Tag Archives: Raul Ibanez

Ibanez credits Kevin Long for recovery from bad spring

Spring training stats don't matter. Still, it didn't stop most Yankees fans for jumping all over Raul Ibanez when he was pitiful this spring. Now he's off to a solid start, nothing special, his average is still just .222, but he has been hitting the ball hard and is actually one of the more productive players ...

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Defensive shortcomings hurt Yankees rotating DH plan

I strongly disliked the Jesus Montero-Michael Pineda for many reasons.  Pineda’s weak second half in 2011 scared me.  Shipping away a 22-year-old hitter who was tailor made for Yankee Stadium angered me.  Trading a near sure-thing for a question mark with potential made me feel that Brian Cashman’s legacy now depends on the success or ...

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Ibanez isn’t an outfielder

One of the reasons the Yankees supposedly signed Raul Ibanez over Johnny Damon was because of his defense. Yes, the same Ibanez who had a -18.9 UZR last season and the owner of -47.6 UZR during his career. Ibanez wasted no time showing the Yankees why trusting him in the outfield was a horrible idea when he ...

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Jeter and A-Rod’s transition to DH has begun

We've been discussing it for years but it is finally happening. Derek Jeter is slowly beeing weened out of his shortstop position and Alex Rodriguez isn't far behind him. Last night, Yankees manager Joe Girardi started Jeter at DH while allowing Eduardo Nunez to start at short against the lefty and expect that to just keep ...

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Yankees lose in 9th to Rays on Opening Day

CC Sabathia wasn't sharp and Mariano Rivera blew the game in the 9th as the Yankees lost to the Rays 7-6 on Opening Day in Tampa to start the season 0-1. QUESTIONABLE CALL: The Rays scored four runs in a big 1st inning when manager Joe Girardi called for an intentional walk of Sean Rodriguez to pitch ...

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Thoughts on the Yankees roster as we wait for the 1st pitch

At around 3:00 pm today, James Shields of the pesky Tampa Bay Rays will deliver the first pitch of the season to New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter, and let me tell you, I couldn’t be more excited to face a guy who threw eleven complete games last year. But before I get into the nitty ...

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10 questions for the Yankees as spring training ends

Spring training is over, the roster is just about settled, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of questions surrounding the Yankees as the season is about to start. Let's take a look at some of the more pressing questions. Can Alex Rodriguez stay healthy? A-Rod has had trouble staying healthy since re-signing with the Yanks after ...

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In hindsight Pineda trade was not necessary

Count me among the people who thought that Brian Cashman had pulled a heist at the time of the Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos deal. Hindsight is 20/20, but knowing what we know now it makes less sense. The Yankees went on to sign Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte, Noesi has ...

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Yankees sign Jack Cust

Raul Ibanez hasn't exactly had a great spring and Russell Branyan, who was supposed to be an insurance policy, has been injured all spring. So the Yankees, perhaps thinking they needed to re-up their insurance policy, have decided to sign free agent DH Jack Cust to a minor league deal, according to Sweeny Murti of ...

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Lineup Optimization: the Yankees’ 2012 Lineup

Tom Tango’s “The Book,” a sabermetrician’s bible of sorts, has an entire section devoted to lineup optimization. Is your team getting the most out of their offensive players on the basis of where they hit every day? Is your team sacrificing potential runs because they live by conventional wisdom? Read here if you’d like to ...

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