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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Half Time Report

Joe Torre acknowledges that his Yankees made it look easy during their run of four World Series titles in five years, in memories that grow foggier by the day. Maybe it was a little too easy.

For the first time in Torre's tenure at the helm of the Yankees, the team has struggled deep into the calendar months of the season.

The Yankees started 11-19 in 2005, and it appeared as though the Bronx walls would crumble before the roster pulled it together and peeled off another division title; with the calendar turning to July, this is unprecedented ground for a Torre Yankees team.He understands why the fan base -- spoiled, in a good way, as he says -- is growing more restless by the day.

In intermittent periods, the Yankees' energy and personality has been satisfactory, but there have been far too many outages, top to bottom, in the lineup.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has said that he will not sacrifice the organization's top prospects -- which include pitchers Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy -- for what could be perceived as a quick fix to help the Yankees regain footing in the American League East. That means that the roster, as currently comprised, needs to find a way to figure out what ails them and shake it -- quickly. Can they?

Club MVP: Alex Rodriguez has led the American League in RBIs in two of the season's first three months and is having a spectacular all-around season, pacing the big leagues in homers. Unfortunately, he says he can't enjoy it all that much because the team is not winning.

Call him 'Ace': Chien-Ming Wang went 4-0 with a 3.56 ERA in June, regaining the form that helped him to 19 victories last season and a second-place finish in the American League Cy Young voting behind Minnesota's Johan Santana.

Greatest strength: If the Yankees could ever get their hitters on the same page and find consistent strokes, they have the potential to blow other clubs out of the water. A lineup that was projected to approach 1,000 runs this year hasn't changed all that much.

Biggest problem: Consistency. When the Yankees have been hitting, too many times they're not pitching well. When they pitch, the hitting falters. And sometimes it rains.

Biggest surprise: The projected first-base platoon of Doug Mientkiewicz and Josh Phelps somehow morphed into Andy Phillips and Miguel Cairo by midseason.

Team needs: The talent is on the team. The Yankees need to figure out what they can do to tweak the relief corps, which shows signs of overuse and general ineffectiveness, but those are smaller bandages on the whole body of the club. The Yankees desperately need to challenge their run of 14 of 17 wins, and July is a perfect time to do it -- after the All-Star break, they won't see another team with a winning record until Aug. 10 at Cleveland.

Oh, doctor:

• Johnny Damon -- For a while, it was another day, another malady for the banged-up Damon, who has seen his reliability improve since moving to the DH role. Damon has battled calf cramps all season, as well as a sore back and a mild abdominal strain that was eased when he had four ribs realigned during a recent Yankees off-day.

• Jason Giambi -- Giambi recently had a walking boot removed from his left foot. He had a partial tear of his plantar fascia while running out a home run at Toronto; no return date has been announced.

• Phil Hughes -- The organization's top pitching prospect suffered a strained left hamstring while pitching a no-hitter on May 1 at Texas, then rolled his left ankle while performing conditioning drills and had a severe sprain. He has resumed throwing.

• Derek Jeter -- Ice has been his friend this season, as Jeter consistently makes himself available for the lineup. A left hip flexor and knee tendinitis have been among his ailments.

• Jeff Karstens -- Karstens had his right leg fractured by a Julio Lugo comebacker on April 28 at Yankee Stadium and has resumed throwing at the club's facilities in Tampa, Fla.

• Hideki Matsui -- A strained hamstring forced him out of the lineup in the season's first homestand, but he returned on April 23 at Tampa.

• Mientkiewicz -- He was steamrolled by Boston's Mike Lowell on a play at first base at Fenway Park on June 2, suffering a concussion and a fractured right wrist. He is targeting an Aug. 1 return.

• Mike Mussina -- Moose suffered a strained left hamstring in an April 12 start at Minnesota and missed three weeks.

• Carl Pavano -- The hurler's career with the Yankees is likely over after undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery in early June. The club's $39.95 million investment yielded just 19 starts and six victories, including one in two starts this season.

• Jorge Posada -- The catcher has quietly been gritting through pain in his right knee that Torre periodically reports is "barking."

• Darrell Rasner -- The hurler fractured his right index finger on a ball hit back to him at Shea Stadium by the Mets' Endy Chavez. The right-hander is slated to resume throwing in early July.

He said it: "We've got a group of guys here that we have to win with. If they make changes, they make changes, but we can't sit around here and think about players who aren't here. Guys need to do the job."
-- Jeter

Mark your calendar: Aug. 10-12 at Cleveland; Aug. 28-30 vs. Boston; Sept. 14-16 at Boston; Sept. 28-30 at Baltimore

Fearless second-half prediction: Thinking back to their string of 14 victories in 17 games in June, the Yankees have at least one more similar run left in them this season. Two runs of that nature would vault them right back into serious contention.

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Labels: 2007, preview, review, Yankees

Posted by Steve Kenul at 7:51 PM

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STAT	NAME	#
AVG	D. Jeter, R. Cano	.317
HITS	D. Jeter, R. Cano	145
HR	M. Teixeira	29
RBI	M. Teixeira	84
SB	B. Gardner, D. Jeter	20
W	C. Sabathia	12
ERA	A. Burnett	3.71
KO	A. Burnett	130
IP	C. Sabathia	162.2
SV	M. Rivera	34

Pos.	NAME	#
1	N. Ryan	5,714
55	D. Martinez	2,149
56	A. Pettitte	2,105
159	C. Sabathia	1,516
201	A. Burnett	1,408
439	M. Rivera	989

Pos.	NAME	#
1	H. Aaron	755
8	M. McGwire	583
9	A. Rodriguez	574
221	J. Posada	236
229	M. Teixeira	232
246	D. Jeter	219
274	J. Damon	205
517	H. Matsui	129
554	N. Swisher	122
845	X. Nady	87
922	R. Cano	80

STAT	NAME	#	YEAR
BATTING
AVG	Ruth	.393	1923
G	Matsui	163	2003
AB	Soriano	696	2002
HITS	Mattingly	238	1986
1B	Sax	171	1989
2B	Mattingly	53	1986
3B	Combs	23	1927
HR	Maris	61	1961
TB	Ruth	457	1921
RBI	Gehrig	184	1931
R	Ruth	177	1921
OBP	Ruth	.544	1923
SLG	Ruth	.847	1920
OPS	Ruth	1.379	1920
SB	Henderson	93	1988
BB	Ruth	148	1923
SO	Soriano	157	2002
PITCHING
GS	Chesbro	51	1904
G	Quantrill	86	2002
CG	Chesbro	48	1904
W	Chesbro	41	1904
L	Lake	22	1908
WPCT	Guirdy	.893	1978
ERA	Chandler	1.64	1943
SHo	Guidry	9	1978
KO	Guidry	248	1978
IP	Chesbro	454.0	1904
BB	Byrne	179	1949
SV	RIVERA	53	2004
HBP	Warhop	26	1909
WP	Leary	23	1990

STAT	NAME	#
BATTING
AVG	Ruth	.349
G	Mantle	2401
AB	Mantle	8102
HITS	Gehrig	2721
1B	Jeter	1570
2B	Gehrig	534
3B	Gehrig	163
HR	Ruth	659
TB	Ruth	5131
RBI	Gehrig	1995
R	Ruth	1959
OBP	Ruth	.484
SLG	Ruth	.711
OPS	Ruth	1.195
SB	Henderson	326
BB	Ruth	1852
SO	Mantle	1710
PITCHING
GS	W. Ford	438
G	Rivera	720
CG	Ruffing	261
W	W. Ford	236
L	Stottlemyer	139
WPCT	Chandler	.717
ERA	Gossage	2.14
SHo	W. Ford	45
KO	W. Ford	1956
IP	W. Ford	3170.3
BB	Gomez	1090
SV	Rivera	413
HBP	Warhop	114
WP	W. Ford	75

Retired Numbers

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1 Billy Martin

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Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989) was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who was best known as the manager of the New York Yankees five different times. He won two American League championships and the 1977 World Series as their manager, and led four different AL teams to division championships. Martin was known for his ability to win with any team, and for arguing animatedly with umpires, including a widely parodied routine in which he kicked dust on their feet, but he was criticized for not getting along with veteran players, burning out young pitchers, and drinking too much.

2 Derek Jeter (coming soon)

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Derek Sanderson Jeter (born June 26, 1974) is an American Major League Baseball player. Jeter is a seven-time All-Star shortstop and the current captain of the New York Yankees. Jeter has spent his whole career with the New York Yankees, starting in 1995 when he was 21 years old. He has won the American League Rookie of the Year Award, the All-Star Game MVP Award , the World Series MVP Award, a Silver Slugger Award and three Gold Glove Awards. His .317 career batting average through the 2006 season ranks him with the 6th highest lifetime batting average of all active baseball players. He has been in the top seven in the American League in both hits and runs scored for nine of the past ten years. So far in the 2000s he is second in the major leagues in hits (927), sixth in runs (551), and fifteenth in batting average (.311).

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3 Babe Ruth

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George Herman "Babe" Ruth was an American original, baseball's first great slugger and the most celebrated athlete of his time. The southpaw hurler debuted with the Red Sox, winning 89 games in six years while setting the World Series record for consecutive scoreless innings. "The Sultan of Swat" converted to the outfield full-time after his sale to the Yankees in 1920 and led New York to seven American League pennants and four World Series titles. He finished with 714 home runs, leading the league 12 times, including a remarkable 60 round-trippers in 1927.

4 Lou Gehrig

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Lou Gehrig teamed with Babe Ruth to form baseball's most devastating hitting tandem ever. "The Iron Horse" had 13 consecutive seasons with both 100 runs scored and 100 RBI, averaging 139 runs and 148 RBI; set an American League mark with 184 RBI in 1931; hit a record 23 grand slams; and won the 1934 Triple Crown. His .361 batting average in seven World Series led the Yankees to six titles. A true gentleman and a tragic figure, Gehrig's consecutive games played streak ended at 2,130 when he was felled by a disease that later carried his own name.

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5 Joe DiMaggio

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Joe DiMaggio is remembered as one of the game's most graceful athletes - a "picture player" both at bat and in center field. Many rate his 56-consecutive-game hitting streak in 1941 as the top baseball feat of all time. "The Yankee Clipper" used an unusually wide stance in winning two batting championships and three MVP awards. In 13 seasons he amassed 361 homers, averaged 118 RBI annually and compiled a .325 lifetime batting mark. At baseball's 1969 Centennial Celebration, he was named the game's greatest living player.

6 Joe Torre (coming soon)

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Torre was named manager of the Yankees on November 2, 1995. Though he had never played or managed in the American League, and the New York City press greeted him with headlines such as "Clueless Joe", it was with the Yankees that he enjoyed the greatest success of his managerial career, leading the "Bronx Bombers" to the playoffs in each of his eleven seasons (1996-2006) with the club. In 1996, Torre, building on the Yankees' Wild Card berth in 1995, made his first-ever trip to the Fall Classic, leading the Yankees to their first World Series since 1981, defeating the Braves. After losing to the Cleveland Indians in the AL playoffs in 1997, the team won three straight World Series titles from 1998-2000, and additional American League pennants in 2001 and 2003. On May 12, 2003, he won his 1,500th game.

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7 Mickey Mantle

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Mickey Mantle was a star from the start, parlaying a talent for the game and boyish good looks into iconic status. In spite of a series of devastating injuries, Mantle accumulated a long list of impressive accomplishments, finishing his 18-year career with 536 home runs and a .298 batting average. The switch-hitting "Commerce Comet" won three MVP awards (1956, ’57, ’62) and a Triple Crown (1956). He contributed to 12 pennants and seven World Series titles in his first 14 seasons, while establishing numerous World Series records, including most home runs (18).

8 Yogi Berra

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Perhaps one of the most popular players in major league history, Yogi Berra was also a brilliant catcher and dominant hitter during his 19-year career with the New York Yankees. Berra was named to the American League All-Star team every year from 1948 to 1962. He topped the 100-RBI mark four years in a row and became a three-time American League MVP in a career that featured 14 league pennants and 10 World Series championships. Known for his “Yogi-isms,” Berra has always been a fan favorite. Following his playing career, Yogi continued in baseball as a manager and coach for several teams.

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8 Bill Dickey

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As famed sportswriter Dan Daniel once said, "Bill Dickey isn't just a catcher, he's a ball club." A key performer for the Yankees on eight American League pennant-winners and seven World Series champions, the expert handler of pitchers with the deadly accurate throwing-arm was also a clutch hitter, batting over .300 in 10 of his first 11 full seasons. Known for his durability, he set an American League record by catching 100 or more games 13 years in a row. He finished his 17-year career with a .313 batting average.

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9 Roger Maris

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Broke Babe Ruth's single-season home run record with 61 in 1961, a record which stood until 1998…Won the AL MVP Award in 1960 and 1961…Holds Al record for most home runs in a season (61 in 1961...Holds or shares AL records for most intentional walks in a game (4) and most homers in a doubleheader (4)…In addition to his 1961 HR title, led the AL in runs, RBI and total bases that year, and, in slugging and RBI in 1960…A four-time All-Star…Won a Gold Glove in the outfield in 1960…Played in seven World Series, winning three rings.

10 Phil Rizzuto

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Phil Rizzuto overcame his diminutive size to anchor a Yankees dynasty, helping them win seven of nine World Series during his 13 seasons, not counting three years lost to World War II. "The Scooter" was a durable and deft shortstop, skilled bunter and enthusiastic base runner who compiled a .273 lifetime batting average. A five-time All-Star, Rizzuto was named the American League's MVP in 1950 when he excelled with a .324 average, 200 hits and .439 slugging percentage. Upon retirement, he spent 40 years as a popular Yankees broadcaster.

15 Thurman Munson

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1970 AL Rookie of the Year…1976 AL MVP, seventh in balloting in '75 and '77… Three Gold Gloves…Seven-time All-Star…Played in the World Series, 1976-78…Hit .529 in the 1976 WS, setting a WS record with six straight hits…Overall, hit .357 with three HR and 22 RBI in 30 post season games… Drove in 100 runs three times and hit .300 five times. An outstanding fielder, Munson made only one error while behind the plate in 1971 (he was knocked unconscious by a runner, dislodging the ball), and went on to win three straight Gold Glove Awards starting in 1973. A seven-time All-Star, Munson hit 113 home runs, batted in 701 runners, and had a career batting average of .292 over his 10-year career. He was also the first captain named by the Yankees since Lou Gehrig. Munson helped lead his team to three consecutive World Series (1976–78), where he batted a remarkable .373 overall (.339 in the American League Championship Series. From 1975-77, Munson hit .300 or better with 100 or more RBI each year, becoming the first catcher to accomplish the feat in three consecutive years since Yankee Hall of Famer Bill Dickey did it four straight seasons from 1936-39. Since Munson's run, Mike Piazza has also accomplished it (1996-98).

16 Whitey Ford

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Edward "Whitey" Ford was the big-game pitcher on the great Yankees teams of the 1950s and early '60s, earning him the moniker "Chairman of the Board." The wily southpaw's lifetime record of 236-106 gives him the best winning percentage (.690) of any 20th century pitcher. He paced the American League in victories three times, and in ERA and shutouts twice. The 1961 Cy Young Award winner still holds many World Series records, including 10 wins and 94 strikeouts, once pitching 33 consecutive scoreless innings in the Fall Classic.

23 Don Mattingly

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Donald Arthur Mattingly (nicknamed "Donnie Baseball" and "The Hit Man") (born April 20, 1961) is a retired first baseman who played for the New York Yankees of the American League from 1982-1995. He is currently Joe Torre's bench coach for the Yankees. Mattingly grew up in Evansville, Indiana and was one of the nation's top prospects as a high school player at Reitz Memorial High School in 1979, earning a brief write-up in Sports Illustrated magazine. However, most Major League Baseball teams avoided drafting Mattingly, expecting him to attend college before entering professional baseball. Taking a chance, the New York Yankees drafted Mattingly in the 19th round of the 1979 amateur draft and subsequently signed him.

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32 Elston Howard

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14 seasons (1955-68) primarily as a catcher for the Yankees… Nine consecutive All-Star selections… MVP in 1963, first African American in AL to win it… Hit 20-plus doubles four times, 20-plus homers three times and topped .300 three times…Played 54 games in 10 World Series with five HR and 19 RBI…Won WS MVP in 1958…Two-time Gold Glove winner…Invented the "doughnut" bat weight.

37 Casey Stengle

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Casey Stengel's distinguished 54-year professional career spanned the era from Christy Mathewson to Mickey Mantle. He batted .284 over 14 seasons in the majors and accounted for both Giant victories in the 1923 World Series by hitting home runs. It was as a colorful and successful manager, though, that he earned Hall of Fame recognition. His feat of guiding the Yankees to 10 pennants and seven world titles in a 12-year span ranks as one of the most remarkable managerial accomplishments of all time.

42 Mariano Rivera (coming soon)

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Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969 in Panama City, Panama) is a relief pitcher for Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. He has the 4th most regular season career saves in Major League history, is the American League career leader, and has won 4 World Series titles with the Yankees. He is the all-time Major League postseason leader in saves and ERA. Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera is frequently referred to as the greatest postseason relief pitcher of all time, and is often considered to be the greatest closer in baseball history.

44 Reggie Jackson

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Reggie Jackson earned the nickname "Mr. October" for his World Series heroics with both the A's and Yankees. In 27 Fall Classic games, he amassed 10 home runs - including four in consecutive at-bats - 24 RBI and a .357 batting average. As one of the game's premier power hitters, he blasted 563 career round-trippers. A terrific player in the clutch and an intimidating cleanup hitter, Jackson compiled a lifetime slugging percentage of .490 and earned American League MVP honors in 1973.

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49 Ron Guidry

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Although Guidry won over 20 games three times in his career, he is remembered for having one of the greatest single seasons ever. He was 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA in 1978, won the Cy Young Award unanimously, and finished second to Boston's Jim Rice in AL MVP voting. Guidry set club records that year in strikeouts (248) and consecutive wins at the start of a season (13). He called his Yankee-record 18 strikeouts against California on June 17 of that season "perhaps my greatest single thrill." He started the AL East playoff game on October 2, 1978 against Boston and won 5-4 in what was "probably the most tension-packed game I ever played in." Guidry was named TSN Player of the Year and Man of the Year and the Associated Press 's Male Athlete of the Year, and he made every all-star team. His nine shutouts tied Babe Ruth's AL record for a lefthander. During the 1970s, Yankee management made a policy of acquiring pitchers through trades and free agent signings. As a result, Guidry did not find a regular place in the Yankee rotation until 1977, when he was 26 years old. Even then, there were those who felt that the 5'11" 160-lb lefty was too small to pitch effectively and last in the major leagues. Guidry dispelled the notion by going 16-7 that year and perfecting the wicked slider that became his bread and butter pitch. He went on to lead the majors in victories from 1977 through 1987 with 168, posting records of 18-8 (1979), 21-9 (1983), and 22-6 (1985). He is fourth on the all-time Yankee victory list (170), second in strikeouts (1,778), sixth in games and innings, and tied for sixth in shutouts (26). Guidry compiled a 5-2 postseason record, 3-1 in World Series play.

51 Bernie Williams (coming soon)

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Bernabé "Bernie" Williams Figueroa (born September 13, 1968, in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is an outfielder for the New York Yankees and a guitar-playing jazz recording artist. A switch hitter, Williams has played his entire career (1991-present) with the New York Yankees. As of December 2006, he is 9th of all active players lifetime in doubles (449), and 10th in runs scored (1,366), singles (1,545), and times on base (3,444). He is Major League Baseball's all-time leader in postseason home runs (22) and runs batted in (80). He trails only Lou Gehrig's 534 for lifetime doubles as a Yankee. His batting average through 2006 is 16 points higher against lefties than against righties.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

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