Results tagged ‘ Hideki Matsui ’
April in Review
I leave the blogosphere for three weeks and the Yankees have the third-best record in the American League?
WHAT?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about the Yankees’ fast start. It’s just that we are more used to the slow starts coming out of Spring Training — hell, the 1998 team that won 114 games started 1-4. The last (only?) time I remember seeing this good a start to a season from the Bombers was 2003 — that team lost Derek Jeter to a shoulder injury on Opening Night and had Erick Almonte replace him for over a month.
No matter, the first month of the season has been very enjoyable to watch. Some of the highlights:
- Two near no-hitters in less than two weeks — CC Sabathia in St. Pete and Phil Hughes in Oakland
- Andy Pettitte’s time-traveling back to 1996 (3-0, 1.29 ERA in 4 starts)
- Robbie Cano’s emergence as a true threat in #5 spot (team leader in H, AVG, SLG, OPS, HR, RBI, TB)
- Brett Gardner making us forget Johnny Damon and Melky Cabrera
- Heartfelt hero’s welcome for World Series MVP Hideki Matsui at 4/13 home opener. I think it’s safe to say Damon won’t get the same type of reception
Get ready, Yankees fans — it’s gonna be one helluva ride to title #28.
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Don’t forget to check out the video that Ross of NYY Stadium Insider took of me at the game on Jackie Robinson Day!
The Grinches Who Stole The Yankees’ Christmas
I don’t generally like doing posts like this, especially on the heels of a World Series championship AND Christmas Eve. But desperate times call for desperate numbers, so here goes:
Stop b*tching, Yankees fans. Brian Cashman knows what he’s doing.
Of everything that has happened since November 4th, the only move I can honestly say I strongly disagreed with was letting World Series MVP Hideki Matsui leave for Los Angeles (see how I dealt with it here). But even that won’t get me down about the team that Ca$hMoney is putting together for 2010. How can anyone not like adding a 28-year-old CF in his prime (Curtis Granderson), a 31-year-old DH who gets on base like Glen Quagmire gets laid (Nick Johnson), and a 33-year-old innings-eater who just might be the best #4 SP in baseball (Javier Vazquez)?
It’s like wanting to date Jessica Alba when you’re married to Gabrielle Union.
All three players have well-publicized flaws — Granderson struggles
vs. LHP, Johnson is injury-prone and Vazquez hasn’t nearly been as
dominant in the AL as he’s been in the NL — but you can’t use these as
crutches when arguing against the moves. It only raises expectations to
unwarranted levels and doesn’t put them in a relaxed scenario to
succeed.
It is perfectly understandable that everyone wanted to keep the team intact, and I would’ve been cool with that. But Johnny Damon let Scott Boras overprice him, Matsui didn’t wait for Damon and jumped on the first offer he got because the Yankees felt his knees were completely shot, and Melky Cabrera was highly expendable with Carl Crawford becoming a free agent after the 2010 season. We just have to face facts: the moves that our GM makes our team younger and more dynamic for when the Yankees start their title defense on April 4th in Boston.
For once in your lives, try not to be such grinches about moves that the Yankees make just because you’re attached to those who will not be back. Give Curtis, Nick and Javy a chance — you won’t regret it.
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Make sure you be safe if you’re traveling and make sure you let your loved ones know how much you love them. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!! I’ll catch y’all in 2010!
Happy Holidays,
Smoov
Ode to Hideki Matsui
No way in hell will I miss Hideki Matsui.
He wasn’t flashy enough. His slash line with the Yankees (.292/.370/.482) pales in comparison to his slash line in Japan (.304/.413/.582). And forget about his power numbers (20-85 in New York, 33-89 in Japan). How dare he not use the short RF porch to his advantage? And don’t give me that crap about how baseball in Japan is different from baseball in the U.S. — last I checked, consistency was BORING and “Godzilla” failed to live up to the nickname.
He was too humble. Matsui got hurt diving for a ground ball in 2006 (ending his consecutive games played streak) and had the nerve to apologize to everyone because it was in his nature to do so. HE APOLOGIZED FOR GETTING HURT!!!!! Who does that?
He wasn’t media-friendly. He didn’t take advantage of the 3,000 programs specializing in ESL education and used his translator for every damn interview. Not to mention he had a sketch drawn of his wife, whom he secretly married during spring training. A DAMN SKETCH. Not even a photo. Matsui disgusts me.
Above all, he was too much of a tease. The guy has surgeries on both knees two off-seasons in a row, yet still worked up the nerve to market himself as an outfielder even though he’s clearly just a DH. He then goes out and puts up solid-but-not-spectacular numbers, re-emerging as the perfect #5 hitter behind Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Matsui follows that up by tying a World Series record with 6 RBIs in the clinching game, causing Yankees fans to want him back for one more year.
And how does he thank us? By ditching pinstripes and skipping town to Los Angeles for $6.5M, exactly half of his 2009 salary in New York. HALF. He makes me sick.
So no, I won’t miss Hideki Matsui. Not one damn bit.
A Grand Welcome
Brian Cashman has been very busy at the Winter Meetings. And he’s shown no signs of slowing down.
In the span of two days, Ca$hMoney has addressed two major roster issues. He was able to flip prized prospect Austin Jackson (along with Phil Coke and Ian Kennedy) into Curtis Granderson on Tuesday (the trade was finalized today), a move which should make it a little easier to bring back either Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui. On Wednesday, Andy Pettitte agreed to re-sign with the World Series champions for one year at $11.75M. The signing keeps the top 3 starting pitching tandem of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Pettitte intact for another year, meaning that Cashman is now in no rush to sign John Lackey or trade for Roy Halladay.
What’s not to love?
Now I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical of the trade when it was first agreed upon. I think Austin Jackson is going to be a stud in the majors and felt that he should’ve been saved for a bigger fish in the sea (see Halladay, Roy). I also didn’t deal too well with the fact that the Yankees didn’t receive either Max Scherzer or Daniel Schlereth from the Diamondbacks; it felt like we were flat-out robbed. And let’s not forget Granderson’s splits vs. LHP and the relatively low rate at which he reaches base (.327 OBP, 141 K last season). These are all valid red flags, no doubt.
However, there is also no denying Granderson’s ability. He’s got 30 HR power (I wouldn’t be surprised if he hits 40 at some point), he’s a threat to steal and can benefit from being around such patient hitters as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. And from what everyone is hearing from the writers who covered him in Detroit, Granderson is also a high-character guy who should have no problem adjusting to the bright lights and pressure of playing in New York City. Curits’ flaws are easily correctable, which should not be a problem working under the tutelage of hitting coach Kevin Long. I expect the Illinois native to have a very productive first year in the Bronx.
This mega-trade doesn’t mean that Cashman can’t re-sign either Damon or Matsui. There is still the possibility that one of the two can be brought back to be the DH on a short-term deal. It has been hinted at that the DH should be able to play the field, which favors Damon. However, Ca$hMoney wants that person to be signed at HIS price, which favors Godzilla; there is always reason to believe that Scott Boras, Damon’s agent, will be up to his old tricks in looking for a long-term deal — probably similar to the deal Damon just finished with the Yankees.
This all makes for one intriguing winter for the New York Yankees.
Is the apocalypse among us?
(WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST MAY RESULT IN YOU GOING INTO A CATATONIC STATE. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK FROM THIS POINT FORWARD!!!!!)
The New York Yankees plan to cut payroll for 2010.
I’m not kidding.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, general manager Brian Cashman has set next season’s payroll at approximately $185 million. That is about $23 million less than the $208 million spent on this season’s World Series champions. With $45 million coming off the books this winter (Andy Pettitte, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Jose Molina, Jerry Hairston Jr., Eric Hinske and Xavier Nady), the Bombers are not likely to make as big a splash, if any at all, in the free agent market as they did last winter.
Dead serious.
This is a GREAT decision that Ca$hMoney and the Yankees brass are making. The market is relatively weak compared to last offseason, headlined by outfielders Jason Bay & Matt Holliday and starting pitcher John Lackey (all of whom were offered arbitration by their respective teams). While it is practical for us Yankees fans to hope that team brass gets the best players every year, we need to come full-circle and realize that there are some years where the Bombers can lay in the cut and let other teams go ga-ga over big-name free agents with a long-term goal in mind. The 2007-08 winter was one example (Cashman famously passed on trading for Johan Santana with CC Sabathia and Co. in mind). This winter should — and likely will — be another example.
Stop laughing.
Now, the same cannot be said for the trade market. Detroit CF Curtis Granderson and Toronto P Roy Halladay have been linked to the Yankees by various beat writers. The main problem with acquiring either player is the package that would be sent to the respective teams: a combination of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero as the centerpiece. In the pre-Joe Torre years, George Steinbrenner would probably have mandated that both men be fitted for pinstripes … by the end of the weekend. Now with another World Series in the books and a change of philosophy (sort of), the front office can sit back and thoroughly decide whether adding players like Granderson and Halladay would be beneficial or detrimental.
To keep it short (a later post will delve deeper), I would focus on re-signing Pettitte, Damon & Matsui and making smaller, under-the-radar moves to fill in the minor-yet-still-important roster spots. Hopefully the Yankees stand true to their (mildly surprisingly new) goal of shedding payroll and put on the field a product that will repeat as World Series champions.
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UPDATE — 12/5, 9:12 AM: Looks like the plan is to focus on Pettitte and Damon right away, according to Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News.
UPDATE — 12/9, 1:50 PM: Pettitte has re-signed at 1 year/$11.75M, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
cjsmoov
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