Overbay, When was I Underbay?

On your last legs? Don't have much punch left in your bat? Saw 30-years old a long time ago? If so, come on down to the New York Yankees training camp in lovely Tampa, FL.

The latest to respond to that "Brianslist" ad is veteran first baseman Lyle Overbay. The all glove, no-hit 36-year old was released earlier in the day Tuesday by Boston and was quickly scooped up by the short on first basemen Yankees.

With Mark Teixeira sidelined for a minimum of eight weeks, Juan Rivera was the only Major League player in camp that had a decent amount of games played at the not-so-hot corner.

Overbay produced decent numbers as a starter for Arizona, Milwaukee, and Toronto from 2004-2010. He was good for about 35 doubles (with an NL leading 53 in 2004) and 15-17 home runs during his peak years, but the last two years have been a disaster.

Overbay had just a .670 OPS in 2011 when he played with Pittsburgh and Arizona. Last year he was released in August by the Diamondbacks and then hit just .100 (2-20) in a 10 game stint with the Atlanta. The Red Sox signed him to a minor league deal in January as a precaution when Mike Napoli's injured hip nearly nixed his free agent deal. Overbay managed just nine hits in 41 at-bats (.220) this Spring.

Overbay will have just a handful of days to make the team with opening day this coming Monday.

Wells Set to Don the Pinstripes

The deal for Vernon Wells is now complete. Wells will don uniform #56 for the Yankees and is overjoyed at the idea. Wells sounded a little like Spiderman in relaying how he feels about the deal: "I feel like I'm a kid again. It gives me chills. "There are great expectations and great responsibility."

Wells has been wearing #10, but that was unavailable due to it's Hall of Fame wearer Phil Rizzuto. Bench coach Tony Pena wore 56 up until this point.

The two players the Yankees are sending to the left coast are minor leaguers Exicardo Cayones and Kramer Sneed. Cayones is an outfielder that was signed out of Venezuela  by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009. The Yankees acquired from the Pirates before the 2012 season as part of the A.J. Burnett level. Though just 21-years old, he can't be considered a prospect based on his career numbers to date.

The Yankees took Sneed, a left-hander pitcher, in the 32nd round of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft. The Barton College (NC) product had worked his way up to a full time gig at Tampa ('A' ball)  last year after, but with an ERA over 5.00 and 40 walks issued in 63.2 innings pitched, he had fallen off the Yankees' radar.

With the Angels paying $28.5MM of the $42MM owed to Wells and the prospects having just a longshot at making it to the Major Leagues, the deal feels like a win/win to the Yankees.

Now Wells has to produce for the Yankees or it won't matter how much they pay for him or how little they feel they gave up for him.

Wells Set For Physical; Pass and Play

According to the NY Daily News' Mark Feinsand, Vernon Wells will be taking his physical in Tampa this morning and is expected (if he passes) to be in tonight's lineup against the Houston Astros.

Feinsand also explained a scenario that could benefit the Yankees when it comes to the luxury tax.

"Although Wells’ seven-year, $126 million contract has been looked at as an albatross for the Angels, the deal could actually be quite beneficial for the Yankees financially. Despite Wells’ bloated salary, his arrival may help the Yankees achieve their goal of staying below the luxury tax threshold next year.

The Angels are sending the Yankees roughly $29 million of the $42 million still owed to Wells, who will earn $21 million in each of the next two seasons. That means the Yankees will pay Wells $13 million over the next two years, but some fancy accounting could actually make it so the three-time All-Star doesn’t count against the team’s luxury tax payroll figure at all in 2014 — or even better, earn them a credit.

Wells’ seven-year, $126 million contract carries an average annual value of $18 million, which is the figure used by MLB for luxury tax purposes. That figure decreases based on the money being paid by another team, so if the Yankees were to split the $29 million evenly, it would leave them with a $3.5 million tax figure on Wells’ deal in each of the two seasons.

But according to a league source, the Yankees are expected to pay Wells between $10 million and $12 million in 2013, leaving the Angels to pick up the other $9 million-$11 million."

Still no word on the player being sent to the Halos.

Yankees Opening Day Roster: 25 Men Once More Unto the Breach

"How the hell did I get here?"

With Opening Day a mere week away (let's hope it warms up by then), the Yankees 25-man roster next Monday will undoubtedly contain some surprises, some temporary players, and should elicit plenty of head shaking and maybe some hand wringing by fans who already think the Yankees are down and out for all of 2013.

Some spots are obvious, while others are based on numbers, my hunches, and throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks.

There's a good chance the worrywarts are right; after all the opening day roster will not include Derek Jeter (resistance is futile), Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, Clay Rapada, and Phil Hughes. All are or will be on the disabled list to start the season. The only one (relatively) assured of a quick return is Hughes, who is being penciled in to return on April 7.

The biggest surprise on the roster, of course, will be Vernon Wells once a deal is finalized. The Yankees and Angels are still working out the details,  but a failed physical would be the only thing to nix a deal at this point. Wells has a no-trade clause, but will waive it for the opportunity to play. Brian Cashman is banking on Wells' Spring Training performance (1.112 OPS, 4 HR, 11 RBI in 36 At-Bats) carrying over to the regular season. Wells took to Twitter last night to tell everyone how stoked he is about it.

Joining Wells in the outfield will be starters Brett Gardner in center field and Ichiro Suzuki in right field. That leaves room for two more outfielders. The front runners at this point should be lefty Brennan Boesch and righty Ben Francisco.

Melky Mesa would be better served by playing every day in the minor leagues, while veteran Juan Rivera should be released (a .316 exhibition average, but no home runs and a .404 slugging pct.) even though he has been seeing time at first base as well.

Robinson Cano will be the only regular infielder from last year's team to be in the opening day lineup. You can't blame Cashman if he takes preventative measures and covers his second baseman in bubble wrap. Cano, a free agent after the coming season, turned down a "significant" contract extension in Spring Training, but the Yankees need him for the long term. He's the Yankees best player with the bat and glove.

Cano will have company in the infield with Kevin Youkilis, but will the former Red Sox primarily play to the left or right of Cano?  Youkilis was signed to supplant Rodriguez at third base, but when Teixeira went down  the Yankees needed to add another corner infielder.

The team has given Cuban born expatriate Ronnier Mustelier a good long look at third base. Mustelier has been an outfielder in the Yankees farm system, but played the hot corner in his native land. The Yankees like his bat and Mustelier gave them some more food for thought on Sunday when he hit a walk-off home run.

With Jeter on the DL, Eduardo Nunez will get the bulk of the playing time at shortstop, but Nunez has to play steady defense to keep it that way. Jayson Nix will return as the utility player and could get some increased playing time if Mustelier and/or Rivera don't make the squad. The feeling here is that Mustelier makes the team, which means that Youkilis will see more time at first base than third base.

The catching situation, or better yet the lack thereof, has been a no-brainer all Spring Training. Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart will be the team's two catchers...barring a last minute move like the one that occurred last year when Stewart came in at the last moment and Cervelli was sent to the minors.

Travis Hafner will be the left-handed hitting DH and will split time with any number of players.

That leaves the pitching staff, which has not been able to escape the injury bug either. CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, and Andy Pettitte are back as the first three starters in the rotation. Hughes will occupy the fourth spot when he returns from the DL. The fifth spot will be the winner of the Spring Training battle between Ivan Nova and David Phelps, though left-hander  Vidal Nuno has to be considered a dark horse for the spot.

Both Phelps and Nova had pitched well until recently, but Nova has been knocked around in his last two starts and Phelps got raked over the coals in his last appearance. Phelps' success in the pen last year could have an influence on Joe Girardi's decision on who ends up where, but the Yankees' manager has not publicly given any idea of who will earn the final spot in the rotation.

The bullpen will have Mariano Rivera back as closer, his repaired ACL holding up well so far. The bigger concern at the moment are the headaches he has been having. The preliminary diagnosis is migrains, but Rivera is undergoing tests (i.e. MRI) as a precaution.

David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain and his cheesy mustache, and Boone Logan will all be back, though there is an outside chance Logan could start the season on the disabled list if his inflamed left elbow acts up prior to opening day. With Rapada on the DL, the Yankees should keep Nuno as the second lefty in the bullpen.

That leaves 3-4 spots in the pen depending on whether Girardi wants to go with a 12 or 13 man staff to start the season. I'm going to go with the assumption, right or wrong, that either Nova and Phelps make the team, but not both.  The "loser" in the competition should pitch every fifth day for Scranton rather than throw out of the pen.

That leaves three spots on the 25-man roster to be occupied by relievers. One goes to David Aardsma, who looks good as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Jim Miller (inexplicably waived by the A's in the Fall and claimed by the Yankees) has had some control trouble, but overall has pitched well. The one disadvantage  facing Miller is not being on the 40-man roster.

Shawn Kelley has the advantage of being on the 40-man as well as having the ability to strike out more than one batter per inning. Though his Spring numbers don't look good at first blanch, Kelley was one of the best acquisitions this off-season (for  outfielder Abe Almonte) and should make the team.

The Yankees' 40-man roster is currently completely full  so some changes will have to be made to fit Wells and Miller, should the latter make the team. Mark Teixeira will wind up on the 60-day DL to open one spot and another will likely come from a player being designated for assignment. Based on his Spring Training performance (16 ER in 17.2 IP)  and his average numbers at Scranton the last two years I would say Adam Warren is the likely candidate. (Perhaps he'll be dealt for Wells.)

So the 25-man roster on April 1 would like this (Hopefully I just counted that all correctly and didn't leave an obvious player out.):

Outfield (5)

Ichiro
Gardner
Wells
Boesch
Francisco

Infield (5)

Cano
Youkilis
Nunez
Nix
Mustelier

Catcher (2)

Cervelli
Stewart

DH (1)

Hafner

Pitcher (12)

Sabathia
Kuroda
Pettitte
Nova/Phelps
Rivera
Logan
Robertson
Chamberlain
Nuno
Aardsma
Kelley
Miller


There's no guess as to how long the aforementioned players will be with the big squad as Hughes, Jeter, Granderson, Rapada and hopefully, Teixeira return. Just please return, SOON!


UPDATE - 3/26 8 A.M. - Chad Jennings of the LoHud Journal pointed out some important factors to the make up of the roster. Juan Rivera must either be released today or receive a $100K retention bonus.

Rivera has earned the clause due to service time in the Major Leagues. None of the other veterans brought in on minor league deals have the same contingency in place. WFAN's Sweeny Murti told Mike Francesa yesterday that he felt Rivera would make the team because of the lack of first basemen on the team.  The Yankees may not want to risk playing Nix, Mustelier or someone else regularly at third base with Youkiliks sliding over to first base, but Rivera has nothing left in his bat and should be let go.

Getting back to Jennings, he also reported that Mark Teixeira will NOT be on the 60-day DL as I had speculated yesterday. Teixeira's DL date could not be back tracked so he would have to definitely miss all of April and May, though that seems likely anyway.

Cesar Cabral, recovering from a fractured elbow he suffered last Spring Training, is the fore-runner to be placed on the 60-day DL. Manny Banuelos will miss the entire 2013 season, but will not be placed on the 60-day DL so that his Major League service time does not begin.

Cashman Loses Mind: Yankees About to Acquire Vernon Wells

"What do you mean we just signed Josh Hamilton?"

I received a text from a friend (kudos Tmags) a few minutes ago that the Yankees are about to acquire Vernon Wells from the outfield laden Los Angeles Angels.

My immediate response was "Why?!" Is Wells better than a platoon of Brennan Boesch and Ben Francisco?

This is not the 2002-2006 Vernon Wells of the Toronto Blue Jays that was one of the best players in the game. He could hit for average (for a time), power, steal a handful of bases, run down any ball in the outfield from his perch in centerfield, and had a rifle of an arm.  The Blue Jays rewarded their star after the 2006 season by giving him a 7-year,  $126MM extension.

According to Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan, the Angels will send Wells and a large sum of cash (Two years and $42MM remain on the contract.) to the Yankees. No names have been mentioned concerning who would be sent to the Angels, but that will certainly depend on how much money accompanies Wells to the Bronx.

The 3-time All-Star has a no-trade clause and could make the whole situation moot. However, he has no role with the Angels and would be, according to Passan, in the Yankees every day lineup. At least until left-fielder Curtis Granderson comes back. The right-handed hitter could then split time with all three starting/left-handed hitting outfielders and lefty DH Travis Hafner.

The deal doesn't make a lot of sense for a number of reasons. To take on a one year deal would be one thing, but to have Wells under contract next season (no matter how much money the Angels send) makes no sense whatsoever.  Injuries and age have zapped him of much of his power, speed, and flash that was so much a part of his game.

The big cash on Wells' contract didn't kick in until 2010-a mere $15MM+ the first year- and escalated upward over $20MM annually after that.  Unfortunately for all concerned, the injuries set in long before the new deal did.

A bad shoulder hampered Wells' play in 2007 and limited him to a .245 batting average and .402 slugging. His 16 home runs were the lowest total since he became an every player. Wells' missed 54 games in 2008 with a broken wrist, but managed to put up an .840 OPS.

2009 was another down year caused by lingering wrist issues that required off-season surgery. He had a mini resurgence in 2010 (31 HR's, over .800 OPS), but it has been downhill since.

When 2011 started badly, the Blue Jays felt it was time to rid themselves of the fifth player chosen overall in the 1997 MLB amateur draft. They found a partner in the Angels, who dealt outfielder Juan Rivera and catcher Mike Napoli to Toronto in January, 2011.

What followed were two sub-par seasons; Wells hit 25 home runs in 2011, but both years produced a sub-.700 OPS.  Brian Cashman wasn't satisfied with his current cadre of reserve outfielders - veterans Boesch (may have oblique injury), Francisco, Juan Rivera, and youngsters Ronnier Mustelier and Melky Mesa - and evidently feels he has nothing to lose by going to Wells once too often.



UPDATE - 5:20 PM : Angels' beat writer Alden Gonzalez asked Wells if he would waive his no-trade clause. Wells said "possibly" and flashed a big grin. Wells added,“It’d be a huge change. I don’t think it’s ever easy saying goodbye, but at the same time, if this were to happen, it’s a good group of guys over there. I’ll just get to know a new family.”

Angels' GM Jerry DiPoto was noncommittall  when queried by Gonzalez.

Yankees, Red Sox Step Up While Congress Cowers

It will be a long time before the tragedy at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, CT. can be thought of without feeling crushing pain and a tremendous sense of loss. It's also started a battle between gun advocates and anti-gun individuals.

I am going to only speak briefly about the political side of this - Our representatives in Washington, D.C. are an embarrassment to our country. A majority of cowards that care more for getting re-elected, having power, and taking kickbacks from groups like the National Rife Association than doing the right thing.  Congress hit a new low when it removed the assault weapons ban from a new bill that will increase the difficulty in legally obtaining a gun. Enough about those spineless bastards and scum of the earth lobbyists.

Newtown, CT is a town that probably most of us never heard of until 11 days before Christmas last year when a deranged gunmen killed six members of the faculty and 20 first grade students. A horror that words can't do justice to.

Since that awful day on December 11, many organizations and individuals have tried to help ease the pain felt by the Newtown community. The NFL honored the victims, the school's choir appeared on the Christmas episode of Saturday Night Live, and now it is MLB's turn to step up. (Shortly after the shooting, Derek Jeter called the mother of one the teachers killed.)

Since Connecticut has a large number of both Yankees and Red Sox fans, it's appropriate that the two should share in honoring the victims and their families as well as the survivors of the massacre.

From the Wall St. Journal:

Pregame ceremonies include a joint honor guard of Newtown police and firefighters, and a moment of silence at which time a list of the victims' names will be recognized on the center-field scoreboard.

"On opening day, we will reflect upon more important things and the play the game to honor the community of Newtown," Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. "Since the day of the tragedy, our hearts and thoughts have been with those who were affected."

Commissioner Bud Selig has also asked all 30 teams to wear a special ribbon for their opening games. In addition to the Opening Day ceremonies, the Yankees have invited 3,000 people from Newtown to attend "Newtown Day at Yankee Stadium" on July 7.

Hopefully all of these gestures will help the town get back to some kind of normalcy, because nothing will ever be the same again.

Nuno Impresses in Win Over Red Sox

If you mentioned the name Vidal Nuno to anyone at the start of Spring Training this year, they probably scrunched up their eye brows at the person who queried you and said, "Who?".  There's a chance that won't be the case much longer.

Nuno continued to make the Yankees front office and manager Joe Girardi take notice with five shutout innings in the Yankees 4-0 win over the Boston Red Sox Wednesday afternoon.

Nuno impressed in the 20 starts he made for Double-A Trenton last year. He had a 2.54 ERA against Eastern League hitters, struck out 100 in 114 innings and walked just 27 to help finish 9-5.

The 5'11", 25-year old was drafted out of Baker (KS) University by the Cleveland Indians in the 48th round of the 2009 MLB amateur draft. Household names don't usually get selected in the 48th round of anything. After an impressive post-draft stint in the New York-Penn League (NYPL), Nuno didn't fare as well the following season (6-9, 4.96 in 'A' ball) though his impeccable control continued. Inexplicably, the Indians released him the following March.

After six games in the independent Frontier League, the Yankees signed Nuno in mid-June. The 24-year old dominated the NYPL hitters, most of which were just out of high school or college. The Yankees quickly moved Nuno from Staten Island to 'A' ball in Charleston where continued to dominate opposing batters. Between the two levels, Nuno had a laughable 11.2:1 strikeout to walk ratio. The Indians loss appeared to be the Yankees gain.

Soon the Yankees will have decisions to make concerning the team that goes north for the April 1 home opener with Boston and which players get sent to the minors or released. The Yankees two left-handers in the pen were both banged up this spring. Boone Logan appeared in his first spring training game on Tuesday after sitting out with elbow inflammation. Clay Rapada made two appearances this spring, but has been out for nearly two weeks after he was diagnosed with bursitis in his shoulder.

The Yankees don't necessarily need two left-handers in the pen to start the season, but if Logan or Rapada is not ready, the Yankees could turn to Nuno.  The California native could also be considered a dark horse for a spot in the rotation if Phil Hughes starts the season on the disabled list. (Ivan Nova and David Phelps are the experienced pitchers that are currently battling for the number five spot among the starters.)

The most likely spot for Nuno will be in the starting rotation for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (What a horrible name). With Manny Banuelos recovering from Tommy John surgery, Nuno has leaped to the top of the charts among the team's left-handed pitching prospects.

Jeter Out With Crankle, Logan Returns

From the moment he reported to training camp Derek Jeter has insisted he and his previously broken left ankle would be ready for Opening Day on April 1.  Each time he has also thrown in a slight caveat to hedge his bets.  Jeter is still maintaining he will be in the lineup come April 1, but he is sitting it out the grapefruit league games for the second straight day with what has been referred to as "cranky" ankle (or a crankle, if you will).

It's no surprise that there would be a setback since you generally don't rehab from an injury without some pauses here and there. It's perfectly normal and more apt to happen once you are on the other side of 30-years old.

An MRI showed inflammation in the Captain's ankle and he will take things day-to-day for now.

The Yankees got some good news on Tuesday when Boone Logan (how come he's never been nicknamed "Wolverine"?) pitched in a game for the first time this spring. Logan had been out with elbow inflammation, and though he maintains he is pain-free, he believes there is still inflammation in the elbow.

Never one to ice his elbow after an appearance, Logan has begun the practice to help his arm rebound from the stress a game puts on it. Perhaps Joe Girardi would like to keep Logan from pitching in 80 games as well (not to mention how many times he warms up without coming in).

UPDATE 1:10 PM - Just got word that Derek Jeter got a cortisone shot in his ankle this morning. The likelihood of missing Opening Day just increased by A LOT.

Return of the Wanger?

Chien-Ming Wang quickly became one of my favorite Yankees after his recall from the minors in 2005. His 8-5, 4.02 performance helped the Yankees win the AL East over Boston in a race that went down to the wire. Back-to-back 19 win seasons followed, but then so did injuries and the unemployment line beckoned this winter.

Chad Jennings of the LoHud Journal reported that Wang is worked out for the Yankees' scouts Wednesday morning in a move that could lead Wang back to the pinstripes. Interest grew after Wang was scouted over the last month and pitched Chinese Taipei (6 shutout innings) to a victory over Australia in the World Baseball Classic.

Wang's woes began in 2008 when he tore the Lisfranc ligament in his right foot and missed the final 3 1/2 months of the season. He was 8-2, 4.08 at the time of the injury, which was especially aggravating  since it occurred during interleague play while Wang ran the bases. It's no secret that the loss of Wang contributed to the Yankees missing out on the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

Something was wrong from the get-go when Wang returned in 2009. His hard biting sinker was missing its sting and he was hammered by the Yankees' opponents. Wang would finish 1-6, 9.64 in 12 games (9 starts), but none of that mattered compared to the pain in Wang's right shoulder. Initially diagnosed as a strain, Wang underwent surgery in July, 2009 for a torn capsule in the shoulder.

Elbow surgery was once thought of as career ending, but the advent of Tommy John surgery turned that prognosis upside down. Shoulder surgeries are another matter though - ask Michael Pineda how worried he is about the future of his career. Wang missed the entire 2010 season, but signed with the Washington Nationals prior to the following season.

The "Wanger" returned to the Majors on July 29, 2011, exactly two years to the day after his surgery. The Mets knocked him around in four innings, but Wang's shoulder passed the test. He finished 4-3, 4.04 in 11 starts and had the second best WHIP (1.283) of his career.

Wang's 2012 season didn't go too smoothly; a bad hamstring and strained hip limited him to five starts and five relief appearances, and no new contract this winter. The Wanger is hoping that changes shortly, maybe in a return to the pinstripes.

Teixeira's Season Hanging By a Sheath

"It hurts when I go like this."

The Yankees 2013 season is going from bad to worse and we haven't even gotten out of March yet. 1st baseman Mark Teixeira was already expected to be out up to two months with an injured right wrist, but word is now he could have season ending surgery at some point.

GM Brian Cashman told the media that there was a 75% chance that Teixeira would not need surgery, but at this point who can rule anything out when it comes to this year's team.

Teixeira hurt the wrist while using a weighted bat off of a tee at the World Baseball Classic. The injury likely would have occurred in Yankees' camp had the WBC not existed. The exercise was just part of Teixeira's normal routine.

What's not normal is the number of injuries the Yankees have suffered before the regular season has started. Curtis Granderson (broken forearm), Phil Hughes (bulging disc in back), Boone Logan (sore elbow), Clay Rapada (bursitis), and Alex Rodriguez (hip surgery) have all suffered injuries that vary in severity. Even Cashman broke his leg and dislocated his ankle while sky diving.

Teixeira's injury may be the worst of all (possibly surpassed by A-Rod, who also may be out for the year.) since there is so much uncertainty on how the sheath is his wrist will hold up. Unlike Toronto's Jose Bautista who had the surgery last year and missed 2 1/2 months of the season, the tendon in Teixeira's wrist is stable.

With it now likely that Teixeira won't return until June, Cashman has to continue to check the waiver wire, but also make more calls to add some pop to the lineup. He already made a good move when he picked up Brennan Boesch after Detroit released the outfielder.

Fans and some pundits (i.e. Mike Francesa) are calling for the acquisition of Justin Morneau from Minnesota. Morneau had had his own injury issues over the last few years (concussions causing the most trouble), but he did play in 134 games last season and produced 19 home runs and 77 RBI. (Plus a .773 OPS). He's scheduled to make $14MM this year and will be a free agent after the season.

The Twins have averaged just 64.5 wins over the last two years, so they may be willing to deal Morneau prior to season's trade deadline. They will ask for plenty for him, but given his salary, injury history and soon-to-be free agent status, they cannot expect to get a prospect laden package in return (perhaps Cashman can deal some of the overhyped pitching prospects in the system).

Twins GM Terry Ryan could probably get a bigger return for Joe Mauer than for Morneau, but Mauer does not fit into the Yankees plans. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, Mark Teixeira will.

Hall to Honor Tommy John's Savior

Dr. Frank Jobe is one of the world's most renowned orthopedic surgeons, but the general public associate him with the most well known part of his work and his most famous patient.

Jobe pioneered elbow ligament replacement surgery, better known as Tommy John surgery after the Major League left-hander. For his work with baseball, the 88-year old Jobe will be honored on July 27 by the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

It all began though in July, 1974 when it was discovered that John had ruptured a ligament in his left elbow and Dr. Jobe told him that surgery was likely. John was 13-3 at the time, the winningest pitcher on the LA Dodgers. A little over two months later (September 24), Dr. Jobe reconstructed John's elbow by using the tendon from the pitcher's right forearm.

John, who debuted in 1963, believed he would return some time during the 1975 season, but rehab was slower than he expected¹ and he missed the entire 1975 campaign. We've come to learn since then that John followed the proper protocol. Trying to come back to quickly from such a (then) complex surgery does more harm than good.

John returned on April 16, 1976 with a shaky performance against the Atlanta Braves, but he allowed just three earned runs over his next 21 innings. His elbow was better than ever, and Jobe's technique was the standard for repairing torn elbow ligaments.

John was a good pitcher before the surgery, but got even better afterward with the instability gone from his elbow. He was 31-years old at the time of the surgery and pitched until he was 46. Parts of 26 seasons in all, 288 career victories, three 20-win seasons (1977 with LA, 1978-79 with the Yankees), three top five Cy Young finishes, and a borderline Hall of Fame career.

An internet campaign was started in August, 2012 to have the Hall honor Jobe, who now works as a consultant to the Dodgers.

1 - Gettysburg Times, 8/7/75

Cashman Finally Listens to Me, Inks Boesch

The Yankees hope Boesch strikes this pose often this year

Brian Cashman is clearly finally reading what I am writing about. A mere two days after I urged Cashman to sign Boesch, released earlier that day by the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees GM signed the outfielder to a $1.5MM deal with another $600K possible through incentives.

It looks like the Yankees outfield to start the season could very well be Brett Gardner in center field, Ichiro Suzuki in right and a platoon of Boesch and recently acquired Ben Francisco in left. Francisco could share some of those at-bats with another right-handed hitter, and the two could spell Ichiro at times in right field as well.

Boesch is a streaky hitter that can go on prolonged stretches where he is either ripping the ball or walking back to the dugout after another making out. The short porch in right-field is beckoning, however, and Boesch averages a home run every 32 at-bats primarily playing in a pitcher's ballpark.

Lee to Yankees: Thanks, but No Thanks

Derrek Lee will not be donning new pinstripes.

Derrek Lee will not be coming out of retirement to supplement the Yankees batting order while Mark Teixeira is out of action.

The Yankees had reached out to Lee and other veterans who had either retired or had not yet signed a contract for the coming season. Lee's last year in the bigs was 2011, and as reported by Yahoo's Tim Brown, he decided to keep it that way.

No word yet whether Scott Rolen has any interest in becoming a Yankee. He is reportedly leaning towards retirement.

The Yankees will continue to look at Juan Rivera and Dan Johnson at 1st base, and Ronnier Mustelier across the diamond at third in the meantime.

CC Debuts, Musty Banged Up

CC Sabathia made his much anticipated Spring Training debut against the Florida Marlins Friday afternoon in Tampa. After he allowed a pair of 1st inning runs, the Yankees' ace blanked Florida for the remainder of his five inning outing. (The Yankees scored a pair of runs in the 7th and 8th innings for a 7-3 win.)

Win or lose the Yankees need Sabathia to be healthy this season. After two stints on the DL last  year and off-season surgery to clean up his pitching elbow, the Yankees brought Sabathia along slowly. After he was limited to simulated games and bullpen sessions, Sabathia scattered eight hits, walked one batter, and struck out two.

Outside of a four pitch walk to Kevin Kouzmanoff, the Marlins came out swinging against Sabathia in the 1st inning. Juan Pierre started things off with a single, moved to second on an errant pick off by Sabathia and moved to third on Donovan Solano's single to right.

Former Yankee Austin Kearns hit into a running-scoring 5-4-3 double play that was started by Ronnier Mustelier. The Cuban native later had to leave the game when he banged up his knee on a dugout railing. The initial diagnosis was a bruised knee, but the Yankees will send the 27-year old for further tests.

Rob Brantly's RBI single made it a 2-0 game before Sabathia got Matt Downs to fly out. An inning later Sabathia retired Adeiny Hechavarria, acquired in the off-season blockbuster deal between the Marlins and Blue Jays, but gave up back to back singles to Nick Green and Gorkys Hernandez. (On a bunt.) Sabathia got Pierre on a ground out and Solano to line out to escape further trouble.

Kouzmanoff started the third with a single, but Kearns hit into another twin killing when he lined out to Derek Jeter and Kouzmanoff got caught too far off of first base. Sabathia picked up his first strike out on Brantly  to end the frame. Sabathia gave up a pair of back to back two out his in the 4th, but got Pierre on a fly out to Ichiro in right to maneuver his way out of another jam.

Sabathia's final inning of work was his first 1-2-3 inning. He retired Solano, Kouzmanoff, and Kearns in order and left with a 3-2 lead (Florida tied things up against Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson in the 6th inning.)

Bats waking up

There were some good signs at the plate in the game, namely Travis Hafner and Francisco Cervelli both hitting their first home runs of the exhibition season. Youngsters Jose Pirela (RBI triple) and Thomas Neal (RBI double) added some insurance runs in the 8th inning.

Vidal PitchSoon

Vidal Nuno continued to an impress with a scoreless 9th inning. The left-hander allowed one hit and struck out one and could make the 25-man roster if either Boone Logan and/or Clay Rapada are not healthy in  time. In his four appearances Nuno has struck out 12 batters in 8.1 innings pitched.

The BamTino

Former Yankees stand out Tino Martinez is in his first year as the Marlins hitting coach and got a chance to visit with pals Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada before the game. It was old home week as Paul O'Neill was in the YES broadcast booth.

Remember the Maine

Former Met John Maine started for the Marlins and was charged with three earned runs in three innings pitched.