http://content.usatoday.com/communi...-posada-may-be-punching-ticket-out-of-bronx/1
May 05, 2011
As DH who can't hit, Jorge Posada may be punching ticket out of Bronx
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By Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY
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The New York Yankees' Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada form the only trio of teammates ever to play 17 consecutive seasons with the same club in any of the major American team sports.
In an era of free agency and frequent player movement, it's hard to envision that record ever being broken.
At this point, it's also hard to envision an 18th season together for the remaining members of the Core Four, which already has lost the retired Andy Pettitte.
Jorge Posada, who is in the final season of his contract at 39, has had a brutal start to the season in his new role as a full-time DH. Posada has shown signs of life lately, with five hits in his last 15 at-bats to raise his average to .161, but still has a ways to go before even reaching the Mendoza Line.
Posada has said his struggles are not related to the adjustment to the DH role, but hitting coach Kevin Long has indicated the transition is still a work in progress. That's to be expected, especially for a former catcher, a player used to be involved in every pitch.
The problem is that, with Posada's catching skills having deteriorated to the point the Yankees don't even want to use him as a backup, his value lies strictly in his bat, which has been mostly cold. And his struggles as a DH are not limited to this season. Posada has a career .209 average in 115 games in that role.
Over the weekend, as Posada was in the midst of an 0-for-19 stretch, manager Joe Girardi said he would rotate different players in the DH slot when the Yankees go extended stretches without a day off.
The one positive Posada can point to is retaining his power, as his six homers and 14 RBI verify. However, that might not be enough to convince the Yankees – who had moved away from having strictly DH types in recent years – to bring him back, not unless Posada's hitting improves dramatically.
Remember, this is the club that drew a line in the sand with the beloved Bernie Williams back in 2007, and the five-time All-Star never wore the pinstripes again. The same might happen with Posada after this season.
May 05, 2011
As DH who can't hit, Jorge Posada may be punching ticket out of Bronx
10:50 AMPrint
Share
By Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY
Comment
Recommend
The New York Yankees' Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada form the only trio of teammates ever to play 17 consecutive seasons with the same club in any of the major American team sports.
In an era of free agency and frequent player movement, it's hard to envision that record ever being broken.
At this point, it's also hard to envision an 18th season together for the remaining members of the Core Four, which already has lost the retired Andy Pettitte.
Jorge Posada, who is in the final season of his contract at 39, has had a brutal start to the season in his new role as a full-time DH. Posada has shown signs of life lately, with five hits in his last 15 at-bats to raise his average to .161, but still has a ways to go before even reaching the Mendoza Line.
Posada has said his struggles are not related to the adjustment to the DH role, but hitting coach Kevin Long has indicated the transition is still a work in progress. That's to be expected, especially for a former catcher, a player used to be involved in every pitch.
The problem is that, with Posada's catching skills having deteriorated to the point the Yankees don't even want to use him as a backup, his value lies strictly in his bat, which has been mostly cold. And his struggles as a DH are not limited to this season. Posada has a career .209 average in 115 games in that role.
Over the weekend, as Posada was in the midst of an 0-for-19 stretch, manager Joe Girardi said he would rotate different players in the DH slot when the Yankees go extended stretches without a day off.
The one positive Posada can point to is retaining his power, as his six homers and 14 RBI verify. However, that might not be enough to convince the Yankees – who had moved away from having strictly DH types in recent years – to bring him back, not unless Posada's hitting improves dramatically.
Remember, this is the club that drew a line in the sand with the beloved Bernie Williams back in 2007, and the five-time All-Star never wore the pinstripes again. The same might happen with Posada after this season.
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loca...n-the-Wheel-of-Yankee-Scrutiny-121593299.html
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Designated hitter is just a title.
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By Josh Alper
With the Derek*Jeter crisis on the back burner for the moment, it is time to start worrying about other slumping Yankee bats.
Nick Swisher doesn't quite have the stature necessary to create a Def-Con 4 situation around the Bronx so we can't make him the top priority. Alex Rodriguez has the stature and his slump is bordering on epic proportions, but he's had bad slumps before and come out the other side smelling sweet as a rose.
That leaves Jorge Posada as the player to keep Yankees fans up at night. He's really the best choice for the position.
Not only does he duplicate Jeter's status as an aging legend producing at a level well below his established norms, he is actually producing at a level below what's acceptable for any player. His .152 batting average, his 611 OPS, his miserable walk/strikeout ratio and inability to hit lefties at all paint the picture of a player with nothing much to offer his team as he nears his 40th birthday.**
We mentioned Posada's bad luck on*Friday and that batting average on balls in play certainly looks suspect, but the lack of line drives and absence of hits that aren't home runs make it harder to use that as a crutch for a pro-Posada argument. It is equally tough to buy the argument that there's some rush to judgment going on here.
On Sunday, after Jeter's breakout game, Joe Girardi complained that people were "quick to judge" the shortstop. You can imagine he'd say the same thing about Posada and he's wrong in both cases.
Jeter wasn't being judged on the first month by itself, he was being judged on his subpar 2010 season as well as the start to his 2011 season. Being quick to judge is saying that all is well after one good game not after using a ton of evidence to start drawing a conclusion.
Posada wasn't awful last year, but it was one of the least productive offensive seasons of his career. Seeing what he's done to this point only makes it natural to conclude he's continued traveling the back side of his career hill toward the moment when he hangs up the cleats.
How do you deal with such a moment?*Some are wondering if it is time to call up Jesus Montero who is off to a good start in Triple-A, but that good start is short on power and patience which makes it hard to believe he's ready to handle big-league pitching.
At the very least Posada needs to give up at-bats against lefties -- he's 0-for-23 this season -- with Andruw Jones,*Eduardo Nunez and others picking up the slack. With the team winning, they can afford to hold off on more drastic measures until it becomes clear that Posada's bat isn't returning to anything resembling the good old days.
It may seem far-fetched to believe such things are possible, but David Ortiz looked just as finished in each of the last two seasons before showing there was life in him yet. It isn't every day that Big Papi is the desired outcome for the Yankees, but this isn't exactly a normal state of affairs.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter*and he is also a contributor to Pro Football*Talk.
Copyright NBC Local Media
Posted on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 5:11 PM EDT
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Getty Images
Designated hitter is just a title.
advertisement
By Josh Alper
With the Derek*Jeter crisis on the back burner for the moment, it is time to start worrying about other slumping Yankee bats.
Nick Swisher doesn't quite have the stature necessary to create a Def-Con 4 situation around the Bronx so we can't make him the top priority. Alex Rodriguez has the stature and his slump is bordering on epic proportions, but he's had bad slumps before and come out the other side smelling sweet as a rose.
That leaves Jorge Posada as the player to keep Yankees fans up at night. He's really the best choice for the position.
Not only does he duplicate Jeter's status as an aging legend producing at a level well below his established norms, he is actually producing at a level below what's acceptable for any player. His .152 batting average, his 611 OPS, his miserable walk/strikeout ratio and inability to hit lefties at all paint the picture of a player with nothing much to offer his team as he nears his 40th birthday.**
We mentioned Posada's bad luck on*Friday and that batting average on balls in play certainly looks suspect, but the lack of line drives and absence of hits that aren't home runs make it harder to use that as a crutch for a pro-Posada argument. It is equally tough to buy the argument that there's some rush to judgment going on here.
On Sunday, after Jeter's breakout game, Joe Girardi complained that people were "quick to judge" the shortstop. You can imagine he'd say the same thing about Posada and he's wrong in both cases.
Jeter wasn't being judged on the first month by itself, he was being judged on his subpar 2010 season as well as the start to his 2011 season. Being quick to judge is saying that all is well after one good game not after using a ton of evidence to start drawing a conclusion.
Posada wasn't awful last year, but it was one of the least productive offensive seasons of his career. Seeing what he's done to this point only makes it natural to conclude he's continued traveling the back side of his career hill toward the moment when he hangs up the cleats.
How do you deal with such a moment?*Some are wondering if it is time to call up Jesus Montero who is off to a good start in Triple-A, but that good start is short on power and patience which makes it hard to believe he's ready to handle big-league pitching.
At the very least Posada needs to give up at-bats against lefties -- he's 0-for-23 this season -- with Andruw Jones,*Eduardo Nunez and others picking up the slack. With the team winning, they can afford to hold off on more drastic measures until it becomes clear that Posada's bat isn't returning to anything resembling the good old days.
It may seem far-fetched to believe such things are possible, but David Ortiz looked just as finished in each of the last two seasons before showing there was life in him yet. It isn't every day that Big Papi is the desired outcome for the Yankees, but this isn't exactly a normal state of affairs.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter*and he is also a contributor to Pro Football*Talk.
Copyright NBC Local Media
Posted on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 5:11 PM EDT
This story makes me feel:0% LAUGHING 0% SAD 0% THRILLED 0% BORED 0% FURIOUS 0% INTRIGUED
SHARE YOUR MOOD:Leave Comments
Getty Images
Designated hitter is just a title.
advertisement
By Josh Alper
With the Derek*Jeter crisis on the back burner for the moment, it is time to start worrying about other slumping Yankee bats.
Nick Swisher doesn't quite have the stature necessary to create a Def-Con 4 situation around the Bronx so we can't make him the top priority. Alex Rodriguez has the stature and his slump is bordering on epic proportions, but he's had bad slumps before and come out the other side smelling sweet as a rose.
That leaves Jorge Posada as the player to keep Yankees fans up at night. He's really the best choice for the position.
Not only does he duplicate Jeter's status as an aging legend producing at a level well below his established norms, he is actually producing at a level below what's acceptable for any player. His .152 batting average, his 611 OPS, his miserable walk/strikeout ratio and inability to hit lefties at all paint the picture of a player with nothing much to offer his team as he nears his 40th birthday.**
We mentioned Posada's bad luck on*Friday and that batting average on balls in play certainly looks suspect, but the lack of line drives and absence of hits that aren't home runs make it harder to use that as a crutch for a pro-Posada argument. It is equally tough to buy the argument that there's some rush to judgment going on here.
On Sunday, after Jeter's breakout game, Joe Girardi complained that people were "quick to judge" the shortstop. You can imagine he'd say the same thing about Posada and he's wrong in both cases.
Jeter wasn't being judged on the first month by itself, he was being judged on his subpar 2010 season as well as the start to his 2011 season. Being quick to judge is saying that all is well after one good game not after using a ton of evidence to start drawing a conclusion.
Posada wasn't awful last year, but it was one of the least productive offensive seasons of his career. Seeing what he's done to this point only makes it natural to conclude he's continued traveling the back side of his career hill toward the moment when he hangs up the cleats.
How do you deal with such a moment?*Some are wondering if it is time to call up Jesus Montero who is off to a good start in Triple-A, but that good start is short on power and patience which makes it hard to believe he's ready to handle big-league pitching.
At the very least Posada needs to give up at-bats against lefties -- he's 0-for-23 this season -- with Andruw Jones,*Eduardo Nunez and others picking up the slack. With the team winning, they can afford to hold off on more drastic measures until it becomes clear that Posada's bat isn't returning to anything resembling the good old days.
It may seem far-fetched to believe such things are possible, but David Ortiz looked just as finished in each of the last two seasons before showing there was life in him yet. It isn't every day that Big Papi is the desired outcome for the Yankees, but this isn't exactly a normal state of affairs.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter*and he is also a contributor to Pro Football*Talk.
Copyright NBC Local Media
Posted on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 5:11 PM EDT
This story makes me feel:0% LAUGHING 0% SAD 0% THRILLED 0% BORED 0% FURIOUS 0% INTRIGUED
SHARE YOUR MOOD:Leave Comments
Getty Images
Designated hitter is just a title.
advertisement
By Josh Alper
With the Derek*Jeter crisis on the back burner for the moment, it is time to start worrying about other slumping Yankee bats.
Nick Swisher doesn't quite have the stature necessary to create a Def-Con 4 situation around the Bronx so we can't make him the top priority. Alex Rodriguez has the stature and his slump is bordering on epic proportions, but he's had bad slumps before and come out the other side smelling sweet as a rose.
That leaves Jorge Posada as the player to keep Yankees fans up at night. He's really the best choice for the position.
Not only does he duplicate Jeter's status as an aging legend producing at a level well below his established norms, he is actually producing at a level below what's acceptable for any player. His .152 batting average, his 611 OPS, his miserable walk/strikeout ratio and inability to hit lefties at all paint the picture of a player with nothing much to offer his team as he nears his 40th birthday.**
We mentioned Posada's bad luck on*Friday and that batting average on balls in play certainly looks suspect, but the lack of line drives and absence of hits that aren't home runs make it harder to use that as a crutch for a pro-Posada argument. It is equally tough to buy the argument that there's some rush to judgment going on here.
On Sunday, after Jeter's breakout game, Joe Girardi complained that people were "quick to judge" the shortstop. You can imagine he'd say the same thing about Posada and he's wrong in both cases.
Jeter wasn't being judged on the first month by itself, he was being judged on his subpar 2010 season as well as the start to his 2011 season. Being quick to judge is saying that all is well after one good game not after using a ton of evidence to start drawing a conclusion.
Posada wasn't awful last year, but it was one of the least productive offensive seasons of his career. Seeing what he's done to this point only makes it natural to conclude he's continued traveling the back side of his career hill toward the moment when he hangs up the cleats.
How do you deal with such a moment?*Some are wondering if it is time to call up Jesus Montero who is off to a good start in Triple-A, but that good start is short on power and patience which makes it hard to believe he's ready to handle big-league pitching.
At the very least Posada needs to give up at-bats against lefties -- he's 0-for-23 this season -- with Andruw Jones,*Eduardo Nunez and others picking up the slack. With the team winning, they can afford to hold off on more drastic measures until it becomes clear that Posada's bat isn't returning to anything resembling the good old days.
It may seem far-fetched to believe such things are possible, but David Ortiz looked just as finished in each of the last two seasons before showing there was life in him yet. It isn't every day that Big Papi is the desired outcome for the Yankees, but this isn't exactly a normal state of affairs.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter*and he is also a contributor to Pro Football*Talk.
Copyright NBC Local Media
Posted on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 5:11 PM EDT
This story makes me feel:0% LAUGHING 0% SAD 0% THRILLED 0% BORED 0% FURIOUS 0% INTRIGUED
SHARE YOUR MOOD:Leave Comments
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/bi...-Jorge-Posada-likely-for-good?urn=mlb-wp15295
Mon Aug 08 08:55am EDT
Yankees bench Jorge Posada, likely for good
By Ian Casselberry
It's the last thing any athlete wants to hear from a coach: We think we're a better team without you.
Hearing that has to be especially difficult for someone who's had as much success in his baseball career as Jorge Posada. But that's the conversation he had with New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi before Sunday night's 3-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
From The LoHud Yankees Blog:
"He said he was going to put the best lineup on the field, and he doesn't know when I'm going to DH again," Posada said. "So right now I'm sitting on the bench… I'm not happy about it, but right now I can't do nothing about it. I put myself in this situation."
Two months ago, Posada also appeared to take responsibility for his plight. But his actions spoke otherwise when Girardi penciled him into the ninth spot in the lineup, and he then said he couldn't play due to a sore back. (Interestingly, this also took place before a game against the Red Sox.)
Yankees GM Brian Cashman added more drama to the situation when he met with the media during the game, saying Posada pulled himself from the lineup. Worked into a frenzy, reporters surrounded Posada's locker after the game, asking for a response to Cashman's comments. Posada took exception to Cashman talking to the media during the game, sneering "That's the way he works now."
Sunday's announcement came with no such theatrics.
Posada didn't have a chance to take himself out of the Yankees' lineup this time around. He wasn't batting ninth. Girardi didn't have him in the lineup at all, giving Eric Chavez(notes) the start at designated hitter. (For what it's worth, Chavez batted 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Sunday night.)
Back in May, Posada was hitting .165/.272/.349, making Girardi's decision look like a no-brainer. Posada improved from there, seemingly motivated by the slight, and pushed his batting average up to .240, with a somewhat respectable OPS of .754. But it's never really gotten better from there. As of Sunday, he was batting .230/.309/.372 and struggling through a 1-for-13 slump.
Chavez looks like a better option at DH, hitting .323/.389/.431. But those numbers have been compiled in only 72 plate appearances this season. However, Chavez can still play in the field, playing 18 games at third base. And with Alex Rodriguez(notes) working his way back from knee surgery, the Yankees might need some help at that position.
Ultimately, that might be what benching Posada is really about. A-Rod might have to play at DH when he first returns. That leaves an opening at third base, which Chavez would likely fill — perhaps in a platoon with Eduardo Nunez(notes). Chavez could also help out at first base occasionally, allowing Mark Teixeira(notes) to DH. However it works out, the Yankees now have more lineup flexibility.
The Yankees have one more option at DH, which would be to call up Jesus Montero(notes) from Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. According to the New York Post's Joel Sherman, the team's preference is to go with Chavez first. Rodriguez would probably have to show he could play third base regularly again before Montero could be called up to take the full-time DH role.
Sitting on the bench can't be the way anyone wanted to see Posada's 17-year career with the Yankees end. But he's not being released, presumably to avoid clubhouse drama. And there's plenty more baseball to be played, including the postseason. Posada was hitting decently against right-handers, with a .263/.340/.438 average and all nine of his home runs. Maybe he has some contributions left to make this season.
But it could be a while — a long one — before that opportunity comes around for him.
Mon Aug 08 08:55am EDT
Yankees bench Jorge Posada, likely for good
By Ian Casselberry
It's the last thing any athlete wants to hear from a coach: We think we're a better team without you.
Hearing that has to be especially difficult for someone who's had as much success in his baseball career as Jorge Posada. But that's the conversation he had with New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi before Sunday night's 3-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
From The LoHud Yankees Blog:
"He said he was going to put the best lineup on the field, and he doesn't know when I'm going to DH again," Posada said. "So right now I'm sitting on the bench… I'm not happy about it, but right now I can't do nothing about it. I put myself in this situation."
Two months ago, Posada also appeared to take responsibility for his plight. But his actions spoke otherwise when Girardi penciled him into the ninth spot in the lineup, and he then said he couldn't play due to a sore back. (Interestingly, this also took place before a game against the Red Sox.)
Yankees GM Brian Cashman added more drama to the situation when he met with the media during the game, saying Posada pulled himself from the lineup. Worked into a frenzy, reporters surrounded Posada's locker after the game, asking for a response to Cashman's comments. Posada took exception to Cashman talking to the media during the game, sneering "That's the way he works now."
Sunday's announcement came with no such theatrics.
Posada didn't have a chance to take himself out of the Yankees' lineup this time around. He wasn't batting ninth. Girardi didn't have him in the lineup at all, giving Eric Chavez(notes) the start at designated hitter. (For what it's worth, Chavez batted 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Sunday night.)
Back in May, Posada was hitting .165/.272/.349, making Girardi's decision look like a no-brainer. Posada improved from there, seemingly motivated by the slight, and pushed his batting average up to .240, with a somewhat respectable OPS of .754. But it's never really gotten better from there. As of Sunday, he was batting .230/.309/.372 and struggling through a 1-for-13 slump.
Chavez looks like a better option at DH, hitting .323/.389/.431. But those numbers have been compiled in only 72 plate appearances this season. However, Chavez can still play in the field, playing 18 games at third base. And with Alex Rodriguez(notes) working his way back from knee surgery, the Yankees might need some help at that position.
Ultimately, that might be what benching Posada is really about. A-Rod might have to play at DH when he first returns. That leaves an opening at third base, which Chavez would likely fill — perhaps in a platoon with Eduardo Nunez(notes). Chavez could also help out at first base occasionally, allowing Mark Teixeira(notes) to DH. However it works out, the Yankees now have more lineup flexibility.
The Yankees have one more option at DH, which would be to call up Jesus Montero(notes) from Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. According to the New York Post's Joel Sherman, the team's preference is to go with Chavez first. Rodriguez would probably have to show he could play third base regularly again before Montero could be called up to take the full-time DH role.
Sitting on the bench can't be the way anyone wanted to see Posada's 17-year career with the Yankees end. But he's not being released, presumably to avoid clubhouse drama. And there's plenty more baseball to be played, including the postseason. Posada was hitting decently against right-handers, with a .263/.340/.438 average and all nine of his home runs. Maybe he has some contributions left to make this season.
But it could be a while — a long one — before that opportunity comes around for him.
arty:
Obviously, I never saw Dickey play but he does have better stats than Posada with the exception of home runs. Up to now, they will have played the same number of seasons. Between Munson and Posada, it's a lot closer. Munson had the better average of the three. Played for only 10 seasons before his death. I would think if he had played a few more years, he would have had more hits than Jorge. Thurmon was one tough, gritty, s.o.b., but Jorge his pretty tough as well. Better home run percentage. Imo, Posada is somewhat underrated but upon reflection he's third at best and more likely 4th. Still not too shabby.
One great game doesn't change things much in yankee-land.
Posada is useless overall since he can't even catch maybe 20 games a year, can't run well, can't hit for average.
Surely he is done after this season. It's going to be hard to put him on the post-season 25 man roster since he is so one dimensional.
his great day was really just a homerun with the bases loaded....it's going to happen.
I'm a Yankee fan and I don't like this guy ( anymore). Too many guys signed for too long, Jeter is the next guy to fail as he ages. A-Rod is breaking down, too....but he could at least DH down the road, unlike the punchless Jeter. Both of those guys are signed for way too long. Jeter has been good lately, but do you want him next year and beyond ?
Posada is useless overall since he can't even catch maybe 20 games a year, can't run well, can't hit for average.
Surely he is done after this season. It's going to be hard to put him on the post-season 25 man roster since he is so one dimensional.
his great day was really just a homerun with the bases loaded....it's going to happen.
I'm a Yankee fan and I don't like this guy ( anymore). Too many guys signed for too long, Jeter is the next guy to fail as he ages. A-Rod is breaking down, too....but he could at least DH down the road, unlike the punchless Jeter. Both of those guys are signed for way too long. Jeter has been good lately, but do you want him next year and beyond ?
