26 posts tagged “robinson cano”
Back on September 14th, I referenced a Joel Sherman article from the Post, which listed five mistakes the Yankees must fix for the 2009 season.
With spring training around the corner, let's see how they've done so far. This is what was said then (by Sherman), and my comments are in italics:
1) When you can get a prime-aged ace, move heaven, earth, and -- certainly -- Phil Hughes to get him: My biggest reason for advocating the acquisition of Johan Santana has not changed since the offseason. The Yanks had been looking for just this kind of No. 1 starter. They had gone exotic (Hideki Irabu, Jose Contreras), old (Kevin Brown, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson), and on belief they could grow one in their lab (Jeff Weaver, Javier Vasquez, Carl Pavano). Aside from Clemens in his first Yankees incarnation, these were pretty much expensive busts.
The Yankees took care of this by signing CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett to fill the void in the rotation. With the tandem of Sabathia, Burnett, and Wang, the Yankees are looking at three aces to lead the rotation. Throw in Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettitte and the Yanks are good to go.
2) The prospects you have to know the best are your own: There are many reasons the Yankees recently had a dynasty. But right atop the list was that one-time GM Gene Michael did a great job of separating the keepers (Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada) from the disposable. Joe Girardi, Tino Martinez, Jeff Nelson, Paul O'Neill, and David Cone were among the key pieces to the dynasty that were obtained by dealing farmhands. Believe it or not, the people who ran the Yankees farm system in 1995 were as obsessed with not trading top pitching prospect Marty Janzen as any Yankees official was in keeping Hughes out of a Santana trade last offseason. If you are asking, Marty who? Exactly.
The Yankees have held on to their top prospects, which include Austin Jackson, Jesus Montero, and a wealth of others. The beauty of the free agent market is that the only compensation is draft picks, not current players.
3) These are the Yankees; earn your way into a significant role: Hughes and Kennedy had not done enough to earn no-questions-asked roles in the 2008 rotation, and the bigger mistake was believing not one, but two neophytes could step right into action.
For the most part, all of the positions are set for the Yanks. The only question marks are in the outfield. Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera, and Nick Swisher will fight for the center field spot, while Nady, Swisher, Damon, and Matsui will fight for the corner outfield and DH spots. This year, unlike last year, the Yankees are not relying on young, inexperienced players in important spots.
4) Long-term contracts go only to those who play hard and concentrate fully: Again, why did the Yanks not know Cano better? They had seen him wander mentally for three seasons in the majors and several years in the minors before investing long-term in him.
The Yankees gave away long-term contracts to three players this offseason (Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira). All three certainly earned them, but it will be important for them to hold up their end of the deal.
5) How do you de-emphasize the highest-paid, biggest star on your team?: It was nice mythology built around how Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees decided to come back together last offseason. And, yes, the word is "mythology." Mainly because Rodriguez claimed he returned only because what he wanted most was to be a Yankee. The reality -- besides money and the trappings of fame -- is that A-Rod has no idea what he wants. The true Yankee did not stick around for either the Home Run Derby or the whole All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, go to Bobby Murcer's memorial in Oklahoma City (like Jeter and Pettitte did), or show up at a reasonable time for Old-Timer's Day.
After recent events, here is how I answer the question: you can't. You just can't.
For the second consecutive day, the Yankees made a significant roster move. A day after signing CC Sabathia to a seven-year, $161 million contract, the Yankees have traded Melky Cabrera to the Brewers for Mike Cameron.
Melky was absolutely horrible last year, but he was solid in 2006 and 2007. I think that a lot of the fan base hated his production, but enjoyed his lively attitude and youthful energy. I'll miss Melky, but it's clear that his production was regressing.
Cameron, who is 35, offers more production and a solid glove in center field. Hit hit just .243, but he hit 25 home runs and stole 17 bases in 120 games. Cabrera, in comparsion, hit .249 with 8 home runs in 129 games.
With Cameron in the mix, I doubt that the Yankees will add any other offensive players. The opening day lineup will probably look something like this:
LF Damon
SS Jeter
2B Cano
3B Rodriguez
LF Nady
DH Matsui
C Posada
1B Swisher
CF Cameron
Of course, depending on injuries and production in Spring Training, this is subject to change. Hitting Cano third seems to be the popular notion at the moment, but if it were up to me, I would have Posada hit third and Cano seventh.
Update: According to Ken Rosenthal, the deal has hit a few roadblocks. Interesting.
Back in May and August, I handed out the first and second trimester awards for the New York Yankees. Now that the regular season is over, here are the third and final trimester awards:
MVP- Mike Mussina
No one expected Mussina to have a good year, yet alone a Cy Young type of year. Mussina finished with a 20-9 record and a remarkable 3.37 ERA. Without Mussina, the Yankees would probably have struggled to stay over .500.
Cy Young- Mariano Rivera
You might be saying, 'How can a pitcher win the MVP and not the Cy Young?' In terms of value to the team, Mussina was more valuable than Rivera, in my opinion. However, in terms of overall stats, Rivera had one of the best seasons ever by a closer. Rivera blew just one save and posted a stunning ERA of 1.40. His WHIP of 0.67 was also the lowest of his career.
Rookie of the Year- Joba Chamberlain
Joba pitched in 42 games this year, 12 of which were starts. He posted a 4-3 record and a stunning 2.60 ERA. He also struck out 118 in just 100 innings. Clearly, Joba was the best rookie on the team.
Surprise of the Year- Cody Ransom
Ransom emerged as a mid-level prospect to a very solid bench player near the end of the season. In limited playing time, Ransom hit over .300 with four home runs and eight RBI's. He has to be considered as a role player for next year.
Biggest Disappointment- Robinson Cano
Cano finished with a .271 average, more than 30 points off his career average. Cano was expected to develop into a better overall player in 2008, but instead, his performance regressed. It wasn't a terrible year, but if his stats were where they were from 2005 through 2007, the Yankees may have made the playoffs.
Game of the Year- July 7th, 2008. Johnny Damon's six hits are capped off by his walk-off winner in a thrilling 12-11 victory over the Royals.
Play of the Year- http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200809193509924&c_id=nyy
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If you missed any of the other awards, here they are, free of charge:
| Last 3 years | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
| 2006 | NYY | 122 | 482 | 62 | 165 | 41 | 1 | 15 | 78 | 18 | 54 | 5 | 2 | .342 | .365 | .525 | .890 | |
| 2007 | NYY | 160 | 617 | 93 | 189 | 41 | 7 | 19 | 97 | 39 | 85 | 4 | 5 | .306 | .353 | .488 | .841 | |
| 2008 | NYY | 159 | 597 | 70 | 162 | 35 | 3 | 14 | 72 | 26 | 65 | 2 | 4 | .271 | .305 | .410 | .715 | |
| Career | 573 | 2218 | 303 | 671 | 151 | 15 | 62 | 309 | 99 | 272 | 12 | 14 | .303 | .335 | .468 | .803 |
Let's look at what I had to say about Cano throughout the season:
On May 3rd, I wrote: "(Cano) needs to start hitting, especially with the absence of Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada."
On May 14th, I wrote: "Cano's average now stands at .205, the highest it has been since the first week of the season."
Throughout the year, I continuously stated that Cano would end up hitting over .300, which is where he was in 2005, 2006, and 2007. I made it a point to note that he would end up "hitting like the back of his baseball card." But as the season progressed, Cano remained in the .230's and .240's. He got momentarily hot after the all star break, but still, his average remained in the low .250's with little power.
Cano finished the year with a .271 mark- not bad, considering he was hitting under .200 into the month of May. However, his average and power numbers have clearly regressed over the past few years, which is not the normal progression of things for a young player. Cano needs to get back on track to where he was in his first three seasons.
In 2008, much of his talent was wasted. Let's just hope that's not the case next year.
I have to admit, I totally missed this game. But, it seems from the box score and the video recaps that it was a great game; solid pitching by Aceves, a ninth-inning beauty by Rivera, and a walk-off hit from Cano.
For all the slack Cano has been given, he does have two walkoff hits this year.
There will never be another day game at this Yankee Stadium. The mid-afternoon sun will never shine on a baseball game at the Stadium ever again. But at least Robinson Cano ended the penultimate game with a bang.
Final Score: Yankees 3, Orioles 2
Yankees: 83-71
Orioles: 67-85
W- Pavano (4-1)
L- Liz (6-6)
SV- Rivera (37)
Offense: The Yankee offense scored three runs on nine hits, which was enough to win the game. Robinson Cano hit his 14th home run of the year in the third inning, while Brett Gardner followed with a clutch RBI double. It will be interesting to see how the top four batters (Damon, Jeter, Abreu, Rodriguez) finish off the year; they all have a chance to hit over .300. For all the slack I've given the offense on this blog, it would truly be remarkable if all four finished with such a high average.
Pitching: Carl Pavano had a decent start: 5 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts; however, it was really the bullpen that won this game. Phil Coke, Brian Bruney, and Damaso Marte combined to throw two scoreless innings of relief, while Joba Chamberlain K'ed the side in the eighth. Mariano Rivera closed out the ninth for his 37th save of the year. Coke has yet to allow a run in his 10+ innings of major-league experience, and Rivera (1.49) and Bruney (1.99) are each sporting sub-2.00 ERA's.
Final Notes:
- There are now only two games remaining at Yankee Stadium.
- The Yankees have won six of their last seven, but their tragic number has dwindled to three.
- The Orioles, with 85 losses, are practically assured of finishing in last place for the first time since 1988. They are 7-23 in their last 30 games.
Joel Sherman of the Post offers his view of the five most critical mistakes the Yankees must fix for the 2009 season. Here they are:
1) When you can get a prime-aged ace, move heaven, earth, and -- certainly -- Phil Hughes to get him: My biggest reason for advocating the acquisition of Johan Santana has not changed since the offseason. The Yanks had been looking for just this kind of No. 1 starter. They had gone exotic (Hideki Irabu, Jose Contreras), old (Kevin Brown, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson), and on belief they could grow one in their lab (Jeff Weaver, Javier Vasquez, Carl Pavano). Aside from Clemens in his first Yankees incarnation, these were pretty much expensive busts.
2) The prospects you have to know the best are your own: There are many reasons the Yankees recently had a dynasty. But right atop the list was that one-time GM Gene Michael did a great job of separating the keepers (Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada) from the disposable. Joe Girardi, Tino Martinez, Jeff Nelson, Paul O'Neill, and David Cone were among the key pieces to the dynasty that were obtained by dealing farmhands. Believe it or not, the people who ran the Yankees farm system in 1995 were as obsessed with not trading top pitching prospect Marty Janzen as any Yankees official was in keeping Hughes out of a Santana trade last offseason. If you are asking, Marty who? Exactly.
3) These are the Yankees; earn your way into a significant role: Hughes and Kennedy had not done enough to earn no-questions-asked roles in the 2008 rotation, and the bigger mistake was believing not one, but two neophytes could step right into action.
4) Long-term contracts go only to those who play hard and concentrate fully: Again, why did the Yanks not know Cano better? They had seen him wander mentally for three seasons in the majors and several years in the minors before investing long-term in him.
5) How do you de-emphasize the highest-paid, biggest star on your team?: It was nice mythology built around how Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees decided to come back together last offseason. And, yes, the word is "mythology." Mainly because Rodriguez claimed he returned only because what he wanted most was to be a Yankee. The reality -- besides money and the trappings of fame -- is that A-Rod has no idea what he wants. The true Yankee did not stick around for either the Home Run Derby or the whole All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, go to Bobby Murcer's memorial in Oklahoma City (like Jeter and Pettitte did), or show up at a reasonable time for Old-Timer's Day.
I cannot disagree with any of these points.
Final Score: Yankees 6, Rays 5
Yankees: 78-70
Rays: 88-58
W- Marte (1-3)
L- Howell (6-1)
SV- Rivera (34)
Offense: After scoring just one run in the first game of today's doubleheader, the Yankees improved on their hitting and scored six runs in the nightcap. Derek Jeter, who had finished the day with six hits in the two combined games, went 3-for-3, increasing his average to .303. Robinson Cano and Cody Ransom also had multi-hit games. Wilson Betemit contributed his sixth home run of the year off Matt Garza, while Xavier Nady and Bobby Abreu each had big RBI singles in the seventh and eighth innings.
Pitching: Sidney Ponson delivered a terrible start, barely lasting into the fourth inning. He gave up four runs, all of which came on a grand slam off the bat of Ben Zobrist. In relief, Phil Coke pitched 2.2 innings of flawless baseball. He has really emerged as a solid pitcher in the past few weeks, and hopefully he'll get his shot with the club next year. Meanwhile, Damaso Marte, Joba Chamberlain, and Mariano Rivera combined to shut the Rays down in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.
Final Notes:
- Derek Jeter is now three hits away from tying Lou Gehrig for the most hits all-time at Yankee Stadium.
- Mariano Rivera now has 34 saves on the season and 477 in his career. He is one save away from tying Lee Smith for second all-time.
- In his last five starts, Sidney Ponson has allowed 25 runs, 35 hits, and 11 walks. I don't think we'll be seeing much of him down the stretch.
"Robbie (Cano) has that smoothness to him that people are going to assume that it's nonchalant. Robbie Alomar was the same way -- he had smoothness to him when he played the game." Joe Girardi made that statement a few days ago on Robinson Cano when he failed to make a crucial play that led to a Yankees loss. If I were Joe Girardi, I would be a little more hot-headed at the moment. I understand that keeping a positive outlook on the game is an admirable attribute, but the Yankees are going to miss the postseason for the first time in fourteen years, and Girardi has nothing but praise for a misplay. I am not refuting Girardi's ability to manage a ballclub, but many of his statements to the media this year have been -- for lack of a better term -- odd.
Final Score: Yankees 9, Orioles 4
Yankees: 68-60
Orioles: 61-66
W- Veras (4-2)
L- Walker (1-1)
SV- Rivera (29)
Offense: The Yankee offense did a great job tonight, scoring nine runs in total and hitting four home runs. The four home runs came off a pair of back-to-back jacks, first from Robinson Cano and Jose Molina, and then from Cody Ransom and Xavier Nady. Bobby Abreu also had a career night, as he went 5-for-5 with five singles. In addition, Derek Jeter picked up his 2,500th career hit in the first inning, becoming the third-youngest player to reach that milestone. Clearly, it was a big night for the offense.
Pitching: Mike Mussina didn't pitch great through six innings, but he got through it. He gave up four runs and nine hits, and he was denied his 17th win of the year. Jose Veras, Damaso Marte, and Mariano Rivera combined for three shutout innings in the seventh, eighth, and ninth; Rivera, who came into the game in the eighth, recorded his 29th save of the year.
Final Notes:
- The Yankees are now 3-50 when trailing after seven innings. It was 4-3 Orioles after seven innings tonight.
- Mussina is 0-2 with an 8.49 ERA in three starts against the Orioles this season. In his last 11 starts, he has allowed three home runs, all of them to Orioles hitters.
- Abreu's five hits match a career high. He also got five hits in August of 1999.
- Robinson Cano's home run landed on Eutaw Street, the third time the Yankees have done that this season. The other two came from Jason Giambi.
