There will be no surprises at 3b from the Yankees beyond Spring training. Alex Rodriguez was always going to be the first choice third baseman and the Yankees have not often carried a bench player who specialises at third.
The Yankees have used 5 players in Spring Training that you might consider second basemen. Of these four are junior members of the farm system – Luis Nunez, David Adams, Kevin Russo and Reegie Corona. Russo has seen a good number of at-bats in the Spring games and produced some decent stats but realistically he will be looking for a September call-up when the roster expands.
So far in Spring Training, the Yankees seem to be looking at 4 first baseman. There is no question going into the season about who will be the everyday player. The puzzle is more whether the Yankees need a dedicated first base backup on the bench or whether they will go with a middle-infield utility man and use Nick Johnson at 1B on those days when Teixeira does not start there.
Swindon Town v Leeds United
26th of January 2010
County Ground, Swindon
Leeds United are having a peculiar run of form. What’s wrong with this picture?
Manchester United 0 Leeds United 1
Tottenham Hotspur 2 Leeds United 2
Swindon Town 3 Leeds United 0
Whether it is tiredness, whether it is elation or something more, all the signs are that the Peacocks are having a difficult time adjusting from the big days in the FA Cup to the workaday business of life in League 1. This has resulted in their 8 point lead at the top disappearing. It has led to Norwich overtaking them and Charlton closing the gap for second place and now it has led to their worst defeat of the season. That defeat came against a Swindon team who were competent but never outstanding but who could have scored six against their opponents.
This, in turn, resulted in the away fans who had arrived announcing that the Swindon followers were only in the ground "to see the Leeds" being robbed of what little articulation they originally had and resorting to call their opposite numbers "scum". There was little intellectual debate about the relative merits of the two teams to be heard amongst the fans of either team.
Personally, I prefer to ponder those things rather than shouting abuse but I would have been hard pressed to find any individual players who merited commendation where a few days previously against the Spurs there had been many. Then Ankergren played in a way that was, frankly, beyond his capabilities and Beckford looked like he deserved the inflated fees that his agent had tried to attach to him just a few weeks earlier. At Swindon, Snodgrass was once again bright and purposeful but didn’t achieve much in the second half and substitute Gradel looked overmatched against taller and heavier Swindon defenders despite his obvious enthusiasm and love for the game. And they were the best on offer.
The logical conclusion is that unless something can be done to right the ship, Leeds will again drift out into the post-season playoff games and their ability in those situations has not gone well dating back to the time when Billy Bremner was at the helm as team manager.
The cold night brought home a harsh reality of a defence that looked like it lost its shape too easily and couldn’t pick up players who needed to be marked at set pieces. The midfield looked like it lacked a play maker especially when Kilkenny was withdrawn at half time and that the policy of playing Beckford alone upfront in a League 1 game is foolish indeed. He desperately needed Becchio to play off and to hold the ball up for him but by the time he was brought on the team were already behind and lost heart all together when the second goal went in.
So will Leeds trade automatic performance for the glamour of a cup run which brings bright memories but will not end in silverware? Well, on current evidence it is a real possibility.
Last year we did something fun called the "Twilight Dawning Baseball Awards". I thought it was worth repeating.
Basically, any New York Yankee who got a positive mention in one of my monthly baseball reports scores a point. Any Yankee who gets a negative mention loses a point. Any player who ranked as a good surprise in a report also scores a mark and anyone who was noted as bad surprise also loses a point.
We total up the marks and award the best batter, best pitcher, best bench player and best reliever with a mention in my column – what more could they want!
It also enables me to have a jumping off point to get the baseball discussion running until the new season starts.
Just for the record, the 2008 winners were:
Batter – Alex Rodriguez
Pitcher – Mike Mussina
Bench – Wilson Betemit
Reliever – Mariano Rivera
Mussina, seeing this award as the peak of his career, retired and obviously can’t repeat. Betemit left the Yankees and signed on with the White Sox. Failing to capitalise on the momentum given to any career by the prestigious Twilight Dawning award, he lasted until June in the majors for Chicago before being assigned to Triple-A. For 2010, he has signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals. A clear sign that a TWI-D* will make your career for you – and to think he was just a journeyman infielder before I brought him to the attention of my readers.
So can either A-Rod or Mo repeat? Do they want to?
All will be revealed.
* The TWI-D (Twilight dawning) awards are not associated with the TWIB (This week in Baseball) awards or any other less prestigious prize.
If the Yankees were to win the World Series or even get there, they were going to have to rely heavily on their starting rotation. The problem was that by the time of the ALCS, the Yankees effectively had a three-man rotation. Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte and…………..
This meant that those three guys could not slip up and Rivera had to be as solid as ever and some how or other they had to keep a tight bridge in the late innings before they got to Mo. It couldn’t happen could it…… A round of applause for the Yankees’ pitching.
| New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – October (American League Championship Series) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | GP | GS | GF | IP | H | RA | ER | BB | SO | W | L | Sv | ERA | OBA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Marte, Damaso | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coke, Phil | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Robertson, David | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | .143 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Gaudin, Chad | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sabathia, CC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 16.0 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.13 | .161 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rivera, Mariano | 5 | 0 | 3 | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.29 | .125 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pettitte, Andy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12.2 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.84 | .298 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hughes, Phil | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.38 | .308 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chamberlain, Joba | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | .556 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Burnett, AJ | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12.1 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.84 | .234 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Aceves, Alfredo | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13.50 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 28 | 6 | 6 | 58.2 | 51 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 38 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2.91 | .236 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| New York Yankees – Pitching (World Series) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | GP | GS | GF | IP | H | RA | ER | BB | SO | W | L | Sv | ERA | OBA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Marte, Damaso | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rivera, Mariano | 4 | 0 | 4 | 5.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 | .167 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Robertson, David | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | .222 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Aceves, Alfredo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | .143 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chamberlain, Joba | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | .182 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sabathia, CC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13.2 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.29 | .216 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pettitte, Andy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11.2 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | .225 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Burnett, AJ | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9.0 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7.00 | .235 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coke, Phil | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hughes, Phil | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1.2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.20 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bruney, Brian | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54.00 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 | 6 | 6 | 53.0 | 44 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 50 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4.58 | .227 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Positives
David Robertson. Robertson is beginning to impress as a reliever and can be an important part of the Yankees’ bullpen in 2010. He had some injuries to contend with during the latter part of the season but again in the ALCS and WS, he was everything he could have been.
CC Sabathia. Sabathia was great in the American League Championship Series and then so-so in the World Series. He averaged 8 innings a game in the ALCS and earned the win in both games. In the World Series, he was not as strong but still came out with a better ERA than his two fellow starters.
Mariano Rivera. Rivera was seldom called on to pitch more than one innings during the regular series. In the post-season as confidence in Hughes and Chamberlain was at its lowest, Rivera was pressed into pitching 7 innings in 5 appearances in the ALCS and 5.1 in 4 appearances in the World Series. He earned 4 saves and achieved a miniscule ERA. One day he will retire and what will poor Yankees do then…..?
Andy Pettitte. Andy was not everything he could have been in the last two sections of the season but he did enough. He took 3 wins in 4 starts and the other game was a no decision. That’ll do.
Negatives
AJ Burnett. Burnett wasn’t as good as he needed to be in the Championship Series and World Series but somehow he managed to finish with only one loss. We couldn’t really afford this with only 3 starters but somehow we got away with it.
Phil Hughes. Hughes really needed to bounce back after the American League Division series and truth be told, he did a little better in the ALCS but close examination of the video and the statistics suggests he was lucky and his performance in the World Series confirmed this.
His OBP didn’t rise a lot but his ERA ballooned to over 16. Will the real Phil Hughes please stand up?
Brian Bruney. A mixed season saw Bruney left off the ALDS and ALCS rosters only to be recalled for the World Series. He made one appearance. He got one out and gave up 3 hits and two runs. Last chance gone.
Surprises
Damaso Marte. 7 appearances, 4 innings, no hits, no runs, no walks. There were times this season when Marte looked like he was at the end of his time with the Yankees. His work for them in 2008 had not matched his C.V. and when he was fit in 2009, he was uneven and inconsistent at best but when it really mattered he came up with the goods. We would however like a whole season of these kind of performances.
Alfredo Aceves. Aceves was disappointing in the Championship Series but bounced back in the World Series where his 2 innings in one appearance was virtually spotless…… as did…….
Joba Chamberlain with 3 innings in 3 appearances which was more important for what it wasn’t than what it was. It wasn’t a performance to match Marte but it was so much better than Chamberlain had been for several weeks and that gives hope for the future.
The Yankees’ bats badly needed to recover if they were to continue the winning streak they had begun against the Twins. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim looked far more formidable opponents not least their outfield which had been partially imported from the New York Yankees where Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera would no doubt make their presence felt. As it worked out, the batting lineup did just that against LA before hitting a partial lull against the Phillies in the Fall Classic.
| New York Yankees – Batting – Month – October (AL Championship Series) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | G | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | SO | SH | SF | SB | BA | SLG | OBP | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gardner, Brett | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .667 | .667 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hairston Jr., Jerry | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rodriguez, Alex | 6 | 21 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .429 | .952 | .567 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cabrera, Melky | 6 | 23 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .391 | .478 | .462 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Molina, Jose | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Damon, Johnny | 6 | 30 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .300 | .533 | .323 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cano, Robinson | 6 | 23 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .261 | .478 | .414 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jeter, Derek | 6 | 27 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .259 | .481 | .394 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Matsui, Hideki | 6 | 21 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .238 | .286 | .385 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Teixeira, Mark | 6 | 27 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .222 | .259 | .290 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Posada, Jorge | 6 | 20 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .400 | .360 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Swisher, Nick | 6 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .150 | .150 | .292 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cervelli, Francisco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Guzman, Freddy | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 222 | 33 | 62 | 29 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 38 | 47 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .279 | .446 | .389 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| New York Yankees – Batting (World Series) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | G | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | SO | SB | BA | SLG | OBP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Matsui, Hideki | 6 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .615 | 1.385 | .643 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeter, Derek | 6 | 27 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .407 | .519 | .429 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Damon, Johnny | 6 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | .364 | .455 | .440 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pettitte, Andy | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Posada, Jorge | 6 | 19 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | .263 | .316 | .318 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rodriguez, Alex | 6 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 1 | .250 | .550 | .423 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hairston Jr., Jerry | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .167 | .167 | .167 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Cabrera, Melky | 4 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .154 | .154 | .154 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Teixeira, Mark | 6 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .136 | .318 | .296 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Cano, Robinson | 6 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .136 | .136 | .130 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Swisher, Nick | 5 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .133 | .400 | .316 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Gardner, Brett | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Molina, Jose | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Burnett, AJ | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sabathia, CC | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hinske, Eric | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1.000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 198 | 32 | 49 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 18 | 56 | 4 | .247 | .399 | .326 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Positives
Hideki Matsui. Whilst it was a trifle generous to make Matsui World Series MVP – perhaps Jeter with twice as many at-bats and a strong performance in the field might have been a more logical choice – there is no question that after a quiet Division series and Championship series, his bat suddenly came to life. He contributed 4 extra base hits including three home runs. I still think this might have been a good point for him to retire and go out on a high but we will see what next season brings.
Derek Jeter. An indifferent series against the Angels gave way to a strong performance against the Phillies which made Jeter the most likely Yankee in the considerations for the AL MVP. After Matsui and A-Rod, he was even third in slugging during the World Series bringing a grand culmination to a truly impressive season.
Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod was outstanding in the ALCS and added a home run in a quieter World Series. He has silenced his critics who looked askance at his post-season stats prior to this year. He is still open to criticism in a whole host of other areas but one apparent flaw is dealt with.
Johnny Damon. After a quiet series against the Twins, Damon came up with the goods throughout the rest of the way. Two home runs against the Angels and then a .440 OBP against the Phillies were amongst the highlights here and are strong reasons whilst the Yankees are still unable to shake the notion that they might pay the money and bring him back for 2010.
Melky Cabrera. Cabrera had a great series against the Angels. Injuring himself during the series against the Phillies means that we will never know if he could have continued this in the World Series and what difference that might have made to his future with the Yankees. His .462 OBP and 9 hits against the Angels ought to have been argument enough to keep him as a desired member of the staff for next year.
Negatives
Mark Teixeira. Teixeira didn’t bounce back after a poor series agains the Twins – in fact, if anything his struggles became worse. .222 and .136 with 1 home run was not the form he delivered for the majority of the regular season and the question mark about post-season performance which hung around Rodriguez for so long will now pass to him.
Freddy Guzman. The only reason to carry Guzman on the ALCS roster was because Girardi was going to make him run. Consequently, the Angels were ready for him and the move negated itself. He’s a one trick pony who should have been left at home.
Nick Swisher. Swisher was another who did not rebound after a weak ALDS. His World Series performance was a little better in that he produced some power but as much as it is difficult not to like the guy and wish him well, it is hard to understand why the Yankees seem so set on him as the everyday right fielder next year.
Surprises
Brett Gardner. Gardner doesn’t take his chances. He began the season with Girardi describing him as the everyday centrefielder. He played his way out of that one and handed it back to Melky. He had a strong ALCS and when Cabrera got injured he had every opportunity to take the position by the scruff of the neck and at least make a memorable contribution that would stick in the management’s thoughts. It didn’t happen.
Jerry Hairston. Hairston produced .250 across the two series in what was not an easy role. He has been some distance ahead of Hinske as someone to bring off the bench since the two of them arrived
Andy Pettitte. Way to go, Pettitte, for being the only pitcher to produce a hit during the games in Philadelphia and for managing to turn it in to a run!
Place: Elland Road, Leeds
Date: 31st October 2009
Event: Leeds United vs Yeovil Town
Leeds, coming off the back of a 4-0 victory over promotion rivals Bristol Rovers, were expected to dominate their next opponents easily. Yeovil Town securely in mid-table and not looking likely to go much higher, were not perceived to be the threat that the Pirates had been but half way through the game it all looked like it might go wrong. It looked like we might be on our way to a hallowe’en- flavoured nightmare.
Leeds had begun the game with Ankergren in goal. Higgs was still unavailable. Ankergren is not the safest pair of hands but their only other alternative is young Alan Martin. In defence, Patrick Kisnorbo and Richard Naylor are a solid pair in the centre of defence. Leigh Bromby, at right back, looked solid as a feeder down the wing to winger, Snodgrass but less comfortable when under pressure from the Yeovil forwards. Left back, Andy Hughes, is not in his most natural position in that slot but did reasonably well in a team that looked flat and uninspired.
Micky Doyle playing immediately in front of the central defenders did okay in the first half but Leeds needed more playmakers to feed the front pair. In a game where Leeds’ main tactic seemed to be to bypass the central midfield as they sought to hump it upfield hard and fast when they could not carry the ball down the flanks, Jonny Howson and Bradley Johnson had really no role to play. Amazingly in the first half Leeds had gone in front but hardly looked like they deserved that lead.
Robert Snodgrass had been by far the brightest of the three forward players. Jermaine Beckford is, of course, a proven force but his partnership with Sam Vokes looks hardly worth the name. They look like someone needs to take them aside in the dressing room and introduce them. In the first half, they both sought to lead the line in their own way but, really, there was no interaction between them.
Beckford is lethal when he has the ball but does not impose himself or create space when he is off-the-ball. The players looked like they expected to win just by turning up. The goal when it had come on 42 minutes looked like the final touch had come from Beckford but later examination of video footage was to reveal that no contact was made and the goal belonged to Bradley Johnson.
The second half started in exactly the same vein and the crowd was growing quiet as that feeling that we were going to take this slender lead into the late stage of a game in which Yeovil might just grab a share began to develop.
And then on the hour came Simon Grayson’s masterstroke. In one moment, he showed why he is the mostly highly rated manager in the lower divisions. Leeds needed a big change in midfield and someone with spark and play-making skill and Grayson had just the move in mind.
In a double switch, he brought an end to this developing hallowe’en and gave us the fireworks a few days early. On came Neil Kilkenny to replace Michael Doyle who really was an unneeded presence on this occasion. Most significantly, Andrew Hughes was pulled off to make room for Max Gradel, a loan player who has come in from Leicester.
It was Gradel who was to prove the difference in taking this team from their flat first hour to a final third of the game when they tore Yeovil apart.
Gradel ran himself forward at every opportunity. He wrapped the defence in knots. He outpaced the full back to make the vital cross on numerous occasions and he wasn’t afraid to try a snapshot himself. Indeed, it was Gradel who with a goal of brilliant individuality made it 2-0. This came shortly after he had providing a dangerous opening for Beckford and shortly before he fed Howson for another chance.
Beckford and Vokes finally met when the former fed off the latter’s flick to give a three goal lead.
Shortly afterwards, Beckford the goalscorer made way for Tresor Kandol who was later to add a fourth goal.
There were even more fireworks after the final whistle when Kandol seemed to get a little too lively in exchanges with opponents. There had been other chances during the actual game and Leeds were unlucky not to make it more than four.
A jubilant crowd eventually moved away having forgotten the woeful beginning to this game. Leeds can’t afford to become complacent. Perhaps a permanent deal for man-of-the match, Gradel could provide an on-going spark that they were so sorely lacking in the first hour.
The Yankees have benefited from some great pitching performances and some consistent pitchers this year. Who were the main heroes and the late season culprits?
| New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – September | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | GP | GS | GF | IP | H | RA | ER | BB | SO | W | L | Sv | ERA | OBA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coke, Phil | 10 | 0 | 2 | 5.2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | .059 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Robertson, David | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | .083 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Kennedy, Ian | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sabathia, CC | 5 | 5 | 0 | 35.0 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.29 | .167 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hughes, Phil | 12 | 0 | 2 | 12.2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1.42 | .143 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rivera, Mariano | 11 | 0 | 11 | 10.2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1.69 | .211 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Albaladejo, Jonathan | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7.1 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.45 | .310 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Aceves, Alfredo | 7 | 0 | 1 | 14.1 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.51 | .208 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bruney, Brian | 11 | 0 | 1 | 8.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.12 | .242 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Towers, Josh | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5.1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.38 | .273 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Gaudin, Chad | 5 | 5 | 0 | 26.2 | 27 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.71 | .265 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Burnett, AJ | 6 | 6 | 0 | 37.1 | 39 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 39 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4.10 | .262 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pettitte, Andy | 4 | 4 | 0 | 23.0 | 21 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4.70 | .244 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Melancon, Mark | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | .300 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Dunn, Michael | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | .200 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chamberlain, Joba | 6 | 6 | 0 | 22.2 | 31 | 19 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7.15 | .320 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Ramirez, Edwar | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4.2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.71 | .350 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Marte, Damaso | 10 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9.00 | .300 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Mitre, Sergio | 4 | 2 | 1 | 15.0 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9.60 | .309 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 120 | 28 | 28 | 247.2 | 231 | 119 | 109 | 107 | 218 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 3.96 | .244 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Positives
Phil Coke. Coke has not looked the pitcher who made his entry on to the major league stage in 2008. He has, however, usually provided an adequate performance and has frequently been better than that. In September, he started to look again like the pitcher we had seen back in the previous season and when he wasn’t that good, he looked like the luckiest pitcher in the major leagues. It is not a bad combination if you can pull it off.
C.C. Sabathia. With the expection of an abysmal performance against Tampa Bay in the last few days of the season (which fell in October), Sabathia looked every bit a 20-game winner. That defeat left him stuck on 19. Four of those came in September and a 1.29 ERA over 35 innings is quite an achievement.
Phil Hughes. Hughes has become a consummate relief pitcher in 2009 which is why the Yankees are thinking of converting him into a starter in 2010!! Less than 2 runs every nine innings, less than 1 walk every four innings. Great performances.
Alfredo Aceves. Aceves has had a great time of it in 2009. He was left off the opening day roster but since he made it, there has been no looking back and September was as good as every other month of the season.
Negatives
Sergio Mitre. Mitre was the fifth starter for the last few months of the season. His performance in September was so bad that he took away any chance he had of making the playoff roster. A 9.60 ERA for the month, a visible lack of confidence and the highest OBA on the side. Great finish!
Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain, at times, has looked like he was growing into a great starter. For most of September, he didn’t look like he should ever be allowed to start again. At times, he looked like he couldn’t throw strikes and when he did manage one, it generally ended up in a gap in the outfield. Back to Plan A, I think.
Edwar Ramirez. At the start of the year, Ramirez looked like a fixture in the 2009 Yankees bullpen. By mid-season, he was gone. At the roster expansion point, he returned. He didn’t look any better and his time with the Yankees should be at an end now.
Damaso Marte. He looked a much better possibility after returning from injury than he had before he was injured. Second in the pecking order amongst left-handed specialists – behind Coke but looking more reliable than late season call-up, Mike Dunn – Marte, suddenly fell apart again late in the month.
Surprises
Ian Kennedy. I don’t know what was more surprising. Was it that Kennedy made it back to the Majors in 2009? Or was it that he got out of his one appearance with a 0.00 ERA. Put simply, he was awful in that game.
David Robertson. Robertson was another pitcher who managed to get ahead of the timetable and return to the team before season’s end. That was where the similarity with Kennedy ended. He threw well. He threw strikes. He occasionally got in to a jam but he usually managed to get himself out of the problems. Sadly, because of Chamberlain’s redirection to the bullpen, he is unlikely to get many innings in the playoffs.
Brian Bruney. He had a good month, on the whole, in September, and it was somewhat surprising that he didn’t make the roster for the first round of the playoffs. He pitched with conviction but his uneven season was too much for him to overcome.
Chad Gaudin. If the Yankees need a 4th starter in the playoffs, it is likely to be Gaudin which in and of itself suggests how much of a surprise Gaudin has been over the last few weeks. He has shown a gritty determination to keep the Bombers in the game and produced some goos innings without ever been overpowering.
Well, here we are in October, the R/Sox crashed out of the playoffs in three straight games and I still haven’t published my summary of September for the Yankees.
As I anticipated the two L.A. teams are going to be the ones that the Yankees need to worry about – what ammunition do they have to overcome them, once they have dispensed with the Twins?
| New York Yankees – Batting – Month – September | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | G | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | SO | SH | SF | SB | BA | SLG | OBP | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cervelli, Francisco | 14 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .571 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cano, Robinson | 28 | 100 | 15 | 35 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .350 | .560 | .391 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Teixeira, Mark | 26 | 102 | 21 | 35 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .343 | .686 | .395 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jeter, Derek | 26 | 100 | 13 | 34 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 7 | .340 | .390 | .450 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Posada, Jorge | 18 | 59 | 11 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .339 | .644 | .435 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rodriguez, Alex | 25 | 89 | 14 | 30 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .337 | .562 | .396 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Miranda, Juan | 5 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Matsui, Hideki | 24 | 80 | 13 | 26 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .325 | .513 | .426 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pena, Ramiro | 13 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .294 | .529 | .294 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cabrera, Melky | 28 | 87 | 10 | 25 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .287 | .414 | .361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Swisher, Nick | 24 | 88 | 19 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .261 | .580 | .369 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gardner, Brett | 20 | 41 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .244 | .293 | .295 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Damon, Johnny | 22 | 81 | 13 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .235 | .284 | .347 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duncan, Shelley | 8 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .231 | .231 | .231 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hinske, Eric | 15 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .214 | .429 | .303 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Molina, Jose | 15 | 35 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .171 | .171 | .275 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hairston Jr., Jerry | 18 | 28 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .143 | .214 | .250 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Guzman, Freddy | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 970 | 154 | 290 | 151 | 49 | 3 | 39 | 119 | 186 | 5 | 8 | 25 | .299 | .476 | .377 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Positives
Robinson Cano. As I mentioned in the reports of the individual games, Cano has made tremendous progress this season. No longer the guy who was lazy in the field last season or the guy with the lacklustre batting average. He led the team in September in hits and doubles and defensively having him and Teixeira in the field means that we compare with anyone on that side of the park.
Mark Teixeira. Speaking of Teixeira, another great month for him. It’s interesting that the press still like to talk about his standard of offensive performance in April, attributing it to the lack of A-Rod’s threat behind him in the lineup which is nonsensical. Better to concentrate on the fact that since then he has been so consistent and always put up great stats and been a leader in clutch situations. In September, he led the team in at bats, runs, RBIs, triples, home runs and slugging. I think he’s done enough to gain credit in his own right.
Derek Jeter. In September, Jeter had another .340 month and led the team in walks. He has not had a down period all year. He is also much improved in the field – although I don’t think he deserved a large part of the negative criticism he took last year.
Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez continues to get into his stride and this has, so far, continued into the post-season. It has been a slow progression for him but he’s finally got there.
Negatives
Jerry Hairston, jr. Hairston has, by contrast, been cooling down each week since since he arrived in the Bronx. On one hand, this makes it very easy to decide who to choose to start at third base but leaves us going into the post-season without having anyone on the bench that we would particularly want to call on to fill that spot in an emergency. Ramiro Pena has been a consistent and capable utility guy for the other infield spots but first, Ransom and now Hairston and Hinske have offered very little offensively and played only adequately in the third base corner.
Jose Molina. If I was to choose a Yankee catcher on the basis of power and experience, I would go with Posada. If my choice was guided by defensive ability and the need to grow through more playing time then Cervelli is my guy. Molina’s .171 with no power in September means that Molina might count himself lucky to be on the post-season roster. If it wasn’t for the questions about the Burnett-Posada tandem then I would have left him off and given Cervelli the extra time.
Eric Hinske. See the comments on Hairston. Hinske brings the potential for a little more sporadic power but not much else.
Shelley Duncan. Duncan’s great season at Scranton gave him one more chance in the majors for the Yankees ………. and he didn’t even begin to take it. 13 at bats, 3 hits is not too bad but you’re looking for this guy to hit for power and he just hasn’t done it in this limited role. The Yankees can either choose to give him the option to become a career minor leaguer or release him to try his fortune elsewhere.
Surprises
Johnny Damon. Damon needs to finish hot if he is to persuade the Yankees to let him return in 2010. He is a sub-par left-fielder and really needs to keep up his average if he is to be back in that role next year. A mere .235 with no home runs was not the way he wanted to go in September. He needs a big post-season.
Freddy Guzman. Guzman was a surprise addition to the roster in late August and immediately, Girardi was talking about him having a role in the playoffs. He didn’t make the first round of the playoffs and a series against the Angels would seem to offer him the best chance of a call up. But to be honest is baserunning in late September was predictable and too often he found himself in problems.
Brett Gardner. Gardner didn’t really deliver in September. He is significantly behind Cabrera for the centrefield starting role and his baserunning hasn’t been as aggressive and Jeter and Guzman have looked the main threats in that category. Given that he went into the season as the favoured man for CF and that Girardi said he had no plans to platoon, this must be regarded as a severe setback for him.
Francisco Cervelli. Cervelli has proved himself again and again this season. He is a capable guy with the tools of ignorance but it is ability to hit for average at the major league level that is the big surprise and which is the big lift for him and which is beginning to look like it is no fluke. Mostly as a late innings replacement in September, not an easy role, he has managed six singles and a double in fourteen at-bats which for me means that he should see a big increase in opportunities next year and that he should move up the pecking order for the catching role, even if that means saying goodbye to Molina who has served us well over the last few years.
twilightdawning 