Friday, May 30, 2008

Own The Legacy

Upper Deck is running a pretty neat promotion right now.

They've inserted 6,661 different cards into assorted packs of Upper Deck cards, they're calling it the Yankee Stadium Legacy set.

One card to represent each game or event played at Yankee Stadium.

I'm told this is the largest card set ever produced.

Check out their Own The Legacy page for more information.

Is Melky's Starting Job Secure?

Everybody loves Melky.

He brings a whole bunch of energy and usually looks like he's actually having fun playing the game. He has handled the pressure of being the Yankess starting center fielder pretty well, and we all know how great his defense has been.

His hitting though, still hasn't really come around.

As of today, he's currently hitting .254 with 6 homeruns and 21 RBI. In 2007 he finished the season at .273. In 2006 he was at .280.

He's in quite a slump right now, but overall on the season he doesn't seem to be providing the team with that spark that he had been the last two years.

Meanwhile in Scranton, Lefty Brett Gardner is hot. Through 48 games he's hitting .281 with 3 homeruns and 21 RBI. He has also hit 6 triples and stolen 18 bases. He has also yet to make an error this year, and has 2 outfield assists. He's fast, he's a smart base runner and he's the kind of guy that opposing teams do not want reaching base.

He might be just the kind of player the Yankees need to get their offense going.

Right now Melky is in no danger of losing his job. However if he continues to struggle and if Gardner keeps up the pace he's at right now, it's going to be hard to ignore him.

Just something to keep an eye on.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Bullpen Moves?

With Joba moving into the rotation, the Yankees will have to shake up their bullpen a bit.

It's becoming more and more clear that Ross Ohlendorf needs to spend some time in the minors, and that something is just not right with LaTroy Hawkins.

Hawkins seems like one of those cases where because of his contract, he's given a lot of wiggle room in the majors. That's really to bad, because his 6.75 ERA is downright terrible.

He's becoming the Kyle Farnsworth of last year. Each time he enters a game, Yankee fans cringe.

Batters are hitting .308 off him with runners in scoring position, and .317 overall with men on.

I think you'll see Chris Britton replace Ohlendorf soon. Who could replace Hawkins?

I think J.B Cox and Mark Melancon should keep pitching in the minors for a bit. They can be great, but lets give them time.

One name to look at is Dan Giese. He's a 31 year old journeyman starter who was having great success up until his last outing. He could take Hawkins spot on the roster and fill in as the long reliever for awhile. So basically you have Britton take over Hawkins roll, and Giese take over the roll Ohlendorf has been pitching.

This would only be temporary, until Cox, Melancon or even Jeff Karstens are ready.

But again, I doubt they move Hawkins. His contract will keep him afloat in the majors for awhile.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Turning Point.

Yesterday could end up being a day that Yankee fans point to later in the season as the day things turned around.

Up until yesterday, the Yankees seemed almost bored to be playing. Yesterdays win was a good one. The whole team looked alive, and I hope they hold onto that feeling.

It was also announced, that Joba Chamberlain is beginning his switch to the starting rotation. He threw 35 pitches last night, which is more than he has thrown all year.

There's no word on how long it'll take to get him there, but this is an exciting change.

Don't count the Yankees out yet. They are still capable of stringing some wins together and getting back into race.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Have We Hit the Low Point?

Eventually, the Yankees will hit the lowest point, and bounce back. They just can't play this bad all season long.

Last nights game was very ugly. In my opinion, the ugliest of the season so far. The Yankees looked lost, frustrated and weak.

Have the Yankees finally hit bottom?

Can they really fall any further?

They are 3-7 in their last 10, and have lost 4 in a row.

In their last 5 games, the Yankees are hitting .206. That's the worst in all of MLB for this last week.

Through 5 games they are also sporting a 5.81 ERA, the third worst mark in MLB.

This has to be rock bottom. Eventually, the trend needs to change. There's really nowhere to go but up.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Headphones.




Headphones: Invented to be used to drown out Red Sox fans at work and in everyday life. Especially on days like this when the Red Sox stock seems to keep rising just as fast as the Yankees falls.



Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Andy?

I love Andy Pettitte. His demeanor, his glare under the bill of his cap, and of course his many great games in a Yankee uniform.

But somethings not right with him currently. Andy's last 3 starts have been terrible:

16.1 IP, 20 hits, 12 ER, 3 HRs, for a 6.61 ERA.

And, all season long, he's been getting pummeled in pressure situations. This year, with men on base, opponents are hitting .371 against Andy, including hitting .293 with runners in scoring position.

Andy is also getting beat up as the game goes on. In a hitters first at bat against Andy, they're hitting .242. But the second time around batters are hitting .311, and after that they're hitting .328...

Is he not adjusting? Is he getting fatigued? I'm not sure, but the Yankees need more from him if they're going to survive.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Coming Around?

I remember last year, I tracked Abreu's numbers through the first couple months. He was hitting third in the order, but he just looked lost. It was clear that the Yankees needed him to figure it out in order to succeed.

This year, it's Cano and Giambi that the Yankees need to start hitting. Lately, they've been showing signs of life.

Cano in the last 6 games is hitting .364 and sporting a .391 OBP and an impressive .727 SLG. Yankee fans have to hope this keeps up. If Cano starts turning it on, things will improve quickly for the Yankees.
Also, a sort of pointless stat, but Cano is hitting .538 in the 5th inning of games. In 13 ABs during the 5th inning, he has 7 hits.

Giambi has also looked better. In his last 5 games, he's hitting .333 with a .421 OBP and a whooping .933 SLG.

They're both small sample sizes, but the results are the same. If these guys keep it going, the rest of the league will have to watch out. The Yankees will start putting up some powerful offensive numbers.