Better Player of the Decade for the Yankees: #4 Alfonso Soriano vs. #5

Who was the better Yankee this decade?

Alfonso Soriano or Mike Stanton?

Mark Teixeira beat Johnny Damon 11-10 in the last matchup

Minor Leaguers Filing for Free Agency; Who to Re-sign and Who to Look Into

Key Yankee Organizational Players That Filed

-RHP Humberto Sanchez (AAA) [acquired in Gary Sheffield trade] Good stuff, possible MLB future
-C Chris Stewart (AAA)- Backup catcher, hit .280 with 18 RBI
- 3B Eric Duncan (AAA)- 2003 1st-Round draft choice, a fan favorite who can field the ball and can also hit for power.
- IF Cody Ransom (AAA)- Backup for most of the 2009 season for the MLB Yanks, but also filled in for Alex Rodriguez at 3B for the first month of the season until he hurt his own quad. In 122 at-bats in the MLB in 08 and 09, he has a .230 avg, 4 HR and 18 RBI, and can also play the field.
-OF Freddy Guzman (AAA) [if you consider him a SWB Minor Leaguer, acquired from the Orioles at the '09 deadline], extremely fast, can cover ground in the field. However,very little power. Solid player off the bench.
-OF John Rodriguez (AAA)- Signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent in 1996. Spent time with the Cardinals, Mets and Rays. Good power.

I would re-sign Sanchez and Duncan, because they still have MLB futures ahead of them.
My Players to Watch that Filed from Other Teams

- RHP Clint Everts (*WAS)- Picked by the Expos (Nationals) 5th overall in 2002 draft. Good stuff, went 8-1 with a 1.65 ERA, 68 Ks, 26 BB in 60 IP in the minors in 2009. Just 23 years old.
- LHP Rich Hill (*BAL)- With the Cubs and Orioles, a career record of 21-20. Nasty curveball. Would make a good long relief man or spot starter.
- LHP Chris Capuano (*MIL)- Another lefty with a good curve. Has been hit by some injuries in recent years, but the Yankees could take their chances. I like him as another long reliever/spot starter.
- OF Chris Denorfia (*OAK)- Good all around player, can come off the bench if needed.
- LHP Gustavo Chacin (*PHI)- You may remember him as the guy with the glasses from the Blue Jays a few years back. 25-15 in his MLB career, went 9-4 with a 3.20 ERA for AAA Lehigh Valley.
- RHP Chad Cordero (*SEA)- Longtime Expos/Nationals closer, led the league in 2005 with 47 saves. Career 20-14 with a 2.78 and 128 saves. Could be a great pickup to pad the back end of the bullpen.
Other players to watch: 3B Travis Metcalf (*TB), LHP Javier Lopez (*BOS), RHP Phillip Humber (*MIN), C Eliezer Alfonzo (*SD), 3B Joe Thurston (*STL), 3B Dallas McPherson (*SF), OF Tim Raines Jr. (*KC), 2B Josh Barfield (*CLE).
*=Former team

Walk Up Song of the Day: Runnin Wild

The song of the day is Runnin Wild by Airbourne.

Remember the first 30 seconds would be the walk up music.

Better Player of the Decade for the Yankees: #3 Johnny Damon or #6 Mark Teixeira?

Next matchup:

#3 Johnny Damon vs. #6 Mark Teixeira

*Remember this is best of the DECADE not of the year....and only for the Yankees

Bernie Williams beat Ramiro Mendoza 19-0 in the last matchup

MLB Free Agent Predictions

After slaving over this for many days, here are my free agent predictions! It is separated by current teams. I have written their new team next to their name. A/B=Elias Ranking. To make the list they must be ranked OR interesting free agents to me.

ATLANTA BRAVES
B - Anderson, Garret OF-Atlanta Braves
A - Gonzalez, Mike RP-Washington Nationals
B - LaRoche, Adam 1B-Arizona Diamondbacks
A - Soriano, Rafael RP-Houston Astros

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
B - Davis, Doug SP-Milwaukee Brewers

BALTIMORE ORIOLES
B - Mora, Melvin 3B-San Diego Padres

BOSTON RED SOX
A - Bay, Jason OF-Boston Red Sox
A - Wagner, Billy RP-Tampa Bay Rays

CHICAGO CUBS
A - Grabow, John RP-Cubs (already happened)
A - Gregg, Kevin RP-Baltimore Orioles
B - Harden, Rich SP-New York Yankees

CHICAGO WHITE SOX
A - Dotel, Octavio RP-New York Mets
A - Dye, Jermaine OF-Kansas City Royals

CINCINNATI REDS
B - Hernandez, Ramon C-Cincinnati Reds (already happened)

CLEVELAND INDIANS
None

COLORADO ROCKIES
B - Beimel, Joe RP-Atlanta Braves
A - Betancourt, Rafael RP-Colorado Rockies
Giambi, Jason 1B-Los Angeles Dodgers (pinch-hitting role)
B - Marquis, Jason SP-New York Mets
B - Torrealba, Yorvit C-New York Mets

DETROIT TIGERS
B - Lyon, Brandon RP-Chicago Cubs
A - Polanco, Placido 2B-Chicago Cubs
B - Rodney, Fernando RP-Seattle Mariners

FLORIDA MARLINS
B - Calero, Kiko RP-New York Yankees
B - Johnson, Nick 1B-Oakland A's

HOUSTON ASTROS
B - Brocail, Doug RP-Houston Astros
A - Hawkins, LaTroy RP-Houston Astros
A - Tejada, Miguel SS-Oakland A's
A - Valverde, Jose RP-Toronto Blue Jays

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
B - Olivo, Miguel C-Seattle Mariners

L.A. ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
A - Figgins, Chone 3B-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
B - Guerrero, Vladimir OF/DH-Texas Rangers
A - Lackey, John SP-New York Mets
A - Oliver, Darren RP-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
B - Belliard, Ron 2B-Los Angeles Dodgers
B - Garland, Jon SP-Boston Red Sox
A - Hudson, Orlando 2B-New York Mets
B - Mota, Guillermo RP-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
B - Ohman, Will RP-St.Louis Cardinals
B - Padilla, Vicente SP-Colorado Rockies
A - Wolf, Randy SP-Minnesota Twins

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
B - Cameron, Mike OF-San Diego Padres
B - Kendall, Jason C-Milwaukee Brewers
B - Looper, Braden RP-Houston Astros
B - Lopez, Felipe 2B/3B/SS/OF-Los Angeles Dodgers
B - Weathers, Dave RP-Pittsburgh Pirates

MINNESOTA TWINS
A - Cabrera, Orlando SS-Toronto Blue Jays
B - Pavano, Carl SP-Cleveland Indians

NEW YORK METS
B - Delgado, Carlos 1B-New York Mets
B - Tatis, Fernando 1B/3B/OF-Houston Astros

NEW YORK YANKEES
A - Damon, Johnny OF-New York Mets
Hairston Jr, Jerry 2B/3B/SS/OF-Seattle Mariners
Hinske, Eric 1B/OF-Texas Rangers
Matsui, Hideki OF-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Molina, Jose C-Los Angeles Dodgers
B - Nady, Xavier OF-St. Louis Cardinals
B - Pettitte, Andy SP-New York Yankees

OAKLAND A'S
B - Duchscherer, Justin SP-Los Angeles Dodgers

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
B - Eyre, Scott RP-Philadelphia Phillies
B - Park, Chan Ho SP-Philadelphia Phillies

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
None

SAN DIEGO PADRES
B - Giles, Brian OF-Tampa Bay Rays

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
B - Howry, Bob RP-St. Louis Cardinals
B - Johnson, Randy SP-San Francisco Giants
A - Molina, Bengie C-Detroit Tigers
B - Winn, Randy OF-Washington Nationals

SEATTLE MARINERS
B - Bedard, Erik SP-New York Yankees
B - Beltre, Adrian 3B-Philadelphia Phillies

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
B - DeRosa, Mark 3B-New York Yankees
B - Glaus, Troy 3B-San Diego Padres
A - Holliday, Matt OF-New York Yankees
B - Pineiro, Joel SP-St. Louis Cardinals

TAMPA BAY RAYS
B - Shouse, Brian RP-Tampa Bay Rays
B - Springer, Russ RP-Detroit Tigers
B - Zaun, Gregg C-Tampa Bay Rays

TEXAS RANGERS
B - Byrd, Marlon OF-Texas Rangers
B - Rodriguez, Ivan C-Texas Rangers


TORONTO BLUE JAYS
B - Barajas, Rod C-Kansas City Royals
A - Scutaro, Marco 2B/SS-Boston Red Sox

WASHINGTON NATIONALS
None

If you have any questions on why/who/where or anything PLEASE comment. I like comments and I will always comment back. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks for reading and please show this to anyone you know!

New Feature: Walk Up Music of the Day

Here at The Pinstriper we like to keep things fresh. So from now on, I will be posting a new walk up song of the day!

The walk up song will be as if the pitcher was walking up for it (i.e. Mariano Rivera-Enter Sandman)

Todays Song:

The Kids Aren't Alright by the Offspring

We take suggestions for new songs on our twitter account and our other twitter account.


*Remember: The first 30 seconds or so would be what appears for the Walk Up Music

Scioscia, Tracy win Manager of the Year

"This award is a true honor and a testament to the perseverance of our players and staff," Scioscia said in a release. "As a team, we overcame several obstacles to put together a successful season in 2009." (Photo courtesy of Stephen Brashear)
"One guy doesn't win an award like this," Tracy said in a conference call. "The Colorado Rockies won this award." (Photo courtesy of Associated Press)

The Roy Halladay Discussion

No Doubt about it all fans of the MLB know the simple fact is that Roy "Doc" Halladay is an absolute beast. His career numbers pitching on a team that has never been able to get over the hump are outstanding, 148-76 with a 3.43 ERA. All teams in baseball would love to have him, but only a select few can steal Halladay from Toronto. Our beloved Yankees are one of those teams. What exactly should the Yankees brass look at when discussing bringing over Halladay? Here are the important numbers:

• Highest ERA in a season with 16 or more starts: 4.20


• ERA under 3.80 for 5 straight seasons


• Less than 50 BB in every season but 1999 and 2002.


• 200+ Ks under 40 BB last two seasons


• WHIP under 1.40 since 2001


• ERA career Home/Away: 3.23/3.64 (Unlike most Yankee Starters who are only good home or away not both)


• A slightly slow starter, 4.12 ERA in April, but under 4.00 in every other month and under 2.50 in September.


• vs. BOS: 14-14 4.28 ERA, 4.09 ERA @ Fenway (Better than most)


• vs. NYY: 18-6 2.84 ERA


• vs. TB: 12-11 3.67 ERA


• vs. BAL: 20-4 2.89 ERA


• 6'6'' 230 (We saw this season what big pitchers can withstand)


• My favorite: Still only 32 and you know he has years left in that tank

So the evidence is there, and I was even surprised by some of the dominance. It seems essential the Yankees find away to swipe Doc up, and more importantly keep him far far away from Red Sox Nation.

Better Player of the Decade for the Yankees: #2 Bernie Williams or #7 Ramiro Mendoza?

Vote in the poll on the right.

Last matchup #3 Alex Rodriguez beat #6 Tom Gordon 23-3

Greinke wins the AL Cy Young

Kansas City Royals' ace Zack Greinke runs away with the American League Cy Young Award. Greinke's 16 wins and 8 losses with a 2.16 ERA earned him 25 first place votes. It is a testament to how truly dominant Greinke has been this year, starting the year 5-and-0 with a 0.50 ERA and ending the year 5-and-0 with a 1.29 ERA. (Photo courtesy of AP)

Better Player of the Decade for the Yankees: #3 Alex Rodriguez or #6 Tom Gordon?

Vote on the poll to the right.

Robinson Cano beat Jeff Nelson 12-6 in the last poll.

Bailey and Coghlan Earn Rookie of the Year Honors

Garnering 13 first place votes Andrew Bailey wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Bailey’s performance in relief was solid all year, posting 26 saves with an impressive 1.84 ERA. The 25 year old beat the Ranger’s Elvis Andrus and the Tiger’s Rick Porcello whom received 8 and 7 first place votes respectively. (Photo courtesy of of Chris Lockard)

Out of a substantial list of contenders including the Braves’ Tommy Hanson and Phillies J.A. Happ, it is Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins who runs away with the National League Rookie of the Year Honors. Coghlan had a season average of .321 with 9 HR, 47 RBI, and 162 hits through 128 games earning him 17 first place votes. (Photo courtesy of Lenny Ignelzi/AP)

Joba Back to the Rotation?

Getty Images By: Nick Latham

It has not been more than a few weeks since the Yankees won the 2009 World Series but already the team well known for its off season acquisitions is making a splash in the free agent market. Rumors of pursuing John Lackey, Curtis Granderson, and Roy Halladay have permeated the rumor basins. These kinds of things are nothing new to any Yankee fan who has watched the team make major moves almost every off season this decade. The big announcement that I believe has the most impact on the team, however, is not the pursuit of big name players but Brian Cashman’s statement that Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain will be starters next season (NY Daily News). My question is, why?

Hughes for the most part of the season was nothing short of spectacular in the bullpen. He became the 8^th inning guy that Chamberlain was before the experiment with Joba as a starter. Hughes had a stellar 2009 campaign in the bullpen, posting an ERA of 3.03, a WHIP of 1.12, and striking out 96 while walking only 28 in 86 innings pitched. If the Yankees resign Andy Pettitte and Chien-Ming Wang returns to be at least somewhat effective then Hughes’s presence in the starting rotation would not be absolutely necessary. But, if you absolutely had to put one of them back in the rotation it would be Hughes.

Joba simply isn’t cut out to be a starter with such stringent pitching limits. When he came up in the bullpen with the Yankees he was electric, energizing, and dominant. I watched his first save as a Yankee in a meaningless game against the Blue Jays late in the season a few years ago and the crowd went wild as Joba struck out the last batter on a fastball that clocked at 100 mph. His stretch as a starter ultimately ended with him traveling back to the bullpen so the Yankees management can say what they want but he was ineffective as a starter. Their unwillingness to pitch him during the playoffs speaks to that. Mariano cannot pitch forever and Joba is a better fit for being a closer than a starter with a pitch count.

If the Yankees go and get Halladay or even John Lackey putting Joba back out in the starting rotation would not be worth it if they were still going to protect him with a pitch limit. The only way it would make sense is if they simply let him pitch until his arm got tired the way Nolan Ryan has his pitchers work for the Texas Rangers. Otherwise he needs to be left in the bullpen where he is incredibly effective.

Tournament Matchup: #4 Robinson Cano vs. #5 Jeff Nelson

Who was better this decade?

Robinson Cano (2005-present) 1 WS Win, 1 ASG Selection, 1 Silver Slugger Selection

OR

Jeff Nelson (2000, 2003) 1 WS Win

You choose!

Vote in the poll on the right. Voting ends tomorrow night at 9:00 Pm.

Derek Jeter defeated Scott Proctor 26-2 in the first matchup.

How Are the Kids?

Hey readers, my name is Dan Reiner; I did a couple posts late in the season covering the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. I'm a die hard Yanks, Giants, Knicks, Rangers, Sentinels and PSU Nittany Lions fan. Though I am only in high school, I have complete knowledge of the MLB, and hope to someday study journalism in college, and follow my dream to be a sports writer. I'll continue to write about the minor league teams and players on here, so read up to see how the kids are doing, as well as all of the posts!

Well first off, I'd like to say that DH/OF Shelley Duncan and 2B Kevin Russo were named to the 2009 TOPPS Triple-A All-Star team for their great seasons. Duncan led the International League with 30 HR and 99 RBI, and Russo was third in the IL with a .326 batting average.

And now with the IL season finished and players needing to improve to try to take the next step in the organization, the Fall Leagues come around. I've been following the key players in the Yankee organization that are taking part. So..how are the kids doing?

-RHP Ian Kennedy (AFL) has 6 games and starts with a record of 1-1 and a 4.74 ERA; In 24.2 IP hes allowed 25 hits 23 K and the key.. just 5 walks.
-RHP Josh Schmidt (VWL) hasn't looked good. 7 games, 5 starts 1-3 4.63 ERA. In 23.1 IP, 22 H and 20 K
-LHP Mike Dunn (AFL) has looked shaky. In 8 games, a record of 0-2 4.32 ERA with 1 save. In 8.1 IP, 8 hits but a remarkable 15 K.
-RHP Romulo Sanchez (VWL) has looked solid. 11 G 2-2 3.83 ERA 14.1 IP, 10 H, and a very good 20 K with only 4 walks.
-LHP Zach Kroenke (AFL) has pitched 10 games. A record of 1-0 with a 5.02 ERA. 14.1 IP 13 hits 12 K and 4 BB
-RHP Ivan Nova (DWL), who we saw get a few postseason starts in AAA, has 5 games, 4 starts with a 1-0 record. A 1.05 ERA in 25.2 IP, with just 17 hits 4 walks and 17 Ks is exactly what scouts are looking for.
-1B Juan Miranda (DWL), just joined the league, and in 13 at-bats already has a 5 hits, 1 HR and 4 RBI
-C Jesus Montero (VWL) has been extremely disappointing to say the least. In 9 games, just 3 hits, a .115 BA, and 1 RBI.
-3B Brandon Laird (AFL) is tearing up opponents right now. In 20 games, he has a .313 BA, and is tied for 2nd in the league with 6 HR and 24 RBI
-2B Reegie Corona (VWL) has played 17 games, with a .314, 0 HR and 5 RBI
-OF Colin Curtis (AFL) has played 17 game, with a great .388 BA, 3 HR, 14 RBI, and 2 SB

AFL= Arizona Fall League, VWL=Venezuela Winter League, DWL=Dominican Winter League

Look for some of these guys in trade talks or even on the big club come next season.

Who was the Best Yankee of the Decade? Let's Find Out!

As I watched college basketball last night, I thought of tournaments. I like tournaments. So then I thought: Any ideas for a tournament? Of course the Yankees came to mind! So then I thought again: Any ideas for a YANKEES tournament? Then I thought of one:

Who was the best Yankee of the decade?

-Instead of a 64 person bracket, I decided to do a 32 person bracket.

-Every night at 9:00 PM there will be a new poll on the right.

-YOU (the voters) make the decision of who moves on.

-My twitter friends also have votes...you can tweet @ me here OR here.

-Here is the full bracket

Captain's Bracket:

1. Derek Jeter
8. Scott Proctor

4. Robinson Cano
5. Jeff Nelson

3. Alex Rodriguez
6. Tom Gordon

2. Bernie Williams
7. Ramiro Mendoza


Sandman's Bracket

1. Mariano Rivera
8. Kyle Farnsworth

4. Alfonso Soriano
5. Mike Stanton

3. Johnny Damon
6. Mark Teixeira

2. Tino Martinez
7. Bobby Abreu


Catcher's Bracket

1. Jorge Posada
8. Shane Spencer

4.Hideki Matsui
5. Miguel Cairo

3. Mike Mussina
6. Enrique Wilson

2. Paul O'Neill
7. Gary Sheffield


SO for the first matchup we have the #1 Seed in the Captain's Bracket-Derek Jeter vs. the #8 seed Scott Proctor.

Please vote in the poll to the right.

**REMEMBER: This is based on the stats of the decade, NOT of the entire career of the player**



Mr. Clinch's Bracket

1. Andy Pettite
8. Luis Sojo

4. Ruben Sierra
5. Chuck Knoblauch

3. Scott Brosius
6. Orlando Hernandez

2. Roger Clemens
7. Jason Giambi