Thus, here are 10 fun facts about Jeter Downs. Pardon me if you've heard them:
1. With clean-shaven Alex Verdugo, the Yanks now have two of the three Boston lug nuts in the 2022 Mookie Betts blockbuster, which officially qualifies as a Redsock bomb (inscribed with the name "Chaim Bloom," Boston's designated whipping mule.)
2. Obviously, whenever facing Boston, the Yankees must play Downs. He should bat leadoff and receive all our juju. Any successes, regardless of how trivial, should be embellished. If he singles, score it as a double.
3. He's a former first-round pick, from 2017. For some reason, (a psychological desire to relive his youth?), Brian Cashman loves to bag ex-top picks. (Clint Frazier, Billy McKinney, Andrew Benintendi, Justus Sheffield, et al.) Thus far, can't say the track record is all that exciting.
4. Yes, he was named after Derek Jeter. As Robbie Cano was named after Jackie Robinson. And Jackson Melian after Reggie.
Did nobody in America feel compelled to name their son Yogi?
5. Prior to the Betts deal, Downs was a key cog in the Reds' 2018 trade for Yasiel Puig. Interesting that Cincinnati dealt him after barely one year in the system.
6. He's 25, a few months older than Juan Soto. Hey, you never know about late-bloomers. Some guys need to figure it out on their own time lines. But Downs peaked in 2019 - hitting .276 with 24 HRs, between single and Double A - and the Dodgers quickly dealt him. Seems to be a recurring event: Hopeful year, get traded.
7. Want a comparison? Think of last year's Four Musketeers: Jake Bauers, Billy McKinney, Franchy Cordero and Willie Calhoun. They signed for scraps, had their moments, then wilted like Tommy DeVito. (In case you're wondering, Downs bats RH.)
8. Last year, over three minor league levels, Downs hit .222 with 3 HRs.
9. There's no guarantee he'll stick on the Yankee roster. Last week, after signing a similar contract, Billy McKinney lasted three days and was traded to Pittsburgh for movie money.
10. If his parents were big fans of orators, and they named him "Churchill," think of the jokes.
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20 comments:
Excellent pick up. The coaching should solidify this guy as .200 hitter. He could bat lead off or clean up somedays
The smallest of small potatoes, and a waste of a roster spot
@ BTR999, Right-O! Cashman is a collector of discarded 1st round picks. This is why their minor leagues don't develop players. They waste too many roster spots with stupid pickups like this. What do they call spur of the moment purchases that you regret later? Impulse purchases, that's it. They should stock the minors with under 20 kids who have big upside. This guy is already too old.
At least they didn't name him Hugh.
By the way I have to take issue with " wilted like Tommy DeVito". The kid was running for his life the whole game and when he delivered the ball it was dropped a bunch of times. Toward the end of the game he was so banged up he could barely walk and still managed to go
20/34 for 177. No turnovers. (and to be fair, no TDs)
Not saying the kid is the 2nd coming or even the 2nd helping but "wilted" is not a word I would use to describe him. :)
@ Doug K., NY Giants have had lots of good QBs. DeVito might be another good one. Jets haven't had a good one since Joe Namath. With their "offensive" offensive lines, both of these teams are going to turn their QBs into hamburger meat by the end of the season. I feel bad for the QBs of both teams; that's not a job I would want, running for my life on almost every snap.
All of the QBs on the Giants & Jets should sue their respective teams for "quarterback abuse". Got to be an easier way to make a living.
Hats off to Cashman for another genius pickup. What an asshole.
And special recognition for the Giants and Jets front offices, who did nothing to make their lousy offensive lines better. How many sacks has the Giants line allowed so far? 74? 79? Whatever. It's embarrassing.
I hope Tommy Cutlets keeps his room at Mom and Dad's. If he keeps taking this kind of pounding, he'll be out of the league in a couple years.
During my time in Boston, I seem to remember a t-shirt being sold a block away from Fenway that said:
JETER DOWNS
AROD’S
RANDY JOHNSON!
It wasn’t too hard to resist an impulse buy.
JM -
"I hope Tommy Cutlets keeps his room at Mom and Dad's. If he keeps taking this kind of pounding,"
Actually pounding a cutlet down to 1/4-1/2 inch in thickness is what makes the cutlet worth eating. The thinner the better! Only the Italians and the Cubans have a clue when it comes to this.
I'm sure a Philly fan will have a "Pound the Cutlet" sign at the next game.
Hammer -
"Jets haven't had a good one since Joe Namath."
Sanchez had a couple of good years but overall it's staggering how inept they have been at finding good QBs.
It's almost statistically impossible to draft that high and miss that many times.
It's like the Giants and their O-line. It's not like they haven't spent the draft capital - they have - it's just that they are apparently very, very, very, bad at evaluating the position.
A thinly pounded cutlet takes on the flour, egg and breading prep for frying better than just tossing a breast around your kitchen.
Allow me to add, Doug that germans also know how to pound their cutlets for tasty schnitzels.
Mantle was famously named after his father's favorite ballplayer, HOF catcher Mickey Cochrane. "Mickey" was just a nickname for Cochrane; he was born Gordon Stanley Cochrane.
Just think—THINK!—how different our entire universe would be if Mutt Mantle had known that! ("Mutt," of course, was named after HIS father's favorite breed of dog. His mother wanted to name him Poodle Mantle.)
Jets have had some okay quarterbacks: Ken O'Brien, Chad Pennington, Richard Todd, Boomer Edison, etc. But no, nobody close to Joe Willie.
Even weirder: why ARE both teams' front lines that bad? I don't know much about football, but it would seem to me that that position is where the range of skill sets is smallest. Just how hard is it to get even back-ups who don't let your QB get sacked more than 2-3 times a game?
Evidently, pretty hard. Still...
AA -
I like Schnitzel as well but I find the Germans don't pound it as much as slap it around. 1/2 inch to 3/4.
"Slap the Cutlet!" Doesn't have the same punch.
Besides, it sounds too much like "Spank the Monkey"
Any decent German or Austrian restaurant pounds the hell out of their schnitzel-bound cutlets. I've been in places that weren't too busy where I could hear the cook hammering away in the kitchen.
Of course, this is in Germany and Austria. American restaurants that serve schnitzel may not always be so conscientious, although Johannes in Palm Springs does an excellent job.
"Of course, this is in Germany and Austria."
Ach! Mein only schnitzel experience is domestic. I'll bet the giant pretzels are better over there as well.
Doug, practically everything is better over there!
They can't wrap their heads around steak, though. The cuts, the preparation...really nowhere near as good as ours.
I was referring to the non-domesticated schnitzels - some that I've had have been mind blowingly fantastic.
JM - I am confident that THEY could wrap their steaks around their heads if they tried . . .
As a huge football fan, I van tell you that athletic players of great physical stature are usually molded into defensive lineman / edge defenders. Most modern NFL Defenses are built around overloading the OL, and hoping that defensive backs can keep up. It’s a tough position to play, communication and vision is needed, and you need 5 good players. Having said that, both the Jets and Giants have failed to build good O-lines and that does hold back QB development.
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