That said, as 12-0 thwackings go, this was a piece of cake. No position player had to pitch. Nobody tweaked a big toe. And after the final out, everyone was restored in the merciful notion that - as Bill Murray in 1979 reminded the lost causes of Camp North Star: It just doesn't matter!
Twelve nothing. All you need to know is that a non-roster pitcher named Tyler Danish gave up six runs without recording an out, and the guy who relieved him gave up a three-run dinger. These things happen in February, when the only real news is whether somebody got hurt. It just doesn't matter.
That said, some matters amid the matterlessness...
Gleyber Torres finally made outs. He raked in the first games of spring, which he inexplicably started, while most vets perfected their tans. Of our main line starters, Gleyber remains the most unsettled. Close your eyes, and you can see him centering a package for a LF, such as the Pirates' Brian Reynolds. Or you can imagine him playing the entire season at 2B, maybe even becoming a lifelong Yank. Who knows where he'll be on opening day? But this we do know: Two highly touted IF prospects are coming, and having waited two years for them, Brian Cashman will clear their path. With DJ LeMahieu returning (hopefully) from his barking big toe, the Yankees have an infield logjam. Whatever Gleyber does will have long term consequences.
Part of that logjam involves Oswald Peraza, who Cashman would love to see win the SS position. It's hard to imagine Anthony Volpe leapfrogging Peraza - and/or Gleyber/DJ/Donaldson et al - this spring, because it would mean sending Peraza back to Scranton. Barring a meltdown, the Yankees will want to play him during the month of April. Yesterday, batting second, he went 1-for-3. That's a sign of hope.
Finally, somebody named Nick Ramirez struck out the side in the sixth, as the Rays were emptying their lineup. He's another veteran LH, three years of MLB experience, who bumped around Triple A last year with the Mariners. He's also 6'4," so they at least will look good coming off the bus. Three strikeouts over three batters. Can't do better than that. He'll get another look.
And maybe it won't be in a 12-0 blowout.
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11 comments:
Good to see the team in mid-season form. Torres is not going to get Reynolds, because the Pirates won't pay him millions to bat .260 and run hard to first base 4/10 times. Krook, Ramirez does it matter? These guys will be part of group of relievers that shuttle back and forth to Scranton, so not too interested in them. Maybe the genius can get someone to take DJ. He can hit when he's healthy, but $15m till 2026 I think his time is up. Really there is nothing to get excited about. Unless the kids are handed the keys to the car, it's the same old same old
That Danish was stale yesterday,
Yes, BTR, it seems the Danish had no cheese.
Here's a tidbit I just saw. With the Dodgers losing Lux to a nasty injury, they need a shortstop. IKF seems to be available.
Pure speculation. Why LA would want him at short is kind of the hangup, far as I can see.
JM -
I don't know either.
The Gamonite justification is that it's hard to find a shortstop with legitimate MLB experience at this point because they all have jobs. The Dodgers might not want to go with the guy they were going to use at SS a couple of years from now.
What they failed to mention was, IKF is not a good shortstop.
So it should read, "it's hard to find a GOOD shortstop with legitimate MLB experience at this point because they all have jobs.'
Then again, you know the old triangle - Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two.
IKF ain't good but he can be had fast and he will be cheap. So who knows?
In a non related item about the Knicks Mitchell Robinson...
"Robinson, on Monday, had his 38th career game with at least 10 points, 10 boards and two blocked shots.
That is far from Patrick Ewing’s club record of 421 such games in his career, but it’s only two behind Kurt Thomas’ 40 for second place in franchise history."
Wow! That is quite the drop off from one to two. I don't know if that speaks to Ewing's greatness or Knick front office ineptitude...
Oh wait, yes I do. It's the latter.
This is not the Yankee's regular season lineup, just buffoonery by the moron manager.
Duque, does Cashman really want Peraza to be the SS? I don't know about that. When has Cashman pushed for a rookie to be the starter? Especially straight out of the gate. I don't see anyone except IKF getting the SS job this year.
Hammer -
That they replaced IKF with Peraza at the end of the season and, until they panicked, in the playoffs as well, bodes well for him.
They may be stupid but they're not THAT stupid. OK, they are THAT stupid but the plan was for IKF to serve as a transition to Peraza/Volpe. That transition is clearly over and the Yankees are not served by having the more experienced IKF play over him. Particularly at the beginning of the year.
It's not a time service issue either because the clock has already started on Peraza. (Unlike Volpe) plus, IKF's 6 mil salary is not so big (Cough. Donaldson. Cough 27M.) Where they feel he NEEDS to be the starter.
So I think we're good there as well. I mean they aren't THAT THAT stupid.
In abstract, moving IKF to the LAD for outfield help seems like a possibility, but -
1. There is similar/better talent available for less.
2. The Dodgers are an astute organization and would want more than IKF for one of there prospects.
3. The Yankees are content with what they have now, and see IKF as insurance at SS
4. As previously discussed, he has MLB experience as a backup catcher.
5. The Dodgers have in-house solutions for SS. Unlike the Yankees, LAD try to construct their rosters with at least a modicum of depth.
As always, the Yankee MO is to load up on big name overpaid “stars” in attempt to lure fans to their shopping mall stadium. This usually results in an unbalanced roster with multiple flaws, just like this year’s. This is a concern for hardcore fans who want to win, but matters little to the team whose main concern is money. The Yankees hype their past by celebrating anniversaries of long ago glories and retiring numbers left and right. This is proof positive of one of the central tenets of this worthy blog, I.e. ownership/management doesn’t give a damn about winning as long as the money keeps rolling in.
@ Doug, well, we can only hope so. If they do play Peraza at SS, that would be a blow to the theory that they are purposefully sabotaging everything in order to avoid winning the next championship. But I suppose there are plenty other things they can fuck up to achieve that nefarious goal of getting booted out of the playoffs in the first round.
I hate to be optimistic but I've been watching these meaningless scuffles and so far young Mr. Martian looks pretty good. Not good as in lighting it up but good as in he looks like he belongs. He's a big guy, moves well in the outfield, seems to have a plan. I'm sure Cashman will figure a way to fuck things up with him but he might actually pan out.
Of course I'm no Keith Law but that's my impression. So far.
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