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What if... Mike Cameron

Posted by Chris H. at 6:15 pm 34 Responses »
Sep 012009

This season, Melky Cabrera has been worth 0.7 WAR as a center fielder. He’s not hitting particularly well (wOBA is .326, second lowest in the AL) and his defense has been below average (UZR/150 of -6.9). He’s basically better than he was a year ago, but when you consider that Melky was worth 0.1 WAR last season (barely better than replacement), the upgrade we’ve seen this season isn’t very tremendous.

That brings me to Mike Cameron. In the offseason, the Yankees were said to be interested in acquiring Cameron from the Brewers. We heard a few trade ideas floating around, including a package that featured Melky Cabrera and Kei Igawa (while I’m not sure about Igawa, Melky always seemed like the centerpiece for any deal). However, the Yankees apparently wanted to keep Melky after his strong play in the Dominican League and they wondered if they had something with Brett Gardner. Plus, Cameron’s $10 million salary was a bit of a hurdle, especially after adding Andy Pettitte and Mark Teixeira (and CC and A.J.). For these reasons, Mike Cameron did not join the Yankees this winter and the team was relatively content with trying Melky and Gardner in 2009. Looking back on it, though, I wonder if it was the right decision.

Melky has been mediocre and Gardner has been solid (2 WAR), especially on the defensive side of things, yet Cameron has been stellar in center for Milwaukee. His .258/.358/.459 line and .354 wOBA would have been a significant upgrade over Melky or Gardner and his defense (7.7 UZR/150) is on par with Gardner’s, although Gardner has been better. Cameron’s speed has all but faded, though, as he has only stolen 6 bases on the season. All in all, because of his bat and his glove, Cameron has been a 3.9 WAR player, good for 5th best in baseball (at CF).

Knowing what you know now about Melky, in particular, Gardner and Cameron, would you have traded Melky for Cameron in the offseason (Gardner could have been a stolen base threat off the bench)? He seems like he would have provided the Yankees the best of both worlds—hitting and defense—and, although $10 million isn’t chump change, being a 4-win player has made him more than worth it. Imagine a lineup that featured him behind or in front of Cano in the playoffs—that would have been something.

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Yankees still interested in Cameron?

Posted by Chris H. at 3:45 pm 15 Responses »
Mar 192009

From Jayson Stark (ESPN):

The most-heard observation about the Yankees this spring: That team could have serious, and potentially fatal, defensive issues. They’re range-challenged in left, in right and at shortstop. They have reliability issues at second. Alex Rodriguez is now a major question on every level. And nobody knows what kind of defensive catcher Jorge Posada is capable of being over the long haul. There are rumblings the Yankees are poking around again on Mike Cameron’s availability.

Is the team really that worried (and should they be, if they are)? They actually improved defensively by losing Bobby Abreu and adding Mark Teixeira. Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher are both decent defensive players, and as long as Johnny Damon is in LF he’ll be an above average defender. Plus, a focused Cano could be a defensive whiz (at least that’s what I think based on his 2007). Sure, Posada may not be great behind the plate but he has never been known for his defense and he’ll be throwing to three big strikeout guys who don’t have to lean on the defense as much as Wang and Pettitte will (Jose Molina can catch on those days, though, right?).

I think Stark may be reaching a bit in terms of the team’s defensive worries. However, his “rumblings” could mean something, especially if Melky continues his mediocre play this spring. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them move him for Cameron since he’s out of options (and Cameron’s power could help the team while A-Rod is out), although I’d like to see Gardner get a shot since his speed and defense could be similar (defensively, at this point in Cameron’s career, Gardner may even be better — I’m not sure).

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The battle begins

Posted by Chris H. at 3:38 am 4 Responses »
Feb 232009

After Melky Cabera’s terrible 2008, the door is wide open in CF, creating quite an interesting position battle that will play out this spring. Based on Pete Caldera’s latest, it seems as though the two candidates — Melky and Brett Gardner — are already pushing each other as they both attempt to win the starting job.

Cabrera admitted that the competition against Gardner forced him to drop out of the World Baseball Classic, where he was listed on the Dominican Republic’s roster.

“I need to play [here],” Cabrera said. “I need to show the manager I’m here every day, and play hard.”

Smart move by Melky. Initially, I thought CF was basically his to lose in camp, however, after hearing Girardi rave about Brett Gardner’s speed, I’m not too sure if that’s true.

“He creates havoc. I think that’s probably the best way to describe him offensively,” Girardi said of the lefty-hitting Gardner, who stole 13 bases in 14 attempts in 42 games with the Yanks last summer. “Every time he’s on the base paths, it changes the way the pitcher thinks, it changes the way the defense thinks.”

If Willy Taveras can be a regular outfielder, there’s no reason Brett Gardner can’t be, as well. In fact, he’s been working on putting the ball on the ground this off-season so that he can take advantage of the speed that Girardi and others seem to love.

Gardner spent the winter working on his bunting. “It’s something I plan to incorporate more this season,” he said.

Gardner’s speed, patience and defense could allow him to become the favorite. Basically, Melky will have to hit his way into the lineup, as that is the only skill he posseses that Gardner doesn’t necessarily have. Of course, if Melky fails to hit, not only will he find himself on the bench or in AAA, but he could also find himself sitting in another organization’s clubhouse.

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