2012 New York Yankees Thread

[1998 Yankees]

It's that time again. Let's start this season with today's big news: The Return of Andy Pettitte.

Andy Pettitte's return gives Yankees cheap help - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

When Pettitte retired last year, he, like his buddy [Roger] Clemens, took the word retire loosely. “I guess you can never say never,” Pettitte said.

Another amusing quote of his was that he had the blessing of his family: "They weren't all that thrilled about me retiring last year". Heh.

Three things come immediately to mind:

• A couple of guys fighting for the #5 spot in the pitching rotation have to be really, uh, "concerned" [a word inserted in place of what I wanted to say ].
• Boy, is it a good thing that we traded A.J. Burnett away. Maybe Pettitte does not come back if not? This thought is not from some huge expectation of what he will accomplish this season but from not having, what, eight guys competing for five spots? I count seven now: Sabathia, Kuroda, Pettitte, Garcia, Hughes, Nova, and Pineda. Well, more like the last four competing for #4 and #5. And, whoever gets #5 coming out of Spring Training is going to now that he's gone in May when Pettitte arrives. *
• Will fellow Core Four member Andy Pettitte's unretiring have any effect on Mariano Rivera's decision? Which is that he will retire after this season? (Sure, Mo did not announce it yet but who the heck says something like "I've reached a decision and I will announce it later in the year" when he's referring to playing another year?)

Chuckle for the day in that article: Yankees are getting Pettitte "on the cheap" for only $2.5 million this year. Hey, you guys want cheap? I'll pitch for you for 1/1000 of that amount! Heck, I'll PAY YOU up to 1/100 of it just for the privilege!!! (I should be so lucky.)

* EDIT: Just focused on this, re-reading the story:

Among an out-of-shape Michael Pineda’s disappearing fastball velocity, a heretofore-underperforming Phil Hughes and an injured Freddy Garcia, the Yankees face rotation questions.

That's baseball for you. Can never have too much starting pitching, they say.

[thomamon]

Hughes is having a tremendous spring, what are you talking about?

[1998 Yankees]

Hey, thom! Nice to see you around again. Dunno, just quoting what the Yahoo guy said. Is Hughes doing that well so far?

[Mt Fire Fighter]

Glad to have Andy back but you never know what he has left. The paper said today, quotting Casman, that he will only be a starter.

1998 Yankees, hope they don't take up your offer Don't want to see another A.J. after watching him work I think most people could be just as effective.


John

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

Is Hughes doing that well so far?

Answering my own question:

MLB Spring Training 2012: Why Phil Hughes Should Win Starting Rotation Spot | Bleacher Report

Originally Posted by Mt Fire Fighter

1998 Yankees, hope they don't take up your offer

I keep watching my mail.

[1998 Yankees]

This is who they got to replace Kimberly Jones on YES: Meredith Marakovits. She has the looks part down, all right. Bit of a youth movement as well (born in 1983; Jones in 1969). But, she does have an impressive resume. Let's see if she has the personality and baseball smarts to go with the pretty face.

[thomamon]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

This is who they got to replace Kimberly Jones on YES: Meredith Marakovits. She has the looks part down, all right. Bit of a youth movement as well (born in 1983; Jones in 1969). But, she does have an impressive resume. Let's see if she has the personality and baseball smarts to go with the pretty face.

****, who cares what she knows, she is major improvement over horse face!!!

Hughes had another strong outing today. 5 IP and only one mistake, a 2 run HR. So glad, hope he makes the rotation.

Looks like Pineda may be starting the year in AAA. I think the Yankees are regretting the deal with the guy from LA

[1998 Yankees]

I think fate has overtaken Joba Chamberlain and he has now entered the "What he could have been!" category.

Yankees relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain dislocates ankle, loses life-threatening amount of blood, 2012 season and career may be over - NY Daily News

[thomamon]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

I think fate has overtaken Joba Chamberlain and he has now entered the "What he could have been!" category.

Yankees relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain dislocates ankle, loses life-threatening amount of blood, 2012 season and career may be over - NY Daily News

Too soon to say that, don't jump on that band wagon

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by thomamon

Too soon to say that, don't jump on that band wagon

Oh, I'm not saying his career is necessarily over, although some quoted doctors are saying that may be the case.

I am saying that this injury, on top of his arm problems, and mediocre seasons before all this happened, all means to me that we are never going to the superstar that we thought we saw in him in the fall of 2007. He reminds me of one of those OOTPB players with five-star potential and two-star ratings his entire career.

The article that I read this morning was vague on how he broke his ankle, but it was not on the field. He was with his son at one of those in-door amusement centers with "trampolines and stuff." Yikes, I can imagine what happened.

He's a good guy and his teammates feel pretty bad about this. They were pulling for him to come out of rehab and finally again be the bullpen force that he was in 2007. Best wishes to him and let's root for a successful comeback.

[1998 Yankees]

Guys are right here to advise not jumping to conclusions prematurely in sports (or anywhere else, for that matter). But, you can't help uttering an "uh-oh" based on his poor performance this spring, his decreased velocity, and now this:

Pineda has shoulder soreness as Yanks top Phils - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

Yes, yes, I agree about Montero. He's not going to be a top-defensive catcher (maybe another jumped-to conclusion) and the Yankees need the DH to take care of some soon-to-be senior citizens.

But can you imagine the hoopla if Montero busts out big with the Mariners this year while Pineda is dividing his time between the minors and the DL?

[thomamon]

You know I blame the press partially for this...

They jumped on the story of Pineda having a decrease in velocity when he only hit 92-93 in his first outing. Pineda admitted trying to throw the ball harder because of this instead of trying to work it up normally.

The press are like vultures trying to make a story out of nothing and do more harm then good. I actually tweeted some of the writers giving them my opinion of the situation. They are so eager to look for the bad in everything and it only gets worse!

[1998 Yankees]

Well, that gust of wind you may have heard and felt yesterday was not March going out like a lion. It was Brian Cashman exhaling a sigh of relief that Pineda's MRI indicated tendinitis and not rotator cuff or torn labrum.

[1998 Yankees]

This bothers me, especially the part about his catching ability. Who's to say this would not have happened: Montero serves as Martin's understudy for the remaining term of Martin's contract, keeps learning and developing as a catcher, then takes over full-time when the Yankees let Martin go. Don't talk to me about Romine and Cervelli - neither one of those guys could carry Montero's bat, now or in the future. Neither can Martin, for that matter.

[thomamon]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

This bothers me, especially the part about his catching ability. Who's to say this would not have happened: Montero serves as Martin's understudy for the remaining term of Martin's contract, keeps learning and developing as a catcher, then takes over full-time when the Yankees let Martin go. Don't talk to me about Romine and Cervelli - neither one of those guys could carry Montero's bat, now or in the future. Neither can Martin, for that matter.

My problem with this is you are judging Montero's bat after one month of being in the majors. That is nothing, lets see what he continues to do.

On that note, Pineda is not done yet. And the real guy the Yankees wanted in that deal was the other pitcher, not Pineda.

Way too early to start juding this trade.

[thomamon]

So disappointed in the demotion of Cervelli. What else does the dude have to do to prove he is a great backup catcher at the ML Level? This trade makes no sense.

He brings a spunk to this team that will be missed.

[1998 Yankees]

The chart's fuzzy, but you'll get the idea. There's a handful of guys who led their teams in saves for five, six, even seven years in a row. Rivera's streak (red bar) is 15 seasons, probably 16 barring injury.

[Caporegime]

Pineda, Kuroda, Ibanez and.....Marakovits.

Meredith Marakovits - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Without a single pitch having been thrown yet this season, I will go out on a (pleasantly erect) limb and say she's the best off-season acquisition the Yanks have made.

[yankeesrule]

going back to the montero thing, he wont last at catcher more than a couple of seasons if that. he's physically too big, not a knock on him, but at 6-3 his body would break down way to quickly behind the plate every day. if you look around the league, most catchers are under 6 foot. when he was coming up, i remember this moreso than his lack of catching skills, was why they said he wouldn't last as a catcher.

[1998 Yankees]

Here's an eye-catching chart, if you're a Yankees fan. Of course, if Rivera retires as expected at the end of this season, they may jump up five or ten places!