Being at work, I can’t really go into detail about Hoffman. Greg Fertel at Pending Pinstripes, lucky for all of us, has done it for me.
My opinion: Hoffman’s pick screams “right-handed caddy for Granderson” to me. He can play a very good center field, had a good platoon split in 2009, and has the experience to stick to the roster. Basically, he can do everything that Gardner can except swipe bags, and for that reason Brett Gardner’s spot on the roster might be in trouble. For a Rule V pick, even the first overall, that’s a pretty good day.
Zach Kroenke was a bit of a loss, and I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the Yankees pick him with the 1st overall pick. He’ll get lefties out for Arizona, and that’s about it. Luckily for the Yankees, Kroenke will be followed in the system by Wilkins De La Rosa and Michael Dunn, so there isn’t a lot to worry about here. The Yankees certainly have faith in Damaso Marte now.
K. Teixeira isn’t much of a loss. He’s maybe our 6th or 7th best depth reliever.
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15 Responses to Yankees Choose Jamie Hoffmann, Lose Kroenke and K. Teixeira in Rule V Draft
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TIQ IQ
Two ‘N’s on Hoffmann, one ‘L’ on Fertel ;)
Greg’s post allowed for the small sample size on Hoffmann’s ability to hit LHP so I wouldn’t jump to the Granderson caddy conclusion just yet. Also, why would Gardner’s roster spot be imperiled? Isn’t Melky more likely to be in trouble given the fact that Gardner has the same tools as Caberera but with plus speed? If anyone is made expendable by Granderson and Hoffmann, it’s the guy that can’t hit or run and plays only modest defense.
Gardner has options. Melky doesn’t
So trade Melky for a MiLB pitcher that has options and be done with it. Melky/Gardner are the same flawed 4th OF type except one has speed and the other doesn’t. Turn Melky into whatever you can and move on.
Gardner is a pinch runner and thats it. Guy couldn’t hit a watermelon if you threw it 65 mph down the pipe. I can’t believe teams are interested in him, send him to KC heard they want a CF
I’m not arguing that Gardner’s a good hitter. Neither is Melky. If the Yanks have Swisher and Granderson locked into two OF spots and are likely to add Damon or someone else for LF, that leaves Hoffmann and one of Gardner/Cabrera for the 5th OF spot. I’d rather have Gardner, if only for his speed. Melky — great personality and a fun guy to root for — brings nothing to the table.
I don’t think they are likely to add another outfielder…
I think Matsui is more likely to come back than Damon at this point and if that is the case then Melky would end up starting in LF because of his arm and the fact that Gardner is better coming off the bench as a pinch runner. I really can’t say I would be opposed to running Melky out in LF everyday and hitting him 9th, he did it on a WS winning team and at a much more defensively demanding position.
Apropos of nothing, I just did a Google Image search of Jamie Hoffmann and was pleasantly surprised to find out that he’s a goofy-looking dude that remins me of Shelley Duncan. :-)
At first I was not to pleased with this pick.
Now after the shock has worn off, I see a big, strong fast Hockey player who has has the chance to be a late bloomer and develop a far greater upside than one could expect from a player at his age.
Sounds to me like he has some power and just needs more seasoning and good Yankee Coaching.
I like the upside and think it’s higher than some of the pundits have been suggesting and obviously Yankees do also because they passed over hundreds of players to take this guy, they weren’t forced to take him because they were dumping a player or completing a trade.
Additionally, I would be more concerned if he ONLY hit lefty pitching than having a RH hitter who doesn’t hit lefties yet.
Again this is a pretty green player with a lot of athleticism.
It does suggest that Melky or Gardner could be trade bait eventually, probably Melky if this kid is the real deal..
They had to bring in a big Minnesota “dough-boy” to replace the irreplaceable SHELLY DUNCAN – a guy that goofy/nerdy, overrated Brian “brain-dead” Cashman could never understand or appreciate.
How is it that 100,000 Yankee fans would pay 40 bucks to their favorite charity (per month) just to see Shelly Duncan playing left field, or better yet, right-field instead of the pudgy little, over-rated redneck in right, Mr. Nick “can’t hit in the world series” Swisher.
Heck – if Duncan had played in the post season instead of Swisher he would have hit at least 5 homers. Brian Cashman deserves NO RESPECT from any respectable Yankee fan for what he did to a “true Yankee” – a man of passion – the great Shelly Duncan.
While, I may be a huge Yankee fan for many decades…..I wouldn’t mind seeing ole Shelly plow one into the bleachers this coming Summer – I’ll be standing and cheering for the guy that Brian “brain dead” Cashman let get away.
Damn Jerry, why don’t you tell us how you really feel about Cashman!?!
Yes, a lot of us were pulling very hard for Shelly to make good with the Yankees, it just didn’t happen for him. Going elsewhere may be the best thing to happen for him, I know I will be pulling for him…along with many others. He was very well liked by many of the players also.
It seems as though one likes Cashman or, not so much…to each his own.
By the way…nice post, that’s what the blogs are all about…deference of opinion.
Thanks Old Ranger. I appreciate you too. You are a great Yankee fan.
You know, Shelly Duncan was just an exciting player. A fun player to watch. That’s what Brian Cashman never figured out. I don’t what else you can say about it, except that Cashman is “tone deaf” when it comes to the entertainment value of certain fan favorites.
I put it to any Yankee fan…..do you think that Nick Swisher is appreciably better than Duncan? If Duncan had real playing time….he would most likely become as steady as his father Dave was, or his Major League grandfather. Certainly Duncan has even more power than Swish.
I think Duncan just got screwed big time. To me….its the biggest screwing in the Yankee organization since they traded away Bobby Murcer (although, they got value for him). And, who can forget the Billy Martin trade? Trading away Billy Martin from the Yankees (when he was the starting second baseman) was like a stab in the heart to our parents generation back then. It sure bothered the Mick and Whitey. You just don’t do stuff like that.
Of course, the Mets take the cake in this department. Trading away a Hall of Fame gallery of great players….Matlack, Seaver, Amos Otis, Nolan Ryan, Ken Singleton, Jason Bey….just to name a few!!!
It is imperative that all Yankee fans hold Cashman and the clowns on Yes network accountable for the exit of Shelly “the machine” Duncan. We don’t appreciate it.
Shelley Duncan was a RHB who couldn’t hit breaking balls to save his life and couldn’t even hit .300 in triple A at the age of 30 years old…
Shelley was a fan favorite because he was goofy, goofier looking and was a normal everyday guy trying to make it in baseball (I know he comes from a baseball family) but he wasn’t a great player and he had plenty of opportunities to prove he could play well enough to stick around.
Everyone fell in love with Shelley when he hit all those HRs in his rookie season but anyone can hit a fastball and the league caught up to him….
To blame Cashman for letting Shelley Duncan go is ridiculous!! At best Shelley is a power hitting pinch hitter in the NL and not much more he isn’t worth crying over losing.
“It is imperative that all Yankee fans hold Cashman and the clowns on Yes network accountable for the exit of Shelly “the machine” Duncan. We don’t appreciate it.”.
You mean Shelley “the can’t hit breaking balls” Duncan right?
I’ll miss Shelly especially when Yanks and Red Sox brawl.
Chris H: Your defense of Brian “brain-dead” Cashman in his passive callousness towards Shelly “the machine” Duncan, seems awfully “fishy” to me….just how much General Management “KOOL AID” have you tasted?
There is a difference between being a Yankee fan and being a true Yankee fan. Just as there is a difference between being a Yankee and being a true Yankee.
That difference is called SOUL. That’s what made The Mick and Whitey cry like little kids, when true Yankee, Billy Martin was traded away.
That’s why true Yankee fans cried when Bobby Murcer got traded away…when he had single handedly kept the organization BARELY respectable for years during the CBS/Mike Burke fiasco era.
While Shelly Duncan can never rate with Martin/Murcer as a Yankee demi-god, Duncan was a fan favorite for a reason….not because he was “goofy” looking as you state. Save your corporate – Brian Cashman defense for another board.
True Yankee fans – KNOW that Brian “brain-dead” Cashman is a bogus stooge. And, that Shelly Duncan IS twice the man Cashman could ever hope to be.