It's a Melk-down
Interestingly though, it doesn't appear that Sheffield has established propriety in right. Even as Stat quo openly speaks of sitting the Melk-man, in yet another indication that Torre just doesn't do defense, there is no talk of sitting Abreu. In fact Sheffield has been saying he's ready to return to the team and mangement has been saying, no you are not, presumably meaning, we'd rather you didn't. Now this I get. If Sheffield doesn't get to play everyday, he will likely be a clubhouse toxin. They know it; I know it; you know it; and sheff knows it. So they are putting off the day of reckoning until they are certain that Matsui can play left everyday and that they really want to sacrifice Melky to the impossibility of living with Shef if you're not playing him. What they correctly envision as a Sheff meltdown must in the end, when they can delay it no longer, result in a Melk (sit)Down. And that's too bad.
Remember I said so when Matsui unaccountably overruns a ball when Mussina is pitching, sending our high strung quasi-ace into a pet that winds up costing three runs and a playoff game. Remember I said so when Sheffield does not score from first on a double and winds up not scoring at all to cost us another one. Remember most of all that I said so when runners resume taking extra bases at will now that they know tha noone to the left of Abreu will be able to throw them out. Remember I said so, finally, when sentimental Joe starts using Bernie as his fourth outfielder and first pinchhitter instead of Melky, and we are all screaming at the mincing circuitous paths he takes to let certain outs drop in or the double plays he's hitting into at crucial times.
OOOH, OOOH
He's status quo Joe
That we all know
He likes his players old
And impossibly slow
He thinks you can't win
If you've any get up and go
And deems youth a failing
Out of which you must grow.
He's status quo Joe
That we all know
And must count ourselves lucky
He plays Robby Cano.
3 Comments:
First of all, is BGW's spelling of "Matusi" some sort of comment on his circuitous outfield routes to fly balls: the Watusi?
Second, you guys are really down on Hideki. Wow, I'm a bit surprised. As for playoffs, don't forget his stunning performance against Pedro. Certainly the fact that the Yanks have not won a championship with Matsui has nothing to do with his performance. Has he cost them significant runs in left in the post-season? His career postseason stats:
33 games: .319, 6HR, 25RBI, .933OPS
That's impressive. I agree I'd rather see Melky in left than Matsui, but if Matsui can't DH successfully-ie, if not playing the field affects his hitting, and it does with some players--then I think you've got to take the trade-off. Matsui is just a much better hitter than Melky at this point. Yes, I believe Melky will become a .300 hitter soon, perhaps next year if he were to play every day, but he's not right now. And Matsui, while not fast, is hardly just a home-run bopper--his career numbers (averaged per season) this side of the Pacific:
.296, 23HR, 109RBI, .852OPS
Last year he was .305, 23, 116, a terrific year.
Melky this year:
.284, 7, 45
Now this is no knock on Melky because he's only 22 and this is a great rookie year, and I think he will develop into a not-quite-Cano-caliber-but-close player for the Yanks. But at this point, you've got to take Matsui in the everyday lineup over Melky. So the question is whether Matsui can be Matsui if he's only DHing, and I'm not sure, because he's clearly used to playing both sides of the ball every day. We'll see over the next month as he's DHing...
I guess I'm just not quite as high on Melky yet as Joe and BGW are. A rare moment of slight disagreement...
Two points in response. As to BGW's question, yes Torre said categorically that Matsui was to be returned to left field directly and Cabrera would have to relinquish his post. While that is not a direct quote, the substance is accurate.
As to Z's point. I don't think of myself as down on Hideki at all. In my last comment, I insisted he should DH everyday, not be platooned, not be benched. I think he's the best clutch hitter they have not named Jeter. And I don't find him to be the double play machine that BGW does; I resrerve that designation for AROD, Bernie and Posada (they do have alot). But I have always thought he was a daffy leftfielder who could without a moment's notice screw up the routine play (the kind of thing that drives Mussina crazy); he doesn't have Melky's arm, and he never makes the truly great play as Melky sometimes does. All of this strikes me as pretty much self-evident, and I doubt Z would disagree. I never took up the question of whether Hideki needed to play LF, psychically, in order to hit, in part because he went 4-4 his first night back as a DH. If he does then my plan would have a problem, and I might have to alter it. But we'll likely never know. Wow, I'm just really surprised I was seen to be down on Hideki. I thought someone would take me to ask for being down on Sheffield, a charge I'd have a harder time defending myself against.
Ok, points taken. I'd really like to see Matsui DH every day for a while and see how he does. I just worry about him at the DH because, apparently, it can affect people's hitting, and since Matsui is all about the work ethic and showing up every day to play, I worry he might be one of those guys. Hopefully we'll know before the playoffs begin. Certainly the ideal is having Matsui and Melky in the lineup, with Giambi/Sheff at first. With a lineup like that, I can't see the Yanks scoring less than 5 runs a game too often...
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