Nobody emerged to see his shadow.
The handful of Yanks battling for lineup openings went a combined 3-for-18 (.166) with one double (by Anthony Volpe) and a SB (Estevan Florial, his fifth.)
Oswaldo Cabrera made a bum throw from 3B, and Willie Calhoun - in his fourth MLB organization - begot a single and a walk. At 5'8 and 200 pounds, Calhoun played DH, his best defensive position.
The true stars yesterday were Yank fans who mercilessly heckled Joey Gallo. My fave: The old winery jingle, "Gallo makes outs with loving care, the worst of the Yank Country."
Hicks and 3B Josh Donaldson seem to symbolize Yankee fans' desire for generational upheaval. They stand in the path of the franchise's most hyped prospects since, well, Clint Frazier? It's easy to imagine both getting dumped in June, even if they're playing well.
If Volpe and/or Jasson Dominguez keep hitting - be it at Scranton or Somerset - the front office will feel enormous pressure to promote them - especially if the Mets rule in the zeitgeist. (Check the tabloid back page standings to the left. In terms of ink, the Yankees are having a miserable spring, even compared to last March, when their numbers were suppressed by the lockout.) Right now, Hicks and Donaldson are the equivalent of those fake celebrities who temporarily occupy empty seats at the Oscars. If the kids hit, they have no future with the Yankees.
Yesterday, Donaldson said he can still hit. This spring, he's 3-for-15 (.200) with no extra base hits and four Ks. Hicks is 6-for-24 (.250) with a HR and 9 whiffs.
Other notes from yesterday:
Deivi Garcia - the former Yankee Pedro - pitched 3.1 innings, walked two and gave up a HR - the game's only run - on a three-two money pitch. This is Garcia's last chance with the Yankees. He's out of options, though it's not certain whether any team would snatch him off the scrap heap. He's fallen that hard.
Last year, the Yankees welcomed back another former Yankee Pedro - Manny Banuelos, who became the feelgood story of camp. He ended up pitching 8 innings for the team before being shuttled off to Pittsburgh, where he threw 32 innings with an ERA over 4.00.
Deivi might get two more chances between now and opening day. Fingers crossed, as we await Sage's ferocious wrath!
I don't know what to say about Hicks. He looks lost at the plate and lost in the field. Worse than that, he seems to have forgotten why he's on a baseball team. If he can't get his act together, he needs to retire or be released. The facts of his contract are a poor excuse for carrying dead weight. At this point, his salary is only 3% of Yankee payroll. Eat it, Brian.
ReplyDeleteDonaldson used to be a good player. I think he's a poor fit with the Yankees, but he takes pride in his work, so I'll give him a few more weeks to figure it out. But if he doesn't, release him. Again, his big, fat contract is no excuse for carrying dead weight.
The kids are doing a better job.
"Eat it Brian" may be our new Rally Cry.
ReplyDeleteThank You Doc T.
Much better than an inside out hat or a fucking monkey.
Someday a writer will have the guts to really expose Cashman. The only thing he did during 1996-2001 was get coffee, lunch & dry cleaning for Stick and Watson. It's evident over the last 20 years that he learned nothing from them. All he has done is spend money and throw together a group of somewhat talented players who are not a "team". Any Jackass can spend $200m a year and get enough talent to be .500+. It takes an evaluator of talent to put together championship teams.
ReplyDelete"It's easy to imagine both getting dumped in June, even if they're playing well"
ReplyDeleteI don't think you have to worry about that. The "playing well" part.
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Hicks seems to lack focus and desire. He's already made a ton of money and it looks like he's lost any affection he has for both the sport and the profession of baseball.
He should quit and go pursue his bliss and, by quitting, allow us to pursue ours.
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Archie -
Yes.
Eat. It. Bri-AN. Is a really good chant. Perhaps we will try it out at the stadium in August.
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El Duque, the short and long answer to your question is "yes"!
ReplyDeleteHal, we pay them, we pay them.
ReplyDeleteI can easily visualize the crowd at YS getting very nasty with Hicks when he’s in the OF. It may even become physical, and I don’t want to see that happen. Boone will do his best to protect his player but the situation may become uncontrollable especially if the team gets off to a poor start, which seems likely. Hard to believe Hicks has 3 more years on his contract, even harder to believe that the twit who signed him was given a fat contract extension.
ReplyDeleteI believe Hicks to be untradeable, not just because of his contract but because of his poor level of play. What team would want one of the worst players in the game at any price? Eventually the team will swallow hard, take a deep breath, and simply release him.
Just don’t expect that anytime soon.
I saw him play several times in AAA for the Twins.
ReplyDeleteHe seemed like a natural athlete and destined for the MLB.
I do think that his expiration date has come and gone.
For everyone's sake they should just cut him once Bader comes back.
Let him be a 4th OF for someone else. At least that team would be responsible for the MLB minimum salary so our loss would be softened. Let him go to Pitt or St.L or KC; somewhere that they don't boo the home team.
At this point he does more harm than good.
The rest of the team should not have to be distracted by his bad karma on the bench
I got home yesterday from my hip replacement surgery. You know, it's funny the people you can meet when you're in the hospital for a couple days. Guys from all walks of life, some legal, some maybe not. Maybe even guys who might arrange an accident or two at a reasonable price. Nothing too serious. Just something that makes it impossible to, for instance, play a sport. At least for a few months or so.
ReplyDeleteNot saying that would be the right thing to do, but it's funny how things work out sometimes. I mean, if it did happen, that would really be some coincidence. You know what I mean?