You Down Wit OBP?

From Bryan Hoch (Yankees’ website):

With Giambi up for free agency, several players have lobbied to play first base for at least a portion of the season, including Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.

Cashman said that playing either out of position is not something he gravitates toward — Cashman prefers the idea of Matsui as a DH and likes the range Damon offers in the outfield.

“I’d like to put a first baseman at first, rather than have somebody who’s trying to step up on behalf of the team,” Cashman said.

Of Giambi and Abreu, Cashman said, “They happen to be the most selective hitters that we’ve got. This year’s team, overall … we were more of a free-swinging unit than we had been in the past. Obviously, the free agency of Giambi and Abreu is a concern to that area of weakness.”

This issue pertaining to plate discipline hasn’t been discussed all that much, as the rotation has been the primary focal point of our (potential) offseason dealings. Giambi and Abreu obviously possess tremendous plate discipline, something that others in the lineup simply don’t have (which Cashman doesn’t hesitate to acknowledge). Damon, Jeter, Posada, Matsui, and A-Rod are still very solid in this regard. However, Cano and Nady along with Melky Cabrera, who played a lot this year, aren’t exactly the most patient hitters on the planet.

It’s a problem of outs, really. The lower your OBP, the more likely you are to make an out (well, your inability to get on base is reflected in a low OBP). It’s harder to maintain rallies, it’s harder to score runs, and it’s harder to get to the soft underbelly of the bullpen if you can’t work a starter. That’s Yankee baseball (thanks, in part, to Wade Boggs’ approach when he was a Yankee).

Nady will slot in at RF (probably), and his career OBP is .335, yet he only produced a .320 OBP in limited time, this year, with NY. He’s replacing Abreu’s .371 OBP from this season, although I would think that Abreu’s on-base numbers could continue to regress as he gets older. Cano, as we know, had a bad year but his inability to get on base via the walk really hurt him (26 BB and an OBP just a hair over .300). Melky probably won’t play and they may try to insert Gardner into the lineup simply because he has shown a knack for getting on base throughout his minor league career.

This aspect of the Yankees team will have to be tweaked next year. I’m sure that the Yankees will work with Nady and Cano on increasing their plate patience, but it’s not like Nady is a kid and Cano is what he is. The topic of first base, addressed in the first few sentences I posted from Hoch, will play a big part in this. Cashman notes that he’s looking for a real first baseman and you know he’s thinking about Mark Teixeira. Mark Teixeira is a huge upgrade in terms of getting on base, consistently. In fact, he’s a huge upgrade over Jason Giambi, as his .410 OBP (2008) eclipses Jason’s .373 (2003).

So, if you wondered about Mark Teixeira and the Yankees possibly joining together in a beautiful union, then you have to look at Cashman’s comments about the team’s style in ‘08. He characterized their “free-swinging” as a weakness and one that must be addressed. Mark Teixeira would certainly help in that area.

Joba Will Be In The Rotation

The guys at RAB have the story (thanks to a WFAN listener and a loyal reader). Brian Cashman confirmed that Joba Chamberlain will start the 2009 season in the rotation and will be there for the entire year. I guess the team really believes in their secondary options. Hughes, IPK, and even Aceves can all get spot starts in order to skip Joba, every now and then.

Trade Market For Young Arms

Buster Olney at ESPN runs through a few possible trade options that would help teams bolster their starting rotation with young and controllable players. Jake Peavy, Matt Cain and Zack Greinke are among the names listed and all three are interesting guys that could entice the Yankees if their initial rotation plans fail. I like Peavy, but his splits are scary at times (in 2008, he had a 1.74 ERA in Petco, a pitcher’s park, whereas on the road, his ERA ballooned to 4.28). Zack Greinke could get a serious look.

Joba: I’m Fine

Well, that’s good to know. The shoulder seems fine and he admits the other day he just “couldn’t get lose” after not pitching for a few days.

A Defining Moment For Two Teams

Here’s an interesting read from the Tampa Tribune. In it, writer Martin Fennelly talks about the impact of the now infamous spring training collision between Tampa farmhand, Elliot Johnson and Yankee prospect, Francisco Cervelli. In the collision, Cervelli broke his wrist and the Yankees, including all of us, were irate. “That’s not the way to play the game,” we said, collectively. “This is spring training, ease up on the gas,” we all clamored, while thoughts of revenge flickered in our heads.

However, in retrospect, you have to wonder if the Rays really gained something on that day, from the incident, and also from our subsequent reactions to it. Essentially, we displayed a sense of arrogance after the collision that truly sparked the Tampa franchise. We were making an argument that didn’t make any sense (not to a “losing” organization, not to them). Don’t play that hard? Ease up this month? That doesn’t make sense for the Rays. They didn’t have that luxury while, in fact, we did. Spring training, to them and their coaching staff, wasn’t a mundane technicality before another losing season. ST wasn’t “just getting work in”. It counted, as it would set the tone for the rest of their season. Elliot Johnson’s play at the plate and Cervelli’s ensuing injury could have been downplayed if we simply acknowledged that it was a case of bad luck on a hard play, but we chose not to (and I’m certainly in this group as well). We spoke of retaliation and talked tough while the Rays wondered what they did wrong. Shelley Duncan, with our support, later compounded the problem and the Rays fought back.

The play at the plate, then, became a symbol.

Of course, it set the tone for the season, which Carlos Pena in Fennelly’s article acknowledges. Yet, when I say it became a symbol, I mean that it spoke volumes for a team that was quietly tired of losing. From that situation, a sense of collective identity was born for the Rays and they were saying, in unison, “We’re not going to take this shit, anymore.” It was ingrained in their team and we saw them call upon that spring training symbolism when facing the Red Sox and Coco Crisp, later in the season. That moment birthed pride, team unity and a sense of direction that’s centered upon an underdog mentality. The Rays clearly gained from the moment and, maybe if we would have reacted differently (if we would have said, “to hell with it, that’s baseball”) they wouldn’t have performed the way they did this year. I mean, every bit helps when trying to build confidence and, in the end, you just never know.

Now the Yankees, on the other hand, lost a catcher that day, but they also lost their big bully image. The Rays were tired of being an AL East punching bag and they saw an opportunity to fight back, instead of letting us push (something we used to be good at). Say what you will about their rotation and defense, however the Rays had more going for them then that and that’s why they’re in the playoffs. I hope they send a ring to Elliot Johnson because he probably deserves one.