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Yankees Update: Bad News On El Capitan While The Team Keeps Winning

Apr 24

Posted by nross56

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Wednesday April.24/2013

Derek Jeter. The Yankee Captain. A future Hall of Famer. Last October, Jeter broke his ankle during the American League Championship Series. All off-season, it was reported that Jeter would be ready for Opening Day. After a series of set-backs, it has now become clear that due to a small crack in his ankle, Jeter will not be ready until after the All-Star Break. Can the Yankees survive without their captain? Only time will tell.

By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent): Follow @nross56

Transitions are rarely easy. People, generally, are creatures of habit and routine. Change is almost always seen as a scary thing for most. Yankee fans are no different. The transition from the old guard is an overwhelming theme to this season for the Yankees.

As Week Three of the Major League season moved along, the Yankees received more bad injury news on their shortstop, Derek Jeter. The Yankee captain suffered a significant setback in his recovery from a broken ankle when it was reported that a small crack had emerged in the same location as the injury.

Reports had indicated that Jeter’s surgery would prevent such a re-occurrence. Obviously, this is not the case, and now, the Yankees will be without their shortstop until at the very least the All-Star break.

Yankee fans’ reaction was obvious as the news broke. For the better part of two decades, Jeter has been the constant in the Yankee lineup, and this injury reminds Yankee fans, again, that the times, they are a changing.

The Captain:

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Yankees Week Two – Getting Right in Cleveland + A Triple Play = 4 – 1

Apr 17

Posted by nross56

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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Week Two for the New York Yankees was a far more fun ride than Opening Week. An offensive outpouring in Cleveland followed by taking 2 out of 3 from Baltimore has left the Yankees within striking distance of 1st place in a very strange AL East. Now the Yankees enter the second half of April within striking distance of 1st place in a very strange AL East.

By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent): Follow @nross56

In baseball, a momentum turn can be a slight thing. A player getting a seeing eye single through the infield that turns him from slumping to streaking. A pitcher getting a lucky hop that turns a rally into a double play.

For this Yankees team, the momentum turn seems to have been C.C. Sabathia‘s gem against the Tigers on a Sunday afternoon.

The Yankees used that 7 Inning performance to jump-start the second week of the season. In almost every regard, Week Two was the anti-thesis of Week One.

After Sabathia dominating the Tigers’ line-up and the Yankees getting after Detroit ace Justin Verlander, the Yankees headed to Cleveland where it was either raining or the Yankees were scoring runs.

After Opening Week, the 11 and 14 runs scored in the first two nights in Cleveland allowed the fan base to breathe easy. This run shed some light on an issue I wanted to look at this week.

Before the season got under way, my pre-season piece focused on the Vernon Wells trade and keeping the faith in a Yankees front office.

The line-up’s ability to score runs has been largely based on the performance of their veteran acquisitions in the off-season (and the fact that Robinson Cano is absolutely an offensive superstar).

Pronk Cometh:

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

Tags: @nross56, @nross56 twitter, Addison Maruszak, andruw jones, andy pettitte, austin romine, baltimore orioles, bartolo colon, ben gamel, boston redsox, cc sabathia, Cleveland, cleveland indians, curtis granderson, david phelps, detroit tigers, eric chavez, gary sanchez, hiroki kuroda, ivan nova, justin verlander, lyle overbay, mark teixeira, mason williams, nicholas rossoletti, nick swisher, phil hughes, raul ibanez, robinson cano, russell martin, slade heathcott, tampa bay rays, tigers, toronto blue jays, travis hafner, vernon wells

Opening Week Jitters For The Yankees

Apr 9

Posted by nross56

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Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Opening Week was what many suspected, but as the Yankees come out of that leg of the marathon, they are alive and kicking. The question will be as it always was: Can the pitching keep the team in the game?

By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent): Follow @nross56

As winter turns to spring, anyone who loves the game of baseball begins to become anxious. The season is almost here becomes a rallying cry for those fans who spend the cold winter missing the boys of summer.

Opening Day is a borderline holiday for we baseball fans. It marks the beginning of our six (6) month journey. A time of renewal and rebirth. A time of hope as spring turns to summer and our favorite teams return to their ballparks. The Yankees headed north to begin the season and immediately entered their traditional role in the spotlight of New York.

For over 100 years, there has been no bigger ticket in sports in the Big Apple than the Yankees. Sadly enough opening day was as bad as many of the naysayers expected. CC Sabathia, a traditional slow starter, was beaten badly by the Red Sox.

Sabathia’s largest weakness was the frequency with which runners reached base. Allowing 12 base runners over the course of only five innings, Sabathia provided the Red Sox with opportunity after opportunity.

Much has been made of Sabathia’s decreasing velocity. It was the hot topic after the outing. Sabathia topped out at around 92 MPH on his fastball, which seemed ultimately much more hittable.

Equally worrisome to the loss in velocity is the inability to control the strike zone with 4 Walks during the start. All in all, it made for another horrid opening day from a pitcher that has traditionally been poor on opening day.

Ivan Nova: Back When It Was Working:

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

Tags: @nross56, @nross56 twitter, adam warren, AL East, andy pettitte, austin romine, baltimore orioles, boston red sox, cc sabathia, cleveland indians, david phelps, hiroki kuroda, ivan nova, Jacobs Field, jon lester, JR Murphy, justin verlander, mark montgomery, mason williams, new york yankees, nicholas rossoletti, phil hughes, tyler austin, Vidal Nuno, yankee stadium

New York Yankees Payroll In 2013 And Contracts Going Fwd Updated Mar.4/2013

Mar 4

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Monday, March.04/2013

You are looking at the #1 and #2 Hits Leaders of ALL-Time for Active Professional Hitters in the World. Having them hit 1-2 in the lineup only makes sense. You might as well have them both retire at the same timeJeter is signed for one more year at 17 Million Dollars plus a player option ($8 MIL) for 2014. The Yankees signed Ichiro to a 2 year deal worth $13 MIL this past winter.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

I am not like a lot of people thinking that there should be a full-scale blow-up of the Yankees current roster this year (past that I am acknowledging this will happen.) They are old and 2013 will not make them younger. However, there are some small tweaks that the team could do in order to make the payroll make sense. 1st priority was to sign Ichiro Suzuki.

The Japanese Superstar was not and Yankees obliged to let him play RF in New York. Adios to outgoing Nick Swisher. He was much too pricey and Yankee fans have to be sick at his lack of production in his playoff career. Swisher commanded a nice 4 or 5 year deal in the 56 – 70 Million Dollar Range from the Indians - and was not a fit into the Yankees current payroll structure.

The Yankees were initially looking to spend just a little over 178 Million Dollars in 2013, but that didn’t happen. At a 40% penalty (for every dollar spent over the 178 Million Mark) for abusing the Luxury Tax Threshold, the team will need to have made financial considerations in moving forward each time they sign another new player. Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano are on the last year of their contracts. Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A-Rod still have multiple years left in their contracts.

I would immediately move Alex Rodriguez to a permanent DH (when he returns to the lineup) - and play Kevin Youkilis at 3B for all of 2013.

To the Readers on our Payroll Breakdowns: Keep in mind these are all just estimates as we are all not forensic payroll accountants. For a better look at how Payrolls work in the MLB please check out this article here.

Derek Jeter Highlights:

Posted in MLB Payroll and Contracts, The Rest: Everything Baseball

4 Comments

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New York Yankees Player Roster In 2013 Part 2 – The Pitchers: State Of The Union

Mar 4

Posted by nross56

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Monday, March 4, 2013

The Yankees come into 2013 relying more on pitching and defense than in previous seasons. This incarnation of the Yankees will only go so far as their pitching can carry them.

By Nicholas Rossoletti (MLB Reports Trade and Yankees Correspondent): Follow @NRoss56

Allow me to re-introduce myself. I have spent the last three months discussing the Marlins, Astros, Mariners and the off-season trades. I have loved every second of it, and I appreciate my readers more than you will ever know. That being said, today I undertake something that has always been a dream. Today, I begin a journey where I get to do something that the 14 year old me always wanted to do. Today, I take over as the Yankees correspondent, which is a fancy term for a guy who gets to write about his favorite baseball team. Some of my most vivid memories of my past relate to the Yankees. I will never forget the moment that ball fell into Charlie Hayes‘ glove. The pure joy of the first time my team would be called world champions.

Embracing my Dad in a bear hug as we celebrated something that meant so much to the both of us. Since then the Yankees have provided endless enjoyment as I watched a dynasty grow up as I grew up. Now, it has come to a point where the Yankees face their championship window closing. It happens to all great teams, but the question that hangs in the balance is whether the window is already closed or can the Bombers come up with another magical season before this generation fades? We will try to answer that question starting with the Yankee pitchers.

CC Sabathia Highlight Reel:

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

Tags: 1996 World Series, 1998 World Series, 1999 World Series, 2000 World Series, 2009 World Series, 2011 ALDS, 2012 ALCS, 25 Man Yankee Roster 2013, @nross56 twitter, AL Cy Young Award Winner, AL East, American league, andy pettitte, astros, boone logan, Bronx Bombers, carsten charles sabathia, cc sabathia, Charlie hayes, clay rapada, cody eppley, david aardsma, david phelps, david robertson, gold glove award winner, hiroki kuroda, ivan nova, jesus montero, joba chamberlain, kevin brown, la dodgers, manny banuelos, mariano rivera, mariners, marlins, michael pineda, new york yankees, nicholas rossoletti, phil hughes, yankee stadium, Yankees Bullpen 2013, Yankees Starting Rotation 2013

Granderson Is Out For 10 Weeks: What Can Cashman Do?

Feb 25

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Monday, February.25, 2013

Granderson has back to back 40 HR years with the Yankees. New York can ill afford to be without a productive LF for the 1st quarter of the year. I believe they should make a trade to bolster their team. When Granderson comes back, you could always have an extra player for depth still.

Granderson has had back to back 40 HR years with the Yankees in 2011 and 2012. New York can ill afford to be without a productive LF for the 1st quarter of this season. I believe they should make a trade to bolster their team. When Granderson comes back, you would always have an extra player for depth still.

Chuck Booth (Yankees Correspondent/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

The start of the season is starting to look extremely bleak for the Yankees so far. Derek Jeter is coming off of a broken ankle, A-Rod is out indefinitely with (insert whatever ailment here) until after the ALL-Star Game, Mariano Rivera is 43 – and trying to make it through one more season after tearing up his ACL last year, Phil Hughes is having back spasms, Joba Chamberlain seems healthy – (but you never what freak injury is going to happen to him next,) Michael Pineda is still recovering from shoulder Surgery, so what else was going to happen? Add Curtis Granderson and a fractured right forearm to the walking wounded list.

This injury should alarm the Yankees and their fans. The team is not strong depth-wise, as they have been in decades, so “The ‘Grandy Man’ not being able to play until early May should cause New York GM Brian Cashman to explore all of his options. Like I have said in previous articles – ‘Financial Armageddon’ is coming for the club in 2014, plus the team is rapidly becoming older by the year. It is safe to say that this year might be the last kick at a championship for some time. What may the Yankees do to replace Granderson for the 1st quarter of the season?

Juan Rivera hits a Walk-Off for the Dodgers:

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Its A Big Year For Yankees SP Phil Hughes And RP Joba Chamberlain

Feb 4

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Tuesday, February.04/2013

Heading into 2013, Hughes has a Career Record of 52-36 (.591) – with a 4.39 ERA. He is projected to be the #4 starter for the Yankees in 2013. He is 46-34, with a 4.68 ERA for his Career as a Starter opposed to a Reliever – where he was 5-1, with a 1.40 ERA during 2009.

By Chuck Booth (Yankees Correspondent/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

Phil Hughes represents a nice #3 or #4 starter for the New York Yankees – and Joba Chamberlain will be counted on more than ever with Rafael Soriano not being back in the bullpen for 2013. This will be his 7th season in the ‘Bronx for both Pitchers. The 6 Foot 5 native (Hughes) of California, is coming off a decent season in 2012 – after he struggled with arm fatigue in 2011. Chamberlain has had a litany of injuries pile up on his 6 Foot 2, 250 LBS frame over the last several years. Yankees fans all know too well how this man and Joba Chamberlain have been bounced to and from the Starting Rotation to the Relief Corps. I think it is safe to say the Yankees finally have it right. Joba is a reliever and Hughes is a Starting Pitcher.

The Yankees have them both locked up on one year deals for 2013. Chamberlain will make 1.88 Million Dollars – while Hughes will make 7.15 Million Dollars. With an aging offense this year, the Yankees will be counting on several internal improvements amongst their pitching staffs. These two veterans will need to take it to the next level based on their projections of talent.

Joba Chamberlain – How To Be Awesome

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The New York Yankees Must Retain Hiroki Kuroda

Nov 14

Posted by Jake Dal Porto

Wednesday November 14th, 2012

Jake Dal Porto: The New York Yankees are in a bit of a flux. They can no longer buy their way to championships like they did in 2009, for example. Instead, they have a plan in place to get under the $189 threshold by 2014, which certainly limits their spending this off-season. Talk about a change of events. With big names presumably out of the question due to the aforementioned restraint, Hiroki Kuroda becomes their primary focus to resign this winter.

Kuroda is fresh off what was arguably his best season as a pro. He posted a 3.32 earned run average with career-highs in the wins department (16), innings pitched (219.2), strikeouts (167), and ERA+ (126). So in short, his market value is as high as it can probably be which will increase his personal demands greatly.

However, Kuroda is still viewed as a tier two free agent with Zack Greinke and Anibal Sanchez being the cream of the crop. While he won’t make Greinke type money, it wouldn’t come as a huge shock to sign a deal worth roughly $90 million over a five-year or six-year deal. Whatever Kuroda has in mind, the Yankees must figure out a way to keep him around. Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis

Tags: andy pettitte, anibal sanchez, baseball, cc sabathia, free agent, hiroki kuroda, ivan nova, los angeles dodgers, mlb, new york yankees, phil hughes, pitcher, starting pitcher, zack greinke

MLB: Final Fantasy MMXXII

Oct 1

Posted by pwstein87

Monday October 1st, 2012

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Peter Stein: Although the past week may have marked the end of your fantasy season, in many of the most competitive leagues the championship comes down to the very last games of the regular season. Just as many of these games have significant meaning to many MLB times, the same holds true with fortunate fantasy owners. If you fighting it out for a championship in the final days, then read on. If not, check back next week as the focus will shift to strategy and 2013 rankings.

First and foremost, in the final days some teams will be sitting players to rest for the playoffs or giving their youngsters a taste of the big leagues. However, with the second wild card spot implemented this year, these games actually have significance for almost half of the teams in the league. No team can rest easy, including Texas, as teams want to avoid the one game playoff. Ironically, with a now a three game lead, it will probably be the Tigers (7th best record in the AL) that will clinch first and be able to rest players. However, don’t think they will be sitting Miguel Cabrera when he is in the hunt for the elusive Triple Crown title. Thus, the good news is that you most likely don’t need to worry about your star player being benched, but these are the people you need to monitor over the final three days: Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in Players: Fantasy Baseball Articles

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Top Ten Stat of The Week: Team Wins Since The Start of the 2003 Season

Jul 23

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Monday July 23, 2012

With only one World Series Win and a 2003 Loss to the Florida Marlins, it hasn’t stopped the Yankees from raking in wins every year. They have averaged 95 wins a season since 2003.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024)- This weeks installment is actually a top 11. I bent the rules a little to accommodate the A’s. It is hard to maintain a great franchise in today’s Major Leagues. Sure the heavy hitters like New York and Boston will always be sniffing around the top of the league with their huge payrolls, but most teams don’t have the luxury to spend like these two teams do because of their limited revenue streams. In the last few years, the Phillies, Angels and Tigers have entered the echelon of top spenders. Spending money doesn’t always equal great results. The Texas Rangers have only had success lately and were often victim to heavy payrolls and not great results. How many years did Peter Angelos try to buy a contender with Baltimore? He has dedicated himself back to the right way of building a team the last couple of years and it has worked through player development.

Minnesota and Oakland have been run incredibly well for a long time. If this list was for a five-year stretch, you would have seen the Tampa Bay Rays as part of the top 10. These are the small market teams that have been consistently playing well against the big boys. The Twins have only faded back in the standings in the last couple of seasons. The Atlanta Braves finally had their consecutive playoff years stopped in 2005 and they were only mediocre for a few seasons. Right now, they might be the best team in the National League. The Angels, Twins, Dodgers, Athletics, Dodgers and Braves did not make any World Series appearances since 2003. Out of these teams, the Angels have the most wins.

According to the movie ‘The Natural,’ losing is a disease, and like other diseases, (insert disease here) it is curable. Most of these teams have not even struggled in the last 10 years. The Yankees have only won one World Series in this time frame, despite dominating the win total every year. In fact, the last time the Yankees has a losing season was 1991. The Cardinals and the Red Sox both have won 2 World Series, and the Cardinals are the only team to have appeared in the Fall Classic 3 times during this stretch. Read the rest of this entry →

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Top Ten Stat Of The Week: (Active Pitchers Winning Pctg-Min 100 Decisions)

Jul 15

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Sunday July.15/2012

Lester had started his career 61-26 (.709) before he has pitched to a 20-15 record the last two seasons (.571). Lester still leads the active pitchers in Winning Percentage. Photo courtesy of http://www.bostonsportssu18.com

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-Piching wins are given less importance all of the time by the sabermetric community. I am here to refute these findings. A won-loss category is still very important in a pitchers career. Yes there are definite exceptions. Nolan Ryan played for a lot of mediocre teams and that is why he is 324-292 all time. I would definitely say the modern pitchers Matt Cain 78-76 and Felix Hernandez have valid arguments why their won-loss percentages are way lower than they should be. Recent Cy Young winners were voted on more for other periphery stats such as: ERA, WHIP, OBA and WAR.

I often think of Jack Morris when I hear this. He had the situational pitching down perfect between 1983-1993. The man won 4 World Series with 3 different teams. Morris posted a 254-186 record (.577) and he has an ERA for his career at 3.90. At first glance you may scoff at the notion of a near 4.00 ERA before the steroid era. You had to watch his games to see where he was coming from. He was on great offensive teams and would have large run support from time to time. Jack Morris would challenge hitters by pitching to contact. Sometimes the hitters would get the better of him in these lopsided games. If you were a hitter, you were going to get no free pass from Big Jack. His 175 complete games were a testament to his duration. Morris also led the 1980′s in pitching wins. He was just as capable of pitching in a low scoring, close game as evidence by his 1-0 World Series 10 innings pitched win in-game #7 of the 1991 World Series versus the Braves. The gentlemen on this list all can throw complete games like Jack Morris did. All of these pitchers have logged huge innings at parts of their careers. Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: adam wainwright, andy pettitte, Atlanta Braves, boston red sox, cc sabathia, cleveland indians, detroit tigers, felix hernandez, houston astros, ivan nova, jered weaver, joe niekro, johan santana, jon lester, juan guzman, justin verlander, Los Angele angels, matt cain, new york mets, new york yankees, oakland a's, philadelphia phillies, roy oswalt, st louis cardinals, tim hudson, Top Ten Pitching Active Winning Percentage Leaders

MLB Reports Monthly Power Rankings: July 2012

Jul 4

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Wednesday July.4, 2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-We are going to bring you monthly power rankings every month of the season. There will be a few notes written for each team. Please feel free to let us know your thoughts. The Texas Rangers are the top ranked team yet once again, although teams are certainly gaining on the them in the last month. If this report was being done last week I might have put the New York Yankees in 1st and Texas in 2nd. A 7 game winning streak help preserve another month for Texas on the leader-board. There were superior months by Aaron Hill, Jose Bautista, Joey Votto , Jason Heyward and a new phenomenon was born with Jose Altuve. It was a great month for the MLB. With 20 teams within 5.5 games or less for the playoff races, we are sure to see some serious movements in the Power Rankings in the 2nd half of the season.

Standings taken before play Tuesday July.03/2012

July Power Rankings-Last Month Rank in Parenthesis

1. Texas-50-30 (1) The Rangers rode a 7 game winning streak to end up 18-8 for the last month. David Murphy, Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus all hit over .300 in the last 30 days. The Rangers were able to weather a slow spurt from Josh Hamilton, in which he hit .222 with only 4 HRs for the month. Matt Harrison has asserted himself as an ace on the staff with a 5-0 month with a 1.29 ERA, while leading the American League with 11 wins on the year. The Rangers have 6 players going to the ALL-Star Game including 3 starters. Yu Darvish can make a 7th if he is voted into the final roster spot with his rookie campaign of 10-5 so far.

2. NY Yankees 48-31(5) The Yankees have ridden good pitching and a hot bat from Robinson Cano to a 19-7 record over the last month, with a 5 games lead over their competition in the AL East. Cano hit .370 with 12 HRs and 24 RBI in the last month. Derek Jeter is hitting .298 overall but saw his average go from .389 in April, to .283 in May to .232 in June. He still tops a list of 4 Yankees heading to the ALL-Star Game including 23 HR homer man Curtis Granderson. Phil Hughes went 5-1 in the month with a 2.59 ERA and Ivan Nova won his 3 decisions with a miniscule 1.32 ERA. Rafael Soriano has converted 18 out of 19 save opportunities since taking over as team closer.

3. San Francisco 45-30 (9) The Giants went 16-11 in the month and saw a perfect game from Matt Cain, with a few other 1 hitters. The team shutout the Dodgers 3 games in a row in a series last week. The Giants have Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey and Melky Cabrera starting in KC next week. The Melkman continues to show that last year was no fluke with his .352 Average and he is leading the Major Leagues with 111 base hits. The Giants pitching staff has coped with the loss of Brian Wilson and the ineffectiveness of starter Tim Lincecum, by the rest of the staff having career years.

4. LA Angels 45-35 (12) The Angels have been really steady since the end of May. They just finished going 17-8 in the last 25 days on the backs of ALL-Stars Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo and resurgent Albert Pujols. Trout might be the most exciting player on the planet these days and is a lock for AL Rookie of the Year if he keeps this up. Trout hit .367 over the last month and has taken over the AL batting lead with a .342 AVG. Trumbo hit 10 HRs and drove in 28 RBI for the month and Pujols hit .337. to raise his average 40 points. C.J Wilson was good enough in June to be named as CC Sabathia‘s replacement at the ALL-Star game.

5. Washington 45-32(9) Mike Morse has returned to the lineup with a vengeance during the last week with a .484 average. Super Sub Tyler Moore has also hit .415 in the last 14 games with 4 HRs and 12 RBI. Ian Desmond had 16 Extra base hits for the month to go along with 20 RBI, while he made the ALL-Star game as a reserve. Ryan Zimmerman awoke from a season long slump to plate 17 RBI. Adam LaRoche still contributed 7 HRs and 15 RBI despite a paltry .191 average in June. Stephen Strasburg is 9-3 on the year with a 2.81 ERA and a league leading 122 SO. Gio Gonzalez is 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA. Both Gonzalez and Strasburg made the ALL-Star squad. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: a.j. burnett, adam dunn, adam jones, adam laroche, adrian beltre, albert pujols, alex burnett, alex ríos, alexi amarista, alfonso soriano, all-star game, andre ethier, Andrew McCutchen, aramis ramirez, asdrubal cabrera, baltimore orioles, ben zobrist, boston redsox, brandon moss, brandon phillips, brett wallace, brian wilson, bryan lahair, buster posey, carlo Pena, carlos beltran, carlos gonzalez, Carlos Pena, carlos ruiz, carlos santana, casey mcgehee, cc sabathia, chase utley, chicago white sox, chris carpenter, chris davis, chris sale, cincinnati reds, cj wilson, clay buchholz, clayton kershaw, clayton richard, cleveland indians, cliff lee, cody ross, colorado rockies, curtis granderson, dan uggla, david murphy, david ortiz, david price, david wright, derek jeter, derek lowe, desmond jennings, detroit tigers, dodger stadium, elvis andrus, evan longoria, felix hernandez, garrett jones, gio gonzalez, hideki matsui, hunter pence, huston street, ian desmond, ike davis, ivan nova, jake peavey, James MacDonald, jarrod parker, jim johnson, jim thome, joe mauer, joey votto, john jaso, johnny cueto, jon lester, jose altuve, josh hamilton, josh reddick, justin masterson, justin verlander, Kansas city, kevin youkilis, kyle lohse, la angels, la dodgers, lance lynn, lucas harrell, luke gregerson, Luke Scott, Marco scutaro, mark trumbo, Martin Maldonado, Matt Harrison, matt holliday, matt kemp, matt moore, matt scherzer, melky cabrera, micheal bourn, miguel cabrera, mike fiers, Mike Friers, Mike Morse, Mike Trout, milwaukee brewers, minnesota twins, neil walker, new york mets, new york yankees, Norichika Aoki, oakland athletics, pablo sandoval, paul konerko, pedro alvarez, phil hughes, philadelphia phillies, pittsburgh pirates, prince fielder, quintin Berry, r.a. dickey, rafael soriano, rick porcello, robinson cano, roy halladay, ryan braun, ryan dempster, ryan howard, ryan zimmerman, safeco field, san diego padres, san francisco giants, scott diamond, scott podsednik, scott rolen, seth smith, shin-soo choo, st louis cardinals, starlin castro, stephen strasburg, tampa bay rays, texas rangers, tim lincecum, todd frazier, tom wilhelmsen, tony la russa, trevor plouffe, tyler colvin, Tyler Moore, washington nationals, will middlebrooks, wilson betemit, yeonis cespedes, yovani gallardo, yu darvish, zack greinke

The New York Yankees Are Back Folks!

Jun 29

Posted by johnburnsmlb

Friday June 29th, 2012

John Burns: As July approaches, the New York Yankees have one of the best records in baseball with a record of 46-29.

One of the main reasons for the great play of New York has been the long ball, which the Yankees lead all of baseball with a team total of 118 homers. Curtis Granderson (21 HR), Robinson Cano (18 HR), Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez (13 HR each) have shown the most power for NY this season so far, but really the majority of the lineup has been fairly steady al year for this team. Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis

Tags: AL East, andy pettitte, baseball, c.c. sabathia, ivan nova, joe girardi, mark teixeira, mlb, new york yankees, robinson cano, russell martin

Memo to Brian Cashman: “Time to Trade A.J. Burnett”

Saturday February 11th 2012

MLB reports – Jonathan Hacohen: I have been working on this note to Mr. Cashman that I wanted to share with you today. Partially because I haven’t really been working on this note for very long. Also, I never actually planned to send it to the Yankees GM. From the sounds of his current state of affairs, Brian has his hands full and probably would not have much time to read my message. But considering the marriage of the New York Yankees and A.J. Burnett, I think a resolution is needed. Immediately. My solution? Let’s read the letter and find out: (more…)

Posted on February 11, 2012 | Image

Assessing the Value of Baseball’s 5th Starter

Jan 31

Posted by MLB reports

Tuesday January 31st, 2012

Peter Stein (Fantasy Baseball Analyst – MLB reports): People often downplay the value of a fifth starter. For one, they are frequently skipped over, and they are also often prospects or just a temporary solution. However, security at the fifth spot in the rotation can have a huge impact on a team’s success. What I look for from a fifth starter is a guy who can give me 6 innings a game and yield an ERA near 4.50. After all, a start consisting of 6 innings and 3 runs qualifies as a quality start. An ideal fifth starter will eat innings and keep the team in the game.

One of the reasons I am optimistic of the New York Yankees chances in 2012 is due their recently added starting pitching depth. Clearly their weakness in 2011, the Yanks now has a rotation that is seven-deep, with Burnet and Garcia looking to be the odd men out. However, with Burnett’s struggles and Garcia’s durability issues, this is the right place for them to start the 2012 season. Burnett in particular will benefit form less pressure and chances are injuries will present an opportunity for both of these veterans to step up. The best-case scenario for the Yankees is that they don’t need these two and that the top five (Sabathia, Pineda, Kuroda, Nova, and Hughes) thrive. What makes the Yankees so dangerous is that it’s even hard to identify their fifth starter, as Kuroda, Nova, and Hughes are more of the number three type. Given Kuroda’s advanced age, I expect him to hold down the fifth spot with great consistency.

For rebuilding teams, it is understandable if the number 4 and 5 pitching slots rotate like revolving door. This allows prospects to get a chance to shine and the organization has the opportunity to see who is for real. But for a team that wants to be a true competitor, like the Yankees, it is essential that the fifth spot is locked down and that there is insurance within the organization.

People will often overlook the value of a fifth starter because they argue that they will not be needed come playoffs. However, a team better have an adequate fifth starter to position themselves to not only be in the postseason but also be in the strongest and healthiest form during October. Looking deeper into the subject, what really makes a quality fifth starter and pitching depth important for a team? First and foremost, it allows for a bullpen that can be fresher and also more strategically used. Nothing masks weaknesses in the bullpen like strong starting pitching. Furthermore, in the instances where a fifth starter is skipped, a quality arm can be added to the bullpen.

In fantasy baseball, the same concept about the fifth starter (or depth in general) is just as relevant. Even with three aces on your staff, you will need to find innings elsewhere. That’s why it is important to have several options and strong depth, allowing you to pick and choose wise starts based on matchups, ballparks, etc. True for major league and fantasy teams, the back-end starters won’t win you a championship alone. However, they are essential for the team to thrive and realize the value provided by the top of the rotation studs.

***Today’s feature was prepared by our Fantasy Baseball Analyst, Peter Stein. We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Peter on Twitter (@peterWstein).***

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Posted in Players: Fantasy Baseball Articles