Y’all might remember a year ago when I left 6P8OBabyJoba in Conor’s hands for a week and a half while I traveled to Guatemala. And this past summer I did the same thing while out of town at a business conference. Well, tomorrow I’m leaving even before the day’s papers hit your doorstep. I’m off to Peru until March 21st, and then I’ll be back with updates, Dayn Perry complaints, and predictions of Joba throwing 34 perfect games in 2010. Conor will try to keep updates frequent, but writing double takes a lot of time, so we apologize for any deficit of posting in the next week or so.

If you’re interested in the 6P8OJoba Fantasy League, email Conor ASAP. (conor@6pound8ouncebabyjoba.com). So long knuckleheads, have a a fun time with spring training.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I always enjoy looking at pre-season projections. Are they always accurate? Fat chance. Is it an exact science? That would be the big no way. Is it fun to check out a players projected stats and see how close Bill James can get to the real thing? Why yes it is. So, I’m going to post the projected major stats of the probable starting lineup and the rotation and compare with their actual stats later on. It’ll be a bit of a projection study. Oh yeah Mr. James, I want to see how smart you really are… (I’m going to guess he is pretty darn smart)

Derek Jeter- SS- .317/.388/.444 with 200 hits, 20 SB, and 15 HR. Not a bad projection for El Capitan

Nick Johnson- DH- .277/.414/.434 with 12 HR, 67 RBI, and 91 BB. James projects another strong OPB season, but apparently sees the power dropping off a bit. I would expect the power to pick up with that short porch, but I won’t question James yet…

Mark Teixeira- 1B- .300/.395/.559 with 36 HR, 121 RBI, and 103 Runs. James is liking Teixeira this season!

Alex Rodriguez- 3B- .294/.400/.550 with 37 HR, 113 RBI, 15 SB, and 104 Runs

Jorge Posada- C- .276/.372/.467 with 18 HR, 74 RBI, and 1 SB!

Robinson Cano- 2B- .309/.347/.489 with 20 HR, 87 RBI, 193 hits, and 32 walks (2 more than last season…)

Nick Swisher- RF- .247/.365/.467 with 26 HR, 80 RBI, and 90 walks

Curtis Granderson- LF/CF- .275/.353/.491 with 27 HR, 76 RBI, 106 runs, and 17 SB.

Brett Gardner- CF/LF- .277/.368/.375 with 3 HR, 28 RBI, 63 runs, and 36 SB. If Gardy can get on at a .368 clip, he’ll be set.

Rotation-
CC Sabathia- 3.40 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, .303 BABIP, 238 IP, and 202 Ks

AJ Burnett- 3.75 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, .306 BABIP, 223 IP, and 217 Ks

Andy Pettitte- 3.91 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, .319 BABIP, 198 IP, and 150 Ks

Javier Vazquez- 3.60 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .308 BABIP, 215 IP, and 204 Ks

Joba Chamberlain- 3.94 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, .327 BABIP, 176 IP, and 190 Ks (CHONE projects him to start a grand total of 0 games. Ok…)

Phil Hughes- I’m going with CHONE here, because they project him as a starter. Bill James projects him as a reliever. 4.03 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .303 BABIP, 116 IP, and 109 K.

Bullpen-

Mariano Rivera- 2.12 ERA, .99 WHIP, .289 BABIP, 66 Ks, and 12 BB

Consider yourself to be in the hot seat Bill.

Some writers are good, others are bad, and some are, well, somewhere between the 2009 Pirates and the 1962 Mets. One such writer is Dayn Perry, who just authored a piece on why he thinks the Yanks won’t repeat. His first reason for Yankee faliure is a “lower baseline.” Using run differentials, he says the Yanks only should have won 95 games, rather than 103, in ‘09. He forgets that the 2009 Yankees are a very different squad than the 2010 Yankees. Chien-Ming Wang let in 16 runs in 21.2 innings; Alex Rodriguez missed all of April, and wasn’t 100% his first month or two back; Brett Gardner, Joba Chamberlain ,Phil Hughes, and David Robertson all have more experience under their belts after ‘09, and should be ready to contribute at a higher level this year; an outfield of Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, and Nick Swisher didn’t save nearly as many runs as a Curtis Granderson, Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher combination should; Javy Vasquez will be starting 20% of the Yanks games this year, with the smorgishboard (I know i spelled that wrong) of pitchers who started in the 4th and 5th spots now pushed to the fifth spot (and Washington, if your last name is Wang); and the Yanks have an improved bullpen that will feature Chan Ho Park, a healthy Damaso Marte, whoever loses the fifth starter competition, and a now-experienced David Robertson. So Dayn, the run differential from ‘09 will be much different than those in 2010. Sure, I think run differentials are important, but they are a way of seeing how good a team was last year, not a way of predicting a team’s success the following year. A third of the lineup is different this year, and there’s no arms in the ‘pen, and a new face in the rotation; this is a different club, Dayn. Mr. Perry then goes on to talk about how the Yanks are an old, grumpy bunch of senior citizens. It isn’t like they traded out a 36 year old outfielder for a 28 year old one; or like they let a 35 year old with bad knees leave for a a 31 year old DH. Oh, and the elder statesmen of the team, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter, aren’t both coming off their best seasons ever or anything like that. The Yanks don’t have a 20-year old hitting protege who could be called up mid-season. It isn’t like Brian Cashman has switched out Cody Ransom, Angel Berroa, Jose Molina, and Eric Hinske over the past 12 months and readied Francisco Cervelli, Ramiro Pena, and Jamie Hoffman to be their replacements. No, the Yanks haven’t done anything at all to try and get younger than the team that won the World Series last year. Dayn then talks about how brutal the AL East is. Yes, it’s the toughest division in baseball, duh. But why not write a piece about how the Rays and Red Sox will fall in the AL East? The division is tough, but in terms of who has the best roster, the Yanks are still number one in the East, not mention, you know, all of major league baseball. Perry rests his case with an “even if I’m wrong about everything, no one ever knows what will happen in the postseason”  paragraph. Okay, Dayn, every team has to  deal with that. It’s not Yankee specific. Regardless, pitching tends to reign king in the postseason, and the Yanks have postseason vet Andy Pettitte, a dominant ace in CC Sabathia who won the ALCS MVP, a guy named Vazquez who was one of the five best pitchers in the NL last year, and if either Phil Hughes or Joba lives up to the hype they’ll dominate in October. So the Yanks should have a fine rotation. Add in a bullpen that looks to be the best in the big leagues, and this Rivera guy who is apparently really good at closing games as the leaves change colors, and the Yanks probably even have an advantage in October.

Mr. Perry needs to stop trying to put the Yanks down with half-baked arguments with holes easier to find than the ones in Swiss cheese. Dayn, your arguments have no statistical proof that is relevant, you ignore every counter argument, and you’re just looking for a story that isn’t there. If you want to write about how you think the Yanks will flop, at least make an argument that anyone who has ever been to a ballgame will believe.

Today, the Yankees will play their first spring training game, which truly marks the beginning of the 2010 Yankee baseball season! I couldn’t be more excited, and I’m sure the same goes for all of you. The game (Yankees vs. Pirates) will be broadcasted at 1:00 PM on YES. Here are the lineups and pitching matchups via Lohud…

Yankees-
“Now batting for the Yankees. Number 2. Derek Jeter”- SS
Curtis Granderson- CF
Mark Teixeira- 1B
Alex Rodriguez- 3B
Marcus Thames- DH
Jamie Hoffmann- RF
Brett Gardner- LF
Frank Cervelli- C
Ramiro Pena- 2B

Starting Pitcher- Chad Gaudin

According to Chad Jennings, the Yankees will work in Mike Rivera, Nick Johnson, Reegie Corona, Brandon Laird, Eduardo Nunez, Colin Curtis, Greg Golson, David Winfree, and Jon Weber

(It’s definitely a bit weird to see a lineup without Damon or Matsui…)

Pirates-
McCutchen-CF
Iwamura-2B
Jones-RF
Doumit-C
Church-DH
Milledge-LF
Clement-1B
LaRoche-3B
Cedeno, SS

Starting Pitcher- Paul Mahlom

Enjoy the game everybody!

Joe Girardi is on record as saying that the best 12 pitchers in camp will make the 25-man roster. 12 spots aka 5 in the rotation, and 7 men in the bullpen. The importance of his “best 12″ statement is that Joe isn’t looking for guys that fit specific roles, and he will take 12 men, as opposed to 11 or 13.

CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Javier Vazquez. That’s 4.

Mariano Rivera, David Robertson, Chan Ho Park, Damaso Marte, Alfredo Aceves. Total is up to 9.

Then when Joba wins the 5th man spot, he’s number 10. Hughsie will move to the ‘pen for spot 11. That leaves one spot to be fought over in a good old fashioned Spring Training cage match between Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin, Mark Melancon, Ivan Nova, Boone Logan, Romulo Sanchez, Hector Noesi, Christian Garcia, Wilkin de la Rosa, Jon Albaladejo, Dustin Moseley, Kevin Whelan, Royce Ring, and Amaury Sanit. Yeah, that’s a lot of names.

Now, Girardi has talked about the benefits of having a second lefty in the ‘pen (likely Ring or Logan), but if he is going to take the best 12 pitchers in camp up to the Bronx, I’d say Gaudin’s the favorite, Melanc0n and Nova the close contenders, Sanit an interesting longshot, and Moseley safe, veteran insurance. Let’s remember though, that if Gaudin sticks on the roster he’ll make almost $3mm, which is a lot for the last reliever on a ballclub. Since Melancon is allegedly the heir to Mariano, it’d be nice to see him develop into a set-up man at the big league level this year. Aside from the 5th outfielder spot, this is the biggest make-it-or-break-it fight in camp. Melancon, Nova, and Sanit have the highest upside, while Ring and Logan will come in handy against the Twins’ lefty-heavy lineup, and Gaudin, Moseley, and Mitre are likely to give you league average innings and stamina. It’ll all come down to what Manager Joe sees as the most valuable thing to have in a bullpen.

Edwar Ramirez was designated for assignment to make room for Chan Ho Park on the 40-man. Edwar was a key part of the bullpen in ‘08, but was atrocious in the bigs in ‘09. He’s 28, so it’s not like the Yanks are giving up on a promising prospect or anything. Edwar will either be traded, released, or if he passes through waivers, would stay in the organization. I doubt that he passes through waivers, since he has shown promise in the past, so expect him to either be claimed by another team or traded for a low-grade prospect.

Hey all,

I got an email this morning about people having trouble commenting on the ol’ blog. I changed some of the commenting settings, so it should all be fixed and ready to go! So get commenting!

Adios

I wrote about this a week or two ago, but we’re still looking for a few more players in 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba’s fantasy league this year. We’re playing over at ESPN.com with the 5 x 5 stats scroed for weekly  head to head matchups. It’s a mixed league, no buy-in, and we’re at 9 players right now. We’d like to get up to at least 12, if not 20 teams. So anyone interested in what will be a very competitive league, please email me at kevin@6pound8ouncebabyjoba.com as soon as you can and I’ll send you all the information so that you can sign up.

For the last couple of years, Melky Cabrera had been my favorite Yankee. As you all know, Melky was not the best player on the Yankees, nor the best center fielder in the game, but I just loved the guy. I loved his youthful spark that he gave to the team, his handshakes with Robby Cano, his cannons from CF, his general goofiness, his name (I mean who wouldn’t want to be named Melky?), etc. He was just so much fun to watch. I also just tend to like Yankee center fielders (Bernie Williams is my favorite baseball player of all-time), which might have been a reason for me loving Melk. When I heard he was in the deal for Javier Vazquez, I was very upset. I am still very upset. I miss “El Leche” dearly, so I figured I should honor him by talking about my 3 favorite Melky Cabrera Moments.

3. Melky Hits for the Cycle- I still can’t really believe that Melky hit for the cycle. The last Yankee to do it before Melk was Tony Fernandez in 1995, and I would have thought that somebody else would have done it between then and August 2, 2009. Jeter? Bernie? I guess I just never expected it from Melky. My lack of expectation could very well have been what made the moment so great. The fact that he got the hardest part (the elusive triple) in the 9th inning was pretty awesome, too. And he just looked so excited! All in all, it was a great moment for the Melk Man.

2. Robbing Manny Ramirez- Can you say “wow”? “He took away a game tying HR from Manny Ramirez! Farnsworth can’t believe it! Ramirez Can’t believe it! Cabrera, he believes it!” This incredibly acrobatic play saved the lead in a 2-1 game against the Red Sox. It was such an unbelievable play from the then-rookie. This HR-rob-job played a big role in the “Got Melk” explosion in 2006. I remember how awesome I felt when I got my shirt. Great play from the Melk man.

1. April 22nd- On this cold and rainy April Day, Melky Cabrera launched a Walk-Off HR to break a 7-7 tie in the bottom of the 14th. The reason why this was my favorite moment was because I was in attendance. It was my first time in the new Yankee Stadium (got a ball and autograph from Joba!), my longest extra-inning game that I have seen live, and my first Yankee walk-off experience (live). It was a truly fantastic day, and it only made it better that my favorite Yankee ended the game in dramatic fashion. Absolutely epic.

Well there you have it, my 3 favorite Melky moments. As I said before, I am very sad to see him go. No, the Yankees don’t “Got Melk” anymore, but he sure gave us fans a ton of memories, huh? Adios to the Melk Man! I wish him the very best of luck in Atlanta!

To say the least, he Yankee’s long-reliever situation is, well, clogged. With the signing of Chan Ho Park, the Yankees have 4 viable long-relief/mid-relief options to sort through in Spring Training. These options include the newly-acquired Park, Alfredo “Ace” Aceves, Chad Gaudin, and Sergio Mitre. Contractually speaking, all of the above pitchers are on one-year deals with Park to earn 1.2 mil in 2010, Ace earning 407,000 dollars, Gaudin netting 2.95 mil, and Mitre to earn .85 million. Gaudin and Mitre’s contracts are not guaranteed, so they could be released in spring training and the Yankees wouldn’t be on the hook for their contracts. Now all 4 of these pitchers are starters by trade, but their success has been questionable. The last time Chan Ho Park had an ERA under 5 in a full season as a starter was 2001. Mitre has a career ERA of 5.56 and pitched pretty badly as a starter for the Yankees last season. Gaudin has only pitched 2 full seasons as a starter (mid-4 ERA both seasons), but has had relative success in a bullpen role. Ace, for the most part, pitched very well out of the ‘pen for the Yankees last season (3.54 ERA, 1.01 WHIP), and is capable of making a spot start.

Now, it is pretty clear that the Yankees won’t be able to take all 4 of these guys. There just isn’t enough room in the bullpen to house all of these arms who will be doing (more or less) the same job. At this very early stage of Spring Training, Park seems to be a safe bet to be working out of the bullpen in a mid-relief role, perhaps even a set-up role. He pitched pretty well out of the bullpen for the Phillies last season, with a 2.52 ERA in 50 innings of relief. I definitely see him securing a role in the bullpen. Alfredo Aceves’s effectiveness last season would lead me to believe that he will get a spot as the long-man, or work in middle relief. While Ace can be an effective starter, the rotation is pretty full right now, and his best bet to get time and have success at the major league level is in the bullpen. That is not to say he won’t get a chance in the rotation if somebody goes down… I also see the Yankees keeping Gaudin. While he was effective last season in the spot-start/long relief role, the reason why I see the Yankees keeping him is because he his simply a better option than Mitre. Mitre did not pitch well at any point last season, and Gaudin is more valuable. He gives the rotation depth, while providing the bullpen with a solid arm. With his non-guaranteed money and his poor season last year, I get the feeling that Mitre could be the odd man out.

Granted, I could be jumping the gun here.  After all, the Yankees have a whole spring training to figure all of this out. While there are a lot of decisions to be made here, it can’t be a bad thing to have so many viable options to fill in the bullpen and add depth to the rotation. Like Brian Cashman said (via LoHud), “you can never have enough”.