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Led by a Chunky Pitching Staff, the Yanks Could Be One of the 20 Heaviest Teams in History; 'Good Gosh!' Says the Skipper
TAMPA—Around the Yankees spring training camp, big is beautiful. This is not an exaggeration. The 2011 Yankees are certain to be one of the heaviest teams in baseball history.
The latest episode of "The Biggest Loser: Yankee Edition" kicked off in earnest Wednesday when General Manager Brian Cashman acknowledged that reliever Joba Chamberlain reported to camp well over his listed weight of 230 pounds, to the team's chagrin.
"He's obviously heavier. That's as much as I'll say on it," Mr. Cashman said.
The official weights baseball teams list for their players are notorious for being low—at times comically so. A player who truly weighs 250 pounds may have his weight listed at 225, for instance, and some players openly laugh about their listed weights in the clubhouse.
CC Sabathia noted this week that after dropping 25 pounds, he's finally pitching at his official listed weight of 290. He's spent the past few years pitching above 310 despite what the media guide says.
Everywhere you look on this Yankee team, there is a player tipping the scale with some serious heft. Baseball players are tall people, more so than fans might realize—but most of these giants aren't exactly boasting six-pack abs.
Going by the listed weights, the Yankees have 18 players in camp listed at 225 pounds or more, just under one-third of the total group in camp. Five players are listed at 250 pounds or more. On the pitching staff, new arrivals Freddy Garcia (250) and Bartolo Colon (245) join the mammoth Mr. Sabathia (290) and the voluminous Phil Hughes (240).
If Mr. Colon and Mr. Garcia both made the staff alongside A.J. Burnett (230), the Yankees would have perhaps the heaviest rotation in baseball history, weighing in at a positively amplitudinous 1,255 pounds.
"I tell you what, we've got some big ol' pitchers. Good gosh," Manager Joe Girardi said.
Based on average listed weights, a 25-man Yankee roster with both Mr. Garcia and Mr. Colon included would weigh in at just under 216 pounds, fat enough to be among the 20 heaviest teams of all time, according to Stats Inc.
The most rotund baseball teams since official weights were kept in 1924 were the 2007-09 Chicago White Sox, who take the top three spots for heaviest teams in history, according to Stats. Not coincidentally, Mr. Colon and Mr. Garcia both pitched for that 2009 squad, which averaged a practically Sumo-like 219.4 pounds per player. The 2007 and 2008 Yankees both averaged more than 216 pounds, but the heaviest World Series champion Yankee squad ever was the 2009 group, which weighed in at a relatively light 210.8 pounds.
The weight issue blew up Wednesday when Mr. Cashman acknowledged Mr. Chamberlain's size. Mr. Chamberlain danced around the subject, insisting that he's in the best shape of his life. "Everybody's going to say weight, but scales are scales. It's how your clothes fit, how everything goes like that. I feel great. I'm getting to know my body better," Mr. Chamberlain said.
The pitcher's weight is an issue, Mr. Girardi acknowledged, but the Yankees manager said that so far, he's come through all the drills fine. If he pitches well, the team won't care much.
"Weight can be a tricky issue sometimes. You're evaluated on how you pitch, and a lot of times, if you're not pitching well, they'll say you're too heavy or you're too light. If you're pitching well, no one says a word," Mr. Girardi said.
All the attention was on Mr. Chamberlain Wednesday, but as Mr. Cashman acknowledged, there are a number of other players who came into camp needing to shed some pounds.
"He's not the only one. We've got some other guys who are heavier," Mr. Cashman said. "I'll let you guys figure it out."
Among them may be the notoriously heavy Mr. Colon—listed as 5-foot-11, 245 pounds when he played for the Chicago White Sox in 2009. It was rumored that he'd lost weight playing winter ball this offseason—but he certainly doesn't look that way to the untrained eye. Mr. Cashman wanted no part of guessing whether the pitcher had gained weight or not since 2010.
"I don't know. We've never had him before. I can't tell you where he was at this point last year, or the summer, or the end of the season. I know he's always been big," Mr. Cashman said.
Colon's Yankee profile actually lists him at 185 pounds—a clear typo, as Colon probably hasn't weighed that much since middle school. Even Mr. Cashman laughed when told that was the pitcher's listed weight.
This Yankee team also boasts outfielder Andruw Jones, who has battled weight problems for much of his career and came under fire for playing at close to 250 pounds in Los Angeles for the Dodgers. He, for the moment, probably won't be an issue. Mr. Jones reported to camp Wednesday looking trim enough, relatively speaking.
Perhaps these Yankees are just taking their cues from their coaches. Among them is David Wells, who pitched at a listed weight of 248 pounds and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2007 and Goose Gossage, of whom teammate Rudy May once said, "Look at Gossage. He's 6-feet-4, and most of it is fat."
- NY SPORTS
- FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Led by a Chunky Pitching Staff, the Yanks Could Be One of the 20 Heaviest Teams in History; 'Good Gosh!' Says the Skipper
TAMPA—Around the Yankees spring training camp, big is beautiful. This is not an exaggeration. The 2011 Yankees are certain to be one of the heaviest teams in baseball history.
The latest episode of "The Biggest Loser: Yankee Edition" kicked off in earnest Wednesday when General Manager Brian Cashman acknowledged that reliever Joba Chamberlain reported to camp well over his listed weight of 230 pounds, to the team's chagrin.
"He's obviously heavier. That's as much as I'll say on it," Mr. Cashman said.
The official weights baseball teams list for their players are notorious for being low—at times comically so. A player who truly weighs 250 pounds may have his weight listed at 225, for instance, and some players openly laugh about their listed weights in the clubhouse.
CC Sabathia noted this week that after dropping 25 pounds, he's finally pitching at his official listed weight of 290. He's spent the past few years pitching above 310 despite what the media guide says.
Everywhere you look on this Yankee team, there is a player tipping the scale with some serious heft. Baseball players are tall people, more so than fans might realize—but most of these giants aren't exactly boasting six-pack abs.
Going by the listed weights, the Yankees have 18 players in camp listed at 225 pounds or more, just under one-third of the total group in camp. Five players are listed at 250 pounds or more. On the pitching staff, new arrivals Freddy Garcia (250) and Bartolo Colon (245) join the mammoth Mr. Sabathia (290) and the voluminous Phil Hughes (240).
If Mr. Colon and Mr. Garcia both made the staff alongside A.J. Burnett (230), the Yankees would have perhaps the heaviest rotation in baseball history, weighing in at a positively amplitudinous 1,255 pounds.
"I tell you what, we've got some big ol' pitchers. Good gosh," Manager Joe Girardi said.
Based on average listed weights, a 25-man Yankee roster with both Mr. Garcia and Mr. Colon included would weigh in at just under 216 pounds, fat enough to be among the 20 heaviest teams of all time, according to Stats Inc.
The most rotund baseball teams since official weights were kept in 1924 were the 2007-09 Chicago White Sox, who take the top three spots for heaviest teams in history, according to Stats. Not coincidentally, Mr. Colon and Mr. Garcia both pitched for that 2009 squad, which averaged a practically Sumo-like 219.4 pounds per player. The 2007 and 2008 Yankees both averaged more than 216 pounds, but the heaviest World Series champion Yankee squad ever was the 2009 group, which weighed in at a relatively light 210.8 pounds.
The weight issue blew up Wednesday when Mr. Cashman acknowledged Mr. Chamberlain's size. Mr. Chamberlain danced around the subject, insisting that he's in the best shape of his life. "Everybody's going to say weight, but scales are scales. It's how your clothes fit, how everything goes like that. I feel great. I'm getting to know my body better," Mr. Chamberlain said.
The pitcher's weight is an issue, Mr. Girardi acknowledged, but the Yankees manager said that so far, he's come through all the drills fine. If he pitches well, the team won't care much.
"Weight can be a tricky issue sometimes. You're evaluated on how you pitch, and a lot of times, if you're not pitching well, they'll say you're too heavy or you're too light. If you're pitching well, no one says a word," Mr. Girardi said.
All the attention was on Mr. Chamberlain Wednesday, but as Mr. Cashman acknowledged, there are a number of other players who came into camp needing to shed some pounds.
"He's not the only one. We've got some other guys who are heavier," Mr. Cashman said. "I'll let you guys figure it out."
Among them may be the notoriously heavy Mr. Colon—listed as 5-foot-11, 245 pounds when he played for the Chicago White Sox in 2009. It was rumored that he'd lost weight playing winter ball this offseason—but he certainly doesn't look that way to the untrained eye. Mr. Cashman wanted no part of guessing whether the pitcher had gained weight or not since 2010.
"I don't know. We've never had him before. I can't tell you where he was at this point last year, or the summer, or the end of the season. I know he's always been big," Mr. Cashman said.
Colon's Yankee profile actually lists him at 185 pounds—a clear typo, as Colon probably hasn't weighed that much since middle school. Even Mr. Cashman laughed when told that was the pitcher's listed weight.
This Yankee team also boasts outfielder Andruw Jones, who has battled weight problems for much of his career and came under fire for playing at close to 250 pounds in Los Angeles for the Dodgers. He, for the moment, probably won't be an issue. Mr. Jones reported to camp Wednesday looking trim enough, relatively speaking.
Perhaps these Yankees are just taking their cues from their coaches. Among them is David Wells, who pitched at a listed weight of 248 pounds and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2007 and Goose Gossage, of whom teammate Rudy May once said, "Look at Gossage. He's 6-feet-4, and most of it is fat."
