Comments on: Joba, Gardner, and Other Questions for 2009

By: jasonheartland

jasonheartland — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:30:56 +0000

I’m right there with you on Melky, Brendan–and I think your point on him fits right in here. Regular reader Mike F. here mentioned to me about Melky and Cano’s late-night exploits last year. Melky’s mental errors and poor, aimless plate approach last year were maddening.

By: brendan

brendan — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:24:01 +0000

i didnt want to link this to the gardner post, b/c i feel that they are unrelated, but melky is a really immature player…the problem with melky wasnt only his play, but also his attitude…
i live very close to yankee stadium, and it is common knowledge amongst locals that melky and cano were “late night” kind of guys…unfortunately, we are already invested heavily in cano…we need to separate these two and get someone to have a positive influence on cano…thus, gardner is the clear choice for CF right now, pending another acquisition

By: brendan

brendan — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:18:40 +0000

while at scranton, he had an outstanding eye (as evidenced by his walk total and high obp)…also, we will acknowledge that he has no power, but if he steals 40 bases, those bases should be added to his slg%…

as a sabermetric baseball fan, the gardner question seems obvious…if his obp + slg is around .800, and he offers solid range factor in CF, he should start…if not, then we have a 4th of/pinch runner for the league minimum…either way, i like gardner

By: jasonheartland

jasonheartland — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:41:50 +0000

Thanks for popping over from “Yankees Chick,” Beth. I too prefer Gardner but hope he continues to improve at the plate. I’d love for Melky to bounce back and be a steady contributor, but last year soured me on him. I didn’t consider his play unforgivable forever, but he definitely annoyed me with his poor plate approach and occasional mental lapses. I agree with your interest in trying the kids in center, especially after having acquired Teixeira. Cameron would be a good defensive fix, but he’s expensive, impatient, and doesn’t hit for average. I’d prefer that the Yanks pass on him, for example.

By: Beth

Beth — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:19:47 +0000

I too think that Gardner should be given time to play, rather than just rotting on the bench so that Melky can play CF all season. I think if Cashman and the rest of the FO really want to emphasize youth and how we’re strengthening our farm system again, this would be a good way to go about showing that.

I also think we should shop Melky around along with a couple other expendables to see what we could get. Our OF defense is going to be less than stellar AGAIN this season, and I would like to see the FO work toward fixing that, if not for 2009, then for 2010. With Sabathiat/Burnett in the rotation, we’re solid there. Teixeira shores up IF defense and gives us a great bat to shore that up. All that’s really left is the outfield.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:44:51 +0000

I am not so worried about the outfield defensively. With the pitching we have now, I am not expecting many balls to make it into the outfield, lol.

Seriously though, Gardner has more speed then we have seen since Homer Bush (i think that was his name). And Melky should bounce back. He seems like that kinda guy. After that, who cares about Nady and Matsui?

By: 2009 Position by Position Preview « Generation Third

2009 Position by Position Preview « Generation Third — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:30:51 +0000

[...] guide you all to Jason’s post at his blog. Jason analyzes what McCarron wrote and questions whether Garner is actually the centerfielder of [...]

By: mike

mike — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:23:48 +0000

just because clemens is a liar as well as a PED user doesn’t rule him out as a great mentor. i agree with you jane- he needs some vets to keep him under their wing for a while. i have no idea who he is close to on the team, but i’m hoping that he does

By: jane

jane — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:29:11 +0000

I read that article about Joba over the weekend and thought it was very troublesome. He has clearly had problems dealing with his newfound fame and I can only hope someone on the Yankees intervenes and mentors him. (Dare I say it, but Clemens filled that role in ‘07.) His family’s substance abuse problems and the pressures in NY, combined with the hits he’s taking from the Winnebago tribe, could weigh on him. I’d love to see him do well, for his sake and the Yankees’.

By: mike

mike — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:41:47 +0000

i like what he says about girardi taking a tip from coughlin about maybe lightening up a bit. i’ll never like that guy though. even if he takes us to a championship. he just rubs me the wrong way. too bad, but i guess it doesn’t really matter