The Best Second Basemen in New York Yankee History posted by Chris

One of the keys to championship baseball in the major leagues is the double play. Since the second baseman is involved in more double plays than anyone else, this is a pretty important position.

A second baseman who can play great defense as well as hit for power and/or average can make a good team great, since the best hitters tend to play other positions. The Yankees have had their share of second basemen who were excellent hitters as well as top-notch fielders.

Based on factors such as longevity with the team, contributions to championships, offensive statistics, and defensive statistics, here are the top five in franchise history:

5) Joe Gordon: Selected to the Hall of Fame in 2009 by the Veterans Committee, Gordon played 1,000 games at second base during his seven seasons with the Yanks, from 1938-1946 (missing two seasons while serving in the military during World War II). Named an all star for six consecutive years, Gordon won the MVP award in 1942 when he batted .322 with 18 home runs and 103 runs batted in. Gordon's fielding average was .970, about the same as the league average at the time of .971.

4) Robinson Cano: He may be at the top of this list by the time his career is over, if he stays in pinstripes. Cano has proven to be a durable player, appearing in 1,018 games since his 2005 debut, and never in less than 159 in a season for the past five years. A .308 lifetime batter, he has also hit for power, averaging 22 homers and 96 RBI's a year. A three time all star and Gold Glove winner in 2010, his .985 career fielding average is on par with the league average of .985 and his range factor of 5.05 is higher than the league average of 4.88 for second basemen.

The Detroit TIgers Must Approach This April Like the Playoffs posted by Joe Halstead

It is said- and correctly so- that while a pennant may not be won in April, a pennant may be lost in April.

On this note, the Detroit Tigers have immediate cause for concern. Their early schedule- in the month of April alone- includes two more games against Boston, a three-game home series with the Tampa Bay Rays (April 10-12), a four-game home series against the American League Champion Texas Rangers (April 19-22) and, just to pour a bucket of salt water over the wounds incurred, a three-game series in the Bronx Apr. 27-29.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland is known for using his entire roster liberally. OFers Clete Thomas and Andy Dirks, and 2Bmen Danny Worth, Ramon Santiago and, eventually, Brandon Inge, might see significant playing time.

But, should they?

The Tigers made substitutions in the 2011 post-season out of necessity. They were beat up, and running out of players. Luckily, some of those substitutes stepped up in a big way, such as UT Don Kelly and Santiago.

However, the Tigers are at nearly 100% health, and they need their front line to do battle with the American League's best. 

So, here's hoping that Leyland doesn't tinker with his team too much. Obviously, he wants OF Delmon Young to continue what he's been doing for the Tigers since last August, which is to drive in runs. Surely, Leyland would also like to see one of his second basemen grab the brass ring. So far, all we have are multiple second basemen who play competently enough to hit .250 and turn the double play when necessary.

Ah, maybe, that is, until now. 2B/OF Ryan Raburn had the Spring Training of his life, batting over .400 for a stretch, eventually cooling a bit to a .268 average. However, he still slugged .661, having hit 6 HRs, 2 2Bs and a 3B. That accounts for nine of his 15 hits in the spring.

Derek Jeter is a hero on the field and a role model off of it posted by Colin Linneweber

Legendary Yankees captain Derek Jeter went 5-5 and recorded his 3,000th career hit with a third inning home run to lead New York to a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays Saturday afternoon in the Bronx.

Jeter, the 28th player in baseball history to reach the 3,000 hit plateau and, at 37 years and 13 days old, the fourth youngest to do so, even managed to slap the game-winning single in the eight inning.

"If I had tried to write it and given it to somebody, I wouldn't have even bought it, to be quite honest with you," Jeter said to ESPN.com. "It is just one of those special days. I've been lying to you guys for a long time saying I wasn't nervous and there is no pressure. There was a lot of pressure to do it here."

Jeter, a twelve-time All Star selection who Sports Illustrated named their 2009 Sportsman of the Year, made his Major League debut as a shortstop in 1995.

The following season, Jeter captured the Rookie of the Year Award and helped the Yankees win their first World Series championship since the 1978 season.

The 1996 campaign ultimately proved to jumpstart the team’s late-1990s dynasty that saw the Bombers triumph in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Despite the five crowns and innumerous accolades amassed playing in the media capital of the world, Derek Jeter has always remained the personification of class and professionalism on the diamond and the definition of a role model off the field.

Jeter, the only ballplayer to win both the All-Star Game and World Series MVP in the same year in 2000, has also scored with more women than Warren Beatty, George Clooney and Dylan McKay combined.

Yankees look to fill Pettitte’s shoes in rotation posted by David

Following Andy Pettitte’s retirement announcement last week, the New York Yankees are left with a big hole in their starting rotation.  CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and A.J. Burnett are the team’s top three starters, while the last two spots are up for grabs.  Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre are options for Joe Girardi, but their limited experience in The Show may hurt their chances, as the Bronx Bombers tend to go with more established pitchers.  That leaves Freddy García (35) and Bartolo Colón (37), both of whom will try to prove they are not washed-up.

García won 12 games last season for the White Sox, but his 4.64 ERA is more indicative of the type of year he had.  I went to Chicago one weekend and actually saw him give up seven earned runs in just 2.1 innings of work against the Marlins.  The ChiSox eventually lost the game 13-0 in front of their home fans.  García surrendered three home runs in that game and 23 overall in only 157 innings pitched, numbers that are unlikely to improve if he makes half his starts at New Yankee Stadium.

Once a great pitcher, Colón has battled injuries over the last several years and didn’t pitch in the big leagues last season.  Since winning the Cy Young Award in 2005, Colón has accumulated just 14 wins, topping out at six in 2007.

The starting pitching challenges for Girardi don’t end there, as it’s anyone’s guess what kind of season Burnett will have.  In 2009 – his first year in pinstripes – Burnett posted a respectable 4.04 ERA to go with a 13-9 won-loss record.  In 2010, his ERA jumped to 5.26 while his record fell to 10-15.  He also led the majors in hit-batsmen, with 19 – the most batters a Yankee pitcher has hit in the last 100 years.

Edgar Martínez’s case for Cooperstown posted by David

One of the most talented hitters of the nineties did not receive enough votes for induction to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, but I’m hoping Edgar Martínez does not have to wait too much longer.  I don’t expect him to be elected in 2011 because too many voters don’t think a Designated Hitter is a full-time player.  (Martínez came up as a third baseman, but injuries forced him to become Seattle’s regular DH in 1995.)  In my opinion, if a poor defensive player can make it to Cooperstown based on his offensive contributions, then someone who does not play a defensive position should be able to do the same.

Martínez’s career stats include a .312 batting average, .418 on-base percentage, .515 slugging percentage, 2,247 hits, 309 home runs, and 1,261 RBIs.  His best season came in 1995, when he slugged .628 while leading the AL in batting average (.356), OBP (.479), OPS (1.107), doubles (52), and runs (121).  Despite his monster year, Martínez still finished third in the MVP race.  Fifteen years later, he remains the only designated hitter ever to win a batting title.

Martínez was a seven-time All-Star, won five Silver Slugger Awards, and had one of the biggest clutch hits in postseason history – a two-run double in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS that sent the Mariners to their first-ever Championship Series.  Seattle had been trailing the Yankees 5-4 and were three outs away from being eliminated from the playoffs; the turn of events sent the Yanks home instead after having blown a 2-0 series lead.  For the series, Martínez had a Ruthian line of .571/.667/1.000 and 10 RBIs – nine of them coming in the last two games.

Initial Bowl Thoughts posted by Chad

The _______ National Championship:
#1 Billy K vs. #2 Jacob Crass
--The only two ever league champions are in a familiar spot.. back in the league championship.  Bill expected to be an afterthought but his style and slick deals put him back into contention.  He’s a version of the NY Yankees at this stage, always in contention and constantly trading youth for useful veterans.  He then drafts young players every draft... and trades them for useful veterans for the bowl run.  Perhaps, some teams should recognize this and not trade with Billy all the time and constantly “reload” while he constantly goes to the championship.
Billy managed to go 10-3 on the season behind the luxury of his opponents only averaging 100.7 points per game.  The next closest was 106 points per game and in the top 5... 116.4.  That’s 16 points, on average, that Bill had to play with.  Amazing when you really look at the numbers.. for instance take a look at his scores the first 6 weeks of the season.  Bill could very possibly playing in another game if his strength of schedule was not so week.

Crass, on the other hand, lost his first two games and things weren’t looking good.  Then, Brandon Weeden turned it on and Mark Ingram’s inspirational return inspired the team to tear off 5 straight wins before a tie with Chad.  He managed to squeak into the championship and shockingly... gave up 116.4 points per game.  The 2nd lowest amount of the top 5 teams.  I see something here.  His points per game were .1 higher than 3rd and tied with 4th place.  It looks like the schedule makers may have wanted this BCS type showdown and leave out the little non-AQ teams much like we see in the college game today. 
Continue reading "Initial Bowl Thoughts"

Longer series are good for ball posted by David

Postseason sweeps are great if your team comes out victorious, but for the fan who just wants to see a good series because his team is already done for the year, sweeps make October less exciting.  The Phillies and Yankees outplayed their first-round opponents so it was no surprise that the Reds and Twins failed to win a single game, but the other two division series were more fun to watch.  Additionally, the League Championship Series in both the AL and NL will last a minimum of six games, which is how it should be.  A postseason series that features one team in complete control over the other is like a boxing match in which one fighter KO’s the other in the first round, but then fights him again the next night and does it all over again.  A series that goes the distance (or a game shy of it), on the other hand, is good for ball.

How ‘bout that?

How about Cody Ross?  The Giants outfielder hit two home runs against Roy Halladay in Game 1 of the NLCS and added one off Roy Oswalt in Game 2 to provide San Francisco with its only run of the game.  This feat of power against two of the league’s best pitchers comes after Ross hit only three long balls in 33 games after coming over in a trade from the Marlins.  Though closer Brian Wilson has struck out six in 3.1 scoreless innings of work, Ross’s .375/.474/1.063 line as an everyday player makes him the favorite for the series MVP should his team eliminate the two-time defending NL Champs and play in the Fall Classic for the first time since 2002.

Playoff newcomers show the baseball world what they’ve got posted by David

While the fans in Cincinnati, Atlanta, and St. Petersburg may not have appreciated it, nearly every game played so far this postseason has featured a dominant pitching performance.  Roy Halladay no-hit the Reds, Tim Lincecum shut out the Braves on just two hits while striking out 14, and C.J. Wilson and Cliff Lee combined to hold the Rays to one run in 13.1 innings.  Lee displayed his talents during last year’s World Series, earning both of the Phillies’ wins over the Yankees, but Halladay, Lincecum and Wilson were all making their postseason debuts, and not one of them showed any sign of butterflies.

How ‘bout that?

How about Félix Hernández?  Despite a 13-12 record, King Felix deserves the American League Cy Young Award for his outstanding season on the mound.  He led the majors in ERA (2.27) and finished just one strikeout behind Jered Weaver’s 233 and one inning pitched shy of Halladay’s 250.2 – both of which led all big league pitchers.  The Venezuelan workhorse threw six innings or more in 32 of 34 starts, allowing three earned runs or fewer in 30 of them.  Had he played for any team other than the Mariners, whose lack of offense cost all of their pitchers, Hernández would almost certainly have won 20 games or more.

How about Danny Valencia?  Following a promotion to the big leagues in June, the Twins’ third baseman hit .311 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs in 85 games. Valencia was most productive during the month of September, hitting five homers and driving in 17 runs in 22 games.  Had he spent the entire season in the big leagues, Valencia would be a strong candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year; as is he will probably be voted third behind Neftali Feliz and Austin Jackson.  Minnesota fans, however, should be happy to have a promising young hitter who will occupy the hot corner for years to come.

Hard work pays off for career minor leaguers posted by David

Reds rookie Mike Leake went from Arizona State to the majors without throwing a pitch in the minor leagues.  Stephen Strasburg spent two months split between Double-A and Triple-A before making his big league debut in front of the entire baseball world.  The rise to the top does not come so easily – or at all – for others who share the dream of playing in The Show.  Two such players are John Lindsey, who was drafted way back in 1995, and Max St-Pierre, who had played 978 games in the minors – nearly all of them as a catcher – before getting called up this month to the Dodgers and Tigers, respectively.  Lindsey had played for five different organizations and even tried independent ball in 2005.  St-Pierre had spent 14 seasons in the minors, including 13 in the Tigers organization, and was one of the Toledo Mud Hens' backstops in 2010.  He probably did not expect the promotion after starting the year at Double-A.  It’s always exciting for any minor leaguer to find out he's going up to the big leagues, but for a 33-year-old first baseman and a 30-year-old catcher going up for the first time, it has got to be the greatest feeling in the world.

How 'bout that?

How about Troy Tulowitzki?  The Rockies shortstop is having a September to remember, launching 14 home runs, slugging a ridiculous .884, putting together four multi-homer games, and collecting 34 RBIs.  If he can drive in 10 runs in Colorado's last nine games, Tulo will finish with 100 RBIs despite spending six weeks on the DL in June and July.  Along with Carlos Gonzalez, Tulowitzki is leading the Rockies in their hunt for another Rocktober.

ChiSox Top Yanks, 9-4 posted by Richard Kagan

The Chicago White Sox scored in bunches to put away the New York Yankees 9-4 on Friday night in Chicago.  The Sox put up two 4 run innings to take control of the game.

The White Sox came out early and scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by A.J. Pierzynski's double which scored two runs.  The Sox also got a nice performance from pitcher Freddy Garcia (11-5) who kept the Yanks off balance all night.  Garcia went 7 innings and ate up some innings.  The bullpen has been battered, and reliever E. Threets possibly re-injured himself and had to be taken out of the game.  Both Matt Thornton and JJ Putz are on the DL.

The Sox needed this win badly.  Tomorrow they face C.C. Sabathia, one of the best starting pitchers in the league.

John Danks (12-8) is scheduled to pitch for the Sox who need a great outing from him tomorrow.  If the Sox are going to stay in this AL Central chase, they need to continue to win games.  And, even though Sabathia is the mound, the White Sox need to show that they will find a way to get to him and make him throw a lot of pitches.  The more pitches he throws, the greater a chance to make a mistake on a pitch.

The Juice: Mike Trout homers, Angels get 12 hits, coach Mickey Hatcher gets fired (Big Leagu

The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights. Hit the bricks: The Los Angeles Angels made batting coach Mickey Hatcher the scapegoat for one of the worst offenses in the major leagues by firing him Tuesday night.The team announced the switch to minor-league coach Jim Eppard about 90 minutes after a 4-0 victory against the Athletics . In a near-irony, Los Angeles produced 12 hits, including three from Albert Pujols for the first time in a month, in Hatcher's final game as coach after 12-plus seasons. Though comments about Pujols being behind the change might sound funny and even plausible given the disagreement he had with Hatcher earlier in the season, the change comes from owner Arte Moreno and GM Jerry Dipoto. Sometimes, the boss said, change is necessary when a team is next-to-last in runs scored in the AL: "Sometimes in the sports world a point is reached where perhaps a new voice is needed in order to attain the desired goals and objectives," Dipoto said in a statement. "Unfortunately we feel this is one of those times. Offensively we have underachieved and everyone shares in the responsibility of what has transpired thus far." Hatcher just gets a bigger share than everyone else. Upstream: Rookie outfielder Mike Trout hit his third homer (see above video) and had his sixth multi-hit game of the season. So he obviously wasn't tainted by Hatcher's influence. Neither was slugger Mark Trumbo, who spoke respectfully of his former instructor on Twitter . In the pitching universe, the Angels got nine strikeouts from Ervin Santana, who must have keeled over at all of that run support. It was the Mariners, but...: Josh Beckett says "Take that," you fried-chicken-and-beer, golfing-lat-muscle, and blister-obsessed media! No, he didn't really say that. But he pitched with authority against the Mariners, striking out nine and scattering five hits over seven innings in a 5-0 victory for the Boston Red Sox. Much better than the previous outing . His name is Wei-Yin Chen: Baltimore's rookie left-hander from Taiwan pitched seven innings of of four-hit ball against the New York Yankees, lowering his ERA to 2.45 and leading the Orioles to a 5-2 victory . This was Chen's second outing against the Yankees — and thank goodness for that, he said: [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Clemens accuser McNamee: 'I didn't make it up' (The Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) Roger Clemens' lawyer toyed with Brian McNamee's memory and attacked him from several directions at once. The attorney even put an easel next to the witness with the words: ''MISTAKE. BAD MEMORY. LIE.'' Eventually, there came the inevitable question: ''Do you sometimes just make stuff up?'' [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Defense rips accuser in Clemens' perjury trial (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top defense lawyer in ex-baseball star Roger Clemens' perjury trial attacked the credibility of the star prosecution witness on Wednesday, asking, "Do you sometimes just make stuff up?" [read full article]

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Jays' Lawrie in lineup a day after ump altercation (The Associated Press)

TORONTO (AP) Brett Lawrie is in the lineup for the Toronto Blue Jays a day after his altercation with an umpire. [read full article]

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Yankees-Blue Jays Preview (The AssociatedPress)

The New York Yankees' Hiroki Kuroda has settled in nicely following a rocky start to the season. [read full article]

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