I'm a new Sox and Pinstripes writer!!

I'm pretty excited right now regarding my situation in the bloging world. I am going to be a guest writer for the Sox and Pinstripes blog begining today! I will make around 3 or more post a week on the site. Hopefully I can do well and become an official member (I sort of already am). I don't have the credentials and writing skills of the two other bloggers on the site, but I believe my opinions and the way I express myself stack up well with some of the best Yankee bloggers. I have a pretty nerdy obsession with the Yankees some...most would say and hopefully this is just one step in the right direction to becoming a good sports journalist. The name of the site that I will be working on is soxandpinstripes.com . I'm going to try and make the most out of this opportunity. Enjoy what you read, seeya

Game Number 6, Yankees (3-3) lose to Royals

The Yankees lost today at the hands of the Royals late in the game. In fact the Yankees were winning with only 1.1 innings to go. Confident that the Yankees would win I went to go get ready to go out, funny enough while I was taking a shower I had thought "what if Jose Veras blows the game?" The bullpen had been pitching so well to start the season that it soon became nothing more than an after thought. As I walked into my room to turn on my television I noticed my step dad was upset ( he's always upset for some reason though), then finally I turned on my TV to see that the Yankees had lost the game. I couldn't believe it, I knew it was Veras's fault because Rivera would have destroyed the Royals mercilessly. I then drew my baseball bat from my closet and ran angrily at the world however I was stopped by this lady that I've lived with all of my life. Even though it was only one loss I knew my life would never be the same. I hope there isn't anyone that is this passionate and crazy about the Yankees, man would I be scared to hang out with that guy during a baseball game. Of course needless to say this story is only true up to the point that I took my baseball bat out of my closet. Hope you enjoyed it!

In Minor league action Austin Jackson is off to a great start, maybe he can get a mid-season call up? Jackson is hitting at a clip of .471 (8 for 17 with a triple), 5RBI's, 3 walks and striking out 5 times in 4 games. If he can cut down on the strike outs we will see Austin Jackson before too long. We have seen the Yankees call up guys early when they got off to hot starts ( Robinson Cano in 2005 .330, 4HR, 24RBI in April and Melky Cabrera 2006 .385, 4HR, 24RBI in April). I guess that means in order for Austin Jackson to be called up early he will have to hit over .300 with 4HR and 24RBI since that seems to be the magic number? I am partially joking but you never know, if Brett Gardner begins to slip and Austin Jackson is hot will he force the Yankees hand? I don't think so, at least not yet. Melky Cabrera will likely get a chance to reclaim his starting job in center field before Jackson gets any chance at proving he can succeed in the Majors. I will be keeping tabs on Jackson all season to see how he is progressing.

I shall now go to sleep since it is almost morning (thank god for spring break).

The Yankees Five Games Into The Season

The Yankees look hot right now winning three games in a row after losing their first two to start the season. The great thing about the Yankees this year is that their pitching can compete with the best of any team. CC Sabathia rebounded after an awful start pitching 7.2 innings 6K's, he was worth the money. Joba Chamberlain will be going up against Gil Meche tomorrow. This has to be the best Yankee team on paper that I've seen since I started watching baseball as a serious die hard fan (2003). The thing I like most about this team right now is that without A-rod in the line up it looks like a team effort. The team chemistry just looks like its clicking thanks to guys like Nick Swisher ( can you say starting right fielder?) and CC Sabathia. This team just looks like it has a different feel to it than other years. I know it's very early in the season to be speaking as if the Yankees are about to clinch a play off spot. This team just looks great and it has depth. The bench is very strong with Melky Cabrera, Nick Swisher, Jose Molina and rookie Ramiro Pena. The pitching depth is also strong with Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and others in the minors. The Yankees highly underrated bullpen looks great to start the season too. For the first time since I started watching the Yankees I believe that this can be the year we win the world series again.

Now this makes me wonder, when A-rod returns is it going to help or hurt this team? Alex's bat will surely help the line up but Selena Roberts new highly publicized book will be crashing in stores sometime in the early part of May. Honestly I hope it doesn't hurt the teams chemistry and change my opinion on what I think the Yankees can do. Hopefully A-rod can keep his name out of the headlines for bad reasons and just play baseball!

25 and Yonger team

C-Joe Mauer, 25 years old
1B-Prince Fielder, 24 years old
2B-Dustin Pedroia, 25 years old
SS-Hanley Ramirez, 25 years old
3B-Evan Longoria, 23 years old
CF-BJ Upton, 24 years old
LF-Ryan Braun, 25 years old
CF,RF-Matt Kemp, 25 years old

This would be an amazing 25 and younger lineup. However if I had to build a team with players of the ages 25 and younger I would go for speed and defense with decent power. Why would I do this? Well speed and defense doesn't go into slumps, however offense does. I'm writing this only because I have the same problem you probably have it is late and I am bored :(. Actually you can leave most of those players in the line up and get pretty good defense out Mauer, Pedroia, Longoria, Upton and Kemp. The other three can be switched with Gaby Hernandez at firstbase ( I hear he plays good defense with a good bat), Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop (amazing defender) and Ryan Braun can stay in left field because of his consistency offensively. My starting pitchers would be Tim Lincecum, Felix Hernandez, Joba Chamberlain, Scott Kazmir, Jon Lester. How's that for a starting five! In the bullpen give me Jonathan Broxton, Joe Smith, Jose Arredondo, Joakim Soria and David Price (long reliever?). I wish there was a team with that type of young talent. Young players bring more energy and have a lot more upside than veterans, which keeps my interest high on young players because of their superstar potential and their chance to be awful. You usually know what your getting with veterans (snore). I say the Yankees force all of there great talent in the lower levels of the farm system to develop faster and you will see how good they really are (I am joking of course). Watch out for names like Austin Jackson, Jesus Montero, Austin Romine, Bradley Suttle, Dellin Betances, Andrew Brackman. Enjoy the post!

Plattsburg University and More on Alex Rodriguez

First things first, I just wanted to say that I have been granted an acceptance to the University of Plattsburg. This will surely help me in my writing skills and take me one step closer to my dream of being a sports journalist/broadcaster, Plattsburg is one of the top Journalism colleges in the country. This is a very happy day for me!

On another note as many of you already know Alex Rodriguez has been going through a lot of problems, starting with the steroid leak on february 7th and now A-rod has a serious injury (torn right labrum) at hand that can keep him out of play for 4 months if he seeks out surgery. Regardless the surgery is neccesary but Yankees brass is hoping to deal with the surgery at the end of the baseball season. At this point I'm wondering how will Alex perform with his most recent steroid admission and injury. Part of me wishes that he would have surgery now and come back around July or August because I think the Yankees can play well without him. A-rod has carried a lot of baggage along with him the past few years and it now seems as though he wants to be in the spotlight regardless of it being in a good or bad way. This is upsetting and I shake my head everytime I think that this guy will be a Yankee for the next 9 years. I never understood why the Yankees signed players for such long periods of time. They probably could have signed him for around 25 million over a 5-7 year span but that is just another mistake by management. Only time will tell if this was a good signing by the Yankees or not, it's not looking too good so far.

Still Busy Sadly

I've still been pretty busy of late with college stuff. However I am back and ready to write up a blog for your enjoyment.

As many of you probably already know Alex Rodriguez tested positive for an anabolic steroid in 2003. The news was announced early Saturday. When I read the news I had a pretty motionless expression but I was pretty saddened by this. This will surely taint Alex's legacy as arguably the best player to ever play the game of baseball. The thing that is even more upsetting is that he is still a Yankee for 9 more years (why sign a player to a 10 year contract to begin with?, so many things can go wrong in that span). If Alex even brakes the homerun record it won't matter anymore, it will just be held with an asterisk next to his name. If 2003 was the only year A-rod took steroids, maybe he will be able to come clean now and beat the homerun record by 47 homeruns (2003 season 47 HR, 118 RBI). I think it would make sense but nonetheless there will still be the fans and others that say it doesn't matter either way. I agree with it to an extent, I just wish Alex didn't do this. The one star player I thought I could depend on is a cheater. I can't lie it hurts now but I'll be alright

I'm Back, Testing is over

I am finally done with all of my regents and the SAT. It has been a long week , now its time to just kick back and relax and come up with some stuff too write. Enjoy

Growing Tired of Andy Pettite

Andy Pettite and the Yankees have been on this same basic contract of 10 million since well November. What month is it now, January? Well to correct my first statement the Yankees have raised their offer to Pettite to 10.5 million, to most people that would be a lot of money but this is baseball so 500,000 extra dollars won't make a difference. I just wish this whole situation would come to a close regardless of the outcome. Andy should realize that he is not worth 16 million anymore or even 13 million dollars. Pettite is more of a back end starter at this point in his career. That doesn't change the fact that he is a great competitor and a bulldog on the mound and that's why I believe he deserves 10 million next season. However his statistics last season tell a different story (14-14 4.54 ERA), and unless Pettite saw greatness that we clearly did not see then he himself should know he does not deserve more than 10 million. For the most part pitchers who put up numbers similar to Pettite last season usually make around 7 to 8 million dollars. Somebody just wake me up when this whole situation is over with, if you ask me if I believe the Yankees are better with Pettite?Then I must say yes, however at this rate I wouldn't mind giving one of our prospects a shot at the rotation. The Yankees will be fine either way. Andy is stupid I despise his way of negotiating!

Journalism Internship

I will likely be doing a journalism internship in the next month, hopefully this will help me craft my skills as a writer thus becoming the next Peter Gammons/ Michael Kay. Of course that is a long shot but I can dream :). However I do realize that I need to be able to hone my skills better in all areas of journalism and I believe this is a step in the right direction. During this time I will try my best to keep up with all Yankee related news and my opinions on Yankee topics. The past week has made it difficult to update my blog because of final exams, essays and the SAT. I'm dedicated to this site, its not shutting down anytime soon eventhough I don't have any fans.

SAT

I am taking my SAT's tomorrow sadly that doesn't stand for anything that will be fun. Getting up at 5 in the morning and hopefully out of the house a little after 6, followed by breakfast then testing for 4 hours. Sounds amazing doesn't it?

I don't think there is anything that I have to state, nothing big has happened in the passed week besides Freddy Garcia signing with the Mets. Nothing else happening but I need to get some sleep for my exam tomorrow. January is a hard month for seniors but I think I have done a fairly good job at keeping up with my blog. Goodnight

Cardinals Interested In Cano?

Here is a report from Brian Hoch a professional writer for the New York Yankees:

"The St. Louis Cardinals called the New York Yankees to inquire about the asking price for second baseman Robinson Cano, according to a report published Sunday in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Yankees' response: Adam Wainwright."

I laughed when I read this, like myself the Yankees still think very highly of Robby Cano. The fact is that Cano is an extremely talented hitter and one off year isn't going to change that. He is a pure .300 hitter and will be a 25 plus homerun guy soon. If your question is if I am shocked by the Yankees demands? My response is no , not at all. Cano isn't going anywhere, Cardinals keep dreaming.

News on Nady and Swisher

As many of you might already know Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher are on the trading block but that doesn't neccesarily mean either one will be traded. Nady is likely to draw more interest because of how much he will likely make in 2009 and his talent level. The teams reportedly interested in both Nady and Swisher are the Braves, Giants, Reds and the Nationals.

If the Yankees can get a top prospect that is capable of playing a quality outfield then I say trade Nady. My preference is an athletic young player that can play any of the outfield positions but can also hit. I like the idea of instilling youth into the Yankees and if they can start off in 2010 with Austin Jackson in centerfield, Nick Swisher in rightfield and a top prospect from another organization in left field I'd be more than happy. Right there you would have a young Nick Swisher probably entering his prime at 29 years of age, Austin Jackson the top Yankees prospect at the age of 22, and another young guy from another organization likely below the age of 24. I think that the infield is locked down for a while especially with Texiera and A-rod likely in New York for almost another decade. Damon, Matsui and Nady's contracts all expire after 2009 so I think this is the right way to go. A young athletic outfield to go along with a more veteran infield. Of course some fans may argue that Matt Holliday will likely be a free agent after 2009 but why lock down another 30 year old plus player to an already aging roster. Youth is a cheaper, more flexible way of winning and the Yankees will always have the money to make adjustments. I'm personally excited about getting another top prospect into the Yankees organization, hopefully the Yankees would be as well.

Is anyone reading?

I started this blog in early January and am beginning to wonder if anyone besides myself is reading it. There has to be a way to get my blog noticed or at least have a few people who find it interesting. In a lot of ways I don't believe that my blog is bad, it's just unnoticed amongst fans and bloggers. I hope to have a decently respected blog in a few months and the only way to do that from the looks of it is to advertise my blog some way. Of course I am an unpaid blogger (amatuer) but I still believe that I am decent writer with more knowledge about baseball than most. If anyone is reading this blog besides myself please leave a comment and let me know that it isn't just me.

Why Resort Only To Pettite?

In the past few hours I have been thinking about what to write, once i figured it out it was obvious, I will write about why we should trade Xavier Nady and what they should trade him for. Thirty minutes passed and I wondered why wasn't their any words on my blog yet. After I figured it out it was obvious that I didn't have a sincere interest in writing about Nady at the moment instead my mind was on a fifth starter. Which makes me think of why does it seem like the Yankees aren't looking into Jon Garland or giving Freddy Garcia a real chance? I am growing impatient with Andy Pettite and am starting to realize that there are still a lot of players on the free agent market.

Freddy Garcia can be attained fairly easily if you think about it. Garcia can get an incentive based deal and will come at a cheap price regardless. He is a low risk, high reward type of guy, look at the Redsox they know what they're doing (I hate saying that) with the signings of Smoltz and Penny. Garcia was a very good pitcher in the past, maybe he can be a decent or very good pitcher now. Either way he is worth taking a chance on.

Jon Garland is another pitcher that I think the Yankees should look into if they no longer have an interest in Pettite. Garland is coming off a bad year but is clearly still talented enough to have an ERA somewhere in the 4.10 range and give 200 innings. Which is what I think Pettite will bring to the table but at a higher price. Of course Garland's numbers could just continue to decline next season but I don't see that happening. Hopefully the Yankees take a flier on him and then pay me a few thousands for coming up with the idea, it's not like it would hurt their pockets. Getting back on topic the Yankees should sign both Garland and Garcia, they are both inexpensive and are pretty good risky players and the both of them combined would probably cost less than Andy Pettite. Pettite will then cry and sign with the Yankees at the cost of a minor league contract because he will want to play on this great team (that would be cool, or at the very least funny).

Enjoy the post I am out to get some sleep it's 3:00am.

Todd Drew passed away yesterday, yankee blogger

Todd Drew a Yankees blogger succumbed to cancer yesterday at the age of 41. He did work on Yankees for Justice blog and on Bronx Banter. I've read his material and can tell he was a true fan of baseball. Of course being new to the blogging world I've never spoken with Todd but I pay my respect to anyone who is a blogger and a baseball fan. This is a tragic loss, may you rest in peace Todd Drew. Here is the link to his last blog http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2008/12/22/shadow-games-baseball-and-me/

Who Is The Next Rising Star For The Yankees?

With the offseason seemingly coming to close (for the Yankees at least) there isn't much to talk about. In this case journalist and bloggers have to improvise. Which makes me think who is the next rising star for the Yankees? I think it's an interesting topic being that I like prospects more than proven stars since there's a lot more upside and you never know exactly how they'll pan out. Joba Chamberlain, Phillip Hughes (21 starts in the majors), Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera are all excluded due to how much major league experience they all have.

Austin Jackson-CF AAA Scranton, Projection year: 2010
An obvious choice for the next rising star in New York since we will likely have a vacancy in center field next year. Jackson is still a raw talent and is starting to learn to use his tools better. He has plenty of potential and is a five tool player. With 9HR 65RBI 285BA last season i think Jackson is a year or two away. He's only 21 so there is no rush but I do not know if he is the next star in New York, I'd say there is a good chance, if he can reach his potential then I have no doubt he will be great.

Jesus Montero-C, A Tampa Yankees/ AA Trenton, Projection year: 2011-2012
Montero was seen as a catcher who would likely eventually move to first base due to his large body (6'5). However with the acquisition of Mark Texiera he will have to learn to be a better defensive catcher. I think he can do it with some more seasoning. He has a gun for an arm but his overall defensive skills are mediocre. The thing I love about Montero is his offensive potential on a 20 to 80 scale this guy is definitely an 80. When he becomes a better defensive catcher this guy has the potential to be the next Mike Piazza, that's how good he is. When the Yankees signed him out of Venezuela most scouts thought he was the best prospect to come out of there since Miguel Cabrera. This is my guy, if I had to bet who will be the next star. Baseball America ranked Montero as the number two prospect in the Yankees farm system next to Austin Jackson but I think Montero has a better chance of succeeding. Hold your horses though Yankee fans Montero is only 19 and is probably still at the very least 2 years away but I think 3 years is a more valid assumption.

Dellin Betances-SP AA Trenton/ A Tampa Yankees, Projection year: 2011-2012
My third and final choice would have to be Betances. He will only be 21 when the season begins. He's a pretty big guy at 6'8 which means It'll probably take longer for him to hone his control but I think he took great strides last season. Just take a look at the statistics. Betances had a 4.09 ERA allowing 40 walks and striking out 64 before the all-star break, but he he must have figured something out in the second half making great improvements with a 3.28 ERA and reduced his walk total to 19 while striking out more batters (71). Betances is the type of guy that doesn't have to max out his potential to be a good major league pitcher, but man if he does your talking about a high end power pitcher. We will just have to wait and see how Dellin pans out. Montero and Jackson are still ahead of him on the prospect charts, but with a great year he can pass both of them.

Other notable players would be Andrew Brackman, Austin Romine, Bradley Suttle. The Yankees have some very good prospects that will hopefully turn into very good major leaguers. Night everyone, enjoy the post.

Yankee news updates

I haven't been updating the website lately due to the fact that I've been sending out my applications for colleges. However i believe I'll be done by tomorrow which will help me update this blog more frequently like before.

In Yankee news Jorge Posada wants to play in the WBC for Puerto Rico. I find this extremely unlikely due to the fact that he is coming back from injuries and C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are new to the pitching staff. Sadly for Jorge his best shot at playing in the WBC is in four years when the next one occurs.

Andy Pettite's chances are going lower and lower to come back to the yankees. I'm starting to think its not going to happen. Which would be shocking in my opinion. I don't understand why Andy Pettite wants to be grossly over paid. 10 million dollars for 1 year was a very reasonable offer, I guess thats what happens when the yankees over pay their star players. Worse case scenario we start the season with Phillip Hughes as our number five starter. Honestly I'm pretty sure most teams would be happy with that. Hughes has plenty of potential, with pitchers like CC, Wang, and AJ there will be a lot less pressure on him as well.

The redsox signed Takahashi Saito the other day to a 1 year deal worth 1.5 mil with 1mil in incentives. Whatsup with Boston signing all of these guys coming off injuries? Brad Penny, John Smoltz, Rocco Baldelli and now Saito at a total cost of around 15 million. Theo Epstein (redsox GM) isn't stupid, if even two of these players pan out to their potential the redsox would made great deals at a cheap price. Nothing more to be said I'll be updating tomorrow.

Redsox sign John Smoltz and Rocco Baldelli

The Redsox have signed John Smoltz a 20 year veteran coming back from injuries. Smoltz has spent his whole career with the Atlanta Braves, so this is quite shocking to me. The Redsox got involved when the braves couldn't seem to come to an agreement with the Future hall of famer. If Smoltz can come back healthy he can help Boston as a starter or maybe as a reliever. Congratulations to the redsox for their first serious signing of the offseason. I like this signing because it gives the redsox some options for that fifth starter spot and worse case scenario you move Smoltz to the bullpen, he has proven he can do either.

Baldelli is a player i wish the yankees looked into more. When healthy he's a plus outfielder with some pop and speed. He would've been an upgrade over Gardner and Cabrera. Baldelli is still only 27 years old fairly young for a free agent and has plenty of upside. It's not always the stars that win you championships, these are the type of signings that can go a long ways to winning championships as well. I can keep raving about the redsox signings but thats not something that gives me any type of excitement. However I do applaud the redsox for these smart signings.
It's only a matter of time till the redsox come up with a catcher solution. When they do so I'll give a full analysis (player by player breakdown etc) of each of the contenders in the East (yankees, redsox, rays). It'll be long and detailed analysis be sure to check the site when the redsox attain their catcher, likely Varitek or Saltalamachia of the rangers.

No Yankee news, lets get creative

No there isn't any serious yankee news, but there has been some other free agent signings around the league including the A's signing of Jason Giambi for 1 year and 5.25 million with a club option for 2010. I wish Giambi the best of luck with the new look A's, the one-two punch of Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi is a big upgrade for a club with a miserable offense last season. Thats all for now. Be back later with more news.

School

Apparently I'll be introducing my blog site to my college writing class today. Sadly i didn't have anything to write for the occasion. I hope you enjoy the site , its new but with some work I'm sure I can make it into something good.

Texiera introduced and Andy Pettite rejects $10million dollar offer

Mark Texiera is now officially a yankee and will be taking Jason Giambi's no.25 as well. There's a feeling in the yankees brass that Texiera will do well in pinstripes and he will not be as bothered by the media as past players have. Maybe they're right but well find out soon enough when the season starts. Mark is a .256 hitter in April and with the contract he commanded yankees fans will be quick to become critics and shower him with boos. Even if this happens in April Texiera seems to be a true professional of the game, atleast thats what I believe. I don't think he will have too much of a problem striving in New York.

Andy Pettite has rejected the yankees 10 million dollar offer. Anyone else believe that making 16 million the past two seasons had anything to do with it? Taking almost a 40 percent paycut isn't in his interest especially after seeing the yankees sign C.C., A.J. and now Texiera to mamoth deals. This reminds me of the yankees not giving enough to players who have worshiped this organization, Bernie Williams was offered to fight for a job in spring training the year he retired (well not officially retired) and Joe Torre didn't get the respect he deserved and signed with the dodgers. I hope the yankees fix this and offer Andy around 11.5 mil with a few incentives, I dont think he's worth 16 million anymore but whats a couple of extra millions gonna hurt? You are the New York Yankees after all.

Joba Chamberlain starter or setup man?

Here we go again is Joba Chamberlain more valuable to the yankees as a starter or a setup man. Am I the only one that thinks this is a waste of time? Joba has proved he can be dominant as a reliever ( 2.30era last season) but he has also shown he can dominate as a starter (2.76 era in 12 starts). Now which would you rather have a dominant starter or reliever? I'd choose a dominant starter for several reasons. Joba Chamberlain can be an ace and is likely the future ace of this staff. In fact after this season he may be the best pitcher on this staff even with guys like CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Chien-Ming Wang thats how good he is. Another note that is useless to say is that 200innings of great pitching is better that 70 innings of greatness. He has not yet showed that he can be good as a starter over a whole season but Joba is'nt just any other pitcher, in fact I am very confident that he can have atleast an ERA under 4 this season. His fastball and slider destroy hitters, oh and sometimes we forget he does have a plus curveball and changeup. It is only a matter of time before we talk about Joba being a Cy Young candidate maybe not this year but I'm sure if he stays a starter he will win atleast one, with several years of being considered for the award in the future. It is so hard to come by great pitchers nowadays that it would be stupid for the yankees to waste his value as a reliever. Why do u think the yankees signed CC or AJ? Every team wants pitchers who can average 200 strikeouts and 200innings a season, it's not as though these type of guys come by everyday. Relief numbers like Joba's are easier to find. (not easy but easier).

I think the yankees bullpen will be fine, not because I have confidence in guys like Phil Coke, Edwar Ramirez, David Robertson and so forth, most relievers are too inconsistent to be able to trully tell how good they are going to be every season. The only relievers that I have trust in for the upcoming season are Damaso Marte (very good and seasoned track record) and needless to say Mariano Rivera. In fact the only way you can assure having a good bullpen is by having a lot of arms down their (majors and minors). Which is something that the yankees boast, power arms at that. Look at this list and tell me why we should waste Joba as a reliever:

Bullpen

• Mariano Rivera
• Damaso Marte
• Jose Veras
• Edwar Ramirez
• Brian Bruney

Fighting for jobs in spring

• Phil Coke
• David Robertson
• Jonathan Albaladejo
• Humberto Sanchez
• Mark Melancon
• Dan Giese
• Steven Jackson

The yankees will be fine in 2009 bullpen wise. As for Joba hopefully his legacy is just begining. Stop by tommorow for AL East related information , enjoy.

Winter league update

Just keeping you up to date just incase you were wondering what your favorite yankees players or prospects were up to in the winter leagues.

Dominican Republic

Aguilas

Melky Cabrera -- .312 avg, .393 OBP, .409 SLG, 24 games, 12 RBIs, 19 runs, 13 BB,. 1 SO

Estrellas Orientales

Robinson Cano -- .267 avg, .333 OBP, .413 SLG, 19 games, 15 RBIs, 14 runs, 7 BB, 7 SO

Venezuela

Cardenales de Lara
Francisco Cervelli -- .250 Avg, .371 OBP, .346 SLG, 23 games, 3 RBIs, 9 runs, 9 BB, 13 SO

Edwar Gonzalez -- .360 avg., .402 OBP, .613 SLG, 28 games, 11 RBIs, 9 runs, 4 HR, 5 BB, 16 SO

Puerto Rico

Indios de Mayaguez

Jonathan Albaladejo -- 0-0, 15 games, 0.00 ERA, 17.1 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 14 SO, 11-of-12 saves

Ian Kennedy -- 2-2, 6 games, 1.56 ERA, 34.2 IP, 19 H, 12 BB, 31 SO

Mexico

Tomateros de Culiacan

Ramiro Pena -- .263 avg, .290 OBP, .322 SLG, 33 games, 9 RBIs, 14 runs, 3 BB, 14 SO

Jorge Vazquez -- .348 avg, .416 OBP, .636 SLG, 54 games, 46 RBIs, 37 runs, 15 HR, 23 BB, 50 SO

Will Robinson Cano rebound after a horrid season?

Robby Cano didn't have a great year by any standards hitting for a .271 BA when he is a career .300 hitter. But he did'nt do as bad as many of us make it out to be atleast from a hitting stand point , he hit .151 in April which was his low mark but after that he hit much better hitting around .280 or better for most of the season.

Of course it wasn't a great year for a player with his potential. Coming off of two very good seasons before 2008 (2007 19HR 97RBI .306BA or 2006 15HR 78RBI .342BA) you should be expecting to see more of those type of numbers in 2009. I actually expect Robby to have a break out year with his off season conditioning going great and playing winter ball can only help him for the upcoming season. I still believe that even with players like Alex Rodriguez and the signing of Mark Texiera the yankees are going to need another power bat in their line up to help out the before mentioned. Cano can be that player.

I'm rooting for Cano and I hope he goes out and has the type of year the yankees were hoping for in 2008, actually i think he'll surpass that and have numbers that look something like this: 24HR 102RBI .325BA. This is a key season in his development where Robby will have to prove that he is one of the more elite players in the game and establish himself as an all-star and if he does'nt then he will just be seen as a player with missed potential.

I hope you enjoy the post it's the first I've ever written , hopefully their aren't any mistakes if their are feel free to correct me and give your take on the situation. Tomorrow I will talk about the Joba Chamberlain debate , starter or set up man? ( dont think its much of a debate in fact i think its stupid that people have this debate) but nonetheless I'll speak of it tomorrow hope you read.

Written by future sports journalist Angelo Roldan.

My first blog

I'm a senior in high school that is as obsessed about baseball as anyone that you will ever meet. Hopefully I can keep up with this blog and keep up with the yankees ( I don't think this will be a problem). I will probably write my opinions on players , give my take on how i think the season will play out and maybe try to be creative and write some funny stuff like the "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog, oh yea and give news on the yankees , if they make anymore signings and so forth. I hope people read my posts and give their opinions on what I write. I shall write my real first blog in a hour hope you like it.