The Yankees inked Bill Hall to a minor league contract earlier today, creating some competition in Spring Training. Here's the latest from the AL East…
- The Red Sox signed 17-year-old Australian Daniel McGrath, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes. The left-hander will visit Boston's Spring Training camp for a week before returning to finish high school in Australia. Bradford hears 15 MLB teams had interest before Boston completed the deal.
- Even after signing Hall, the Yankees continue to be focused on Eric Chavez and Raul Ibanez according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Last night we learned that they were in serious talks with Ibanez, and Heyman says the Yankees are in excellent position because all of their targets have interest in playing for a contender.
- Meanwhile, Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports that the Yankees are not offering more than $2MM for a DH-type and might not even want to spend more than $1MM.
- Orioles executive director of international recruiting Fred Ferreira will watch Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler in the Dominican Republic when he travels to watch Yoenis Cespedes play, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports.
YESS O’s better be in on Soler.
I think he is the whole reason we are going there. The O’s say that they are in on Cespedes but they wont be in the DR to watch him until 10 days from now, at that point Cespedes will be wearing Marlin “rainbow”.
that color scheme is awful
Maybe if Ibanez doesn’t have to play the field it will help out his offense, but he looked absolutely lost last year at times. Those HR’s were more about pitchers hitting his bat than it was about Raul putting together good AB’s.
Being in Yankee Stadium will help his offense enough…
It really wont
Won’t hurt them. In fact, it might actually be better for him to play in Baltimore, Boston, Tampa, and Toronto in addition to Yankees stadium instead of playing in some of the more pitcher friendly parks in the NL East (Citi Field, Florida, Atlanta, etc).
It might help his power numbers, but that was not the problem last year. His sub-.300 OBP was.
So if the Yankees sign Ibanez, will they still sign Chavez or will they go another route (aka Bill Hall)?
Good thing for the Yankees is that they will get great AARP discounts…
Ibanez may see a few more favorable pitches in the Yankee lineup than the Phillies one. You forget who will be batting around him….he had Ruiz and a pitcher behind him in Philly……it could very much look like this (in general) in 2012….
1. Gardner
2. Jeter
3. Cano
4. Rodriguez
5. Teixeira
6. Granderson
7. Ibanez
8. Swisher
9. Martin
Ibanez would see a lot more worth hitting with Swisher behind him instead of Ruiz…..You guys have to factor that in as well….not just the ballpark. Of course Ibanez could be the #8 hitter too behind Swish…..but just playing devils advocate here.
its more like this for RIGHT HAND pitchers:
1. Jeter
2. Grandy
3. Cano
4. A-rod
5. Tex
6. Swish
7. Ibanez
8. Martin
9. Gardner
id rather have Gardner batting 1st too, if it was like that i believe Swish will bat ahead of Ibanez, mainly b/c Girardi doesnt like stacking going L/L or R/R. That way its L/R/L/R/S/L/R/S/L/R
Lineup protection isn’t as real as you think
in certain respects no… but in the nl hittin 7 or 8th, theres usually a lot of strategy involved
With the 8th hitter and the pitcher behind him you would assume he would be walked a ton then. His OBP was below .300 last season, and posted a career low walk rate
Does anybody have any info on the McGrath kid?
I’d much rather have the Yankees trade for someone or get damon. Getting Ibanez is like having another year of Posada