Power Pros Forum

There's always time for a first. And the Yankees will the first to win it all with such a young pitching staff. And here's why:

Giambi will breakout big, playing above-average defense, hitting .260, with 35 homers - granting him Type A free-agent status

Same with Farnsworth who'll post a sub-3.00 ERA to go with a 9.5 K/9 rate.

Farnsworth will help solidify the bullpen, and Giambi will answer the only real question mark in the lineup.

Yeah I agree, they might have the talent. But the numbers throughout the years have shown young pitchers don't usually stand up to the test.

I'm sort of hoping that trend doesn't continue because the white sox have a 23 year old and a 22 year old starter themselves.

And as far as Giambi, I'm sorry but what a waste of money that guy has been for the Yankees. I think he misses the HGH.

I won't say it's a good signing. It was too much money. But there were some times where he was an asset to the team. His plate discipline is still one of the best, and it alone helps wear out opposing pitchers. His defense this year has been very solid, maybe hoping for a good contract year. Seasons like the one where he was Comeback Player of the Year hitting 30+ homers, are why he's not like Pavano.

By the way, HGH has not been shown to aid player performance at all. Steroids do, though. My Red Sox fans friends always say he's on roids every time he hits a home run recently (like the one off Timlin). Maybe they should realize he's been off for a few years already and he does have a certain amount of natural ability so he can still produce, albeit at a lesser level.

As far as the White Sox starters Danks and Floyd, they are decent and could be above-average, but neither of them were ever as highly regarded as Hughes and Kennedy, who actually dominated AAA, instead of just jumping from AA.

PAPELBON OVER RIVERA??????????????? I mean, I know he had a bad year last year, but still? He's the best closer to ever step on the mound. Plus, this year he's back to himself and may have his best year yet. 12-13 innings and 10 saves with NO runs and like 12-14 strikouts and 6 hits or so. That's basically perfect. Papelbon has already blown 2-3 big games this year. Papelbon is a great closer and probably a hall of famer, but he really can't compete with Mariano. The only reason that he doesn't lead every closer in saves in the history of baseball is that when the Yanks win, they often blowout (It takes a 3 lead or less to get a save).

Actually, Rivera gave up his first run on Monday, I think. It was the winning run in the 11th inning against the Rays. Oh wait never mind, the Devil Rays are actually contenders so far this year, so its not that bad.

Not at the time of my post. But, with the save tonight, thats a .5 era with 11 out of 11 save opportunities. Plus, that was 3 innings I believe.

At this point in the season, I wouldn't put much stock into stats. Last year, Papelbon had a 1.85 ERA, .77 WHIP, and a 1.44 K/IP. Rivera could be getting back to himself or he could be off to a hot start and over the course of a season show his age as he declines.

FACE!!!
(Sorry, I really don't care about the Yankees or the Red Sox, just thought I'd poke my head in for a sec.....carry on. )

I think you can easily say Papelbon > Rivera at this point in their careers. Now if we're talking career body of work, it isn't even a discussion - Rivera has already established a legacy as one of the best ever, while with Papelbon it is still unclear if he'll even remain a closer (I think he should, but Boston keeps at least leaving the discussion open of Papelbon going back to being a starter).

Any of you Yankees fans live in New York? My wife and I were thinking of taking a 3-4 day trip to NYC sans kids this summer, and catching a game at Yankee Stadium before they move next year. Gotta love having a wife whose idea of a romantic weekend getaway vacation is going to a city with a historic old ballpark and watching a game or two

I'm in Massachusetts.
Relatives in NY.

I'm going to my first Yankees game this summer, though, against the Reds. I really hope Griffey slumps or gets injured soon, so he'll be stuck on 599 (only 2 more) by the middle of June. And I'll see his 600th.

While it's very likely Paplebon is at a better point in his career then Rivera, one can't be certain. It's possible that Rivera could be one of the few exceptions that at this point of his career improves. After the succesful transition years a go from a strike-out pitcher to a ground out pitcher, his pitches and innings don't tire him out much anymore. There is little sign of a fall in ability, curve, or speed for Rivera and it appears that if anything he may have gotten better with age. He has learned to play even better, where to pitch, how to pitch to different hitters, and various things like that. In fact, its possible this might be his best year yet. Paplebon is off to a bad start and may very well have a bad season. I have my fingers crossed on this, as I am a strong Yankee fan (Big Surprise) and the last thing the Socks need is another advantage for this year. Oh well, it is a transition year for the Yanks. Would be great if they could get number 27 under their belt the year before they move to the new stadium.

That'll be cool getting to go to the game at the Stadium. I was born in the Boston area and still have a lot of family in the areas 20-60 minutes north of Boston. I've been to Fenway at least 20 times, but never had a good chance to get over to NYC. My wife and I took a vacation to New England 10 years ago and we made it to Cooperstown (amazing experience if you haven't been!), but didn't get to NYC. We're trying to swing our trip this year for the weekend before 9/11, which might be a bit dicey but it's the only time both the Mets and Yankees are home at the same time other than the Subway Series. If we go then, we'll hit Shea and Yankee Stadium on back to back nights

Yeah, I've been to New York a couple of times, before, but once was in the winter, for a Thanksgiving trip, and another was far away from the city - at the Hall of Fame.

Born and raised! Already caught two games this season. Joba pitched in both.

Gotta say though, you're a lucky guy. If a woman said that to me I'd get on my knee a propose. I still have a way to go with my girlfriend... lol. It's baseball season though.. she's learning.

My favorite game ever was A-Rod's 3 HR game (April 26, 2005). Still got the tickets tucked away in my top drawer as a momento. I should scan those or something.

Oh yeah, since some of you are fans too I'll say this: Keep an eye on Edwar Ramirez. I've been saying it since last year and I don't care what anyone else says. That kid's bound for greatness.