FullCountPitch - The Full Count: Jack Curry

Jack Curry discusses CC Sabathia's contract and more

Jack Curry was a long time sportswriter for the New York Times before joining the YES Network prior to the 2010 season. In 2000, he co-write Derek Jeter’s autobiography, “Life You Imagine: Life Lessons For Achieving Your Dreams”. Today he joins us for a session of The Full Count.

FCP: We’ve all seen the decline of newspapers in this country. I still can’t have my breakfast without my morning sports page in my hands. Do you foresee a day when there will be no “paper” newspapers?

Jack Curry: I also enjoy reading the actual newspaper. Having worked at The NY Times for 22 years, I always enjoyed the routine of scooping up the paper in the driveway. That being said, the business has obviously changed a lot and a generation of “readers” get their info off the ‘net and not in the actual newspapers. I also think newspapers will be around, but I wouldn’t be shocked if some papers are someday forced to become online only.

FCP: If Yankees like Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada continue to struggle, do you see Brian Cashman trying to make a big splash for another bat or just deal for a serviceable bat (a Jeff Conine type for example)? Any chance Jorge Vazquez gets a chance in the bigs?

JC: A couple of weeks ago, Cashman told me that he makes daily evaluations of the team and is always searching for areas in which they can improve. At that time, Cashman said he wasn’t ready to move to do anything with Posada. He said Posada deserved the chance to emerge from his funk. He didn’t day mention Swisher that day, but I’m sure he feels the same way. The easy solution for the Yankees is for Posada and Swisher to be similar to the players they’ve been in their careers. If they’re not, like not, that’s when it gets dicey. It’s easy to say a GM should “go get someone,” but the execs I’ve spoken to say the market is bare right now. Vazquez has earned the shot to play in the big leagues. It’s just a matter of whether Yankees will pull trigger.

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CC Sabathia Jorge Vazquez Hector Noesi Ivan Nova

FullCountPitch | Where Have You Gone Joe Charboneau?

For every Buster Posey or Neftali Feliz, there is a Joe Charboneau or an Angel Berroa, a Rookie of the Year whose best days quickly left them whether it was due to injuries, bad work habits, or off the field issues.

While Posey and Feliz are both expected to have strong, long careers, FCP now takes you on a journey of the not-so-fortunate ones. And who better to start with than the legendary Joe Charboneau? The 6’2″ left fielder was acquired by the Cleveland Indians in 1978 in a minor league transaction with the Philadelphia Phillies. When he hit .352 with 21 home runs at Double-A ball in 1979, it convinced the Indians, desperate for improvement after back-to-back sixth place finishes (in the then-seven team AL East), to promote him to the Major Leagues to start the 1980 season.

Things didn’t change much for the Tribe in general, they finished sixth again with a worse record then the year before, but Charboneau caught lightning in a bottle. The native of Belvidere, IL hit 23 home runs, drove in 78 runs, hit .289 and posted an .846 OPS. (His numbers might have been even better had he not missed the last six weeks of the season with a pelvis injury.) He easily outdistanced the Red Sox’ Dave Stapleton for the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

Click here to read the rest of the free story at FullCountPitch.com

FullCountPitch - These Guys are Catching on

This week's column for FullCountPitch.com is about the new breed of catchers making their way in the Major Leagues and trying to be the next Joe Mauer.

It’s not often that a rookie catcher makes a huge impression in the Major Leagues, but that is exactly what Buster Posey did last season for the San Francisco Giants. The National League rookie of the year hit .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI in just 108 games. His defense was stellar as well- he threw out 37% of would-be base stealers and caught a starting rotation that was the key to the Giants’ first World Series victory in 56 years. The rookie also stepped up in the playoffs, hitting a combined .288 in three series with a home run and five ribbies.

The 23-yr old is part of a new breed of catcher that is beginning to have a big impact on Major League Baseball. The position is no longer referred to as the “tools of ignorance” and the prototypical catcher is no longer built like a fireplug. The new guys are athletic, quick, solidly built, and can hit the heck out of the baseball.

Click Here to read the rest of the free column and to read more about Jesus Montero, Carlos Santana, J.P. Arencibia, and Matt Wieters.

Rookie of the Year Offical Voting

I mentioned in a prior post that Neftali Feliz and Buster Posey won the AL and NL Rookie of the Year Awards. Here is the official voting.

Fomer Yankees prospect Austin Jackson (98) finished second in the AL while another former prospect Jose Tabata garnered one vote in the NL.

Player	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
Neftali Feliz, TEX	20	7	1	122
Austin Jackson, DET	8	19	1	98
Danny Valencia, MIN		1	9	12
Wade Davis, TB			11	11
John Jaso, TB		1		3
Brennan Boesch, DET			3	3
Brian Matusz, BAL			3	3

Player	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
Buster Posey, SF	20	9	2	129
Jason Heyward, ATL	9	20	2	107
Jaime Garcia, STL	1	1	16	24
Gaby Sanchez, FLA	2	1	5	18
Neil Walker, PIT		1		3
Starlin Castro, CHC			3	3
Ike Davis, NYM			2	2
Jose Tabata, PIT			1	1
Jonny Venters, ATL			1	1

2008 Amateur Draft

Round 1

Pick	Team	Player	Position	HS/College	From (Type)
1	Tampa Bay Rays	Tim Beckham	SS	Griffin H.S. (Ga.)
2	Pittsburgh Pirates	Pedro Alverez	3B	Vanderbilt
3	Kansas City Royals	Eric Hosmer	1B	American Heritage H.S. (Fla.)
4	Baltimore Orioles	Brian Matusz	LHP	San Diego
5	San Francisco Giants	Buster Posey	C	Florida State
6	Florida Marlins	Kyle Skipworth	C	Patriot H.S. (Calif.)
7	Cincinnati Reds	Yonder Alonso	1B	Miami (FL)
8	Chicago White Sox	Gordon Beckham	SS	Georgia
9	Washington Nationals	Aaron Crow	RHP	Missouri
10	Houston Astros	Jason Castro	C	Stanford
11	Texas Rangers	Justin Smoak	1B	South Carolina
12	Oakland Athletics	Jemile Weeks	2B	Miami (FL)
13	St. Louis Cardinals	Brett Wallace	3B	Arizona State
14	Minnesota Twins	Aaron Hicks	OF	Wilson H.S. (Calif.)
15	Los Angeles Dodgers	Ethan Martin	RHP	Stephens County (Ga.)
16	Milwaukee Brewers	Brett Lawrie	C	Brookswood H.S. (Canada)
17	Toronto Blue Jays	David Cooper	1B	California
18	New York Mets	Isaac Davis	1B	Arizona State	From the Atlanta Braves for Tom Glavine
19	Chicago Cubs	Andrew Cashner	RHP	Texas Christian
20	Seattle Mariners	Joshua Fields	RHP	Georgia
21	Detroit Tigers	Ryan Perry	RHP	Arizona
22	New York Mets	David Reese Havens	SS	South Carolina
23	San Diego Padres	Allan Dykstra	1B	Wake Forest
24	Philadelphia Phillies	Anthony Hewitt	OF/SS	Salisbury HS (Conn.)
25	Colorado Rockies	Christian Friedrich	LHP	Eastern Kentucky
26	Arizona Diamondbacks	Daniel Schlereth	LHP	Arizona
27	Minnesota Twins	Carlos Gutierrez	RHP	Miami (FL)	From the Angels for Torii Hunter
28	New York Yankees	Gerrit Cole	RHP	Orange Lutheran HS
29	Cleveland Indians	Lonnie Chisenhall	SS	Pitt CC
30	Boston Red Sox	Casey Kelly	RHP/SS	Sarasota (FL) HS

Compensation A
Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	HS/College	For
31	Minnesota Twins	Shooter Hunt	RHP	Tulane	Torii Hunter, L.A. Angels
32	Milwaukee Brewers	Jake Odorizzi	RHP	Highland (IL) H.S.	(Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati),
33	New York Mets	Brad Holt	RHP	UNC Wilmington	(Tom Glavine, Atlanta)
34	Philadelphia Phillies	Zach Collier	OF	Chino Hills (CA) H.S.	(Aaron Rowand, San francisco)
35	Milwaukee Brewers	Evan Frederickson	LHP	University of San Francisco	(Scott Linebrink, Chicago White Sox)
36	Kansas City Royals	Mike Montgomery	LHP	William S. Hart (CA) HS	(David Riske, Milwaukee)
37	San Francisco Giants	Conor Gillaspie	3B	Wichita St.	(Pedro Feliz, Philadelphia)
38	Houston Astros	Jordan Lyles	RHP	Hartsville HS	(Trever Miller, Tampa Bay)
39	St. Louis Cardinals	Michael Lynn	RHP	Mississippi	(Troy Percival, Tampa Bay)
40	Atlanta Braves	Brett DeVall	LHP	Niceville HS	(Ron Mahay, Kansas City)
41	Chicago Cubs	Ryan Flaherty	SS	Vanderbilt	(Jason Kendall, Milwaukee)
42	San Diego Padres	Jeff Decker	CF	Sunrise Mountain HS	(Doug Brocail, Houston)
43	Arizona Diamondbacks	Wade Miley	LHP	Southeastern Louisiana	(Livan Hernandez, Minnesota)
44	New York Yankees	Jeremy Bleich	LHP	Stanford	(Luis Vizcaino, Colorado)
45	Boston Red Sox	Bryan Price	RHP	Rice	(Eric Gagne, Milwaukee)
46	San Diego Padres	John Forsythe	1B	Arkansas Fayetteville	(Mike Cameron, Milwaukee)

2008 Amateur Draft

Round 1

Pick	Team	Player	Position	HS/College	From (Type)
1	Tampa Bay Rays	Tim Beckham	SS	Griffin H.S. (Ga.)
2	Pittsburgh Pirates	Pedro Alverez	3B	Vanderbilt
3	Kansas City Royals	Eric Hosmer	1B	American Heritage H.S. (Fla.)
4	Baltimore Orioles	Brian Matusz	LHP	San Diego
5	San Francisco Giants	Buster Posey	C	Florida State
6	Florida Marlins	Kyle Skipworth	C	Patriot H.S. (Calif.)
7	Cincinnati Reds	Yonder Alonso	1B	Miami (FL)
8	Chicago White Sox	Gordon Beckham	SS	Georgia
9	Washington Nationals	Aaron Crow	RHP	Missouri
10	Houston Astros	Jason Castro	C	Stanford
11	Texas Rangers	Justin Smoak	1B	South Carolina
12	Oakland Athletics	Jemile Weeks	2B	Miami (FL)
13	St. Louis Cardinals	Brett Wallace	3B	Arizona State
14	Minnesota Twins	Aaron Hicks	OF	Wilson H.S. (Calif.)
15	Los Angeles Dodgers	Ethan Martin	RHP	Stephens County (Ga.)
16	Milwaukee Brewers	Brett Lawrie	C	Brookswood H.S. (Canada)
17	Toronto Blue Jays	David Cooper	1B	California
18	New York Mets	Isaac Davis	1B	Arizona State	From the Atlanta Braves for Tom Glavine
19	Chicago Cubs	Andrew Cashner	RHP	Texas Christian
20	Seattle Mariners	Joshua Fields	RHP	Georgia
21	Detroit Tigers	Ryan Perry	RHP	Arizona
22	New York Mets	David Reese Havens	SS	South Carolina
23	San Diego Padres	Allan Dykstra	1B	Wake Forest
24	Philadelphia Phillies	Anthony Hewitt	OF/SS	Salisbury HS (Conn.)
25	Colorado Rockies	Christian Friedrich	LHP	Eastern Kentucky
26	Arizona Diamondbacks	Daniel Schlereth	LHP	Arizona
27	Minnesota Twins	Carlos Gutierrez	RHP	Miami (FL)	From the Angels for Torii Hunter
28	New York Yankees	Gerrit Cole	RHP	Orange Lutheran HS
29	Cleveland Indians	Lonnie Chisenhall	SS	Pitt CC
30	Boston Red Sox	Casey Kelly	RHP/SS	Sarasota (FL) HS

Compensation A
Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	HS/College	For
31	Minnesota Twins	Shooter Hunt	RHP	Tulane	Torii Hunter, L.A. Angels
32	Milwaukee Brewers	Jake Odorizzi	RHP	Highland (IL) H.S.	(Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati),
33	New York Mets	Brad Holt	RHP	UNC Wilmington	(Tom Glavine, Atlanta)
34	Philadelphia Phillies	Zach Collier	OF	Chino Hills (CA) H.S.	(Aaron Rowand, San francisco)
35	Milwaukee Brewers	Evan Frederickson	LHP	University of San Francisco	(Scott Linebrink, Chicago White Sox)
36	Kansas City Royals	Mike Montgomery	LHP	William S. Hart (CA) HS	(David Riske, Milwaukee)
37	San Francisco Giants	Conor Gillaspie	3B	Wichita St.	(Pedro Feliz, Philadelphia)
38	Houston Astros	Jordan Lyles	RHP	Hartsville HS	(Trever Miller, Tampa Bay)
39	St. Louis Cardinals	Michael Lynn	RHP	Mississippi	(Troy Percival, Tampa Bay)
40	Atlanta Braves	Brett DeVall	LHP	Niceville HS	(Ron Mahay, Kansas City)
41	Chicago Cubs	Ryan Flaherty	SS	Vanderbilt	(Jason Kendall, Milwaukee)
42	San Diego Padres	Jeff Decker	CF	Sunrise Mountain HS	(Doug Brocail, Houston)
43	Arizona Diamondbacks	Wade Miley	LHP	Southeastern Louisiana	(Livan Hernandez, Minnesota)
44	New York Yankees	Jeremy Bleich	LHP	Stanford	(Luis Vizcaino, Colorado)
45	Boston Red Sox	Bryan Price	RHP	Rice	(Eric Gagne, Milwaukee)
46	San Diego Padres	John Forsythe	1B	Arkansas Fayetteville	(Mike Cameron, Milwaukee)