This Week on the Blog
Rangers: If the Rangers don't win the Stanley Cup, and I don't think they will, AV must go. Once again, he screwed around with McIlrath which he as done all year. And all McIlrath is, is a reliable and ultra tough defensive defenseman. In other words, exactly what the Rangers have lacked. Also, today, Kreider scored, JT Miller had three assists, and Skjei had an assist. 5 points for first rounders. That's why it was so stupid for Sather to trade first round picks like they were going out of style. Stepan was cheapshotted, and may be concussed, but he was a second rounder and the case against trading those, too. MZA was a foreign find and he scored. Brassard was the key piece in the Gaborik deal, and he scored, and so did Nash, who cost a first and young core. Series comes back to NYC tied, and the Rangers should be able to take it.
Yanks: The Yanks have been an up and down team so far, and may be all year. They have lost their offensive ethos, and thus, even when they get good pitching, which they did today, they can't back it up with grinding and runs. Kaprielian is pitching for the Tampa Yanks now, and Diethrich Enns is already cruising for Trenton, and Brody Koerner is making his second start for Charleston today.
Giants: The Giants are in no-man's land with the tenth pick of a terrible first round. I count two healthy players worth getting excited about: Jalen Ramsey and Zeke Elliott. The rest are fungible with a slight nod to the OL talent, which all seems reasonably healthy. It is monumentally disappoiting that the Giants didn't get the OL fixed ahead of the draft. But it still must be fixed.
Knicks: Phil Jackson spoke to the media this week and befuddled them. It seems he is insistent of choosing a coach from his tree. Golden State says they will not block the Knicks from talking to Luke Walton, and that's who it should be. Also, they need to trade Melo.
That's all for now. Have a great week everyone!
posted by Kalel9 @ 3:19 PM
52 Comments:
Kaprelian: 7 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Biggest stat IMO: 16 ground outs, one fly out.
He also had an error, but he's probably not long for A-ball.
it's early and things can turn quickly, but if Kap, Sanchez, and Judge are contributors in August, all things being equal, I will view the season as a success.
Perhaps he is just messing with the media, which in and of itself is fine because most are dopes, but Phil Jackson is sounding incredibly arrogant and out of touch right now.
Yay, win, and man has Gardy hit since I thought he was hurt.
One person I follow on Twitter said Tanaka was 93-94. That's huge.
http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/pfx.php?month=4&day=17&year=2016&game=gid_2016_04_17_seamlb_nyamlb_1%2F&pitchSel=547888&prevGame=gid_2016_04_17_seamlb_nyamlb_1%2F&prevDate=417&league=mlb
Acevedo with 7 one run, 6K innings. Nice start.
Jordan Montgomery with 6 shutout innings for Trenton.
Its not going to happen but I would hire Jay Wright or Mark Jsckson to be the Knicks' coach.
I want Luke Walton.
I think the Knicks need the full rebuilt. That rumored trade way back of Melo to Cleveland, Love to Boston and draft picks/youth to us (including the Nets #1 this year that Boston owns) would be a good start.
If this is going to happen Cleveland needs to be knocked out and Boston will wait and see how their lottery pick ends up. If #1 overall, they will not trade it.
KP and Grant so far is a good foundation but we need more youth and with NO PICKS this year, that is trouble. Hopefully Williams stays too, good young player that has found his game here in NY.
Walton has had the perfect team to coach. I'm not against his seemingly unlikely hiring, but the challenges he would face her would be very different because they probably won't do what lion corrected states is needed.
I think the Knicks will end up with some picks this year. I think Mel and others might go.
Thinking about it, the Knicks, and in a different way, the Yankees, may be in sort of stealth rebuilds. IOW, each franchise knows that the current personnel is suboptimal at multiple positions (obviously, much more so with the Knicks), and although they sign veterans to be placeholders with the goal of making the playoffs, each franchise knows that important changes are needed at key positions.
The analogy breaks down in some ways because the Yankees have many more sources of adding talent and their current personnel is better than the Knicks relative to their respective competition.
But each are hamstrung by their placeholder philosophy.
For example, Jackson can say that Grant didn't deserve more playing time, even though that's the only way to develop, but at the same time, Afflalo was permitted to be a ball hog while stopping the offense and shooting horribly, and only losing PT at the very end of the season. Calderon, who has been Phil's worst move, looked like he was playing defense with ankle weights, yet continued to play, and Vujacic? Seriously, what was that about?
With the Yankees, Headley is being given more patience than virtually any prospect has received since Cano. Ellsbury is contending for the ignominious title of worst Yankee contact ever, even though they have said for years that they would stop giving out stupid contacts.
So I guess this issue is can you really rebuild in a stealth-like way, or do you have to make a full commitment to youth? I guess we will see.
I think the Yanks are easing into full rebuild mode as they ease out of contracts. I think they've made 5 catastrophic decisions in the meantime,
1) trading three first round picks for Ellsbury McCann and Beltran.
2) Letting Miguel Sano go to the Twins, instead of raising their bid.
3) Allergy to Cubans.
4) Not spending in the draft before the rules change.
5) Not spending in IFA before the rules change.
Looking back, committing to a full rebuild in the 2013 offseason was so the way to go. This competing at the margins stuff just isn't going to work this season, unless A-Rod and Teix have encore performances relative to last season.
I don't know why they can't regularly tolerate a learning curve of a kid rather than regularly endure a decline curve of a vet the way they continually do. Predictability isn't worth much in that situation.
I should have said the illusion of predictability.
It will be interesting to see if Joey sits Hellsbury instead of Gardner vs LHP.
Whatever you thiink of Cashman's competence, I don't think he would ever quit over a player acquisition principle:
Watson resigned before the ’98 season began. He had helped set the table for a remarkable Yankees run, but health problems, aggravated by tension with Steinbrenner, became too much.
“I had gotten tired of being threatened with being fired,” he said. “I just couldn’t take the stress every day that I was going to get fired — the yelling and screaming.”
Watson said the tipping point was a trade that the Boss wanted him to make.
“He wanted me to trade Andy Pettitte and Bernie Williams for Chuck Knoblauch,” Watson said. “I told him I wouldn’t do that.”
Watson recalled that Steinbrenner pulled rank, saying that it was his team and he wanted Knoblauch.
“I said, ‘Well you’re going to have to do it, because I quit.’ ”
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/sports/pursuit-of-titles-requires-tough-decisions.html
Hells sitting. So good.
A-Rod RIS!
The Internet tells me it should be Smellsbury.
I stand corrected.
Lost a P.
The guy blocking Sanchez wouldn't take a walk.
Judge homered for SWB.
Smellsbury...
O blows
The Yankees won't do it, but if I was them I would move Jake out of centerfield and into left as a permanent move. He could then either take it as affront and step the fuck up or go into a shell and the job becomes a sinecure.
Gardner has a stiff neck. Dog bites man.
I realize it's possible this is just an early season lull for the offense and the bats might perform better when it warms up. But if this is truly indicative of what we can expect going forward, it's all the more reason the Yankee should have rebuilt prior to the 2014 season. If the best we can hope for is barely getting into the playoffs like last season — and if the Yankees miss the postseason for the second time in three years since the big splurge of 2013-14 — then what was the point of spending all of that money?
Until they shed this pitching centric nonsense, this team will struggle.
A related problem is that almost every hitter Cashman gets doesn't walk. That's on him because that piece of elitist crap Levine doesn't know what a walk is.
Joe Girardi: "I don’t have any specific answers for you. We’re not scoring runs, and it’s tough to win games when you’re not scoring runs.”
Quoted for truth.
Saw this: Much of this is just bad luck, but it’s a mediocre team with bad luck, meaning that they sort of suck right now.
Hicks as pitching prospect
http://m.yankees.mlb.com/news/article/173513490/yankees-aaron-hicks-throws-ball-1055-mph
Interesting "thought" experiment:
http://riveraveblues.com/2016/04/lets-try-to-find-a-bad-contract-for-bad-contract-trade-for-jacoby-ellsbury-136518/#disqus_thread
Its unlikely Ellsbury is getting moved for the next two seasons at least. After that, the Yankees may be more willing to eat salary given most of the other big contracts will be off the books by then.
That, of course, assumes Ellsbury would be willing to waive his NTC. Only way I foresee that happening is if he's benched in favor of someone else, and the Yankees haven't exactly shown themselves willing to do that with their big-money veterans.
This lineup kinda sucks so it should rake, right?
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Starlin Castro, 2B
3. Carlos Beltran, CF
4. Mark Teixeira, 1B
5. Alex Rodriguez, DH
6. Chase Headley, 3B
7. Aaron Hicks, LF
8. Austin Romine, C
9. Ronald Torreyes, SS
RHP Luis Severino
Kap had 9 K
If his dominance continues at AA he needs to be up by the time rosters expand.
McCann working out at 1B. I'm fine with that but it is getting harder to see Ackley's value.
I don't understand sitting Ellsbury when his bat finally showed small signs of life.
Why isn't Nova starting for us? consistently gets people out and likely can go 7 innings...
Promising signs from Ells
Lionheart,
He lacks the big-money contract, and the Yankees don't have the intestinal fortitude to move someone out of the rotation that does have that.
They may face the same thing with A-Rod. If they are intent on playing Hicks, when healthy, rest the old guys(A-Rod Beltran), not the younger ones.
And again, if they trade for a player, their patience is abundant, unlike with their own.
Castro has a Soriano-like approach at the plate. That's a reason why his career path has faltered.
Lindgren with another elbow issue?
Hate to hear that about Lindgren if true.
Erik Boland: Kaprielian 2-1 w 1.50 ERA after last night. 22 Ks & 3 BB in 18 total innings so far. Talent evaluator said FB "consistently" hitting 99
It seems like james kaprielian is wholly overshadowed by the big power arm prospects. Is he a #2 type starter or more of a back end rotation guy with slightly advanced stuff. Thanks!
J.J. Cooper: Kaprielian has a power arm now. A pitcher who used to sit 89-91 mph not all that long ago sat low 90s last year and now sits 92-94 mph and he’s touching 97 mph. If he keeps this up through the next few months expect to see him skyrocket up the midseason Top 50 list.
I think it depends on his command. If he has it, with his stuff he could even be a one
Remember they were going to trade Gardner for a pitcher? With this shit offense they really can't afford to do that
OK, Pineda and/or CC need to be put in the bullpen and Nova put into the starting rotation. I'm tired every time these guys pitch we are in a hole early in the game.
They seem like they are running a marathon out there from the look on their face, struggle too much internally and externally! ENOUGH! CC is just hanging in for his absurd salary and Pineda has been given enough time to learn how to pitch and keep control.
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