Sunday, March 26, 2006
Mailbag: Will Cairo be a contributor?
03/13/2006
TAMPA, Fla. -- It's hard to believe, but Opening Day is just three weeks away.
That's right. Three weeks from Monday, the Yankees will take the field against the A's in a meaningful game, the first of 162 in what they hope will be their first championship season since 2000.
No one will be at the World Baseball Classic. No one will be sitting out with minor bumps and bruises. Pitchers won't be on low pitch counts. Hitters will get more than three at-bats in a game [they hope].
I have enjoyed the Classic, and exhibition games are always good to get a look at some of the future stars of the game. But I can't wait for Opening Day. There's nothing else like it.
We had a nice potpourri of questions in this week's mailbag, so let's get to them.
How big of a role will Miguel Cairo have this year? Will he return to his 2004 postseason form in pinstripes? There has been little talk about this, and I feel the Yankees rely heavily on their utility player, which will be Cairo. -- Derek K., Fort Collins, Colo.
Cairo will be the backup at second, shortstop and third, but don't expect him to see nearly as much playing time as he did in his first stint with the Yankees.
Remember, in 2004, the Yanks entered the season with Enrique Wilson as the starter at second, with Cairo behind him. When Wilson struggled -- which was bound to happen -- the team gave Cairo a shot at the job, and he played well enough to hang on to it.
With Robinson Cano firmly entrenched at second now, it's unlikely that a slump would cost him his job as it did with Wilson. And with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez playing short and third, it's going to be hard for Cairo to find much time at those positions, as well.
The Yankees went most of last season without a true utility infielder, as Tony Womack was converted into an outfielder and Rey Sanchez missed much of the season with an injury. Given the sturdiness of their infielders, Cairo isn't likely to get many at-bats this year. He will be valuable insurance, but don't expect him to post any real numbers.
Where do you think young pitching prospect Philip Hughes will start the year, Trenton or Columbus? How soon will we see him in the Majors?-- Chris S., Roanoke, Va.
I think Hughes, who pitched for two Class A teams last season, will start the season at Double-A Trenton. The Yankees are going to try to be careful with his arm, and he has had some injury problems already in his brief career, including tendinitis in his elbow last season.
With the number of guys on the big-league staff this year, there is virtually no chance that he makes any contribution to the Yankees, save for a possible September callup, so there is no reason for the team to rush him into Triple-A just yet.
If he has a good season at Double-A, there is nothing that says he has to ever pitch at Triple-A before reaching the Majors. Now, when exactly he reaches the Majors is another question altogether.
If I had to take a guess, I would say he is a part of the rotation by 2008. It's possible that he could get there by 2007, but he'll still be just 20 years old on Opening Day 2007. Of course, a dominant year in the Minors could always change people's minds. It will be interesting to monitor his progress as the season goes on.
Do you think that Jorge Posada and Randy Johnson will be able to effectively repair their pitcher/catcher relationship given the history with their egos?-- Gabriel G., Salinas, Calif.
I don't think it's fair to say that ego is the reason that Johnson and Posada didn't work well together last season. There have been several pitcher-catcher combos that have worked or not worked, and ego usually isn't the cause. Think of Andy Pettitte, who liked working with Jim Leyritz instead of Joe Girardi; was that ego? I don't think so.
Sometimes, it just doesn't work. Johnson ended up being better suited toward working with John Flaherty last season, and people made a huge deal out of it. Let's not forget, though, that Johnson pitched poorly in his playoff start with Flaherty, then put together a brilliant relief outing in Game 5 with Posada behind the plate.
The two of them have worked together a lot this spring, both in the bullpen and in games. I don't see any reason why they won't be able to work well together throughout the season, as long as they continue to communicate with each other as often as possible.
What's the deal with Marcos Vechionacci? Looking at his 2004 stats, he played in the Gulf Coast League and batted .336 with four homers, then at Staten Island he hit .292. The Yankees seem to have a fairly solid infield, so I was wondering what they would have in mind for him since he seems to be developing into a very good prospect.-- Anthony G., Boston
Vechionacci is one of the players who caught Joe Torre's eye early this spring, as the manager praised him as a special young talent during the first two weeks of camp. In fact, with Alex Rodriguez out west playing with Team USA, Torre has said he plans to give Vechionacci some playing time at third base during exhibition games.
He has been ranked as one of the club's top 10 prospects in each of the past two years, but he's not even 20 yet (he will reach that milestone in August), so it's way too early to tell what his future holds in the game, let alone with the Yankees.
Think about it this way; Rodriguez's contract isn't up for five more years. When it expires, Vechionacci will still be just 24 years old, so anything is possible. He played in 2004 with the Gulf Coast League Yankees, the Tampa Yankees and the Staten Island Yankees -- all low Class A clubs -- before joining Class A Charleston last year.
He hit .252 with two homers and 62 RBIs last season, so he is still a raw, unpolished player. That said, he's starting to fill out his 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame, and at 19 years old, he's going to get bigger, which will help his power. He is one to watch in the lower levels of the Yankees' system, but you won't see him in the Majors for quite some time.
Do you think any Yankees prospects will make an impact in 2006?-- Marc K., Scarsdale, N.Y.
That's always a loaded question. Last year, nobody would have predicted the success of Cano or Chien-Ming Wang, yet they both played a huge part in winning the division title.
As the team is set right now, none of the prospects are expected to break camp with a spot on the roster. If an injury occurs in the outfield, Kevin Thompson could be called up from Triple-A Columbus to fill a hole, while young pitchers such as Matt Smith and Matt DeSalvo could come up if the pitching staff needs help.
However, I don't see any of the team's prospects making the kind of contributions that Cano and Wang did last season. In 2007, you could see players like Hughes, J.B. Cox or Eric Duncan start to make their mark.
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
TAMPA, Fla. -- It's hard to believe, but Opening Day is just three weeks away.
That's right. Three weeks from Monday, the Yankees will take the field against the A's in a meaningful game, the first of 162 in what they hope will be their first championship season since 2000.
No one will be at the World Baseball Classic. No one will be sitting out with minor bumps and bruises. Pitchers won't be on low pitch counts. Hitters will get more than three at-bats in a game [they hope].
I have enjoyed the Classic, and exhibition games are always good to get a look at some of the future stars of the game. But I can't wait for Opening Day. There's nothing else like it.
We had a nice potpourri of questions in this week's mailbag, so let's get to them.
How big of a role will Miguel Cairo have this year? Will he return to his 2004 postseason form in pinstripes? There has been little talk about this, and I feel the Yankees rely heavily on their utility player, which will be Cairo. -- Derek K., Fort Collins, Colo.
Cairo will be the backup at second, shortstop and third, but don't expect him to see nearly as much playing time as he did in his first stint with the Yankees.
Remember, in 2004, the Yanks entered the season with Enrique Wilson as the starter at second, with Cairo behind him. When Wilson struggled -- which was bound to happen -- the team gave Cairo a shot at the job, and he played well enough to hang on to it.
With Robinson Cano firmly entrenched at second now, it's unlikely that a slump would cost him his job as it did with Wilson. And with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez playing short and third, it's going to be hard for Cairo to find much time at those positions, as well.
The Yankees went most of last season without a true utility infielder, as Tony Womack was converted into an outfielder and Rey Sanchez missed much of the season with an injury. Given the sturdiness of their infielders, Cairo isn't likely to get many at-bats this year. He will be valuable insurance, but don't expect him to post any real numbers.
Where do you think young pitching prospect Philip Hughes will start the year, Trenton or Columbus? How soon will we see him in the Majors?-- Chris S., Roanoke, Va.
I think Hughes, who pitched for two Class A teams last season, will start the season at Double-A Trenton. The Yankees are going to try to be careful with his arm, and he has had some injury problems already in his brief career, including tendinitis in his elbow last season.
With the number of guys on the big-league staff this year, there is virtually no chance that he makes any contribution to the Yankees, save for a possible September callup, so there is no reason for the team to rush him into Triple-A just yet.
If he has a good season at Double-A, there is nothing that says he has to ever pitch at Triple-A before reaching the Majors. Now, when exactly he reaches the Majors is another question altogether.
If I had to take a guess, I would say he is a part of the rotation by 2008. It's possible that he could get there by 2007, but he'll still be just 20 years old on Opening Day 2007. Of course, a dominant year in the Minors could always change people's minds. It will be interesting to monitor his progress as the season goes on.
Do you think that Jorge Posada and Randy Johnson will be able to effectively repair their pitcher/catcher relationship given the history with their egos?-- Gabriel G., Salinas, Calif.
I don't think it's fair to say that ego is the reason that Johnson and Posada didn't work well together last season. There have been several pitcher-catcher combos that have worked or not worked, and ego usually isn't the cause. Think of Andy Pettitte, who liked working with Jim Leyritz instead of Joe Girardi; was that ego? I don't think so.
Sometimes, it just doesn't work. Johnson ended up being better suited toward working with John Flaherty last season, and people made a huge deal out of it. Let's not forget, though, that Johnson pitched poorly in his playoff start with Flaherty, then put together a brilliant relief outing in Game 5 with Posada behind the plate.
The two of them have worked together a lot this spring, both in the bullpen and in games. I don't see any reason why they won't be able to work well together throughout the season, as long as they continue to communicate with each other as often as possible.
What's the deal with Marcos Vechionacci? Looking at his 2004 stats, he played in the Gulf Coast League and batted .336 with four homers, then at Staten Island he hit .292. The Yankees seem to have a fairly solid infield, so I was wondering what they would have in mind for him since he seems to be developing into a very good prospect.-- Anthony G., Boston
Vechionacci is one of the players who caught Joe Torre's eye early this spring, as the manager praised him as a special young talent during the first two weeks of camp. In fact, with Alex Rodriguez out west playing with Team USA, Torre has said he plans to give Vechionacci some playing time at third base during exhibition games.
He has been ranked as one of the club's top 10 prospects in each of the past two years, but he's not even 20 yet (he will reach that milestone in August), so it's way too early to tell what his future holds in the game, let alone with the Yankees.
Think about it this way; Rodriguez's contract isn't up for five more years. When it expires, Vechionacci will still be just 24 years old, so anything is possible. He played in 2004 with the Gulf Coast League Yankees, the Tampa Yankees and the Staten Island Yankees -- all low Class A clubs -- before joining Class A Charleston last year.
He hit .252 with two homers and 62 RBIs last season, so he is still a raw, unpolished player. That said, he's starting to fill out his 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame, and at 19 years old, he's going to get bigger, which will help his power. He is one to watch in the lower levels of the Yankees' system, but you won't see him in the Majors for quite some time.
Do you think any Yankees prospects will make an impact in 2006?-- Marc K., Scarsdale, N.Y.
That's always a loaded question. Last year, nobody would have predicted the success of Cano or Chien-Ming Wang, yet they both played a huge part in winning the division title.
As the team is set right now, none of the prospects are expected to break camp with a spot on the roster. If an injury occurs in the outfield, Kevin Thompson could be called up from Triple-A Columbus to fill a hole, while young pitchers such as Matt Smith and Matt DeSalvo could come up if the pitching staff needs help.
However, I don't see any of the team's prospects making the kind of contributions that Cano and Wang did last season. In 2007, you could see players like Hughes, J.B. Cox or Eric Duncan start to make their mark.
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
