One of the keys to championship baseball in the major leagues is the double play. Since the second baseman is involved in more double plays than anyone else, this is a pretty important position.
A second baseman who can play great defense as well as hit for power and/or average can make a good team great, since the best hitters tend to play other positions. The Yankees have had their share of second basemen who were excellent hitters as well as top-notch fielders.
Based on factors such as longevity with the team, contributions to championships, offensive statistics, and defensive statistics, here are the top five in franchise history:
5) Robinson Cano: During nine years and 1,374 games in pinstripes Cano hit .309 with 204 homers and 822 RBI's. He was five time
All Star and a Gold Glove winner in 2010.
4) Bobby Richardson: Winner of five Gold Gloves and named to seven all star teams, Richardson played in 1,412 games during his 12 seasons with the team, contributing to Yankee championship teams in the early 1960's. His .266 lifetime batting average is respectable, but his real value was as a consistent defender (.979 fielding average, slightly higher than the league average of .978) who rarely missed a game.
3) Joe Gordon: Selected to the Hall of Fame in 2009 by the Veterans Committee, Gordon played 1,000 games at second base during his seven seasons with the Yanks, from 1938-1946 (missing two seasons while serving in the military during World War II). Named an all star for six consecutive years, Gordon won the MVP award in 1942 when he batted .322 with 18 home runs and 103 runs batted in. Gordon's fielding average was .970, about the same as the league average at the time of .971.
2) Willie Randolph: Appearing in 1,694 games during his 13 seasons with the team, Randolph's batting average was .275 and his on-base percentage was an excellent .374. He ranks fifth in team history with 1,005 walks and third in stolen bases with 251. Contributing to the team's championship years in the late 1970's and early 1980's and a five time All Star, Randolph was a steady defender, with his .980 fielding percentage and range factor of 5.40 comparing favorably with the league averages of the time, which were .980 and 5.31.
1) Tony Lazzeri: Inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1991, Lazzeri appeared in 1,659 games during his 12 seasons with the Yanks. From 1926-1937 he averaged .293 with an on base percentage of .379, and had more than 100 RBI's in seven seasons. His fielding percentage of .967 is close to the league average of .968 - a time period when gloves weren't as sophisticated as today. Lazzeri was a key player on five World Championship teams and the best second baseman in Yankees' history.
Showing posts with label Robinson Cano. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robinson Cano. Show all posts
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Monday, May 5, 2014
YES Network, Michael Kay make much ado about nothing in Cano's return to Yankee Stadium
Sometimes news people have to somehow generate stories when
things are slow. Last week's return of the Seattle Mariners' Robinson Cano to
Yankee Stadium was an example of this.
While Cano was an outstanding player for the Yanks, and would definitely make a list of the top fifty Yankees of all time (on my list he'd be around number 43 or so), the team has many great players through the years who have gone on to play for other clubs.
If I had been in the stands I would not have booed him. Nor would I have cheered.
Yes he left for a bigger paycheck, but Yankee fans need to realize many of their star players through the years (and even this past offseason) have bolted their teams to take more money from the Yankees. So why should Cano be vilified for that? He should not be.
The Yankees management also made the right decision (for a change) by not offering Cano a contract for longer than seven years. Seven years is enough for a player who is already 30 years old.
So no boos or cheers for Robinson. Maybe Seattle will have a contending team within the next few years. Maybe they won't and he’ll finish his contract in a rainy town.
The most absurd aspect surrounding Cano's return was Michael Kay's reaction to the fans jeering of the second baseman. The boos weren't that overwhelming. It just may have sounded that way because Yankee Stadium was two-thirds empty. If the place was at full capacity of 50,000 people, the jeers may not have been as noticeable. If Yankee fans were really that angry about Cano taking the money and running, wouldn't they have put up with the bad weather, bought and a ticket to the game, and boo with everyone else. But that didn't happen. Not enough fans cared enough one way or the other.
Kay made it sound like the fans' reaction was the most horrible thing in the world. Please. This is a non-story. The real story, if any news writers are interested, is how Yankee Stadium is half empty even on days when the weather is nice. Either the ticket brokers or the team is taking a bath on sales. Somebody is losing money. Not many people want to spend $100 to watch two boring teams for three hours. And that's with or without Cano on the roster.
While Cano was an outstanding player for the Yanks, and would definitely make a list of the top fifty Yankees of all time (on my list he'd be around number 43 or so), the team has many great players through the years who have gone on to play for other clubs.
If I had been in the stands I would not have booed him. Nor would I have cheered.
Yes he left for a bigger paycheck, but Yankee fans need to realize many of their star players through the years (and even this past offseason) have bolted their teams to take more money from the Yankees. So why should Cano be vilified for that? He should not be.
The Yankees management also made the right decision (for a change) by not offering Cano a contract for longer than seven years. Seven years is enough for a player who is already 30 years old.
So no boos or cheers for Robinson. Maybe Seattle will have a contending team within the next few years. Maybe they won't and he’ll finish his contract in a rainy town.
The most absurd aspect surrounding Cano's return was Michael Kay's reaction to the fans jeering of the second baseman. The boos weren't that overwhelming. It just may have sounded that way because Yankee Stadium was two-thirds empty. If the place was at full capacity of 50,000 people, the jeers may not have been as noticeable. If Yankee fans were really that angry about Cano taking the money and running, wouldn't they have put up with the bad weather, bought and a ticket to the game, and boo with everyone else. But that didn't happen. Not enough fans cared enough one way or the other.
Kay made it sound like the fans' reaction was the most horrible thing in the world. Please. This is a non-story. The real story, if any news writers are interested, is how Yankee Stadium is half empty even on days when the weather is nice. Either the ticket brokers or the team is taking a bath on sales. Somebody is losing money. Not many people want to spend $100 to watch two boring teams for three hours. And that's with or without Cano on the roster.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Who was the Yankees MVP in 2013?
In 2013 the New York Yankees finished tied with the Baltimore Orioles for
third place in the American League Eastern Division with a 85-77 record. They
managed to accomplish this with a roster of players consisting of a hodgepodge
of journeymen, scrubs, and not-ready-for-prime-time minor leaguers, since many
key players missed most of the season due to injuries. The extended absences of
Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Curtis Granderson led to gaping
holes in the team's lineup.
Manager Joe Girardi deserves some credit for keeping the Yanks in the race for much of the season. He handled the pitching staff well and squeezed enough out of the position players to enable the team to finish over .500 for the season.
General Manager Brian Cashman deserves zero credit, since all he did was throw stuff up against the wall and hope that it would stick. The minor league system, under Cashman's direction for the past seven years, provided practically no help during the season.
Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner contributed offensively during the month of April, helping to keep the Yanks above water early on. Unfortunately neither one provided much for the remainder of the season.
Granderson didn't provide his usual punch when he returned from injuries, batting .229 with seven homers and 15 RBI's in 61 games and 214 at-bats - numbers that don't translate well when projected over a 162 games season.
Eduardo Nunez didn't show much while filling in for Jeter at shortstop, with a .260 average, 3 home runs, 28 RBI's and 10 stolen bases in 90 games and 304 at-bats. His fielding average was .953, well below the league average of .973, and he was projected to cost the team 18 runs as a shortstop, according to zone fielding calculations.
So who were the top ten most valuable players for the Yankees in 2013?
10) Brett Gardner - Gardner was reliable, playing in 145 games, but stole only 24 bases with an average on-base percentage of .344, and wasn't as much of a sparkplug as had been hoped. In centerfield he cost the team 20 runs, according to one zone fielding statistic.
9) Jayson Nix - Nix actually came up with some key hits that led to Yankee victories, even though he played in only 87 games.
8) Lyle Overbay - Overbay also came up with some clutch hits in crucial situations, leading to Yankee wins. He hit 14 homers and drove in 59 runs.
7) Ivan Nova - Finishing 9-6 with a 3.10 ERA, Nova pitched well and kept the Yankees in the race in the summer.
6) Chris Stewart - Stewart handled the pitching staff well, and threw out 32% of runners attempting to steal.
5) Mariano Rivera - Most people would put Rivera higher on the list, but he blew seven saves - 92 wins would have landed the Yanks a playoff spot.
4) Hiroki Kuroda - Kuroda pitched well for most of the season, keeping the team in games.
3) Alfonso Soriano - Providing much needed pop in the lineup during the second half of the season, Soriano hit .256 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI's in only 219 at-bats.
2) David Robertson - Robertson had a great year as a set-up man, with a 2.04 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, .213 opponents’ batting average, and 77 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched.
1) Robinson Cano - While I think Cano is an over-rated player, statistically he had an outstanding year both offensively and defensively, accomplishing this with only average players around him. His .314 batting average, .383 on-base percentage, 27 home runs and 107 RBI's along with a .991 fielding percentage make him the Yankees' Most Valuable Player for the 2013 season.
source for statistics: http://www.baseball-reference.com/
Manager Joe Girardi deserves some credit for keeping the Yanks in the race for much of the season. He handled the pitching staff well and squeezed enough out of the position players to enable the team to finish over .500 for the season.
General Manager Brian Cashman deserves zero credit, since all he did was throw stuff up against the wall and hope that it would stick. The minor league system, under Cashman's direction for the past seven years, provided practically no help during the season.
Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner contributed offensively during the month of April, helping to keep the Yanks above water early on. Unfortunately neither one provided much for the remainder of the season.
Granderson didn't provide his usual punch when he returned from injuries, batting .229 with seven homers and 15 RBI's in 61 games and 214 at-bats - numbers that don't translate well when projected over a 162 games season.
Eduardo Nunez didn't show much while filling in for Jeter at shortstop, with a .260 average, 3 home runs, 28 RBI's and 10 stolen bases in 90 games and 304 at-bats. His fielding average was .953, well below the league average of .973, and he was projected to cost the team 18 runs as a shortstop, according to zone fielding calculations.
So who were the top ten most valuable players for the Yankees in 2013?
10) Brett Gardner - Gardner was reliable, playing in 145 games, but stole only 24 bases with an average on-base percentage of .344, and wasn't as much of a sparkplug as had been hoped. In centerfield he cost the team 20 runs, according to one zone fielding statistic.
9) Jayson Nix - Nix actually came up with some key hits that led to Yankee victories, even though he played in only 87 games.
8) Lyle Overbay - Overbay also came up with some clutch hits in crucial situations, leading to Yankee wins. He hit 14 homers and drove in 59 runs.
7) Ivan Nova - Finishing 9-6 with a 3.10 ERA, Nova pitched well and kept the Yankees in the race in the summer.
6) Chris Stewart - Stewart handled the pitching staff well, and threw out 32% of runners attempting to steal.
5) Mariano Rivera - Most people would put Rivera higher on the list, but he blew seven saves - 92 wins would have landed the Yanks a playoff spot.
4) Hiroki Kuroda - Kuroda pitched well for most of the season, keeping the team in games.
3) Alfonso Soriano - Providing much needed pop in the lineup during the second half of the season, Soriano hit .256 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI's in only 219 at-bats.
2) David Robertson - Robertson had a great year as a set-up man, with a 2.04 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, .213 opponents’ batting average, and 77 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched.
1) Robinson Cano - While I think Cano is an over-rated player, statistically he had an outstanding year both offensively and defensively, accomplishing this with only average players around him. His .314 batting average, .383 on-base percentage, 27 home runs and 107 RBI's along with a .991 fielding percentage make him the Yankees' Most Valuable Player for the 2013 season.
source for statistics: http://www.baseball-reference.com/
Friday, October 19, 2012
Yankees' lazy Cano one of MLB's most over-rated players
There was plenty of blame to go around in the Yankees' losses in the 2012 American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers. No one really hit well so it's unfair to get on any one guy such as Alex Rodriguez. Of course, we must recognize that the Yankees did win 95 games in the regular season and 26 other teams in baseball wish they were in the Yanks' shoes. Plus, the Tigers are hardly slouches.
Still, Robinson Cano is one player who gets a lot of accolades from some members of the media (well maybe just the Yanks' TV and radio announcers) but doesn't really deserve them. Yes he's a good hitter most of the time and provides solid defense in the field. But he's not the kind of player who can carry a team and doesn't always hit in the clutch during the regular season. He hasn't done much in any of the Yankees' post-seasons, batting .222 with a .267 on-base percentage in 203 at-bats. The 2009 world series was won without any help from Cano, as he went 3 for 22 with one RBI.
He's been defended as appearing lazy when he's really just making plays look easy; that may be true, but it’s also true he doesn't always run out ground balls.
Cano can be included among the fifty greatest Yankees of all time because of his numbers, but let's not get his plaque ready for Cooperstown just yet. He still has a ways to go to be included among the game's greatest second basemen of all time.
Still, Robinson Cano is one player who gets a lot of accolades from some members of the media (well maybe just the Yanks' TV and radio announcers) but doesn't really deserve them. Yes he's a good hitter most of the time and provides solid defense in the field. But he's not the kind of player who can carry a team and doesn't always hit in the clutch during the regular season. He hasn't done much in any of the Yankees' post-seasons, batting .222 with a .267 on-base percentage in 203 at-bats. The 2009 world series was won without any help from Cano, as he went 3 for 22 with one RBI.
He's been defended as appearing lazy when he's really just making plays look easy; that may be true, but it’s also true he doesn't always run out ground balls.
Cano can be included among the fifty greatest Yankees of all time because of his numbers, but let's not get his plaque ready for Cooperstown just yet. He still has a ways to go to be included among the game's greatest second basemen of all time.
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