Thoughts About The Yankees 2011 Rotation

With Opening Day now less than a week away, the Yankees appear to be finalizing their pitching staff, particularly their five-man rotation.  This finalization, what they will go to war with, has me worried.

No announcements have been made yet, but based on what's been going down the last day or two, it appears that the rotation will look something like this:

1. CC Sabathia
2. AJ Burnett
3. Phil Hughes
4. Ivan Nova
5. Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia

Why am I worried? First of all, AJ Burnett is the number two starter. The number two starter! I know he's had a decent Spring  but I'm still not convinced he's put all his demons behind him. In my opinion Phil Hughes should be the number two starter.

Second, Ivan Nova as the number four.  He's had a great Spring. A terrific one. But it's only Spring. How many A lineups has he faced? Plus, I just can't stop thinking about how he could never get out of the fifth inning last year.

Finally, Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. I really don't think I need to say more, but I will, just in case.... These two guys have had good Springs but, that's just it. They've had good Springs. It is entirely possible that their best years are behind them.

Hmmm. Will Yankee fans be looking at a depleted farm system come July 31st due to the trading away of their prospects for pitching?  I hope not!

Curtis Granderson And Twitter

The thing that I am enjoying most about Spring Training this year isn't taking place on the field. (At least, I hope it isn't.) It has nothing to do with any of the Yankee prospects, Derek Jeter's swing, the fourth and fifth rotation spots or anything else that has been reported on since training camp opened nearly a month ago.  What I am enjoying most is following Curtis Granderson on Twitter.

Known as @cgrand14, Granderson tweets about the usual things a player tweets about, like how he is doing getting ready for the season and when his next public appearances will be. But he does more than that. He shows off his love and respect for the history of the game:

Mar 8- "Happy 58th birthday to Hall Of Famer Jim Rice!"

Mar 9- "Hall Of Famers Billy Southworth (1893) and Arky Vaughn (1912) were born on this date! Vaughn had a career .406 OBP."

Sometimes he will post a poll:

Feb 27- "In honor of the Oscars, what is your favorite baseball movie? I vote for either The Sandlot or Brewster's Millions!"

He posted daily tweets for Black History month, among them:

Feb 23- "...Which Negro Leagues player earned his nickname because of the sound his line drives made when they hit the wall?" [Ernest "Boojum" Wilson]

Granderson took some heat from some of his followers during Black History Month. "NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE NEGRO LEAGUE!" was the general complaint he received. He seemed to take it all in stride, taking the high road by simply re-tweeting the complaints without commenting.

At least, I assume it was him doing the re-tweeting. I am assuming Granderson is doing his own tweeting and it is not someone he hired that is doing it. In any case I enjoy his tweets immensely. They are so much better than those of some of the other athletes out there, namely CC Sabathia, although CC has improved some recently. (No more tweeting in the third person, an obvious tip-off that someone else tweets for him.)

So, if you don't follow Curtis Granderson on Twitter, I recommend it. He's definitely worth the follow.

Curbing My Enthusiasim For The Killer B's

Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman. The Killer B's. These three Yankee pitching prospects (especially Banuelos and Betances) are turning heads down in Spring Training right now. Everyone is excited about what they've done in the early goings-on of camp and about what they could do for the team in the future.  The enthusiasm of Yankee fans is through the roof.

Well, pardon me if I curb my enthusiasm about these three guys. As a matter of fact, I think everyone should curb their enthusiasm about the Killer B's. These three guys are not just baseball prospects, they are Yankee prospects. What does that mean?  It means they don't have the same chance as prospects on other teams do, of making their Major League debut with the club they were drafted by. They could be traded away before that happens.

I hope that doesn't happen but I am afraid that it might, especially when I hear talk of the Twins' Francisco Liriano possibly coming to New York.  I wouldn't want to see Banuelos or Betances making a Major League debut in a few years wearing a Twins uniform, but I could. Seeing prospects end up succeeding on other teams: An occupational hazard of being a Yankee fan.