Yankees Minor league wrap

The AAA Scranton Yankees won again tonight by the score of 11-0. They are now 9-0, will they ever lose a game. Phil Hughes got the start pitching five and two thirds innings allowing no runs on five hits and six strikeouts. Steven Jackson pitched two scoreless innings giving up three hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Brett Tomko finished it off with one and a third scoreless innings with one hit, walk and strikeout. Phil Hughes is 2-0 with a 2.31 era on this young season. The offense had a big day led by Angel Berroa who was four for five with two homeruns and five rbis. Doug Bernier had two hits and a walk, Todd Linden had two hits and rbis. Shelly Duncan had two hits, a walk and rbi. Eric Duncan had a hit and walk. The AA Trenton Thunder won tonight by a score of 5-4. Zach McAllister got the start pitching five and a third giving up three runs, only two were earned on four hits with three walks and strikeouts. Mike Dunn got the win pitching two and two third scoreless innings giving up two hits one walk and three strikeouts. A Tampa won by the score of 10-1. Jeremy Bleich who was the second pick for the Yankees last year started going six innings giving up six hits, one run on one walk and strikeout. The offense was paced by Jesus Montero who went four for five with two rbis. Damon Sublett went one for three and Austin Romine went one for five. A Charleston lost 5-4. Manny Banuelos started going three and two thirds giving up eight hits, four runs and three walks with three strikeouts.

The Big Guys Getting Ready To Bat

Here is a nice part of the Yankees lineup getting ready for their first live batting practice. It is Arod,Damon,Posada and Tex.

A-Rod audio from today

Here is the audio from Arods press conference today courtesy of Peter Abraham of the lohud yankees blog http://yankees.lhblogs.com. Thanks for having this information. I was going to try and transcribe some of it but you can just listen to it. A-Rod audio from today Posted using ShareThis

Our New Big Money Pitchers

Here are some good shots of CC and AJ today at their first day on the field as Yankees.

CC and AJ meet the Media

CC really is the man, everyone is going to love him. I hope to have more quotes later or the audio. CC Sabathia when he was pitching on 3 days rest last year with the Brewers, kept getting calls from his agent. He said "I had to shut off my phone and block his calls. I felt fine. Nobody asked me to do that, I wanted to." "I feel great, to be honest with you" he said and doesn't regret what he did. " I would do it again." He said he has purchased a home in New Jersey and will live there year round. AJ Burnett was asked what he thought of Pettitte and Joba in the back end of the rotation and he said " I'm not sure there is a back end." I really like these guys so far, they seem like cool laid back people and if they stay healthy the Yankees are in great shape. CC seems like a true leader and the Yankees and the fans are going to love having him around.

Future aces of America

I like this picture, not too great it came from a camera phone that Peter Abraham of the Journal News has. It is Joba and Phil Hughes throwing bullpen sessions. I think Phil will come in handy this year, it looks like he will start in AAA-Scranton but will basically be the Yankees 6th starter. Future aces of America Posted using ShareThis

Spring Training Preview

We are now a week away from pitchers and catchers and I couldn't be more excited. Derek Jeter said the other day this is the most excited he has been in a few seasons and I agree with him, we have some pitching and a non statue at first base, no offense to the Big G. I wanted to do a little spring training preview. I want to list what I think the batting order and rotation will be as well as the bullpen. Lineup Damon Jeter Tex Arod Matsui Posada Cano Nady/Swisher Gardner/Cabrera Rotation CC AJ Wang Pettitte Joba Pen Mo Bruney Marte Edwar Veras Aceves Coke or Melancon I think Gardner will win the CF job but Melky had a good winter season and it will be interesting to see if he is motivated and plays better then Gardner. I think Nady and Swisher should stay and will stay and I think Joe G will find a way to work them all in. I would watch for Posada and Matsui to see how they bounce back, if they are healthy then this will be a very good lineup. I think the bench is better with having Nady/Swisher and Melky/Gardner on the bench along with Molina and the backup infielder which will probably be Ransom and maybe Angel Berroa. I think the Yanks finally have the ace they have been looking for in CC and that if AJ is healthy they have the best rotation. I think Tex will make them so much better not just in the lineup but the whole infield defensively because of him. The biggest thing to look for is the health. I also think guys like CC and Tex and Swisher will be the grinders and chemistry guys that will help them also. I hope everyone who is going down to Tampa enjoys and soon enough we will see them in action as they begin grapefruit league play. February 26 is the first game on YES. I cant wait and Lets Go Yankees.

Ben Sheets Hurt your kidding

Ben Sheets the free agent pitcher that has been out there all offseason and people couldn't figure out why, is having surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. He decided it was better to just get this fixed now and hope to come back in the second half of this season. He had agreed to a 2 yr deal with Texas and this came to light during the physical. Sheets was told he could try and pitch through it but that it would go at anytime. This is being reported by Si.com. It was also noted at si.com that the Yankees had offered Andruw Jones a minor league deal with an invite to spring training but he turned it down. The Ben Sheets story should tame all the fans that were wondering why the Yankees or Mets didn't go after him, now you know why.

Jeter speaks again

Derek Jeter reiterated today that he and all of the team supports Arod. He spoke to the press after working out at the Yankees minor league complex. He also stated that Mike Borzello the former BP catcher used to joke with Arod about Afraud and that no one ever said it to him other then joking around. Derek did say this about the upcoming season. "I'll tell you what, i'm probably as excited about this season as any season in a long time." "We've made some great additions. They said they wanted to improve our pitching staff and we got arguably two of the best in the game. We added Tex, they always talk about how great of a hitter he is, he's an all around player." "It boils down to everybody staying healthy,especially in our division with so many good teams, Im pretty excited about this year."

Yanks make Minor Trade

The New York Yankees traded left handed pitcher Chase Wright to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder/catcher Eric Fryer. Chase Wright is best known for giving up 4 consecutive homeruns in Fenway Park a couple of years ago. He was 25 yrs old and a pretty good pitcher in the minors but this is where the Yankees are stacked and it appears they made a solid trade here. Eric Fryer is 23 yrs old batted 335 with 26 doubles,5 triples,10hrs and 61 rbi in 104 games with single A West Virginia in 2008. He led the South Atlantic league in Avg,obp and ranked third in slugging percentage(.506). He was originally selected by the Brewers in the 10th round of the 2007 draft out of Ohio State. He will be assigned to single A. The Yankees as I have said before are short on position players and we may see more of this in the future. They are stacked at pitcher and not everyone can make the big club so it benefits them to get some better position players in return for their pitchers. Brian Cashman alluded to this last night at a dinner he was at in Connecticut.

The Captain Speaks

We have all been waiting for the New York Yankees captain to speak and he finally has. Derek Jeter did an interview with SI.com's Jimmy Traina today. The interview will run in tomorrows edition of Hot Clicks. Here is some of what he had to say. "I'm just curious as to why people keep asking the same questions over and over. We've been down this road before. Alex is a teammate. I support him. Our whole team is behind him. We all support him and we are looking forward to a new season. To be quite honest with you, it's old hearing the same questions. It's something that has been addressed before in the past. Everyones moved beyond it and it really doesn't need to be addressed again." He also had this to say about the Yankees high expectations for 2009- "I don't know how you can say more pressure because every year we are expected to win a championship. That's the bottom line. So I don't know how you can have more pressure then winning it all, you know what I mean? So every year it's the same expectations for us and that won't change." You can check extra mustard on si.com tomorrow for the entire interview. I am happy with this statement, it is what he needed to do, say he supports Arod and so does everyone else and that they have to get ready for the season and trying to win a title and that is the last of the Torre book for the team. I hope he did speak about the Book, but we will see what else he said tomorrow.

Joe Torre

It was a snowy day in NYC and Joe Torre was starting his book tour in midtown at the Barnes and Noble. I wasn't there, but reports were stating that there were hundreds of people there to see him. He did speak to reporters before the book signing. He later appeared on the Mike Francesa radio show on WFAN NY. I did get to hear most of that interview. This is what I got out of it, he said people would call him Afraud as a joke to his face, never behind his back. In the book though he says they would say it behind his back, so which is it Joe?? He also said he wasn't bitter at all and was relieved after that meeting in Tampa when he was finished. This statement seems to be true but then why did he ask Cash why he never brought up the contract that they had talked about? Why would he care if he was so relieved? Why would he say later on that he wanted 2 yrs, if he was so uncomfortable it shouldn't matter what they offered, he wouldn't take it anyway. I still think Joe is the real fraud, he says he didn't violate any code at all and if he was still with the Yankees he would of published the book also. He said he started this in 2007, no one really believes that though do you?? I just hope that once this week is over, thats the end of this, it goes away. Jorge Posada did defend Joe saying he did nothing wrong but that he hasn't read the book yet. Mo was at the Knicks game last night and said he isn't bothered by the Moose comments and that he hasn't read it yet either. He also said he is feeling good. I am waiting for Jeter to come out and make a statement, like a true captain and just end all of this and move on to worrying about trying to make a run at the World Championship. Sam Borden of the Journal News is doing the blogging duty for Peter Abraham over at the lohud yankees blog, please check it out at http://yankees.lhblogs.com. He has a lot more coverage on there, as he did attend the book signing. I am ready for spring training which starts next thursday with Pitchers and Catchers reporting. I plan on having some kind of spring training preview this week, so look out for that.

Larry King and Joe Torre

I sat through the entire Joe Torre interview on CNN with Larry King. I have to say he didn't ask the worst questions but no follow ups. I was writing in questions on the live blog along with some others, probably some of you im sure. The thing is they weren't asking the good questions online from us the real fans. It was ridiculous the things they were asking him on air, where were the good questions like Hey joe how does it feel to ruin countless bullpen arms? Hey Joe how does it feel to be up for so long, keep drinking that green tea in LA. I hope to see you in the world series where the Yankees can beat your brains in. Hey Joe thanks for ending the curse of the bambino. What were you thinking when you batted arod 8th? Hey Joe what happened to what happens in the clubhouse stays there?? Good job letting Joba get eaten up by the midges. How about the great strategy of playing the infield in in game 7 against arizona in 01 and losing the series for us. Should I continue, i am sure i have a lot more to say. How about I hear from you guys, please chime in and comment on this, how we really feel about Joe Torre, keep it clean of course but post your true feelings. Please also check out larry king lives blog to see some of my comments under Gary and also what is being discussed on http://yankees.lhblogs.com

Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is almost here, as Sunday draws near. The hype week has been pretty quiet. I hope to see a good game, it is interesting the big defensive team in pittsburgh vs the high flying Arizona Cardinals. This will be the game for all the world to see how great Larry Fitzgerald is. The Giants will be keeping their eye on Anquan Boldin who could come to them in a trade in the offseason. Kurt Warner is going for his second super bowl victory, he would only be the second player to win with 2 different teams. If he does win is he a hall of famer? It is a good question, i would have to say that he is as this would be his second victory but also his third appearance. I can't help but think the NFL season ends in Tampa and that is where the Yankees will be opening up in a couple of weeks with the start of spring training and it is right across the street from the super bowl. I just hope for a good game, and a good performance from the Jersey Boy, Bruce Springsteen. Who has some good bets going on this game?? Any prop bets of interest?

More Torres Book

Here it is the now famous book. We got some reaction out of the Arod camp today. He said how can he be upset when he never really had a relationship with Torre anyway. Arod said all he needed to know about how Torre felt about him he found out in the 06 playoffs when he batted Arod 8th. He was shocked that Torre would do this because Joe would always tell the team the clubhouse and bond with teammates was sacred and not to be broken in this way.

I think personally that Joe is a fraud himself, he isn't St. Joe like people made him out to be and he definately is a hypocrite and that is the biggest thing he will have to answer too. I can't wait to hear him try and spin this starting on friday night when he is on Larry King Live.

Andy is Dandy Again

The New York Yankees and LHP Andy Pettitte agreed to a 1 yr 5.5million dollar deal. The deal also includes incentives to reach 12million based on innings pitched and roster time. I think this is a great deal with the Yankees, it gives them that veteran pitcher at the back end of the rotation they know will give them innings and win games and also allows Phil Hughes,Kennedy,Aceves,Coke all to be in the minors and develop more or be in the bullpen. They will also have good depth and those guys will be ready to step in if needed. The rotation will look like this: CC AJ Wang Pettitte Joba This looks to be as strong as a pitching staff as there is in the division and maybe league. They also have a very good bullpen with Mo,Bruney,Marte,Coke,Veras,Ramirez,Melancon etc. The Yanks seem to be set now. Andy did admit his pride was hurt by the pay cut but in the end he wanted to return. Brian Cashman the yankees GM said not to expect any more significant moves. I hope to have some audio or at least some of the quotes from the conference call later on.

MLB News

Jeff Kent retired after a 17 year career, the last four spent with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is arguably the premier slugging second baseman ever but certainly of his generation. He retires with a career 290 batting avg, 377hrs, 1518rbis, 500 slugging percentage. He has 74 more hrs then the closest second baseman to him which is Ryne Sandberg. Foxsports.com Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Freddy Garcia will either choose the Yankees or Mets for his new team. He reportedly wants a guaranteed contract that way if he doesn't make the team he will still get money. It is assumed he is going to have to take a minor league contract. He has a 118-77 career record with a 4.07 era. I think the Yankees should sign him and hope it works out, this won't necessarily stop them from resigning Petitte. The saying is you never can have enough pitching and it is true especially with Joba being on a limit and AJ Burnett being an injury risk. Omar Vizquel has agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers and a invite to spring training. Brad Ausmus has agreed to a 1 yr 1 million dollar contract with the Dodgers.

Farm System Rankings

Keith Law of ESPN.com put out his farm system ranking list today. The New York Yankees were ranked 15th. I guess middle of the pack isn't too bad but it definitely was a step down from the last couple of years. Alan Horne,Humberto Sanchez,Andrew Brackman all being hurt last year hurt this ranking and if they all have big years this year as well as Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero this rating will get better. I am not an insider so can't see exactly what he had to say about the Yanks system. I do know the Boston Red Sox were rated 7th. I would watch all the guys I mentioned above as well as guys like Hughes,Melancon who will probably make an impact in the majors this year. The Yankees are a little weak in the positions but watch for Jesus Montero and Austine Romine-two catchers who will be in A and maybe AA at the end of the season. I will try and see if I could get the scouting report he did on the Yankees and then post that. I will also before the season go through the minor league rosters and do a more in depth look at some of the guys.

My Pinch Hitting Post

Here is my pitch hitting post I did for Peter Abraham over at his blog. His blog is http://yankees.lhblogs.com Please check it out if you never have, its a great blog for all Yankees news. I hope you enjoy my post if you haven't seen it on that site. Please comment on it, let me know your thoughts and opinions. I want to thank Peter again for giving me this oppurtunity. Pinch hitting: Yankees And More January 21 January is traditionally a slow month for baseball news. So for the second year in a row, we will showcase other blogs with a series of pinch hitters. Next up is Gary from Yankees And More. Gary is from Wayne, N.J., and works for Passaic County as a social worker. A season-ticket holder and long-time fan. Gary’s favorite Yankee all-time is Don Mattingly. Mariano Rivera is his favorite active player. Here’s his post:——————I have been going to the old Yankee Stadium for the past 25 years. I have seen many things in that time. I have seen Dale Berra and Bobby Meacham getting thrown out at home plate on the same play, Doc Gooden’s no-hitter, playoff and World Series games, Roger Clemens’ 300th win, A-Rods three home run game and many more. The curtain has gone down on the cathedral and it is bittersweet, a few tears were shed but now I am ready for the new Yankee Stadium. The new Yankee Stadium is right across the street, which makes it easier. I have seen the progress of the new Stadium over the past year. I now feel the excitement building, I can’t wait to step foot in the new cathedral in April. The Yankees have not won a world series since 2000 but a new era is starting and with it a new string of Yankees success. Big Tex, CC, and A.J. have made moving into the new Stadium even more exciting. This stadium has the same look as the pre-renovation Yankee Stadium. The new Stadium has a martini bar, steakhouse, museum, more leg room and more vendors and bathrooms where you never have to miss a pitch, since you can still see the field while standing on line. As I write this, I am growing more excited. 2009 is definitely a time for change and it should be a great year. It will be difficult at first to not go right to section 5, tier reserved, row M, seats 7 and 8. I am sure I will take the full tour of all the new stadium has to offer at the exhibitions against the Cubs and be ready for my first game shortly after. There are going to be lots of memories to be made, hopefully a lot more playoffs and World Series wins. I am sure I will see Jeter and Mo have their days, A-Rod break the all time home run record and who knows what else? The great thing about baseball is every time you step foot into the stadium, you never know what history you may witness. I can’t wait to get it all started, a new era is born. I will see you all at the new cathedral.——————Thanks, Gary. Coming tomorrow: John from Sox and Pinstripes.

Joba Chamberlain

I thank Peter Abraham of the Journal news for giving me this idea. Joba Chamberlain and Jon Lester will be appearing together at a function at Sacred Heart University on Tuesday January 27,2009. It will be interesting to see if Joba is the same guy or if he has changed since his DUI arrest. I think he will be the same guy but maybe a little less cocky. I like Joba a lot and he is super important to the Yankees future, in time he will be one of their aces. I met him right before he came up to the Yankees down in Trenton and he was just wonderful. He stayed and signed every autograph, it took probably a good hour. He chatted to everyone, i even told him we will see you soon in NY and he said I hope so. He was just a great kid and it was wonderful meeting him. I think back to me when i was his age without the spotlight on me. What dumb things did I do, im sure many of you can think the same thing, so lets hope he learns from this and is able to just go out there and pitch and help the Yanks win a world series. I welcome your thoughts on this topic and see what everyone else thinks about this?