Stephen Drew Archives

Welcome Starlin Castro

December 9, 2015

When I read last night that we traded Adam Warren for someone named Castro, I joked that maybe it was Fidel. The Cuban leader was said to be a pretty good ballplayer back in the day and I hope Starlin Castro is too. In the above photo, he was the Cubs shortstop, but he’ll be our new second baseman. He has to be better than Stephen Drew, right?

For one thing, he’s young (26) and athletic, and was an All-Star before having a down season last year – the reason, I assume, that the Cubs made him expendable by signing Ben Zobrist. Maybe a change of scenery and good Yankees coaching will nudge him forward in his career and he’ll turn out to be a good get for us.

As for Adam Warren, the poor guy deserved a real shot to be in the starting rotation, but his versatility made him hard to resist as a bullpen bolsterer. The question now is – once again – which arms we’ll be able to depend on. We need pitching. I’d be amazed if Cashman doesn’t go after another young guy like Evo, a starter with upside potential who won’t cost too much.

Yes, this is the cost-conscious era of the Yankees – not a rebuilding, per se, as we have too many expensive veterans on the payroll, but a slow acquisition of younger talent. I’m OK with that as long as a pitcher or two are part of the equation.

As for Jeter (the photo made me wistful), I wonder when he’s tying the knot with his swimsuit model fiancee? Shouldn’t we have gotten a wedding invitation by now or did mine get lost in the mail?

A Win – Finally!

August 14, 2015

What a relief. When McCann hit a homer early in last night’s game against the Indians, the series finale, I said, “Please don’t let this be it. They need to pile on.” And so they did. I don’t know whether Stephen Drew is eating his Wheaties or going gluten free like Tex or what, but he’s been Babe Ruth lately despite his pitiful batting average, and any runs the Yankees have scored have been due to him and other bottom-of-the-order types. But last night Ellsbury awoke from his slumber, which is exactly what this team needed. Gardner followed suit. Beltran has quietly improved. Didi’s been off-the-charts great. And a victory finally came.

Evo seems to be our stopper. He keeps winning even though it’s never really pretty. I don’t know what’s up with Betances and Miller, but they’re scaring me lately. They’re always turn their innings into dramas. I remember the days when they took care of hitters one-two-three.

A-Rod looks spent. Has his comeback runs its course? Or does he just need a day or two off? I guess we’ll see in Toronto, where Girardi plans to rest him on Saturday, I think. The fact is he’s old. He’s had two hip surgeries. As good as he’s been, he might have hit a wall. Or not.

The star of the Cleveland series in my mind, despite the losses, was Didi. Has he ever turned things around. He’s been his own highlight reel at shortstop, and his offense has been surprisingly reliable. I take back all the bad things I said about him.

Oh, and I must mention Greg Bird, our latest rookie to join the team. We’ve all been hearing a lot about Bird – what a great hitter he is, how Cashman wouldn’t part with him in any trades, etc., and last night we got to see him in the flesh. Even though he went 0-for-5, I have to say he looked like he knew what to do at the plate and he hit the ball hard a couple of times. I think he’s got potential.

And now another series against the (gulp) Blue Jays at their place. I fear their offense. I fear their pitching (Dickey even more than Price). I fear their turf. (Why can’t they get grass already.) But maybe, just maybe, the Yankees are feeling better about themselves after the win last night and will play like the first place team they used to be.

Sorry, O’s

July 24, 2015

The usually formidable Orioles, whose power hitting and fabled defense seemed to have vanished this series at the Stadium (they were foolish to let Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis leave, if you ask me), were reduced to mere mortals by the Yankees. In the first two games, it was a combination of good pitching and timely hits that did the trick. In yesterday’s game, it was pitching plus lots and lots of scoring that did the O’s in.

Yesterday’s hero was Ellsbury. I can’t remember which commenter here mentioned how much he was missed when he was on the DL, but it was true. He’s such a great player when healthy and he demonstrated that yesterday. He really can do it all and he’s fun to watch.

Teixeira and A-Rod continued their torrid hitting and even Stephen Drew, back in the lineup, contributed. Unless the Yankees make a trade, I guess we’re stuck with Drew and Ryan platooning at second base. Girardi likes Drew “because he’s been in a pennant race.” So there’s that. I have a feeling Toronto will go for broke and get a big-time player in a trade, since everybody in our division thinks they have a shot this season, but I wouldn’t mind if we got a power-hitting right fielder since Beltran, sad to say, is a shadow of his former self, and Chris Young is streaky.

Anyhow, sweeping the O’s was big, putting more distance between the Yankees and their second-place rivals. Now it’s the Twins’ turn. The Yanks used to own them, but I take nothing for granted.

The Walk-offs Were Fun; The Sloppy Defense Not So Much

July 6, 2015

Such a predicament for the Yankees at second base these days. Stephen Drew seems constitutionally incapable of hitting above .200 and Jose Pirela can hit but his fielding errors are starting to make me long for Eduardo Scissorhands. Surely, there must be somebody better? Didi continues to make mistakes at shortstop but at least he doesn’t make two Es on one play as Pirela did yesterday. Sheesh.

On the positive side, Tanaka kicked off the weekend series against the Rays and was much improved from his last two outings. And the boys’ stirring comeback in that game was a thing of beauty. Teixeira’s power hitting has saved the day time and time again this season and he came through again, which set the stage for McCann’s 12th inning bomb – the Yankees’ first walk-off of the year. He, Tex and A-Rod have provided the muscle in this lineup for sure. It would have been great to add Beltran to that mix since he was supposed to be our big bat, but….Well, I said I would stay positive and Beltran’s stint with the team has been anything but.

Pineda pitched great in Saturday’s game, and the team clawed their way back in that one too. I had hopes for a sweep, but the Rays’ starter yesterday was really good. Where do they get all these great young pitchers? They must grow them like weeds down on their farm.

With Ellsbury due back and Miller making progress, things should get interesting after the All-Star break. No team in the AL East is running away with the division, so it’s up for grabs. The Yankees could very well grab it – if they play more consistently. The big question mark for me is CC. His start yesterday was pushed back until Wednesday, and he didn’t sound happy about it. Did the Yankees really think his mechanics would miraculously work themselves out with a few extra days of rest? Unlikely. I’m rooting for the big guy, but at this point I don’t know what he has left.

Meanwhile, let’s hear it for the women’s soccer team! USA! USA!

Taming the Tigers

June 21, 2015

No, the Yankees didn’t sweep Detroit at the Stadium but winning two out of three games against a perennial playoff contender was pretty good. It was Tanaka who, surprisingly, was the weak link in today’s loss. He can’t be spectacular every time out, so I’m with Girardi and chalking it up to a bad day for him rather than panicking about a possible re-injuring of his arm. The offense was sleeping too, not counting the home run hitting Stephen Drew. (I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence.)

Friday and Saturday were all about A-Rod, the #3000th hit, the way the fans embraced him, etc. And the Yankees actually acknowledged his milestone on the scoreboard and on Twitter. Pay him? I wonder if they’re starting to feel some pressure to do it. A-Rod is the biggest star they have at the moment and who would have guessed it. If I were the Steinbrenner boys I’d be grateful he was putting people in the seats, never mind RBIs in the box score.

What else…..let’s see. Old Timer’s Day happened. I thought the Stottlemyre tribute/plaque was the best part. I always loved him as a player and am so sorry he’s ill. He’s been the epitome of class, and I wish we had more pitchers like him.

The Bronx Bombers?

April 13, 2015

When Stephen Drew comes up with a pinch hit grand slam, it’s either a dream or a full moon. Or maybe he’s finally getting hot or if not “hot” then a little warmer. In any case, it was a pleasant surprise to see him go deep against the Orioles in Game 1 of the Yankees’ first series of the season at Camden Yards.

The awakening of the offense against the Sox over the weekend was fun too. I’ve been overwhelmed trying to get acclimated to my new house in CT in advance of the arrival of the moving truck with all my worldly belongings on it. (I feel like Diane Keaton’s character in “Baby Boom.” Remember how she bought the house in Vermont and everything went expensively wrong?) But having the games on TV in the background has been a nice escape.

It’s too early to have an opinion about Tanaka and CC in terms of their ability to pitch with injuries, but for now Pineda is looking good for the most part. The defense will tighten up, I’m sure. And A-Rod? He’s been a model citizen and the Yankees’ best hitter. I wish I could say he’s changed. I don’t have a clue. For all I know he could be ingesting some new form of enhancement. For all I know his body could break down in a month. For all I know he and the Yankees could go to court over his milestone bonuses. It doesn’t really matter to me at this point. I just want the team to stay competitive and healthy. (As I write this, Gardner is having his wrist X-rayed after getting hit by a pitch.)

Well, let me amend that. I just want the team to stay competitive and healthy and entertaining. A Janer is my favorite kind of win, of course, but tonight’s tense battle against the O’s is the kind of game that’ll keep me coming back for more.

Whaaaat?

January 6, 2015

I know it’s a new year and I’m supposed to be all cheery and optimistic, but when I read earlier today that the Yankees are on the verge (I guess that means the ink isn’t quite dry) of re-signing Stephen Drew to be our second baseman, I threw a hissy fit. Does Cashman have amnesia? Does he not remember that the guy can’t hit? Did he forget that he traded away Martin Prado, a guy who not only can hit but play other positions? Did he have a brain freeze that we already have a more-than-decent prospect named Rob Refsnyder? Maybe $5 million is no big deal to the Yankees and they don’t mind throwing it away on Drew for a year, but I mind. I do. I mind a lot.

(Had to get this off my chest. Whew.)

And I’m still waiting for Max Scherzer. Yoohoo, Cashman! He’s expensive but he can pitch!

So Let Me Get This Straight

July 31, 2014

The centerpiece of the Yankees’ trade deadline activity is (drum roll) Stephen Drew for Kelly Johnson? Stephen Drew, the guy we didn’t sign when he was a free agent? The guy Cashman said will be our new second baseman now that Brian Roberts has been DFA-ed? The guy who’s played shortstop exclusively for his entire career? Haven’t we learned anything about people playing out of position and it never works? I just don’t get it.

And then there are the assorted others who seem to have joined the team. I have no real opinion about either Martin Prado or Esmil Rogers. Never heard of them, but if Cashman says they’ll help the cause, fine. They just aren’t the help I was banking on. Not when the Orioles, Tigers and A’s, in particular, have really bolstered their respective rosters. We look like we’re treading water by comparison, and maybe that’s the plan. Just tread water until next season.

Meanwhile, we move into a weekend series against the Red Sox without Lester and Lackey. Weird, isn’t it?