Tightness in his left trap. Yankees said they aren't concerned and he won't be getting an MRI. Either way this is the 2nd time this year he's either missed a start with a (minor) injury or came out of a start early. He's over 40, he hasn't thrown over 190 innings since 2009. This should be a concern whether he's going to hold up the whole year.
Not really, I want to see more of Nuno anyway.....If they were 10 games out I would be, but to be were they are I am happy...
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mariano-rivera-speaker-series-should-morph-into-annual-event-across-mlb-to-increase-intimacy-between-fans--players-222518842.html Like I said when this guy is gone, he will be gone as in wont see a genuine player and overall good guy like him again.....one of a kind....
No room for Arod and text to be honest! We are much better without them! Yeah the Yankees are using smoke and mirrors but I havent seen a Yankee team in a long time get back into games like this one does. Very clutch this season.
Also with losing the HR power that they were supposed to lose, they are tied for 4th place with home runs with 56
Do you hear that sound???? It's the sound of Baltimore crashing back down to earth. So much for their 1 run ball game winning skills huh?
You have to close that game out.....if JJ turns into a gas can they are in big trouble..... I gotta say Fink I read your post about they are doing it with smoke and mirrors and on offense I do agree somewhat, but damn dude I gotta say it is fun to watch....this team is doing all the little things I had only hoped to see them do over the past few years. All the moving runners over, going with whats given to you pitch location wise, sac flies, timely hitting...etc etc etc....all this without the home run YET they are Top 5 in HR's, if anything it basically proves you dont need marquee big dollar sluggers to hit HR's the Stadium is designed for them, I really hope the FO takes notice.... Pitching wise they are just good, they have decent pitchers 1-5 and a solid BP and that is the main crux of why they are where they are.... No worries though it will all change when Tex and A-Rod come back and I truly mean that.....Granderson is fitting in nicely to his traditional "cant hit sh%t" role.... Honestly ask yourself whats the difference between Overbay and Tex right now for this year as it stands? Besides slightly better defense from Tex and about 22M......
Oh I'm sure it is fun to watch. And at the end of the day who cares how the Yankees are winning, as long as they're winning right? Sure they're probably overachieving a bit right now but they're winning baseball games. And yes the main reason why they're this good is because of their pitching. As far as Overbay and Tex, seriously Teixeira (if he's fully healthy) is absolutely an upgrade from Overbay. That shouldn't even be a question. I know Overbay has gotten so big hits for the team but he's still hitting only .264/.301/.493/.794, that's not very good.
Tex Last year was .251/.332/.475/.807.... Ok I know LO is only what 50 games in? As opposed to Tex played 123, so we are a little less than 1/2 way there....we can revisit this at the end of the year but this will be the 2nd year Tex doesn't get 100 RBI's in a row...stats are on the decline, while age and injuries are on the increase....If he was getting paid what LO is I wouldnt have a problem, but in baseball I a holding them to their contract that they sign..... All you can hope for is that the FO wakes up and realizes you cant shell out mega-deals anymore.....it very rarely works....As I say that Cano looms with his megadeal Dude who knows honestly what htye are going to get with Tex when he comes back, wrist injuries are *** kickers...
First stop with the RBI talk, it's a not a skill, it's a function of guys getting on base ahead of him. It by no means should matter when determining a player's skill or worth. Plus if Tex doesn't get 100 RBI it's going to be because of health, which is what cost Tex last year. But even IF you wanted to use that did you know Overbay has a total of zero seasons with over 100 RBIs? Heck he only has 3 seasons of over 70 RBIs. Let's give Overbay more at bats before we start saying he's better than Tex ok? Even in Tex's worst year, he was still better than Overbay's best year. I understand we have no way of knowing if Teixeira will be good or even fully healthy this year but IF he is healthy he's a big upgrade over Overbay. He just is.
yeah and a function of him actually driving them in...how does one do that? hitting a ball isnt a skill lol? Thats what I said the past 2 post and no Fink Tex is there to drive runs in....I get the sabermetrics of players and am a fan of it, but some guys I like it for and some guys I dont care about it for and Tex is one of them....Tex is there to drive runs in and hit long balls, thats why you deal with his low batting avg and avg obp.....getting 100 RBI at the pace he was on for I am sorry isnt impressive for the money he is making and the role he fills....
Oh come on. In the 4 years Teixeira was on the Yankees he played in 156 games, 158 games, 156 games and 123 games while hitting 39 HRs, 33 HRs, 39 HRs and 24 HRs while driving in 122 runs, 108 runs, 111 runs and 84 runs. It's pretty obvious why he didn't drive in over 100 runs or hit over 30 HRs last year and it's because he didn't play as many games as the previous 3 years because he was injuried. Now if you want to talk about his health moving forward let's talk but when the guys is playing he hits HRs and drives in runs even with his declining numbers in BA, OBP, SLG and OPS. Overbay is nowhere near the player Teixeira is, even a declining Teixeira. Let's not go crazy here. Seriously look at Overbay's career stats they're not even close to Tex's numbers. Hitting the ball is a skill, driving in runs is not. It's a function of having guys on base. Which is why it's rare that guys in the 1 or 2 hole don't drive in 100 runs a year and why on almost every team each year your 3rd and 4th place hitter drive in 100. Case in point, Jeter is a HOFer he's had 1 season of 100 RBIs, his next highest mark is 97 and after that just 1 season of over 80 RBIs. Ichiro is a HOF, the highest total of RBI has ever had is 69 yet is a career 321 hitter. Is Ichiro just bad hitting with guys on? Nope he's a career .322 hitter with RISP and .321 with runners on base. Jeter is a career .312 hitter with runners on, .303 with RISP and .314 with no runners on base and is a career .313 hitter. So why again don't they both drive in as more runs? Because they spent the most time batting in the top spots, if you put them in the 3 or 4 hole of course they'd have over 100 RBI seasons. Heck Pete Rose has the most hits in baseball and never drove in 100 runs. This is why driving in runs is not a skill but a function of having runners on base to drive them in.
You like using the past I really don't as far as numbers are concerned it is a nice model but no means a real accurate predictor as age starts to creep up over 30 years old...you know what is an accurate predictor? injuries and age...he has missed two out of the last 3 playoffs and now this year he has started out on the DL since the beginning with a mysterious injury that could zap his power for the year very easily not to mention missed a 1/4 of the year last year as well.....the numbers you displayed 3 years ago are just that in the past..... fact is they are going to stick with him because for one reason besides he still MIGHT have something left in the tank....the money.....just like they will roll out A-Rod over Youk or even Adams even though he isn't the better option at this point.... And I am missing the point Fink, hitting the ball is a skill BUT driving in runs which is done by hitting the ball isn't? I am busting your balls and know what you are saying but I disagree in that you still need to hit the actual ball to drive in the meaningless stat unless you BB w/ the bases loaded 100 times a year.....if anything it is MORE of a skill to hit with runners on and more importantly in scoring position and even more importantly with 2 outs..... Everybody has roles, Jeter/Ich/Elsbury all have a different roles than Tex whose sole purpose is to have gawdy meaningless HR/RBI stats..... Same can be said for SP and CP's.... Again to me brother man as always it is about the cash....I hate these contracts, and they have him for 4 MORE YEARS....arggggggggggggggggghhhhhhh!!!!
We're not arguing anything except who's better between Overbay and a healthy Teixeira. So the dollar figure and/or contract length involved is irrelevant here. You're talking about age, yet you're favoring a guy that's 4 years older? You're also talking about injuries and yes the past two years Teixeira has been hurt but do you also know the last time Overbay played over 150 games was in 2010? And the reason for that has been a combination of injuries and poor performance. You're choosing Overbay based on less than 150 at bats and even in those at bats he hasn't really been that good. Yes he's had some big hits but the fact is he's batting .229/.317/.371/.689 in those at bats. I don't think there's anyone that would choose Overbay over a healthy Teixeira in a vaccum. As far as its a skill to hit with RISP, how is it any different then hitting without a guy on base? It's actually easier to hit with runners on as the pitcher isn't doing his full wind up thus it's possible they lose a little off their pitches and also factoring in other moving parts like fielders playing out of position to keep runners on or catchers not calling off speed stuff for fear of wild pitches etc. If hitting with RISP is a skill then why if you have a large sample size are the majority of players career stat line very similar to the stat line with runners on? It's a myth. The examples I used with Jeter and Ichiro should be a closed case.
ok ok.....healthy Tex..... It probably is different....there is more pressure I would think....people handle things differently is different situations..... It probably explains Swisher, Granderson, and Tex playoff failures...
If it's so different hitting with runners on base/RISP then why are stat slash line numbers usually similar to when there are no one on base? I do agree that there are times when players handle things differently but given a large sample things usually even out. But it's not like players aren't trying or trying harder based on a different situation. As far as Tex, Swisher and Granderson, could it also be just a small sample size?
As compared to a whole season yea small, as compared to playoffs series they have alot of AB's (think about the avg ballplayer they dont have 140+ abs playoff wise) and all 3 of their slash lines are beyond awful.....they are definitely doing something different....or the stage is too big for them.... But backpeddling a bit here you have a guy on 3rd less than 2 you need to get the run home your approach at the plate most certainly changes as opposed to coming up with no men on to start the inning..... I love the morph of this discussion it went from Tex/LO to slash lines to playoff failures we covered everything Fink!!!
Hey I love talking about baseball, so whatever you or anyone else wants to talk about I'm game for it. The problem with playoffs is that it's truly hard to judge a player since the sample is too small. We're talking about anywhere between a 3 to 7 game sample here depending on the round. It's less than a month's worth of data if each round goes the maximum amount of games. Plus is the player not performing because of the added pressure or bad luck or simply a slump or facing tougher pitching? Case in point in 2009 for example in the first 2 rounds Arod batted over .400 then in the WS he batted .250 what does that really tell us? Was the WS too much pressure for him to take? Take a look at Derek Jeter, who's considered a big game type player, he's had some bad series too. In those series did the pressure get too tough for him? Or just a bad week/series? I do admit some players the pressure doesn't bother them (Jeter, Schilling for example) while some guys it can get in their heads a bit and they tighten up at times and try to do too much. I'm just saying it's hard for us as fans to determine that without getting into the player's head/mind set. And I do think it's unfair to judge players on such small samples. As far as your example, how is the mind set any different? Isn't the ultimate goal of any hitter not to make an out/get on base? Your approach at the plate shouldn't really change.
I am on the fence on this one. I am a stat guy, but on the other hand, I am one that thinks approaches DO change with people on base. Obviously not everyone, but I think its clear some people hit better with people on because of a few different reasons, but its still there. People step up to the plate in big situations and deliver more then some, same thing with RBIs. Tex is a weird situation IMO. He does seem to handle men on base fine and doesn't fold under pressure of that situation. However, during the playoffs he is just bad and at this point its more then a small sample size.
I admit I don't think it's as easy as saying Mariano Rivera is a good closer or Jeff Francoeur is allergic to walks. I looked at 20 players or so stat lines yesterday and didn't really see a huge difference in stats between runners on base vs. bases empty. When I say huge difference I'm talking about a 25 or higher point difference here. You would think that having a runner(s) on base would put more pressure on the batter to produce however usually their stats are in fact better with runners on, most likely due to the change in the pitcher's approach to the at bat in terms of pitch selection, pitching from the windup vs. stretch, defensive positioning, who's the base runner etc. while and this shouldn't be a surprise the pitcher's stats are usually worse. I think the main reason more than anything as to why players don't perform well in the playoffs is simply because they're facing better competition especially better pitching. And again of course we're talking about a couple of games sample here which is why sometimes the David Ecksteins of the world win these post season MVP awards and Albert Pujolss doesn't and thus get the clutch or gritty label while the latter gets the choker one. Of course a lot of it is public perception too. I mean Reggie Jackson is a career .278/.358/.527/.885 hitter in the post season in 77 games and 318 plate appearances has hit 18 HRs and 48 RBIs and is considered one of the best post season performers ever. While Alex Rodriguez is looked at as a playoff choker. You know what his post season numbers are? He's a career .263/.369/.464/.833 hitter in 75 games and in 326 plate appearances hit 13 HRs and 41 RBIs. So why is Jackson looked at so highly while Arod isn't? Numbers are very similar here.
Well the difference between Reggie and Alex is that .885 post seasons OPS is above Reggie's career line, where as Alex's .833 is over 100 points lower then his career. You take Alex Rodriguez's 2009 post season away from him and his numbers would probably be down right awful, with a large sample size. I am with you as far as sample size where a couple of post seasons is ridiculous, but at some point all those ABs add up to a bigger sample size.
Yes they have been down right awful for a player like him but Arod was a good post season player up until the 2004 ALCS, specifically after Game 3. So why was he so good in those series before that with Seattle and New York? Was that a fluke? Could he not handle the pressure once he got to NY? If that's true why did he destroy the Twins in the '04 ALDS? We don't have real/true the answers to that. Again going back to Jeter, for example, he's had some great series and then some awful ones himself. Could he not handle the pressures in those series he did poorly or was it just a bad week? Again hard to answer. But if it was just simply a bad series/week for Jeter why can't the same be said for Arod since he's shown the ability to do well in October, just obviously not as consistent as Jeter. Simply playing devil's advocate here of course.
As well that is a large sample size comparatively speaking, think about how many players that play in baseball and the ones who have 130 AB's in the playoffs are in the vast minority...you can infer tendencies based on their samples..... hey going forward maybe they start all raking and the avgs even out, but up to now at present time they are failures in the playoffs....Cano included....
I understand. I get what your saying and I agree to an extent. I actually agreed with you about ARod prior to the 2010 season. He had a lot of ups and downs and I felt like he was treatly unfairly. I was happy for his big 2009 because I felt like he got the monkey off his back. However, and whether it be because of injuries or not, he has been downright awful for the past 3 post seasons. Then add into that the couple of post seasons he was terrible with the yankees prior. All the sudden you look at ARod with the Yankees and him having one good post season in the pinstripes and I finally realized that all those haters were right about him choking in the playoffs. Alex already admitted he pressed in Texas with the weight of that massive contract on his shoulders. Add in NY, the contract and the post season, and I could see him crumbling because of that. This is from an outsiders perspective obviously. For all I know there could of been injuries no one knew about leading into the playoffs a lot of years, similar to last post season.
Fink take for example guy on 3rd less than 2 outs, you obviously want to drive the run in via a hit, do some damage, zone a ball right??.......you go 1-2 or 2-2 .....now you not only are in protect mode of the plate but you are in "get the guy in" mode....so a groundball to the right side of the field or a sac fly gets the guy in right? BUT it doesnt show up as a hit and the percentages going down however he A) changed his approach and B) got the job done..... AB's change during the course of an AB as well no? a guy who is 3-0/1 can zone something as opposed to a guy who is 0-2 1-2 who is looking to protect and fight off pitches to get the count even....or even better 3-2....different mind sets that dictate the way you bat..... that was and is my gripe about Granderson and Tex...they don't do that....those 2 guys bat one way all the time and it is frustrating as hell....Swish was a different story he would adjust and has success doing it, he just didn't perform in the playoffs....
one reason for that......you are correct... the contract, anytime you sign for that much you better perform especially in NY......nobody says don't take that money but you have to expect pushback if you don't you know.... Pujols is next....speaking of which my God that contract maybe worse than A-Rod because they have him for 8 more years...
I think the main reason why Arod has been so bad the past 3 years have been the injuries. Especially last year, like you said, when he was playing with a bum hip and couldn't pull a 88 MPH fastball, I don't think it had anything to do with him being a "choker". If you want get around on a pitch because you're hurt its hard to judge him on that. Again though in 2010 he played in 9 games and got 38 PAs, in 2011 he played in 5 games and 23 PAs and in 2012 7 games and 27 PAs. So we're talking about a weeks worth of at bats here.
Approach changes sure but the goal doesn't, if that makes sense. The goal is always to not make an out/get on base, whether there are guys on base or not. But obviously if you're in a hitter's count 2-0, 3-0, 3-1 for example as a hitter you might be looking for a specific pitch at a specific location and if you don't get it you'll take the pitch, unlike when you have 2 strikes and you need to try and protect the plate and swing at any pitches that might be boardline. But that wouldn't change based on if there are guys on base or not. You need to be able to adjust during an at bat to certain pitches, locations and count but again that's something hitters need to do no matter what the situation is.
I agree to a point, yes the perfectionist all these guys are of course they dont want to make any out sure.....I think they live with it IF they get the run in.... The ultimate goal in this situation IMO is putting the ball in play and not striking out....
....dude my "you better hope not" comment I meant the Bruins...... I hate the Bruins I am an Oiler fan...I was busting your aggets......I think??? Boston looks good right now.....
Too bad but I think we all knew he wasn't an everyday catcher but the numbers aren't good since the trade....
Lose/Lose trade for both teams so far. Everyone knew he wasn't an everyday MLB catcher, but you have to wonder if he's poor play has something to do with the Seattle system. Him, Ackley, Smoak al has regressed as hitters/prospects in that system. You wonder if its something the coaching staff is or isn't doing with the younger players. Granted not every prospect is going to turn out to be good but it's something to question.
Maybe, still really early to tell. All depends on what Pineda looks like once he gets on the mound at the MLB level and whether or not he can perform and stay healthy.
He did prove in 2011 he has the stuff to compete at the MLB level, your right though whether post surgery he repeats it is another matter....I will say though it wont be hard to out-perform Jesus who outside the stats at the end of his Yankee year hasnt been not good at all....
BDH!!!!! Where oh where has the Hunt gone?? My father said they used to say in Vietnam, that "soldiers went in the jungle to take a piss and the cows ate them"...... Did a cow eat you BDH??
