Ian Casselberry on Pudge

by jscape2000 on Aug 1, 2008 7:15 AM EDT

Bless You Boys is probably my favorite of our SBN sister-sites, primarily because Ian Casselberry is able to do all the cool, wacky graphic stuff that I can't, plus he's a fan of comics and old-school cartoons. He's also a talented writer who keeps careful track of his team.

So with Pudge in the Yankee lineup, I emailed him to get his thoughts on our new catcher.

Here's what he had to offer:

Pudge Rodriguez went from indispensable, with the Tigers feeling they had no other choice but to pick up his $13 million option because the off-season market for catchers was so poor, to an expendable trade chip. Shotgun wedding to amicable divorce in nine months.

Pudge started off this season much like he did last year, hitting for a low average and drawing very few walks. However, he was noticeably better defensively, letting fewer balls get by him and throwing out basestealers as he used to. Around early June, Pudge began to drive the ball more, showed more patience at the plate, and perhaps most notably, displayed more power than he had the past couple of seasons. His average climbed from .250/.290/.357 on June 10 to .295/.338/.417 when he was traded.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Pudge's numbers began to improve once Jim Leyland began giving him more time off and alternating him with Brandon Inge at catcher. The pitching staff also didn't suffer much in terms of game calling with Inge behind the plate, which probably confirmed that Rodriguez's skills in that area were often overhyped. Obviously, Pudge disagrees because all accounts say that he was unhappy with his playing time. But it'll be interesting to see if he wears down as he catches more innings with the Yankees.

Thanks to Ian for the insight. Go check out his site (but behave, the Old English D is a quality logo).

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I'm sure there's a lot of truth to Ian's take

But the Yanks filled an extremely vulnerable position for a guy no Yankee fan ever trusted.

But even if Pudge regresses back to being a .250 hitter for the Yanks – that is still 30-40 points higher than a Jose Molina catching everyday.

I’m just hoping Pudge feels a little energized with a new team and really turns it on for the final two months. The fact that he’s a Type-A free agent is also a huge bonus over keeping Farnsworth. Those draft picks are gold these days.

Also, without saying his name, Cashman actually admitted that Melancon is probably going to get a shot in the bigs this season because he mentioned in the press conference the one of the deciding factors to make this move was that there are minor leaguers “pushing their way through the system” which kind of made Farnsworth expendable.

Well, outside of Melancon, Anthony Claggett, or perhaps Scott Strickland (who is not a prospect at the age of 32 but doesn’t mean he won’t get a look), there are no other relievers “pushing their way through the system”.

Plus, here’s what Cashman said to the NY beatwriters the other day about Melancon’s promotion to Scranton:

You may remember Mark Newman saying Melancon might spend the entire season in Double-A, but it appears Melancon forced the Yankees hand. Brian Cashman told New York beat writers today that Melancon “pushed himself up to that level.”

There’s that word again. It sure sounds to me like Cashman is ready to give this kid a shot as long as he keeps mowing down hitters in Triple-A.

And I can’t effen wait to see him.

by anaconda on Aug 1, 2008 7:46 AM EDT 0 recs

Girardi screwed up last night with Pudge

I think Girardi did Pettitte and Pudge a disservice by starting him over Molina last night. First, it was obivous Pettitte and Pudge were struggling together. It’s only natural, and not a huge deal, but in a series opener of this magnitude, I would have preferred Girardi starting Molina—a longtime Angel catcher who likely can better exploit the Angel hitters than anyone else.

Second, Pudge had very little time to prepare a game plan what with his hectic travel. A better thought would have been to slate him as the DH for a day, and then start him with Ponson.

The Yankees can’t afford to give games away—especially games when Pettitte, Joba, Mussina are pitching. Girardi has got to put them in the very best position to win, and I think he missed the boat last night by starting Pudge.

"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will

by Ronster22 on Aug 1, 2008 10:53 AM EDT 0 recs

Re:

By all accounts, Pudge was there yesterday before anyone else and he already knows the hitters because he’s been in the AL most of his career.

It would seem that the only way to work out those kinks and get on the same page is in game action. I don’t think all the preparation in the world would have made up for the real thing.

by anaconda on Aug 1, 2008 4:05 PM EDT up 0 recs

why not 21

It would be right for Pudge to don 21 in Yankee Stadium since he upholds the values and tenacity of the man who exemplified “21” ROBERTO CLEMENTE. His herencia (heritage) as a Puerto Rican was dispalyed when both he and Jorge Posada shared the catching chores in the All-Star game.

Harry Wacke
Nuyorican
"Siempre Presente"

by nuyorican5 on Aug 1, 2008 1:54 PM EDT 0 recs