Red Sox Wave Early White Flag: Why Did Francona Abandon Fenway Magic?

The Yankees suffered through the most frustrating 20 run performance in major league history on Friday—one that should have been an easy victory filled with smiles and childish giggles.

A combination of mindless defense and incompetent “relief” by Brian Bruney instead left New York wondering if Mariano Rivera would warm up in what used to be a 12-1 stomping.

The final score was not indicative of how close the wheels came to falling off of a seemingly unstoppable Yankee freight train. Even a “comfortable” nine run lead felt like Boston was a mere stone’s throw away.

In any other ballpark but Fenway Park (and Yankee Stadium), the deficit would have been insurmountable. In any other ballpark, what Sox manager Terry Francona ultimately did would have been ho-hum protocol.

Fenway Park is not “any other ballpark.” It is a place where dreams never die and hopes never fade. It has redefined the word comeback, and is widely described as “the park where no lead is safe.”

Countless blowouts have been evaporated in a matter of innings, and even the careers of Ashley Simpson, Milli Vanilli, and O-Town could be resurrected within the stadium’s historic walls.

Francona, meanwhile, thought it logical to remove Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay, JD Drew, and Victor Martinez from a lineup that had not yet retracted its fangs.

JD Drew could have used to rest to tend to a balky groin, but he had just launched two home runs against Toronto the night before. A third in two days would have ignited a crowd looking for something to latch onto.

The Red Sox had just scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 12-4, and had already raised Andy Pettitte’s pitch count near the feared 100.

They were about to be given the opportunity to feast on the underbelly of the Yankee bullpen, and at worst force New York to use its best relievers in a game they should have been donning their Snuggies.

After already falling victim to a 10-run comeback by the Orioles at Camden Yards on June 30, it is surprising that Boston would wave the white flag in the sixth inning at the comeback capital of MLB.

If not for an answered double play prayer off the bat of Red Sox SS Alex Gonzalez (who also swung at ball four) in the sixth, a 15-6 score easily could have become 15-12 in a matter of pitches.

Bruney could not find the strike zone, had just walked in a run, and the lineup was about to turn over.

Bay and Youkilis had now transformed into Casey Kotchman and Nick Green, however, and would have likely destroyed a possible Fenway miracle.

It made perfect sense for Francona to take his chances with unproven relievers as opposed to waste his top dogs on a game likely to end in defeat. The question that needs to be asked is “why did you give up offensively?”

The Yankees were not pitching a two-hit shutout through six innings. They were not maintaining a 10-run lead while Boston’s confidence withered away.

At two different points of the game, the Red Sox were one hanging curveball or poorly located heater away from a four or five run game. Anyone familiar with the rivalry knows that leaves a team one rally away from disaster.

What Francona did on Friday night sent a clear message to Fenway’s tiny visitor’s clubhouse. It told New York that the division was theirs, and Boston was more concerned with preserving a slim wild card lead over Texas and Tampa Bay.

For the first time in a very long time, Francona and the Sox displayed a defeatist attitude. The team that personifies the words fight, grit, and determination had taken on a “we’ll get ‘em tomorrow” persona.

It will be interesting to see how Boston responds with rookie Junichi Tazawa on the mound against the hard-throwing AJ Burnett.

Should New York push across a few runs in the top of the first inning, will the Sox succumb to a “here we go again” mindset?

Could an early deficit with another struggling pitcher on the mound steal the “never say die” swagger they have always had at home?

It should make for a very interesting weekend, and one that fans from both sides should watch very closely.

Yankees Slugger of the Future Profile: Double-A Catcher Jesus Montero

The New York Yankees have had a much-maligned minor league talent pool for quite some time—and rightfully so.

General Manager Brian Cashman ignored the development of talented young prospects in favor of aging and overly priced veterans—which subsequently transformed an “Amazon River” into a “Sahara Desert.”

Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Alfonso Soriano, and Ted Lilly suddenly became Andy Phillips, Colter Bean, Jorge De Paula, Sean Henn, and Kevin Thompson.

Position player prospects have been even harder to come by—forcing fans to latch onto the prized arms of Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain for hopes of a farm system resurrection.

Luckily for New York, there is finally a prototypical slugger waiting in to wings of the Yankee minor league system. He’s big, strong, patient at the plate, hits for average, hits for power, and is a doubles machine.

Fans can officially raise the volume level on the buzz already circulating around hitting prospect Jesus Montero of the Double-A Trenton Thunder.

*It was important to highlight the potential of Montero in the wake of the public outcry of Yankee fans to acquire Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Montero began the season at Single-A Tampa, but has quickly risen to the Double-A ranks. In a combined 74 minor leagues games in 2009, he is hitting .336 with 13 HR, 52 RBI, 20 doubles, and a .391 OBP.

When these statistics are calculated over a full 162-game season, Montero would produce 28-29 HR, 114 RBI, and 44 doubles. To put this into perspective, Kevin Youkilis had 29 HR, 115 RBI, a .390 OBP, 43 doubles, and a .312 BA in 2008.

Before an unruly mob carrying torches approaches my front door, I am not at all comparing minor league success to an MVP-caliber season in MLB’s toughest division.

The numbers are so strikingly similar, however, that they could help to project what kind of hitter Montero has the potential to become.

What’s the best part about Montero? He was born in November 1989, which makes him a teenager at just 19 years old.

After a slow start in Double-A, Montero has been adjusting quite nicely. He launched five home runs in a four-game span last week, and is hitting .333 over his last 10 games.

The only problem with the slugger’s game occurs when he is squatting behind home plate—as opposed to standing next to it while wielding a bat.

Montero is an average catcher at best, and is likely to be forced out from behind the plate in order to appear at the major league level. The Yankees would also prefer being able to utilize his bat in the lineup more than 120-130 games per season.

This would not be an issue, aside from the fact that New York is set at most of the reasonable replacement positions.

The corner infield is secure for the better part of a decade with Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, and Jorge Posada will likely be a permanent clog of the DH role by the time Montero is ready to contribute in the Bronx.

Corner outfield becomes the only conceivable option remaining, and Montero’s 6’4” 230+ pound frame does not exactly scream “range.”

A name that jumps into mind when picturing Montero as a corner outfielder is Houston’s LF Carlos Lee. While he might not produce as many tape-measure shots as Lee, he could play LF and DH whenever Posada is able to catch.

This is clearly a bridge the Yankees will worry about crossing when they arrive at it, but it is a wonderful “problem” to have. For the first time in nearly a decade, New York will have to determine a way to plug a young star in the making into its lineup.

After all, wouldn’t it be ironic that a man named “Jesus” may be responsible for the resurrection of the Yankee position player prospects?

Teixeira, Cano Seek Hardware: Right Side of Yankee IF Has “Midas Touch”

It has been virtually impossible to overlook the offensive production supplied by Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano in the middle of the Yankee lineup.

Teixeira is currently on pace for 53 HR, 145 RBI, 119 R, and .618 SLG. These would all be career highs for the new pinstriped addition, as he has become as likely an MVP candidate as any player in MLB.

Cano has rebounded fantastically from a nightmare 2008 campaign—on pace for 28 HR, 104 RBI, 111 R, 41 2B, and just 51 K. All of these production statistics would set or tie career highs for him, and the 51 strikeouts would represent his all-time low.

The way the two stars are producing in other ways, however, could lead to very high praise after the season’s end.

It is how these men are handling the leather—as opposed to the lumber—that is earning them recognition across Major League Baseball. Teixeira and Cano’s “Midas touch” on the defensive end could spell a pair of Gold Gloves in their immediate future.

Already a proud owner of the award, Teixeira has somehow elevated his defensive prowess to new heights.

The new Yankees 1B has erased the clumsy years of Jason Giambi from fans’ minds, helping to reminisce about Don Mattingly and Tino Martinez playing next to flawless at the position.

Teixeira has yet to make an error in 60 games played at first base—of course producing a 1.000 fielding percentage.

His aerial acrobatics and controlled dives have seemingly saved as many runs as he has produced, and he has shown a knack for throwing with accuracy and strength from his knees—or even his stomach.

Teixeira saves a teammate’s errant throw nearly every single night, whether with a perfectly timed stretch or a scoop even Yankees sponsor Turkey Hill would be proud of.

While “Big Tex” has been jaw-dropping at first base, he has been far from alone on the right side of the infield. Cano has partnered with Teixeira in creating the most dynamic defensive combination that New York has seen in quite some time.

It appears the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has added yet another wrinkle, as they will have to wrestle the awards away from Kevin Youkilis and reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia.

While Youkilis has played equally as well at the position thus far in 2009, he has also played 15 fewer games at 1B than Teixeira—putting “Big Tex” slightly ahead in terms of deservingness.

In the second base war, however, Cano has actually out-defended Pedroia. Cano has just three errors, a .989 fielding percentage, and has turned 41 double plays. Pedroia has committed four errors, turned just 36 double plays, and has a .985 fielding percentage.

By no means has it been a stark contrast in skill, as Pedroia is as consistently good as anyone in the league. To this point in the season, Cano has simply supplied a few more karats of gold.

Though I believe Bill James’ new statistical analysis to be a farce along with the rest of sabermetrics, Cano does also have a better “range factor” at 4.50 than Pedroia’s 4.40.

No players were more responsible for New York’s record-breaking errorless streak than Cano and Teixeira, and the publicity generated from the accomplishment should shift Gold Glove votes in their favor.

It remains to be seen if the consistency and impact can continue for 162 games, but it is undeniable how important their glove work has been to the Yankees success.

Every ball lifted into the air to the right side of the stadium may be ending up in the seats, but any ball on the ground is ending up in Cano or Teixeira’s glove.