So here's a depressing thought for March: Over the next three weeks, DJ LeMahiue will play a few downs at 1B, because he's now our official future backup. By opening day, either Greg Bird or Luke Voit will be Fed-Exed to Scranton, where if history tells us anything, the guy will plummet into a deep, depressing slump, which might last for the rest of his Yankee career. By carrying only one 1B, the Yankees can keep 12 or 13 pitchers, because they're like screwdrivers: You need a certain head for every situation.
And when our regular 1B needs a movie night, General Curtis LeMahieu will answer the call. That'll inspire hope, eh? A glove-first utility infielder with a handful of MLB games at the position will play 1B and bat ninth. Shades of Andy Phillips, Josh Phelps, Doug Mientkiewicz, et al - the avalanche of first basemen who came and went during the long and fruitless years of Yankee mediocrity. If there is one commonality for every bad Yankee team in this millennium, it is the lack of a solid first-baseman. And right now, well, we've got a "spring training competition," which is a nice way of saying we got dice rolls.
I suppose Voit has the inside track. He won the spot last fall, fair and square. But if Bird keeps hitting - see stats - considering the Yankee lack of LH bats, anything can happen. All we know is that the loser will board the bus to Wilkes Barre in a dark and disillusioned state, if he agrees to go at all. Expect him to be hitting below .200 through May, while the bus rides sap his spirit.
I understand why the Yankees will carry only one 1B. I'm not questioning the decision. Whoever wins the job this spring deserves a full shot, not a platoon situation (which would basically give the job to Bird.) Let's see once and for all if Voit can hit like he lifts weights, and whether Bird's sensitive chicken feet can endure a full season. And why not a 12-man pen! The way we go through pitchers, by June 1, Chris Bootcheck will be coming out of retirement.
Still, brace yourself, everybody: There will be that cold April night night, maybe in Boston or Chicago, when our lineup is posted, and there he will be: DJ LeMahieu, playing first. Close your eyes and it'll be Lyle Overbay. Take in a breath of air, and imagine Travis Ishikawa. We're going through one of "those" periods. Who's on first? Fuck you, that's who.
I will not spend a dime on this team.
ReplyDelete#FoodStampsHal
Fuckers.
Ditto for me WinWarblist,,,, Hal's 'player money' went into 30% of YES!
ReplyDeleteHey, we have Travis Ishikawa?
ReplyDeleteFuck, man, I'm juiced!
Thanks to the dual technological marvels that are The MLB Network and Roku I have watched pretty much every inning of every game this spring training (or at least had it on in the background. Here are some thoughts and observations thus far...
ReplyDelete1) The Yankees STILL can't get hits with guys in scoring position and less than two outs. It's just like last year. I listened to Reggie Jackson (Reggie Jackson BTW - a man who was not afraid to K) making the same point over and over about just putting the ball in play and good things will happen. The Yanks had bases loaded. Zero outs. They scored Zero runs.
2) Stanton look terrible. I know he hit a monster HR yesterday. He is totally going to do that 30+ times. But despite my hopes for him he looks as feeble as he did before. As a side note I read about Judge changing his two strike approach (something about his leg) to cut down on his Ks. Maybe Stanton should get in line for an adjustment as well. Get two strikes on the guy and it's all over.
3) I'm not freaking out about the General. The guys learning two new positions and a new team. I know...I know... I said this about Stanton last year but all he had to do was learn to DH and when they serve the muffins in the club house. This is some major change for the general.
4) Not Yankee related but I was reading about the proposed changes they are playing with in the Atlantic League in RAB today.
The robot umps: Nope. It's only a matter of time until some hacker with a Draft Kings account and a suite in a Jersey hotel develops an algorithm that fixes ABs and therefore, games. Call me old fashioned but I like my fixes done with a paper bag full of twenties in a men's room.
Bigger Bases: Yes. bigger bases mean fewer collisions. Also it will make Machado look like even more of a dick when he spikes someone.
Moving the mound back two feet: By far the STUPIDEST idea of all. Pitchers would be getting hurt. Curve-balls would break at the wrong time. Everyone would be back at square one. Arms would fall off as they try to adjust. Insanely dumb. Insanely.
Three Batter minimum for a reliever: Sure. Why not? Haven't though it through but I'm sick of the pitching changes and one pitch specialists. It's boring and long. (And I have Fast Forward!)
Two guys on each side of the infield when the ball is thrown: The Yessiest of Yesses.Football has legal and illegal line ups. There's nothing wrong with it and it would end the shift bringing back the offense
Speaking of YES. I guess Hal couldn't sign Machado and Harper (and a front line starter - good thing we don't need another of those.) because he needed the money for the repurchase. I see he's in business with Amazon AND Sinclair on the deal. You can draw your own conclusions on that. Mine is that when the Yankees lose, local TV stations will call it fake news.
Doug K.
I hate the Yanks' insistence on carrying 13 pitchers. If you can't get it done wit 12 pitchers, get new pitchers. Or at least lobby for expanding the rosters by a slot. Although I'm sure Food Stamps would bust a gasket.
ReplyDeleteVoit and Bird could make a terrific platoon, at least for awhile. They should also make Stanton take a few games at 1B. As a guy who can't really play a position, he's too much of a burden on a 13-pitcher team.
Also, I take it this means that our No. 5 outfielders will be Tyler Wade? Wonderful!
Doug K., I agree with most of what you say, particularly on the mound.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm against forcing pitchers to pitch to three guys—just too unnatural. And I'm against making shifts illegal. TEACH PEOPLE TO HIT TO THE OPPOSITE FIELD—something that needs to be done anyhow.
Not sure how I feel about the electronic strike zone. Its integrity could be monitored by a guy in the booth, but it would remove another human element from the game.
Thing is, if they DON'T do it, the umps ought to be required to retrain with the bigger players of today. It's ridiculous how much Judge gets screwed on the road.
Hoss,
ReplyDeleteI hear you. Particularly on the retraining of umpires so that they get the strike zone right on bigger players. The Judge situation is a travesty. I agree about having someone in the booth, but the down side is more challenges and more time wasted.
"This High and Outside Challenge is brought to you by REI. If you're going to climb your mountain, shop at REI."
Your solution for more training is a better one. I'm sure they will pick the worst one.
RE: The pitchers facing three batters: Like I said I haven't given it a lot of thought. But the one batter reliever really does slow things down. (and kill offense). I don't know what the answer is but the way it is set up now is boring. I don't know the answer.
RE: Shift: Yes, players should learn to bunt (and every other aspect of hitting that sadly,is no longer in vogue. But I would like to go back to second basemen playing on the right side of the diamond. That's the game.
In basketball you can't camp under the basket for more than three seconds. Football has rules about illegal formations, hockey and your much beloved soccer :) have rules about off sides... so there's president about where a player can be and when. Once the ball is pitched players can go where they are needed but I like the infield to be set in the old way.
Doug K.
Spring training hot streaks are a meaningless small sample. Pitchers are not at full strength and are more concerned about working on pitches than getting batters out. Cashman can't be that stupid, and I hope none of the commenters here are either. Bird is just not what Cashman hoped he would be and never will be. Time to get over that crush.
ReplyDeleteDoug K., interesting thoughts, particularly on the shift. Not sure I agree yet, but you have a point.
ReplyDeleteAs for Bird, I'm not necessarily for giving up on him yet. Some people have claimed his legs will just take this long to truly heal from what he has endured. I don't know—but I wouldn't mind giving him some at-bats in the season if he continues to look good.
I really think it would just be foolish to get rid of either player if they continue to hit well. I'm sure the Yanks could scrape by with even a mere 11 pitchers in April. They should try.
Does Doug K. suffer from a mental disorder than defeats any mental self-consoring mechanism before he takes to the keyboard? Malign techies allied with the Mob are going to fix the robo-umpire system even though EVERYONE WATCHING ON TELEVISION CAN SEE WHETHER THE PITCH IS ON OR OUTSIDE THE GRID? It's far easier to corrupt human umpires, whose subjective perceptions and and judgments are not subject to this kind of precise visualization and quantification.
ReplyDeleteAnd "the game" is positioning infielders on a certain side of second base, when there is not and never has been any such rule?
Welcome to another seven months of unchecked idiocy from Doug K.
self-censoring TYPO
ReplyDeleteGood rant, duque - - just shows that TWO fur-spacemen are better than one - - unless the one happens to be Moose Skowron, OR Donnie Baseball, OR Tino Martinez, OR Tex Teixeira....etc., just leafing through the rosters of our illustrious history since I became a faithful fan.
ReplyDelete....and - - forced to choose between Doug K. and your average, completely bought-in acolyte of sabremetrics - - give this fan Doug K., every day of the week. LB (No J)
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