Go Houston! You need to feel good about this after all you have been through.We salute you!
Ba Bye Yankees
- Thread starter sooners49
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Yankees had a good season and went further than anyone expected, but Houston's the best team in baseball.
After all that Houston has endured with both the hurricane and years of heartbreak, it's time to bring home a championship to a great fan base.
After all that Houston has endured with both the hurricane and years of heartbreak, it's time to bring home a championship to a great fan base.
This former 1966 Astro Buddy is Happy. Happy like drinking 6+ Dome Foams happy!
Go Astros!
Go Astros!
BTW... McCann. to Houston because of Sanchez was a bad decision. Whoever made that decision should be fired. Sanchez can't field or stop a throw to home. He's the Yanks future DH.
Way off on this one, WNAS.
Sanchez is in his first full year and will be a mainstay as catcher for many years. I saw him play in almost every game this season and saw a player with great potential at the catching position. At this stage of his career, he has a bigger upside than Posada did at the same stage of his career. Sanchez clearly needs to improve defensively, like any first year catcher outside of Ivan Rodriquez.
McCann has been a solid player everywhere he's played and is one of baseball's elite defensive catchers, but to compare 24 year old Sanchez to him now is as unfair as it is premature.
The Yankees' fire sale of last July and August (2016) has jump started their rebuilding effort and the core of Bird, Sanchez, Judge and Severino were already in the Yankees' system.
Two pitchers were sent to NY for McCann and both are good prospects, Jorge Guzman and Albert Abreu, who are coming on fast in the minors. Abreu could see the "varsity" as soon as next year.
The future is bright and the team that faced the Astros (arguably the best team in baseball and clearly the best team in Astros' history) is only a work in process right now. Better days are ahead very soon for this team.
All I'm saying is that four throws were made to home plate and he did not catch any of them. Zilch. The first one clearly cost them a run and possibly the game. Yet, McCann caught two balls to throw out runners at home and he nailed both of them.
Sanchez might be great one day, but in this series of a head to head match up, clearly McCann kicked the young guy's ass.
Sanchez might be great one day, but in this series of a head to head match up, clearly McCann kicked the young guy's ass.
Not withstanding his great defensive play and clutch hitting McCann gave the Astros something that can't be measured and that Sanchez, as good as he is, can't provide...leadership. The Astros would not be going to the W.S. without the clubhouse leadership provided by McCann, Bertram, and Reddick.
As expected when a seasoned veteran faces a young player.
No knowledgeable observer of Sanchez denies he had defensive issues. But with Girardi and Tony Pena, former catchers, coaching him, there’s no reason to think he won’t improve.
During the season he had serious issues with passed balls. While he made some improvement he still has a way to go.
But he won’t be a future DH.
This was a huge deal for this team. The upgrade at catcher from last year to this year was major. But your comment about leadership is spot on. Take last night... McCullers is pitching pretty decent but then all of a sudden he begins to throw balls. After the 5th straight, McCann walks to the mound calmer him down and then McCullers is pure lights out. That leadership is why he was brought into the clubhouse. In addition, Beltran & McCann held a players only meeting after the 3rd loss in NY to calm the team down. It worked. It's just my opinion, but if one is talking defense, Sanchez can take lessons from McCann. And he's too young to offer up leadership.
Next to Verlander, McCann was Houston’s biggest addition.
Last November the Yankees did not feel McCann at 33 was in their rebuilding plans and sent him to Houston for two good pitching prospects. I liked the deal as both a Yankees fan and Astros fan, and I still do.
And I like what both teams have for future success.
Then he will be challenged from this series on as everyone now recognizes that he can't stop the ball. In fact, the Astros challenged him pretty good. Their scouts must've knew he had issues.
McCann was a huge huge get... but for me, I think one of the most under rated gets and perhaps the unsung hero of the year goes to Yuli Guriel. The guy is just a hitting machine. After he adjusted to the big leagues, he just took off.
They did.
But Sanchez can improve. It’s silly to project a young player’s future after his first season.
The Yankees know Sanchez is still developing and there is no reason to say he won’t improve so early in his career.
There is no doubt that through time & experience one can improve. This goes w/ all types of tasks in life. I don't know of Sanchez, I haven't followed him like you have. But I do know that he's considered more of an offensive players than a defensive player, or even a balanced player. To my point, my research shows that Sanchez has been in the Yankee organization since 2010. He's been around for at least six years. The Yankee front office traded an experienced seasoned leader for a long ball hitter of their future. He may develop into something more than offensive output, but for this series, that trade did them no favors at all. As good pitching shut down his good hitting and that's all that he had to offer. After 6 years of playing the catcher position and him still struggling, it is not silly to think that he may not be able to be a defensive gem & eventually be a DH. He struggles mightily defensively and it really showed up this series.
Sanchez has had a slow progression through the Yankees' system and early on he was the team's top prospect (sometime around 2011-2012). Much of the info I saw had questions about his focus and work ethic, which was reported to have changed for the better by 2015 when he married and became a father.
As late as August he was benched for issues with passed balls and did make some progress getting after getting some help from Girardi and bench coach Tony Pena.
But his future with NY is as a catcher, and if he doesn't cut it he will be somewhere else. The Yankees will not tolerate any player devoid of defensive skills.
WNAS....You may be interested in knowing that Joel Sherman of the NY Post, probably the best beat reporter of the Yankees, is speculating that Sanchez could become a part time DH which would necessitate the team to pursue another backup catcher.
While I question giving up on a young player's ability after his first full year, it is very possible that the Yankees front office could determine that if the team is to contend in 2018 and beyond, an elite defensive catcher must be on hand immediately. Girardi and his coach Tony Pena....two solid defensive catchers in their careers....will have a lot to say over Sanchez's future, as either a catcher or a Yankee.
While I question giving up on a young player's ability after his first full year, it is very possible that the Yankees front office could determine that if the team is to contend in 2018 and beyond, an elite defensive catcher must be on hand immediately. Girardi and his coach Tony Pena....two solid defensive catchers in their careers....will have a lot to say over Sanchez's future, as either a catcher or a Yankee.
Cashman made the trade and he did the right thing considering McCann's age and salary, the team's rebuilding mode and the opportunity to get two good pitching prospects. What he did not know was that Sanchez would enter the 2017 season bulked up, enough to diminish his mobility behind the plate....or that Sanchez would regress from the way he played the last half of 2016. Had he known, the team may have acquired another defensive catcher to platoon with Romine. In fact, had the Yankees known what the future would bring, they might have DH'ed Sanchez and had Romine catch....not that that would have changed the outcome.
Yankees have several other issues: a lineup contaminated with players who strike out at an obscene rate, getting Betances fixed and reducing payroll. They will do the latter. Not sure of the other two issues at this time.
Anyway, second guess Cashman all you want, but with all that was known of Sanchez at the time, he did what had to be done.
Yankees have several other issues: a lineup contaminated with players who strike out at an obscene rate, getting Betances fixed and reducing payroll. They will do the latter. Not sure of the other two issues at this time.
Anyway, second guess Cashman all you want, but with all that was known of Sanchez at the time, he did what had to be done.
I'm not second guessing really. I'm just pointing out the plan backfired and failed. Especially with having two Coaches as former big league catchers. They should have known. I mean Sanchez didn't just 'lose' his talent. It's clear he never had the skill sets to make for an above avg MLB catcher. In my opinion, McCann could have easily been kept as the catcher, platooning w/ Sanchez. And when Sanchez wasn't catching, his batting earned him the right to DH. The prospects received for McCann were not close to being ready for the bigs yet anyway. Perhaps McCann requested the trade and wanted out. I'm not sure. But I do think the Dodgers wanted him as well.
Sanchez was better in his 2016 season. He showed a cannon arm and played well overall. I saw this. I know.
No one could have thought he would regress in 2017. But the added weight he brought to spring training raised some eyebrows and while it might not have been THE reason, it didn't help.
But...this is a catcher who starred on a team that won 91 games and knocked a superior Cleveland team out of the postseason. A team no one thought would come within one win of making the World Series.
Sanchez's catching career won't last unless he improves. Championship teams have solid defensive catchers, without exception. The Yankees know this and they will know more by April of next year.
No one could have thought he would regress in 2017. But the added weight he brought to spring training raised some eyebrows and while it might not have been THE reason, it didn't help.
But...this is a catcher who starred on a team that won 91 games and knocked a superior Cleveland team out of the postseason. A team no one thought would come within one win of making the World Series.
Sanchez's catching career won't last unless he improves. Championship teams have solid defensive catchers, without exception. The Yankees know this and they will know more by April of next year.
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