The Bronx View

More NY Daily News, courtesy of Michael Obernauer:

The Joba Rules these days confuse even Joba Chamberlain, who “totally wasn’t thinking” and thought he would get to pitch a fourth inning on Wednesday night against the Rays.

But let there be no confusion about where Chamberlain believes he fits, and where he wants to be, come October: He wants a start.

“Yeah, of course I do, definitely,” Chamberlain told the Daily News Thursday, after strapping on an electronic suit that fit him for a new TaylorMade driver at the New York Golf Center. “But at the end of the day, it’s really not about what I do. We play to win a world championship and get No.27. So when that time comes, we’ll see what’s gonna happen and what fits best for us and go from there.”

Well yeah, of course he wants to start.  He’s always been a starting pitcher and starters carry the most responsibility.

It’s kind of like asking someone at their job, “do you want to be the boss or the assistant?”

It doesn’t hurt that starters make more money, receive more accolades, have a better shot at the Cy Young, the Hall of Fame, etc etc etc.

As far as whether Joba should be a starter, time will tell.  He definitely needs to prove that he can’t be a starter before he is stuck in the bullpen.  We’ve seen what Joba at his best can do.  Let the 23 year old kid learn how to pitch at the major league level and then decide what he is.

Scott Ham blogs about the Yankees here and at TheBronxView.com. He also hosts The Bronx View Yankee Podcast.  He can be reached at feedback@thebronxview.com.

John Harper of The New York Daily News ponders what’s next for the Captain:

Jeter truly should be celebrated for his classy manner as well as his achievement. The passing of Gehrig’s hit total is an especially feel-good moment for him because he is having an MVP-caliber season that has put to rest any notion that his shelf life as a shortstop is expiring.

Still, the timing of the Gehrig milestone does make you wonder about where this is all headed for Jeter, at 35, with his contract expiring after next season and the potential for controversy over whether he will eventually be asked to change positions.

Or to put it another way: does there come a point when doing the right thing, putting team ahead of self, clashes with Jeter’s apparent desire to play shortstop forever?

…

History says it could be a most delicate situation.

Cal Ripken was 36 when the Orioles asked him to move to third base during the 1996 season, a move he so resented at first that he reportedly wouldn’t talk to his replacement at short, Manny Alexander.

Ozzie Smith, perhaps the greatest defensive shortstop in baseball history, wasn’t asked to change positions at the end, but at 41 he feuded with Tony LaRussa over essentially being pushed out in 1996 for Royce Clayton. Feelings were so bruised that Smith and LaRussa still don’t speak.

Luis Aparicio, the man whose record for most career hits as a shortstop Jeter passed earlier this season, played short to the end, retiring at age 39, while perhaps the best glove man in recent years, Omar Vizquel, has hung on as a utility infielder in his 40s, filling in at second, third, and short this year at age 42 for the Rangers.

This is a topic that has been swirling around YankeeLand for the last year or so.  Over the winter, I wrote a piece along with some beat writers asking what would happen when Jeter’s contract is over.  At the time, Jeter was coming off of a merely average season, his third year in a row of declining numbers.

Jeter also has never posted great defensive numbers, despite what your eyes might tell you.  This year is the first time Jeter has posted defensive ratings above league average.

The questions remain: how long can Jeter keep it up and how much should the Yankees pay him to try?

By all measures, Jeter is earning his keep this season.  He will garner many an MVP vote and rightfully so, although Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins is having a phenomenal year at the catching position.

The elephant in the room, though, is Jeter’s former sleepover buddy, Alex Rodriguez.

ARod signed a ten year, $275 million dollar contract before the start of the 2008 season.  Simple math tells us that averages to about $27.5 million a year, although the contract is actually front loaded a bit.

But the precedent has been set and the Yankees and Derek Jeter have to ask themselves if Jeter can really be signed to a contract that has less annual value than ARod.

Jeter can not sign a ten year deal at this stage.  He signed his big 10 year deal before the 2001 season, which comes due after 2010, and signing him through the age of 47 is a ridiculous thought.  Even a seven year deal through the age of 44 is pushing it.

Jeter can force the issue of the annual salary at a shorter length and he probably should.  ARod was a publicity liability before he signed his mega-deal after opting out during the 2007 World Series.  Since then, he’s gone through an ugly public divorce and admitted steroid use.

Jeter is the model citizen as far as the public is concerned.  He’s worn the pinstripes with pride and dignity.  He’s made himself the poster boy for Major League Baseball and how the game is supposed to be played.  He’s on the verge of reaching 3000 hits, a feat that should occur early in the 2011 assuming Jeter stays healthy.

And as we learned this past week, the Yankees have never had a player with 3000 hits.  It would be apropos, to say the least, if Derek Jeter were that player.

As Harper notes, the other issue that looms is whether Jeter can finish his career playing shortstop.  Jeter can claim that the defensive metrics don’t bother him, but it’s no coincidence that his defense improved as the whispers about his ability grew louder.  He acknowledged as much a few springs ago, stating he had worked on his flexibility and range.

How long can Jeter’s new found ability last?  He will be 37 the first year of his next contract.  Can we really expect Jeter to continue to play defense above his previous level going into his forties?

Probably not.  Most players see their defensive numbers go up and down from year to year.  It’s not unlike offensive numbers in a lot of ways: some years are good, other years not so good.  The older Jeter gets, the more difficult it will be to get his body to respond the way he wants.

At that point, Jeter will have a conundrum that Harper states very well: “does there come a point when doing the right thing, putting team ahead of self, clashes with Jeter’s apparent desire to play shortstop forever?”

The big problem here for the Yankees is where Jeter is most valuable for them.  An average to above average defensive shortstop with great offensive numbers is a diamond in the rough.  Those types of players are just too rare to pass up as shortstop is typically a more defensive position.  Getting an extra boost of offense from a defensive postion gives your lineup more depth, assuming you are getting good production from your power positions, like the corner outfield spots, first base, third base, etc.

If Jeter eventually has to move from shortstop to another position like left field, suddenly his value diminishes.  While it would be difficult to find another shortstop with Jeter’s offensive numbers, it’s not that hard to find an outfielder who hits like Jeter.  In that situation, Jeter would be making Manny Ramirez type money for Johnny Damon like production.  Even the Yankees don’t want to overpay for that.

The best option might be for Jeter to sign a four year deal that is front loaded like ARod’s.  The annual value for the first two years could be around $30 million, then drop down to $25 million the last two, making a nice annual average of $27.5 million, just like ARod.

It still seems like a lot, but Jeter is the face of the franchise.  His number is on half the backs of people visiting Yankee Stadium.  He probably generates more income for this team off the field than he does on.

Let’s just hope Jeter’s love for the team supersedes his love for the shortstop position.

Scott Ham blogs about the Yankees here and at TheBronxView.com. He also hosts The Bronx View Yankee Podcast.  He can be reached at feedback@thebronxview.com.

Pete Abraham again, this time contexualizing the miraculous Derek Jeter:

Derek Jeter tied Lou Gehrig for the most hits in franchise history last night. This raises an interesting question: Where does Jeter rank on the list of greatest Yankees?Here is my top 10:

1. Babe Ruth
2. Lou Gehrig
3. Joe DiMaggio
4. Mickey Mantle
5. Yogi Berra
6. Derek Jeter
7. Whitey Ford
8. Mariano Rivera
9. Bill Dickey
10. Lefty Gomez

I did 1-9 easy. The last spot is a tough call. You could say Bernie Williams based on where he stands on the career lists. Maybe Don Mattingly or even Andy Pettitte.

My criteria was years spent with the team, championships won and where the player stood in terms of the competition at the time. Reggie Jackson was a Yankee for five years, A-Rod for six. That’s not enough tenure in my book. A-Rod could get there, obviously.

The direct link isn’t working.  Not sure why.

Jonah Keri went over this topic a few weeks ago.  This was his list:

1 Babe Ruth
2 Mickey Mantle
3 Lou Gehrig
4 Joe DiMaggio
5 Yogi Berra
6 Derek Jeter
7 Bill Dickey
8 Jorge Posada
9 Bernie Williams
10 Earle Combs

I agree with a lot of what Keri has done here with maybe a few minor adjustments.

No matter how you slice the numbers, the top four come out:

1. Babe Ruth
2. Lou Gehrig
3. Mickey Mantle
4. Joe DiMaggio

Of course, this is where it starts to get interesting.  Both Keri and Abraham put Yogi fifth, which is hard to argue.  Yogi put up better numbers compared to league average over less at-bats.  He also did it from the catcher position and was regarded for most of his career as a good to great defensive catcher.

I think Jeter also falls just behind Yogi.  So far, our list looks similar to Keri’s:

1. Babe Ruth
2. Lou Gehrig
3. Mickey Mantle
4. Joe DiMaggio
5. Yogi Berra
6. Derek Jeter

Here, Abraham enters Whitey Ford, which is a difficult choice to quantify.  Keri goes with Bill Dickey, another catcher, over Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada.  I think Keri’s reasoning is the fact that Dickey is a catcher and was very good offensively.

My issue with Dickey is that he basically averaged 115 games a season once he became a full time player.  True, he was a good catcher and a really good hitter, but only averaging 115 games is a bit low.

Bernie Williams averaged 137 games per season once he became a fulltime player and his percentages were just about equal to Dickey’s.  And, Bernie played centerfield decently for awhile and then not so decently during the end.

Finally, Bernie had 2000 more plate appearances than Dickey, which pretty much clinches it for me.  I’ll put Dickey just behind Bernie, making our list:

1. Babe Ruth
2. Lou Gehrig
3. Mickey Mantle
4. Joe DiMaggio
5. Yogi Berra
6. Derek Jeter
7. Bernie Williams
8. Bill Dickey

My number 9 has to be Jorge Posada.  Defensively, I don’t know that he stacks up quite well as a catcher compared to some other, but his production at the position is hard to argue.

It can be debated how much value should be put on position in this discussion.  If you’re looking at pure production, the arguement could be made that a player’s defense at whatever position they played is important, but the position itself does not.  Different positions have had different offensive renaissances throughout baseball history.  A weak position during one era could be strong during the next.

Generally, though, up the middle positions like catcher, second base, shortstop, and centerfield have tended to be more grueling defensively.  Typically, the power hitting positions have tended to be the corners.

It’s a battle for my last spot, then, between centerfielder Earle Combs and second baseman Tony Lazzeri.  I want to give it to Lazzeri because he was a second baseman and we already have three centerfielders on this list.

However, I think centerfield probably gets the edge as far as value for a position over second base.  Lazzeri will have to get honorable mention.

So, our final list:

1. Babe Ruth
2. Lou Gehrig
3. Mickey Mantle
4. Joe DiMaggio
5. Yogi Berra
6. Derek Jeter
7. Bernie Williams
8. Bill Dickey
9. Jorge Posada
10. Earle Combs

Scott Ham blogs about the Yankees here and at TheBronxView.com. He also hosts The Bronx View Yankee Podcast.  He can be reached at feedback@thebronxview.com.

A neat essay about Lou Gehrig by Jonathan Eig in the New York Times:

Gehrig would also have understood Jeter’s reluctance to boast of his individual accomplishments. But like most professional athletes, Gehrig was a fierce competitor and understood that statistics were a reliable measure of his performance. In other words, he cared. A lot. As does Jeter, clearly.

…

Although Gehrig was a sweetheart off the field, he was merciless on it. More than any other player in the team’s history, he set the standard for what it meant — and means — to be a Yankee.

He was not universally beloved. Some reporters found him dull. Children in the Bronx complained that he would sneak in and out of Yankee Stadium to avoid signing autographs. He almost never picked up a dinner tab or tipped a delivery boy. Even some of his teammates thought he could have been friendlier. (He invited only one Yankee, Bill Dickey, to his wedding.) But in most of the important ways, Gehrig was a class act. He never gloated. Never complained. Never criticized his teammates or managers. Never quit hustling.

…

Gehrig was a line-drive hitter, while Ruth hit Roman candles that soared into the seats. Gehrig knew he was not likely to hit more homers than Ruth. Still, he was determined, year after year, to tally more runs batted in. He usually did.

But the record that meant the most to Gehrig by far was his consecutive games streak. The streak was a monumental achievement that reminded fans of his durability and determination. Gehrig also cherished the streak because it set him in contrast to Ruth, who missed games for assorted physical afflictions, including bellyaches and hangovers.

…

He nurtured the streak, too. Though he played at times with broken bones, fevers and stiff joints, he also extended the record in several instances by making short appearances in the first inning and riding the bench the rest of the afternoon.

Before his illness, Gehrig said he hoped to keep the streak alive at least until it hit 2,500 games. When sportswriters challenged him, suggesting that he was hurting his team by refusing to take a day off, Gehrig flashed a rare bit of anger. He said he had all winter and the occasional rainout to rest. When management installed padded cushions on the wooden dugout bench at Yankee Stadium, he complained about that, too. Cushions were for the weak.

Jonathan Eig is credited at the end of the essay with having written “Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig” and “Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season.”

I haven’t read a tremendous amount about Lou Gehrig the human being.  Most of my thoughts about him are probably tied to the mythical legend that has been built around his name and career.  In contrast to the hard living Ruth, Gehrig is often portrayed as the soft spoken second banana, despite the fact that, if not for Ruth, he might have been the Babe Ruth of his era.

That’s not to say that Eig is portraying Gehrig in a wholly negative light.  Like most of us, Gehrig was a human being who naturally felt the pressure and glare of being a famous professional ballplayer.

Time is forgiving though, and surprisingly, so were the sportswriters of that time.  A modern player who acted at times like Eig portrays Gehrig in this essay would probably draw the scorn of the sports-writing community.

Think of pre-steroid Alex Rodriguez.  Most writers didn’t seem to like ARod very much, despite the fact that he game them plenty of fodder to fill their pages with.  Only now, after his scandal, revamping of his public life, and basically limiting his press obligations has ARod come into any favor.

These records were important to Gehrig, just as I assume Jeter’s achievements are important to him.  Jeter thinks he’s saying the right things by not focusing on his personal achievements.  Maybe he is.

It’s hard to believe, though, that a professional athlete could compete at the level of a Lou Gehrig or Derek Jeter without having goals.  In baseball, those goals mean statistics, and more than any other sport, personal statistics in baseball almost always help the team.

Maybe Derek can take a little cue from the Iron Horse and his parents.  Stop and smell the records, Derek.  If it weren’t for that record, you may not have four championship rings.

Scott Ham blogs about the Yankees here and at TheBronxView.com. He also hosts The Bronx View Yankee Podcast.  He can be reached at feedback@thebronxview.com.

After the firestorm surrounding all of the home runs in the new Yankee Stadium, it looks like things might be starting to even out.

The Yankees’ pitching staff home/road splits:

Not a heck of a lot of difference there.

The hitters?

Obviously, the Yankees have hit better at home than on the road, with 25 more home runs in 219 less plate appearances.  Given the pitching splits, though, it’s hard to blame this discrepancy on the stadium.  The Yankees just have a strong lineup that takes advantage of right field.

Scott Ham blogs about the Yankees here and at TheBronxView.com. He also hosts The Bronx View Yankee Podcast.  He can be reached at feedback@thebronxview.com.

Peter Abraham from The Journal News checks in on Chien-Ming Wang:

Chien-Ming Wang, who had shoulder surgery in July, hopes to travel with the Yankees during the postseason even through he cannot play.

“This is a great team. We can win the World Series,” he said. “I want to see that.”

In his first public comments since the surgery, Wang said he hopes to start playing catch again in January and believes he will pitch in the major leagues at some point in 2010. But he realizes that may not be with the Yankees.

Wang had a $5 million contract this season and is eligible for arbitration. There is virtually no chance the Yankees will offer him arbitration before the December deadline. That would leave Wang a free agent.

“I would like to stay in New York,” he said. “But I don’t know what will happen.”

One possibility is that the Yankees could offer Wang a minor-league contract. Or another team could sign him to a major-league deal and hope that he returns to form.

“That’s something we won’t even think about until November,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “Those are issues for another day.”

Wang has twice had surgery on his shoulder, the first time coming in 2001. There is far less certainty that a pitcher can return to the same level of performance after shoulder surgery than there is after elbow surgery.

…

Wang believes the foot injury led to his poor performance this season and subsequently the shoulder injury as his mechanics were thrown off.

“Everything has been bad since I hurt my foot,” he said.

Wang believes the time off this summer has helped his foot fully heal. Only 30, he is not ready to give up on his career.

Wang shouldn’t give up on his career.  Up until this year, he’s been a very good pitcher for the Yankees and, with a little luck and a lot of work, he could be a very good pitcher again.

The bigger question is whether that will happen with the Yankees.

The economics of baseball make situations like this difficult for both the player and the team.  As Abraham said, the Yankees definitely won’t offer arbitration because Wang would likely accept and earn at least the $5 million he earned in 2009 to pitch horribly while injured.

$5 million shouldn’t be that much for the Yankees, but even Brian Cashman doesn’t want to spend that much on a pitcher who may barely touch the major leagues next year.  And if he does, there is no telling how well he would pitch.

Ideally, the Yankees would want Wang on a minor league deal with some performance incentives if he makes it back.  The problem is, someone will give Wang a contract that will pay him a bit more than the Yankees will because they need pitching.  He probably wouldn’t get another $5 million, but he’ll get paid if he wants to.

And why shouldn’t he?  Chien-Ming Wang has no idea what is left of his career.  To date, he’s earned just under $10 million dollars.  Certainly not chump change.

But Wang is thirty years old.  He could probably turn his celebrity status into something profitable in his native Taiwan, but how long will that carry him?

Wang would be foolish to take a minor league deal with the Yankees that paid him minor league wages if there are better offers out there.

I’m sure all of us, even Brian Cashman, would love to see Wang back in pinstripes and pitching well for the next couple of years.  Sometimes, fate has other plans.

Scott Ham blogs about the Yankees here and at TheBronxView.com. He also hosts The Bronx View Yankee Podcast.  He can be reached at feedback@thebronxview.com.

I’ve been hesitant to write something about Derek Jeter’s “pursuing” Lou Gehrig’s all time Yankees hit record.  The hype machine has saturated the media so much with this story that I simply haven’t wanted to contribute to it.

As I write this, my feelings haven’t changed.

So, you ask, what am I doing writing an article with this title?

I’m not really interested in Derek Jeter breaking the record.  It’s nice.  I’m happy for him.  But really, what does it mean?

Lou Gehrig, before Wednesday night’s game, sat alone at 53rd on the career hits list for all of major league baseball.  53rd. Granted, with the amount of people who have played baseball over the years, that is still quite an accomplishment.

But 53rd?  It seems a little arbitrary that the Yankees haven’t had someone in their history that had more career hits than Gehrig’s 2721.

I’ve spent the last few weeks wondering what it actually means.  What does it mean that Derek Jeter has reached this number of hits established 73 years ago by one of the all time great players?

Does it mean Derek is as great as Gehrig?  Probably not.

Does it mean that Jeter is more important now in Yankee history than Gehrig?  Doubtful.

Jeter reaching this mark and the adulation that has accompanied it really has nothing to do with Lou Gehrig.  And as Derek Jeter himself would probably tell you, he neither wants nor controls the hype and circumstance that has surrounded him over the last few days.

No, this record is about us, the fans.  This record is about confirming what we believed baseball to be before free agency and bloated salaries, before Sportscenter and the advent of the highlight.

This is about watching a 22 year old shortstop fulfill all of the promise, all of the expectations, all of the hope that you placed in him fourteen years ago.  This is about brushing away all of the doubt that has clouded the hallowed records in this grand old game since the late nineties and celebrating a player who has worn integrity like a uniform.

We’re happy for Derek Jeter because he made us look good.  We defended him to the Nomar and ARod fans.  His numbers were always a hair below, but the success on the field was obvious.

Now, Derek Jeter is the last one standing, wearing the same uniform he did in 1995 when he first set foot in the majors.  He’s a throwback, a reminder of what was great about the game before Congress was required to clean it up.

He would never say it, but Jeter is proud of this record.  He wants this record because he’s always wanted to be a Yankee.  You can’t love something and not want to be a part of it.  That’s why we want him to have this record, too.  We know he will appreciate it as much as we do.

A few weeks from now, all the hub bub about this week will be forgotten.  What’s so important to us right now will soon trail off into our memories, rarely to be thought of again.  The record, after all, is just a number.  Nothing more.  We won’t be any different because of it.

Thankfully, neither will Derek.

Scott Ham blogs about the Yankees here and at TheBronxView.com. He also hosts The Bronx View Yankee Podcast.  He can be reached at feedback@thebronxview.com.

News about an ailing Yankee reliever:

Reliever David Robertson was shut down because of stiffness in his right elbow, and will not pitch again until he’s examined by noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.Robertson has been a key member of the bullpen, going 2-1 with one save and a 3.29 ERA in 42 games. He said he’s felt the problem for two weeks, and had an MRI exam Monday.

“I don’t feel like there’s anything seriously wrong,” he said after coming off the field before the game against Tampa Bay. “I feel confident it’s not going to be anything.”

Robertson is throwing pain-free and there hadn’t been a drop in his velocity. He said his elbow tended to stiffen up the day after he pitched, and the Yankees haven’t been using him on consecutive days.

…

“We’re not sure we’re losing David,” manager Joe Girardi said. “The unusual thing is how well he’s pitched” despite the trouble, he said.

“We’ve all seen how he’s pitched. He’s been unbelievable. He’s been lights out.”

Some of you might be asking, “who the heck is David Robertson?”

Robertson was drafted by the Yankees in the 17th round of the 2006 amateur draft.  He’s only 24 years old and has posted sterling strikeout numbers at every level he’s pitched.

This season with the Yankees has been no different.  In 41 innings, Robertson has struck out a lofty 61 batters, for a strike out per nine innings ratio (or SO/9) of 13.4.  For comparison, Mariano Rivera has a SO/9 of 10 this season with a career average of 8.3.

I’m not anointing Robertson the next Rivera.  Rivera has only walked 2.1 batters per nine innings (BB/9) over his career while Robertson has averaged 4.7 during his brief time in the majors.  Robertson does have some control issues, but he has a live fastball and would be a great option for the Yankees come playoff time.

The word has been that Robertson is not feeling any pain, which hopefully is a good sign.  Anytime a pitcher needs to see Dr. James Andrews, however, antennae go up and people get worried.  Let’s hope Robertson just has a little stiffness and can carry his fastball into the postseason.

Scott Ham blogs about the Yankees here and at TheBronxView.com. He also hosts The Bronx View Yankee Podcast.  He can be reached at feedback@thebronxview.com.