Yardbarker: Melky Cabrera

ST 3/18: Braves vs. Cardinals

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:24:00 -0500

March 18, 2010 Braves vs. Cardinals vs. Tim Hudson (5 IP, 4 H, ER, 4 K) vs. Rich Hill (3 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 4 K) Players to Watch: - Melky Cabrera (2-3, R) - Nate McLouth (0-3, 2 K) Other Notable Lines: - Jeff Lyman (1 IP, K) - Chipper Jones (1-1, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB) Tim Hudson had another good day, allowing one run on four hits in five innings, not walking any and striking out four. He had nine groundouts to two flyouts. Jo-Jo Reyes gave up a run in an inning. Kris Medlen served up a home run to Nick Stavinoha, but otherwise pitched perfect in two innings, striking out four. Jeff Lyman pitched a perfect ninth against reserves. Bobby switched up the order at the top, putting Melky Cabrera at leadoff and moving Nate McLouth down to sixth. I mean, I'm not one to make big things out of nothing, but it has to mean something. Cabrera went 2-3 and scored once. McLouth went 0-3 with two strikeouts. If Cabrera is even considered to be a possible leadoff guy, you have to think about the platoon. If Jason Heyward starts in right and Cabrera platoons in left with Matt Diaz, that means either a different leadoff hitter against righties and lefties or Diaz leading off. I would have no problem seeing Diaz at the top even with the lack of speed, not to mention moving a right-handed half of a platoon down in the order and replacing his spot with a left-handed hitter makes no sense. To clarify, McLouth's career OPS against RHP is .824, while his career OPS against LHP is .711. It's obvious he's better against right-handed pitching. And we all know what Diaz is capable of against left-handed pitching: a career OPS of .920, while against RHP it's .722. Just out of curiosity, Cabrera's career OPS against RHP is .727. So I've never fully understood McLouth leading off all the time, and moving him down in the order could help his production. Meanwhile, a combination of Cabrera/Diaz at the top would get on base at a higher rate. It would sacrifice speed, and the idea of a different leadoff hitter in each series might not fly, but it's just a thought.

MLB Previews (Club Seat Style): AL East

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:13:11 -0500

1. New York Yankees

The poor (as in most of baseball) hate to see the rich get richer. The ‘09 champs did just that by trading for a 30-30 guy in Curtis Granderson and acquiring Javier Vasquez. Subsequently, they lost Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Melky Cabrera, but their additions should outweigh their subtractions. Randy Winn was also brought in to fill the void in left field. Their pitching rotation is stronger than last year as they have six starters competing for five spots, with Joba Chamberlain vs. Philip Hughes for the last spot. Don’t surprised if Joba ends up in the pen and Hughes carries over his recent bullpen success into the rotation. It will be interesting to see what the front office does with the expiring contracts of Derek Jeter and Mo Rivera.

Key Move: Acquiring Curtis Granderson in a 3-way trade.

2. Tampa Bay Rays

Maddon’s club is hungry after almost swallowing a championship in 2008. This year B.J. Upton is healthy from the get-go, Pat the Bat kicked his neck injury aside, and they now have a closer in Rafael Soriano. They traded away Kazmir late last year but that just opened a spot for workhorse Wade Davis. Jeff Niemann is another young gun who had a successful rookie year by winning 13 games. Like the Yanks, they have depth in their rotation. Let’s also not forget about David Price, who should improve in his second full MLB season. The Rays have the quickest outfield in the bigs with Upton moving over to RF, Columbia grad Fernando Perez taking over in center and Carl Crawford in LF in his contract year. If Perez falters, Desmond Jennings will slip right in and not miss a beat.

Key Move: Acquiring Rafael Soriano for Jesse Chavez.

3. Boston Red Sox

I understand that pitching and defense win championships, but that doesn’t happen when the Yankees are in your division. The Sox signed John Lackey to pair up with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester to form a devastating trio in a short series. They lost Jason Bay and failed to replace his bat, though. They chose defense in the ancient, but still producing Mike Cameron. The move pushes Ellsbury over to left field. Adrian Beltre comes in to start at 3B with Billy Hall backing him up. This year’s Red Sox club doesn’t have the offensive thump they’ve had in years past, but don’t be surprised if they are just prepping a trade that will bring in Padres first basemen Adrian Gonzalez.

Key Move: Signing John Lackey to a 5 year $82.5 million conract.

4. Baltimore Orioles

Unfortunately they are stuck in the AL East, however, the O’s have made it known in the offseason that they will not be a pushover in ‘10. They have a solid outfield with superstar Adam Jones prowling CF, slugger Nick Markakis in RF and Nolan Reimold and Felix Pie platooning in LF. Baltimore improved their infield corner spots by bringing back Miguel Tejada to play the hot corner and acquiring Garrett Atkins after an 0ff-year to play first base. Mr. Baseball Matt Wieters enters his second full season behind the dish and we all will be anxiously watching his progression. They added Kevin Millwood to the rotation and Mike Gonzalez to their bullpen but their best addition might be from within, Brian Matusz. The 23-year-old left hander is ready to start and make an impact with the black and orange.

Key Move: Solidifying the corners with Tejeda and Atkins.

5. Toronto Blue Jays

This club is in disarray as they cleaned house and only have few highly touted prospects to fill voids. Second baseman Aaron Hill put together all of his talent and had a monster season, and Adam Lind did the same. Vernon Wells is back in CF for another year but should be dished to a contender close to the trade deadline. Their rotation is led by Shaun Marcum who found his niche in the league a couple years ago, but then had it halt abruptly due to Tommy John surgery. Aside from dishing Halladay, their most notable offseason move was trading reliever Brandon League to Seattle for former first round pick Brandon Morrow. Morrow just needed a change of scenery as he was buried in the bullpen with the Mariners.

Key Move: Doc for Kyle Drabek and prospects

The Yankees Tried to Trade for Denard Span

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:53:12 -0500

Despite a history of Hall of Famers roaming centerfield for the Yankees, the position has been in flux since George Steinbrenner signed Kenny Loften after the 2003 season to help share the load with Bernie Williams. Last season the Yankees got by with Melky Cabrera, but the only reason they seemed comfortable with that was because they were so solid at every other position. It turns out they weren’t as comfortable as they let on, before trading for Curtis Granderson this offseason, according to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, the Yankees tried to fill centerfield by trading for the Twins’ Denard Span at the trade deadline last season. From Sherman: As I reported a while back, the Yankees actually had worked out a trade last July for Mike Cameron, then of Milwaukee, to play center instead of the Gardner/Melky Cabrera combo. But Hal Steinbrenner blocked the trade because he refused to expand the Yankee payroll any further. Now I have learned the Yanks also made a series of attempts last July to obtain Minnesota’s Denard Span only to be rebuffed each time by the Twins, who recently showed how much they like the speedy outfielder by signing him to a five-year, $16.5 million contract. Before that contract was signed, I thought it might be an interesting trade this spring for the Yanks to obtain Span for Phil Hughes. The Twins will probably need a closer with the likelihood that Joe Nathan is going to be lost for the season, and Hughes showed his value out of the pen last year. In 2011, if Nathan were healthy, Hughes could move back to the rotation. Remember that the Twins like Hughes, who was the key piece they were asking for a few years back in any deal for Johan Santana. Span, at 26, would be the kind of young, athletic, cost-effective, multi-talented player that the Yankees have been craving to add over the past few years. But, of course, this deal is not happening with Span signed long-term and the Yanks continuing to believe in a special future for Hughes. Thoughts: Obviously Sherman is right in that the Twins seem to like Span and accordingly have locked him up for the next five years so this seems like it is impossible now. However, it is interesting to see that Cashman had his eye on span and from what it sounds like, he was able to make multiple trade offers in July and we are only hearing about it now. Span is a former first round draft pick who has managed to put up a 117 OPS+ in two years as a Twins outfielder. Defensively he covers a decent amount of ground with a decent arm. He’s actually pretty comparable to Granderson with less power, but more patience at the plate. So it does make sense that failing to deal with the Twins Cashman targeted Granderson. It shows how important Cashman felt the centerfield situation had become, with no real strong centerfield candidate and Johnny Damon leaving a hole in left field Cash made getting a speedy strong defensive centerfielder his priority. Personally I think Span is one of the better outfielders that people don’t pay a lot of attention to and it would have been great to see him as a Yankee. If the cost was Phil Hughes though, I’d rather have traded Austin Jackson for Granderson so I’m happy the way things worked out. It’s fun to hear about these non-trades and wonder how things might be different, an outfield with Span and Jackson or an outfield with Granderson with Hughes on the mound? What’s your take? Related StoriesFebruary 17, 2010 -- NoMaas Interviews Brian Cashman (0)December 4, 2009 -- They’re Going to Cost You (6)March 13, 2010 -- Yanks Shake Off Rainy Doldrums to Beat the O-Birds (1)March 13, 2010 -- Developing Young Pitching Difficult For Yankees (3)

Spring Training Weekly Update: Week 2

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:30:00 -0500

With two weeks in the books and first cuts made, it's time for the weekly update. --- = bad week/worse chance of making team /// = nothing changed from previous week +++ = great week/better chance of making team 1. Tim Hudson (/// ... Giving up hits but is keeping the ball down perfectly. Doing great) 2. Derek Lowe (/// ... Can't fault him for a blister. Just needs to get his innings) 3. Jair Jurrjens (/// ... Looked great in his first two innings. Worth keeping an eye on his next start) 4. Tommy Hanson (/// ... Has pitched a solid four innings) 5. Kenshin Kawakami (/// ... Numbers are ugly but he's getting his work in. Not worried) MR - Mike Dunn (+++ ... Staying consistent while nobody else is stepping up) MR - Jesse Chavez (--- ... Still getting knocked around. His chances are slimmer with every outing) MR - Kris Medlen (+++ ... Nine scoreless innings. Doesn't get much better) MR - Eric O'Flaherty (/// ... Four scoreless innings) MR - Peter Moylan (/// ... Getting his work in and looking good) SU - Takashi Saito (--- ... Five runs in two innings isn't good, but nothing to worry about) CL - Billy Wagner (/// ... Has pitched well since his first outing) C - Brian McCann (+++ ... 8-12, 2 HR, 7 RBI isn't too shabby) 1B - Troy Glaus (+++ ... 9-16, including a streak of eight straight hits) 2B - Martin Prado (/// ... Quietly looking great) 3B - Chipper Jones (/// ... Getting his work in) SS - Yunel Escobar (/// ... Run producing like always, even if it is spring) LF - Matt Diaz (/// ... Cut down on the strikeouts this week. Otherwise quiet) CF - Nate McLouth (--- ... 1-22 with 10 K's. Enough said. Still plenty of time, though) RF - Jason Heyward (/// ... Launched a monstrous homer and continues to rake) C - David Ross (/// ... Looking good at the plate) 1B - Mitch Jones (--- ... 1-15. Probably hitting his way off the club) 3B - Eric Hinske (/// ... Picked it up a lot this week) UT - Omar Infante (/// ... Slowly picking it up) OF - Melky Cabrera (/// ... Still looking great at the plate. Earning that platoon spot) Positions to Focus On in ST - Last two pen spots: On the rise - Mike Dunn On the pooper - Jesse Chavez Mike Dunn has held his own in camp and is one of the few consistent relievers trying to earn a spot. Jesse Chavez continues to look weak on the mound and hasn't drawn much attention this week. Could be on the way out. James Parr got some long looks but has struggled and was cut, as was Chris Resop. Manny Acosta returned to his form in his last outing, giving up two homers, though he's still probably a favorite for a spot. Haven't seen anything from Mariano Gomez lately. - Corner outfield: On the rise - Melky Cabrera On the pooper - Mitch Jones Wherever Mitch Jones plays, he's playing his way out of camp. Melky Cabrera is still stroking nicely and is getting a lot of at bats, earning his way into that platoon. Eric Hinske hit much better this week and is solidifying his bench role. Jason Heyward continues to mash. ST Sleepers LHP Mariano Gomez (--- ... Zero attention. Might be out soon) LHP Jonny Venters (/// ... Hanging around after first cuts. Pitching well) RHP Craig Kimbrel (/// ... Hanging around. Three scoreless innings with two walks) UT Joe Thurston (/// ... Dropped off a little, though he hit a homer) UT Brooks Conrad (/// ... Also dropped off some, but is still hitting well)

ST 3/14: Braves vs. Blue Jays/Astros

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:28:00 -0500

March 14, 2010 Braves vs. Blue Jays & Astros vs.& Braves Starters: - Kenshin Kawakami - Kris Medlen Players to Watch: - Melky Cabrera - Jason Heyward - Freddie Freeman - Cody Johnson - Brooks Conrad - First roster cuts come tomorrow. - Jair Jurrjens and Derek Lowe are good to go.

ST 3/13: Blue Jays vs. Braves

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:03:00 -0500

March 13, 2010 Blue Jays vs. Braves vs. Ricky Romero (4 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, K) vs. Tim Hudson (4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, ER, 6 K) Players to Watch: - Jesse Chavez (1 IP, 2 H) - Mike Dunn (1 IP, H, 2 BB) - Melky Cabrera (2-2, BB) Other Notable Lines: - Billy Wagner (1 IP) - Nate McLouth (0-3, 2 K) Tim Hudson gave up quite a few hits over four innings, and committing two errors didn't help much, either. The errors led to two unearned runs (I've never agreed with that), though he did strike out six and the rest of his outs were grounders. Billy Wagner pitched a perfect inning. Jesse Chavez gave up a couple hits but pitched a scoreless inning (still not what we're looking for here). Mike Dunn gave up a double and two walks but pitched a scoreless inning (also not what we're looking for, but he's looking better than Chavez). The Braves only had five hits and two of them were from Melky Cabrera. Nate McLouth had two more strikeouts and has looked terrible. Otherwise, nothing much happened. Game Tweets: - David O'Brien: Hudson said that his stuff, esp. split & changeup, are so much better now in higher arm slot after TJ surgery, it's "like having a new toy." - Edward Salcedo arrives at Braves camp.

Sucre Blast Propels Braves Past Mets

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:00:21 -0500

Chipper Jones and Melky Cabrera each drove in two runs, but it was a dramatic three-run blast by prospect Jesus Sucre in the tenth inning that lifted the Braves to a 9-6 win over the New York Mets this afternoon as Atlanta ran their Grapefruit League record to 6-3. Chipper went 1-for-3 in the game with [...]

ST 3/7: Astros vs. Braves

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:22:00 -0500

March 7, 2010 Astros vs. Braves vs. Brian Moehler vs. Tommy Hanson Players to Watch: - Tommy Hanson - Melky Cabrera - Troy Glaus - Brooks Conrad Other Notable Lines:

May The Tomahawk Chop It Off

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:52:00 -0500

This is a picture of ex-Yankee, and now Brave, Melky Cabrera, sporting a beard. It looks horrible. Just because you can grow a beard now doesn't mean you should, Melk Man. Ugh. Chop it off. Please!

Melky Avoids Arbitration With Braves

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:31:00 -0500

From Enrique Rojas:Atlanta Braves outfielder Melky Cabrera avoided salary arbitration and accepted a one year offer worth $3.1 million from the club, sources familiar with the situation told ESPNdeportes.com.He made $1.4 million last year so this is a nice little raise. Good for Melky.

MLB Trade Rumors: Dan Uggla to Braves for Melky Cabrera??

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:00:18 -0500

by Frank Franklin II - AP 3 months ago: Florida Marlins' Dan Uggla follows through on a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) View full size photo » Over the weekend, Ken Rosenthal from Foxsports floated a rumor that the Braves had some "mild" interest in Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla. Now we hear from Dave O'Brien from the Atlanta Journal Constitution: The Braves probably have at least $7 million left in their budget, maybe closer to $9 million (they won’t say exactly) and are still considering adding another hitter, possibly a left fielder (Xavier Nady?) who can also play first base. Or maybe a second baseman (slugger Dan Uggla?), if they decide Martin Prado could still be in the lineup regularly at a mix of positions. The Braves could use Cabrera or another outfielder in a trade for Uggla or another slugger. Adding Cabrera to an outfield that includes Matt Diaz, Nate McLouth, Jordan Schafer and super-prospect Jason Heyward, the Braves do seem to have an abundance of outfielders, but none that can hit for consistent power. Offering Cabrera to the Marlins for Dan Uggla would reduce the logjam in the outfield and add the power bat that the Braves sorely need. Should the Braves deal for Uggla, he would play second base and hit 5th behind Chipper Jones and Brian McCann, or Bobby Cox could split them up against lefthanders and bat Uggla 4th. Cabrera would probably play left field for the Marlins until their super prospect Michael Stanton is ready, which will probably be in 2011 at the earliest. With rightfielder Cody Ross eligible for arbitration in 2010, the Marlins could trade Ross at the July 31st trade deadline or after the 2010 season. Dealing Uggla would also allow the Marlins to move Chris Coghlan to second base, a position he played in the minors. The Marlins have been quick to trade their arbitration eligible players in recent years, and I don't see them changing their stance in Ross' case.

Yanks acquire Vazquez

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:13:39 -0500

The Yankees have brought Javy Vazquez (back) to the Bronx in exchange for Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino. The Yanks will also get lefty reliever Boone Logan in the deal. I’m all for bolstering up the pitching staff, and I think this was a good move, but remember what happened in Game 7 [...]

Melky And Wang Are The Least of It

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:04:00 -0500

As regular readers of this blog know, Melky Cabrera and Chien-Ming Wang were my favorite Yankees. Now, in the span of a little more than a week, they are no longer a part of the team that I love. However, losing Melky and Wang are only a small part of how my life has changed this year.For months I've been debating whether or not I should share this issue on this blog. Some of you may have been wondering why I've been so scarce the last few months, probably seeing my mini posts and those cryptic writings about a "crisis" and wondering what the heck was going on.On October 30th I was evicted from the apartment I lived in for over twelve years. Ever since then I have been part of the homeless population of New York City. I live in a womens' shelter and use public computers, so it has been very difficult to keep this blog up. But I am determined to keep it going. This blog is my passion. It is like the child I never had. I want to go on "raising" it, if you will. I want to continue to nurture it by sharing with you my love for the game of baseball.Becoming homeless has it's obvious ups and downs. One of the "ups" occurrred during Game 6 of the World Series this year, when a group of us gathered around the shelter's flat-screen TV (Yes, flat-screen TV!) to watch the Yankees clinch. We all cheered the Yankees on and we were delighted when Derek Jeter raised the championship trophy. There have been more of these moments (as well as many "down' moments) the past few months. I hope to put all of these moments into book form one day. For now I'm keeping a journal so that I don't forget them.My thanks to everyone who already knew my story and continues to support me through this difficult time. Thanks for reading to those of you who did not know. Love you all!

Melky May Have Torn His Hamstring

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:22:00 -0500

According to Sam Borden, Melky Cabrera may have suffered a full left hamstring tear last night and could be done for the remainder of the World Series. Brian Cashman told him that the Yankees doctors will evaluate Melky in the next few hours If he is in fact done for the series, "the Yankees are allowed to petition for a roster change." Cashman also said that the player that would replace Melky would be one of the guys who is currently with the team so I'm guessing they'll add either Freddy Guzman or Francisco Cervelli. More updates to come.