Yankees spring training notes on a quiet day

Wally Matthews quoted a source today who said Hal Steinbrenner may be beginning to break from his payroll cutting mandate. Are we surprised, I though eventually you might hear something about this. They are saying he may want to spend significantly in the off-season. He has said in the last couple of days they have reached out to Scott Boras and stated the desire to keep Robinson Cano and pay him a huge amount. 
David Price said that he wouldn’t be a Yankee long term because of their facial hair policy. Derek Jeter had a great quote about that basically saying do you think any player wouldn’t come because of that?? He is right basically saying it is about the money and if that is right a player won’t turn that down.

The Yankees went through pop up drills today. Joe Girardi said Jeter looked ok, he didn’t want him running all over the place so they still took it easy with him but he did some work and came out ok.

Girardi said he is impressed by the young power arms he is seeing. He said it isn’t just one or two either. The Yankees to seem to have a lot of quality pitching in their minor leagues and this is good for them if they want to keep that payroll down. It is always important to develop your own pitchers, if you can do that then you are in really good shape.

Curtis Granderson was in center and Brett Gardner in left during drills today. Girardi said don’t read into that though. Phil Hughes should be out about two weeks. The Yankees aren’t too concerned about him right now but it is a bulging disk in his back and he needs rest, they will have to worry a little bit until he comes back and is past the issue. Eduardo Nunez almost got hit by Joba Chamberlain in batting practice today and Kelvin Perez was hit in his non pitching elbow by a come backer.

It is about time for some games and more to talk about, it is pretty tedious right now and not much really going on. There isn’t much to say at this point and really nothing to analyze. That will all change soon though as the games begin on Saturday.

Recap of todays Yankees game and some Notes

The New York Yankees took it on the chin today losing to the Toronto Blue Jays by the score of 9-1. The story of the game though wasn't the final outcome it was Francisco Cervelli getting beaned in the head and leaving the game. He did seem ok on the field and was helped off of it but did get up under his own power. He was taken to a local hospital for precautionary testing which included a CT scan. The tests were negative and he said he was feeling a little dizzy and had a headache but he should be back in a couple of days. The story of the game on the field would be A.J. Burnett making his first start. He wasn't great but he was happy that he got his work in and did what he wanted to do. He was throwing only a fastball and changeup and as Joe Girardi said, his out pitch is the curveball and if you take that away, it is a different pitcher. He wasn't concerned with the results, just that he got his work in and starts to feel good about his changeup. His line on the day was 1 2/3 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs and 1 walk. He guessed that he threw 10 changeups on the day. Here is what Jorge Posada said about his outing "He's starting it down, that's the big thing. He's finishing it well. There was one of them that was up, hit off the end of the bat, but I thought he did a great job." Boone Logan was very impressive again, in his debut he retired all 4 batters he faced and 3 were lefties. Today he pitched 2 perfect innings with 2 strikeouts. I know it is early but he is really making a case to be the second lefty if the yankees carry one. Jonathan Albaladejo on the flip side was just awful, it was actually painful to watch. He got torched for 7 hits and 5 runs in 1/3 of an inning. He also walked a batter. That is his second bad outing, I don't think he will be making the team out of spring training this year. Mark Melancon continues to impress, the Yankees still have high hopes for him. He pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up 0 runs on 1 hit and had a strikeout. Andrew Brackman who really struggled last year after coming back from Tommy John surgery but has looked better in bullpens was bad today also. He pitched 1 inning giving up 3 hits and 2 runs. The other guys who pitched were Romulo Sanchez who pitched an inning giving up a hit and walk but 0 runs and Jason Hirsch who pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. The offense didn't do much at all. Reegie Corona, Brandon Laird, Colin Curtis,Austin Romine, Juan Miranda and Kevin Russo all had a hit. If you notice these are all minor league guys. Colin Curtis has been impressive so far this spring and Reegie Corona is a guy they like, he has been known for his defense. Austin Romine is right behind Jesus Montero as top catching prospect and Juan Miranda has had big numbers in AAA and Kevin Russo is a super utility type guy who has a outside chance of making the team. The lone RBI was a groundout off the bat of Ramiro Pena who is the frontrunner to be the utility guy again this year. Francisco Cervelli obviously will not make the trip tomorrow, Mike Rivera will take his place. Amaury Sanit will also not make the trip after appearing in todays game. Dave Eiland confirmed today that Mariano Rivera, Damaso Marte and Chan Ho Park will all throw a batting practice session on Monday. They are the only pitchers who have yet to face live batters. Andy Pettitte is pitching a 2 inning simulated game tomorrow and will move forward as if it was a real game. This will count as his first outing Dave Eiland said. Nick Johnson took batting practice today and felt good afterward. He said "I took a few swings in the cage, felt loose." Kei Igawa pitched well yesterday and Joe Girardi didn't rule out the idea of him creating a place for himself as a lefty reliever. I would bet against him ever pitching for the Yankees again though but you never know. The Yankees will play the Twins tomorrow afternoon in Fort Myers.

A-rod to meet with Feds and A.J. adapts to Change

There were a couple of pretty big stories coming out of Tampa today. The first one has to do with Alex Rodriguez although this time he is not the focus. The Feds will meet with him regarding Dr. Tony Galea, the association is with Dr. Mark Lindsay who was managing A-rods hip rehab. New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes met with the Feds already as part of this same investigation. Here is what A-rod had to say "This is about someone else, I am going to cooperate as best as I can and focus on baseball." The Yankees issued a press release that said "The New York Yankees have not been contacted with regard to an investigation of Dr. Tony Galea. The Yankees never authorized Dr. Tony Galea to treat Alex Rodriguez, nor do we have any knowledge of such treatment. The Yankees authorized Dr. Marc Philippon to operate on Alex and oversee his rehabilitation. At the request of Dr. Philippon, we also authorized Dr. Marc Lindsay to supervise the daily rehabilitation program established by Dr. Philippon. We will continue to monitor the situation." A.J. Burnett threw live batting practice today, he threw 30 pitches. He didn't throw a curveball and said he thinks he threw 12 changeups. He said he knows what other teams scouting report will be on his changeup "Has one, never threw it but he might." He has spent the winter trying to improve his changeup, which he has only thrown occasionally in his career. He only threw fastballs and changeups today and said he will probably do that through his first 2 or 3 starts of the spring. He said watching CC throw last year and he is a power guy and how much he used the changeup and how good of a pitch it was for him basically inspired A.J. to try and better himself. I love to see this with these pitchers, I really feel the group the Yankees have push each other and they aren't satisfied with winning the World Series, they want to keep winning. Andy Pettitte is the only pitcher throwing batting practice tomorrow, he will do so at about 9:00AM, there will be a few others who will throw a normal bullpen. The players will be out of camp by 10:00AM for there big group outing which we still don't know what it is. I guess we will find out tomorrow but it looks like it may be another pool tournament. Chan Ho Park threw 35 pitches today and Damaso Marte threw 25, they will both throw again on Wednesday. Andrew Brackman threw BP on a backfield and was impressive for his first time out. He is still a guy the Yankees have high hopes for, this is a big year for him to start to show what he has.

News and Notes from Yankees Camp

Chan Ho Park arrived in camp today, he said he has been throwing in Korea. He long tossed today and will throw a bullpen tomorrow. Edwar Ramirez was designated for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster for Park. The official press release from the Yankees can be found here. Chan Ho Park will wear number 61. Brian Cashman said they are treating him like today was his first day of spring training, which it was technically. He was throwing bullpens and training in Korea but the Yankees will start his throwing program the same way they did the other pitchers. He will throw a bullpen tommorrow and Cashman said he won't get into a game the first week of exhibition games. That still will give him enough time to be ready for opening day, the Yankees just don't want to rush him and have him get hurt. Here are the pitchers who threw live batting practice today: Group 1-Joba Chamberlain, CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes,Boone Logan,Zach McAllister,Ivan Nova,Hector Noesi. Group 2: Kei Igawa,Dustin Moseley,D.J. Mitchell, Mark Melancon,Jeremy Bleich,Kevin Whelan. CC Sabathia threw 28 pitches today. He faced Mike Rivera,Marcus Thames,Randy Winn and Nick Johnson. He said this "They didn't take many swings, but it is good to have that hitter judge your pitches. It doesn't matter whether they swing or not." He was asked if he is ready to finally pitch in a game and he said " We will see, I feel good though. My bullpens went real well, I get Monday off then throw another bullpen, so I will be fine. I'm looking forward to it. Today definitely helped, getting back going and getting used to facing guys."

The Day in Mets Camp

Here is a list of Mets pitchers for the intrasquad game on Monday, the first exhibition game will be on Tuesday. There is also a list for the first 3 exhibition games. March 1-Egbert,Everts,Blackley,Niese,Stoner,Dickey,Mejia March 2 vs Atlanta-Figueroa,Takahashi,Parnell,Dessens March 3 at Atlanta-Misch,Feliciano March 4 vs St. Louis-Dickey,Stoner Jerry Manuel said today that he doesn't believe that Kelvim Escobar will be able to contribute at the beginning of the year and may start it on the disabled list. He didn't rule out that he could start with the team but he hasn't even thrown off a mound yet, nevermind even throwing BP or in a game. There are some good pictures and video as always on Matthew Cerrones Metsblog.com which can be found at http://metsblog.com

Recap of the day in Mets Camp

Jenrry Mejia threw live batting practice today. He was wild but Jerry Manuel was impressed with the natural cut on his fastball. Jon Niese and R.A. Dickey also threw batting practice and according to SNY producer Matt Dunn, Niese was happy to just be throwing again. The team had a media training this morning and Darryl Strawberry, John Franco and Mookie Wilson all spoke during the meeting. The Mets announced their will be a interleague game on Monday and Nelson Figueroa will open the grapefruit league on Tuesday. Arturo Lopez has cleared waivers and will return to camp as a non roster invitee. Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News is reporting the Mets have made an offer to lefty reliever Joe Beimel. Top prospect Ike Davis is drawing a lot of buzz around camp. Jerry Manuel said today he envisions a opening day lineup of Angel Pagan, Luis Castillo,Jose Reyes,Jason Bay, David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Jeff Francouer and Rod Barajas. He said he could flip flop Bay and Wright. He said he thinks Ike Davis would best be served down in the minors. I agree with this you don't want to rush the kid, he is the first baseman of the future, you have to be patient with him and let him develop. He also said he thought Luis Castillo had a good year last year despite the dropped pop up agains the Yankees and expects him to be good this year. To see some video and photos of todays action in Port St. Lucie visit here

The Day in Tampa

There really wasn't a whole lot of news coming out of Yankees camp today. Brian Cashman did indicate that Marcus Thames have a opt out of his contract if he doesn't make the team so basically him and Jaime Hoffman are in the same position. If Hoffman doesn't make the team he has to be offered back to the Dodgers due to him being a Rule 5 pick. If thames doesn't make it he can become a free agent. Joe Girardi stated that he would have a team bonding exercise on Tuesday but wouldn't say what it was yet. He also said he knows who will start Wednesdays Grapefruit league opener and will announce that tomorrow. Joe Girardi said that he will put both Gardner and Granderson in left and center during the exhibition games. He said he knows they can both handle center but wants to see if they can handle left. Mariano Rivera and Damaso Marte will each throw a bullpen on Monday which will be their first one. Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain both threw batting practice today. Hughes threw 29 pitches getting 6 swings. Joba threw 30 pitches and got 7 swings. Chad Jennings of the Journal News said he probably would say Chamberlain had the better commnad. You really can't find out much from these sessions, during the games is when you find out a lot. Joba and Phil are both taking this competition as fun, they are friends and were joking about it today. If you want to hear some audio of them visit the http://yankees.lhblogs.com/ which is the Lohud Yankees Blog by Chad Jennings and Sam Borden. A.J. Burnett, Javier Vazquez and Wilken De La Rosa all threw bullpens today. The other pitchers who threw live batting practice other then Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes were Boone Logan, Dustin Mosely, Edwar Ramirez and Mark Melancon. The other group consisted of Kei Igawa, Zach McAllister, Ivan Nova, Kevin Whelan, Hector Noesi, Jeremy Bleich and D.J. Mitchell. There was still no sign of Chan Ho Park, maybe he will arrive tomorrow.

Down in Port St. Lucie

The New York Mets held their first official full squad workout today. Here are some of the highlights. The team had a meeting with the coaches this morning and then hit the field for the workout. The workout was focused on running the bases and defensive fundamentals. Johan Santana threw a side session and Oliver Perez, John Maine,Mike Pelfrey and Fernando Nieve all threw batting practice. Jerry Manuel talked about last year and how you have to move on. He said the team is more angry then embarrassed about last season but they have to put it behind them and move on. He said that K-rod has pink eye and is not with the team. Manuel spoke about David Wright and said he was impressed with his batting practice session today. Jerry Manuel said that Citi Field didn't have a negative impact on David Wrights power it was just one of those years. I don't buy that at all, I think he changed his swing because of the field and then got all out of whack and it just led to a down year. Jerry Manuel said he didn't get to see Oliver Perez bullpen but heard he was outstanding and this was his best yet. Jerry Manuel believes that Perez has made a concious effort to be mentally and physically ready this year. If you want to see some good pictures and some videos of the days events down in Port St. Lucie then go to http://metsblog.com This is Matthew Cerrones great Mets blog and he is down in Port St. Lucie with the team, he has videos and pictures and lots of good information so make sure you go and check it out.

New York Mets News from Port St. Lucie

Here is some of what Jerry Manuel the Mets manager had to say today down in Port St. Lucie. He said that reliever Pedro Feliciano is working on a cutter and feels it can be a good weapon for him. He hopes that Sean Greens prounounced submarine delievery doesn't make him a specialist. He said he doesn't know Rod Barajas well but does not about his ability to handle pitching staffs. He will wait and see how the catching competion pans out before he decides how many games Baraja will start. The Mets are looking at Hisanori Takahashi as a Darren Oliver type pitcher. That means a guy who can come in for multiple innings or they also may use him as a situational lefty. He said lastly that Fernando Nieve will be in competion for the long man out of the bullpen but he feels he is versatile enough to be a 8th inning guy or starter. There are a bunch of photos and some video diaries on http://metsblog.com Matthew Cerrone does a great job and you should check it out. Rod Baraja arrived in camp this morning and is in pretty good shape even though he just signed and pitchers and catchers have been there for a week already. He will wear number 21. Arturo Lopez was designated for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster for Barajas. Both of the new Japanese pitchers threw live batting practice today. Mets catchers today were involved in extensive drills. The drills included blocking balls in the dirt, throwing to first and second base and working on popups. The Mets full squad will officially report tomorrow although a lot of them have been down there and popping in and out.

Yankees Hold First Full Squad Workout

The New York Yankees held their first full squad workout today. The day started with Derek Jeter addressing the media. It went basically as expected with the majority of the questions being about him being in the last year of his contract. He said that this will be the only time he will talk about it all season, he won't mention it again until after the season is over. He stated this is always where he wanted to be and that is still the same. He said he can't worry about next year because he is worried about this year and what he has to do to help the team win. I know everyone wants to talk about it but it will never be an issue, the Yankees and Jeter will always be synonomous together and this will be taken care of very easily after the season is over. The workouts went pretty much as you would expect. There was 8 groups of players for batting practice, there was fielding practice and there were a few pitches who threw bullpens. Tomorrow live batting practice will begin. Joe Girardi said he expected it to get louder with the position players being around. The problem is Nick Swisher who may be the most rowdy and fun player forgot a plug to his IPOD, he said don't worry he will have it for tomorrow. Tomorrow A-rod will meet with the media in the morning. Curtis Granderson had a few things to say today. He said that he has to prepare for the roll call, " I have got to prepare for that, I got to talk to these guys to understand the full logic and understanding and concept of it all to make sure I don't mess it up." It is still a get to know you time for Granderson and he said " It is kind of like the first day of school all over again. There are a bunch of names that if you quiz me right now, I might forget them." Joe Girardi said he is very pleasant and a hard worker. He just seems like a real quality person. I will have more information later on tonight about the batting practice pairings and bullpens etc. so check back for more later. It is almost time for the games to begin and then we can really start getting into the baseball season.

New York Mets Notes from Florida

The New York Mets had some news coming out of florida today. According to the Star Ledger of NJ Brian Costa who talked to GM Omar Minaya today he said that Henry Blanco would be the backup and the starters job would come down to either Josh Thole or Omir Santos. The 23 year old Thole hit 321 with 3 extra base hits in 17 games for the Mets last season. It looks like they were impressed with how he handled the pitchers. I think the best thing for him would be to go down to AAA and get some more seasoning in before coming up to the majors later on in the year but with this being the Mets who knows what they will do. Jose Reyes had a informal workout today and there is some video of him on Matt Cerrone http://metsblog.com/. He was at tradition field where he did agility drills, jogging, batting practice and fielded ground balls. He said this " I have been doing so much of my rehab without the team, but now to be back with my team is really exciting. I feel like a little kid bro." He said that he has nothing to be afraid of that " I am able to do everything that I want to do." Mike Jacobs and Daniel Murphy worked together fielding ground balls at first base. Mike Jacobs also took batting practice in front of hitting coach Howard Johnson.

Yankees Pre Spring Training Workout

Several of the New York Yankees are down in Tampa for pre spring training workouts at the minor league complex. Curtis Granderson arrived today according to Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News and he did some fly catching drills today in center with Brett Gardner. Rob Thomson the third base coach was the one running the drills. A. J. Burnett played catch today and Chad Gaudin, Alfredo Aceves, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Boone Logan and Dave Robertson were all spotted today. Curtis Granderson also got in live batting practice with Francisco Cervelli, Derek Jeter and Eduardo Nunez. He said he doesn't care if he is in center or left or where he bats in the lineup. He seems like a great guy and I am sure he is going to fit in just fine with this team. Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes threw bullpen sessions only a few yards away from each other side by side today which is pretty ironic since they will be battling for the 5th starter spots. The workouts will really get going at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Thursday with pitcher and catchers but on Wed they will all be reporting. Hang in there everyone as the long journey is about to begin, remember to keep checking back as I will have daily coverage of both the New York Yankees and New York Mets as they go through spring training and into the season.

Some Yankee notes

A-rod just had a normal day off, remember he is still dealing with the hip and they do need to get him so days off. The Yankees announced today that ticket prices for the postseason would be less then last year and in fact for the first round tickets for the season ticket holders will remain the same. Check out the link at http://yankees.com. Ian Kennedy who said he felt great the other day will throw live batting practice on Wednesday for the first time since his surgery. He will throw 30 pitches then throw again on Saturday and the following Tuesday. Brett Gardner hit off a tee again today and felt good, he is expecting to head to Scranton for rehab games by Thursday. Peter Abraham's Lohud Yankees Blog has all this information and more so thanks to him for having all of this great stuff. Tomorrow is Sept 1st so rosters do expand, I expect to see Cervelli and Pena and I would guess Albaladejo and Melancon but we shall see. I think Shelly Duncan and Austin Jackson will come up after the AAA season is over.