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Minors Recap, 9/13

Posted by Eric Schultz at 12:33 am No Responses »
Sep 142009

Tampa falls to Charlotte, 9-2 (series tied 1-1, best of 5)

  • David Phelps got the start, giving up 6 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings.
  • Jairo Heredia gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits in 3 2/3 innings, with 3 strikeouts.
  • Adam Olbrychowski struck out 2 and gave up 2 hits in a shutout inning of relief.
  • Phil Bartelski walked 1 in a scoreless inning of work.
  • Dan Brewer was 2 for 3.
  • David Adams, Austin Romine, and Damon Sublett were each 1 for 4.
  • Jack Rye was 1 for 3 with a walk.
  • Walter Ibarra was 1 for 4.

Robert Pimpsner, who has covered the Staten Island Yankees over the last few seasons, has updates on a few injured prospects.  Arodys Vizcaino, sidelined with a back injury for the last month, is long-tossing, and will be ready to pitch in instructional league.  Caleb Cotham, the Yankees’ 5th-rounder out of Vanderbilt, was shut down after aggravating his previous knee injury.  Neil Medchill, the powerhitting outfielder from Oklahoma State, will have wrist surgery.  All of these guys would be big assets to SI in their upcoming series against Mahoning Valley for the league championship. Scheduled to start in the 3-game series are Adam Warren, Sean Black, and Jose Ramirez (who was promoted from the GCL).

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Andy's dominance continues against Texas

Posted by Chris H. at 12:23 pm 1 Response »
Aug 272009

Last night, Andy Pettitte pitched a gem, giving up 2 ER over 7 IP. He struck out 7 and lowered his ERA to 4.18. Amazingly, Andy Pettitte has been the best pitcher in the AL since the All-Star break. His FIP of 2.32 is the lowest of any AL pitcher over the last 30 days and his ERA of 2.61 is actually the second lowest during that period of time (King Felix sits above him with a 2.45 ERA). Andy has been an important piece of the Yankees’ playoff puzzle. Without his dominance, the rotation would look rather inconsistent (e.g., Joba, Mitre). He gave the Yankees exactly what they needed last night—a clean, crisp outing—as the bats took care of the rest, allowing for a 9-2 win. Lately, Pettitte has indicated that he would like to continue pitching after 2009 and, given Chien-Ming Wang’s absence and the way Pettitte has performed this season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up with the Yankees again next year.

It wasn’t all good last night, however, as Jorge Posada and A-Rod suffered some minor injuries. Jorge left the game after aggravating an already injured left ring finger via a Nelson Cruz foul tip. He’s considered day-to-day and was removed as a precaution. Alex Rodriguez also fouled a pitch off of his left foot and exited the game, but he’s said to be alright. Neither player will miss much time, if any. A.J. Burnett is scheduled to pitch today and was probably going to work with Jose Molina anyway since he and Jorge hate each other it’s a day game after a night game.

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Andrew Brackman And Understanding Tommy John Surgery

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 11:18 am No Responses »
Jul 242009

Andrew Brackman has had a disastrous first full season since returning from Tommy John surgery. The numbers, from Pete Abe:

The stats for Brackman: 1-11 with a 6.72 ERA in 18 starts in low A ball. He has struck out 79 over 85.2 innings. But he also has walked 64, thrown 22 wild pitches and given up 89 hits.

Andrew’s awful performance have lead some to declare that he is a bust. However, an understanding of the procedure he had and the necessary recovery time actually makes this season a moderate success:

Medically, most pitchers are ready to return to action in 12-15 months. Frequently, it’s another year before they return to form.

“It takes a good two years to really have a good feel again,” says Gordon, who struggled with tendinitis his first year back.

Orioles pitching coach Mark Wiley calls it getting the “feel of the ball.” It’s finding the arm slot, the release point, basically, learning how to pitch all over again. “They keep their heads above water and contribute but they’re not as consistent” the first year back, Wiley says.

“We’re doing now in a year basically what it takes us a whole lifetime to do (the first time),” adds Lieber, who was listed on the Yankees’ 40-man roster last January with hopes of earning a spot in the rotation for the ’04 season.

This August will mark two years from the surgery for Brackman. The key to this season for him was staying healthy and building up some arm strength, and he did both. He has currently hit a wall or “dead arm period,” something that happens to most TJS patients. If he pitches like this to start next season, the bust label may be appropriate. Until then, he remains a lottery ticket, one that could pay off in a big way should the Yankees remain patient with him.

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The A-Rod Situation

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 2:15 pm No Responses »
Jun 212009
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Alex Rodriguez sat out the last two games due to fatigue related to his offseason hip surgery. The circumstances regarding the decision to place him on the bench are a bit muddied, as no one is clear on exactly what happened. From Jon Heyman:

Some controversy was sparked when the Miami Herald in a lengthy story about Rodriguez’s unexpected two-day rest included a “rumor” that A-Rod and manager Joe Girardi “spoke sharply to each other” in a meeting before Friday’s game here. However, people familiar with the Yankees’ decision to sit Rodriguez say the decision came from Cashman and higherups, not Girardi. The conference call did take place with Rodriguez when he was at the stadium, but Girardi wasn’t believed to be on the call.
Yankees bosses believe Rodriguez was trying to play through the fatigue and would have happily continued to do play had they not called a halt Friday. Rodriguez is hitting .145 for the month with two home runs. The Miami Herald story noted that tens of Rodriguez friends and family were looking forward to the upcoming games for the hometown star here in Miami.

Here we get a bit of irresponsible rumormongering about a possible rift between Alex and the manager, as well as the clear implication that Girardi was cut out of the decision making process, a strange move considering the lineup is his domain and responsibility. However, the following story from George King paints a different picture:

“That’s not true,” the GM said before tonight’s Yankees-Marlins game at Land Shark Stadium. “Dr. (Mark) Lindsay said he would benefit from more than a day (off). It was a medical decision. The doctor ordered two days and see you on Sunday. (Joe) Girardi and I am firmly on board.”

Dance Flick move

According to Cashman, he and Girardi talked after Thursday’s game about giving the slumping Rodriguez a day off. “The next day (Friday) we had a conference call and Alex fessed up and Mark Lindsay said he probably needs more than one day,” Cashman said of Rodriguez’s chiropractor. “I called Joe and it was two days. The club got into Miami at 4 a.m. (Friday) and it (two days off) was a no-brainer.”

Cashman talked to Girardi after Girardi had the ice-cold Rodriguez in the lineup for Friday night’s game.

A Miami Herald story today reported Girardi and Rodriguez “spoke sharply” to each other Friday. Rodriguez scoffed tonight at the suggestion of a riff between him and his manager. “Never been better,” Rodriguez told The Post.

As for the tenor of the conference call, which Cashman said the ownership wasn’t on, Rodriguez said: “It was all very positive.”

I am not sure who to believe here, although giving Alex consecutive days off immediately rather than waiting until Sunday and using the off day on Monday as one of his days-off certainly seems like a medical decision. Although I am inclined to go with the Post’s version of events, this entire situation points to the disconnect that the Yankees medical staff seems to have with management. The trainers and other medical personnel seem to have little dialogue with Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman, leading to situations where the manager is not aware of certain injuries and medical situations until the player has aggravated it. This is one area where the Yankees clearly have some work to do.

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Brian Bruney And Playing Through Pain

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 2:49 pm No Responses »
May 262009

As we reported yesterday, Brian Bruney is headed back to the DL, as his pain never subsided from his original injury and he neglected to inform the club. As this quote from the Post shows, the manager was not pleased:

“The biggest thing is that you have to let us know how you feel,” Girardi said of his eighth-inning reliever who was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday after a morning session of catch resulted in elbow pain. “You have to be smart about it. You have to be more forthright. We need him healthy and back here.”

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Quite frankly, I do not blame Bruney here. There is a culture in sports that requires players to try and play through pain. Injuries are not rested, they are treated with cortisone and ice. While it would often help the team more if the player sat himself down, players are reluctant to do so, afraid that they will be dubbed malingerers or Carl Pavano. The Yankees, in particular, are led by a player who stoically plays through pain all the time. Derek Jeter played a month last season with a hand that should have been getting some rest. He was extremely ineffective, but he refused to admit that he was hurting. I am not blaming Jeter for Bruney’s actions, but I do think that Bruney’s actions are far from being an anomaly in the current sporting culture. Until a team puts their foot down and punishes a player for failing to report injuries, they have to expect that things like this will happen.

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Hopeful Signs During a Losing Streak

Posted by Steve S. at 12:12 pm 4 Responses »
May 072009

Despite the 4 game losing streak, there are signs things of good things to come right around the corner. Alex comes back tomorrow, and his impact on the lineup will be substantial. Nady is also expected back in a few weeks, much sooner than initially reported, which will improve the lineup and bench on most nights.

This team is built around its starters. When they put it together, they’re not going to need to score much and the bullpen will be much less of a factor. When the starters pitch like they’re capable, it will take the pressure off of everyone else. People forget that in April many of them are still building up their arm strength and pitch counts. CC’s recent starts have been getting better, he’s pitched well and just been left in the game a bit too long. In his last 2 outings he pitched to the 7th allowing only 1 run, only to be sabotaged by the bullpen allowing his inherited runners to score, making his line look worse than he pitched. Joba shook off the shaky start on Tuesday and was as dominating as we’ve ever seen him, including his time as a reliever. Andy and AJ have both been solid, and Hughes showed us in his first outing how good he can be. A stretch of good starting pitching appears to be right around the corner.

We also have an easier stretch of the schedule coming up, with games against MIN, TEX, CLE and two series against BAL in May. All but TEX have losing records. We also play a 3 game set in TOR, and I’m still not sold on them. By June 1st, we have Posada, Bruney and Nady back on the team. Look for the starters and A-Rod to carry the team until then, and look forward to being at full strength come June, when we see TB, BOS and the Mets twice.

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Xavier Nady Injures Elbow

Posted by EJ Fagan at 12:26 am 6 Responses »
Apr 152009

Peter Abraham:

Xavier Nady had a “sharp pain” in his right elbow in the seventh inning and was taken out of the game.

He previously had elbow surgery.

MRI tomorrow.

UPDATE, 10:58 p.m.: Nady had Tommy John surgery on Sept. 29, 2001. He was injured tonight in the seventh inning when Carlos Pena singled and he threw the ball back to the infield.

“I’m definitely kind of nervous,” Nady said. “But I have to be optimistic. Hopefully it’s scar tissue breaking off. … It was very painful.”

If Nady is injured, the Yankees have a ready replacement in Superman Nick Swisher. But this greatly cuts down on their depth. Now you have to use Hideki Matsui and it’s harder to give Jorge Posada a day off and so on.

There are several options in AAA starting with Shelley Duncan and John Rodriguez. I would be shocked if they promoted Austin Jackson to be a bench player. He needs to play every day at this stage of his career.

Nady will have an MRI tomorrow morning and we should know more by the early afternoon. But it certainly sounds like bad news. For X’s sake, hopefully not.

I don’t see why the Yankees need to call up an outfielder if Nady heads to the disabled list. Melky Cabrera is on the roster already. John Rodriguez is an intriguing option considering how well he hit at the major league level, but I think that the Yankees should consider adding another bat to the infield. Cody Ransom is obviously a liability, and Ramiro Pena is a defensive replacement at best. How about Kevin Russo? He’s tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A right now, and can play 2nd, 3rd, and left field. If we simply want a pinch hitter, Juan Miranda could be useful.

Thank God for Nick Swisher.

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Matsui Won't Play OF Until June

Posted by Tom Gaffney at 10:07 pm 11 Responses »
Mar 182009

This news from the AP via ESPN.   Joe Girardi states that, “The earliest we would need him in the outfield would be interleague, and that’s a ways off,” Girardi said Wednesday. “That’s why we envision him as our everyday DH. We need him. He’s a great RBI guy. He’s very important to our lineup.”

There’s not a lot of flexibility in that lineup if Jorge can’t catch.  Cross those fingers that Posada keeps improving at his current pace or there could be a serious logjam at DH.

Steve’s Thoughts: This of course begs the question ‘What happens in June?’ Matsui’s a Left fielder who bat plays nicely there, but his glove does not. As it is, we already have an outfield logjam with Nady, Gardner, Damon, Swisher and to a lesser degree Melky all vying for playing time. Girardi has long made it known he prefers to keep the DH spot open to rest his regulars and still keep their bat in the lineup, and has been quoted recently saying that he thinks Baseball is shifting away from the power game to more of a speed-pitching-fielding direction in the post steroid era.

The easy answer is ‘Someone will get hurt, don’t worry about it’. But this also might signal a willingness to move someone at the trade deadline (or sooner) if everyone’s healthy. Of the 6 outfielders, who might that be?

My guess is Matsui, especially if Nick Swisher gets off to a hot start. As we saw this off season, the Yanks won’t offer arbitration to any of their aging, highly paid players for fear they’ll accept. So free agent compensation isn’t an issue with him. He’s really the square peg on this team, he offers the team a solid though replaceable bat and little flexibility otherwise. On days he plays the OF he’s a downgrade defensively, Damon would still lead off as the DH. Which tells me they might very well be shopping him. It doesn’t make sense to play him in Left, except for the occasional matchup or day off for Damon. You’d leave him at DH unless you were showcasing him. If he gets steady time out there in June, it could mean a trade is brewing.

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A-Rod's third option

Posted by Chris H. at 11:37 pm 2 Responses »
Mar 072009

From Michael Schmidt (NY Times):

Rather than allowing Rodriguez to try to play with the injury this season or sidelining him for four months with surgery to correct the problem, the Yankees, Rodriguez and his doctors have discussed a limited operation before the season to repair the labrum without fixing the underlying condition, according to a person in baseball familiar with the deliberations.

The limited surgery would probably sideline Rodriguez at least four weeks and may allow him to play most of the season. But he would still need a more involved procedure at a later time to fix what caused the tear.

“It would be like using a nail instead of a steel girder to repair it,” said the person, who did not want to be identified because the conversations were confidential. “Eventually, the nail would have to be replaced with the steel girder.”

At best, the person said, this so-called hybrid option would allow Rodriguez to play for one to three years before undergoing more invasive surgery to correct the problem.

Hmmm, I don’t know how I feel about this “hybrid option.” While it would be nice to have A-Rod around for most of the season, I’m also hesitant for him to have to go under the knife multiple times (even if the second time is three years later). If you’re having surgery, you might as well fix it the first time, right? I don’t know, really.

What do you think?

(props to Scott Proctor’s Arm)

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Cashman To Blame For A-Rod's Injury?

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 9:56 am No Responses »
Mar 062009

With yesterday’s news about Alex Rodriguez and his torn labrum beginning to set in, the blogosphere is off and running searching for someone to blame. It is important to understand exactly what happened before we can pass judgment. From Tyler Kepner:

Cashman said the Yankees discovered an irregularity in Rodriguez’s hip last May when he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam for a right quadriceps injury. By June or July, the hitting coach Kevin Long said he could notice subtle changes in Rodriguez’s hitting, notably in his right foot — the back one in his stance.

The foot was not pivoting fully, Long said, and as a result, Rodriguez could not completely turn his waist and clear his hips. This caused his bat to drag and prevented him from driving through the ball and generating maximum power.

It is possible that if the Yankees had given Rodriguez a follow-up M.R.I. exam on his hip after the season, they might have found the cyst and the labrum tear in time for him to have surgery and be ready by opening day.

Cashman said Rodriguez had always had stiff hips, and there was no need to examine him after the season. The condition was so minor, Cashman said, that Rodriguez did not seek treatment from team trainers last season.

“That’s why I termed it as an incidental finding,” Cashman said. “If you took an M.R.I. right now of everybody in our clubhouse, you are going to find in many of them — 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent — the same finding. Just because they have it doesn’t mean it’s a problem. Just because you have it doesn’t mean you need surgery.

“So that’s why you put it in the file,” he said. “You treat the patient, not the symptom. You don’t treat the M.R.I. You treat the patient.”

The person bearing the brunt of the blame has been Brian Cashman. Our very own Chris Harihar, of iYankees:

If you invest in Alex Rodriguez and pay him the most money in baseball, wouldn’t you treat every issue — whether it’s stiffness or soreness — as if it’s a serious one? Worst case scenarios always work, right? If you’re $275 million car is making a very slight humming noise, you’d probably still want to get it checked out, even if it’s a damn near inaudible. This is how you prevent major issues, obviously.

Either the Yankees have the wrong doctors in the clubhouse or they have the wrong GM, I don’t know. I’ve always been a Brian Cashman fan, but you would think he would be smart enough to encourage A-Rod to get checked out again after the season was over.

Ben of RAB:

Those among us who do not like Cashman are right to express outrage and incredulity at this latest revelation. The Yankees showed here an unwillingness to treat potential injuries with any sort of aggression or urgency. By letting A-Rod dictate the terms of his visits to the doctors, the Yankees are risking their investment and the team’s on-field success.

With this injury and the behind-the-scenes glimpse Kepner and Curry provided, the Yankees should use this experience as one from which they must learn. Injuries do not heal themselves, and Major League Baseball players never like to sit out. Someone has to protect the investment, and Brian Cashman and the Yankee coaches dropped the ball.

I am sorry, but I have to disagree entirely, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, Cashman is not the team doctor, so I would not be shocked if he did not even know about the MRI irregularity until yesterday. Furthermore, why is it Cashman’s place to question the team’s medical personnel if they did not find it necessary to give A-Rod another MRI? As Brian states, you treat the patient, not the MRI. What that means in this case is that most players will have some sort of deterioration show in their exams, so that you have to go by what the player feels if the issue is not glaring.

The point is that I really do not get at all how this is Cashman’s fault. It may be that the team’s doctors made the wrong call, or that Alex was in pain all winter and stupidly hoped it would fade in time. If you want to point fingers, that is where you should look. Brian Cashman, on the other hand, is being made into a fall guy for something that he rightfully had little to do with.

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