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May 12, 2006
With Matsui & Sheff Out...........
What would I do? I think the answer is obvious.
Kevin Thompson is playing well at Columbus. His OBA is .379 (and his SLG is .416). He's stolen 6 bases in 7 attempts. And, we know he has the speed to play CF.
Johnny Damon is banged up. He has problems with his foot and shoulder that will not get better with the beating that playing CF gives him.
The Yankees should move Damon to LF, call up Thompson to play CF, and use Melky Cabrera in RF (until Sheffield returns).
Once Sheffield is off the DL, he returns to RF and then either Melky goes to LF (with Damon returning to CF) or Melky goes to back to Triple-A (for playing time) and Damon stays in LF and Thompson stays in CF. The trigger on which call will depend on who is playing better in the bigs - Cabrera or Thompson.
But, we know this will never happen with Torre.
The fact that the Yankees called up Kevin Reese (and not Thompson) tells us that Joe is going to play Bubba Crosby in LF against RHP - with Williams and Cabrera getting time in RF. And, against LHP, Torre will bench Crosby and play Williams and Cabrera in the OF corners.
But, here's the problem with the Torre plan. Bernie Williams cannot hit RHP anymore. To date, against RHP, his BA/OBA/SLG numbers are .210/.250/.242 - yes, all three are under .250. And, while Bernie has done well against LHP this season - in a handful of PA - we learned last year that he has issues with LHP now (as well as RHP). Bottom line, Bernie Williams should not be playing on a regular basis.
And, while Bubba can run and field well, Crosby (despite his numbers in a few PA this season to date) cannot hit at all as well. If Torre gives him any extended playing time, this will become evident very quickly.
What happens (now) if Damon cannot gut it out? Will we see a game where the Yankees OF is Reese-Crosby-Williams? With Cabrera on the roster, I hope not - but, with the way that Torre and Cashman are handling this situation, I would not be shocked to see Reese-Crosby-Williams some time in the next two weeks.
Won't that be wonderful?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at May 12, 2006 09:47 AM
Comments
"Won't that be wonderful?"
It will for the other team. And let me just clarify what I said about Bubba earlier. I think in the current lineup, his defense (over the available options) will carry his offense. That's not to say I would want him playing every day if an average-to-above-average fielder that could hit came along (up).
Posted by: hopbitters ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 12, 2006 12:15 PM
In the rather bizarre world of Steinbrenner's mind, I often wonder if what George intended when he re-signed Cashman AND didn't fire Torre last winter was to shift the onus of firing Torre to Cash. In the remote possibility that the media would not read Torre being fired by Cashman automatically as George firing Torre. Well, if indeed that was the plan, there's no sign that this will ever happen. Calling up Kevin Reese is either stalling for time while exploring trade possibilities or a true indicator that, after all the hubbub, Joe Torre is "the decider." Every day Sturtze continues to foul the roster is another piece of evidence that the inmate is running the asylum.
Posted by: JohnnyC at May 12, 2006 12:24 PM
Can anyone enlighten me to why Reese was picked over Thompson? Am I missing something? I just checked the stats and Thompson is far superior to Reese atleast offensively.
Posted by: Athos333 at May 12, 2006 01:30 PM
They took Reese because they don't care if he rots on the bench in NY while Bubba and Bernie play.
Posted by: Steve Lombardi at May 12, 2006 01:35 PM
If the Yanks want ANY chance of winning/staying afloat while waiting for Sheff/Matsui to return they're going to have to trust the kids to play. Bernie is D-O-N-E. He can't play everyday, and he shouldn't be allowed to either. He's just going to get worse if he's in the lineup regularly. Let Phillips play, let Melky play, and even let Bubba play.
Damon is hurt, so he needs to not be in CF right now. Put Bubba out there, surround him with Melky and Thompson (I really hate that they called up Reese), and see what happens. Keep Cairo from playing 1B (I don't care if he needs "at-bats to stay sharp." What good are at-bats against a knuckleballer? Yeah, THAT helps you stay sharp).
We don't need to panic, we just need to have some faith. The lineup still has plenty of pop, just let the kids contribute. I'm growing tired of this organization's refusal to trust anyone under 30.
Posted by: Rich at May 12, 2006 05:28 PM