Game 35′s lineup.

The Yanks are 21-13, 1st place by percentage points in the AL East. Two games better than their Pythagorean record (expected record based on runs scored as against runs allowed). Last night was Joe Girardi’s 500th win as Yankee manager. Andy Pettitte tries once again for career win #249. His last two outings were sub-par. He’ll be facing “Big Game” James Shields in KC.

Yanks OPS+ 102, ERA+ 111 (100 is average).

BA/HR/RBI   SB/Attempts  OPS+  Comments  bold team leader

Gardner CF .265-3-14  5/7  101
Cano 2B .314-9-21  2/2  150
Wells LF .282-7-16  3/4  119
Hafner DH .271-6-18  1/1  153
Suzuki RF .282-2-8  5/6  95
Nix SS .239-1-6  1/1  65   Nunez still out.
Overbay 1B .264-6-20  0/0  115   Just one RBI behind Robbie.
Nelson 3B .190-0-2, 0/0, 27 as Yankee. Overall .230-0-6, 0/0, 48. See prv. post. Dave Adams to be promoted next week from AAA to take over 3B until Youk returns.
Stewart C .241-2-5  2/2  68

Pettitte LHP  3-2, 4.06, ERA+ 101

Game 32. Yanks win 3-2.

The Yanks won a game in which the starting pitcher hit 8th and Vernon Wells had to play the bottom of the 9th at third base.

Such is life with a depleted lineup.

Wells hit a 2-run HR in the first (7), but David Phelps gave up a 2-run HR to Todd Helton (future HOF?) in the second. So it remained until the 9th.

Phelps went 6, 2 R, 3 H, 1 walk and 4 K. ERA to 5.02. Yes, he batted 8th (he never had a MLB AB) and C Austin Romine batted 9th tonight (Romine is now 3 for 25 in his MLB career).

Preston Claiborne had another good outing in his 2nd MLB game with another scoreless inning. (0.00 in 3 IP).

Robertson the 8th, scoreless.  (W. 2-0, 3.55).

In the 9th, Wells singled, stole 2nd and Overbay and Nix walked. With two out and the bases loaded, Boesch got an infield hit for the game-winner.

Because of the various moves made, PH, etc., Wells had to play 3B in the bottom of the 9th and he made a nice play for an out. He never played 3B in the majors before.

Mo got save #12 on the season, #620 of his career to close it out. ERA to 2.03.

Ivan Nova pitched in extended spring training today, could go Monday in the DH vs. Cleveland, but Girardi said Nova was shaky today.

S.T Game 34. Yanks beat Nats 4-2

Andy Pettitte tossed six solid innings in his final spring tuneup before the season starts and Kevin Youkilis homered as the Yanks beat the Nats in D.C. 4-2.

Pettitte went 6, 2 R, 1 ER, on 5 H, 0 walks and 6 K. Joba pitched a 1-2-3 7th, Robertson a 1-2-3 8th. Both had 1 K.

Joe managed like it was the regular season, bringing in Mo for the 9th. Typical Mo. 1-2-3. 1 K.

The Yanks got all four of their runs in the fourth. Youkilis led off with a HR,  Hafner singled and Wells doubled him to third. Nunez drove in two with a single and moved up on the throw. Stewart singled in Nunez. Cano, Wells and Nunez each had two hits.

The Yanks will play Army in West Point tomorrow, then have off Sunday before opening the season at the Stadium Monday vs. Boston. They have gone 14-19-1 this spring.

Minor setback for Hughes

Phil Hughes complained of a stiff upper back today, behind the pitching shoulder. Hopefully it has nothing to do with the shoulder but in the back. He complained of it after taking fielding practice in which the pitchers cover first.

Mgr. Girardi said it’ll be a few days, but noted that Hughes was ahead of schedule.

Hopefully it is a minor issue and will just be a few days.

Update:

Joel Sherman‏@Joelsherman1

Colleague George King tells me Phil Hughes has a bulging disc in upper mid back. Will take anti-inflams/shut down at least 5 days #Yankees

What bothers me is that Hughes had to leave that ALCS game with a problem. Is this going to be a chronic issue?

Update II: Yanks will shut down Hughes for 2 wks.

Did a stress fracture give way?

What happened to cause Derek Jeter’s broken ankle is the conjecture today. Jeter mentioned that a bone bruise led to a stress fracture that finally split apart. When asked about it, neither GM Brian Cashman or Manager Joe Girardi knew anything about a stress fracture. It wouldn’t surprise me if Jeter did have a stress fracture and continued to play on it until it gave way.

Mariano Rivera dropped hints that if he were able to make it back from his ACL tear to pitch in last year’s postseason that he probably would have ten retired. Is this a precursor to his thinking now? Will 2013 be it for the 43 year old Rivera? Mo is the last player left who was born in the 1960s.

Finally, country singer Mindy McCready committed suicide yesterday. I’m not a big country fan and don’t know her music. But she made headlines years ago by admitting that she had an affair with the married (and still married) Roger Clemens when she was still a teenager. Clemens denies it, but Clemens has been denying lots of things. The thing with Roger is, what do you believe?

Earl Weaver dies

Earl Weaver, the HOF manager of the Orioles 1968-1982, 1985-1986, died yesterday at the age of 82.

Weaver led the Orioles to four World Series (1969-1971, 1979), winning one (1970). Five of his teams won 100 games in a season, one—the 1980 Orioles—not even making the playoffs (in that pre-wild card era, they won 100 but the Yankees won 103).

He also guided the Orioles into the ALCS in 1973 and 1974.

His lifetime winning pct. was .583, which would be equal to an average of a 94-68 season.

Meanwhile, the LOHUD blog states that Jorge Posada will be in spring training camp as a guest instructor. Considering the current state of the Yankees’ catching right now, it’s a good thing that he will be. He may have a lot of work to do (Cervelli, Stewart, Romine, etc.).

One of the greatest teams ever, but how many HOF?

The 1998 Yankees were probably the best team I ever saw (and sorry Seattle Mariners fans, your 116 wins of 2001 is GREATLY diminished by losing to the Yankees—in only FIVE games, no less—in the 2001 ALCS. Not only that, they had to go to the limit against Cleveland in the ALDS. The 1998 Yanks went 11-2 in the postseason). If the 1998 Yanks weren’t the best I ever saw, then they were one of the best.

Now the 1927 Yankees have Huggins, Gehrig, Lazzeri, Ruth, Combs, Hoyt and Pennock in the HOF. The 1961 Yankees have Mantle, Berra and Ford. The 1975 Reds have Anderson, Bench, Morgan, Perez (and should have had Rose if Pete didn’t screw up).

But how many players from that 1998 Yankees team will get into the Hall? It may be a short number for a team that won 114 games and who won four, and almost five world series in a six year span (1996-2001).

Here are the major stars from that 1998 team. Stats from that year.

Posada (C): .268-17-63, OPS+ 115. Not eligible for the HOF ballot until after the 2016 season. .273 career hitter, 275 HR. A solid 121 lifetime OPS+. 2x top 10 MVP voting. 5x All-Star, 5x Silver Slugger. HOF standards: 40 (average HOFer 50). HOF Monitor: 98. Likely HOFer 100. JAWS ranks him #19 among all catchers. A close call, but he probably misses out.

Tino Martinez (1B): .281-28-123, OPS+ 124. .271 career hitter, 339 HR. OPS+ 112. Runnerup for the 1997 MVP. 2x All-Star. Got 1% of the vote in 2011 and dropped off the ballot.  HOF monitor 41/100, standards 26/50. JAWS ranking 88th among all 1B.

Bernie Williams (CF): .339-26-97 OPS+ 160. 7th in MVP that year, GG, All-Star. Led AL in batting average. 2x top 10 for MVP. 5x All-Star. 4 GG awards. .297, 287 HR, OPS+ solid 125. 1996 ALCS MVP. 22 postseason HR. Got 9.6% of the vote in 2012 but only 3.3% this year and drops off the ballot. HOF monitor 134/100 (way above “likely HOFer”). HOF standards 48/50 (just short). JAWS ranks him #26 for CF. Bernie deserved more love. Maybe not to get in, but a much greater vote total.

Paul O’Neill (RF):  .317-24-116, OPS+ 130. All-Star, 12th in MVP vote. 5x All-Star. 1 top-10 MVP year. .288 hitter, 281 HR. OPS+ 120 (solid). 2.2% of the vote in 2007, and dropped off the ballot. JAWS 60th for RF; HOF monitor 71/100 and HOF standards 37/50. Good but not great.

Darryl Strawberry (OF/DH): We all know the story. He should have hit 500 HR in his career and messed himself up with the dope. He doesn’t deserve to get in, but screwed himself. .247-24-57, OPS+ 132. Great year for a part-timer. 8x All-Star. ROY in 1983. Runnerup for MVP in 1988, 3rd in 1990. 4x Top 10 MVP. .259, 335 HR, OPS+ 138 (fabulous). HOF monitor 56/100, HOF standards 30/50. JAWS has him ranked 41st for RF (above O’Neill). What could have been. Got 1.2% of the vote in 2005 and dropped off the ballot.

Tim Raines (OF/DH): I think he should already be in the HOF. Overshadowed during his career by Rickey Henderson (the greatest leadoff man ever), Raines deserves to get in.  In 1998 he was a backup, hitting .290-5-47, OPS+ 107. But his career shows .294, 2605 hits, 808 SB and an OPS+ of a solid 123. 7x All Star. 3x top 10 MVP finishes. Black ink 20/27. HOF monitor 90/100. HOF standards 47/50. JAWS has him ranked 8th among all LF. Led league in runs scored twice, doubles once, SB 4x, batting average and OBP once. Slowly gaining support. This year, his sixth on the ballot, he got 52.2% of the vote. But he’s still far short of that 75%.

David Wells (LHP): 18-4, 3.49. ERA+ 127. Perfect game. Led league in winning pct., shutouts (5), BB/9, WHIP and K/BB. 3rd in CYA that year, 16th for MVP (two years later, 3rd and 17th in those categories for Toronto). 3x All-Star. 239 career wins, but his 4.13 ERA (ERA+ 108) hurts him. 10-5, 3.17 in the postseason. 1998 ALCS MVP. 1x 20-game winner. This year got 0.9% of the vote and now he drops off the ballot. HOF monitor 88/100, standards 40/50. JAWS 125th (starting pitcher).

David Cone (RHP): 20-7, 3.55, led majors in wins. ERA+ 125. 4th in CYA. Perfect game in 1999. 5x All Star. Won CYA in 1994. 2x top 10 MVP. 194 wins, ERA+ 121, ERA 3.46. Probably needed to get over the 200 win plateau to have more of a shot. 8-3, 3.80 in postseason. Got 3.9% of the vote in 2009 and dropped off the ballot. HOF monitor 103/100 (higher than “likely HOF”), standards 39/50. JAWS 62nd for starting pitcher. 2x 20-game winner.

Now for the actives:

Andy Pettitte (LHP): 16-11, 4.24, ERA+ 104. Career 245 wins to date, ERA 3.86, ERA+ 117. The ERA probably hurts him. CYA runnerup in 1997. 3x All-Star. 2x 20-game winner. 2001 ALCS MVP. HOF monitor 123/100 (more than “likely HOF”). HOF standards 42/50. JAWS 92nd for starting pitcher (below Cone, above Wells). 19-11, 3.81 in the postseason. Close call. See Posada.

Derek Jeter (SS). A first-ballot, no-doubter. .324-19-84 with 30 sb, 3rd in the MVP vote that year. 3304 hits and counting. .313, 255 HR, OPS+ 117. 13x All Star. Runnerup for the MVP in 2006, 3rd in 1998, 2009. 8x top 10 for MVP voting. Led majors in runs scored once, hits twice. 348 SB. ROY 1996. 158 postseason games, .308 average. 20 postseason HR. 2000 ASG MVP, WS MVP. HOF monitor 334/100 (is there any doubt?) standards 67/50 (is there any doubt?). JAWS 10th all-time for SS.

Mariano Rivera (RHP): 3-0, 1.91, 36 saves, ERA+ 233. 2.21 career ERA. ERA+ 206 (all-time leader). 608 career saves and counting (all-time leader). All-time leader in games finished. Runner-up for CYA in 2005, 3rd in 1996, 1999, 2004. 12x All-Star. Two top-10 MVP finishes. 8-1, 0.70(!) ERA in the postseason with 42 saves. 1999 WS MVP. 2003 ALCS MVP. Five Rolaids relief awards. A first-ballot, no-doubter. HOF monitor 251/100 (is there any doubt?) Standards 29/50 (it’s low because he is a closer). JAWS #2 relief pitcher (behind Eckersley, who was a starter for half of his career; almost all would agree on Mo as the greatest closer ever).

Then we come to Joe Torre, who while managing the Yankees won four WS in five years (1996-2000) and narrowly missed another in 2001. He led the Yanks to the postseason in each of the twelve years he managed the team, and to another WS in 2003. He won 2326 games as manager, and had a .538 winning percentage. He led the Braves to the 1982 NLCS and the Dodgers to the NLCS in 2008 and 2009. But it’s the Yankees’ years (.605 winning percentage) that define Torre and his probable induction into the HOF.

So what do we have from a team that won 114 games and was 11-2 in the postseason? What do we have from probably the greatest single season team I’ve seen in my lifetime?

Two sure-shot, first-ballot Hall-of Famers in Jeter and Rivera. A manager who will probably get in.

One other player in Tim Raines who has an outside shot.

Two players who are borderline in Posada and Pettitte.

And a bunch of good players who got little support and who will never get in (unless some Veterans Committee puts them in years after I depart this earth).

A team that was greater than the sum of the parts.

And at least one player (Bernie) who deserved more support than he received.

Note: Roger Clemens is not written about here. He joined the Yanks and was with them 1999-2003 and 2007 but the article is on the players who were on the 1998 team.

 

ROY to Trout, Harper

Mike Trout won the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award in a unanimous vote. The Angels’ OF hit .326-30-83, led the majors with 49 SB, led the majors in runs scored, and led the A.L. in adjusted OPS (OPS+) with a 171.

In the N.L., Washington OF Bryce Harper won a close vote over Arizona pitcher Wade Miley, 112-105. Harper received 16 first place votes to Miley’s 12. Harper hit .270-22-59 with 18 SB. OPS+ 119. Miley was 16-11, 3.33, ERA+ of 125.

The Managers of the Year will be announced today (Tuesday). I’d expect Buck Showalter of Baltimore to be the A.L. mgr. of the year.

Slow time.

Well, there hasn’t been many posts lately for a number of reasons.

1) the season is over and we see what happens with trades/free agents.

2) Hurricane Sandy knocked my power off for 22 hours. I’m lucky. Many didn’t get power for many more days.

3) I’ve been busy. 48 hours of work this past week and 48 next. 40 Thanksgiving week and I’m not working on the holiday. 50 hour weeks the two weeks after T-Giving.

So we await on the major awards from MLB. So far, Cano and Teix got the GG, Cano and Jeter SS awards.

I don’t know what the Yanks will do yet with their free agents. They did give some qualifying offers (rejected) to Kuroda, Swish and Soriano. I expect Swish and Soriano to be gone. Kuroda is a question mark.

Martin is a free agent. I wouldn’t mind a 2-yr. deal for him, but remember, he only hit .211 last year (with 21 HR). Romine needs a full year at AAA, something his back injury prevented him from last year. So 2013 AAA, maybe 2014 back up Martin. If so, who is the backup? If Stewart, then best to trade Cervelli and see what you can get for him. Sanchez is on the come, so you don’t even know if Romine is the future. Sanchez is a few years away.

SS/3B is a problem. Jeter is 39 next June, and coming off a broken ankle. He had just 9 sb this year, his range is in question and now a broken ankle. I’d love to see Nunez figure more in the lineup for the 35-40 SB potential he brings, but where to put his horrendous defense? And A-Rod looks like a fading star. 38 next July. Do you really want a left side of the infield that has a 39 year old SS and 38 year old 3B? Guess what. You are stuck with it.

Do you bring back Kuroda and Pettitte? One will be 38 next year, the other 41 next June. Then there is Mo. He threw 25 pitches off a mound for a commercial. Good sign, but he will be 43 in a few weeks. Ibanez is on the block. 41 next year. Jones 35. Chavez 35. Who comes back?

This team MUST get younger.

Meanwhile, Toronto mgr. Farrell goes to Boston. Toronto is looking. One-time A’s SS Walt Weiss is now the Rockies’ mgr. Mark McGwire leaves St. Louis to become the Dodgers’ new hitting coach.

The Mets and Jason Bay reach an amicable divorce. That didn’t work out.

College Football: Darrell Royal died at age 88. He won 3 national titles for Texas in the 1960′s (although, as a PSU grad, I’ll dispute that 1969 one).

Lee MacPhail, who was the Yanks’ GM in the late 1960′s/early 1970′s, died at the age of 95. His dad (Larry) owned the Yanks for a brief time (1945-1947). Lee later became the A.L. President and it was he who made the Pine tar ruling.

The Yanks are thinking of flip-flopping Granderson and Gardner, moving the Grandy Man to LF. If they bring Ichiro (39) back for RF, they’ll have a speedy and good defensive OF, but having Ichiro AND Gardner cuts into your power.

If Torii Hunter really wants $20 mil over 2 years, count the Yanks out. He is 37 so it wouldn’t fit the “getting younger” plan.

I worry about next year. Too much age.

As for 6-4 PSU, I’m happy with the job Bill O’Brien has done. It’ll get much harder after this year. I see an offense that has come out of the stone age. Under very difficult circumstances, he has done a good job.

A strange year. My faves are Rivera and Polamalu (Steelers fan) and between the two, I don’t get to see them on the field what with injuries. I’m happy the Steelers are 5-3. They should beat KC tomorrow night, they should reach the playoffs.

But anyone doubting the Texans needs to be aware of them. Houston is for real.

Managerial moves

John Farrell goes from the Blue Jays to Boston. Ozzie Guillen fired by the Marlins.