I mean, wasn't it a done deal? Figuring DJ as the next Graig Nettles, the Death Barge ignored Matt Williams and Gio Urshela this winter - (as they ignored Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery) - and suddenly, three weekends into March, we're down to stems and seeds, Oswaldo Cabrera and Jahmal Jones.
Wither goeth Josh Donaldson?
Listen: I'm not immune to the fantastical needs of this delirious, self-pleasured fandom. I think magically. I cry during "Angels in the Outfield" (the original film, not the 1994 one with Tony Danza.) There must be some enchanted super elf, some juju god gone rogue, who can transform these motley 2024 Yankees into winners?
Well, here's one: Caleb Durbin - (not to be confused with Fight Club's Tyler Durdin) - a 5'6," 185 pound, infielder who is 8-for-21 (.381) this spring. In the recent Prospect Breakout Game, The Durb went 2-for-3 with an RBI double.
Put him in, Boonie.
As proof of his legitimacy, the Yankees this week stuck him in LF, a sign they see him as a utility lug nut, who can play anywhere.
Yeah, this is a longshot. But Durbie hit .353 in the Arizona Fall League, after batting .305 over the 2023 regular season, at two levels. (He also stole 21 bases in 23 games in Arizona.) He's not Jose Altuve, okay? But he could be Ronald Torreyes (who, at 5'8", would tower over him.)
The Yankees need something crazy. And their fans need something to defeat the overwhelming cynicism that now engulfs us. They've concentrated their attention on Spencer Jones, the giant. Maybe it's time to think small. And the first rule about Caleb Durbin? DO talk about Caleb Durbin?
Yes, do talk about Caleb Durbin, the type of player the Yankees need. 3b is a predictable black hole for the team, who penciled in DJLM on a wing and a prayer. Durbin had a tremendous year in A+, AA, and the AFL. This year he seems destined for Scranton, where dreams go to die. The team shouldn’t hesitate to call him up this season, he is a far better option than Cabrera. Practically speaking, Cashman really dropped the ball (pardon the expression) by failing to bring back Gio Urshela who signed with the Tigers for an unbelievably paltry $1.5m. I can’t think of a single reason why the team didn’t pounce on him, other than Cashman’s ego and LeMahieu’s contract. 3 more years of LeMahieu hobbling around like Walter Brennan on The Real McCoy’s is not a promising vista.
ReplyDeleteDuque - I like the cut of your jib. He needs a nickname or something to put him in the media's, and therefore the front office's, conscience. To get the ball rolling so to speak...
ReplyDelete1) Home Run Derbin!
2) If he keeps hitting the way he has been compare him to HOFer Kirby Puckett...
Durbin Kirby!
3) Or a Babe Ruth type guy who is great with the bat... Ruth Derbin Wood. (ok that's a stretch but...do do do do... That's Ruth!)
4) IIHIIFII... gone! Caleb liberated that ball from the constraints of gravity and out of the park!
5) As a fielder... Durbin the Dustbin? Where ground balls are collected and the batter gets thrown out with the trash.
6) Another hit for Kentucky Derbin! He's making a run for the (Pete) Roses.
I'll stop now.
What, do something unexpected, exciting, and "risky"? Surely, you jest. (And don't call me...you know.) You have the wrong team for that kind of move, O Mighty Leader (that's you, Duque). We need someone proven, seasoned, and reliable at third. Someone who's got some MLB experience under his belt, and has shown he can handle the job. Not some kid who knocked the tar out of the Little League pitchers he's been facing.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, though, we didn't sign Gio for an incredibly paltry amount, and it turns out DJ has the right foot of an 83-year-old man who spent one too many visits with his favorite sole-beating dominatrix.
Still, that doesn't mean we just give a kid of 24 a chance. He needs another decade or two of seasoning in the minors. We'll put Oswaldo on the field. He won't deliver any (shudder) surprises.
Jon Heyman says the Yankees are trying to trade for Doctor Lizardo, young ace of the Marlins.
ReplyDeleteThat's nice. Watch. We won't get him. Not a chance.
He's a whirling Durbin...
ReplyDeleteI think I’d rather have Deanna Durbin.
ReplyDeleteShe could at least sing the national anthem. And being dead would make her a natural fir this team.
Can’t wait to read what E. D. has to say about Stanton’s three bombs in his good morning post.
ReplyDeleteUnwaveringly Unwaivering !!!
JM, those are the sorts of things The Brain leaks to the press every few days so they'll stop interrupting his Candy Crush games.
ReplyDeleteApparently "Caleb" comes from the Hebrew word for "dog." So we could steal from the Mets: "Who let the dogs out..."
ReplyDeleteAlso, the main Caleb in the Old Testament was one of the 12 spies Moses sent into Canaan to see if they could wrest their old home from the Canaanites. Caleb was one of only two who thought it possible, for which he would be richly rewarded, and while there spoke in so loud a voice that he frightened off giants.
Sounds rather dubious as a spy, but never mind!
"Caleb will lead us into the Promised Land!...Caleb will fright away all those pesky giants! (Looking at you, Astros and Dodgers!).'