Comments on: Yankees 10, Phillies 2

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:56:55 +0000

[15] Fair point. Last year, Jeter batted with a man at least on 1st in 188 PAs, while Damon did the same in 105 PAs (I don’t know the breakdown by 2 and <2 outs). Still, Damon’s number of DPs is much lower than Jeter’s, so I think any analysis would show the latter more prone to the twin killing (perhaps evidenced by Jeter only have a marginally lower DP rate as a lead off man: 1 per 56 PAs, instead of 1 per 46 PAs)

By: The Hawk

The Hawk — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:46:04 +0000

It seems a little misleading to have DP stats for these two head to head when Jeter got more chances (I’m guessing) … I’m sure he grounded into more, esp. last year but still.

By: PJ

PJ — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:30:55 +0000

“Not that any of that means anything.”

/making fun of Cliff mode on

Whew! I’m sure glad I read all of that then!

/making fun of Cliff mode off

They look very good, in all areas! I give Girardi credit for the good camp, but I question some of his roster choices, like all of you…

I hope they can still get off to a great start, even without Alex. I believe if they stay relatively healthy (read as not more than two of three on the DL at any one time, and no serious injuries requiring 60 days or more), they should be a force to contend with from day to day, and that’s all I can really ask for.

I sure hope those of you who get the chance to get to the new stadium can go without shelling out $3K for a seat! If it were me, I’d go for the $350-ish seats in section 120, and even those are quite pricey…

By: ms october

ms october — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:55:10 +0000

[11] one thing is when the yank’s signed damon, jeter was coming off a year (2005) he slugged 450 (483 damon’s first year), with 19hrs and 15gidp.
now he is coming off a year he slugged 408 with 11 hrs and 24 gidp.
i think the decline of jeter is exaggerated, but it is hard not to notice that he is not much of a power threat anymore and the gidp are getting severe.

[12] i think damon has mostly given good value. but that he didn’t pan out as a cf was big – and leads back to the beltran discussion, it is been a huge blackhole for the last few years, and it may have hamstrung not getting a power hitting lf such as manny, dunn, etc. this year or others previously.

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:34:44 +0000

[11] More interesting to me is that many thought it would be a bad deal for the Yankees, but things have turned out pretty good (assuming Damon doesn’t fall off a corcoran). Even though he didn’t pan out in CF, Damon’s numbers over the past three years seem pretty fair for $13mn player, especially if you give him credit for being a pretty good LF’er. Now, after the economic downturn, $13mn is too much for a player like Damon, but I don’t think you can retroactively hold that against the Yankees.

By: Ken_P

Ken_P — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:21:51 +0000

Does anybody else find it funny that when the Yankees signed Damon, one of the main arguments was that they needed a true leadoff hitter so that Jeter could reclaim his rightful number 2 slot? Where are all those people now, I wonder?

By: Shaun P.

Shaun P. — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:19:28 +0000

NoMaas also makes an excellent point, supporting Pete Abe on the Jeter leading off thing. I had no idea that Jeter led all of baseball in groundball rate last year. To back that one up further, when Jeter comes up with Gardner on first, given Gardner's speed, that should make GIDP for Jeter even less likely. [6] Well done william!

By: Biscuit Pants

Biscuit Pants — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:39:08 +0000

[8] He’s a regular Dr. Manhattan . . . without the dangle . . .

By: monkeypants

monkeypants — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:10:17 +0000

[6] Sweet–it’s all A-Rod’s fault retroactively. The man transcends linear time! Hah!!

By: ny2ca2dc

ny2ca2dc — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:00:36 +0000

[6] That bastard! ARod planned it this way all along! Muster the pitchforks; cut him!

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:52:19 +0000

Having Jeter bat lead off makes a lot of sense. His stat line between the two slots is nearly identical, so for him, it doesn’t matter much, unless you think the 2-3 fewer DPs he’s likely to hit into will have an impact (one side note…Johnny Damon has been extremely proficient in avoiding DPs for his whole career). Ultimately, however, it just makes sense within the configuration of the lineup as a whole, as Cliff illustrated. Also, with Damon in front of Tex/Arod, he may get more fastballs, and at this point, he probably has more HR power than Jeter, especially with the short porch in right.

Of course, there is one very big downside. This switch now makes Arod’s earlier comments about Reyes a dig at the Captain!

By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO

Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:59:10 +0000

[4] Even for me, the above post was an apalling mix of bad typing, grammar and spelling..ah well, this time of night no one around to Banter with anyways on this lazy Friday afternoon at an empty office.. Where on earth is thelarmis?? Lost in the Blue Note archives perhaps..

By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO

Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:47:17 +0000

[3] Counting the games..I like Gardner but the carriage turn back into a pumpkin real quick with him I think. Well, I like to get my cynical thoughts out now so am all glss-half-full when the season starts! (at least until Burnett gets his first tummy-ache and misses a turn..)

By: Cliff Corcoran

Cliff Corcoran — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:10:34 +0000

After Rodriguez is back the bottom third will be Cano, Nady/Swisher, Gardner.

By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO

Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:53:10 +0000

The bottom third of that lineup frightens me..no Molina but still..

By: Chyll Will

Chyll Will — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:04:22 +0000

Well, I’m on board with that projected lineup. I sleep comfy now zzzzz…