While I wouldn't put money on it I think that Bernie will beat that projection. I say he hits .265 with the same walks and power.

I'd like to agree and said to a Yankee friend earlier today that I thought he could post a .350 OBP and be something of an asset off the bench. After looking at his recent years' stats, he's on a pretty steady downward trend and the projection looks like about what you could expect.

Maybe a few more singles fall in and he hits .260/.350/.380, but unless he gets a big boost from playing less regularly seems hard to expect any more.

This is the third and last time I will raise this, to see if I can garner some feed back:


A lot of articles I have seen suggest that Bernie will be the everyday DH, batting out of the 8 hole in this line up:

Damon
Jeter
Rodriguez
Sheffield
Matsui
Giambi
Posada
Williams
Cano


If your DH is hitting 8th, I think you are somewhat unclear on the concept of what a DH is supposed to be. Bernie also has been declining with the bat nearly as rapidly as he declined with the glove.

I like the idea of him as a 4th outfielder/pinch hitter, for old times sake. But can't the Yankees do better in the DH spot?

Absolutely no way Bernie gets 500 ABs this year.

Absolutely no way Bernie gets 500 ABs this year.

Who is the non-Giambi 1B/DH?

Phillips?

Bernie will be just fine in the Ruben Sierra Memorial "Switch-Hitting Puerto Rican Who Used To Be Able To Hit And Occasionally Still Makes Himself Useful" Role.

And he'll fill it better than Ruben did.

I like the idea of him as a 4th outfielder/pinch hitter, for old times sake. But can't the Yankees do better in the DH spot?

In a very small sample size as a DH last year, Bernie hit a very respectable .294/.362/.459. Also, as a pinch-hitter last year he hit .273/.438/.545, again in an extremely small sample size. It's very possible the nagging pains he suffers from playing the field affected his hitting. I'd be happy with a .350 OBP and .400 SLG in 200 PA or so. I still think they're looking to add a corner OF somewhere so they can DH Matsui and Sheffield, if the asking price ever comes down. Texas asked for Wang for Wilkerson, so he's not an option.

Wilkerson's better than Wang. I would have taken that.

In all seriousness, for a team like the Yankees to take a $1.5 million flyer on one of the four core players who made them a championship team for years and years is the least they could do.

If they get a full-time valuable contributor out of the deal, that's gravy.

The non-Giambi DH is Sheffield. Phillips is the non-Giambi 1B. The problem is with the non-Sheffield RF. If it's a combination of Crosby and Willimas (in LF with Matsui slideing over to RF), then that's not good. If it's a decent bat yet to be obtained, then maybe that's OK and Bernie really does get fewer than 300 PAs like he should.

Wilkerson would be a perfect fit, but it's just not going to happen. Ryan Klesko is a good suggestion too, but equally unlikely. Either one of those guys could split time with both Giambi and Sheffield, but we don't live in an ideal world, do we?

If Phillips and Crosby could somehow be fused into a player with Andy's hitting upside and Bubba's reasonable defenisve ability, I'd be very happy. But that reminds me of the downside potential of an Albert Einstein/Marylin Monroe union.

Bernie aged pretty un-gracefully, no? Has this been discussed? He's hitting like a 42 year old holding on for that last tour of duty.

Yeah, a more graceful decline would have made him a Hall of Famer. The cliff that hit him keeps him in the Hall of Very Good.

Bernie aged pretty un-gracefully, no?

Actually, he suffered a career-ending knee injury, but decided to play through it.