Lee Mazzilli likes Johnny Damon in Center Field

During a yesnetwork interview with Michael Kay, Lee Mazzilli made it clear that Johnny Damon is an above average defensive center fielder.

Before Mazzilli left the Yankees to take on the manager's post with the Baltimore Orioles, he used to work with the outfielders. He'll return to that role this year, and plans on working with Damon on a number of facets of defensive play in the outfield.

Mazzilli feels that Damon has excellent tracking ability, speed, and good "north and south" movement. He also feels that Damon's weak throwing arm won't be a big issue, so long as Damon hustles to get to every ball, hit the cutoff man (usually Jeter) as quickly as possible, and keep the flight of the ball low.

Many baseball purists believe that the only outfielder who absolutely needs to have a strong arm is the right fielder. Makes sense, since the right fielder has the greatest distance to cover with his throwing arm to prevent players from running from first to third on single base hits.

Let's hope that Mazzilli is right and that Damon performs to his potential in center field for the next four years.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Picture of Matsui and Ortiz

I just saw this picture at Paul O'Neill's website.

It gives you a good idea of how big Matsui is, doesn't it? Ortiz is huge, but you know that he isn't all muscle. Hideki is all muscle, and he looks almost as big as Ortiz in this picture.

It was taken by a member of the O'Neill family during a visit to Yankee stadium during one of Paul's broadcasts in 2005.

If you haven't visited Paul O'Neill's website before, you should definitely check it out. There are some really nice pictures of a Christmas family get together that show you how tall Paul really is. It's also nice to see his family members.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

One Reason Why Michael Kay Doesn't Like Joe Torre

Anyone who watches Yankees games on the yesnetwork on a regular basis knows that Michael Kay isn't a huge fan of Joe Torre.

This past season, there was a great deal of speculation that George Steinbrenner had given orders to the voices at yesnetwork to point out strategic and managerial flaws on air.

What many Yankees fans don't know is that Michael Kay and Joe Torre had a bad encounter back in 1996, Joe's rookie season as manager for the Yanks.

From what I recall, Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill didn't communicate on a play in the outfield, causing a ball to drop. The following inning, Torre pulled Bernie but left O'Neill in.

After the game, Michael Kay asked Joe Torre in the Yankees clubhouse about the play and his decision to bench Bernie and not O'Neill.

Torre responded angrily, upset that Michael Kay had asked a question that could have potentially poisoned the clubhouse atmosphere.

One reporter observed afterwards that Michael Kay felt that Torre had lashed out at Kay in front of many players as a way of bringing the team together. It was thought by many that Kay felt used and vilified, unjustly so.

Perhaps Michael Kay and Joe Torre have forgotten about that incident from 10 years ago. But my bet is that the hurt feelings that were created still linger and continue to influence Michael Kay's opinion of Joe Torre the person and Joe Torre the manager.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Cairo Signs For 1 Million

It's official, Miguel Cairo will be back with the Bombers next season, serving as an all-purpose, utility infielder.

After hitting .292 and playing steady defense at 2nd base during the 2004 season, it's a shame that the Yankees let him go, thinking that his request for more than a million dollars per year was too high.

Signing Tony Womack in place of Cairo was more disastrous than signing Kenny Lofton the year before. Womack and Lofton are veteran players who expect to be on the field every day.

It's no secret that Joe Torre plays favourites. Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Paul O'Neill, and David Cone will always be at the top of his list.

But Clay Bellinger was also on Torre's list of favourites. So it isn't just the stars that Torre favours.

If I were to guess, Torre selects his favourites based on work ethic and one's approach to the game.

Does a player run out every single ball? Does he pay attention to everything that is going on during a game, from the field and from the bench? Does he practice hard? Does he listen to his coaches and manager?

Guys like Tony Womack and Kenny Lofton may have performed better for the Yankees had they received more playing time. But for one or more reasons, they never earned the right to have regular playing time from Torre.

Signing Miguel Cairo is a good move for the Yanks. He's a solid player and has good work ethic. He's also excellent insurance just in case Robinson Cano experiences a sophomore slump.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

A Brief History Of Hideki Matsui

I just finished writing a short biography of Hideki Matsui. You can view it by clicking here.

***

It looks like the Yankees are coming close to reaching an agreement with Miguel Cairo to be their utility infielder for the 2006 season.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Exciting Additions in Store for InsideTheYankees.com

If you look over to the right, you'll notice a box that says Yankee Insider. If you click on this box, you will see some of the exciting developments that we have planned for InsideThe Yankees.com.

Only two of the pages are functional at this point, but we will be adding content as fast as we can over the next couple of months in preparation for the 2006 season.

Our first player profile will be on my favourite player - Hideki Matsui. I'll be sure to let you know when it's ready by posting an entry in this blog.

Enjoy!

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Matsui Declines to Play For Japan in World Baseball Classic

Hideki Matsui has announced that he will skip the World Baseball Classic in March of 2006.

Matsui was under a tremendous amount of pressure by baseball officials in Japan to represent his country.

In announcing his decision, Matsui cited his goal to win a world championship with the New York Yankees.

Look for Matsui to improve upon his stats from 2005. With Torre committed to giving Matsui more off-days where he gets in one at-bat as a DH to preserve his consecutive-games-played streak, a better rested body should allow Matsui to have a .320 avg, 40 HR, 120 RBI season.

In fact, my prediction for the 2006 season is that Hideki Matsui will be the AL MVP. Look for Derek Jeter to have a monster season as well in the 2 spot.

If Giambi returns to MVP form, look for the Yankees to win their first World Series since 2000.

I see Giambi being energized by Damon's presence, as the two were good friends while playing in Oakland, where Giambi was the outright clubhouse leader.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Newsday's Top Five-Tool Players

Just a couple of decades ago, it was enough for a major league ball player to be good at one or two facets of the game.

Bucky Dent wasn't a great hitter, but his exceptional defense made him a valuable shortstop to the Yankees.

Very few catchers were considered offensive forces - their primary role was to take good care of their pitchers and monitor the overall pulse of each game.

Today, scouts, managers, and owners thirst for multi-dimensional players - those who can hit for average, hit for power, provide exceptional fieldwork, throw the ball like Ichiro or Jeter, and have good speed around the bases.

These multi-talented players - called five-tool players - command a premium in salary and respect around the league.

Here are the top 20 five-tool players in major league baseball, as voted by a group of baseball panelists for Newsday:

1. A-Rod
2. Vladimir Guerrerro
3. Ichiro Suzuki
4. Carlos Beltran
5. Scott Rolen
6. Jim Edmonds
7. Adrian Beltre
8. Miguel Tejada
9. Torrii Hunter
10. Barry Bonds
11. Derek Jeter
12. Bobbie Abreu
13. Ivan Rodriguez
14. Albert Pujols
15. Gary Sheffield
16. Andruw Jones
17. Vernon Wells
18. Michael Young
19. J.D. Drew
20. Steve Finley

I'm not sure why Matsui didn't make this list. He has average running speed, but his hustle and base running instincts are way above average.

Looking at this list, it makes me wonder why the Yankees weren't able to pursue Vernon Wells more aggressively. He is much stronger than Damon defensively, and is younger, too. Perhaps The Blue Jays weren't willing to part with Wells, but I doubt that the Yankees came anywhere close to offering the equivalent of 52 million dollars in trying to get him.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Bernie's back...

Bernie Williams will be back for the Yankees in 2006, taking on the part-time DH and outfielder role that Rueben Sierra played relatively well for the past two years.

His contract will be for 1.5 million dollars, with incentive clauses that could push the final total up to 3 million.

***

In other news, MLB reports that the Yanks' average payroll throughout the 2005 season was 213.1 million dollars, translating to a luxury tax bill of 34 million dollars.

With the expiration of Kevin Brown's contract and the end of Bernie's 87 million dollar deal, it's thought that even with the addition of Johnny Damon and the quality relief pitchers added in the last few weeks, the Yankees will have a 2006 payroll in the range of 175 to 185 million dollars.

***

Here's what I think the batting order should look like for 2006:

1. Damon
2. Jeter
3. Matsui
4. Sheffield
5. Giambi
6. A-Rod
7. Posada
8. Bernie
9. Cano

Unfortunately, chances are that Torre will hit A-Rod in the 3-spot because of popular opinion and his salary.

I think that most true Yankees fans feel that Matsui, Sheffield, and Giambi are better hitters than A-Rod.

My dream Christmas present would be for A-Rod to get traded for prospects to another big market team like the Angels, Mets, or Red Sox. If we could get rid of A-Rod, by the time Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina have their contracts expire, the payroll will come down to the 120 million dollar range. And when Giambi leaves, it will be closer to 100 to 105 million dollars.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

And playing centerfield for the Bombers...

In stunning news, the Yankees and Johnny Damon agreed to a four-year deal for 52 million dollars.

By late last night, it became clear to Damon and Boras that the only two teams who had serious interest were the Red Sox and Yankees. And the Red Sox would not budge off of 40-42 million for 4 years.

The Yankees offered 52 million over 4 years with the stipulation that it couldn't be taken back to the Red Sox as a negotiating ploy, and that the decision be made by 12 midnight. The Yanks said that if Damon wouldn't sign by 12 midnight, they would drop him from their radar and work to sign a cheaper centerfielder like Corey Patterson of the Chicago Cubs.

This was a powerful negotiating move, since everyone involved knew that if the Yanks dropped out of the running, Damon would basically be at the mercy of whatever Boston wanted to give him.

And that's the short and sweet story behind how the Yanks landed Damon in less than 48 hours.

A lot of the writers in New York are calling this an excellent move by the Bombers. One writer even called it a Christmas present for the Yanks.

I remain skeptical about Johnny Damon, solely because of his weak arm.

Let's hope that Johnny Damon has four healthy years ahead of him so that we can at least benefit from his offensive skills.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Where are you going, Roger?

According to a public talk that Roger Clemens gave two nights ago, he will decide whether he will or he won't play the 2006 season sometime in January or February.

He said that there are four teams that he would consider playing for:

The Astros, Rangers, Red Sox, and the Yankees.

This pretty much confirms that spending lots of time with his children is clearly not his top priority in life.

To me, Roger appears to be addicted to glory, much like other superstar athletes like Michael Jordan, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Magic Johnson.

These athletes have more money than their great, great, great great grandchildren will ever need to live good lives, and yet, they are willing to spend many days and sometimes weeks away from home.

Since making his professional debut with the Red Sox in 1988, Roger has earned 119,321,000.00 million dollars. That's over 119 million dollars, and that's not including bonuses or deferred money. The Yankees still owe him approximately 5 million dollars in deferred money for his second to last season in pinstripes.

The antithesis of Roger Clemens is Scott Brosius.

Talk about a classy guy, a genuine family man.

Towards the end of the 2001 regular season, Scott was playing out the final year of his contract for the Yankees. His production had not declined, and at 35 years of age, there's no question that he could have gotten a contract from some team, possibly the Yankees, to play for another 2-3 years at 5 million dollars per year.

But after 9/11, Scott's family in Oregon, particularly his daughter, said that it was time for them to be a family again.

And just like that, Scott Brosius walked away from his professional baseball career.

How much had Scott made up until that point?

22,388,000.00 million dollars. That's a little more than 22 million dollars, not including bonuses.
Now that's a good family man in my book.

Let's be real. A family with good values can live very comfortably on an annual income of 100,000.0o0.

Assuming a very conservative interest rate (from bonds) of 5%, a family could earn 100,000.00 in annual income from savings of 2 million dollars.

That's right, if you have 2 million dollars in the bank, you could safely earn 100,000.00 in interest income, year in, year out, without ever touching the 2 million dollars.

Assuming that Scott saved just 10 million of the 22 million plus that he earned during his 10 year career, he is now living in Oregon with his family with an annual income of 500,000.00 dollars, from interest only.

Assuming that Roger Clemens saved just 60 million of the 119 million plus dollars he has earned since 1988, his savings are producing at least 3 million dollars per year in interest income, assuming a very conservative rate of 5%.

Bottom line: a guy like Roger Clemens can say all he wants that he wants to spend more time with his kids, but his words will always be completely drowned out by his actions.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Nomar Signs With Dodgers

George King of the NY Post reports that Nomar has agreed in principle to suit up for the Dodgers next season. His deal will be for 6 million, with incentives that could push his final salary up to the 8 milion dollar range.

While this is a bit of a disappintment to some in the Yankee organization, perhaps it is better for the Yanks for the long term.

First of all, this move means that Giambi is likely to share first base with Andy Phillips or another younger player who can take over first base after Giambi's contract is up. Giambi is typically a better hitter when he takes the field.

Secondly, the Yanks can continue to bring down their payroll. Currently, it is thought that the Yankees will start the 2006 season with a payroll of around 180 million. With Mussina finishing up his tenure with the Yanks this coming season and the possibility of trading away Carl Pavano, they could be in the 150 to 160 million dollar range by 2007.

Just think about where they would be had they not given Randy Johnson a 32 million dollar extension. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Randy Johnson was about an 8 million dollar pitcher last season. And I have very little hope that he will be much better in 2006.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Giambi Wants Nomar, Thoughts on Randy Johnson

According to the NY Daily News, Giambi was thought to have placed a recruiting call to Nomar yesterday. The two are said to be good friends.

Now, there are four suitors for Nomar: the Yanks, Dodgers, Indians, and Astros. The Yanks are the only team that are thinking about playing Nomar at first base. The other teams want Nomar to play outfield.

In other news, the Orioles, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Yankees appear to be the four strongest candidates to pick up Johnny Damon.

Let's hope that the Yankees are only faking interest to drive the price up on Damon. Just like they did with Pedro Martinez last off season.

***

Very little media attention has been given to the mediocre season that Randy Johnson had in 2005.

He was nowhere close to being the perennial Cy Young candidate that he was throughout his 30s.

Few people know that during his last season with the Diamondbacks, Arizona officials told Randy Johnson that they could only offer him an 8 million dollar extension. This is the one and only reason why Randy asked to be traded to the Yankees.

Make no mistake about it: the Yankees were the only team that was willing to give Johnson a two-year extension at 16 million per.

Randy Johnson broke into the major leagues at 25 years of age - on the older side for star pitchers. He had major control problems until he was around 30 years of age, which is when he began his streak of Cy Young awards.

Even though he had made more than 111,582,500.00 dollars, that's 111.5825 million dollars in salary by the time he reached his last year with Arizona, I guess he wanted to squeeze out as much as he could before everyone realized that he was on the decline.

I'd like to hope that the 2005 season was just an adjustment year for Randy, and that he'll return to Cy Young form in 2006. But something tells me this won't be the case.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Disappointing Updates On Nomar and Damon

Newsday is reporting that Nomar's asking price is between 6 and 8 million dollars plus incentives. With the Yankees looking to field a 2006 roster with a payroll of around 170 million, it looks like Nomar's asking price might be too steep for the Bombers.

Newsday is also reporting that Joe Torre called Johnny Damon yesterday to let him know that the Yanks are definitely interested.

I just can't understand why the Yankees are so enamoured with Damon.

As a Yankees fan, I love seeing Damon in centerfield for the Red Sox. Above average baserunners can turn singles into doubles on Damon on a routine basis. Anytime a Yankees baserunner is at first and there is a base hit to center, you know that the guy on first has an excellent chance of making it to third. Almost no one with slightly above average speed is afraid to run on Damon's arm.

Damon's weak throwing arm would only be magnified by the amount of ground that outfielders need to cover at Yankee stadium.

Let's hope that the Angels, Red Sox, or Dodgers lose their minds and give Damon and Boras the huge dollars that they are looking for.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Yankees Unhappy With MLB over Wang

The Yanks got what they wanted with Posada, Randy Johnson, Mussina, and Pavano - all four players are not allowed to play in the World Baseball Classic this Spring.

The Yanks also had Chien-Ming Wang on their list of players who they wanted excluded from the World Classic, but it appears that MLB is not going to stop Wang from playing.

Wang became almost an international hero in Taiwan this past summer with his outstanding rookie performance in the Bronx.

Baseball officials in Taipei are believed to be putting significant pressure on Wang and his agent to have Wang represent Taiwan in the Spring tournament, as Wang would be their highest profile player.

This is exactly why the Yankees don't want Wang to play - they believe that he will put pressure on himself to perform well, and given his history of shoulder problems, the Yankees are afraid that the strain of accelerating his off season throwing program could cause problems for him during the season.

When the Yankees first paid a million dollar signing bonus to Wang a few years ago, what they liked about him was his smooth delivery and arm action. His mechanics were such that the Yankees believed that he would be a very durable player with very low risk of ever ending up on the disabled list.

So the Yankees were shocked when Wang needed shoulder surgery during his time in the minor leagues. And his bout with shoulder tendonitis last season was further cause for concern.

Here is the Yankees current stable of starting pitchers for the 2006 season:

Randy Johnson
Mike Mussina
Carl Pavano
Chien Ming-Wang
Jaret Wright
Shawn Chacon
Aaron Small

Of this group, which pitcher would you most want to start a critical game for the Yanks?

None of them are a sure thing like Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson were for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.

But from this list, I would want Wang to start any critical game for the Yankees. He has the heaviest sinker in the game, and with a good defensive infield behind him, he should be the Yankees best pitcher this coming season.

I think the Yankees are absolutely right in wanting to prevent him from playing in the World Classic.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Torre Confirms Interest in Nomar

Joe Torre has confirmed that the Yankees would like Nomar to play first base for the Bombers next season. He also confirmed that he has made two recruiting calls to Nomar during this off season, just to make sure that the 32-year old former all star knows that the Yankees are serious about acquiring him.

The Yankees are hoping to sign Nomar in the 4 million dollar range.

Their two main competitors are the Cleveland Indians, who want Nomar to play right field, and the Houston Astros, who would most probably put him in left field.

Chances are good that the Yankees will land Nomar. First of all, it's the best chance for Nomar to get the media attention that he needs to sign a decent 3-4 year deal to finish off his career.

Since making his outstanding professional debut with the Red Sox in 1997, Nomar has earned 53,250,000.00 dollars. That's 53.25 million dollars, not including bonuses, such as the "full share" bonus he received when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 (believed to be approximately 300,000.00)

53.25 million dollars may sound like a lot, but consider that Jeter has made 107,410,000.00, that's 107.41 million dollars since his debut with the Yankees in 1996.

A-Rod has made just over 125,000,000.00, that's 125 million dollars since 1996.

I'm willing to bet that there is a part of Nomar that feels that he deserves to have made close to what Jeter and A-Rod have brought in over the past nine years.

So playing in front of the media in New York makes a lot of sense for Nomar. If he turns in a good season, every major league team and media outlet will be aware of his status.

Plus, playing first base for the Yankees should be better for his physical health than either corner spot in the outfield for the Indians or Astros.

Should the Yankees land Nomar, it will be interesting to see how Giambi responds, who has always maintained that he hits best when he takes the field every day.

Giambi and Nomar share the same agent, Arn Tellen. Arn Tellen has an excellent relationship with Brian Cashman (as evidenced by the smooth signing of Hideki Matsui, another Tellen client), and this is another factor that leads me to believe that Garciaparra could become a Yankee.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Two Good Reasons To Keep Jeter at the Lead-Off Spot

Newspapers in New York continue to suggest that the Yankees would sign Johnny Damon if Scott Boras would drop his asking price to around 11 million per year for 4 or 5 years.

This would be a colossal mistake.

As mentioned before, Johnny Damon has a terrible throwing arm. Most people don't know that Damon had an extremely strong throwing arm when he was in high school. It was so strong that he was actually a pitching prospect.

But after suffering a shoulder injury towards the end of his high school career, Damon had to change his throwing motion to the one that we see today.

What's the problem with keeping Jeter at the lead-off spot?

The player who hits in the lead-off position typically gets around 20-30 more at bats per season than any other player. The only other player on the current Yankees roster who I'd want to give those extra at bats to is Matsui. But I'd give them to Jeter before Matsui only because Derek is a better base runner.

Derek's base running skills and instincts make him a great lead-off man, one who gives his team an excellent opportunity to put a run on the board in the first inning.

Here is my ideal line-up for the 2006 season:

1. Jeter
2. Matsui
3. Sheffield
4. Giambi
5. Nomar (assuming that the Yankees can sign him for first base)
6. A-Rod
7. Posada
8. Cano
9. Crosby

If Nomar doesn't get signed, I would shift everyone below him up one spot and put Bernie in between Cano and Crosby.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Yankees Taking a Serious Look at Nomar For First Base

George King of the New York Post reported in today's edition that several sources throughout the league are saying that the Yankees have made an offer to Nomar Garciaparra to play first base next season.

This would effectively turn Giambi into a full-time DH and could possibly cause Bernie to think twice about coming back for 2-3 million to be a part-time DH and fourth outfielder.

Signing Nomar to play first base would be an incredible development. If they can get this done at a reasonable price i.e. around what they paid Tino Martinez last season, it would be an excellent deal for the Yankees and Nomar.

For the Yanks, the upside is huge. Nomar could very possibly turn in a .320 avg / 25 HR / 100 RBI season.

Nomar would receive a tremendous amount of media exposure, which could translate to one last long term contract should he play well.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Updates on Soriano and Garciaparra

It looks like the Washington Nationals are intent on having Soriano shift to left field. His raw power and speed are highly valued as an outfielder. Plus, for the past four seasons, he has led the league in most errors by a second baseman.

It will be interesting to see how Soriano adapts to this shift. I don't expect his offensive numbers to drop this season, as is the general tendency for anyone who switches leagues and has to face a bunch of unfamiliar pitchers.

Soriano is much like Vladimir Guerrero in that he doesn't wait on specific pitches. Instead, he looks to crush every ball that is anywhere close to the strike zone. And sometimes outside of the zone as well.

Speaking of free swingers, it's incredible to see how much Nomar Garciaparra's stock has dropped in the past four years. During Spring training of his last year with the Red Sox, Garciaparra declined a four year deal worth 60 million to remain as the Red Sox shortstop.

He signed an 8 million dollar contract for his first full year with the Cubs last season, hoping to parlay a monster season into one last long term contract. But the groin tear really set him back, to the point where his agent, Arn Tellem, is shopping him around this winter as a multi-purpose utility man.

Anyone who watched Nomar take the field during his early days with the Red Sox must feel bad for the man. He was probably a better all-around athlete than A-Rod and Jeter during the late 90s before his wrist injury. A true canon of an arm.

Speaking of Nomar's arm, even though it's still good enough for him to be a good infielder, many scouts believe that his arm action isn't well suited for second base. I'm not sure why this is, but scouts seem to think that he is best suited for third base or the outfield.

Although signing Nomar for one season to be the Yankees centerfielder is a risk that I would be willing to take, I think that it makes more sense to go with Bubba, whose youth, steady defensive play, speed on the bases, and reasonable salary make him the most attractive option right now.

It would be so great to shave the Yankees payroll down to about 120 million by the time they begin playing in the new Yankees stadium in 2009.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Damon a better lead-off hitter than Jeter?

Alex Rodriguez was recently quoted as effectively saying that Johnny Damon is a better lead-off hitter than Derek Jeter.

I just don't understand how Alex and Scott Boras can justify this view.

Let's look at the numbers from the 2005 season:

D.Jeter: Runs - 119 Walks - 71 OBP - .391 SLG - .445 OPS - .846
Damon: Runs - 115 Walks - 52 OBP - .367 SLG - .441 OPS - .805

Sure, Jeter had better offensive numbers from 1998 to 2001 when he was hitting in the 2 spot behind Knoblauch.

But I'd take Jeter over Damon as a lead-off hitter any day.

Signing Johnny Damon would be a huge mistake. Sure, he is a fast runner and plays hard almost all of the time. But his throwing arm is incredibly weak for a major leaguer. Maybe even weaker than Bernie's throwing arm, and Bernie has one of the weakest arms I've ever seen over the past ten years.

The only man in the major leagues who I would sign for more than 10 millions dollars per year to play outfield for the Yankees is Ichiro. And he's just too good for Seattle to give up.

What's wrong with giving Bubba a shot for a few months as a full-time center fielder?

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

Yankees Won't Allow Jorge Posada To Play in World Baseball Classic

Jorge Posada's agent, Seth Levinson, actually gave a courtesy call to the Yankees management team to let them know that Jorge was planning on participating in the Spring World Baseball Classic.

Jorge wanted to represent Puerto Rico.

Concerned about the extra work load that all MLB catchers endure over the course of a long season, the Yankees told MLB that they would not allow Jorge to participate.

Comments by Joshua:
I think the Yankees made a good decision. Jorge usually starts each season off on a tear, only to slow down in the summer and early fall. Last year, he didn't even get off to a good start, turning in a mediocre season compared to his previous few years in pinstripes.

If Jorge can get plenty of rest and one or two games off each week, there's no reason why he can't return to all star form.

Have you ever taken a close look at Posada's forearms? With the exception of Sheffield, Posada has the strongest looking forearms on the entire Yankees roster.

He used to be a second baseman before Yankees management switched him to catcher while he was in the minor leagues.

Good man, good player.

Just needs to get lots of rest to turn in a good season.

- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com

The inaugural post for Inside The Yankees

I'm really excited about creating this blog. I've been a Yankees fan for as long as I can remember - back in the days when my dad used to take me and my sister down to Exhibition Stadium in Toronto to watch Willie Randolph and the Yankees play the Blue Jays.

I'm just setting up this blog right now, so I'll keep this entry short - it's really just a test entry.

Looking forward to posting lots of great information about the Yankees in the days, weeks, and years to come!

Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com