On Saturday, March 9th at the George M. Steinbrenner field where the Yankees are in the midst of spring training, closing pitcher Mariano Rivera officially announced his retirement, concluding the 2013 season. With his teammates by his side, Rivera discussed how honored he was to wear the pinstripes all throughout his career. Day of sadness? Maybe for his many fans who will miss him running up to the mound during the ninth inning to save the game; but for Mariano there is no sadness, just blessings. This brings an end to Rivera's amazing career, including seventeen seasons with the New York Yankees.
Pitcher Andy Pettitte recalls the days back in 1996 when Mariano Rivera was first starting in the major leagues. He had no remarkable pitches and his fastball didn't have much to it. "It was like, `Man, he'd better come up with a little bit more stuff to be able to start in this league,'" Pettitte said. The following year, Rivera was sent to the bullpen a year later and he has never looked back.
Who is going to replace the hopeful-future-Hall of Famer? Well, the question is simple. No one. The thing about Mariano Rivera is that he is not just one of the best closers of all time; nor is he just a great teammate. Rivera's integrity, sportsmanship, classiness, and dignity encompass it all. He is a role model to the young rookies just starting out in the MLB, and an inspiration to young little-leaguers who only dream of making it to the MLB. Yet, Rivera has never been named the AL (American League) MVP, nor has he ever won a Cy Young award.
His statistics speak for itself. Rivera is a seven-time pennant winner, five-time World Series Champion, and a 12-time All Star. In his seventeen years in the major leagues he has 608 saves, with an earned run average under 2.30. In his playoff appearances over sixteen years, Rivera has a .070 ERA and 42 out of 96 saves. As Yankees GM Brian Cashman stated twice, ""You'll never see that again, you'll never see that again."
We can only hope that Rivera gets what he deserves in his last year with the Yankees. He deserves to throw the last pitch in the ninth inning and save the game to win the 2013 World Series with the New York Yankees.
When I first heard the news that Curtis Granderson broke his forearm and would be out until mid-May, I literally did not believe it. Considering the Yankees have a lot of big decisions to make before the regular season begins, this new injury to the team could not be more heart-breaking. Personally, I would put Curtis Granderson up there as one of the classiest guys in the MLB. He has been a positive and motivating part of the Yankees ever since his 2010 trade from the Detroit Tigers.
In his first plate appearance of Spring Training, Granderson was five pitches in when he was hit with a fastball by J.A. Happ of the Toronto Blue Jays. He was evaluated after the game, and the results showed that the 31 year-old fractured his forearm. This puts the Yankees in a compromising position because it seemed that they had their outfield positions lined up with Curtis Granderson in left field, Brett Gardner in center, and Ichiro Suzuki in right field. Although it was not set in stone, it took to being the more probable outcome. The two big Yankee prospects for left field, Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz, are said to not be ready for the big leagues just yet.
In a little bit of a surprising twist, though, former NY Yankee Johnny Damon stated that he would accept a low budget contract and come back just for the amount of time that Granderson will be out. He was recently let go by the Cleaveland Indians after playing for three different teams in the past three years. So why am I bringing that little twist into this blog when Brian Cashman does not seem so interested in the idea as of right now? Well, Johnny Damon thinks his bat can do the talking because he was so comfortable hitting in Yankee Stadium. Although there are some big shoes to fill since Granderson was a big offensive threat for the Yankees, Damon thinks his actions will speak louder than his words. With Travis Hafner being the new addition to the team, the Yankees are hoping they he can bring some offensive magic to the line-up. Let's go through the batting situation the Yankees need to compensate for.
- Curtis Granderson: (Out until May with a forearm injury)
- Eric Chavez : (Traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks)
- Raul Ibanez: (Traded to Seattle Mariners)
- Alex Rodriguez: (Recently had hip surgery)
- Russell Martin: (Traded to Pittsburgh Pirates)
- Nick Swisher: (Traded to Cleavland Indians)
- Andruw Jones: (Signed a contract to play in Japan)
These seven players accumulated 155 home runs for the Yankees last year.
The young rookies need to step it up and show why they should be given a chance in the big leagues with the Yankees. With Granderson sidelined until May, Girardi and Cashman need to decide what is best for the team. It seems as though they are thinking to stay within the realm of the team, instead of searching elsewhere for a backup.
All I know is that the NY Yankees are an experienced team, the veterans know when to step it up, and the rookies will hopefully follow suit. They aren't considered champions just for the heck of it. They have earned that title over and over again. With or without injuries the Yankees will prevail!
