NYCurve Yankees Blog

Yankees season update

M. Patel — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:11:24 +0000

Just some recent Yankees news:

Jorge Posada’s MRI yesterday showed that he has a hairline fracture in his foot that could keep him out for three to four weeks. Posada insists that it won’t take that long for him to return. While there has been some speculation about a call up for Montero or another minor league catcher, Girardi has said that Fransisco Cervelli will see most of the opened playing time. Looking at Cervelli’s stats thus far this year, we might just be fine.
The Yankees suffered a 10-6 loss to the hot Rays last night, now falling back four games behind Tampa in the AL East with a 25-15 record. The Yanks still hold second in the AL (and the MLB.)
The Yankees filed a protest to the 7-6 loss against the Red Sox a couple days ago as there was no indication of an injury to Beckett, which the Red Sox claimed there was and took the extra time to bring a reliever out.
A recent poll by the Wall Street Journal shows that the Yankees are the more popular team, but Manhattan is split down the middle. The poll also showed that Mets fan are bigger drinkers than Yankee fans.
A recent Forbes list shows that the Yankees have the most valuable brand in all of sports.

Hughes in, Gaudin Gone: Yankees Rotation is Set

M. Patel — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 15:27:07 +0000

Spring training is not only a time to fine tune your team before the regular season begins, but also a time to finalize your starting pitching rotation before opening day. The Yankees recently did just that when Joe Girardi named Phil Hughes their number 5 starter. That makes the final rotation C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, and Hughes.

Hughes was previously locked in a battle with Joba Chamberlain, Sergio Mitre Chad Gaudin, and Alfredo Aceves to see who would earn the fifth and final spot in the starting rotation. Girardi had previously been shuffling the five pitchers around like he was playing texas hold em poker in an effort to find the fifth starter. In the end, the development of Phil Hughes’ changeup proved to be a big difference maker.

Girardi touched upon Hughes’ much-improved changeup by saying, “We evaluated the whole spring and we were very excited with the improvement in his changeup. To me, that made a big difference in who he is.” Girardi continued by talking about the tough decision he had to make and said, “You try to talk about every scenario possible and cover yourself in every scenario. When we walked out, Phil Hughes was our guy.”

Hughes, who made several starts last season while Chien-Ming Wang was injured, is definitely prepared for the role. He said, “I grew up a starter in high school, minor leagues, even my first couple partial seasons in the big leagues. It was something that I really wanted and I feel like I’m ready for the challenge and ready for the season that lies ahead.”

After naming Hughes the starter, Girardi and the Yankees management decided to let Chad Gaudin go. Gaudin was acquired from San Diego last August in the midst of their title run and he went 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA in six starts. The decision to let Gaudin go will save the Yankees some money since they’ll pay him $725,410 for an early termination rather than the $2.95 million salary he commanded.

As far as Chamberlain goes, he will look to earn the 8^th inning relief role while Aceves should also have a spot in the bullpen. Mitre definitely has some work to do in spring training to see if he’ll make the team.

2010 Yankees Season Preview

M. Patel — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:52:37 +0000

With spring training in full progression, the MLB regular season is just around the corner. The Yankees come back with some new faces in addition to the champions that went down in history as the 2010 World Series winners. Among the additions are outfielder Curtis Granderson and the second-comings of starter Javier Vasquez and DH Nick Johnson. Among those who have left the Pinstripes are Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Chien-Ming Wang, and Melky Cabrera.

While it certainly seems like our outfield will improve drastically, some have raised questions on where the lost runs from Damon, Matsui, and Cabrera will come from. Granderson is bound to do well at the plate, but Gardner (who looks to be Damon’s replacement) hasn’t had much success at bat in the majors and some don’t see Swisher coming through again. Either way though, as long as the big guys can stay off IR and remain healthy, there shouldn’t be much to worry about. Plus, with some younger guys in the outfield with a new team, we may just see some changes in their stats as well.

In the rotation, things look even better this year with the addition of Javier Vasquez. The loss of Wang won’t be felt much as he missed most of last season any way, although he is a good pitcher either way. Rivera is expected to be Rivera and hopefully the rest of the pen can stay at it.

It will be an interesting season as the Yankees pursue a repeat title. We still have a dangerous team, but with some big changes in Boston and elsewhere around the league, nothing can be guaranteed. As a Yankee fan, I still place all my faith in our Pinstripes and will be eagerly awaiting October.

The New York Yankees are your 2009 World Series Champions

M. Patel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:51:38 +0000

And there you have it- we’ve waited nine years and it has finally happened! The New York Yankees have won there 27th World Series! Certainly a great postseason and an amazing way to kick off our new stadium.

Yankees win in stunning fashion through 13 innings

M. Patel — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:24:40 +0000

It was another spectacular postseason performance that featured a clutch Alex Rodriguez and a team that would not give up. The Yankees won in 13 innings against the Angels in game two of the ALCS today after A. Rod. tied up the game in the bottom of the ninth and a misthrow by the Angels in the bottom of the 13th lead to a run driven in by Hairston Jr. It was a great game as the Yanks continue to look forward to what has been the goal for so long: winning that 27th championship.

Yankees looking great half way through August

M. Patel — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 23:00:58 +0000

It is half way through August and almost two-thirds through the regular season and the Yankees are in stellar position. With a record of 74-43, the Yankees are currently leading the entire league with the best record in baseball. The AL East’s second place Red Sox are eight games behind and things are looking great. The team is on fire, with a record of 12-2 so far in August, which includes a 4-game sweep of the BoSox. The pitching has been solid, including relief thanks to Phil Hughes stepping up as a solid eighth inning guy as well as of course the revered Rivera. The offense hasn’t been shy either, with the some even comparing it to the 1998 team, one of the best in Yankee and baseball history. Everything really seems in place right now and hopefully the Yankees can continue dominating all the way through October and to that coveted 27th ring.

Yankees Draft Picks 2009

M. Patel — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:11:47 +0000

The 2009 MLB draft is now over. Below is a list of the selections made by the New York Yankees along with the positions and schools of the players:
1. Slade Heathcott, OF, Texas High (Tx.)
2. John Murphy, C, Pendleton School (Fla.)
4. Adam Warren, RHP, North Carolina
5. Caleb Cotham, RHP, Vanderbilt
6. Robert Lyerly, 3B, Charlotte
7. Sean Black, RHP, Seton Hall
8. Samuel Elam, LHP, Notre Dame
9. Gavin Brooks, LHP, UCLA
10. Tyler Lyons, LHP, Oklahoma State
11. Neil Medchill, OF, Oklahoma State
12. Brett Gerritse, RHP, Pacifica High School (Cal.)
13. Deangelo Mack, OF, South Carolina
14. Graham Stoneburner, RHP, Clemson
15. Shane Greene, RHP, Daytona Beach CC (Fla.)
16. Bryan Mitchell, RHP, Rockingham County High School (N.C.)
17. Chad Thompson, RHP, El Toro High School (Cal.)
18. Hector Rabago, C, Southern California
19. Luke Murton, 1B, Georgia Tech
20. Thomas Keeling, LHP, Oklahoma State
21. Joe Talerico, OF, Brookdale (N.J.) CC
22. Richard Soignier, SS, Louisiana-Monroe
23. Kevin Mahoney, 3B, Canisius
24. Isaac Harrow, 2B, Appalachain State
25. Shaeffer Hall, LHP, Kansas
26. Stephen Bruno, SS, Gloucester Catholic High School (N.J.)
27. Jeffrey Farnham, New Mexico State
28. Aaron Meade, LHP, Missouri State
29. Scott Matyas, RHP, Minnesota
30. Kyle McKenzie, RHP, Thayer Academy (Mass.)
31. Judd Golson, OF, Mountain Brook High School (Ala.)
32. John Ebert, 1B, South Carolina
33. Andrew Aplin, OF, Vanden High School (Calif.)
34. Jacob Petricka, RHP, Indiana State
35. Brett Bruening, RHP, Grayson County JC (Tex.)
36. Ken Ottoson, LHP, South Mountain CC (Col.)
37. Justin Milo, OF, Vermont
38. Adam Bailey, OF, Nebraska
39. Cody Stiles, RHP, J.P. Taravella High School (Fla.)
40. Ben Watkins, RHP, Pittsburgh-Johnstown High School (Pa.)
41. Mariel Checo, RHP, Norman Thomas High School (N.Y.)
42. Danny Black, SS, Feather River College (Calif.)
43. Isaiah Brown, OF, Paradise Valley CC (Ariz.)
44. Evan DeLuca, LHP, Immaculata High School (N.J.)
45. Jeremy Baltz, OF, Vestal High School (N.Y.)
46. Tony Plagman, 1B, Georgia Tech
47. Shane Brown, C, Central Florida
48. Patrick White, OF, West Virginia
49. Xavier Esquivel, RHP, Loyola Marymount
50. Stephen Kaupang, 1B, Cypress College (Calif.)

And All is Right With the World

M. Patel — Sat, 30 May 2009 06:31:23 +0000

The Yankees are finally in first place in the AL East after a 3-1 win over the Indians and a 6-3 loss by the Red Sox at the hands of Toronto. Our current record is 28-20, only half a game better than Boston’s 28-21, so we aren’t in the clear just yet, but looking at the way we have been playing over the past couple of weeks, we are definitely the hottest team in our division, if not the entire American League. We play the Indians again at 7 PM EST tomorrow, with C.C. Sabathia taking on his old team which is starting Fausto Carmona. Should be a good one.

Happening in the Yankee Universe…

M. Patel — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:31:55 +0000

It has been a while since this blog has been updated, but with some more free time over the next couple of months, hopefully I will be able to write more posts here. If any of you are interested in coblogging at this site please contact me via this form. Anyway, here are some updates about the team:

With yesterday’s win, the Yankees are back at .500 with a 17-17 record. We are third place in the AL East, 4.5 behind the first place Jays.
Alex Rodriguez will make his New Yankee Stadium debut today after coming back from his injury last week. It will be interesting to see how he does and how the crowd reacts after all of the recent steroid news concerning him.
Believe it or not, Johnny Damon is actually leading the team in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in as of right now with .318, 9, and 26 respectively.
Phil Hughes will make today’s start against the Twins, hoping to rebound from his dreadful outing against the Orioles on the 9th, in which he let up 8 runs in 1.2 innings.

And some news from around the league:

Manny Ramirez apoligized to his teammates after being suspended for 50 games due to a drug violation. Dodgers’ owner Frank McCourt requested that he apoligize and he complied. It will be amusing to see how things unfold in LA and how Torre deals with it.
The Twins announced that their new stadium will have roof-top seating. The park is scheduled to open next year and the current price tag is at $545 million.
The Rockies added Randy Flores to their roster and designated Glendon Rusch.

Stay tuned for more updates soon and thanks for reading…

MLB News

M. Patel — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:58:40 +0000

Late February 2009 MLB update:

The Dodgers made yet another offer to Manny Ramirez and he yet again, declined. The Dodgers have bid against themselves a couple of times already and I don’t see them doing it again. Manny will have to learn the hard way…
A. Rod. homered in our first spring training game of the year in which he was greeted with a mix of cheers and boos.
A. Rod. has been told to keep his cousin, who is the one that gave him the PEDs, away from the clubhouse and the team to avoid unnecessary distractions.
Ken Griffey Jr. is a Mariner again! It is great to see him back where he started and I want to wish him the best of luck because he is one of the best genuine and pure players of the modern era.
Johan Santana was scratched today due to a sore elbow.
Tim Lincecum agreed to a one year, $650k deal with the Giants- what a steal for San Francisco!

Stay tuned for more updates later, especially after the season gets under way. I am truely sorry for the lack of updates, but I am currently searching for other writers to help keep this blog alive- if you are interested use the contact form or leave a comment here and I will reply back.