New York Mets spring training notes
The Mets as always are getting criticism right now. They signed Chris Young to a one year 7.5 million deal in November. Nelson Cruz just signed with Baltimore for one year and eight million. There were a lot of Mets fans that wanted him and I can see their frustration. They didn’t know in November though that Cruz would come down, he was looking for a five-year deal at the time.
Terry Collins the manager said on Saturday that he liked Ike Davis swing. He believes it is more quite and flat, which creates better backspin on the ball. He said this “I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen.” He went on to say that his swing is completely different then last year. Ike Davis had a tough year and then went through a winter of being in constant trade rumors. He is still a Met and maybe that is a good thing. If he just focuses on baseball and gets it back he will be a valuable asset to the Mets. If he does well they may be able to trade Lucas Duda and Davis can be the first baseman for a long time and help anchor the infield.
Matt Harvey tossed a baseball for the first time since his surgery on Saturday. It doesn’t mean much as there is no way he will be playing this year but good to see for them. He made about 20 throws to the bullpen catcher. He was roughly standing 60 feet away and was being watched by many fans, media and cameras. Harvey told reporters “It was awesome. Everything felt amazing; I’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s going to be a tough process with how things felt today. But I’ve got to stick with it and move forward.”
The Mets catchers have been told to not block home plate regardless of the new rules or not. The Mets offered Stephen Drew a one year 9.5 million dollar deal but he is still looking for more. Maybe they can agree to that with an option, I don’t know what other options he really has at this point.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
New York Yankees spring training news and notes
New York Yankees spring training news and notes
The New York Yankees continue to work out down in Tampa, Florida. They signed right-handed reliever Andrew Bailey to a minor league deal on Saturday night. He had shoulder surgery in July and won’t be ready until around mid season. This is a good low risk signing. He is 29 years old and the former closer of the Oakland Athletics. He last played for the Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees will begin their exhibition schedule on Tuesday at home against Florida State University. Jameis Winston the heisman trophy winner and championship quarterback is on the team. The first televised game is on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Yankees haven’t had any significant injury concerns so far this spring. Alfonso Soriano has been out with the flu. There are a couple other minor injuries but not to anyone on the big league roster. Manny Banuelos faced live hitters for the second time this spring. Joe Girardi said he looked good. He hasn’t pitched in a year since Tommy John surgery so there was some rust. There is an outside shot that he joins the big league team out of spring training. If he does it would be as a second lefty out of the bullpen. The most likely scenario is he starting at AAA and working his way up to the big leagues by the end of the season.
David Phelps threw a simulated game on Saturday and Girardi said he will break camp with the team but he isn’t sure in which role. Phelps can start for them, he can be a long man, and he can be a short man out of the bullpen. He will do something the Yankees just aren’t sure what yet. My guess is he will be the sixth starting pitcher and short man out of the pen. I believe Michael Pineda will be the fifth starter and Adam Warren the long man.
The Orioles signed Nelson Cruz to a one year and eight million dollar deal today. They also just signed Ubaldo Jiminez so they are getting better. The Yankees probably have the toughest division and it continues to get tougher. Eduardo Nunez played in only five winter league games this year. He said he focused on training instead and worked out with Robinson Cano this winter. He worked on all aspects of his game. I think he has his last real shot now; he can be the third baseman and show the Yankees that he will be important to them going forward. The games he did play were designed to help him with his timing. He was working on not rushing his throws etc.
Jorge Posada is in camp as a guest instructor, he showed up on Saturday morning. It was photo day for the Yankees on Saturday.
The New York Yankees continue to work out down in Tampa, Florida. They signed right-handed reliever Andrew Bailey to a minor league deal on Saturday night. He had shoulder surgery in July and won’t be ready until around mid season. This is a good low risk signing. He is 29 years old and the former closer of the Oakland Athletics. He last played for the Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees will begin their exhibition schedule on Tuesday at home against Florida State University. Jameis Winston the heisman trophy winner and championship quarterback is on the team. The first televised game is on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Yankees haven’t had any significant injury concerns so far this spring. Alfonso Soriano has been out with the flu. There are a couple other minor injuries but not to anyone on the big league roster. Manny Banuelos faced live hitters for the second time this spring. Joe Girardi said he looked good. He hasn’t pitched in a year since Tommy John surgery so there was some rust. There is an outside shot that he joins the big league team out of spring training. If he does it would be as a second lefty out of the bullpen. The most likely scenario is he starting at AAA and working his way up to the big leagues by the end of the season.
David Phelps threw a simulated game on Saturday and Girardi said he will break camp with the team but he isn’t sure in which role. Phelps can start for them, he can be a long man, and he can be a short man out of the bullpen. He will do something the Yankees just aren’t sure what yet. My guess is he will be the sixth starting pitcher and short man out of the pen. I believe Michael Pineda will be the fifth starter and Adam Warren the long man.
The Orioles signed Nelson Cruz to a one year and eight million dollar deal today. They also just signed Ubaldo Jiminez so they are getting better. The Yankees probably have the toughest division and it continues to get tougher. Eduardo Nunez played in only five winter league games this year. He said he focused on training instead and worked out with Robinson Cano this winter. He worked on all aspects of his game. I think he has his last real shot now; he can be the third baseman and show the Yankees that he will be important to them going forward. The games he did play were designed to help him with his timing. He was working on not rushing his throws etc.
Jorge Posada is in camp as a guest instructor, he showed up on Saturday morning. It was photo day for the Yankees on Saturday.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
New York Yankees pitchers and catchers report
New York Yankees pitchers and catchers report
The New York Yankees pitchers and catchers reported to camp on Friday. They held their first official workout on Saturday. Masahiro Tanaka of course had a huge following. CC Sabathia checked in lighter and of course there is a lot of intrigue surrounding him. Here are some of the news and notes from the start of spring training.
Hiroki Kuroda and Masahiro Tanaka basically stuck together all day on Saturday. It is an obvious bond between starting pitchers and countrymen. Joe Girardi said that he didn’t make any direct suggestion about it. He was happy to see the relationship develop though especially this early on. Tanaka stated he was happy to have him around and would like to spend as much time as possible with Kuroda.
Ivan Nova is one of the top four starting pitchers but he isn’t acting like one. He seems to have a better attitude now. He was sent back to the minors last year and I think taught a hard lesson. He came back and was great in the second half of last year. He stated he is treating this camp like any other, which he needs to go out there and win a job.
There were no injuries to report on the first day of camp so that makes it a success. The Yankees last year had lots of injuries right from spring training so you have to think of this. Joe Girardi said he feared that with open competition some guys might push too hard. He said he didn’t see that at all today and he was happy. Francisco Cervelli caught Tanakas first bullpen the other day and he caught him today. He said that they will start to rotate but he would like to catch him as much as he can. He stated this “the fastball command was really good.” Tanaka spoke and said as a player he is honored to have so much attention on him but he has to go out and do well on the field. He said he was a little surprised with how much attention he is getting.
Tanaka said that his first workout was shorter then expected. He said he is going to remember the running the most. The pitchers ran four laps around the field before finishing for the day. He said he is slow to begin with but it was tough. It sounded like he was most likely joking around. Manny Banuelos is coming back from Tommy John surgery. He was 21 and on the verge of the big leagues before being hurt. He is now 23 and could be on the verge. He said he sees this as another opportunity and he will make the most of it. He wants to be a starter but would be happy breaking camp with the big team as a reliever. If he goes to AAA he will be fine and just work hard on getting called up soon. He needs to take a big step forward and I think the Yankees have him in their plans moving forward. He is one of their top prospects and a lot has been expected of him.
J.R. Murphy is now going by John Ryan. That is how they have it listed above his locker and what he is telling everyone. There are a few position players that have a jersey hanging in it. Nunez, Ellsbury, Ryan, Johnson, Tex, Beltran, Jeter, Gardner, Ichiro and Soriano. These guys all figure to break camp with the club. This is a good sign for Nunez, I still think he should be the third baseman to start with Kelly Johnson being a super utility guy. We will see how this plays out though; both guys will have chances to play.
The big thing from Friday besides Tanaka of course was Michael Pineda. He seemed to be a big topic. Cervelli said he has looked good, much better then last year. The Yankees have said it is a competition for the fifth spot in the rotation but I think they want him to win that job. They didn’t trade him for nothing and he could be a fifth starter who could be a number two type starter. If he gets it back and contributes that will be a huge boost to the Yankees and could be a wild card for this season.
The New York Yankees pitchers and catchers reported to camp on Friday. They held their first official workout on Saturday. Masahiro Tanaka of course had a huge following. CC Sabathia checked in lighter and of course there is a lot of intrigue surrounding him. Here are some of the news and notes from the start of spring training.
Hiroki Kuroda and Masahiro Tanaka basically stuck together all day on Saturday. It is an obvious bond between starting pitchers and countrymen. Joe Girardi said that he didn’t make any direct suggestion about it. He was happy to see the relationship develop though especially this early on. Tanaka stated he was happy to have him around and would like to spend as much time as possible with Kuroda.
Ivan Nova is one of the top four starting pitchers but he isn’t acting like one. He seems to have a better attitude now. He was sent back to the minors last year and I think taught a hard lesson. He came back and was great in the second half of last year. He stated he is treating this camp like any other, which he needs to go out there and win a job.
There were no injuries to report on the first day of camp so that makes it a success. The Yankees last year had lots of injuries right from spring training so you have to think of this. Joe Girardi said he feared that with open competition some guys might push too hard. He said he didn’t see that at all today and he was happy. Francisco Cervelli caught Tanakas first bullpen the other day and he caught him today. He said that they will start to rotate but he would like to catch him as much as he can. He stated this “the fastball command was really good.” Tanaka spoke and said as a player he is honored to have so much attention on him but he has to go out and do well on the field. He said he was a little surprised with how much attention he is getting.
Tanaka said that his first workout was shorter then expected. He said he is going to remember the running the most. The pitchers ran four laps around the field before finishing for the day. He said he is slow to begin with but it was tough. It sounded like he was most likely joking around. Manny Banuelos is coming back from Tommy John surgery. He was 21 and on the verge of the big leagues before being hurt. He is now 23 and could be on the verge. He said he sees this as another opportunity and he will make the most of it. He wants to be a starter but would be happy breaking camp with the big team as a reliever. If he goes to AAA he will be fine and just work hard on getting called up soon. He needs to take a big step forward and I think the Yankees have him in their plans moving forward. He is one of their top prospects and a lot has been expected of him.
J.R. Murphy is now going by John Ryan. That is how they have it listed above his locker and what he is telling everyone. There are a few position players that have a jersey hanging in it. Nunez, Ellsbury, Ryan, Johnson, Tex, Beltran, Jeter, Gardner, Ichiro and Soriano. These guys all figure to break camp with the club. This is a good sign for Nunez, I still think he should be the third baseman to start with Kelly Johnson being a super utility guy. We will see how this plays out though; both guys will have chances to play.
The big thing from Friday besides Tanaka of course was Michael Pineda. He seemed to be a big topic. Cervelli said he has looked good, much better then last year. The Yankees have said it is a competition for the fifth spot in the rotation but I think they want him to win that job. They didn’t trade him for nothing and he could be a fifth starter who could be a number two type starter. If he gets it back and contributes that will be a huge boost to the Yankees and could be a wild card for this season.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
New York Yankees news and notes as we head to spring training
New York Yankees news and notes as we head to spring training
The New York Yankees will open up their spring training camp on Friday. Pitchers and catchers report with position players reporting about a week later. Masahiro Tanaka will be the most talked about pitcher and have the most focus on him. CC Sabathia apparently has lost a lot of weight and that will be a big topic as well. I assume David Robertson will also get a lot of attention, as right now he is the closer replacing the legend Mariano Rivera.
Tanaka will have a 1:00PM press conference tomorrow before heading down to Japan. He already made a grand entrance by renting a huge 847 plane to get to New York from Japan. It is a 200-passenger plane that carried him and his entourage. He has already made a grand entrance and he seems like a good fit for the big stage of New York. The first chance to see him will be tomorrow on the YES network.
Derek Jeter continues to participate in pre camp workouts at the minor league camp in Tampa. The reports are encouraging and he appears to be healthy. We won’t really know until he starts getting in games but next week he will report to camp and get it going.
The Yankees do seem like they are done with their winter makeover. They could use another bullpen arm but for now will go with what they have. Robertson as the closer, Thornton as the lefty, Kelley and Claiborne as setup men. Betances is in the mix as well with Phelps or Warren as the long man. I don’t think it is as bad as some others think and bullpens kind of develop as you go along. They just signed a former prospect from the Nationals Cole Kimball to a minor league deal. Manny Banuelos may also be in the mix as a second lefty out of the pen.
Alex Rodriguez dropped all of his lawsuits on Friday and will not be anywhere near spring training camp. He is suspended for all of the 2014 season and the postseason. The Yankees finally have a resolution on this and can move forward. He won’t be a distraction to them this season and they don’t have to worry about anything with him for another year. The question is who plays third base and I think the answer is Kelly Johnson and Eduardo Nunez in a platoon. I think Brian Roberts is the guy for second base and that is more of the question. I think the platoon at third will be a pretty good solution for this season. I am not sure about second base especially with the injury concerns. It will have to play out and the Yankees hope that Roberts is healthy and can at least play a sold defensive second and provide some offense. There really isn’t much going on now until Friday when it all begins and then we will have pretty much daily coverage. It is an exciting time as baseball is almost back.
The New York Yankees will open up their spring training camp on Friday. Pitchers and catchers report with position players reporting about a week later. Masahiro Tanaka will be the most talked about pitcher and have the most focus on him. CC Sabathia apparently has lost a lot of weight and that will be a big topic as well. I assume David Robertson will also get a lot of attention, as right now he is the closer replacing the legend Mariano Rivera.
Tanaka will have a 1:00PM press conference tomorrow before heading down to Japan. He already made a grand entrance by renting a huge 847 plane to get to New York from Japan. It is a 200-passenger plane that carried him and his entourage. He has already made a grand entrance and he seems like a good fit for the big stage of New York. The first chance to see him will be tomorrow on the YES network.
Derek Jeter continues to participate in pre camp workouts at the minor league camp in Tampa. The reports are encouraging and he appears to be healthy. We won’t really know until he starts getting in games but next week he will report to camp and get it going.
The Yankees do seem like they are done with their winter makeover. They could use another bullpen arm but for now will go with what they have. Robertson as the closer, Thornton as the lefty, Kelley and Claiborne as setup men. Betances is in the mix as well with Phelps or Warren as the long man. I don’t think it is as bad as some others think and bullpens kind of develop as you go along. They just signed a former prospect from the Nationals Cole Kimball to a minor league deal. Manny Banuelos may also be in the mix as a second lefty out of the pen.
Alex Rodriguez dropped all of his lawsuits on Friday and will not be anywhere near spring training camp. He is suspended for all of the 2014 season and the postseason. The Yankees finally have a resolution on this and can move forward. He won’t be a distraction to them this season and they don’t have to worry about anything with him for another year. The question is who plays third base and I think the answer is Kelly Johnson and Eduardo Nunez in a platoon. I think Brian Roberts is the guy for second base and that is more of the question. I think the platoon at third will be a pretty good solution for this season. I am not sure about second base especially with the injury concerns. It will have to play out and the Yankees hope that Roberts is healthy and can at least play a sold defensive second and provide some offense. There really isn’t much going on now until Friday when it all begins and then we will have pretty much daily coverage. It is an exciting time as baseball is almost back.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Michael Strahan is a hall of famer
Michael Strahan is a Hall Of Famer
Michael Strahan is a former New York Giant football player. He is also currently a daytime talk show host along with Kelly Ripa. He replaced Regis Philbin on the Live with Regis and Kelly show and now it is the Live with Kelly and Michael show. He also is on the set of the fox pre game show on Sunday for the NFL. He was a great football player and is now being recognized for it. Michael Strahan got elected to the pro football hall of fame on Saturday night.
His career was 15 years long and he only played for one team. He holds the single season record for sacks and had over 140 in his career. He also won a super bowl in his final season of 2007. He was drafted in 1993 and played only nine games due to injuries. He had a breakout year in 1997 recording 14 sacks. He appeared in his first pro bowl that season. In 1998 he had 15 sacks and appeared in the pro bowl once again. The Giants appeared in the 2000 Super Bowl and lost and then won the Super Bowl in his last season of 2007.
Strahan retired with 141.5 sacks, 854 career tackles, 4 career interceptions, 24 forced fumbles and 3 career touchdowns. He was in the pro bowl seven times; in his first year of eligibility in 2013 he failed to make the hall of fame. He made it on his second try though. He set the record with 22.5 sacks in a season back in 2001.
Strahan has been on quite a run first getting to be the co-host on Live after Regis Philbin left and now a hall of famer. He is credited with taking the Live show to new heights. The ratings have been through the roof and now he will get to celebrate all in his life as a hall of famer.
The Giants put out a lot of congratulations on Saturday night to him. They can all be read on Giants.com.
Michael Strahan is a former New York Giant football player. He is also currently a daytime talk show host along with Kelly Ripa. He replaced Regis Philbin on the Live with Regis and Kelly show and now it is the Live with Kelly and Michael show. He also is on the set of the fox pre game show on Sunday for the NFL. He was a great football player and is now being recognized for it. Michael Strahan got elected to the pro football hall of fame on Saturday night.
His career was 15 years long and he only played for one team. He holds the single season record for sacks and had over 140 in his career. He also won a super bowl in his final season of 2007. He was drafted in 1993 and played only nine games due to injuries. He had a breakout year in 1997 recording 14 sacks. He appeared in his first pro bowl that season. In 1998 he had 15 sacks and appeared in the pro bowl once again. The Giants appeared in the 2000 Super Bowl and lost and then won the Super Bowl in his last season of 2007.
Strahan retired with 141.5 sacks, 854 career tackles, 4 career interceptions, 24 forced fumbles and 3 career touchdowns. He was in the pro bowl seven times; in his first year of eligibility in 2013 he failed to make the hall of fame. He made it on his second try though. He set the record with 22.5 sacks in a season back in 2001.
Strahan has been on quite a run first getting to be the co-host on Live after Regis Philbin left and now a hall of famer. He is credited with taking the Live show to new heights. The ratings have been through the roof and now he will get to celebrate all in his life as a hall of famer.
The Giants put out a lot of congratulations on Saturday night to him. They can all be read on Giants.com.
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