If...if...if

he told Girardi that his hip was barkin' and he didn't think he'd be effective at the plate or if Girardi knew another way, would that change the perception of the way he was used in the playoffs?

The headline does not say whether it is the right front hip or the right back hip.

"For so long, I have prayed for this. Now I am sorry."
"So is he."

I fully expect A-Rod to be suiting up for Spain or the Houyhnhms one day.

This did not get the credit it deserved.

I had to Google that 2nd one and dammit, if I didn't nearly choke on my lunch when the Google images popped up at the top of my browser....

The headline does not say whether it is the right front hip or the right back hip.

If it's the right back one that would be a problem since he already had a CCL tear in that stifle joint and had to have a ligament transplanted from his fetlock.

Ian Stewart is available.

What would the Yankees part with for Juan Francisco. (Francisco would hit 6000 HRs a year in NYS.)

After the "E5 Nuñez" disaster in 2011 the Yankees basically shifted Nuñez back to SS full time in AAA last year.

Where injuries limited him to 35 games. Of course, it was probably a dumb risk to think they could train Nunez to become a utilityman at the MLB level in the first place.

That being said, Nuñez's problem wasn't being asked to play 3B and not SS. His problem was he kept making errors no matter where they put him. He have made 14 errors in 386 innings at SS and 6 errors in 285 innings at 3B in 2011. He sure didn't seem to be any more comfortable at SS.

I wouldn't be shocked if they got Youkilis on a 1-year deal.

Is there any possibility that they have Jeter move to 3B this year?

If current trends continue, he shouldn't have any trouble filling both positions.

Right about now I'm betting the Cubs had wished they had signed Aramis Ramirez. I'm thinking the Yankees would pay handsomely for Aramis at this point in time.

It seems like guys who start their careers early don't also age well. I wonder if someone here has seen or done some research on this. I only have people I think of by recollection.

You, of course, have the pitchers like Dwight Gooden and Bret Saberhagen and Bob Feller, but also hitters like Ken Griffey Jr, Jose Guillen (not that he was ever all that good, but he was an old man by 34). I don't know for sure.

Maybe it means Adrian Beltre is nearing a cliff. And maybe that doesn't bode well for Bryce Harper's and Mike Trout's numbers in 2030.

What would the Yankees part with for Juan Francisco. (Francisco would hit 6000 HRs a year in NYS.)

Francisco would also strike out 6000 times... (although that has nothing to do with NYS)

Forget the hip, being 37 is career threatening enough.

It seems like guys who start their careers early don't also age well.

Part of that is selection bias. Players who start their careers late have to be pretty darn good from the moment they enter the majors while young players can be more "athletic" and are allowed to develop. If I had to guess I think it would have to do with the old James old player skills vs young players skills. Then we have the typical guys who didn't debut young or old and since they have such a huge amount of players we don't notice anything unusual when a player retires or lasts.

Overall I don't think any group really ages well. Most groups when they enter their 30's decline and most players hit the wall in their mid 30's regardless of when they started playing in the majors.

(A "re-injury," Walt?

From the ####### excerpt at the top of this page ...

The Yankees and Alex Rodriguez are concerned the third baseman’s surgically repaired right hip is damaged.

Rodriguez recently visited Dr. Marc Phillippon in Colorado after experiencing tightness in the hip that Phillippon operated on in 2009.

That two posts after mine somebody chimed in with a report that it's the left hip certainly shouldn't stop you from being an ####### Ray.

Jeter isn't exactly Mr. Durability either these days, so trading for Escobar to play 3B now and be ready to move over to SS to cover Jeter makes a lot of sense to me, if it won't cost them the farm to do so. Prying Elvis Andrus from the Rangers would be even sweeter, but I'm not sure the Yankees have anything of sufficient value to interest the Rangers in that.

I'm not supporting this with any evidence, but intuitively it seems like I'm not taking a huge risk if I suggest a 37-year-old who now has suffered severe injuries to both hips is probably done as a player of any use. I'd happily bet a Coke Rodriguez won't take 500 PA in a season again and won't post an OPS+ over 115 again.

I would probably take the under (500) on PA...but I wouldn't be shocked if he manages OPS+ in the 105-120 range over the next few seasons (I know thats a wide spread), he's still drawing walks, and hitting in NYS will mean a few cheap HR's a year...not really arguing the point that that's not worth 28-30 M, but just that he could, used properly still be a useful player the next few years.

Paired with another lefty who can handle the bulk of the time at 3rd, and given lots of DH time...I think he could be a useful part of the line up for at least the nexst 2-3 seasons....the real problem is that everything I just described applied to Jeter as well (probably more PA, but lower OPS)...and its tough to build a roster around having the left side of your infield each spending more than half their time at DH...whoever they find for the "chavez role" really has to play SS well since the standard is now a 12 man pitching staff and 4 man bench (C, Jeter/Arod Caddy, OF, UT)

He won't draw many walks once pitchers realize he doesn't really have 30 HR power anymore, though.

A valid point...but one that depends a lot on what he comes back like...if he can bounce back to 20 HR power after the surgery, he's useful...if not...then he's a utility infielder who can play first and third only.

I agree. Problem is, if your skill set is "can put up a 105 OPS+ but only part time and only at 1B, DH and occaaaaasionally 3B", you need to be lefthanded to be worth a roster spot.

Michael Young has made a pretty good second career out of that the last few years....only real difference is the Rangers let him stand at 2nd and short from time to time (along with health and a couple dozen more singles a season)

This is a golden opportunity to move Jeter to 3B where his terrible range would be mitigated and his terrific arm would be highlighted. The Yankees should go get a new shortstop.

Can't remember or cite it now, but I've read a persuasive argument in the past that Jeter's range is bad because his first step is slow, which logically would make him a bad third baseman.

In theory moving Jeter to third would help the Yankees defensively simply because third is a less important position than short, but in practice (a) it is a completely foreign position to him, and (b) you can't change his position without his permission, so he will play shortstop and that's that, pretty much.

Having a bad 3B is not as damaging as having a bad SS.

This is a golden opportunity to move Jeter to 3B where his terrible range would be mitigated and his terrific arm would be highlighted. The Yankees should go get a new shortstop.

If his arm is so good, why the hop/jump throws when hes at short? Seriously, I don't know.

Because it got him on ESPN when he was 22 years old? On a more serious note - I would say that actually demonstrates at least confidence in his arm (if not actual strength) - it is less strenuous on the arm/easier to get something on it, when you stop and plant, then throwing from the air (1 uses your whole body, the other just the arm)...its is probably not smart to do the hop and throw as he is technically weakening himself (and I would guess putting more strain than necessary on his arm)...but not a sign that he has a weak arm...that he actually gets (or got) outs this way to me shows that his arm is a plus, not a minus.

This is a golden opportunity to move Jeter to 3B where his terrible range would be mitigated and his terrific arm would be highlighted. The Yankees should go get a new shortstop.

Jeter's poor range isn't a function of his being slow. He was a great baserunner in his prime, and is still a good one. Jeter's problem is that his reactions and first step are poor. Third base is all about quick reactions, and speed doesn't help at all. I'm pretty sure he'd be very bad at 3B, possibly worse than he is at short.

The move for Jeter would have been CF. I think he could have been a gold glover out there - great at tracking the ball, and way more time for his excellent speed to make up for some weak initial reactions.

If his arm is so good, why the hop/jump throws when hes at short? Seriously, I don't know.

The hop/jump throws require a great arm. It's impressive Jeter can get so much on the ball without planting and throwing. The reason Jeter can't plant and throw on balls that other shortstops would play as relatively routine, though, is that his range isn't good. The jump throw demonstrates his lack of range and the strength of his arm at the same time.

Can't remember or cite it now, but I've read a persuasive argument in the past that Jeter's range is bad because his first step is slow, which logically would make him a bad third baseman.

I was thinking about that too, I remember the quote being something like "slower to react than Giambi."

There's a piece that was posted here in 2007 which might be the source for that:

“[Baseball Info Solutions Sven Jenkins:] We get to watch games shot from behind home plate so that you can see the fielders react. So you can compare Reyes to a guy like Derek Jeter, who is often the last person in the infield to react to a ball even when it’s hit in his direction. The first-baseman will move to cover first before Jeter moves towards the ball, which results in a lot of missed plays.”

Derek Jeter can play third and he'd be fine at it. Miguel Cabrera plays third. Pablo Sandoval plays third. Bobby Bonilla played third. Carney Lansford played third and a lot of people were convinced he was good at it. He wouldn't have great range and he might have to play a couple steps farther back than you'd like but he'd make the plays you'd expect and, of course, he has the arm for it.

My take is he would be at best below average there...and consider what his offense looks like right now, that not worth a whole lot...as a SS, his bat still plays...so unless they swap him out for a truly plus short stop, its not worth the aggravation...and even then, the move is probably Jeter to DH...if Arod can get healthy enough whenever he comes back to play the field, he is the better fit defensively.