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Tuesday, March 22, 2016

The decisions that have already been made

Today, Jersey Pete Caldera ponders the raging "decisions" yet to be made in Camp Tampa before the Retrieval Empire heads north. And for a team that hasn't won a post-season game in three years, and which looks to chase the Wild Card bubble again this season, there are no competitive openings in the everyday lineup, and remarkably few on the 25-man. We talk about "competition" in the same way that Stephen Hawking talks about sex: The last decision happened long ago, and at this point, we're just trying to remember what it was like.

Does anybody really see a "competition" between CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Bryan Mitchell for that fifth starter slot? I don't. Mitchell is having a great spring, while the two vets have served batting practice, but he is as destined for Scranton as Gawker is for bankruptcy. No matter how bad he is, Sabathia will pitch until July 1, or the DL, whichever comes first. Don't get me wrong: I can't blame the Yankees for giving him a good long rope. I just don't buy the notion of competition here.

For backup catcher, did anybody really think the Yankees would keep the prospect, Gary Sanchez, from Day One, thus pushing up the date for his future arbitration? Hello-o-o? Have we been watching the Yankees under Food Stamps Steinbrenner? They'll save money with Sanchez "playing everyday" in Triple A. The only question is whether Austin Romine will beat out Carlos Corporan for backup catcher, and that's about as exciting as guessing zip codes.

There is a choice at utility infielder, but excuse me if we don't leave the theater early, because it's the same movie as last spring: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. In this case, the dying girl is Rob Refsnyder, who is "battling" two good-field/no-hit veterans - Pete Kozma and Ronald Torreyes... that is, until the MLB waiver wire explodes next week with a fresh crop of table scraps. Someday, Refsnyder will have a fine career, but probably not with the Yankees. They always find a flaw, a reason, to send him to Scranton for "seasoning." And if, by chance, he does beat out the others, he'll always know that he's one botched ground ball from eternal banishment. The guy must have dated somebody's daughter. Does he use the wrong fork? Does he have bad breath?

Finally, there is the annual fishing derby for the final bullpen slot, a chase among people known only to ardent Yankee fans and lifelong Scrantonians. Somebody will win it - for a week. As soon as the bullpen gets overworked - that is, after Sabathia and Nova pitch - we'll be sending out for reinforcements the way Fox News does for fresh blondes.

For a team this middling, how do we always end up with a lineup so inert?

6 comments:

Steve M. said...

If I was the GM and or manager:

Lineup:
Ellsbury
Gardner
Beltran
Texiera
McCann
Rodriguez
Refsnyder
Gregorius
Castro

Bench:
Hicks
Corporan
Ackley
Torryes

Rotation:
Tanaka
Pineda
Eovaldi
Severino
Mitchell

Bullpen:
Chapman
Miller
Betances
Nova
Shreve
Rumbelow
Pinder

JM said...

Steve, that kind of good sense will keep you from ever working in the Yankees organization. Shape up already.

Parson Tom said...

Hot damn. Steve wants to send Headley and Sabathia packing. We need that kind of vision and courage in the front office. The costs are roughly the same, but the results might be better.

Ken of Brooklyn said...

Steve's line up looks good to me, we can dream can't we,,,,,,

Alphonso said...

What about Gabel, Gumboil, Gobel, Cobel......the nameless dude who hit .300 last year in scranton, made a sensational catch this spring, and haas no prayer of ever being noticed?

CC should start drinking again. That we, he can slip out of his career with sympathy.

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