Author Archives: Dan LaTorraca

Girardi Wants Johnson to Bat Second

The Yankees are in a pretty good position right now. The roster has serious depth and the only real competition in spring training will determine who becomes the fifth starter and who becomes a setup man. However, people need discussion topics, and now that Johnny Damon is brandishing a Detroit cap, the lineup debate will ...

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2010 Player Previews: Chan Ho Park

2009: The Korean-born Chan Ho Park opened the 2009 season as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation, but was relegated to bullpen duty after recording a 7.50 ERA during his first eight appearances. Like many other pitchers that move from the rotation to the pen, Park encountered a spike in fastball velocity; this ...

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2010 Potential Call-Ups: Mark Melancon

Taken by the Yankees in the ninth round of the 2006 draft, Mark Melancon has posted impressive numbers in the minor leagues, even after undergoing Tommy John Surgery in 2006. While most pitchers struggle for up to two years after elbow surgery, the former Arizona Wildcat has gone on to record a 2.49 ERA and ...

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Granderson Open to Playing Left

Curtis Granderson has a history of putting his best foot forward, and he could be using those feet in left field next season. As it turns out, he would be completely comfortable with that situation: The Yankees have a nice problem to solve, with at least two players in camp capable of serving as the Opening ...

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2010 Player Previews: Marcus Thames

2009: Marcus Thames finished his six season tour with Detroit with a .245 batting average and 99 home runs in 485 games. His best season came in 2006 when he hit .256 with 26 home runs and 60 RBI in 110 games, helping the Tigers to their first World Series appearance since 1984. Thames actually ...

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2010 Player Previews: Randy Winn

2009: Randy Winn was a very productive player during the first three years of his four-year deal with San Francisco, posting a .290 batting average and scoring 343 runs in 666 games with the Giants. He strugged offensively in 2009, hitting .262 with only two home runs in 149 games. Family issues or an undisclosed ...

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2010 Player Previews: Brett Gardner

2009: After a strong spring training performance, Brett Gardner opened the 2009 season as the starting center fielder for the Yankees, beating out Melky Cabrera. He got off to a slow start in his first 20 games, but went on to hit .289 with three homers, four triples and 17 stolen bases in the first ...

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Play Fantasy Baseball Alongside the BBD Staff!

2010 will mark the second annual Bronx Baseball Daily fantasy baseball league. If you would like to participate, leave a comment with your information or e-mail me at pinstripespa@gmail.com. The live draft date is still tentative, but the free head-to-head league will be hosted by Yahoo! and will feature a maximum of 18 teams. We're ...

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Looking at the Lefties

The Yankees waved goodbye to both Phil Coke and Mike Dunn this offseason, two of the more promising left-handed relievers the farm system had produced in many years. Coke posted a reasonable 4.50 ERA and held left-handed batters to a .195 AVG in 60 innings while Dunn posted an impressive 5.6 K/BB ratio and 3.31 ...

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Rich Aurilia Wants to Play for Yanks, Mets

Infielder Rich Aurilia is apparently in a New York state of mind. He recently told Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News that he'd like to play for one final season and he wants to play in New York: “We know nothing is imminent, but hopefully we keep in contact with them,” said Aurilia, who ...

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