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Yes, that is an Onion headline:
Teammate Robinson Cano added that "watching him day in and day out, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that everyone makes that kind of play all the time… It's a joy just watching him glide up the middle, catch the ball on a stolen base attempt, and lay down the tag as if he's done it a million times before, which he has. What a teammate."
Good stuff as always.
Only one more off-day left before baseball resumes in the Yankee-Red Sox Time-Space Continuum. Our second and last look at All-Star break rivalry-centric leaderboards off the beaten trail continues with a look at the pitchers. I chose more stats mostly because there are more interesting stats for pitchers than there are for hitters. At least, that's my opinion.
In a new post up at Lohud, Pete Abe outlines what he'd be willing to give up to get Roy Halladay: Joba Chamberlain, Jesus Montero and the Jays' pick of one of the following: Austin Jackson, Zach McCallister or Dellin Betances. In other words, he'd be willing to give up a lot. If the Yanks made such a deal, they'd effectively change their farm system from strong to weak. It's a big price to pay, but Abraham justifies such an expenditure because of the current situation in Yankee Anything Universe (thanks, gerb and IH). The stars--Jeter, Mo and Jorge-- won't be with playing longer and they're doing well. The time to win is now, and Halladay would make the Yanks the team to beat. Without doing the math (which I never do anyway), that sounds about right (the part about them being the team to beat).
I'm not going to argue whether the package is too much or not. Seems like a lot, but maybe it's because I have a better opinion of Joba than Pete does. That actually brings me to the point, which is that Joba's star has fallen a bit. At the opposite end of the universe, Phil Hughes's star is rising. Pete Abe insists that the new set-up guy not be included in any deal for Halladay. I'm not sure how much any one writer represents the ethos of a fanbase, but I do wonder if there is a general feeling among Yanks followers that the two have switched places in terms of their value as future contributors. If so, the view is short-sighted, as it is based on what some basement dwellers call a small sample. Joba was untouchable a short while ago, and now, after a half-season, he is touchable. Not too long ago, some fans lamented that Cashman did not pull the trigger on the Johan Santana because he wouldn't include Phil Hughes in a deal. And now after twenty or so sterling innings in the bullpen, Hughes cannot be included in a Halladay trade. I'd say, at this point, it's almost impossible to decide which player is going to be better in the future. Yes, Hughes looks better now. Yes, Joba's velocity is down and that is a concern. But the universe is always in flux. Who knows? Maybe in a year, we'll be talking about how great Kei Igawa is! And maybe I will be a member of the first-ever baseball historical society in Jakarta. Actually, the latter is much more likely, but that will be discussed at another time. The point is that I remain clueless. But what about you? Who do you like more going forward? Phil or Joba...or Kei?
Okay, a bit clumsy. But not nearly as self-aggrandizing and glaringly awkward as "Yankees Universe." Really? Wait, I misspoke. I meant, REALLY? At least RedSox Nation only laid claim to a country rather than plant a flag on the entire dimension.
In the midst of this stretch of four days -- four days! -- between games that count, YFSF presents a series of rival-centric leaderboards from the first half of the season, using statistics slightly off the beaten trail. We hope this will serve as at least a slight tonic for the lack of real baseball this week.
Today: Part 1, the offense.
The news for the Yankees is good all around. The Bombers are firing
on all cylinders. Suddenly, the Yanks have the strongest bullpen in
baseball. Phil Hughes has been lights out since he left the rotation.
What is even more remarkable is that Mariano Rivera is the best
reliever in the AL this season. Isn't he supposed to be in decline? He
has not, however, been the best player on the Yanks. That title goes to
Derek Jeter who tops the team in VORP, WAR, and Fangraph value. The
captain is putting together his best season since his MVP
2006 campaign. Indeed, one of the best things about this season has
been watching Jeter's return to greatness. I have always liked him as a
player, but for whatever reason (perhaps because I'm a contrarian) I
was never able to call him my favorite Yankee. He has become my
favorite baseball player this season. I'm getting predictable in my old
age.
As great as the present has been, the future is also bright. Steve Lombardi at WasWatching notes that Jesus Montero is now the #3 prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America's mid-season rankings. Lombardi wonders about the role this defensively challenged catcher will have with the Yanks in a couple of years. I am just psyched the Yanks have someone that talented and valuable in their system. And he's a positional player!
On the other side, the Red Sox appear to be on the brink of signing a Cuban prospect named Jose Iglesias for a substantial amount of money.He's a shortstop who is a strong fielder and has a great make-up, according to scouting reports.
Ken Rosenthal thinks the Roy Halladay sweepstakes is set to begin shortly. Guess which two teams he puts at the top of his list of suitors.
The Yankees invested a combined $243.5 million on Sabathia and A.J. Burnett last offseason, and Halladay might be better than both of them. Right-hander Phil Hughes could top the team's package, and one GM who recently examined the Yankees' system says, "There are more intriguing guys down low than I anticipated."
Among them: Catchers Jesus Montero, 19 and Austin Romine, 20.
and:
Where the Yankees sniff, the Red Sox follow. No doubt the Sox could put together a stunning package for Halladay, starting with right-hander Clay Buchholz. They then would control Halladay and right-hander Josh Beckett through 2010 and lefty Jon Lester through '14. Wow.
Then again, the Red Sox could determine that their greater need is a hitter, and Indians catcher Victor Martinez still looms as an ideal option. The Indians would want Buchholz plus other prospects, but their price for Martinez would not be as steep as the Jays' price for Halladay.
In other words, Roy Halladay will be pitching in Queens by the end of the season.
Does this mean the Yanks are a smart franchise? Before this most recent trade, Hinske played three seasons on three different teams run by general managers who went to ivy league schools. Boston is considered by many to be the brainiest of front offices, Tampa's management team is filled with sharp thinkers, and many analysts think Neal Huntington is going to turn things around in Pittsburgh. The Yanks give up a couple of prospects to add much-needed depth. Hinske can play the corner outfield and infield positions. I like this move given the plan to rest A-Rod regularly and Damon's recent injury issues. Hopefully, Hinske gets back some of the power he had last year.
Xavier Nady needs Tommy John surgery and is out for the rest of the season. Given the usual 12-month recovery time, this obviously puts quite a dent in his 2010 season, as well.
2009 cost:
2009 value (so far):
This hereby concludes the bear-poking portion of this blog.
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