Results tagged ‘ Left Field ’
“Concerns”
Is it possible for a team fresh off a World Series championship to have “glaring concerns” heading into its title defense?
If you’re a fan of the Yankees, apparently it is.
I understand that lots of Yankees fans wanted to keep the team intact; I was one of them as well. I get that up until now our unspoken M.O. was “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But considering the moves that Brian Cashman has made — turning Melky Cabrera/Phil Coke/Ian Kennedy/Austin Jackson into Curtis Granderson/Javy Vazquez, while also bringing back Nick Johnson — it’s difficult to be upset that the team is a little bit better heading into the 2010 season.
Of course, it’s never that easy in the Yankee Universe. Many fans are still worried about the make-up of team. With that in mind, let’s take a look at these “concerns”:
LEFT FIELD
Fans’ reason for concern: Basically, Brett Gardner isn’t Johnny Damon. Apparently having a slightly below-average bat hitting 9th in an otherwise-loaded lineup is a detriment.
Smoov’s response: Who gives a s*** cares if he doesn’t have Damon’s bat? Gardner adds the element of blazing speed and is a far superior defender. They didn’t keep him over Melky for no reason, people.
FIFTH STARTER
Fans: Again, real simple: Some are spoiled by the success of Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes in the bullpen to the point that there is little confidence in either man as a starter.
Smoov: Joba and Phil have both shown what they can do in the starting rotation. Both are better than any other option out on the market right now. People, have patience with these two — Joba will have learned from his mistakes and Phil needs to have a Joba-type season. Let them battle it out for the spot, and deal with the decision.
BENCH
Fans: There’s a lack of firepower/versatility with Eric Hinske and Jerry Hairston Jr. signing elsewhere.
Smoov: Two things: first, the Yankees rarely use their bench during the game. It really doesn’t matter who’s on the bench now because it’ll likely change during the course of the season. Second, this isn’t the NBA where the sixth man has just as much impact as the starting five. IT’S THE BENCH OF AN AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAM. Stop worrying.
Bottom line: these aren’t major concerns to be worried about heading into Spring Training. We may not like every move that Ca$hMoney makes, but we as fans have got to look on the bright side and trust in our staff that the team put on the field will defend its championship.
If Cashman and Girardi aren’t worried, why should you be?
Left Field
With all the moves that were made in the last month of 2009, the Yankees have one last issue to deal with — an issue that really isn’t as monumental as most fans are making it out to be:
Who’s in LF?
By now you probably know that Jason Bay and Matt Holliday are no longer options to man left field in Yankee Stadium. You also may have heard that the man who would likely have been there on Opening Day — Melky Cabrera — was dealt to Atlanta for Javier Vazquez. While there was a rather large uproar over the latter move, Leche was expendable with the acquisition of Curtis Granderson and the pending free agency of Rays LF Carl Crawford after this coming season.
With this in mind, you’re probably wondering who the remaining options are. Let’s take a look:
BRETT GARDNER — Easily the leading in-house candidate. With a 2009 slash line of .270/.345/.379 the man Pete Abraham dubbed “GGBG” showed that he is capable of being an average offensive player. However it is his speed and defense that will pay huge dividends for the 2010 Yankees. With a career 87% SB percentage (39-for-45) he is always a threat to steal a base and can score from 1B on a double or 2B on a single with ease. Defensively Gardner is considered be many to be more fundamentally sound than Melky and also has a penchant for the fantastic play.
CURTIS GRANDERSON — The dark-horse candidate. Although Brian Cashman traded for him to be the starting centerfielder, I would not put it past Girardi to have Granderson in LF and Gardner in CF for this season. He is essentially Gardner with the type of power that translates better to LF than CF. While playing LF isn’t the primary purpose, Girardi can’t go wrong with having Granderson tracking down fly balls in Death Valley.
JAMIE HOFFMANN — The long-shot. A relative unknown, he was acquired from the Nationals for Brian Bruney as the #1 pick in the Rule 5 Draft. Hoffmann is a right-handed bat who can add some pop to the lineup should he make the Opening Day roster in any capacity.
JOHNNY DAMON — The wild-card. Scott Boras overplayed his hand at the start of free agency, almost certainly costing his client a big payday. Now with Bay and Holliday signed Damon is the top position player available, but is scrambling for a suitor. The Yankees, however, have played this very well and could have Damon crawling back to them for an offer significantly lower than what he was originally seeking.
There you have it, boys and girls — your options to play LF for the defending World Series champs. Who would you choose? Is there anyone I’m forgetting? Hopefully we can discuss this further in the comments section.
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I hope that everyone enjoyed a safe and pleasant holiday. Let’s make this new decade a memorable one! OH-TEN, WE GON’ DO IT AGAIN!!!!!
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