210 replies to this topic

[derekson]

 
 
Gotta say something nice about the team kicking 12 million your way after putting up all of 1.4 WAR (B-ref) over the past 2 years.

Not sure what numbers you're looking at, but BB-ref has Youkilis at 3.7 WAR for 2011 and 1.3 in 2012 for a total of 5.0 WAR over the past two years.

[Sampo Gida]

Not sure what numbers you're looking at, but BB-ref has Youkilis at 3.7 WAR for 2011 and 1.3 in 2012 for a total of 5.0 WAR over the past two years.

 

Thanks. I misread it, they split 2012 and it looked like 2 yrs to me.

 

So coming off a 1.4 WAR year, Youk is still grateful for the 12 million dollar deal..

[InsideTheParker]

So, I saw last night on MLBN that since 2010 Youkilis has the highest OBP in mlb against LHP. I didn't know he ranked that high. Cashman said that was key in the Ys going after him. 

[pokey_reese]

Watching Youk playing for the Yanks for the first time on MLB.tv, and he looks healthy in the field, with a couple of diving plays.  He is smiling, seems to be having fun.

 

I...  I don't know.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

He's not near Bobby Valentine any longer. Who wouldn't be pleased about that?

[StuckOnYouk]

Watching Youk playing for the Yanks for the first time on MLB.tv, and he looks healthy in the field, with a couple of diving plays.  He is smiling, seems to be having fun.

 

I...  I don't know.

He hasn't played in 125 games since '09. I would assume it will get harder to hit that number the older he gets but age sometimes becomes a non-issue in the Bronx as we've seen with the Core 4.

[InsideTheParker]

Watching Youk playing for the Yanks for the first time on MLB.tv, and he looks healthy in the field, with a couple of diving plays.  He is smiling, seems to be having fun.

 

I...  I don't know.

For those who want to see it, this game will be on MLBN starting at 4 pm or whenever the Tigers/Mets game is over.

[Trlicek's Whip]

Watching Youk playing for the Yanks for the first time on MLB.tv, and he looks healthy in the field, with a couple of diving plays.  He is smiling, seems to be having fun.

 

I...  I don't know.

 

The rose-colored, SSS glasses of Spring Training.

 

His range is shrinking at 3B. His K% is climbing and his BB% is plunging. He's changed his approach at the plate to swing for the fences which has dovetailed with his decline.

 

He averages 13 HBP per season since he's been a full-time player. He's 33. It's the years, *and* the mileage. It's not if he gets dinged up and hurt, it's when. 

[Savin Hillbilly]

The rose-colored, SSS glasses of Spring Training.

 

His range is shrinking at 3B. His K% is climbing and his BB% is plunging. He's changed his approach at the plate to swing for the fences which has dovetailed with his decline.

 

He averages 13 HBP per season since he's been a full-time player. He's 33. It's the years, *and* the mileage. It's not if he gets dinged up and hurt, it's when. 

 

 

Huh? His K rate last year was lower than it was in 2009--when he was a 6.3 rWAR player with a 146 OPS+--and only about 2.5% over his career average. His BB rate last year was the same as it was in 2008--when he was a 6.0 rWAR player with a 144 OPS+--and only about 2% under his career average. 

 

His main problem last year was a precipitous decline in BABIP despite career-normal LD% and career-high GB%. This is probably partly age-related speed decline, and partly, as you say, swinging for the fences--but some of it is probably bad luck. I doubt that he's really a .268 BABP hitter at this point.

 

No argument with your last sentence, though. He's still a good player, but an increasingly slow and brittle one.

[Trlicek's Whip]

Huh? His K rate last year was lower than it was in 2009

 

.1% lower according to Fangraphs. So, yay?

 

And the BB rate callback from 2008 when he was age 29? I don't think it's 100% recency bias or all BABIP to say that when this dropped to 10% last year at age 33 (age 34 in a week and a half) that one shouldn't worry. In 2008 his CT rate was over 80%. He's at 75% now and the days of plus .300 BA are over, so even BB from 4 years ago should be tempered.  

 

But we're dancing around the same thesis. Youkilis is exhibiting old player skills whether or not there's a BABIP correction or 20+ HR's left in his bat this year.

 

And make no mistake: I think he'll hit 25 HR's for NYY, get voted into the All-Star Game after his first walkoff in April or May, and we'll be teeth-gnashing about his stats all season.

Edited by Trlicek's Whip, 04 March 2013 - 05:22 PM.

[terrynever]

Youk crushed a Cliff Lee fastball last night, hitting a line drive down the left field line, above five feet fair. Ball hit top of 8-foot high padded fence and stayed in the park. It took about two seconds to get from Youk's bat to the fence. With his hands a little lower in his stance, Youk and Kevin Long say he's getting to balls that he fouled off last year.

Edited by terrynever, 14 March 2013 - 11:15 AM.