, N.C., in 1994.

Meacham was the manager of the Carolina Mudcats, and he told his wife that when the Jacksonville Suns came to town, he would pay close attention to their teenage phenom. It was Alex Rodriguez, who was just passing through Class AA ball on his quick ascent to stardom. For three days, Meacham watched his every move.

“I said, ‘This guy goes about his business not like he wants to get to the big leagues, but like he wants to be the best,’ ” Meacham said.

“He knows he’s going to be good, but he wants to be great. There was just a method to it.”

In fielding practice, Meacham remembered, Rodriguez would ask for grounders to his right and to his left, and he would ask for fielders at second for a double play and at first for throws across the diamond. In batting practice, he would focus on specific disciplines — grounders the other way, liners to the gaps, and so on.

“At 18 or 19 years old, he already had a plan,” Meacham said. “It was pretty awesome to watch.”

Sometimes, hard work is all you really need.

Damon Injured But Okay

Johnny Damon fouled a ball off his right foot in last night’s game against the Reds. He underwent an MRI and also had X-Rays taken of the area and everything seems to be fine (nothing serious). The Yankees are being cautious and he is considered “day-to-day.”

Exhibition: Yanks VS. Reds (Quick Update)

The Yanks shutdown the Reds last night, thanks to an effective performance by Joba Chamberlain (2.1 IP) and Ian Kennedy (4 IP). Joba nibbled a bit, causing him to throw too many pitches but he also mixed in a new pitch–a two seamer designed for double play balls–which he learned from Chien-Ming Wang (who else). Kennedy was particularly strong, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 2 during his 4 innings. Mariano and Hawkins also pitched, allowing no runs in a combined 2 innings.

Also, another fairly important note, Hideki Matsui, who returned recently after experiencing tightness in his neck and offseason surgery went 2 for 3, driving in 1 run. It was a much better showing than his 0 for 3 this weekend. It’s a good sign for him, and I expect Matsui to put up some solid figures this season as the regular DH. He also has something to prove to Joe Girardi and all the offseason doubters who clamored for him to be traded. Overall, it was a nice game with a lot of good results for everyone.

Life Without Joe Torre

Here’s a nice read by Steve Goldman of the NY Sun about Joe Torre’s departure and what it means for the club, the players, the fans and, of course, Torre’s successor, Joe Girardi.