Torre echo's JN voices

[Green Jets & Ham]

Those of us who advocated calling up Melky Cabrera pretty much agreed with the following ... call him up for defense in CF, bat him 9th, and relieve the pressure by letting him know that anything he gives us {initially} with the stick is gravy

Well I don't know if anyone read Torre's remarks regarding this call-up, but he pretty much echoed those exact same sentiments to the letter ... said he called Melky into his office and told him that he is here MAINLY to provide defense in CF, and that anything he gives us offensively is a bonus

Then of course he batted him 9th ... so those who supported this move went 3-for-3 in our logic :wink:

[Green Jets & Ham]

Cabrera a natural in center

BY PETER BOTTE

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Already relying on Robinson Cano at second base and fellow rookie Chien-Ming Wang in their rotation, the Yankees took an even more pronounced step away from their decade-long dependence mostly on established stars with the promotion yesterday of 20-year-old phenom Melky Cabrera.

The Yanks' new starting center fielder stroked his first major-league hit - and looked fluid and comfortable in the outfield throughout last night's 7-2 victory over the Indians.

"I thought he took charge in center field and that's the main reason he's here and out there," Joe Torre said. "He's pretty consistent defensively, and before the game I told him that's his job. Anything he gives us offensively is a bonus."

Cabrera was voted the "best defensive outfielder" in the Yanks' system by Baseball America last winter.

The former Staten Island Yankee also had 12 homers and 55 RBI in 84 games in his two minor-league stops this season before dropping in a bloop single to left in four trips last night in his major-league debut.

"I feel really happy to get my first hit at Yankee Stadium and play in my first game," Cabrera said through an interpreter after the game. "I like to play center field."

GM Brian Cashman admitted an unattractive and costly trade market - he's made inquiries about Oakland's Mark Kotsay, the Mets' Mike Cameron and others - and the continued poor outfield play of Bernie Williams and Tony Womack in center contributed to the decision to accelerate Cabrera's arrival in the middle of a pennant race.

"At the very least, he's here because of the belief that he might be better than what we have right now," Cashman said. "If indeed he is better than what we're running out there right now, it's worth a try.

"It's a combination of where our current roster was at, what the current trade market continues to be and a young kid that continues to impress a lot of people down below. Those three things created the perfect circumstance for me to strongly consider this."

Cashman pointed out the Yankees had been ousted in recent postseasons by teams whose rosters included key players who started the season no higher than Double-A. The Angels, with reliever Francisco Rodriguez, and the Marlins, with Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, immediately sprung to mind.

Melky Cabrera batted .324 in nine games with Triple-A Columbus after he was promoted June 28 from Double-A Trenton. That initial promotion was a result of organizational meetings that took place that week in Tampa at George Steinbrenner's behest, although Torre acknowledged the Yanks also considered promoting Cabrera directly from Double-A at the time.

Over the past two weeks, Cashman said he has consulted virtually everyone in the organization who has seen Cabrera play regularly since he signed with the Yanks as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2001, "trying to find anybody who could give me a reason why not to try it now."

After talking extensively with Tampa-based executives Mark Newman, Gordon Blakeley and Stick Michael, as well as Trenton manager Billy Masse and Columbus skipper Bucky Dent, Cashman called Steinbrenner around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night for approval.

Before the game, Torre met with both Williams, a fading former Gold Glove winner who now will serve as the Yanks' primary DH, and with Womack, who now will be used mostly as a utility player, to inform them that Cabrera was recalled to play regularly.

"I said (to Steinbrenner), this is something I'm looking to try, because of what's out there, and the cost of what's out there, and maybe we have something right here in front of us," Cashman said. "We have to fix ourselves with what we have here."

[GimmeShelter]

Melky looked overmatched at the plate though it's only one game.

I think the Yanks trade dance partners all wanted Wang in any deal for a CF which the Yanks due to Pavano injury just cant do right now.(nor should they) In fact I see them grabbing a Mark Redman type shortly.

Joe and Cashman can say what they want, but this call-up by no accident coincided with the Pavano injury and was a last resort move to solidify CF at least defensively. The move ala Melky's rush to AAA when he wasn't doing much at AA is more than likely meant to showcase him in the hope he holds his own offensively and can be packaged for a legit ML ready CF or a SP.

If I am wrong and he keeps the job it will be a nice story.

Nice win last night by the Yanks.

[Green Jets & Ham]

OBTW, the Yankees now have EIGHT home-grown starters ... starters who were inked by the Yankees and have never played for another MLB team

SS Derek Jeter

DH Bernie Williams

C Jorge Posada

LF Hideki Matsui

CF Melky Cabrera

2B Robinson Cano

SP Chein-ming Wang

CL Mariano Rivera

How many do the Red Sox have?

Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek ... two ... is that it or did I miss a third home-grown starter?

How bout that goofy looking pitcher who wears his hair like Bo Derek .. Vanilla Ice .. was he a home-grown guy?

[JonEJet]

The Head Red Sawx Ball Licker, JBF, will tell you that Fat Schill is a home grown guy even though the majority of the Baaaaston band-wagoneers didn't even know who Fat Schill was before last season

[TaborJet]

The Head Red Sawx Ball Licker, JBF, will tell you that Fat Schill is a home grown guy even though the majority of the Baaaaston band-wagoneers didn't even know who Fat Schill was before last season

Schilling doesn't count. To me, home grown is when a player comes up with, and stays with a team for his entire career.

[Bugg]

Varitek was signed by the Mariners and acquired in a trade for Heathcliff Slocumb. And Nixon was along with Shane Spencer and Rick Reed a career minor leaguer who was a replacement player during the nonstrike. He still may not be a MLBPA member.I'd imagine if you play any of the MLBPA-approved video games, he isn't in there or is just a number and gets no royalties. So to say either was homegrown is BS.

The Yankees are still a flawed team. But the Sawx aren't much better.

[TomShane]

Yeah, home-grown talent. You guys are just like the A's. Except, of course, your home-grown talent is all on their third contracts making $19 mil per. Just like the A's!

[The Gun Of Bavaria]

Yeah, home-grown talent. You guys are just like the A's. Except, of course, your home-grown talent is all on their third contracts making $19 mil per. Just like the A's!

Talk about 2 wide and varying definitions of MoneyBall.

[LionelRichie]

Talk about 2 wide and varying definitions of MoneyBall.

moneyball is somewhat overrated - you still need talent to go along with on-base %. billy beane would have had nothing without mulder/zito/hudson - not to mention giambi, tejada, chavez.

having an ace in the staff covers a lot of warts - another moneyball type team is the blue jays.

when the blue jays interviewed for a new GM they all went in and told ownership they could compete with the Yankess and Red Sox if they added payroll. Richiardi went in and told them he could get them 85-90 wins/year without adding payroll and he got the job.

that said, take away halladay's 20 wins and you are left with a cellar dwelling 70 win team.

[Barton]

Red Sox fans and espn dooshe bags just love to bash the Yankees for buying players and claiming the Yankees farm system is garbage and the red sox farm system is top 5, yet....

1. The sox have the 2nd highest payroll (I believe)

2. The Yankees have more homegrown players on their roster

2. The Yankees have 2 ROY on their rosters in Wang and Cano

3. Called up another promising young player with Melky

4. The sox have just 1 homegrown player in Trot Nixon

5. The red sox haven't shat out a good player from their farm system since trot nixon

[shawn306]

Red Sox fans and espn dooshe bags just love to bash the Yankees for buying players and claiming the Yankees farm system is garbage and the red sox farm system is top 5, yet....

1. The sox have the 2nd highest payroll (I believe)

2. The Yankees have more homegrown players on their roster

2. The Yankees have 2 ROY on their rosters in Wang and Cano

3. Called up another promising young player with Melky

4. The sox have just 1 homegrown player in Trot Nixon

5. The red sox haven't shat out a good player from their farm system since trot nixon

1) True

2) True

3) True

4) True

5) Well you could throw in Varitek he was basically a minor leaguer when he came over from Seattle in a trade but basically last Sox who came from the farm system that actually made a signigicant contribution is Trot and probably before that Nomar.

6) See 5

Barton nails it on the head.

Alot of Sox fans are having a tough time coming to the realization that their beloved "Ye Olde Team" has become what they despise. A team of hired guns brought in an effort to bring down the "Evil Empire".

I know it has to be tough for some Sox fans accepting the fact that their team in no longer "special". They are now a team in their with the likes of the SF, Dodgers, Anaheim. No longer the loveable losers who break your heart, it is "What have done for me lately"

Sox fans whining about the Yankees is like a guy driving the Rolls Royce crying about the guy driving the Bentley.