Nate's Takes: Alex Rodriguez a DH, Curtis Granderson's defense, Eduardo Nunez

Disclosure: This post was written after Sunday’s rainout and the editor of this blog failed to post Nate’s Takes during the usually scheduled time – Monday morning. 

After a tough series in Boston the Yankees had an OK homestand and continued to keep pace with Boston in the AL East race. Mariano Rivera struggled in three straight outings causing Yankee fans to once again wonder if he was done. Curtis Granderson continued to crank home run after home run and the rotation seems to get more crowed be the day. With Alex Rodriguez days away from joining the lineup here are my takes.

Nate’s Takes: Joe Girardi, Brett Gardner, Eduardo Nunez, Phil Hughes

Happy Father’s Day, Yankee Fans! Just wanted to send a special shout out to my dad Ron. Playing catch with him in the backyard is what got me into baseball years ago. I am sure most of you guys have similar stories. While this week started with an embarrassing 1-0 loss to Cleveland, the Yankees played relatively well and ended the week with a blowout win on Sunday Night Baseball.

The Yankees offense has been magnificent overall so far this year and a big part of that are home runs and walks. They continue to frustrate their fans for two reasons. One, they don’t hit particular well in clutch situations (they leave a lot of runners on base and do not score a lot of runs late in close games). Two, they continue to get shut out randomly by terrible (Doug Davis) pitchers. A lot of this can be drawn up to luck, or weather or maybe a late flight, but great offenses do not randomly get shut out. With that off my chest, here are my takes on the week.

Derek Jeter to 15-day DL despite plea

Despite his wishes, Derek Jeter is headed to the disabled list just six hits shy of 3,000 and for the first time since 2003.

The injuries just keep piling up for the Yankees.

Ramiro Pena will take Jeter’s roster spot for the time being, but likely as a backup. Eduardo Nunez is in the lineup tonight at shortstop. More details to come.

Rafael Soriano hits DL, Yankees recall Chris Dickerson

After visiting team doctor Chris Ahmad today, the Yankees placed Rafael Soriano on the 15-day disabled list with elbow stiffness. They recalled speedy outfielder Chris Dickerson to take Soriano’s roster spot.

Soriano hasn’t pitched since Friday, so the Yankees have already refigured their bullpen. Here’s what it looks like:

Nate’s Takes: Colon, strikeouts, Nunez

So a week that saw two pitchers throw no-hitters with a combined five strike outs, ended with Francisco Cervelli hitting a grand slam over the center field wall. The Yankees overall had a rough week, but still find themselves in first place in the American League East. Last week, I predicted the Yankees would go 4-3 and they instead went 3-4. The Yankees offense stopped hitting and we can only hope that Cervelli’s homer sparks the Yankees offense much like in 2009.

If you also remember, I predicted Derek Jeter would hit his first home run against Texas. So right now I am 2-2 in home run predictions! Anyway, here is my take on the week.

Rounding out the roster: 2011 Yankees bench projection

Nine in the lineup, seven in the pen and five in the rotation leaves four spots for the bench. Three of which are made up of a backup catcher, infielder and outfielder, while the last spot is typically for a speedster or a slugger.

• Backup catcher: Gustavo Molina
• Backup infielder: Eric Chavez
• Backup outfielder: Andruw Jones
• Speedster: Eduardo Nunez

Molina has just 45 major league plate appearances, but he’s the favorite because the Yankees are showing concern for the development of both Jesus Montero and Austin Romine.

Chavez and Jones both provide a ton of experience as backups, and Nunez definitely fits the roll of speedster. Joe Girardi has used Nunez in the outfield this spring, so don’t be surprised to see him playing anywhere on the field this season.

Here’s how the rest of the team shapes up:

Yankees add Ronnie Belliard on minor-league deal

On the same day Andy Pettitte announced his retirement, the Yankees picked up a player who could help the team this season.

Ronnie Belliard and the Yankees agreed to a minor-league deal, according to Enrique Rojas, in which he can earn up to $825,000 plus incentives if he makes the Yankees.

Belliard will challenge Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez in spring training for a backup infield spot on the Yankees roster.

Give me Hairston. Either Hairston!

The Yankees are pursuing Andruw Jones. Yes, the 33-year-old longtime Braves outfielder who has not played a full season since 2007 or hit above .250 since 2006. But apparently his glove is still tempting, since the Yankees are looking for a backup outfielder NOT a backup DH.

Jorge Posada IS the DH, according to the Yankees.

I don’t think the Yankees should bother with Jones. His glove may still be gold, but who knows? He’s not healthy enough these days to judge that. The free agent outfield market is very thin, but here are the top alternatives:

Yankees top prospects [Baseball America]

I like to check in on Yankees prospects during the season from time to time, but the offseason gives me a chance to analyze them more closely.

Baseball America is the go-to source for MLB prospects, and Trenton Thunder beat writer Josh Norris got a hold of its 2011 top 10 Yankees prospects before it released them. Without further ado, here are the top 10 (in comparison to last year):

What happened to…?
Arodys Vizcaino was traded to the Braves in the Javier Vazquez deal … Zach McAllister went to the Indians in the Austin Kearns deal … J.R. Murphy had a rough year in mid-A ball … Jeremy Bleich underperformed in AAA.

New guys…
Dellin Betances made a name for himself, again, last year in high-A and AA … Hector Noesi shined in AA last year and earned a promotion to AAA … Eduardo Nunez had a brief stint in the majors last year, showing he could hit, run and field … Brandon Laird showed great power numbers for AA and earned a promotion to AAA.

My ALCS Game 4 experience [Photos]

It sparked flashbacks to both the Jeffrey Maier and Steve Bartman incidents. It featured some of the most idiotic postseason management tactics of all time (more on that later today). It saw Mark Teixeira go down with an ugly hamstring injury (he’s being replaced by Eduardo Nunez). Like Game 3, it changed in the Rangers favor on one pitch. Oh, and did I mention it was freezing?

It was the first postseason game I’ve ever attended.

Since the Yankees fell hard, 10-3, the highlight of the night actually came before the game started. Our bleacher seats were located about 15 feet away from Cal Ripken Jr. and the rest of the TBS pregame crew. After the show ended, Ripken stayed behind for about 25 minutes signing autographs.

Total class act. I had heard he always gave time for the fans, but I had never seen him in person before. I caught him early when there weren’t as many fans, but I still felt bad a little when a swarm of fans came over after. Then again, I think he and every major leaguer owes it to the fans.

There it is right on the back of my ticket. Thank you, Cal, for signing, and thank you, Fletch, for taking me.

For more photos from ALCS Game 4, check out my Facebook page!

Final Yankees playoff roster prediction

The announcement will come later today. It has to. But since Joe Girardi is taking his sweet time, I’m going to give you all my best guess. Just in case you didn’t see before, the playoff rotation has been set. Here’s my projection (most notably without A.J. Burnett):

Position Players (14)
Jorge Posada
Francisco Cervelli
Mark Teixeira
Lance Berkman
Robinson Cano
Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriguez
Brett Gardner
Curtis Granderson
Nick Swisher
Marcus Thames
Austin Kearns
Greg Golson
Ramiro Pena

Pitchers (11)
CC Sabathia
Andy Pettitte
Phil Hughes
Mariano Rivera
Joba Chamberlain
David Robertson
Boone Logan
Kerry Wood
Sergio Mitre
Ivan Nova
Royce Ring

I don’t think there is much doubt about the position players except for the Pena-Eduardo Nunez battle for utility infielder. I went with Pena because of his experience.

As for the pitchers, I wanted to make it clear there was no use for Burnett in the playoffs. I have more trust in Nova and Mitre as mop-up guys than Burnett. Honestly, I don’t see the Yankees having to use anyone outside the “Big 5” of Rivera, Wood, Chamberlain, Robertson, Logan.

Here are a few Twitter reactions on the matter:

Would you go with A.J.? Tell me in the comments.

UPDATE: Here’s the final roster. And yes, A.J. is on it.

Is A-Rod’s DL stint a blessing in disguise?

How could the most expensive ballplayer make his team better by going on the DL? Alex Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day DL Saturday, but the Yankees haven’t lost once in 12 games with their star third baseman out of the lineup.

First, let’s take a closer look at those 12 games. There’s no way the Yankees could actually be a better team without a perennial All-Star, right?

Date	Opponent	Opponent Games Back	Opponent Starter ERA	Yankees Starter ERA	RS	RA
5/2	White Sox	6	5.30	1.44	12	3
5/28	Indians	10	3.69	2.70	8	2
6/11	Astros	10	3.18	2.46	4	3
6/12	Astros	11	5.60	5.43	9	3
6/13	Astros	11	6.32	3.11	9	5
6/15	Phillies	3.5	2.36	4.00	8	3
8/7	Red Sox	6	4.60	3.14	5	2
8/17	Tigers	11	3.77	3.12	6	2
8/18	Tigers	12	5.37	4.76	9	5
8/19	Tigers	12	5.76	3.90	11	5
8/21	Mariners	19.5	3.43	5.05	9	5
8/22	Mariners	20.5	4.57	3.02	10	0

The ERA stats may have something to do with it, but I think the biggest factor contributing to this odd streak of wins is the opponent. If you take the average of games behind the opposing team is in its division, it comes out to 11.04.

This is evidence that the Yankees aren’t necessarily a better team without A-Rod, but the teams they’ve faced haven’t been very challenging.

Of course, if you look at the Yankees upcoming schedule there aren’t many challenging teams. If he returns as soon as he’s eligible, he’ll miss five vs. Toronto, four vs. Oakland, three vs. the Chicago and he’s already missed two against the Mariners. The White Sox are the only team within five games of first place.

The Benefits of A-Rod’s Absence
Now we know the Yankees haven’t, and won’t be, facing a lot of competitive teams without A-Rod, let’s look at the bright side of his DL stint.

Super Nova Experiment: The only thing set in stone for Ivan Nova, the Yankees’ best starter in Triple-A this year, is he’ll make tonight’s start against the Blue Jays. After that, the plan for Nova is uncertain. Nova made one relief appearance for the Yanks earlier this year and I really liked what I saw. I love when the Yankees bring up new pitchers, and I’ll definitely be rooting for Nova tonight.

Cano’s MVP Chase: Robinson Cano isn’t the frontrunner for the MVP anymore with Miguel Cabrera and Josh Hamilton having the years they’re having. No matter what, Cano’s chances at the MVP Award are hurt because he plays for a team filled with All-Stars. Now that A-Rod is gone for a couple weeks, Cano will have a chance to prove he can put a team on his back. Yesterday’s game was a statement.

Grading Eduardo: Eduardo Nunez has started both games at third base since A-Rod went on the shelf, and he’s been solid in both. Nunez will likely stay on the 25-man roster through Aug. 31, meaning he’ll be eligible for the playoffs. If he proves his bat is worth having off the bench, he could possibly find himself a spot on the playoff roster. If not, at least the Yankees will have a better idea of what they’re getting from Nunez.

Berkman to DL, Eduardo Nunez called up

The Yankees’ newly acquired DH Lance Berkman will nurse his right ankle on the disabled list and the Yankees have taken action by calling up infield prospect Eduardo Nunez from Triple-A.

Nunez’s reputation in the minors is an infielder with a nice bat and weak fielding skills, but I don’t think we’ll be seeing much of him in the field with Ramiro Pena making web gems every night he plays. This is the first time Nunez has reached the majors.

I had a feeling Berkman wasn’t recovering from that ankle injury very quickly when I saw it happen live. If you missed it, Berkman hit a grounder to the right side and the pitcher covering stepped on the bag where Berkman’s foot was headed. I don’t think Berkman ever touched first base, and the video replay showed an ugly turn of his ankle.

By the way, I’ll have a post up with pics and video from last night’s game soon!

One more stinking day until PACRFST

It’s been a long offseason, and the Yankees WON the World Series. Imagine if your team didn’t make the playoffs. Just step in those people’s shoes for a second. Anyway…

1. More day until all pitchers and catchers are expected to report to spring training.

Anthony McCarron of the NY Daily News blogged some early sightings at camp yesterday. Here’s the list of early birds:

Hitters:
Derek Jeter
Curtis Granderson
Francisco Cervelli
Eduardo Nunez

Pitchers:
Phil Hughes
Joba Chamberlain
Boone Logan
David Robertson
Alfredo Aceves
Chad Gaudin
A.J. Burnett (supposedly)