Archive for March, 2011
Freddy Garcia Makes New York Yankees Rotation, Bartolo »
Despite hurling some of his best stuff in five years (1-0/2.40/15 IP/17 K), Bartolo Colon will start his season with the Yankees in the bullpen. Yankees skipper Joe Girardi announced Sunday that the team will round out its rotation with Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia as its fourth and fifth starters. Though the announcement was touted as "expected" [...]
MLB Preview 2011: Looking at Derek Jeter and the New »
The Yankees usually get who they want during the offseason, but this past offseason, they missed out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes. They threw more money at him than Philadelphia, but Lee said no thanks. So, instead of going after a starting pitcher, the Yanks went out and acquired Rafael Soriano. In many ways, the signing is better than any [...]
New York Yankees Set Starting Rotation »
New York Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi has named his starting rotation to start the regular season. Here is what it will look like come Thursday… 1. C.C. Sabathia 2. Phil Hughes 3. A.J. Burnett 4. Ivan Nova 5. Freddy Garcia One through four is no surprise, but the fifth starter is. I am really surprised Garcia got the nod [...]
New York Yankee Fans Turn the Tables in Alex »
No player has felt the demand to perform every plate appearance like Alex Rodriguez has since Dave Winfield was nicknamed Mr. May in the 1980s. However, this week there were several instances of Yankee fans going to bat—so to speak—for Rodriguez over Derek Jeter. The Jeter-Rodriguez debate returned to New York sports-talk radio from [...]
New York Yankees Tab Freddy Garcia for Final Rotation »
On Saturday, Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced the final spot in his rotation would go to Freddy Garcia, effectively ending the spring training battle between Garcia and fellow offseason signing Bartolo Colon.Colon will start the year in the bullpen as the long reliever. The decision seems to have come down to history rather than [...]
New York Yankees: Catching Decisions Based on Trade »
Almost as soon as the season ended, the Yankees made the decision on Jorge Posada: He would not catch in 2011. I don't even think he was allowed to bring a glove to spring training. It was assumed that this would open the door for top catching prospect, Jesus Montero, to become the Yankees every day catcher. Replacing Posada wouldn't be easy, but [...]
Thoughts About The Yankees 2011 Rotation »
With Opening Day now less than a week away, the New York Yankees appear to be finalizing their pitching staff, particularly their five-man rotation. This finalization, and what they apparently will go to war with, has got me worried. No announcements have been officially made yet, but based on what's been going down in the last day or two, it [...]
Fantasy Baseball 2011 Profile: How Much Gas Does »
Mariano Rivera is 41 years of age, but he is still playing at an incredibly high level. Last year, he had an ERA of 1.80 in 61 appearances with 33 saves. In fact, in his last eight seasons, he has only had an ERA over two, just once. That’s pretty magnificent for a guy that was supposed to retire three years ago. Overall, he has played 16 [...]
New York Yankees Reportedly Sign Kevin Millwood to »
In February, the Yankees offered a minor-league deal to Kevin Millwood, which got turned down because he was looking for a more guaranteed deal. With the 2011 baseball season less than a week away, Millwood still didn't have a contract, nor did he have any other suitors interested in his services. So according to SI and WFAN's Jon Heyman, Millwood [...]
Mariano Rivera’s Cutter and the Nastiest Pitches »
The 2010 baseball season was the closest we have come to having "The Year of the Pitcher" since 1968. Back then it was customary to win more than 20 games and batting averages just barely slid into the .200s.In 2010, it was crazy how many no-hitters and perfect games were thrown. We, as fans, are blessed to be witnessing such talents on the mound [...]