This Week on the Blog
Giants: The Giants OTA's start Monday. This is the first official time both veterans and rookies will practiced together, though the players have been practicing on their own and Eli has already thrown to Sterling. OTA's are also where a lot of installation takes place. They can also be predictors of the current depth chart, though it's unclear how much media access there will be between now and the mid-June full team mini-camp. We could also see more bottom of the roster moves around now, and might get a glimpse of what they have planned for Bobby Hart. I'm sure they would have wanted to have the right side upgraded by now, but they won't, so whoever they end up getting will have a lot of catching up to do.
Yanks: Rob Refsnyder is finally playing today and in just his second at bat worked a 10 pitch RBI double. Here's hoping the other Yanks are observing how to do it. Seriously, he has the best approach on the team, and he can't get AB's. Girardi is a horrible manager for young players. Meanwhile, CC seems to have re-invented himself. He was great last night, and I'm not sure he broke 90 on the gun. Frank Tanana was a lefty power pitcher who then became a successful crafty lefty after injuries. In fact, he and Doyle Alexander (for whom the Yanks would constantly trade), used to beat the Mattingly/Winfield/Rickey Yanks like drums. Talk about frustrating, but more power to CC if he can make that work.
Knicks: The Knicks will almost certainly announnce Jeff Hornaceck this week, and then they have to get into the interesting business of hiring assistants, the dreadful work of possibly placing Kurt Rambis on either the coaching staff or the FO Team. Then it will be time to work on the roster, where they clearly need players, and the draft where they clearly need picks.
Rangers: The FO and scouts have probably left La Quinta with a plan by now. If not, they're probably taking their time with their first mostly playoff-less Spring in years. We'll see if they have anything to say before the playoffs conclude, or if they'll start their housecleaning now. It's a big offseason for them and they have some big decisions to make.
I hope and pray that all of you have great weeks.
posted by Kalel9 @ 2:35 PM
46 Comments:
I have a new theory: Cashman's decline as GM, particularly in his mindset about what he values and devalues, started with his hiring of Girardi, and won't change as long as he continues to support him. That includes: being pitching centric, valuing defense over offense, not prioritizing grinding in player acquisition, and giving veterans endless patience, and not just declined icons like Jeter, which can be excused, but also with Drew and Roberts, which can't be.
And Joey showed what he is all about by removing Refs with a 4 run lead.
Like I said in the other thread, removing Refs to keep Hicks (who gets bad jumps on balls) makes no sense.
And you just know the second A-Rod is back that Refs will be sent back down while Ackley, who I'm still trying to figure out exactly what he does well, is going to remain.
Ackley was a very promising prospect when drafted, but he is 28, and his defense is awful.
To borrow from John Lennon;
All we are saying is give Refs a chance.
http://nyp.st/1WIgxaT
“I thought he did a phenomenal job in Phoenix. That first year he got them to within a game of the playoffs in a loaded conference in a year when they were supposed to be a high lottery team.”
“This guy has a great knowledge of the game, great feel, and he’s a really top-notch human being. I thought he was a great choice.”
But no matter how good he is as a coach, without a talented lineup …
“It doesn’t matter. Personnel is everything in this league, and so every coach is at the mercy of the talent and the organization,” said Kerr, who predicted Hornacek and Phil Jackson will be a great match and “co-exist beautifully.”
I find it hard to believe that Hicks is better than Refs v. RH pitching.
You really need athletic middle infielders with McCann, but to be fair it's almost as if Pineda thinks paying attention to a runner is illegal.
Oakland has a terrible offense, especially with the injuries, and Pineda is still not particularly good. Yet Severino will be the one to end up in the minors.
New people in charge is so badly needed.
The GS-OKC series is strange.
After going 3-for-4 on May 7, Jorge Mateo has had one multi-hit game since then. That's around the time they started with that annoying 2B experiment for him. Judge isn't hitting much right now but he seems to be walking more at least. Sanchez needs to be getting big-league at-bats. Ridiculous that this team wants to hold onto Romine so badly that they won't promote him.
I probably couldn't stomach actively rooting for the Yankees to lose, but when you consider this team likely isn't a legitimate championship contender, it may be in its best long-term interest to lose in the short-term, sadly. (Not that Hal or the other braintrust have the guts to admit as much.)
Romine reminds Girardi of himself. CoT
The mismanagement, although of far less consequence, extends to the stadium. The food at YS sucks. Citi Field, otoh, has Shake Shack and food by David Chang.
Very sad about Hensley needing another TJ. I hope he's saved his bonus money.
Saw this at RLYW
2016 MLB team bWAR at 1B through May 23:
DET: 1.3
ARI: 0.8
BAL: 0.6
CHC: 0.6
BOS: 0.5
PIT: 0.4
MIN: 0.4
MIL: 0.4
SFG: 0.3
KCR: 0.3
ATL: 0.3
STL: 0.1
TBR: 0
LAD: 0
HOU: -0.2
MIA: -0.3
SDP: -0.3
COL: -0.3
NYM: -0.4
SEA: -0.5
CLE: -0.5
WSN: -0.6
LAA: -0.6
CHW: -0.6
TOR: -0.7
TEX: -0.7
NYY: -0.8
CIN: -1.4
PHI: -1.6
OAK: -1.6
He's having one of the worst contract years in baseball. Can you imagine if Bird were healthy and tearing it up in AAA? The front office would look even dumber than usual.
True, yet Ackley is going to play tonight again, despite sucking.
We have said that the Giants have suffered because they have prioritized talent over playing ability, and maybe they are rectifying that now.
The Yankees are doing the same thing; they don't appreciate baseball players.
Harvey cheaper still?
Ackley, Headley, Pineda, and stuff for Harvey. ;)
Eovaldi needs to be extended.
Really nice play by Didi to end the game.
C Gary Sanchez: 1-2, 1 K — left the game after taking a foul tip to the hand, according to Hennigan … Sanchez did try to make some throws to see if he could stay in, but no dice … needless to say, hopefully it’s just a bruise.
Cracked, severity unknown
Hopefully a minor injury. I'm still trying to figure out how they plan to get him big-league at-bats the next couple of years. At least with Bird we know Teixeira is going to be gone after this season.
How does Joey justify continuing to play Ackley?
@HowardBeck
LRT: If Noah's leaving Bulls, expect Knicks to make a strong pitch. Phil Jackson and Noah have a rapport. And Noah has NY roots.
10:49 AM - 25 May 2016
I am sure we will soon be seeing Swisher playing 1B if Texeira hits the DL.
Probably. Not a lot of options there. Though ideally Headley could serve as BU1B if they got creative with the roster.
Of course, this team is one more 35 year old has been away.
Stop the madness.
I was at the game last night. Sat up in nosebleed city so it was hard to judge pitches except by the way the batters reacted. It seemed to me that Nova had better command/stuff the first time through the Jays' lineup, especially when he blew away the bottom of the order with FBs. Next time through they started to get on the FB and touched him for a couple of runs (albeit with one cheap IF hit thrown in, but the first one to Headley was a sharp grounder and the double was scorched). After that, he was laboring a bit and his pitch count got up, but he survived until Martin's first HR. Shreeve looked terrible, with the fans applauding when he actually got outs on long fly balls. Martin's second HR was to right and he almost got a third off Goody on a warning track drive a bit to the right of center. I've never seen a 3 HR game so that was slightly disappointing. I also liked Martin and was sorry to see him get dumped when he would have come back alot cheaper than what they eventually paid to McCann.
Yanks looked terrible at the plate overall. They let a journeyman who showed signs of wildness keep his pitch count way below what it should have been. Alot of early count swings turning into fly ball outs. LINJ's criticisms on this score are on target. On the positive side, Didi laid down a nice bunt single in the early going, which helped set up the first run (they should have gotten more that inning) along with a line single and his HR. Of course I was disappointed to see Romine PH against a lefty instead of Refs, but at least that made some sense if Girardi wants him to get ABs against lefties. Can't argue with the result, but Refs shouldn't give up his lease at Scranton.
Ackley played 1B very well. Castro looks a bit casual/lazy setting up at 2B, but I can't say he got burned on anything.
Refs gone. It's as if they try to be stupid.
Shreve too.
There aren't many plays at SS where you can say Jeter would have made that when Didi didn't, but there was one last inning.
It's really unbelievable that there are so many hitters in this lineup that are vastly inferior to Refsnyder.
Don't tell Girardi or Cashman, but the offense is regressing to its mean.
The team is neither as good as its recent run of success nor as bad as the April record — likely somewhere in between. The problem is, will that manifest in the occasional winning streaks and then cold streaks, or will it be "sustained mediocrity"? And does this team have the intestinal fortitude to sell at the deadline even if there's a chance at being "competitive" in the AL East?
Slade released. Another draft failure.
Gonna defend them on that one — Slade was a good pick who I strongly believe would have excelled had he not had so many injury problems. The real issue, IMO, was not signing Gerritt Cole the year before.
Too bad about Slade. A big time talent who played too hard and kept getting hurt. Of course, with their itchy DFA finger, which they used to compensate for roster mistake after roster mistake, they're going to often give up value.
I really hope Mason Williams returns to form once he's healthy. He was beginning to look like a legitimate starting outfielder.
Oh what could have been with an outfield of Heathcott, Williams and Austin which was my dream homegrown OF just a few years ago.
There offense is at a point at which they have to find PT for every young bat with upside. With Sanchez on the DL, that's Refs.
I'm willing to believe that Hicks is better than he has shown, but come on, how does he get this much rope and Refs gets nothing?
Worse, how are their backup 1B Ackley and Romine?
But you can see how Girardi could fall in love with Romine. A defensive player who shows anything offensively.
If Cashman is what his defenders think he is, how can he not address this before the offense sinks them for a long stretch yet again.
Serious question: Are there Cashman defenders at this point? I think he's one of the better baseball minds in the organization, but even I can't defend the handling of certain players/roster spots, nor the team's way-too-long-a-leash-for-veterans mindset.
Judge has gone cold with the bat, but he at least seems to be walking more of late. Same with Mateo.
Commenters at RAB, IATM, RLYW, etc. defend him regularly, still pretending that to question him is to question Branch Rickey, and the mainstream sports media is full of them.
At the blogs, Axisa will say stuff like Cashman needs to be held accountable for the terrible record of putting drafted players on the ML roster in key roles, but always comes down in favor of keeping him, albeit calling it a close call.
Same with the blog writers at IATM.
Sweeny Murti regularly mocks fans who question Cashman and Girardi. He is at risk of dying of fatuousness.
Most people seem to fault Hal and Levine for everything. Don't get me wrong, I think Hal is a dope who only looks good in comparison with Hank, and Levine may be smart in business and politics (UGH), but he's contemptible.
As I have said, is this organization maxing out its advantages? The obvious answer is no. How does the GM escape accountability?
But it's always someone under him who is to blame.
It's always Cashman only wanted the good signings, not the bad ones. Right. Just like he is given a pass on Moncada, even though he defended it saying he wasn't worth an extra $5m, but Chase Headley was worth almost double in his eyes, and he had no problem calling out those above him on the two Sorianos.
It's pretty clear that he loves, loves, loves Girardi.
People will say he has won four championships.
Really? How does he get credit for taking over a perfect team at it's apex?
But ok, give him 2009, since the big spending worked for a year.
Either way, it's time for fresh eyes, but it's never going to happen.
And even I have to admit that Hal will never hire a Theo type, or the next Theo.
It would probably be Jim Hendry, who is a fungible nobody.
So we continue to hope for regression to the mean on development, and divine intervention.
Hope over experience.
Hard to disagree with much of that. I've always theorized after the two Sorianos Cashman and the braintrust met and said, "Our disagreements stay behind closed doors; publicly, we all toe the company line," which is why I believe Cashman said those things despite being convinced, for example, that Hal simply didn't have the intestinal fortitude to get in to a bidding war with the Sox for Moncada.
I cannot defend this team's record in the draft. Call it bad luck with some players or maybe ownership being cheap and not allowing them to pick more signability guys (both of which are legitimate points), but ultimately, results have to matter, and the results of the last decade plus have been nothing short of abysmal. At least the international scouting team seems to be decent at its job.
Well, we'll never know, but when you are taking the big check, you shouldn't get a pass on anything: take the bitter with the sweet.
The IFAs are better but where have they directly benefited the ML roster?
As for Girardi, he is taking no criticism for Quantrilling Shreve.
So they both get free rides.
Best thing to happen to the Yankees is to continue losing so they can trade McCann, Gardner, Beltran, Chapman and perhaps Miller.
If they are within 5 games of the 2nd WC...They will be buyers for sure at the trade deadline.
I doubt they're big spenders at the deadline if they are buyers, but you're right. Though, unless they're double digits out of a playoff spot, the team will try to spin it as being "in the hunt" regardless.
Chapman coming in to get a one-out save because Yates makes one mistake and can't be trusted with a 3-run lead. #binder
Joe manages like his collar is tight.
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