The Catching Situation

 

What would every other MLB team do if they were in the current predicament? So, we’ve lost our starting catcher and now fans are in panic mode(again) over the whole season. Seriously, some fans are like spoilt kids. This situation is exactly why we signed Jose Molina to a longer term deal. This situation is exactly why we have a minor league system. The real worry should be that apparently we have no faith in the catchers we have. Hell, some people on the Yankee forum have been talking about trying to sign Mike Piazza? I think having a concrete block behind home plate may be more effective in getting out runners at 2nd, if only from the ball rebounding.

 

Lets get a few things straight:

 

1 – A lot of teams would love to have Jose Molina as their starting Catcher.

2 – We are still unsure about how serious Jorge’s condition is and we’re already talking about who to acquire when replacing him??

3 – Chad Moeller could very well clear waivers.

4 – Why give up a prospect(if a trade was to be made) when we’re not sure how bad the situation is.

 

Posada will be a huge loss to the Yankees, but please, lets not get too carried away. Molina has done an admirable job this year and he’s actually caught 14 games already. I have every faith he can handle the extra responsibility.

Softball Rivalry

Forgetting the side matter of Yankees and Major League Baseball, it’s time for the real competition to begin. If you haven’t already guessed, i am of course talking about the Glasgow Softball league. The schedule was officially released today and has pitted neildo84’s Giants against ph34’s Saltires in a matchup that rivals the Yankees against the Red Sox. 

 

The game, between the top two teams in Glasgow, takes place on Thursday 8th of May and we’ll report back with it’s outcome. The smart money is on the Saltires who are in the middle of a dynastic era with 5 titles in 6 years. The Giants have been the only team to beat them in the league over the previous two years and should not be underestimated.

Showing up the game???

On another note….. After all the media crap questioning whether Joba was too emotive on the mound after the Toronto series earlier in the month, I assume the same people that were slamming Joba are going to be jumping on CC Sabathia’s back after his fist pumping and celebrating after getting out of a jam last night?

No?

Thought not….

Ace credentials?

Another absolutely dominant performance from Wang last night, and outwith the NY media, the rest of baseball STILL seems to refuse to recognise him as an ace. When you consider the teams that he has picked up W’s against this year, and how potent their offences were tipped to be before the start of the season, this just makes this oversight all the more remarkable.

When you consider the relative struggles of many “Ace” pitchers so far this year, that Wang is still flying under the radar on a nationwide basis is nothing short of a disgrace. It took him significantly longer to reach his 5th W last year, and injury or prolonged slump barring, he could be in for a very big season for the Yankees. Not only does he account for almost half of team wins, but on a night like last night, after the bullpen has been worn out in the few days beforehand, Wang’s value to the team goes far beyond the box score and stat sheet.

They may have been a little bit tight with cash towards him in arbitration this past offseason, but should he keep on putting up anything close to his numbers so far in his career, I sincerely hope the team inks him to a medium-long term extension sooner rather than later.

Other news today is that resulting from Jorge’s injury, Chris Stewart has been called up from AAA to serve as backup to Jose Molina. He’s certainly got a hard act to follow in Chad Moeller!

With Jorge looking to be on the DL for a relatively prolonged spell, the rest of the team really need to pitch in to make up for the offensive shortfall that losing his bat will cause. One player who doesn’t seem to be needing to do any more is Melky Cabrera. There have been plenty of questions about his hitting since he’s been in NY, but ever since he started following A-Rod’s workouts this offseason, the improvement in his game is unmistakeable. That he was able to launch a pitch from Sabathia for a homer is testament to how far he seems to have come. That, and that he could well surpass last year’s HR total by mid-May….

Here’s hoping for another strong outing from Moose tonight to keep the team’s unbeaten series streak at Jacobs/Progressive Field alive!