My Impression of Tampa

I visited the Yankees spring training camp on Wednesday, March 3rd. Here are some observations:

1. AJ Burnett has visibly changed his pitching mechanics. Last year he had a drastic twist toward second base when he kicked his front leg. This caused him to be inconsistent with the direction of stride (not always toward home plate). Also, by incorporating this twist, his timing had to be perfect with the arm. I think many times he got caught, where the arm would drag and his pitches would flatten out. This spring he has limited these extraneous movements. His delivery looks clean and repeatable, which should translate into more quality strikes. 
2. Before the game against the Astros, I watched Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Ramiro Pena and Greg Golson work for an hour on bunting (sacrifices and bunting for a hit). Although it is early in spring, Gardner still does not look 100% comfortable with this; he still fouls off and pops up way to many pitches. As a fan, it is frustrating that Gardner is not better at bunting. With his plus speed, getting the ball down anywhere in fair territory except back to the pitcher would give him 10-15 additional hits per season. I hope that he is eventually able to develop this skill as it would make him a more complete ballplayer.  Maybe the ghost of Phil Rizzuto will make an appearance in Tampa and show him how it is done.
3. I hate to use a cliche, but the ball does sound different off of the bat of Jesus Montero. The swing is effortless and the ball jumps. As much as I like Francisco Cervelli, I think that Montero will break camp with the Yankees and make the transition from prospect to bona fide big leaguer.  

Some Spring Training Pictures from Tampa

I was in Florida last week and was able to attend the Yankees vs. Astros game at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on March 2nd. Here are some photos.

First Impressions

Spring is finally upon us. Pitchers, catchers and position players have reported to Spring Training, gone through the reps of fielding ground balls and PFP on obscure back fields, and now have progressed to playing out the Grapefruit and Cactus schedule.

The Yankees opened up against the Phillies yesterday in Tampa. After watching the game (courtesy of YES), here are a few take-aways:

1. For a first outing in Spring Training, both Bartolo Colon and Joba Chamberlain looked good. For Colon, he appeared to be throwing the ball free and easy (important considering his battle with arm injuries over the past few years). He is a little further along building up arm strength than most in camp (he pitched in the Dominican Winter League), but I am still impressed with his velocity. His fastball sat consistently at 90-92 with a high of 93. He also showcased a decent sinker/two seamer. For Chamberlain, the adjustment he made with his mechanics (arms lower at belt rather than chest high in set position) have really improved the life on his fastball and the bite on his slider. His arm is finally in sync with his body, rather than dragging behind and causing pitches to flatten out.

 

2. Derek Jeter looks comfortable with his revamped hitting mechanics. During his slump last season, Jeter had too many moving parts in his swing. Specifically, I’m referring to the double tap that he employed with his lead foot and then a long stride toward home plate. The double tap was a timing mechanism which left little room for error, while the stride toward the plate prevented him from opening his hips up and taking a direct path to the inside pitch. This spring he has completely removed the stride, utilizing a toe lift to start the load of the hands and weight.

 

3. Alex Rodriguez appears to be in great shape. You can definitely see that he has lost 10 lbs this off season (attributed to the hip being healed and finally able to train rather than rehab). Although he put up above average numbers over the past two seasons, I think we may see Rodriguez re-establish himself as one of the elite players in baseball.

Congratulations to Nolan Ryan and the Texas Rangers

….and with that last out we now transition into hot stove time. How many days until pitchers and catchers report to Tampa?

Back in Tampa

Monday: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (0-1. 17.18) for the Yankees vs. LHP Scott Kazmir (1-0, 1.50), 7:08PM

Tuesday: RHP A.J. Burnett (1-0, 3.38) vs. RHP Matt Garza (1-0, 1.29), 7:08PM

Wednesday: LHP Andy Pettitte (1-0, 1.29) vs. RHP Andy Sonnanstine (0-1, 9.64), 4:08PM

The First Victory of the Year is Always Sweet

The Yankees avoided the sweep by beating the Orioles 11-2 on Thursday. A.J. Burnett pitched a solid 5 1/3 innings. I believe he is going to be a major difference maker in the upcoming season. For the first time in quite a few years, the Yankees have three frontline starters in their rotation. If they all can stay healthy, this should limit any long losing streaks.

Pitching (similar to hitting) is contagious. For example, If Sabathia and Wang pitch back-to-back solid games, Burnett is going to build off of this momentum -not wanting to be the starter that gets knocked out early. This then carries down the line to Pettitte and Chamberlain. The competitive nature of athletes allows them to build off of each others successes. It’s this mentality that can cause a pitching staff to get hot and carry a club.

The Yankees are in Kansas City for the home opener of the remodeled Kaufman Stadium. Here are the upcoming pitching matchups:

Friday: LHP Andy Pettitte (0-0. 0.00) for the Yankees vs. RHP Sydney Ponson (0-0, 0.00), 4:10

Saturday: RHP Joba Chamberlain (0-0, 0.00) vs. LHP Horacio Ramirez (0-0, 0.00), 7:10

Sunday: LHP C.C. Sabathia (0-1, 12.46) vs. RHP Gil Meche (0-0, 1.29), 2:10

“I Guess We Aren’t Going to Go 162-0″

Perfect line by Joe Girardi to sum up today’s game. Here are a few random thoughts:

Plus ca change – Glad to see that after re-tooling the starting
rotation during the off season, opening day in
Camden Yards was a typical Yankee/Orioles slugfest. CC Sabathia failed
to establish his fastball early in the game. Later, when he made a few
borderline pitches the umpire squeezed him.

Nick Swisher had a great at bat off of the bench. Questions still
surround his ability to make the transition from playing everyday to
becoming a role player, but this was a solid step in the right
direction.

Brett Gardner had himself a game. The sacrifice bunt wasn’t pretty, but it
got the job done. He also picked up an assist from the outfield,
gunning a player at the plate.

Posada caught all 9 innings. I’m still holding my breath until he reports on how he feels Tuesday.

The great thing about baseball is that there is always tomorrow (or in this case Wednesday)! 

Tomorrows Lineup

Pete Abraham reported that Joe Girardi announced his opening day lineup after the workout today at Camden Yards:

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Nady RF
Ransom 3B
Gardner CF

It’s For Real Now

The Yankees wrapped up the Grapefruit League with an MLB best record of
24-10-1 (second best overall in baseball to the Anaheim Angels, who had
26 wins in the Cactus League). Most baseball pundits downplay spring
training, however Joe Girardi believes it is good to make a habit out
of winning early and then carry it through to the regular season. While
this has gone either way for teams in the past, the current 2009 Yankee
squad is built around pitching. If the starters can stay healthy over
the course of 162 games, October baseball should be back in the Bronx
again.

Tomorrow the Yankees start their long march toward the playoffs in
Baltimore against the Orioles. As we did last year, here are the
upcoming pitching matchups:

Monday: LHP CC Sabathia (17-10. 2.70 in 2008) for the Yankees vs. RHP Jeremy Guthrie (10-12, 3.63), 4:05

Wednesday: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (8-2, 4.07) vs. RHP Koji Uehara (6-5, 3.81 for Yomiuri Giants), 7:05

Thursday: RHP A.J. Burnett (18-10, 4.07) vs. RHP Alfredo Simon (0-0, 6.23), 1:35

The weather is starting to turn in New York, the birds are chirping
outside, and the first pitch of the year will be thrown in less than 24
hours. Let the fun begin.

Bob Sheppard Retires

Bob Sheppard, the voice of the Yankees, has decided to retire. Jack Curry broke the story for the New York Times via an interivew with Paul Doherty, a friend and agent who represents him. Here is the link:

 

Voice of Yankee Stadium Retires

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