I was reading El Duque’s IT IS HIGH MODERN YANKEE DISAPPOINTMENT TOP 15 LIST updated rankings this AM and, without adding or subtracting, there are a few changes that I would make to the Top Five.
My feeling is it’s not about disappointing performances –
they all disappoint – it’s about our expectation of what they were going to
bring to the team. So…
Number One: Stanton
It has to be him. MVP level talent. Paired with Judge in the middle
of the order! We gave away virtually nothing. (Should have seen that red flag!).
Miami was paying some of the salary. (Oops, there’s another one.)
Seriously, he and Judge were good to combine 100 home runs a year.
Turns out they weren't even good for a combined 100 games a year. Well, it seems that
way.
Add in he clogs the DH spot. Reduces financial flexibility (for
years to come) and all too often has at-bats that are almost comical. He seems to get hurt a lot as well and trots. Trots! Baseball players should only trot after home runs. Not while trying to score on a base hit.
He is number one by a mile!
Number Two – Sanchez
When this guy came up, he was everything we wanted in an All-Star
catcher. The Baby Bombers were a thing baby! BTW he’s back to hitting HRs at
his old pace on the Padres. Sigh.
Number Three – Sevi
Finally, we had a home grown lights out starter. There’s a reason that we are always waiting for him to return from an injury. Or at least why the Yankee brass always tried to convince us that as soon as he returns to form we have our number two starter with number one stuff. It’s because he does. Or did.
Or, I don’t know because that guy hasn’t been around for years. The fact
that they keep letting him start is entirely based on this myth. So, every
start, every comeback, every time he takes the mound he destroys hope.
Number Four - Miguel Andujar
Miggy Two Bags! The guy broke Joe DiMaggio’s record for extra base hits for a rookie. Joe Mother Fucking DiMaggio! A record that stood for, I don’t know, I’m too lazy to look it up but I’m guessing sometime in the mid 1930’s. Getting that kind of production from 3B?
Hustle. Poise. OK he needed some work in the field,
but he didn’t suck. Even his nickname
was cool. Miggy Two Bags. While I don’t
blame him, for the injury, obviously, this guy was on his way to being great!
Until he wasn’t.
Number Five – Red Thunder
Speaking of nicknames... When you trade one of the best relivers in baseball and get your choice of another team’s highest rated talent one would think that the guy you pick was, not only going to be great, but become a member of a core of players that will be here, and excel, for at least a decade.
When you don’t trade him at important
junctures for pitchers that would make a major difference for your World Series
run it’s because he is/will be our perennial All Star left fielder. Or, he could be an oft injured
head case. Which one do you think we
got?
Other
Ellsbury and Igawa (and Montas – a guy who should have made the list, but I guess you actually had to play a few games to qualify) were all reactions to not getting the guy we wanted.
I’m sure there are no shortages of bad marriages based on being turned down by the woman you wanted to marry and then pivoting to whoever else is in the room. So, the disappointment isn't so much that they weren't good (which they weren't) as we didn't get the right player in the first place.
Brian does this a lot. That's why he should be fired. OK that's actually for another list for another day. Top Ten Reasons Brian Cashman Should Be Fired.
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9 comments:
If we created a list of prospects that were ruined by the way they were handled by the Yankee brass, Clint Frazier would be at the top of that list. What a circle jerk….
Hear, hear, Doug! Well said.
I would differ a little on guys like Miggy and Sevvy, who I think WERE badly hurt, and failed by the Yankees' crack(ed) medical and coaching staffs.
I realize that Cantrun has been injured, too—but I think much more of that comes from his insistence in pretending he is a professional weight lifter.
As for Sanchez...well, he's had these flashes of being his old self before. We'll see. Still no reason to trade him for Donaldson, though!
Hoss agree that Miggy and Sevi's injuries were probably mishandled. But as far as disappointment goes these were players I had really really high hopes for.
From today's NJ.com on Sevy.
https://www.nj.com/yankees/2023/08/who-the-hell-is-in-charge-of-yankees-pitchers-mental-meltdown-is-malpractice-ex-superstar-says.html?
Bian Cashman's "Busted, Wrecked and Mishandled All Stars"
C Gary Sanchez
1B Greg Bird
2B Rob Refsnyder
SS Donovan Solano
3B Miguel Andujar
LF Ben Gamel
CF Clint Frazier
RF Oswaldo Cabrera
P Joba Chamberlain
P Ian Kennedy
P Phil Hughes
P Luis Severino
P Deivi Garcia
P kei Igawa
P Carl Pavano
P Nathan Eovaldi
Doug, I agree with your picks. And especially with numero uno! I wasn't jumping for joy when I heard that we'd traded for Arch Stanton (another right handed hitter), but I sure didn't expect this kind of non-production either. Really, the only role that Stanton is now suited for is playing the corpse inside the coffin of Arch Stanton in "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly".
And Gary Sanchez looked like the second coming of Johnny Bench. How does a guy go from that to hitting .147 and doing his best impression of a piece of swiss cheese behind the plate? What is even more amazing is that I saw Gary Sanchez catch a game earlier this year for San Diego, AND HE LOOKED GREAT!!! Yep, no wild pitches, no passed balls, no glitches in communication with his pitchers, nothing out of sorts at all. Looked like an ALL-STAR!
Thanks for the article, Carl. We know who's in charge, and he sucks.
And Doug--good post, you're right (as usual). But there have been so many disappointments, I don't know if we can actually list them in any kind of order. Though Stanton is definitely #1 because he plays like #2.
Oh my this list is something
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