Results tagged ‘ Jorge Posada ’
Nick Swisher’s Yankees Honeymoon Quickly Turns into Married Life
Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher was all smiles when the season began. He was ecstatic to be in New York, and the city was likewise elated to have him.
Swisher’s personality and youthful enthusiasm are infectious, and his playful antics added an uplifting dynamic to a once stale and businesslike clubhouse.
After a torrid start at the plate that made even Hell appear to have a cool and refreshing breeze, Swisher instantly became a fan favorite.
He engaged the fans with a genuine sense of interest and appreciation, and had an endearing “every man” quality about him.
Swisher was even given the opportunity to pitch an inning during the month of April, and his excitement and unyielding smile could have illuminated the stadium without the use of its light fixtures.
Smiles and laughs have quickly turned into expressions of doubt and concern, as Swisher has been nothing short of a disaster in the month of May.
In 22 May games, Swisher is hitting just 8-for-67 (.119) with 2 HR, 8 RBI, and 25 K. He has transformed into the same automatic out that made him expendable in Chicago during the offseason.
The discrepancy between home and away performance is even more startling.
In the undeniably “hitter-friendly” confines of Yankee Stadium, Swisher is just 8-for-65 (.123). He has produced just one of his nine home runs and three of his 27 runs batted in at home.
Unfortunately for “Swish,” the statistics don’t get any better from here.
In Yankee losses, he is hitting just .158, which helps to illustrate his inability to drive in key runs late in ball games.
Swish’s propensity to fail in clutch situations is further emphasized by his efforts in big games in general.
When playing against Toronto, Boston, and Philadelphia–the two biggest divisional threats and defending World Series Champions–he is 3-for-37 (.081).
Swish is also just 4-for-18 against Tampa Bay, and went 2-for-14 during the magical four-game sweep of the Minnesota twins–which involved three walk-off victories he clearly played no role in.
He has officially been placed on Yankees life support after hitting into a seventh inning double play with the bases loaded of a 4-3 deficit last night. He is now 0-for-5 with the bases loaded this season.
The numbers speak very loudly for themselves, and there are many more to focus on if a horde of stats had not already been forced down your throats like baby food.
Perhaps Swish needed the presence of Xavier Nady to push him to succeed. Perhaps the worry of losing his job gave him the extra edge he needed to maximize his contributions.
Nady and Jorge Posada appear set to return within the next 1-2 weeks, so Swish better begin to heat up–or face being returned to a utility role on the roster.
Luckily for Swish, it appears that Nady will be relegated to a DH role during his first few weeks back in pinstripes, which will help to expand his “rejuvenation” time frame.
Fans have every reason to love him, and he still has helped to positively change the clubhouse and dugout atmosphere.
However…it is becoming more and more obvious as to why he is a career .242 hitter. We may never see another month as productive as April 2009 for Mr. Swisher.
Also Seen At: Heartbeat of the Bronx
The Francisco Cervelli Story: How an Unsung Hero Replaced an Unsung Hero
It all started with events that could be described as nothing less dramatic than New York’s worst nightmare.
Not only had the Yankees lost starting catcher and offensive juggernaut Jorge Posada to a leg injury, but they had also been forced to add his underappreciated backup to a long list of wounded teammates.
Jose Molina has been the unsung hero of New York’s star-studded roster for quite some time now.
A 2008 shoulder injury to Jorge Posada should have created an inescapable disaster, but Molina quickly proved himself to be the best backup catcher in all of baseball.
The consistency continued into the early part of 2009, as Molina was sporting a 3.59 catcher’s ERA. He had also developed a strong working relationship with the new starters on the staff.
Furthermore, Molina’s offense was far exceeding expectations. A career .238 hitter with a .278 OBP, he was now producing a .273 AVG while getting on base at a .333 clip.
A stubborn quad muscle yanked the team’s underrated backstop from the lineup, inserting a 23 year old rookie into the center of an increasingly scorching pressure-cooker.
Little did we know, an unsung hero was about to be replaced by an even more unexpected unsung hero.
Francisco Cervelli was not your everyday rookie. In fact, he was hitting just .190 in 58 at bats in Double-A Trenton.
That’s right; Cervelli had never even laced up his cleats at the Triple-A level, and appeared overmatched thus far in 2009. His 13 strikeouts in 16 games helped to emphasize his troubles.
However, Yankees bench coach and “catcher extraordinaire” Tony Pena had become enamored with the way Cervelli carried himself over the last two spring camps.
His quiet confidence and relentless work ethic earned him an opportunity. Ultimately, it was an open door that Cervelli never again wanted to watch close in front of him.
A broken wrist suffered during a 2008 spring training game against Tampa Bay caused him to lose a chance at the Major League roster, and he would not let it happen again.
Cervelli was not supposed to be in this situation. Actually, he appeared to be the fourth option at catcher following the signing of veteran backstop Kevin Cash.
In an attempt to prove he could compete with the best talent baseball had to offer, Cervelli joined the Italian roster of the World Baseball Classic.
Mentored by former superstar Mike Piazza, Cervelli was able to mature at a pace that spring training would not have made available to him.
He was now the leader of a country’s “National Team” of sorts, and was calling games against some of the world’s superior sluggers.
Though Piazza was never exactly a defensive whiz, his ability to teach Cervelli the nuances of the game greatly impacted his development.
Cervelli returned to Tampa with a newfound swagger, finally feeling as though he belonged on a Major League roster.
He has done more than simply “impress,” and to say that he has “held down the fort” would be an insult considering his performance.
Defensively, Cervelli has been every bit as dependable as Molina. He has thrown out 50 percent of attempted thieves, and currently holds a 4.03 catcher’s ERA.
More importantly, he has not been submissive or timid with veteran pitchers, as he has worked very well with C.C. Sabathia and Mariano Rivera in recent weeks.
In addition, Cervelli has also become a genuine threat in the batter’s box. His .375 AVG and .400 OBP have helped to redefine how teams approach the bottom of the order.
During last night’s game against Minnesota, Cervelli went out to calm down a struggling Phil Coke.
Coke, who was in search of his first ML save, was noticeably nervous and unable to find the strike zone.
Cervelli told him to “just play catch” with him and to “relax,” and Coke credited him with getting his mind back on track.
If you would have told me that the team’s leader in batting average on on-base percentage on May 19 would be Francisco Cervelli, I would have pulled rib muscles from laughing so heartily.
Regardless of preseason expectations, Cervelli is stabilizing baseball’s most important position in New York, ensuring that a current six game winning streak could develop.
I can’t help but sit back and ask myself…where would the Yankees be right now “sans Francisco”?
Also Seen At: Heartbeat of the Bronx
“The House that the Rockies Built”: Yankee Stadium Mimics Coors Field
As the national anthem rang throughout the new Yankee Stadium during the home opener on April 16, an entire city became energized for baseball.
Little did they know that “the bombs bursting in air” would refer to an on-field power surge instead of the fight for out nation’s freedom.
Fans and players alike watched as twenty home runs were launched into the stadium’s newly completed seats in just four games.
In a violent mixture of horrendous pitching and a relentless jet stream toward right-center field, Yankee Stadium housed the season’s first home run derby exhibition.
Solo shots were as easily attainable as singles, and grand slams became a simple right of passage.
Yankees and Indians supporters were frantically scanning the ballpark for Dante Bichette, Ellis Burks, Larry Walker, Vinny Castilla, and Andres Galarraga.
They had to have been somehow transported back in time to 1997 Colorado, where the five Rockies sluggers combined to hit 188 home runs in just one season.
Yankee stadium had not been a pitcher’s park since before the monuments were moved beyond the stadium’s outfield wall, but it had never produced such effortless power.
The only locations for cheap round-trippers were straight down either line, including the famed “short porch” in right field. The new stadium has instead helped to carry even the most undeserved fly balls into the hands of mystified fans.
New York may require their own version of Coors Field’s “humidor,” an effort to prevent batted balls from entering the Earth’s orbit.
Whether or not contact is made at the end of the bat or the handle, or is the product of an off-balance lunge…players should still prepare to practice their casual trots around the bases.
Jorge Posada’s eventual game-winning home run on Sunday was struck high enough to affect airline flight patterns. Regardless of that fact, it still carried the exact distance required to save a series split with the Indians.
Perhaps the most alarming evidence of Yankee Stadium’s hitter-friendly tendencies occurred in Sunday’s eighth inning.
Cody Ransom stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, and proceeded to shatter his bat upon contact. Completely unaware of the ball’s location, he awkwardly jogged toward first base.
A few seconds later, Ransom was credited with a bases-clearing double, as his lazy fly ball landed just feet from the warning track. If a shattered bat can produce a 300 foot fly ball in mid-April, imagine where balls will land during the dog days of summer.
The original Yankee Stadium had a well-documented increase in home runs as the weather warmed, and many worry that the same phenomenon could make a mockery of the new park.
Another issue results from the altered seating arrangement at the new stadium. Seats were placed directly behind the outfield wall, which eliminates any possibility of a quick fix in terms of fencing distance.
There will likely be many discussions on how to best attack this unexpected dilemma, but they will not take place until after the stadium’s inaugural season has been completed.
It is anyone’s guess whether the surge will continue throughout the entire 81-game home schedule, but I will officially be bringing a glove to the right-center field bleacher seats in 2009.
Once merely a fantasy, it appears that virtually any seat is souvenir territory at the Bronx’s new launching pad.
Chien-Ming Wang’s formally dominant sinker would be very advantageous right about now. Perhaps it is time to place a call to Rick Ankiel’s former therapist.
Jorge Posada Left Impressed: “Joba Proved Me Wrong”
Yankees catcher and emotional leader Jorge Posada was very vocal in his 
beliefs regarding Joba Chamberlain’s future.
Posada felt that Chamberlain belonged in the Yankee bullpen, regardless of the widely spread intrigue with transitioning him into a starting pitcher.
After a majority of Chamberlain’s final spring start was crisp and dominant, Posada was left singing a slightly different tune.
“He’s our fifth starter and I’m happy with that,” Posada said. “He’s been showing me and he’s proving me wrong.”
Chamberlain has finally earned the endorsement of a man as against the concept as anyone within the organization.
Though fatigue appeared to affect him during the sixth inning, Chamberlain proved he should be pitching every fifth day as opposed to at manager Joe Girardi’s daily discretion.
Perhaps Posada has become as nostalgic for the glory days of the Yankee dynasty as the countless fans following the proud franchise.
One of his first playoff memories involved the most dynamic one-two bullpen punch in the team’s illustrious history.
Mariano Rivera and John Wetteland were nearly unhittable in 1996, and were as much the reason for placing a ring on Posada’s finger as anyone wearing pinstripes.
In fact, Wetteland earned World Series MVP honors that year, before he was ultimately replaced by his flamethrowing sidekick.
Seeing how importance the setup role can be, Posada has spent many nights salivating about a Chamberlain bullpen bridge to Rivera for a full season.
As I have mentioned before, I feel that Chamberlain has the confidence and skill set to become a top of the rotation starter or all-world closer.
The baseball world is well versed in his bullpen statistics, but he also performed very well in the rotation in 2008.
Chamberlain went 3-1 with a 2.76 ERA in 12 starts. He struck out an impressive 74 hitters in just 65.1 innings pitched.
It is up to the Yankees as to which becomes his permanent role, but I would prefer grooming highly touted prospect Mark Melancon to be Rivera’s heir.
In the event that Melancon cannot handle the closer role, a replacement can be found in free agency or through a trade.
The Yankees would then be able to slide Melancon into the setup role and recreate its one-two punch of yesteryear.
Whether Chamberlain’s arm will have the strength and durability to last a full season remains to be seen.
Either way, the Yankees know that Phil Hughes is waiting for his fifth starter phone call.
Should there be any issues or concerns, Chamberlain could be back to fist-pumping and cruising through 8th innings in no time.
R.I.P. Yankee Stadium: A Picture Truly IS Worth 1000 Words
Here lies “The House That Ruth Built” (1923-2008):
(Courtesy of This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes)It was almost time for baseball season, and the Bronx would once again be alive with chants, rants, cheers, and boos.
In 2009, however, the tradition will be carried across the street to the new Yankee Stadium.
It is otherwise referred to as “The House That Steroids Built”, “The Eighth Wonder of the World”, or “Steinbrenner’s Last Gasp”; depending on my mood.
The concept of a picture being worth 1000 words is a severe understatement in this case.
The above photo is worth a never-ending novel filled with timeless memories, reflections, and the disbelief that it is truly over.
Symbolic of a grave site for a fallen hero, the shell of the original Yankee Stadium appears more similar to the ruins of the Roman Coliseum than a place just six months removed from game action.
If not for the rounded outfield fence and sharp contrast in color between the dirt and lifeless grass, it would be difficult to determine what sport was played here.
It is truly depressing to see how a structure that provided the heartbeat for an entire city could decompose so quickly without care and a watchful eye.
It is fitting that the brightest section of the stadium lies beyond the outfield wall, where countless home runs landed off the bats of the game’s greatest players.
The Yankees will ensure that new storybook endings are created as soon as possible. However, it will take decades to recapture the essence of history and tradition that the old stadium represented.
This photo symbolizes the rapid fall of the most recent Yankee dynasty. All that remains from the best of times are Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte.
Even the great George Steinbrenner has lost the ability to make his mark on the proud franchise.
The new stadium is as much a tribute to all that Steinbrenner represented as it is to the greatest team in sports history.
I eagerly anticipate the day that I first walk through the gates across the street, and officially become a part of the dawning of a new legacy in the Bronx.
Hideki Matsui Throws Final Wrench in Yankee Lineup Options
The New York Yankees came into 2009 with more depth on offense than any year since Darryl Strawberry came off the bench.
With the acquisition of Nick Swisher and the emergence of Brett Gardner in CF, Joe Girardi had countless ways to mix and match a powerful offensive attack.
The signing of Mark Teixeira, however, was the first spark in an eventual flame out of Girardi’s plans.
It is impossible to question the signing of a dynamite offensive leader in his prime who also possesses top-notch defensive prowess.
Teixeira will exponentially improve the Yankees, and is everything Brian Cashman looks for in a potential signing.
The problem is not in his ability. The problem lies in the position that he plays.
By bringing in a 1B that absolutely must play every day for the Yankees to reach their full potential, they in turn eliminated their lineup flexibility.
Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada will no longer be able to cling to 1B as a security blanket, ensuring themselves 75-100 extra at-bats.
As a result, Xavier Nady and Swisher must battle for playing time on a game to game basis.
Swisher seems to have won over Girardi with his attitude and work ethic, leaving Nady uncertain of his ultimate role.
The flexibility issues have magnified themselves with a hip injury to Alex Rodriguez, as well as reports that Hideki Matsui will be unable to play the field until at least June.
The Yankees now have three of their best power threats in Rodriguez, Matsui, and Posada nursing injuries that could leave them in need of temporary DH duty.
While Swisher or Nady losing playing time should not knock fans out of their recliners, losing one of the keys to Yankee success each night would be a crushing blow.
All signs are pointing to Rodriguez being the most likely to return to his everyday role.
If Posada is unable to catch consistently when the season opens, or at any point before Matsui can return to the outfield, the Yankees should be concerned.
With Rodriguez out, Matsui becomes the Yankees only true everyday option at cleanup hitter.
Matsui is able to drive the ball, work the count, get on base, and drive in runs. He has also done it before in the cleanup spot very successfully in New York.
He is simply too good to keep out of the lineup when healthy.
There were clear signs that his knees felt strong as he rotated on them to crush a deep home run into the night on Tuesday. He also ripped a double down the right field line.
Matsui’s importance leaves the Yankees in a terrible spot in the event Posada cannot catch 120 games.
It appears that the same issues that haunted the lineup in 2008 could affect this year’s team.
The Yankees could be left trying to fit squares pegs into a round hole if they cannot successfully heal from injuries.
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