Yanks’ season begins with a walk-off

The Yankees played their spring training opener this afternoon against the Pirates and begin their season with a bang, this bang from Spring Training invite Colin Curtis, who hit a three-run walk-off home run to hand the Yankees a 6-3 win.

Alex Rodriguez singled in the fifth inning to give him and the Yankees their first hit of the spring. The Yankees got their first run off a Ramiro Pena home run in the next inning. Nick Johnson, acquired by the Yankees over the offseason drove in a run with a double and Colin Curtis capped off the offense with his walk-off homer.

On the pitching side, several players made their case for trying to slide into the #5 spot in the rotation. Chad Gaudin pitched two scoreless innings, followed by Sergio Mitre pitching two perfect innings, and finally Alfredo Aceves pitching two perfect innings as well.

The Yankees will play again on Thursday against the team they beat in the World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies at 1:05 p.m. CC Sabathia is expected to make his spring debut.

NY Yankees GM Brian Cashman: For Chan Ho Park as a reliever, ‘his stuff was different’

Something curious happened when Chan Ho Park moved from back-end starter to reluctant reliever, and it caught the Yankees’ attention.

“We’ve noticed a change in his abilities, so we stayed in the loop,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said on Sunday. “Out of the bullpen, his stuff was different.”

Three years ago, the perceived change landed Park on a watchlist of players kept by the Yankees’ pro scouting department. Their opportunity to land him came when Park’s contract talks with the Phillies stalled. The Yankees pounced, signing the veteran to a one-year, $1.2 million contract that includes $300,000 in incentives.

“I thought that there was some real value there,” said Cashman, who hopes Park can recapture the magic he showed with the NL Champion Phillies.

You can view the rest of this story here: NY Yankees GM Brian Cashman: For Chan Ho Park as a reliever, ‘his stuff was different’

MY 25-man roster for Opening Day

With Opening Day not too far away, I have decided to make predictions as to what the Yankees’ 25-man roster will look like (or at least what I want it to look like). I firmly believe they will go with 12 pitchers on this roster. Here is my prediction…

Starters:

1. C.C. Sabathia
2. A.J. Burnett
3. Andy Pettitte
4. Javier Vazquez
5. Chad Gaudin

Relievers:

1. Mariano Rivera
2. Phil Hughes
3. Joba Chamberlain
4. Alfredo Aceves
5. Chan Ho Park
6. David Robertson
7. Damaso Marte

Catchers:

1. Jorge Posada
2. Francisco Cervelli

Infielders:

1. Mark Teixeira
2. Robinson Cano
3. Alex Rodriguez
4. Derek Jeter
5. Ramiro Pena
6. Nick Johnson

Outfielders:

1. Curtis Granderson
2. Brett Gardner
3. Nick Swisher
4. Randy Winn
5. Jamie Hoffman

Notables not on the roster: RHP Sergio Mitre, OF Marcus Thames, RHP Jonathan Albaladejo, LHP Boone Logan,

Interview with an expert: Travis Goldman

Travis Goldman is one of the main contributors for pinstripealley, which is another Yankees blog site. I decided to ask him a few questions and give his perspective on the Yankees’ 2010 season.

Me: I was wondering if I could get your perspective on the Yankees’ offseason trades and signings. Do you think they should have tried to make other moves?

Travis: Considering Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui will earn $14 million this year while Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson will earn about $11 million, and that the departed players are a combined 12 years older, there’s not much to dislike about those particular moves. Grandy should bounce back from a sub-par ’09, and if Johnson stays healthy (and he should, as the primary DH), he’ll produce just fine.

On the pitching side, I would have preferred John Lackey to Javy Vazquez, but all things considered (price, durability, flexibility), I can’t really complain. Lackey is a great pitcher, but so is Vazquez. The question is how much did the Yanks give up? Melky Cabrera is a nice, solid player, and Phil Coke is a decent reliever, but the ‘winner’ of the trade will hinge on super pitching-prospect Arodys Vizcaino. Is giving up those three players for a year of Vazquez better than signing Lackey for five years (and losing a first-round pick)? It’s an unanswerable question right now.

Me: I was wondering who you think we, the fans, (and Yankee management too I suppose) should watch in the upcoming year.

Travis: Dave Robertson could become one of the better set-up men in baseball if he builds on last year: he has a damn good fastball and a great curve – all he needs is to consistently throw them where he wants to.

The other is Jesus Montero, who has an outside chance to be the DH or BUC in the second half if injuries or ineffectiveness occur.

Me: There are a few jobs up for grabs this spring, including the 3rd outfield spot and most importantly, the 5th spot in the starting rotation. Who do you think SHOULD get these jobs?

Travis: The third OF spot should go to Brett Gardner (over Randy Winn) for a variety of reasons: he’s a better defender, runs the bases better, and should be no worse as a hitter. He’s also a decade younger. Furthering that, he should be the everyday CFer over Granderson. While Grandy is a solid CFer, Gardy is truly an exceptional one, thanks to his blazing speed. And having Grandy signed for another four years (at $37 million) makes him a more ‘delicate’ asset (at least compared to the minimum-making Gardner), so playing the less-demanding LF should ensure Grandy’s longterm viability.

The fifth starter’s a bit tougher. Honestly, both Hughes and Joba deserve to start, but I’ll give the nod to Joba. He has no innings cap this year (unlike Hughes) and had to endure two years on ‘training wheels’ just for this opportunity. He deserves the chance to start for a full year. If Hughes is a reliever the whole year, I worry what will happen to him. A reliever won’t top 100 innings, so he can’t be expected to hit 200 in 2011 (if Vazquez or Pettitte leave), and he’s too good to be a reliever for his career. You have to wonder if they’ll send him to Scranton to build up his innings at some point (but I know Hughes wouldn’t be happy getting ‘demoted’). It’ll be a challenge for Girardi, Cashman and Co., but that’s why they get paid the big bucks.

Yankees spend day bonding at arcade

The Yankees believed chemistry was one of their strengths as they pursued a 27th World Series championship last year, and along the way, many pointed back to an off-campus billiards tournament in February as one of their building blocks.

Given that success, manager Joe Girardi is hoping that the formula will work one more time as the Yankees prepare to defend that title. They left the bats and balls at the ballpark on Tuesday, heading off to a Tampa-area arcade for an afternoon of fun and video games.

“I think it’s good to get the guys together away from the field,” Girardi said. “We’re here together always on the field. There’s competition, there’s cheering for each other. It’s just a nice day to hang out in a big group.”

One year after Mariano Rivera schooled the rest of his teammates in eight ball, the Yankees were asked to compete in three separate events — video Indy car racing, Skee Ball and Pop-A-Shot basketball, with winners rewarded by way of gift certificates.

Rest of the story is available here: Yankees spend day bonding at arcade

Mariano breezes through first session

Every spring, Mariano Rivera glances into his locker, where the clubhouse attendants dutifully hang a pair of gray uniform pants. And each year, he leaves them unused, just as pristine as the day he arrived.

History’s greatest postseason closer has earned a few liberties along the way, which include setting his own schedule to get ready for the regular season. That leaves him with a very light spring workload and, of course, no road trips.

“I think at this age, I definitely have an idea of what I have to do and what I need,” Rivera said. “It’s Spring Training. Come and get ready. I don’t think that, in my case, I have to come in and impress anybody. I just have to make sure that I’m ready for the season, and that’s what I try to do.”

Rivera turned 40 in November, a month that saw the Yankees celebrate their World Series victory after his final pitch of 2009 was chopped into Yankee Stadium’s soft infield grass.

After a three-month respite following that Shane Victorino roller, Rivera was back to business on Monday in his first time back on a mound, throwing a breezy 21-pitch bullpen session under the watchful eyes of manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland.

Rest of story: Mariano breezes through first session

Burnett serious about adding changeup

It seems to happen every spring around this time: A.J. Burnett begins having fantasies about finally incorporating his changeup as a go-to pitch and adding another weapon to his mound arsenal.

The changeup is a subject that Burnett has chatted about in previous years, even filling up notebooks on slow days for scribes around Blue Jays camp. But this time, Burnett said he’s serious about the idea, even suggesting a new entry for the scouting reports that circulate around baseball.

“Has one, never threw it, but he might,” Burnett said.

Burnett said he threw 12 changeups in a 30-pitch batting-practice session against Yankees hitters on Monday, as he and catcher Jorge Posada continue to get more familiar with each other this spring.

To view more on this story, you can visit this link: Burnett serious about adding changeup

My take on this is that if Burnett can really focus on perfecting this pitch, it will make him a more complete pitcher. However, I think he should also keep focused on trying to gain more overall control over all of his pitches, then maybe start to tinker on new secondary pitches.

CC throws BP to Yanks batters

The crowd at George M. Steinbrenner Field cheered after CC Sabathia’s second pitch shattered the bat of non-roster catcher Mike Rivera, producing a weak flare into center field and the echo of dead wood.

You wouldn’t compare the intensity level to the last time Sabathia saw a hitter standing at home plate, in Game 4 of the World Series, but the 28 pitches Sabathia threw Sunday have the Yankees ace ready for the Grapefruit League to begin.

“I feel good,” Sabathia said. “The bullpens have been going well. I’ll be fine. I’m looking forward to it, and today definitely helped to get back going.”

The Yankees modified the early spring schedule slightly for Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte after last November’s Fall Classic, having them throw three bullpen sessions and one batting practice before making the standard six starts in exhibition games.

Also in action that day were Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes as they continue their competition for the 5th spot in the starting rotation. For the rest of the story, visit this link: CC throws BP to Yanks batters

Nick Johnson adjusting to life as Yankees’ DH

When your most important job assignment is getting into the batter’s box, there can be a lot of down time. That’s something that Nick Johnson is trying to get used to.

Back with the Yankees primarily as a designated hitter, Johnson can glance at the first baseman’s glove in his locker and know it probably won’t be seeing too many summer afternoons in the Bronx. But he just can’t stow it away.

“I’ll always take my ground balls,” Johnson said. “I love going out there, but I know I won’t be. I’ll just get in a routine DHing, embrace it and get comfortable with it, and get four or five quality at-bats, whatever it is.”

The decision to bring Johnson in as a free-agent DH was a calculated gamble for the Yankees, who are betting that reduced time in the field will help him remain fresh and keep his left-handed bat in the lineup for 400 to 500 at-bats.

You can see the rest of this story on the Yankees’ Official Website. Johnson adjusting to life as Yanks’ DH



February 25, 1994

On this day in Yankee History, legendary Yankee shortstop #10 Phil Rizzuto was elected in to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veteran’s Committee along with manager Leo Durocher and P Steve Carlton. He was inducted on July 31st of that year.