Matsui in the Outfield?
by nyyrocks29 on Oct 27, 2009 4:01 PM EDT
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PrintI was watching Mike Francesa's show today on YES, and I heard Joe Girardi talk, and both of them seem to think that it is possible that Hideki Matsui can play the outfield during games 3-5 in Citizens Bank Park.
I'm not sure how much I like this idea. The Yankees outfield is bad enough defensively as it is. I see two possibilities to get Matsui in the outfield, and I really don't like either of them.
1. Put Matsui in left, move Damon to center, leave Swisher in right.
2. Pull Swisher from the lineup, put Matsui in right, and leave Damon and Melky.
I really am not in love with either solution here. I'd LOVE to get Matsui's bat in the NL Parks, but defense wins championship. Again, the Yankees normal outfield is awful defensively, since every ball hit to Damon or Swisher you always feel the need to hold your breath. As much as Matsui's bat could help in the National League Parks, is it worth putting someone with no arm, someone who can't really run, and someone who hasn't played the outfield in over a year into a World Series game? I'm not too sure about that. Using my first solution may give us one of the worst defensive outfields in baseball history. My second solution will not improve their bats all that much if Swisher starts to hit, but it also worsens their outfield defensively.
Bottom line is, I don't know if Matsui is still capable of playing the outfield to a "Johnny Damon" level. And I'm not sure if the World Series is the best time to find out.
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Bottom line is, I don't know if Matsui is still capable of playing the outfield to a "Johnny Damon" level. And I'm not sure if the World Series is the best time to find out.
Exactly. Good stuff. The last thing I wanna see is Hideki getting turned around by a Raul Ibanez line drive.
4 more to go......Dethroning a paper champion is all I care about. Yea,I said it. You're Welcome.
by ReggieARodJeter on Oct 27, 2009 4:05 PM EDT reply actions
Damon can’t play center. At all.
Matsui hasn’t played an inning in left field. In an emergency situation (injury), I would stomach it. But that can not be the plan. Besides, we’ll need pinch hitters in the NL park.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
I know
It was just something that is a possibility. I agree that it should not be the plan (or at least I hope not, but we’ve seen Girardi do some weird things).
And I definitely agree that Johnny can’t play center at all. I would have a heart attack if I saw him in center field.
Uhh.....
No.
He can think about it all he wants….there’s no way it happens.
Why would you do that? I mean unless Matsui hits a HR in every AB or something like that, and he NEEEDS to be in the lineup….
Otherwise, why make him play his first time in the field this year in the WS?
There’s no spot for him anyway. Damon’s strikly a LF, like Matsui, and you’re gonna sit Damon over him?
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
exactly
that was the reason I wouldn’t feel comfortable with it. Matsui hasn’t played the outfield in almost 2 years, and I don’t like the idea of trying it again in the World Series.
Although, Girardi did say that it was a possibility, and we’ve seen him make some very odd decisions. Thats why I brought it up.
I doubt it...
even if he said it, this REALLY makes no sense. Not for a whole game.
If Mats needs to PH for maybe Melky (if he’s in a slump again), then fine, he won’t be out there too long and hopefully nothing finds him.
The Yanks played plenty of interleague games without him, why change?
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 27, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
this is the World Series
it’s only 3 games. And they don’t have to worry about injury as much this time because there aren’t as many games left.
Thats why they consider it now when they didn’t consider it during interleague play. I still don’t like the idea though.
But I can say I’m 100% sure that Girardi DID say that it was a possibility.
I'm not doubting that he said that...
not at all.
I’m saying…its really not like Matsui has played so well that we need him in the OF over even Swisher.
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 27, 2009 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions
true
you never know though. Swish has really been slumping, and a couple of big games for Matsui can change peoples beliefs of that, especially if Swisher doesn’t start hitting better.
I think that much more likely is that Matsui comes off the bench, and they may double switch him to keep him in the game, if the matchup is better or something like that.
Girardi...
never “rules” anything out since he doesn’t like to divulge much information, but the only way I could see Matsui in the OF would be for an inning or 2 in a pinch hit/double switch situation so as not to waste an extra bench player. Even then I doubt it.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Oct 28, 2009 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah
Even though I think next season no matter where he plays he probably can play a little left from time to time Joe needs to keep it the way it is.
by HappyLuckyGoldenDragonNumber1! on Oct 27, 2009 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions
No, no, no, no, and NO.
Matsui was a brutal outfielder with two healthy knees, there’s no way he should be out there in the World Series.
It’s not like we can’t live without his 3 groundouts to 2nd base anyway.
by New York Sports Jerk on Oct 27, 2009 5:00 PM EDT reply actions
I think our outfield should be
LF- Matsui
CF – Molina
RF – Posada
This sticker is dangerous and inconvenient, but I do love Fig Newtons.
If Cervelli played in the outfield
every ball hit off the bat would immediately be caught. MLB has officially ruled this as unfair, and the Yankees are not allowed to employ it.
This sticker is dangerous and inconvenient, but I do love Fig Newtons.
by Lord Duggan on Oct 27, 2009 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Cervelli could catch deep fly balls to center
while playing catcher anyway.
it would be nice
if he could play LF, but at this point, i doubt he can. not only would we have one OFer playing out of position, but if Damon moved to CF, that would mean 2 OFers were out of position.
if Matsui is re-signed, then he should be given a chance to ‘re-learn’ LF for next year, but i just cant see him playing OF right now (outside of an emergency).
Have you...
Watched Matsui run to 1st lately?
Painful stuff. Just thinking about him chugging away in Left makes me twitch a little bit…
"Son, Nobody is half as good as Mickey Mantle"
Damon...
Has been playing some great D… guess he saved his legs for the postseason… its a shame his arm couldn’t grow sudden. Matsui can pinch hit but he is slowest guy on the team right now, save Molina (not like he ever has to run but…) … even Posada can chug a bit quicker. I seem to side with the Gardner in Center, Melky in Right crew, at least for a few games.
I'd rather ...
send my 89 year-old grandmother out there. For the record, she was a great semi-pro softball player in the 40s, but a hip and knee replacement robbed her of her speed… Still, she could beat Matsui down the line. I suspect she has a better throwing arm than both Matsui and Damon.
Unless Cashman is outfitting Matsui with a turbo-Segway, I’d take a pass.
"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will
There is just no way
Matsui hasn’t been on the outfield grass all year. Imagine Matsui in RF when all runners on first will advance to third on singles hit to him.
I really hope not.
He wasn't an astronaut! He was a comedian, and he was just using space travel as a metaphor for beating his wife!
by Rumplestiltskin02 on Oct 29, 2009 2:13 AM EDT reply actions
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