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2010 Defending Champion New York Yankees Thread


thefiestygoat

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Unlike a certain hockey team which will remain nameless, the Yankees know what to do when they face a team they are clearly better than....beat them.

I saw this on a blog and thought it was interesting.

http://itsaboutthemoney.net/archives/2010/04/18/the-ecret-to-our-uccess-2/

Well, duh. One team is clearly committed to putting the best possible product on the field and using all of its resources to do so...even when that commitment doesn't culminate in a World Series championship, the on-field product is star-studded and entertaining to its fanbase. The other team doesn't spend and probably won't anytime soon, so until they're able to build a product from within that fans would actually want to see, things won't be changing in Pittsburgh anytime soon.

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The Pirates may not spend on free agency, but I think they are under the right direction now with GM Neal Huntington. They spent a ton on the draft the past 2 years, and I think its safe to presume they will to do so again this year (they have the #2 overall pick too). They are building from within, and I think the results will begin to show in a few years.

Edited by nmigliore
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The Pirates may not spend on free agency, but I think they are under the right direction now with GM Neal Huntington. They spent a ton on the draft the past 2 years, and I think its safe to presume they will to do so again this year (they have the #2 overall pick too). They are building from within, and I think the results will begin to show in a few years.

that catcher they took last year was supposed to be for signability but they spent on Alvarez and guys later in the draft. People were against Huntington last year for trading half his roster and saying he hurt the fans, but god forbid he actually traded a bunch of losers and got something for them. I know from the yankees he got ohlendorf who's actually pretty good now and gave up basically nothing in return except half a year of the X man and 3 good weeks of Demaso Marte

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Agreed, I'm pretty sure that's been his new nickname since he started wearing it. Sucks hockey ended the way it did but damn, am I glad to have the Yankees! Really the only big downside this season to me has been the Granderson injury which isn't that bad. I know people hate Vazquez but I still have faith in him. I've been meaning to learn more about the Pitch F/X data and try to see what that can tell me about his season so far but I've been too tired from work. If anyone else wants to take a stab at it that'd be sweet.

I think my three favorite things about this young season is the play of Cano, Gardner, and Hughes. Really enjoyable to watch those guys get off to hot starts and get some confidence.

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I've been meaning to learn more about the Pitch F/X data and try to see what that can tell me about his season so far but I've been too tired from work. If anyone else wants to take a stab at it that'd be sweet.

I mostly focus on the Mets' pitchers pitch f/x, but I took a look at Vazquez for the hell of it (first the numbers, not the actual charts) and noticed right off the bat:

- His fastball velocity is down 2 mph.

- His pitch type percentages are a little different than last year -- decrease in using his 4-seam FB and slider while hes increased the use of his 2-seam FB, change-up, and curveball -- though bare in mind these are still sample sizes.

- Both the vertical and horizontal movement on his curveball, his out pitch, are down from last year.

As for the charts, here is a comparison (velocity and horizontal movement) from a start in 2009 and his last start (vs Chicago) this year:

vazquez.png

You can see that all of his offspeed pitches -- the slider, curveball, and change-up -- all lacked the consistency in horizontal movement and velocity compared to that start in 2009. Not a huge difference in the movement with the fastball, but the velocity really fluctuated in the 210 start.

Edited by nmigliore
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  • 2 weeks later...

Last night's game was one of the reasons I love watching baseball. Especially Yankee-Red Sox games, since anything can happen and no lead is safe. In a way it reminded me of that July 1, 2004 game (Jeter catch, Cairo and Flaherty stepping up) that the Yankees won in extras since you just had that "feeling" they were going to come back and win. Fun times.

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Did I miss Swish getting DL'd?

And yeah, Winn is horrid. I'd love to give Thames the shot at DH when Posada is catching and Granderson comes back, especially since Nick Johnson is hurt.

He's not and neither is Posada which has essentially given the Yankees a 1 man bench. I understand they don't want to lose these guys for a full 15 days, but having a 1 man bench due to injuries and the gazillion pitchers they have on the roster just isn't going to cut it.

Regarding the bullpen, I think Melancon deserves a legit shot to stick. He's been hyped, we know he can dominate the minors, it's time for him to take the next step. Hopefully Girardi gives him a fair shot this go around. I have faith in Roberston turning it around, hopefully that happens because playing baseball with no bench and a crazy bullpen isn't too fun.

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I don't know if you heard this as well, but Jorge is out 3-4 weeks. Excited to see how Jesus handles the bigs, even if it is a small sample size.

EDIT: Ew. It's Moeller, not Montero? Damn.

Yeh, I saw that when it was announced after last nights game. About time. Moeller is the smart choice. He has the experience and defense for the back up role. Montero has no experience (only 34 games in AAA), his defense isn't up to par for the majors, and he's struggled so far this year in Scranton with a .689 OPS. Leaving Montero and Romine where they are is the best choice.

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As soon as I saw that, I thought to myself; Great, now I have to hear it from Mets fans about how classless Yankee fans are. Sure enough, I got about 3 of my friends who are Mets fans laughing about it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

just when you think they're getting back on track, they play a decent team and crap the bed. I don't know what to make of this team. I mean Vazquez embodies the team. He's either great or awful no 6 innings, 3 runs. It's either a shutout or getting bombed. (plus when you look at what Vizcaino is doing in the braves system right now, we got robbed, unless we get the draft picks for him after the season)

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With their first pick in the 2010 Draft the Yankees select SS Cito Culver from Irondequit HS in Rochester, NY. I know nothing about him but I'm going to look up whatever scouting reports I can find.

Random Stuff on Culver:

Baseball American ranked him 168th Overall

From River Ave Blues Live Blog:

"Hidden away in upstate New York—hardly a baseball hotbed—Culver sticks out like a sore thumb. He is the rare Northeast prep product with a legitimate chance to play shortstop in the major leagues. Culver's best tool is his arm, which rates as a 65 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Some scouts report seeing him up to 94 mph off the mound, but he has no interest in pitching. The game comes easily to Culver, whose actions, instincts and range are all plus at times, though he has a long way to go to become a consistent defender, and some believe he profiles as a utility player down the road. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Culver is a solid-average runner and a switch-hitter with a loose, whippy swing from both sides of the plate. He projects to have below-average power and is mostly a slap hitter, but he does generate good bat speed and could be an average hitter as he gets stronger."

Scouting Video (Though it is him as a RHP)

Baseball Beginnings:

"Cito Culver would profile as a fast middle infielder with a plus arm, two tools that will play if his offensive development continues.

The first thing you would notice about Culver is that his athletic actions jump off the field. Listed at 6-1, 167 he’s got a modest build on which the strength is still filling in. The quickness jumps out, both in his hands and his footwork. It also plays in his running speed and he has a fast first step.

The next tool would be his arm. On the mound, he was 90-91, which really isn’t bad for a guy with that kind of frame. What you didn’t see with Culver was a lot of physical projection for height, which would make his future as a right-handed pitcher pretty nominal.

He was very new to hitting with wood when I saw him and he didn’t have the strength. But all this guy would have to do is learn how to slap the ball and put it on the ground and he can run you .300 and have the arm and range for 2B, SS and 3B."

Edited by thefiestygoat
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I think that's quite a stretch. It's not like we got shelled in the series, and it's not like the Jays are trash. We lost the first one pretty good, but the second one was about as close as they come, and we were bound to win the third. Tex isn't going to keep hitting like this, A-Rod will find his power, and Jorge will finally be back in the swing of things. However, I wish we would move some pieces around in the lineup- something like:

Jeter

Swisher

Cano

A-Rod

Tex

Posada (DH)

Granderson

Cervelli

Gardner

Regardless, I think the Yankees will allow Tex to use the next two series' against the AAAA team and the Astros to work things out. If he can't find his swing against them, it's time to get really concerned.

Cano doesn't take enough pitches to be a #3 hitter. The 5 spot is good for him right now. I like this:

Jeter

Granderson

Teixeira

Rodriguez

Cano

Posada (DH)

Swisher

Cervelli

Gardner

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Not to invade on you guys, but I really wouldn't worry about Teixeira's batting average; his line-drive rate is right near his career norm yet his BABIP is only .239; that's pretty much a big heap of unluckiness. He'll come around.

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Not to invade on you guys, but I really wouldn't worry about Teixeira's batting average; his line-drive rate is right near his career norm yet his BABIP is only .239; that's pretty much a big heap of unluckiness. He'll come around.

I think he will too. The shift seems to be taking away a lot of hits this year so far. I haven't done any research but I would speculate that he has been better RH (no shift) than LH thus far.

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