In case you missed it, here's the latest on Hicksy:
Nothing. Keep moving. There's nothing to see. Move on, everybody. Go about your business. Git.
Remember when Hicks was supposed to miss a weekend? Then it became a week. Then he'd be back by opening day. Then he'd miss opening day, be back for the second series. Now it's Opening Day Eve, he's twice gone to the needle, he has yet to resume "baseball activities," and until further notice, somebody named Mike Tauchman is our centerfielder.
Remember that circular batting order that was going to feature Brett Gardner hitting ninth, with dangerous hitters down the line? Well, as best as I can figure, here's what tomorrow will look like against the famous Baltimore future Hall of Famer, right-hander Andrew Cashner.
Gardy LF
Judge RF
Stanton DH
Voit 1B
Andujar 3B
Sanchez C
Torres 2B
Tulo SS
Tauchman CF
(Note: It's possible that Bird will DH, Gardy will play CF, and Stanton will be in LF, thereby hiding Tauchman from public scrutiny on the opener. But until Hicks returns, this lineup will see a lot of games.)
Look closely, and you'll notice three batters in succession - Tulo, Talkman, and Gardy - who haven't hit a lick in over a year. And let's take this moment to remember that Gary Sanchez failed to achieve the magical .200 mark last year, and that DJ LeMahiue will occasionally spell Torres or Andujar. That could present a five-bat dead zone at the bottom trench of the lineup.
Listen: It's a long season. Injuries happen. Lineups happen. Tomorrow, we start 10 games against Baltimore and Detroit, two teams that would have trouble winning at Triple A. Anything less than 7 wins out of 10 will be a disappointment. (Which, by the way, is a worrisome trap; tomato cans are much easier to beat in late April or May, when the full magnitude of their disastrous years is becoming clear.) If we win, say, 5 out of 10, those are gimme games we won't get back later in the season.
I don't know when Hicks will return, but it's reasonable to suspect he is in the throes of "an off year." Let's hope Tauchman is another Luke Voit (while we hope Luke Voit is another Luke Voit.) And I find myself still looking - and hoping- to Scranton, where Clint Frazier will start the long road back. Red Thunder... Dude... if you're reading this, we need you.
ReplyDeleteBREAKING NEWS: IT'S ALL GOING TO BE OK.
According to Hal Steinbrenner:
"We're as good as anybody. The team is going to do everything they can to
win this thing. I believe they're going to play up to their potential."
Secure in the knowledge that everyone will play up to their potential, we can all disregard the recent predictions made by the know-nothings on IIHIIFIIc. You can read the truth here.
ReplyDeleteI believe awarding the "Yankee Crapola Spin of the Year" honor right now is, at the very least, premature.
Maybe it's the YCSOTM. M = month.
I am hoping fervently we don't get to YCSOTW..
HAHA... THANKS FOR THE BREAKING NEWS ALERT LBJ, WE ARE GOING TO BE O.K....
ReplyDeleteIN TAUCHMAN WE TRUST!
I FEEL LIKE WE ARE ALL IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
WE LITERALLY WOKE UP 2 DAYS AGO, AND FOUND OUT WE HAVE MIKE TAUCHMAN A 28 YEAR OLD, .183 HITTER ON OUR ROSTER.( NOT TO MENTION, WE GAVE AWAY A NICE YOUNG LEFTY ARM TO GET HIM).
....AND HE MAY ACTUALLY PLAY!
THIS IS BEYOND MY WILDEST DREAMS...(OR NIGHTMARES).
I RATHER HAVE, CLINT FRAZIER ON THE ROSTER. (I DON'T CARE IF HE LOOKS RUSTY).
I RATHER HAVE, ISAAH GILLIAM ON THE ROSTER.
JAKE CAVE (WHO WE GAVE AWAY).
BEN GAMEL (WHO WE GAVE AWAY).
RONALD TORREYES (WHO WE GAVE AWAY).
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST....
BRYCE HARPER (WHO COOP AND THE GANG SAID WE HAD NO ROOM FOR)....
HOW DOES THAT STATEMENT SIT NOW?
BAD START JACK.
Hal thinks we have a swell rotation. Yeah...rotate on this, pasty boy.
ReplyDeleteIn what universe are we better off with Frazier in the minors rather than Tushman?
German is a starter? Lasagna? I guess.
Hicks isn't destined for an off year. He's destined for the same kind of year he's always had, with the exception of last year. Which, by the way, wasn't exactly a HOF year, either, but compared to his usual performance, people went crazy for it. Good defense, some of which I'd sacrifice for more offense.
Note to front office: when a guy like Harper comes along, you don't pass him by because you don't have room. You make room. See how easy?
I'm dreading this season. At least we're playing the downtrodden to start, so we might do better than .500. Not putting money on that, though.
And I still can't get over what the fuck happened with Torreyes. How in any way can you make sense of that one?
I agree with most of what Duque stated except for one player: DJ Lemahieu. He may have had a weak spring but just 3 years ago he lead the majors in batting average. We can use a few more contact hitters like him.
ReplyDeleteSUMMARY AB Hits HR BA R RBI OBP SB SLG OPS
Career 3445 1026 49 .298 501 349 .350 75 .406 .756
Pretty damn good offensive numbers plus 4 Golden Gloves showing excellent defense. Let's not worry about DJ if he gets enough playing time. He should be the starting 2b and Torres the starting SS. Tulo should be no more than a bench player. He can be productive as a fill in.
And JM, that basically answers your Torreyes question about why they got rid of him. Cashman is in awe of those "Monster Bats". You know, the power hitters with the HR potential. The ones that cant get a single to knock in a run or start a rally. The ones that hit .180-.249 and can't make contact to even hit a sac fly in the clutch. He doesn't value the Torreyes types that play good defense anywhere and make contact. Why they kept Tyler Wade over him is another mystery.
Red Thunder in New York is not good for business. I could show you the pie charts and graphs to prove it but I'm walking out the door to catch a limo to my helicopter to make spin class in time.
ReplyDeleteYours,
Hal Steinbrenner
You can always tell a liar by how they answer a question that is not asked.
ReplyDeleteHal: "The team is going to do everything they can to win this thing."
Oh, yeah? Hmm, did anyone doubt "the team's" desire or say they doubted if they would go all-out to win? No. So WTF are you talking about?
In the same interview Zieg Hal also told us that we have "great pitching from top to bottom" and that the Charleston RiverDogs might have the best pitching of all in the organization.
Wow, good to know, just in case I have the chance to take in any low-Single A, RiverDogs games this year.
Carl Weitz, I wish Gen. LeMahieu well, I think he could be useful, and I don't see how he could be as bad as Stephen Drew or Neil Walker.
ReplyDeleteBut you and I both may be in for a surprise.
LeMahieu was never much outside of Denver, and he is now clearly a player in decline.
Ensconced in his Rocky Mountain High, DJ was a star, with a lifetime .330 BA and .835 OPS.
Everywhere else? A .264 hitter with a .673 OPS.
Weirdly, he did hit a few more homers OUTSIDE of Colorado, 28-21, in 955 total games, which is probably what has that idiot Coops all excited.
And high in the Rockies or down on Riverside, his numbers are plummeting. He's dropped from his NL-leading .348 and .911 OPS in 2016, to .310 and .783 in 2017, and then .276 and .749 last year.
In 2018, away from the purple mountains' majesty, he hit .229.
Yes, you read that correctly: .229.
Get ready for Stephen Drew III.
And ALL-CAPS, ALL-CAPS, ALL-CAPS...please, get your figures straight!
ReplyDeleteMichael Tauchman is NOT a lifetime, .183 hitter in the majors.
He is a lifetime .153 hitter in the majors!
Accuracy always!
What is the over/under for the number of games Tauchman is on the Yankees roster this year?
ReplyDeleteHorace....I fully understand that Curtis Lemahieu has declined over the last 2 years and his average is better at Coors field. But I don't think altitude helps the contact hitters nearly as much as the power/home run hitters. But part of his decline might be attributed to the mental effect of playing on a shitty team day in and day out for so long. Lack of concentration or care. I know pros aren't supposed to react like that but its only human to do so.
ReplyDeleteWould you settle for .280/.340/ 15-20 SB? I would.
Yes, I know the Rockies made the playoffs last 2 seasons. Barely so by a game or 2 each year because in the NL, other than 4-5 teams, none were any good. But in his 6 previous seasons their record was god-awful.
ReplyDeleteSo, LeMemeheehooo's last two decline years correspond with the Rockies' last two good years. What, he was so dispirited by his team doing well that he decided to stop hitting?
ReplyDeleteNo, I think his decline is age related, and maybe, he's not that good. "Contact" hitter means what? when pop ups drop in the wide ranging spaces of Coors Field, or whatever it is called these days.
As heard on MLB radio at noon: "Hicks Nyx Stick's Licks: Mysterious Back Ailment Prevents Starting Centerfielder for New York Yankees from participating in baseball related activities, like hitting a baseball."
I love the old Variety headline take-off!
ReplyDeleteAnd Carl Weitz, I'm not sure I see your point. The General was a very good contact hitter at Coors Field. Elsewhere, he was a .264 hitter. And last year, a .229 hitter. When the team was better than ever.
i just don't see the point of spending $24 million over 2 years for a guy in this steep a decline.
Torreyes is going to make $800,000 this year. Tyler Wade, something like $600,000. Hell, the Yankees dealt Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney last year—two guys who would have filled two holes—for a pitcher they had to re-sign as a free agent anyway.
On this team now, stupidity challenges greed on an almost daily basis. It's quite a show. I just wish it was something more like, "Brilliance vs. Talent."
LOL....I'm kind of losing sight of my point, too. And in no way am I justifying he get 12 million a year. I just don't think his decline is as steep as some.
ReplyDelete
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