Ex-Yanks season update No. 4

Here’s another regular season update on some of the key Yankees who left the team this offseason.

Hitter (team)	AB	H	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	RBI
Johnny Damon (DET)	388	108	.278/.361/.425	7	39
Austin Jackson (DET)	436	132	.303/.355/.401	1	25
Hideki Matsui (LAA)	370	93	.251/.331/.416	15	59
Melky Cabrera (ATL)	349	94	.269/.329/.381	4	31
Xavier Nady (CHC)	169	39	.231/.304/.349	4	23
Jose Molina (Tor)	122	30	.246/.313/.377	4	9
Eric Hinske (ATL)	232	49	.254/.336/.461	9	42

Pitcher (team)	G	IP	ERA	K	WHIP
Ian Kennedy (ARI)	24	146	4.38	124	1.25
Phil Coke (DET)	56	49.1	2.55	42	1.32
Brian Bruney (WAS)	19	17.2	7.64	16	2.32
Chien-Ming Wang (WAS)	--	--	--	--	--

Notes on notables:
Melky Cabrera: Melky has finally picked up the pace for the Braves after an awful start. Since the last update, the Melk-Man is hitting .304 with a homer and seven RBIs.

Jose Molina: Slow-Mo-lina is in the midst of a rough stretch for the Blue Jays. All three of his averages dipped around 30 points since my last update.

Ian Kennedy: Kennedy has been a fairly steady presence in the D’Back rotation. But in his last six starts, only two have been quality.

Brian Bruney: Bruney hasn’t pitched for the Mets’ Triple-A team since July 27. He has a 3.18 ERA in 11-1/3 IP for the Bisons.

Chien-Ming Wang: The latest report on Wang is he’s scheduled for a side session this Friday, but recently the Nationals manager said he “isn’t counting on Wang” to return this season. Wang has pitched in just 27 games since 2008.

Ex-Yanks season update No. 3

Here’s another regular season update on some of the key Yankees who left the team this offseason.

Hitter (team)	AB	H	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	RBI
Johnny Damon (DET)	292	80	.274/.362/.421	6	28
Austin Jackson (DET)	313	94	.300/.354/.403	1	20
Hideki Matsui (LAA)	294	74	.252/.334/.398	10	47
Melky Cabrera (ATL)	270	70	.249/.312/.330	2	15
Xavier Nady (CHC)	138	31	.225/.295/.348	4	19
Jose Molina (Tor)	85	24	.282/.351/.400	2	6
Eric Hinske (ATL)	175	48	.274/.337/.480	6	34

Pitcher (team)	G	IP	ERA	K	WHIP
Ian Kennedy (ARI)	18	111.1	4.12	100	1.40
Phil Coke (DET)	42	36.1	2.48	30	1.32
Brian Bruney (WAS)	19	17.2	7.64	16	2.32
Chien-Ming Wang (WAS)	--	--	--	--	--

Notes on notables:
Hideki Matsui: Godzilla has cooled down since the last update, going six for his last 34. He hasn’t hit any homers in that span, and has just one since June 6.

Melky Cabrera: The Melk-Man is on a bit of a run since the last update. He even had a game-winning homer against the Mets just last week. But with Javier Vazquez pitching the way he has the past couple of months, nobody has second-guessed Brian Cashman’s trade since April.

Ian Kennedy: He’s thrown just one quality start in his last five starts after throwing eight in his first 13. His ERA has also increased in each of his last five starts.

Brian Bruney: He was signed by the Mets last week and is pitching for their Triple-A affiliate.

Ex-Yanks season update No. 2

Here’s another regular season update on some of the key Yankees who left the team this offseason.

Hitter (team)	AB	H	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	RBI
Johnny Damon (DET)	218	64	.294/.395/.431	3	18
Austin Jackson (DET)	250	77	.308/.352/.412	1	14
Hideki Matsui (LAA)	223	60	.269/.343/.444	9	39
Melky Cabrera (ATL)	185	46	.249/.312/.330	2	15
Xavier Nady (CHC)	92	23	.250/.330/.424	4	17
Jose Molina (Tor)	52	15	.288/.373/.327	0	4
Eric Hinske (ATL)	117	37	.316/.386/.556	4	24

Pitcher (team)	G	IP	ERA	K	WHIP
Ian Kennedy (ARI)	13	82.1	3.17	71	1.12
Phil Coke (DET)	30	27	3.33	20	1.37
Brian Bruney (WAS)	19	17.2	7.64	16	2.32
Chien-Ming Wang (WAS)	--	--	--	--	--

Notes on notables:
Austin Jackson: It seems he’s the only one the Yankees are really missing. He’d be an upgrade over Curtis Granderson right now, but only slightly, as Granderson has been great since returning from the DL. A-Jax added only four RBIs since the last update a month ago.

Hideki Matsui: He’s picked it up since the last update, adding five homers and 24 RBIs. He’s been a big part of the Angels’ offense since Kendry Morales’s freak injury.

Ian Kennedy: He continues to be a solid starter for Arizona. A 3.17 ERA is solid even for the National League. He has a 3-3 record for the last-place D’Backs.

Chien-Ming Wang: He still hasn’t pitched yet this year. He should be ready at some point in July.

Ex-Yanks regular season update No. 1

Here’s the first of many regular season update on some of the key Yankees who left the team this offseason.

Hitter (team)	AB	H	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	RBI
Johnny Damon (DET)	123	36	.293/.405/.439	2	15
Austin Jackson (DET)	148	51	.345/.390/.466	1	10
Hideki Matsui (LAA)	124	28	.226/.307/.371	4	15
Melky Cabrera (ATL)	107	21	.196/.283/.234	0	8
Xavier Nady (CHC)	43	8	.176/.327/.301	1	6
Jose Molina (Tor)	28	6	.214/.333/.250	0	3
Eric Hinske (ATL)	39	13	.333/.409/.538	0	13

Pitcher (team)	G	IP	ERA	K	WHIP
Ian Kennedy (ARI)	7	44	3.48	35	1.11
Phil Coke (DET)	18	17.1	3.63	14	1.50
Brian Bruney (WAS)	18	16.2	6.48	16	2.22
Chien-Ming Wang (WAS)	--	--	--	--	--

Notes on notables:
Austin Jackson: He’s still the league-leader in at-bats and hits. However, he also leads the league in strikeouts and hasn’t shown much production and/or power (as expected by Brian Cashman).

Hideki Matsui: He’s gone downhill ever since Opening Day. He’s got four hits in 36 at-bats in May. This comes as a surprise to me, as I expected his bat to stay consistent. Also: he has played four games in left field so far — his first time in the field since June 15, 2008.

Ian Kennedy: The numbers don’t lie, he’s been a quality starter for Arizona this year. What’s his worst is Curtis Granderson, the player he helped acquire, has been resting on the DL this month and is off to a slow start.

Chien-Ming Wang: He hasn’t pitched yet this year. The latest update came yesterday afternoon from the Washington Post. The Nationals are targeting a July debut for Wang.

Ex-Yankee spring training stats

Here’s a look at how some of the Yankees that were traded away this offseason fared during spring training. Will the numbers have any bearing on the regular season? Who knows.

Hitter (team)	AB	H	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	RBI
Johnny Damon (DET)	60	17	.367/.415/.550	2	9
Austin Jackson (DET)	73	26	.356/.434/.616	3	8
Hideki Matsui (LAA)	46	12	.261/.352/.348	1	9
Melky Cabrera (ATL)	70	20	.286/.342/.357	0	5
Xavier Nady (CHC)	34	6	.176/.222/.353	1	3
Jose Molina (Tor)	31	5	.161/.257/.290	1	5
Eric Hinske (ATL)	49	19	.388/.475/.551	2	12

Pitcher (team)	G	IP	ERA	K	WHIP
Ian Kennedy (ARI)	6	25	2.88	17	1.12
Phil Coke (DET)	11	11.1	6.35	6	1.50
Brian Bruney (WAS)	10	10	3.60	6	1.20
Chien-Ming Wang (WAS)	--	--	--	--	--

I’ll be keeping tabs on these players every once in a while this season.

Also, here’s a link to the current Yankees spring training stats.

Jose Molina signs with Blue Jays

The Yankees’ 2009 backup catcher Jose Molina is staying in the AL East, but will be with baseball’s only Canada-based team, the Toronto Blue Jays.

Molina will be taking a pay cut from last year. He made $2MM with New York last year, but is only guaranteed $400K with Toronto. He’ll make double that if he makes the team right out of camp, but that’s no guarantee.

Farewell, Jose.

Also, Chien-Ming Wang’s deal with the Nationals is finally official.

Photo credit

Poll Results: Yankees better than last year even without Damon

In my latest poll, the fans voted the 2010 Yankees will be a better team than the ‘09 Yanks. My first thought was the third answer — “With Damon it is.” But let’s take a closer look.

Key additions:

• Curtis Granderson
• Javier Vazquez
• Nick Johnson
• Randy Winn
• Francisco Cervelli
• Boone Logan

Key losses:

• Johnny Damon
• Hideki Matsui
• Melky Cabrera
• Austin Jackson
• Phil Coke
• Ian Kennedy
• Chien-Ming Wang
• Jose Molina

If you only compare the big names, Granderson and Johnson replace Damon and Matsui, but then the Yankees also got Vazquez. I think Damon and Matsui would have been a better tandem, but Vazquez should be a great No. 4 and make the Yankees better overall in 2010.

Next poll: Which addition will be the most valuable in 2010?

Molina Featured Yankee Card of the Week

Jose Molina’s career with the Yankees is most likely over, so I thought he was worth remembering him before he is forgotten.

Molina was a fine backup catcher for the past three seasons, playing as many as 100 games in 2008. He was a dreadful hitter, but he certainly had the defensive skills to make up for it — your prototypical backup catcher.

He threw out 38 percent of base stealers with the Yankees in 126 opportunities. His best play in recent memory was picking off Jayson Werth at first base in Game 2 of the World Series.

However, Molina also will forever be the answer to this trivia question: “Who was the last player to hit a homer in the old Yankee Stadium?” Of all people, Molina?

Cervelli confirmed backup to Posada

Either someone finally asked the question, or the Yankees finally remembered to mention that they’ll have a new backup catcher in town in 2010. See ya later, Jose Molina, and congratulations, Francisco Cervelli.

Nothing against Molina. He was a prototypical backup: good defense, not so much of a hitter and slow as molasses.

Cervelli’s a different breed. He’s an up-beat kind of guy with some potential to grow as a hitter and has even shown spurts of speed. He also proved he can handle catching on a regular basis when Jorge Posada and Molina went down in the middle of May last season. Not only that, but he maintained a BA over .300! Maybe he’s a guy who needs to play everyday because he has trouble finding his groove every fifth day.

Defensively, he may not be as strong as Molina, but I think his attitude is in the right place. I only heard good things about his relationships with the starters and the rest of the clubhouse. Last year, he caught 10 runners stealing 23 chances.

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The linked article from LoHud Yankees Blog also noted Alex Rodriguez will NOT need an additional surgery on his hip this winter. Good news all around.

Game 2 lineups: Molina in to catch Burnett

Here are tonight’s lineups via LoHud (thanks, and welcome Sam Borden!):

Twins lineup	Yankees lineup
Denard Span RF	Derek Jeter SS
Orlando Cabrera SS	Johnny Damon LF
Joe Mauer C	Mark Teixeira 1B
Jason Kubel DH	Alex Rodriguez 3B
Michael Cuddyer 1B	Hideki Matsui DH
Delmon Young LF	Nick Swisher LF
Carlos Gomez CF	Robinson Cano 2B
Matt Tolbert 3B	Melky Cabrera CF
Nick Punto 2B	Jose Molina C

The two differences from Game 1’s lineup is swapping Molina for Jorge Posada and moving Molina behind Cabrera. Joe Girardi also swapped Cano and Swisher.

Starter A.J. Burnett will throw to a different battery mate than CC Sabathia did in Game 1. Posada was charged with two passed balls and Sabathia said one was his fault and the other was on Posada. Did that have anything to do with the decision to have Molina catching tonight? The answer is simply no, because Girardi already had this in the works before Wednesday’s game.

If Burnett feels more comfortable with Molina, then I have no problem with the move, even if Molina goes 0-for-5 tonight. Molina is a sharp defensive catcher, and the Red Sox have to go through the same thing regularly with Jason Varitek as catcher — and the Sox have been doing just fine.

Molina undeservedly takes Cervelli’s place

According to PeteAbe, Francisco Cervelli will be demoted today or tomorrow to make room for Jose Molina. Cervelli will be missed by the Yankees, as he was an awesome teammate and a pretty good young catcher. Here’s what Joe Girardi said of Cervelli:

"He's been a big lift for us. To have two catchers go down in a span of days and the streak we ran of when both of them were gone, Cervy has proven he can play at this level," Girardi said. "He brings a lot to the table behind the dish and offensively he contributed. I'm excited about his future."

Cervelli hit .269/.284/.346 in 75 at bats with the Yankees. He also threw out 10 of 21 base stealers (48%). He also showed his aggressiveness by running down the first baseline to back up the throw to first, showed amazing energy for a 21-year-old and was appreciated by all pitchers.

Molina’s offensive numbers are slightly better (.273/.333/.386), but actually has lower defensive numbers. He already has two passed balls, while Cervelli has none, and has only thrown out 4 of 17 base stealers (24%) this season. However, he does have a 41% success rate for his career.

I’m willing to sacrifice a tiny ounce of offense for a better defender and a better teammate. I know Molina is the one making $2 million this season and Cervelli just $400,700, but this is a disgrace. The Yankees should have traded Molina for someone, ANYONE, just to keep Cervelli on the team. Molina would be a formidable backup on just about any team, so it would not be too hard to find a new home for him.

I’ll miss Cervelli, and wish him a quick return to the majors.

Jose Molina close to returning to Yankees

The Yankees backup catcher Jose Molina has played in two rehab games already, and is projected to return to the team for the Twins series on Tuesday, according to PeteAbe. He has been out since May 7 because of a strained left quad.

Here’s the Molina plan:

Saturday: Day off.

Sunday: 7 innings for Scranton.

Monday: 7 innings for Scranton.

Tuesday: Join Yankees in Minnesota if he feels good.

So far in his rehab stint, he is 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

When Molina returns, it will create an interesting roster move dilemma. The replacement backup catcher Francisco Cervelli has had a great influence on the Yankees and their pitching staff.

It’s tempting to keep all three catchers, but it really doesn’t make any sense now, especially with the addition of Eric Hinske. The Yankees can’t drop Ransom because he’s the only backup for the middle infield positions, and Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera and Nick Swisher aren’t going anywhere either.

I say the only option the Yankees have if they want to keep Cervelli is to try and trade Molina. But the Yankees have shown no indication of doing so.

Batting Stance Guy emulates 2009 Yankees

Here is the famous Batting Stance Guy imitating each player from the 2009 Yankees lineup.  In order, he emulates Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Nick Swisher, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Jose Molina, Melky Cabrera, Ramiro Pena, Aaron Boone and Bucky Dent.

In general, he seems to over exaggerate the small quirks he notices from hitter to hitter. However, I think he does a great job with Gardner, Jeter, Matsui and Posada.

Also, it is clear that the people filming are not Yankees fans, as they were disappointed when he did Boone and Dent.

For more Yankees batting stances from the Batting Stance Guy, check out this video.

Yankees injury updates: Nady, Molina, Marte, Ransom and other news

The Yankees are on a roll, but they could be even better when some rehabbing players return from the DL.  Here’s a quick rundown gathered from Peter Abraham & Jenny Vrentas of the NJ Star-Ledger:

• Xavier Nady (partially torn ligament in right elbow) – He started a throwing program on Monday and experienced some soreness very early on.  However, he “felt much better” on Tuesday, only experiencing soreness on two throws according to Joe Girardi.  Nady will take the day off today and continue throwing on Thursday.
• Jose Molina (strained left quad) – While playing in an extended spring training game in Tampa, he felt pain in his left quad and exited the game early.  MRI test results are coming soon, and the Yankees will make decisions from there.
• Damaso Marte (tendonitis in left shoulder) – He’s been on the 15-Day DL since April 26, so the Yankees are taking it very slow with him.  He will pitch a bullpen session this Friday in Tampa.
• Cody Ransom (right quad injury) – He was placed on the 60-Day DL on April 25, but seems to be ahead of schedule.  He will report to triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday to begin a rehab assignment.

Unfortunately, it sounds like none of the four are close to a return.  But I still think Nady will have a huge impact on Nick Swisher when he returns, and Ransom should be a slight upgrade to Ramiro Pena.  To be honest, I don’t think Molina’s return is necessary because of Francisco Cervelli’s emergence.  Marte has not pitched well with the Yankees yet, but remember, he did help Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox win a World Series in 2005.

After Andy Pettitte left his start against Cleveland early because of back issues, there was some doubt as to whether he would make his next start.  But the lefty has, continually reassured he would make the start.  His latest reassurance,

“I feel good.  We haven’t even talked about me missing a start.  I am making my start.”

Chien-Ming Wang could be used as an emergency starter if something drastic were to happen.  Regarding Wang’s future in the bullpen, Girardi said, “We’re happy with the progress that he’s made.  But at this point we’re staying on schedule.”  On schedule meaning that Phil Hughes will make his start against David Price and the Rays on Friday. 

The Yankees highly-touted hitting prospect, Austin Jackson, is batting .346 as the everyday center fielder for Scranton.  Tyler Kepner of the NY Times wrote a wonderful feature on him, and focused a blog entry on him.  Both are highly suggested reads, as Jackson could make his debut with the Yankees by the end of this season.

Last but not least, a Quinnipiac friend from the newspaper, John Healy, has started a new Yankees blog along with another friend.  Check it out!

Rivera gives up bomb to Bay, Yanks lose

A heartbreaking loss for the Yankees.  It seems every year Mariano Rivera gives up his first runs of the season to the Red Sox.  Joba Chamberlain had a good start, but nothing mattered after Jason Bay's bomb.

Quick ‘Cap:

Going into the seventh inning, both starters were out of the game, and the score was tied at two.  But the Yanks got to Hideki Okajima in the seventh, scoring two runs from a Mark Teixeira single and a Robinson Cano sacrifice fly.

The Yankees had the game wrapped up going into the ninth inning, but Rivera gave up a two-run shot to Jason Bay in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings.  The Yankees lost it in the bottom of the 11th on a Kevin Youkilis home run over the green monster.  Full box score here.

Thoughts:

I can’t believe Rivera finally blew it.  Something about playing the Red Sox in April does not bode well with the Yanks.  At least it’s the first game of the series, so they will have time to make up for it.

Offensive Notables:

• Jose Molina had a really nice game actually.  He went 2-for-3 and walked twice.

Pitching Notables:

• Chamberlain had a good start, allowing only one earned run over 5 1-3 innings.  He had to leave early because of his four walks and 91 pitches.

Up Next:

The second game of the series is today on Fox at 4:10 p.m.  A.J. Burnett takes on Josh Beckett in what should be a great matchup.