Talking points: Gardner's injury, Jeter's career, A-Rod's resurgence, Soriano's spark and the wild card

There's so much to talk about in Yankeeland right now I just want to jump right in.

Bye Bye, Brett

This just in: The Yankees leadoff hitter Brett Gardner has a Grade 1 left oblique strain and is likely out for the year. Putting the Yankees' 2013 injury epidemic in perspective, the Yankees have used 54 players this season. The most players used in a season by any team ever? 59.

Honestly, he hasn't had as good a season as I'd hoped for (.273 AVG, .344 OBP, 24/32 SB/CS), but it's still a crushing loss because the Yankees don't have a good replacement for him. Ichiro is the next closest thing to Gardner, but Joe Girardi has selected Curtis Granderson to hit leadoff—at least for tonight. 

Knowing When To Quit

Mike Mussina left the game on top with his first 20-win season. Was it too soon? Probably. Rickey Henderson swiped 11 bases in his final two seasons combined, adding to his comfortable all-time lead. Was 1,406 his lucky number growing up or something?

After Derek Jeter was recently declared out for the season, Brian Cashman said that no one has seen his last game. The Captain is 39 years old, and, following a season in which he led the league in hits and plate appearances, he'll end 2013 with just 17 games played.

Poll Results: Robinson Cano to finish in Top 5 MVP voting in 2011

The majority of voters in last week’s poll said Robinson Cano will finish in the top 5 of MVP voting for the 2011 season. Twenty-five percent said he will win it, and just nine percent said “no chance.”

I wrote a bit about Cano earlier in the week, as I contemplated whether Cano should switch with Mark Teixeira in the lineup (Cano 3, A-Rod 4, Tex 5).

Hamilton wins AL MVP, no 1st-place votes for Cano

Josh Hamilton received 22 first-place votes and received his first AL MVP Award today, leaving Miguel Cabrera and Robinson Cano in the dust. Jose Bautista actually claimed one of the first-place votes, but received zero for second place and just four for third.

Cano had this to say about Hamilton (via LoHud):

“I would like to congratulate Josh Hamilton on winning the MVP. He is a great player and deserving of the award. I am very proud of my season and expect nothing less of myself. I will continue to work hard and play hard, and along with my teammates, do everything I can to help the Yankees get to and win the World Series.”

Class act.

I thought Cano would’ve received a few first-place votes. If you line up the numbers, Hamilton’s BA is the only thing that really stands out from the pack.

Player	HR	RBI	BA	OPS
Josh Hamilton	32	100	.359	1.044
Miguel Cabrera	38	126	.328	1.042
Robinson Cano	29	109	.319	.914

Cano also had a Gold Glove to add to his résumé.

Robbie Goes Boom! [Nike Video] Cano & Bo

Even though the NL MVP was announced today (Joey Votto almost unanimously, if you didn’t hear), it was a pretty slow news day in Yankeeland. With the AL MVP set to be announced tomorrow, I’m posting this fitting video of Robinson Cano and Bo Jackson in a Nike commercial.

Anyone think Cano has a shot to beat out Josh Hamilton or Miguel Cabrera for MVP? ESPN’s Wallace Matthews thinks so.

Cano honored with Silver Slugger

No surprise here; Robinson Cano won his second AL Silver Slugger Award earlier tonight. Cano had a .914 OPS and his nearest competitor was Howie Kendrick at .721.

He already picked up his first Gold Glove Award Tuesday, but he’ll have to wait until Nov. 23rd to see if he completes the trifecta with an MVP Award.

Josh Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera had better years offensively, but Cano’s defense and his key role for a playoff team may persuade some writers for at least a few first-place votes.

I’ll detail my take on this year’s MVP Award voting as we get closer to the announcement, but I am interested in your response to this question:

Should the success of the candidate’s team affect the MVP vote?

Poll Results: Sabathia more likely to win major award than Cano

Despite my best efforts on Saturday to convince voters that Robinson Cano has a better chance of winning a big award than CC Sabathia, voters favored CC.

Here’s my summary of my argument for Cano again:

I don’t think either Yankee leaders have a great chance at winning a big award, but Cano has a better chance because of Felix Hernandez’s dominant year.

New poll: Who starts Game 3 of the ALDS?

Cano more likely to win big award than CC

This post is in regards to my current poll on the left sidebar. Normally I’d wait until Monday for the new poll to discuss, but I noticed Robinson Cano has only received ONE vote for MVP.

I’m telling you now I sincerely believe Cano has a better chance at winning the MVP than CC Sabathia has at winning the Cy Young.

The Case for Cano:
Cano isn’t leading any major statistical categories, but he has a few things going for him that I factor into my MVP vote.

First, he’s the best player on one of the best teams in baseball. The Yankees are loaded, yes, but Cano plays a huge role into their success. For a while, he was the team’s only .300 hitter. Cano’s WAR (wins above replacement) beats Miguel Cabrera’s 6.5-6.1.

Second, he has the second best well-rounded hitting line (triple crown numbers) in the league. Only Cabrera tops him, but his team is 14 games out of the division lead right now.

Finally, Cano’s impact on defense is greater than Cabrera’s. For the record, I’ve ruled out Josh Hamilton because he’s been injured down the stretch. That’s a killer when it comes to MVP voting, I think.

The Case against CC:
Sabathia is really the real reason why Cano has a better chance to win a big award. I don’t think CC stands a chance against Felix Hernandez. This article from USA Today is why I’m writing this whole post right now, and this is when I started to realize this year’s Cy belongs to King Felix.

Bottom line: CC’s 20 wins don’t compare to Hernandez’s league-lead in strikeouts and ERA.

In Summary:
I don’t think either Yankee leaders have a great chance at winning a big award, but Cano has a better chance because of Hernandez’s dominant year.

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.

Yankees MVP: Time to move over, Cano?

It was pretty evident at the All-Star Break who the Yankees MVP of the season was: Robinson Cano was hitting .336/.389/.556 with 16 homers and 58 RBIs. It wasn’t even a debate.

But less than a month after the break, Nick Swisher is legitimately challenging Cano for team MVP. Swisher had a solid first half — .298/.377/.524 with 15 HRs and 49 RBIs — but he’s off to a torrid pace in the second half: .313/.352/.701 with seven HRs and 17 RBIs.

Here’s a quick comparison of both of their overall seasons:

Player	AB	HR	RBI	BB	K	BA	OBP	SLG
Robinson Cano	408	21	71	35	48	.328	.385	.571
Nick Swisher	382	22	66	41	87	.301	.373	.555

By the numbers, Cano still holds a clear — but slim — lead over Cano in most of the common statistical categories, including all three percentages.

I bet you didn’t realize how great a season Swish has been having.

Yankees notes: Heyman tweets Yankees’ trade deadline plans, much more

This batch of Yankees notes has updates on the the Yankees’ plans for the trade deadline, Curtis Granderson’s return, Jorge Posada’s injury, Nick Swisher’s personal life, the Yankees upcoming schedule and a few impressive individual performances.

• Jon Heyman, the guy you want to follow on Twitter for trade rumors, tweeted the Yankees plans this summer. They’re looking for two things, he says. A bat to replace for Nick Johnson and a reliever.
  
  I certainly agree with acquiring a new reliever, one that actually lasts full seasons on the same team, perhaps. But replacing Johnson is a different story. He’s expected back by early July, so are the Yankees planning on acquiring this new bat in June? Or are they planning to deal Johnson in exchange for a bat at the deadline?
  
  As far as I’m concerned, it’s a little early to thinking about trade rumors. I couldn’t even tell you who the key guys on the market are. I’m not sure if anyone could!
  
  
• Curtis Granderson made his return to the Yankees last night, which I was on hand to see. Randy Winn was designated for assignment to make room for Grandy. With a typical lineup, this leaves these players on the bench:
  
  Juan Miranda/Marcus Thames, Kevin Russo, Ramiro Pena and Chad Moeller.
  
  
• Jorge Posada played catch yesterday and could be hitting off a tee soon, Joe Girardi said, according to Chad Jennings. It sounds to me like the Yankees starting catcher could be back in a week and a half (solely my speculation).
  
  
• Nick Swisher is engaged. The lucky lady? An actress on a show I’ve never heard of “Privileged.” Her name is Joanna Garcia. Check out the link for a picture of the couple holding their puppy.
  
  
• The Yankees upcoming schedule looks prettay good, as Kevin Rozell of Zell’s Pinstripe Blog points out. After three more games with the Indians, the Yanks face the Orioles twice, the Blue Jays and the Astros. Throw in an off day in the middle and at the end to put the cherry on top.
  
  
• Robinson Cano stepped into the cleanup spot for the first time in his career last night, and he delivered. (Alex Rodriguez was given a full day off because he was due for a day off, Jennings said. Francisco Cervelli got one too). Cano is clearly the team’s MVP up to this point, and is making a case for league MVP — a race I’ll be following as long as the Yankees have a candidate for the honor.
  
  
• Phil Hughes collected his sixth win last night. Between him and Andy Pettitte, the dynamic duo combine for a 12-2 record with a 2.66 ERA and 93 strikeouts this year. Very impressive.

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Lots of good news here for the Yanks. Be sure to check out my plans for maintaining this blog over the summer and this post I made highlighting the craziness that the Yankees have dealt with so far in the 2010 season. Trust me, it’s a fun post.

Poll Results: Cano iffy for MVP

The results for the latest poll were pretty scattered. Fans couldn’t agree on whether Robinson Cano should be considered a preseason MVP candidate.

Coincidentally, Cano was in the news recently about earning an MVP award. This is what Alex Rodriguez told him on Friday.

“I told Robby he's no kid anymore, he's closer to 30 than 20,” Rodriguez said of the 27-year-old second baseman. "At this point in his career, with his talent, he should have one MVP (award), maybe two.

”The thing is, on any other team he would THE guy, but here, he's surrounded by a lot of talent. I said, 'Don't let that hold you back. It's time to go get it.' We've all said the same thing to him. I think Robby gets that. I think Robbie's finally maturing.”

I definitely think he will receive votes like he did last year, but I still think Evan Longoria is your 2010 AL MVP.

Next poll: Starts for Phil Hughes in 2010?

New Poll: Robinson Cano MVP candidate?

Now that I’ve made my preseason predictions, and you’ve surely seen them by now, I thought it was time to hear some fan predictions.

Robinson Cano was heating up at the end of spring, and he stayed hot in last night’s opener. He hit the ball hard three times and would’ve wound up with two doubles if J.D. Drew hadn’t made a great play on a ball off the right field wall.

Last night on Twitter I predicted that Cano will lead the league in doubles this year. I stand by that, but I want to take it a step further. Is Cano an MVP candidate?

Some analysts say age 27 is when most hitters enter their prime. That’s how old Cano is. His batting average dropped 71 points from 2006 to 2008 (.342-.271), but he stormed back in 2009 with a .320 BA. He’s coming off his first 200-hit, 100-run season and he’s entering his sixth year in the majors.

Now the five-hitter, Cano is lined up for his first 100-RBI season. Cano received votes for MVP for the first time last season and finished t-17th with Zack Greinke, the Cy Young winner, and a few votes ahead of Evan Longoria (my 2010 MVP pick).
Again, is Cano an MVP candidate?

Mark Teixeira Featured Card of the Week

“Mr. Perfect.” That’s my new nickname for Mark Teixeira. He plays flawless defense, hammers the baseball and has a want-to-win mentality.

I know some people say Derek Jeter was the team MVP last year, but to me it’s undoubtedly Teixeira. He led the American League in total bases, RBIs and tied for the league-lead in homers. In my mind, he deserved a lot more votes for AL MVP, but that doesn’t matter now.

Teixeira turns 30 on April 11 and is signed through age 36. Last season marked the sixth straight season Mr. Perfect hit 30 homers and drove in 100 runs. If he averages 35 homers and 110 RBIs for the rest of his contract, he’ll be right on the cusp of 500 homers and 1,500 RBIs for his career.

Basically, he’s the man.

Teixeira and Jeter settle for 2nd, 3rd MVP

Joe Mauer was just announced the MVP after receiving 27 of 28 first place votes. From there, it went:

2. Mark Teixeira
3. Derek Jeter
4. Miguel Cabrera
5. Kendry Morales
6. Kevin Youkilis
7. Jason Bay
8. Ben Zobrist
9. Ichiro Suzuki
10. Alex Rodriguez
14. Mariano Rivera
18. Robinson Cano
21. CC Sabathia

This marks the second time in three years when a Twin took an MVP award away from Jeter (this year wasn’t as close).

Mauer heads MVP discussion

The 2009 AL Most Valuable Player Award is being announced today at 2 p.m.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com wrote an article yesterday that implied Derek Jeter has the best chance to win the award besides the heavy favorite Joe Mauer.

That surprised me, as I have thought all along that Mark Teixeira has the best chance because he led the league in homers and RBIs and played gold glove defense.

DiComo made a good point about this possibly being a chance for one of those “lifetime achievement” giveaways. He came close in 2006 but lost to Justin Morneau, and nobody expected him to make another run at the award again. Now that he has, the writers may feel it is time for him to pick up some new hardware.

The MVP debate is so hard to discuss because everyone has their own guidelines they go by. For example, some people say that it is amazing how Mauer was able to compile the numbers he did while missing the first month of the year. My argument would be that he didn’t do anything for the team for a whole month, so that loses a lot of value.

Also, some writers my weigh the fact that Mauer led his team to the playoffs without Justin Morneau extremely high, while others will ignore the fact that Mark Teixeira changed as a hitter when Alex Rodriguez joined the lineup in May.

I hope the vote isn’t a blow out, but I think it will be. Anyone dare to say Mauer isn’t the guy?

UPDATE: Beat writer Sam Borden predicts a second place finish for Jeter, while Mark Feinsand sees Teixeira taking second.

(Either way, Jeter and Teixeira are going to have World Series rings, and Mauer will not.)

Teixeira making strides for MVP candidacy

In the first inning of the first game yesterday, the league leader in home runs, Carlos Pena, had to leave the game after CC Sabathia’s inside fastball broke two of Pena’s fingers. Pena is out for the season. This is important for Mark Teixeira’s run at the AL home run and RBI crowns.

Teixeira blasted two home runs in the second game, giving him 35 homers and 106 RBIs on the season. He leads another Rays infielder, Evan Longoria, in RBIs by four, and trails Pena by four homers.

With Pena’s injury, Teixeira has a good chance to lead the league in home runs and RBIs — two of the three categories in the triple crown.

Most of the baseball world is viewing Joe Mauer as the frontrunner for the AL MVP Award. Yes, his percentages are remarkable, but it would be tough to look past Teixeira if he leads in homers and RBIs.

MVP Note: A lot of Yankees fans see Derek Jeter as the best MVP candidate in pinstripes. I agree, he should definitely be involved in the discussion, but unfortunately Teixeira belongs in the discussion too.

Meaning: there is a good chance the two players will be stealing each other’s votes, and neither will win the MVP. Hopefully the same thing happens with Mauer and Justin Morneau. But we’ll see.

Derek Jeter Featured Yankee Card of the Week

I know I have already featured Derek Jeter twice on this section of the blog, but he is hitting too well to not get recognized.

He’s hitting .381/.403/.576 in August, and a staggering .468 BA since Aug. 10. Somehow he went the first 21 games of August without walking once, but he has walked four times in the last six games (including the intentional walk yesterday).

The strong month puts him right back into contention for the MVP award, especially since Joe Mauer has hardly produced since Aug. 19. Then again, Jeter may not be the best MVP candidate on the Yankees, as Mark Teixeira has also been a strong contributor to the Yankees success.

This card is part of the 1997 Pinnacle Certified series. It’s a pretty neat card too because the back of the card chronicles his 1996 season by opponent. So you can see his BA/H/RBI/HR statistics against all of the teams he faced.

Poll Results: Tex and Jeter valued equally

Last weeks poll attempted to discover the most valuable player of the 2009 Yankees so far, but Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter stole each other’s votes and ended up tying.

After last night’s game-winning homer, it’s tough not to favor Teixeira. It should be a tight race this season for the AL MVP. Hopefully Teixeira and Jeter don’t bring each other down.

Vote in next week’s poll on the left pane: Who will win the most games for the Yankees in the remaining eight weeks?

Morneau and Jeter top MVP candidates; Déjà vu?

Rebecca from This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes guest posted Derek Jeter for MVP on River Avenue Blues this morning, and it got me thinking. It’s a little early to be starting MVP talk, but it’s also a pretty slow news day. If the season ended today, here is my top five for the American League.

1. Justin Morneau
He leads the AL in homers (28) and RBI (86), while sporting a .308/.391/.588 hitting line. As Rebecca said, this is a season where nobody in the AL is having a “Pujols-like” season. However, when one player leads in two of the three major hitting categories, he has to be the favorite. Especially with his lockdown defense at first base and very respectable hitting percentages.

2. Derek Jeter
Just like 2006, Jeter will finish in a close second to Morneau, as sad as that sounds to me. He is posting excellent numbers as a leadoff hitter (11 HR, 44 RBI & 19 SB), and is doing it for the best team in the American League (by record). His defense has also been surprisingly good. Key word there is surprising. I feel like a surprise player should do better in an MVP vote because it’s sort of a denotation for valuable. If you expect mediocre, and you get excellent, doesn’t that make a player more valuable? I’d love to see the voters just give in to Jeter’s long-time success as a Yankee, but it’s unlikely.

3. Joe Mauer
Mauer’s percentages are flat-out ridiculous. He leads in both OBP (.426) and SLG (.592), and is a close second to Ichiro with a .355 BA. However, all of his percentages have declined significantly by month, so I would doubt he ranks as high as he does now at the end of the season. He still has 18 homers and 59 RBI, making him a quality MVP candidate no matter what.

4. Mark Teixeira
Yes, another Yankee is deserving of the MVP this season. He’s very comparable to Morneau, but his numbers are just slightly lower. Twenty-six homers, 77 RBI and .283/.380/.548 for percentages. If Tex has a strong finish to the season and finishes ahead of Morneau, he might just win the MVP!

5. Bobby Abreu
The Angels are hot, and so is Abreu. He has less homers than Jeter (8) but his RBI total is still very high (73). His percentages are also quite good (.322/.417/.455). Add on 22 steals, and he’s a top candidate for the award.

What’s your order?