The Yankees and Red Sox Rivalry In Connecticut

Despite being born in New jersey I have lived in Connecticut since I was five and I hope to live here once I finish my graduate degree. Living in Connecticut I have learned several things, people from outside the northeast think everyone from New England speaks with a Boston accent and people seem to think that everybody from New England supports only Boston sports teams, despite Connecticut also being part of Metropolitian New York (ok so only really fairfield county is). Connecticut is a lot more in the middle than people seem to think, which is odd seeing how we are the state that everybody drives through to get from Boston to New York or vica versa. Connecticut even perplexes our fellow New Englander's, almost my entire family now lives in New England and they support all the Boston sports teams and have often asked my brother and I why we like the Yankees. The answer is not a simple one as I have no idea what made me be a Yankees fan, but my brother insists that its because he supported the Yankees and that's why I did. The answer is actually a lot simpler than even I thought, when you grow up in Connecticut the rivalry gets really intense so much so that you essentially have to take a side which is especially true when your a kid and when I was in middle school the 2003 and 2004 ALCS's occurred. For the most part it was a friendly rivalry with a lot of smack talk but I believe there may have been a fight or two. I really followed Hockey and Football a lot more than baseball at that point but I did have a Hideki Matsui jersey but you really start to become a lot more attached to a team when people are smack talking that much. And lets be clear I'm talking about Nutmeger  Connecticut not fairfield county which is more New York than Connecticut. Every bar in Connecticut has to cater to all fans because even the bar owner may have divided loyalty, there's one bar here that has Red Sox and Jets stuff on the walls with a Patriots light on the window and Yankees tall glasses. Its impossible to find a bar that doesn't try and cater to everybody and the only pure Yankees place I know of near where I live is my barber. Its something that really bugs me when people like Joe Buck think that Boston represents all of New England, its the BOSTON Red Sox. It probably wouldn't annoy me if I didn't live in New England but there is a reason that a direct line runs from New Haven to Yankee stadium. The oddity of Connecticut will continue to be something that only we who cannot buy alcohol after 8pm or Sundays will understand, as I am just as much of a divided loyalty Nutmeger who is both a Die Hard Yankees Fan and Die Hard New England Patriots Fan. The Hartford Courant wrote a piece about a poll about the rivalry which you can check out here. They are right the rivalry is probably more intense here than anywhere else, there was a stabbing last year.

The Yankees minor league assets

The Yankees stayed put at the trade deadline and overall the only real trade they made this year was when they traded Sergio Mitre for Chris Dickerson, only to reacquire Mitre in June and then put him on the 60-day DL after four appearances. Every other transaction the Yankees have made has been signing guys to minor league deals or claiming players off waivers.
With the injury to Pedro Feliciano in the spring most people thought that the Yankees would try and acquire a lefty reliever to supplement Boone Logan and they did sign J.C Romero and Randy Flores but neither has been particularly great in Scranton. Flores has been better against right handers than lefties, today he faced two lefties and gave up a hit and a home run and then retired the next three right handed batters. Romero had been better but he did just give up 3 runs in .2 innings on the 29th. If Romero doesn't get called up this week to face the Red Sox then I don't think he will play with the Yankees this year and definitely not  if Marte can pitch in September. There is also the chance that Manny Banuelos could contribute in September when Cashman didn't rule out the possibility.
(Update 10:01pm Randy Flores will be released)
Cashman also mentioned that he has confidence in Adam Warren and David Phelps to start if they have to. Banuelos and Betances are not likely options to start in the MLB this year because of that confidence and Betances isnt even officially in AAA yet.. We did not get a good look at Kevin Whelan when he was called up but we will probably get another look in September as well as Lance Pendelton both of whom have pitched well in Scranton this year. There is also a chance we could get to see University of Connecticut alumni Tim Norton who despite good numbers has been held back by injury, but we will likely not see Mark Prior pitch in pinstripes because he is nowhere near where he needs to be to be MLB ready again.
As I have said in previous posts the Yankees have a lot of depth in the outfield not just in AAA Scranton, but in Trenton Melky Mesa could probably be thrown into the MLB now because his defense is that good, but that would only be in case of an extreme emergency. Weve seen Golson and Dickerson this year, even with injuries to Colin Curtis and Justin Maxwell the Yankees still have another option in Jordan Parraz who is hitting very well and since Golson and Dickerson will both be out of options he will likely be added to the 40 man next year and make his debut in 2012. The Yankees also have Brandon Laird and Kevin Russo both of whom can play the outfield but are primarily infielders.
Speaking of infield the Yankees have good depth there with the aforementioned Russo and Laird with Ramiro Pena currently injured. The Scranton Yankees also have Mike Lamb and Jorge Vazquez both of whom can play 1st or 3rd, and aren't prospects. In Trenton the thunder have Robert Lyerly and  Corban Joseph, but they are still a ways away and Joseph is likely trade bait due to Robinson Cano. In terms of catching the Yankees have Jesus Montero who will likely make his MLB debut this week as well as Austin Romine who will likely be promoted to AAA with a Montero promotion. They also have J.R Murphey who has shown the Yankee brass that he can stay at catcher and they like his bat and of course Gary Sanchez, but those guys are a ways away from the MLB.
The Yankees have depth that other teams pray for right now and the Yankees know it which is why they felt that they didn't need to make a move this trade deadline. That depth also means that they can make a move for a starting pitcher this off season if a top of the rotation starter becomes available.

What to do with the bench Outfield spot.

The Yankees started this year their only backup Outfielder being Andruw Jones who despite his 6 Home Runs is hitting a dismal .204 in 98 AB. I wrote about Jones in an earlier post, obviously Jones hasn't been the Lefty smasher than Thames was last year and has only hit .240 against Lefties this year. As I said in my earlier post despite his poor numbers Jones is a useful bench bat because he is a right handed with some pop and can play the field well and so he was the only backup outfielder that they needed. Last year the Yankees started with Marucs Thames and Randy Winn but Winn was DFA in May and the Yankees used a combination of several AAA outfielders. This year the Yankees decided to mess up my post about the 5th Outfielder by not having a 5th Outfielder and their primary AAA Outfielder is Chris Dickerson who has the most major league experience. Even with injuries to Justin Maxwell and Colin Curtis the Yankees have good outfield depth but none with any real offensive ability. Jones hasn't really been needed this year because both Gardner and Granderson have been hitting lefties well and despite his early struggles Swisher has been solid. The problem with a guy being a good bench bat is that if he is a good enough bench bat then somebody will give him a starting job and even Andruw Jones could sign with a team that gives him more playing time. Next year the Yankees will likely do without a full time DH and will probably use a rotating DH and one or more Veteran bench bats who can DH and play the field. They could look to retain Jones and Chavez next year or they could try and acquire a new fourth outfielder this year or during the coming off-season. However Jones will likely be the Yankees only real option for this year as I doubt that the Yankees can pick up anybody on waivers and with their lack of action on the trade market I assume that they are okay with Jones. If Jones goes into a prolonged slump the Yankees could always call up Marcus Thames, but more likely they would simply give Montero more time at DH and use either Jones, Golson or Dickerson in the outfield occasionally. If Jones can keep playing decently well the Yankees will probably try and keep him for next year, but like I said he could end up on a team where he would get more playing time.

Trade Targets: Erik Bedard

The former Baltimore Orioles Ace had his 2011 option turned down by the Mariners but he was resigned to a 1 year $1 million deal after making only three appearances in the minors in 2010. This year Bedard has posted a 3.00 ERA in 15 starts and a 1.82 ERA in the 10 starts after April, unfortunately he has been on the DL with a sprained left knee since the end of June and his start against the Red Sox will likely be pushed back, which means he will likely only get one start before the trade deadline. He may however be the Yankees best option in acquiring a starting pitcher.

Despite his injury risk Bedard might be the most affordable potential front line starter because Ubaldo would be extremely expensive and apparently the Rockies are not serious about moving him. Also Kuroda does not want to move to the east coast and Wandy has been bad against the AL and would not likely be anything but a back of the rotation starter in the AL East. While Bedard's stuff may not be as good in the less pitcher friendly Yankee stadium but he pitched 658 innings with the Orioles and his strikeout numbers have always been high. Bedard isn't an ace but he could fit the Yankees as a number three in  the rotation as he could easily take either Freddy Garcia's spot in the rotation and due to only making one start before the trade he could be had for cheap from the Mariners. Bedard could also be resigned after this season since he is only 32, left handed and is not a back of the rotation starter. The Yankees may pass on Bedard but he may be their best option in this pitching thin market and they will not want him to be grabbed by the Red Sox who also need a starter.

Not backing up Good A.J

A.J Burnett has had 20 starts this year and in classic A.J Burnett fashion the Yankees have won ten of the games Burnett has started including last nights game and he has recorded ten quality starts or at least had a positive WPA. After this the stats of his starts this year become a little strange. Predictably in his 4 worst starts of the year he has registered a loss in each and his record overall in his 10 non-quality starts has been 2-5 with the Yankees going 4-6 in those ten starts overall. In Burnett's 10 quality starts he has gone 6-2 and the Yankees have gone 6-4 in his quality starts. Whats really strange is that in Burnett's 3 best starts of the Year against the Royals, White Sox and Indians all at home and he is 0-2 in those starts with the Yankees going 0-3. In those three starts the Yankees have generated just 3 runs in those three starts all three of them in the start against the Royals and one of those runs came in the 10th inning of the game. In fact in his eight best starts the Yankees have 3.25 runs per game and every one of those wins has required Mo to come in. We all know that Burnett is inconsistent and that it is important to win his good starts when we have them which the Yankees have failed to do because of a lack of run support. In the third year of his five year deal it is very obvious that Burnett is not the number two that they hoped he would be. His last three starts have been poor, but with his next two starts coming against the offensively inept A's and the overall inept Orioles and he needs to get wins in both of those starts and hopefully lower his ERA as right now it is higher than Ivan Nova's was before he was sent down. Burnett may not be as good as we thought he might be but he is not getting the run support he needs and with the Red Sox as good as they are this year we need to win every start from Good A.J.

Who is the Yankees Future at Catcher?

Jesus Montero came into the year supposedly as the Starting Catcher and then the Yankees signed Russel Martin and that idea was scrapped. After Cervelli broke his leg in Spring Training it seemed that the backup catching job was Montero's to lose which he did. Montero's offense has never been the question as even with his slow start this year he is besting every and all AAA pitching. The biggest issue is and always has been his defense. If the Yankees had not signed Mark Teixeira then I almost guarantee that Montero would have been moved to 1st base, but since he is locked up until 2016 that's not an option for at least several years. The thing about Montero is that he is only 21 and even though he is probably too tall to be a catcher for the rest of his career the Yankees need an influx of young talent and Catcher is where they are stocked with the most talent.
The Yankees Top Catching prospects are:
Jesus Montero: As I said Montero is an offensive Catcher and is the most ready, the concern is whether or not he can be a competent starting catcher in the MLB in terms of game calling and defense. He has a great arm which is why many people feel he is best served as a Right Fielder. The Yankees apparently do think that he can catch in the MLB.


Austin Romine: Romine projects to be a goof overall catcher with good defense and a decent bat but not the raw power and potential for huge offense that Montero has. I saw catch Phil Hughes at Hughes rehab game in New Britain and I was really impressed with his defense especially his blocking of balls in the dirt. Romine is a good all around catching prospect and the only thing keeping him for AAA is Montero. He is also very young at 22 and he was great today at the Futures game.

Gary Sanchez: Sanchez has been called Montero with a better glove and many have said that he is the true future at catcher. His bat is impressive but probably not as good as Montero and he has had 24 Passed balls so far this year but has caught 35% of base stealers. That being said he has had some issues at low-A Charleston and was briefly demoted due to behavior issues. He is only 18 and is years away from MLB ready.

J.R Murphey: Most people assumed that the Yankees would move Murphey to a corner spot either this year or next as they liked his bat but his defense was considered to be suspect. Then Murphey decided to drastically improve behind the plate and offensively over last year. Muphey earned himself a promotion to the Tampa Yankees and they are still mixing him between Catcher and 3rd base. Murphey is the only one of the 4 who has no real chance of being the starting Catcher but the Yankees could keep mixing him between catcher and corners spots and try to make him into a sort of super utility role. If he sticks at catcher he will be a backup at best.

Going into this season it seemed obvious that Montero was the future at catcher but at this point I don't even know if he will be traded or make his Yankees debut in 2012. The Yankees are obviously unhappy about his defense and probably unhappy about his lack of power. Cashman has said that he wants Montero to play everyday but honestly I think that is just an excuse to keep him in AAA because they were willing to bring him up at the beginning of the year as the backup and if he was doing better he would probably be platooning with Martin at Catcher. At this point I don't know what to expect because I don't see any front end starter that the Yankees can trade for but every sign seems to suggest that they want to trade him. I just feel that if they thought that Montero was the catcher of the Future then he would be with the team right now. If he is not traded by the deadline then I expect that he will start the year splitting time with Martin, but he could traded over the winter. Ideally I think the Yankees would like Montero to be the starting catcher until Sanchez develops and then they can move Montero to Right Field or 1st Base but projecting something like that is impossible.

Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit

It happened and it happened in the possibly the best way it possibly could have. With no men on Derek Jeter hit his first Home Run at Yankee stadium of the year for his 3,000 hit to tie the game against the Rays on a full count against one of the best pitchers in the game David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays. Jeter followed that up with 3 more hits and went 5-5 in the 3rd career 5 hit game. Christian Lopez caught Jeters 3,000 hit and he received a package of Champion seats for tomorrows game, Legendary suit tickets for every game for the rest of the season and a package of autographed memorabilia and of course he met Jeter after the game. I think what was even better was the fact that Jeter later hit the go ahead hit in the 8th and just overall had a game that even if he had not been close to 3,000 we would have all said how great a game Jeter had. Now we all want to see how far Jeter will go in his definite hall of fame career, I doubt he will surpass Pete Rose or Ty Cobb but I think that getting around 3,500 hits is within his reach and that would mean moving into the top 5 all time hits leaders. I am very happy that I got to see this event live and it made me think of all the milestones that we have gotten to see in the last few years; A-Rod's 600th, Jeter's become the Yankees all time hits leader and of course him getting 3,000. Then we have to look forward to A-Rod getting to 700 Home Runs, getting 3,000 hits and Mariano Rivera becoming the all time saves leader. We are getting to see a great period in individual Yankee accomplishments and we still have some to look forward to. Congratulations  Derek Jeter, I hope that you have many more games like this one. For all of you who missed the hit here it is.

Price's reaction is dare i say it....Priceless