» First base options for the Yanks. Yankees Blog

July 17, 2007

What do the Yankees do the rest of the year with first base and designated hitter situation?This is going to be an issue when Giambi and Mientkiewicz get healthy again.Is Giambi going to go back to full time DH? Is Mienkiewicz going to be back at first base full time? Split with Phillips? Whatever may happen there is going to effect centerfield, what happens to Damon and Cabrerra? Do you split Damon and Giambi DH and keep Melky in center? I see this as a tricky one. Everyone knows that Giambi and Damon are breaking down pretty fast now and with the contracts they have, you have to play ‘em if they’re healthy. Granted a day off here and there depending how they’re hitting the left handed starting. I would be happy if I never saw Giambi in a uniform again. He’s hitting .262, 7, 23 in 45 games this year, hardly decent numbers for the former A.L. MVP. But we all know why he’s on the down-slope of his career.

Mientkiewicz has a good glove but c’mon, it’s Doug Mientkiewicz. He’s hitting .226, 4, 16 in 50 games this season. I’ll just stop there.

I liked to see the Yanks ride the Andy Phillips wave as long as they can. His glove isn’t as good as Mientkiewicz but he definitly gets the job done. Just look at that game winning double play he turned in Tampa! If he dosent save the game for the Yanks on that play and they come back to New York with a split in Tamps, we’d be in big trouble right now. I think that’s one of those plays that can turn a season around, at least for a few weeks if not longer. And what can I say about last night’s 2 out, 2 run base hit last night. I love to see him come up with the big glove plays and big hits. It’s so easy to root for this guy, especially what he’s gone through the past two years with his wife and his mother. I like to see the “biggest underdog”, to quote Alex Rodriguez, keep playing at the level he’s playing at. He’s not the “automatic out” that he might have been in the past. I think he’s learning to maybe control the butterflies and play up to his potential. He’s at .304, 1, 9 in 20 games so far this year and I was at the suspended game in Baltimore with my fiance’ and got to see that 1 homer sail over the left field fence. Anyway, that’s just my opinion…

gary

myspace.com/goyanks2007