Looking at the image with this article, you see that Marcus Thames has great hitting mechanics. Hips opening for power, a stiff front leg, elbow tucked near the hip to keep the swing short and the bat rotating through the zone.
A good hitter who, on occasion, can really mash left handed pitching.
But Thames is a designated hitter. Pure and simple. He can even be counted on to pinch hit when a lefty is brought into the game. With a career pinch hit line of .321 AVG /.424 OBP /.625 SLG /.1.049 ...
Thought this first series against the Baltimore Orioles would be a breeze? Perhaps not.
The Yankees fell short to the O’s 5-4, behind staff ace Kevin Millwood and to the dismay of a shaky Yankee bullpen.
The first inning and a half went quickly.
Luke Scott led off the O’s second with a single to left, followed by a Ty Wiggington single, and a walk to Nolan Reimold, loading the bases with one out.
Phil Hughes proceeded to walk Cesar Izturis, handing the Orioles their first run. Hughes didn’t look as sharp around the ...
A number of major pieces from the New York Yankees' World Series championship team are gone to other franchises. I thought it would be interesting to see how they are doing with about 20 games gone in the new season.
Johnny Damon left as a free agent. He was offered a two-year deal with the Yanks at a reported $14 million and he turned it down thinking he could get a longer deal. He ended up signing with the Detroit Tigers for two years at a reported $12 million.
After 20 games ...
The Yankees consist of great talent, including Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, and Mark Teixeira. And don't forget about the man behind the plate: Jorge Posada.
But what about the future of this infield? What will happen when Jeter is too old to play everyday? And what about when A-Rod, Teixeira, and Posada are no longer productive?
Here is the future of the Yankees infield.
First Base: Jesus Montero
Yes, Montero isn't catching. He has the potential to be an All-Star hitter, and there's a good chance he will be, but he won't ...
The “Core Four” of the Yankees, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte (as if I needed to tell you) got on the cover of Sports Illustrated and let me be the first to say, that is a sweet ass cover.
That being said, I don’t have much else to say about the cover. Sure it’s cool, but after about 30 seconds I’ve moved on.
Here is what others are saying about the cover:
Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News : “You may never see a group this successful ...
New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman hit the headlines with a "blockbuster" trade in the offseason that brought Curtis Granderson to the Bronx.
The Yankees gave up one-time first round draft pick, starting pitcher, Ian Kennedy; left handed reliever, Phil Coke; and top prospect outfielder, Austin Jackson, to the Detroit Tigers.
Coke is 3-0 in Detroit coming out of their pen.
And if you haven't checked on AJax lately, he's playing pretty well!
He has played in all 19 games for the Tigers. He has 83 at bats, has scored 14 runs, has ...
Curt Schilling, former Red Sox ace, current ESPNBoston analyst went on ESPN Radio’s “The Herd with Colin Cowheard” and blasted Yankees starter Javier Vazquez as somebody who can’t pitch in New York or the American League.
Schilling on Vazquez not being good enough for the AL: “I never ever thought the move to New York the first time was a good one [for Vazquez]. And I didn’t think this [move] was good as well,” Schilling said.
“I don’t think he suddenly learned how to pitch when he went back ...
I've been debating recently why it is that Javier Vazquez has been put on this Earth.
If you asked Javier, he'd probably say he's here for his wife and three beautiful children. That would certainly make sense. His Wikipedia page states he's a huge wine aficionado, so maybe he's just here for the fermented grapes. Then again, he may go the religious route and say he was here for God. That's kind of the safe choice when asked these types of broad-based questions.
But you and I know none of that is ...
There are probably fewer things more frustrating to a sports fan than watching an expensive, recently imported veteran player repeatedly fail in his efforts to help the team.
The more prior success he's had, the more money he's making, the more you had to give up to get him...well, that all just makes it worse. And then there's Javy Vazquez. Vazquez had all of those things against him:
He was probably one of the five best pitchers in the Senior Circuit last year;
He's guaranteed $23 million combined this year and ...
In the beginning of the 2010 season, a lot of things have gone right for the Yankees.
Curtis Granderson is fitting well into the center field spot, as is Brett Gardner in the left field spot.
Phil Hughes is doing a tremendous job as the fifth starter while for the most part, Joba Chamberlain has done a good job as the setup man.
However, there has been one glitch so far in the 2010 season: Javier Vazquez.
Originally, the Vazquez for Melky Cabrera deal looked like a bona fide steal in the winter considering ...