The bench isn't that bad

by Travis G on Mar 7, 2009 1:31 PM EST in New York Yankees Analysis

Brian Cashman has taken a lot of heat recently for having another roster of poor depth. But I have to disagree. The (probable) loss of A-Rod is more a fluke than anything else. You take the best player off any team and they all of a sudden look thin.

Outside of utility infielder, the bench is actually quite strong.

The two backup outfielders/pinch-runners/late-inning defensive replacements are one of Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera and Nick Swisher/Xavier Nady. I'll go with Melky and Nady for now. Those guys could start on a lot of ML teams.

Nady has a career 108 OPS+, so he's a good hitter and about an average outfielder. Melky's not as good with the bat (84 OPS+), but makes up for some it on defense (with a plus-plus arm) and on the bases.

Jose Molina is the backup catcher. He won't hit much (still better than Wil Nieves and Sal Fasano), but he's one of the best defensive catchers in all of baseball, throwing out 43% of potential base-stealers. That is an absolute asset.

The pitching depth is superb. Phil Hughes is the sixth starter and is having a better spring than Joba Chamberlain. Two other potentially solid big league starters sit at seven and eight on the depth chart: Al Aceves and Ian Kennedy.

The bullpen will have several of the following high-ceiling players 'refining' their game in the minors: Dave Robertson, Phil Coke, Humberto Sanchez, Jon Albaladejo, Edwar Ramirez, and last but not least, Mark Melancon.

Admittedly, the utility infielder spot is a weakness. Cody Ransom/Angel Berroa are it (for the time being), neither of whom have either high-ceilings or good gloves.

Outside of that though, the depth is actually very strong.

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You are looking at this through some pretty rosy sunglasses and I also think that when people criticize their depth they aren’t talking about pitching.

You are right about Jose Molina being very strong defensively, but the problem is that Jorge might only play 100 games behind the plate or less. Then you have the issue of having to rely on his bat too much. Sure he is better than Fasano or Nieves, but neither of them had to play as much. Especially now if Arod is out too then you have Ransom, Molina, Gardner at the bottom of the lineup which is very weak.

If Ransom is indeed the Yankees third baseman, which I doubt he willl be, they are going to use Angel Berroa who can not handle the untility infielder position with his bat or his glove. That would be pretty putrid.

I don’t buy Nady on the bench. It doesn’t make as much sense as Swisher because he is more versitile and would serve the bench better. That being said, Swisher is a very decent bench option.

Melky is not a good bench option. Besides his plus arm he has poor range and I feel you are wrong about him being good on the basepaths. I mean, what lead you to believe this? He doesn’t run at all, he averages about 10 stolen bases a year which would be worse than Paul O’Neil. He also can’t hit, has very little power, and draws few walks. He isn’t horrible, but I wouldn’t call him ideal by any stretch.

Besides that who do they have? There is no fifth option. Considering this is a $200 million team it’s pretty bad that they could potentially have Ransom-Molina-Gardner in the 7-8-9 spots in the lineup and a bench with only one solid option.

You wouldn’t say they aren’t that bad if you compared them to other teams with significantly smaller payrolls.

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by Rob Abruzzese on Mar 7, 2009 2:15 PM EST reply actions

Bench

Rob, I actually disagree w/you about Melky as a 4th outfielder. I actually believe that is what Melky is. He has the arm and defensive ability to play all three spots, and the things he does offensively are fine for a 4th OF. It’s playing every day that he gets exposed offensively and on the bases. Swisher/Nady is fine. The only area of concern for me is the backup infield situation.

by Ed Valentine on Mar 7, 2009 5:06 PM EST up reply actions

Re:

The loser of the Melky/Gardner CF job probably won’t be on the active roster. Melky could be traded or sent to Scranton if he’s DFA’d and clears waivers if he ends up losing the CF job.

Don’t forget, the Yanks have six outfielders if you include Matsui and carry both Melky and Gardner: Damon, Nady, Swisher, Gardner, Matsui, and Melky.

That’s not going to happen. They’ll probably carry five with Matsui – not six.

Also, we don’t know what’s going to happen with A-Rod. They may need to carry another middle infielder if A-Rod decides to play with the injury.

Given the very questionable status of other areas like third base and catcher – they can’t really justify carrying six outfielders. Damon could play CF on occasion and so could Swisher if needed. It won’t be a regular thing, but something they could do once in awhile.

Expect the loser of the Melky/Gardner battle to be playing in Scranton – or in Melky’s case – possibly gone from the organization since he has no options left.

by anaconda on Mar 8, 2009 12:35 AM EST up reply actions

Disagree

I don’t think you can really consider Matsui an outfielder anymore. With his knee I think you will rarely, if ever, see Matsui in the outfield in 2009. Having both Gardner and Cabrera on the roster provides some flexibility. Melky has no options and the Yankees will not simply DFA him.

by Ed Valentine on Mar 9, 2009 8:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Melky is actually good for what he is

a 4th outfielder. we’re talking about the bench here. you’re talking about him as a starter. an 84 OPS+ with decent range, great arm, and decent speed (i say that due to a good SB % and above average speed). iow, he can pinch run or play late inning defense. i very much disagree regarding Melky. he is good 4th OFer.

i’d prefer Swisher to start with Nady on the bench simply for the fact that Swisher’s a better player. he deserves more PT.

you admit Molina’s a good BUC, and Swisher’s a good 4th OFer, we disagree on Melky and agree on UIF. fair enough. but like i said earlier, you take away any team’s best player and they all of a sudden look thin.

by Travis G on Mar 7, 2009 11:40 PM EST up reply actions

Agree on Melky

I have said before I think he is a perfect 4th OF. He has some skills that can translate in occasional bursts, but he is exposed playing every day.

by Ed Valentine on Mar 9, 2009 8:35 AM EDT up reply actions

Defensively I like Cabrera,

and I like having that powerful arm in CF. I don’t think he is as quick as Gardner, but I still would rate his defense as above average. It’s Melky’s approach at the plate that bothers me, .249 just isn’t going to cut it. If he could get back to his ‘06 or ’07 numbers, no problem. In his defense, Melky didn’t put in as much time at AAA (only 223 AB’s) so he still has time to develop as a hitter.

I’d prefer to roll the dice and give Gardner a shot, as I really believe his speed is an asset the offense really needs.

by FrankDiscussion on Mar 7, 2009 5:35 PM EST reply actions

I agree on Gardner.....

..I’d give him a shot. I think some speed would be an added dimension to the Yankee Offense.

Two questions:
- What’s with Jeter being replaced by Rollins in the WBC? Was that injury related or defensive move?
- Heck of a 6-5 win against Team Canada, eh?

"No matter where you go, there you are"

by coops2001 on Mar 7, 2009 5:49 PM EST up reply actions

Yankee management blundered when they did not re-sign
Bobby Abreu. No Excuses. Abreu is a lifetime .300 hitter who gave the Yanks HR power 20, 100 RBIs, 39 2Bs, 73 BB, .371 OBP, .471 SLG, 180 Hits, and 287 TB. A solid, dependable hitter with a good arm in the field. Instead they are “auditioning” Melky and Gardner, a pair of .250 BA singles hitters who lack power at the plate. Is this a bad dream? Who is responsible for this? Cashman? The Steinbrenners? Now with ARod hurt, the stupidity of releasing Abreu is magnified. Abreu could have hit in the 3rd slot ahead of Teixeira, and the Yanks would still have a formidable lineup. Now it is unraveling.
The Abreu blunder follows the Kei Igawa blunder, where the Yanks threw millions down the toilet instead of going after Dieske Matsuzaka, in addition to trading Gary Sheffield
one of their top hitters and got nothing in exchange!
Fans have to question the BAD decisions made by management. HEADS SHOULD ROLL FOR THE ABREU BLUNDER!

by isaac75739 on Mar 7, 2009 9:09 PM EST reply actions

Abreu does not play Center Field so besides adding to a glut

of corner outfielders, I do not know what resigning Abreu would have accomplished.

Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. --Billy Martin

by garp on Mar 7, 2009 9:21 PM EST up reply actions

where to start?

Swisher, Nady and Damon are all better OFers than Abreu, who was awful in RF last year. offense isn’t the only attribute of players.

the bidding on DiceK went above and beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. the sox spent an absurd amount just to negotiate with an unproven pitcher. and frankly, DiceK’s been extremely lucky in his short ML career.

Sheff was injury prone, a jackass, and didn’t want to be in NY, so to get anything decent for him was a good move for Cash. the prospects have to be given time. that’s like saying ‘What has Sabathia done for us? And he cost all that money!’ of course not. not enough time has passed. you sometimes cant judge a trade for 10+ years.

by Travis G on Mar 7, 2009 11:48 PM EST up reply actions