I mean last and this year....my bad....times are changing Fink....the young pup is catching up with the veteran....sadly those numbers arent far off from Swisher's I am willing to bet.. Melky lead the team one year in assists and was right there for walk-offs.... Bring him back, I would love to see the joy on your face, when he firebombs Fenway!!!!!! Ohh and I dont hate Swisher, he is one of my favorite baseball personalities, and is awesome with his charities...good guy, and a great clubhouse dude (same with Tex)....
He hasnt changed at all, thats the problem.....he does the samething all the time, thats why he is in a slump....A "all or nothing" swinger like Tex is a pitchers dream with 2 strikes.... All I am saying is dont change fine, I don't think he should be laying bunts down that's foolish, but good hitters recognize when they are in a hole, and compensate for that...they will shorten the swing up, just try to make contact, spray the ball somewhere to stay alive etc...this guy goes up there like Paul Bunyan all the time.... Make a damn adjustment is all we are looking for, he will be the better hitter for it....What he is doing just isnt smart hitter IQ....and the numbers bear that..
Again, he hasnt always been this way (would love to see more opposite gap when presented...but unless LATE with his swing on an overpowering fastball, he has never been a Line to Line hitter. I would accept pull line, to oppo-gap... yes, something has gotten in his head; but unlike Jeter who has a far greater arsenal or "options" available to him, Tex is stuck. I do agree, something has to give from the Offense side; that said, what I do appreciate is Tex doesnt let that impact his Defense. I have seen a former STAR lose it on D because his O was slumping, and vice versa. Tex is still a gamer with the glove, and he fights with the O-side. I hope it changes and he corrects the flaw in approach. Just not convinced he doesnt need to HEAR from someone else to benefit...a new trigger so to speak.
Hey I'd love to see the Yankees bring back Melky simply because I don't see the same player you do.He doesn't get on base, doesn't hit for much power, isn't a great defensive OF and isn't a speedy guy. He's in his peak years as a player so it's possible he'll put up a few years of respectable numbers but even last year in his "break out year" he only got on base 35% of the time (a lot of that was due to the fact he batted over .300, since he only walked 35 times in 706 PAs) and he slugged .470 which was a good 66 points off his career mark. I don't know just looking at that 2011 season a lot of those numbers stick out as career year, ditto for this year too but it's hard to judge him or any player on 198 PAs (see Rizzo, Anthony).
I will give you that he has slightly improved...but lets not go crazy. Yes, Dunn has been one of the game's most pleasant surprises this year, sporting a pace of 53 home runs and 121 RBIs (but rising from a pile of manure off last year shouldnt provide blind praise). Dunn also has what would be a record pace of 241 K's, and his .243 batting average would rank eighth among his 12 career big league seasons. There are still hints in his 2012 peripherals that he's not completely "cured" of what ailed him a year ago. Per Baseball Prospectus: Dunn also continues to struggle against lefties, with .174/.291/.413 triple-slash rates and a 48 percent miss rate.
In the NOT good news category: Brett Gardner just can’t get his elbow right. After an initial setback that him shut down for ten days, he’s had another setback, in which he’s still feeling some stiffness. The plan now is for him to hit off a tee on Monday. Who knows after that.
the payoff is too great I agree..... Here is to doing it in a few years when Jeter retires..... Would LOVE to see Jeter head a group that buys them....thus cementing him as the "Greatest Yankee Ever" How do you like those apples BDH???
Doesn't matter what his batting average is when he's getting on base at a .385 clip. OPS of 960+ is great. Definitely much more than slight improvement and certainty not blind praise.
But none of that stuff is out of whack for Dunn. He's known as someone who will hit you 35 plus HRs, have an OBP of .380 or higher, bat .240, strike out a ton and can't hit LHPs. He had a poor 2011 due to injuries and personal problems.
I wasnt stating that Dunn hasnt improved - over last year - thats too easy. But as Ray touched on, I was saying, he has returned to what he always was but accept that means POOR MONTHS on occasion...the small sample size to kick off this year however does hint that he still hasnt fully returned, and potentially has a major HOLE in his swing (Dave Kingman-esque). Keep in mind, Dunn's successful Washington Nationals years of 2009-10, he had his share of poor months -- see September 2009's .212/.322/.333 rates. I am glad he has shown a return to form, but I still see regression as the months pass - he will be closer to .850 then 900+ OPS. Will be interesting to see where he ends the season...but if the 93+ fastball continues to beat him (whether L or R)....he is clearly on the downslide.
me too. I have connections to Ibanez for tickets, as he went to my High School and played with some good friends of mine that are still good friends o his. Im going to New York and DC in JUne and plan on catching games in both cities so hopeully i'll catch Andy on a good day. Im going to the Oak games this weekend, i think maybe he'll pitch sunday is that right?
I love that that same feed has this article "A.J. Burnett enjoying new life away from the spotlight, in Pittsburgh". On the selling of the Yankees, not only is it inevitable, im looking forward to it. I think the Stein Brothers are idiots. I loved the way George ran the team! Would love to see Jeter, O'neil and some others lead a group to buy them.
Yup, leaning towards @Nats over Fathers day weekend too (hope he toes the slab), and @CitiField vs Mets the following weekend (not sure if he is slated)....Hopefully one of those two match up.
I don't disagree with any of this. Other than that everyone has poor months. His might be a little worse than others, but his hot months are better than others.
Yeah usually the tuesday pitcher gets the Sunday game, but with the day off today it might get switched back one....You may get Hughes on Sunday...
Pettitte's next start is slated for Tuesday 5/29 @LAA vs Haren. This weekend (Fri-Sun vs OAK) its Nova, CC, Kuroda!
FinYank and FFG, when you each pick something up, please THROW it in the opposite direction......WARNING: everyone duck......I warned you! Mark Teixeira has finally had enough. After seeing poor results from trying to put the baseball in play more frequently, Teixeira told reporters he is going back to swinging for the fences. “I’m putting too many balls in play instead of taking that swing to hit a home run and drive the ball,” Teixeira said, per The Journal News. “I’ve never been someone who just wants to put the ball in play. In years past, a 1-0 or a 2-0 pitch, it’s maybe a little bit up or a little bit down, you swing and you foul it off or you swing and miss. Now I’m putting that ball in play, which (stinks). I go back to (hitting coach) Kevin Long and I say, ‘Why couldn’t I just foul that ball off?’ It’s unfortunate. Baseball is such a fine line between having a good at-bat and hitting the ball hard or making an out. While last year 39 home runs but a low batting average wasn’t good enough, I think I’d rather hit 39 home runs than 20 or 15. I think I’d rather drive in 111 runs than 80. So I’m going to be more aggressive.”
Which is shocking I saw the samething, because if this is what he is doing TRYING to put the ball in play more frequently.....cant wait for when he really starts swinging for the fences..... truth is he is trying to buy some time with that, cuz I haven't seen any sort of change in his approach...poor bastard just doesnt get it....we are doomed...
His line about : "I go back to (hitting coach) Kevin Long and I say, ‘Why couldn’t I just foul that ball off?’"....speaks volumes of a subtle F.U. (just like Jeter). Something isnt working (again aside from Granderson). I can see where K. Long's song and dance doesnt resonate with the Jeter's, Cano's, Tex's, Arod's, and even Swish's of the group (although I have heard and read that Cano and Swish have positive things to say about K. Long's philosophies).... But Tex has been listening to K. Long, but obviously doesnt buy it...or like what he is being told. Jeter didnt either...we know he had to throw it all out and return to someone else to get right....and Arod is basically doing it himself, based on FEEL. Arod says this: "I finally feel like I’m about to go off, after widening my stance and shortening my leg kick in my last at-bat in the game. I decided enough is enough and I carried the changes over into batting practice on Wednesday and into tonight's contest" Obviously, last night he went 2 for 4 with a pair of homers and three RBI. Personally, I think Arod's fix is a band-aid...but what I 100% agree with is the Feel he defines...Hitters hit...its feel, its mental. For some reason, it may be that K. Longs approach may just not be what they need. I give them all credit to try to listen...but if you dont feel it....or see results...you will dismiss it. I would say, dismiss it and get back to results....and I would also say, K. Long should not feel slighted if that is the case.
Right and I agree but under what you are saying, there is no need for a batting coach then....which isnt 100% true either.... A-Rod's troubles have always been in 2 areas, well 3..... 1) most important---the leg kick....he has to do a shorter one and get into hitting position in time, he gets in trouble when he kick to long and to far....the weight distribution if off when he goes to far forward AND he isnt in ideal hitting position....which leads to..... 2) the long slow loopy swing he has sometimes....A-Rod is always been max effective when he goes short and quick to the ball, because granted he may give up some power on it, he is so damn strong that he still hits home runs...or doubles or what have you.... 3) the fringing guy out thinks himself too much....this guy probably out thinks himself moreso than ANYBODY I have ever watched..... A-Rod is easily correctable you can see it night in and night out it is like routine when he is bad and when he is good....and again I dont have a problem with A-Rod, his numbers arent awful even in this slump, so when the power comes (hopefully last night kicked it) his numbers will be good.... Tex to me I cant figure it out, he is lost right now.....I dont know if there is a correctable feature I can point too.....
No my stance has always been, there is NO NEED for a Hitting coach to try to CHANGE every hitter into a certain singular style. (I would say the same about a Pitching coach too) I do believe, All coaches on a staff have value...but a cookie cutter approach isnt the answer in my book. I am leaning more and more toward the K. Long has only really ONE APPROACH (or worse only one method of conveying his approach) and that doesnt resonate with all types of hitters. I am thrilled what he did to connect with Grandy....congrats....but it may be tuned out by Tex and Arod at this point....clearly it is with Jeter. Mickey Hatcher hit the bricks after several successful years with LAAoA....if that happens to K. Long, I wouldnt claim either are bad at what they do, as much as TIME for a Change at the staff level is necessary on occasion.
And all this time i thought Tex was already just swinging for the fences....jeez, i'm just going to have to walk away from the tv when he's up, watching him swing for the fences on that 87 mph curve ball is going to give me a heart attack. And i like the subtle FU to k.long! Listening to Michael Kay you'd think Long is the Yankee savior.
FYI (and you may know this already) Hatcher was fired because the new GM has a different hitting philosophy (he wanted the hitters to follow the Red Sox/Yankees approach of taking pitches, working the count, not being hackers at the plate) that he wanted Hatcher to start to preach with the hitters. Apparently Hatcher failed to adapt to it, so he got canned. Or if you want to believe the sports writers, he got fired because Pujols didn't like him because he did something to his dog or cat or stuffed penguin in the clubhouse.
Right I believe that a hitter gets a method of hitting that is comfortable to himself, and the batting coaches job is too correct the flaws as it pertains to the batter getting back to the successful hitting model he has always used.... With A-Rod thats easy (legkick, short and compact thru the zone)....Tex though man I have no clue.... I would need to watch his seasons with Texas especially the 05 season, even the first year with the Yanks he batted close to .300 no?
[TABLE="class: data"] [TR="class: title"] [TD="colspan: 15"]Mark Teixeira - Career Stats [/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: label"] [TD]Year[/TD] [TD]Team[/TD] [TD]G[/TD] [TD]AB[/TD] [TD]R[/TD] [TD]H[/TD] [TD]HR[/TD] [TD]RBI[/TD] [TD]BB[/TD] [TD]KO[/TD] [TD]SB[/TD] [TD]CS[/TD] [TD]BA[/TD] [TD]OBP[/TD] [TD]SLG[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: row1"] [TD="align: left"]2012 YTD [/TD] [TD="align: left"]NYY[/TD] [TD]41[/TD] [TD]155[/TD] [TD]21[/TD] [TD]35[/TD] [TD]5[/TD] [TD]21[/TD] [TD]14[/TD] [TD]20[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0.2258[/TD] [TD]0.2907[/TD] [TD]0.3806[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: row1"] [TD="align: left"]3-year Average [/TD] [TD="align: left"]NYY[/TD] [TD]157[/TD] [TD]600[/TD] [TD]102[/TD] [TD]159[/TD] [TD]37[/TD] [TD]114[/TD] [TD]83[/TD] [TD]115[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0.2650[/TD] [TD]0.3623[/TD] [TD]0.5117[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: row2"] [TD="align: left"]2011[/TD] [TD="align: left"]NYY[/TD] [TD]156[/TD] [TD]589[/TD] [TD]90[/TD] [TD]146[/TD] [TD]39[/TD] [TD]111[/TD] [TD]76[/TD] [TD]110[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0.2479[/TD] [TD]0.3406[/TD] [TD]0.4941[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: row1"] [TD="align: left"]2010[/TD] [TD="align: left"]NYY[/TD] [TD]158[/TD] [TD]601[/TD] [TD]113[/TD] [TD]154[/TD] [TD]33[/TD] [TD]108[/TD] [TD]93[/TD] [TD]122[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0.2562[/TD] [TD]0.3652[/TD] [TD]0.4809[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: row2"] [TD="align: left"]2009 - WS Title [/TD] [TD="align: left"]NYY[/TD] [TD]156[/TD] [TD]609[/TD] [TD]103[/TD] [TD]178[/TD] [TD]39[/TD] [TD]122[/TD] [TD]81[/TD] [TD]114[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0.2923[/TD] [TD]0.3833[/TD] [TD]0.5649[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: row1"] [TD="align: left"]2008[/TD] [TD="align: left"]ATL-LAA[/TD] [TD]157[/TD] [TD]574[/TD] [TD]102[/TD] [TD]177[/TD] [TD]33[/TD] [TD]121[/TD] [TD]97[/TD] [TD]93[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0.3084[/TD] [TD]0.4102[/TD] [TD]0.5523[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: row2"] [TD="align: left"]2007[/TD] [TD="align: left"]TEX-ATL[/TD] [TD]132[/TD] [TD]494[/TD] [TD]86[/TD] [TD]151[/TD] [TD]30[/TD] [TD]105[/TD] [TD]72[/TD] [TD]112[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0.3057[/TD] [TD]0.4000[/TD] [TD]0.5628[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: row1"] [TD="align: left"]2006[/TD] [TD="align: left"]TEX[/TD] [TD]162[/TD] [TD]628[/TD] [TD]99[/TD] [TD]177[/TD] [TD]33[/TD] [TD]110[/TD] [TD]89[/TD] [TD]128[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0.2818[/TD] [TD]0.3714[/TD] [TD]0.5143[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: row2"] [TD="align: left"]2005[/TD] [TD="align: left"]TEX[/TD] [TD]162[/TD] [TD]644[/TD] [TD]112[/TD] [TD]194[/TD] [TD]43[/TD] [TD]144[/TD] [TD]72[/TD] [TD]124[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0.3012[/TD] [TD]0.3795[/TD] [TD]0.5745[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: row1"] [TD="align: left"]2004[/TD] [TD="align: left"]TEX[/TD] [TD]145[/TD] [TD]545[/TD] [TD]101[/TD] [TD]153[/TD] [TD]38[/TD] [TD]112[/TD] [TD]68[/TD] [TD]117[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0.2807[/TD] [TD]0.3696[/TD] [TD]0.5596[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: row2"] [TD="align: left"]2003[/TD] [TD="align: left"]TEX[/TD] [TD]146[/TD] [TD]529[/TD] [TD]66[/TD] [TD]137[/TD] [TD]26[/TD] [TD]84[/TD] [TD]44[/TD] [TD]120[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]0.2590[/TD] [TD]0.3311[/TD] [TD]0.4802[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: label"] [TD="class: bg4, colspan: 2, align: left"]10 Seasons [/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]1415[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]5368[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]893[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]1502[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]319[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]1038[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]706[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]1060[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]20[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]6[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]0.2798[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]0.3703[/TD] [TD="class: bg4, align: right"]0.5272[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
yeah I remembered he had his best year the first year in New York..... dude talk about a curse of the World Series Ring hahahahah.....
But when he signed, I would have taken his 3year avg #'s in a heart beat from the O-side, knowing how much he was going to SAVE us on the D-side. That's why I dont harp on Tex at the plate....but I expect the 3 year avg #'s. Yes right now, in a small sample, he is far below them and has to pick it up...which I think he will. We didnt sign him for his bat....but now, with all the others underperforming, somehow the expectations on Tex bat is suddenly thrust as a negative. His Dside is so significant...the # of plays he makes and how he improves the infield D is irreplaceable (from saving errors, and limiting pitch counts).....dont you all remember the Giambi years???? He doesnt miss games (plays 40 games, takes a day off, etc)...he is a stablizer and his D can not be overstated...where I do think his low batting avg has become too much of a focus...for what he does, if he rights himself to get to his Avg OPS of .8740...we should be thrilled. But Jeter, Cano, Grandy, Arod, and Swish have to do what we signed them to do.....! And in all this Oside...lets not forget that aside from CC.......Kuroda, Pineda, Nova, Hughes, Garcia, Pettitte, etc have not provided room for error. Let alone this season Rivera, Robertson, etc for now.....
Of course, I remember those years.....and yes I agree the 3 yr avg I would take too..... Can we just start the playoffs of the past 3 years over again? What he doesn't do in key spots, and the playoffs makes these numbers hallow to me.....It is like whenever there is a good pitcher on the mound he just doesnt hit.... But we all know why the pitcher gets the upper hand right BDH.....??
Remember this.....Great hitters collect 50% of their STATS in 25% of the games played in a season (proven consistently overtime in a game by game breakdown).....and slumps do more damage to their #'s in the remaining 75% of the games then the arms opposing them.! 50% of their production in 25% of the games (best 41games basically)...think about that reality from a fans standpoint!
Just read an amazing stat (at least I think it is), since 1997 when Rivera became the full time closer for the Yankees, the Yankees as a team saved 97% of games. The Pittsburgh Pirates, who have had at least 8 different closers during that 15 year period, saved 94% of the games. So as great as Rivera is it just shows you how overrated that "closer" position is.
% of games total (meaning out of 162)?????....or just % of wins that included a save....cause the big difference to is # of times NYY compared to PIT had a chance to WIN the game, and whether score presented a "save chance" that was successfully converted and included, etc. I can tell you NYY had 100% greater saves in Postseason than PIT since 1997....does that mean anything either? 3% difference is almost moot then, if I understand this stat correctly. I agree with the pretense, but I think % is confusing the facts some.
0% of what Pittsburgh's closers in the same timeframe did what Rivera has done in the playoffs and World Series..... People don't really realize just how staggeringly amazing his numbers are in October....and remember in his earlier years, he was called on many times for 2 innings saves...
% of save opportunities. I wasn't trying to argue or put down Rivera in anyway, and the post really isn't about him per se. Just showing you that the closer's role is overrated as is the "save" stat. People think you need a big name player to be an effective closer but you don't. The fact that the difference of saves between the greatest closer ever and random no name guys is only 3% over a 15 year time frame is pretty interesting. From 1997 to 2012 Rivera has 603 saves, the Pirates have 571 saves. That's a difference of 32 saves, but over the course of 15 seasons it comes out to Rivera getting 2.13 extra saves per year. Again this isn't a knock at all on Rivera, but when the greatest closer in the history of the sport is averaging 2.13 extra saves per year over non big name closers for a last place team it really goes to show you how overrated both the position and stat really is. Just thought it was an interesting stat that I would pass along.
SOLDS....(saves or holds) tell you more about your relief arms than this arbitrary max 3 run lead equals a save situation....or worse, when 9th inning comes around and a reliever puts runners on base, and the lead could be 4 or more runs, with no outs, and you then call on your "closer", to get the final out, and he is credited with a save, etc. Very silly stat, very silly concept adopted in Fantasy, when your entire relief corp contributes to holding down the opposing offense to let the O come back when trailing, or prevent a lead from being given up for that final out. I never understood how baseball MINDS allowed themselves to treat all 5 SPs in a rotation equally, but somehow pigeon-holed themselves into this non-equal relief system for measuring success. Saves is dumb is the best way to view it....SOLDS judges everyone the same (frankly HOLDs alone does that). You could remove the mindset of W or S and it wouldnt ruin the reality of the game in my book. Baseball is silly sometimes, no argument from me....and yes, PAYING for saves makes little sense.
I did something similar a few weeks ago to quantity just how dumb that Heath Bell contract is. From 2004 to 2011, when the Marlins started using random guys making no money, Marlins closers saved 85% of their save opportunities. Since Heath Bell became the Padres closer, he's saved 87% of his save opportunities. We effectively gave 30m to a closer who at his best, saves 2% more games than guys like Joe Burrowski and Todd Jones did. Most overrated position and stat there is. Completely maddening.
Unfortunately this isn't going to change anytime soon because there are way too many GMs in the game that feel the need to sign RPers to big money/year deals. It's really mind blowing.
