Bernie Is Moving out for This?
February 20, 2007
That of course is the now famous picture of Melky Cabrera robbing Manny Ramirez of what would have been a sure thing home run. They say every Yankee has that moment when they become a “true Yankee”, well for Melky, less than a season under his belt in pinstripes, that may have been it.
With no room for the 5th outfielder, the Yankees have elected to use the 4th spot on Cabrera instead of Yankee legend Bernie Williams, once again leaving us with the adage “out with the old, in with the new.” Yet, there are still some naysayers on Melky and I’d like to prove that there could be a very good left fielder brewing here.
First Point: According to The Bill James Handbook, Melky was the 20th best baserunner in the MLB, in front of popular choice Derek Jeter. This was based on his ability to get to
1. First from third on a single
2.Scoring from second on a single
3.Scoring from first on a double
4.Bases taken (usually from defensive lapses)
5.Baserunning outs
6.Runs scored as a percentage of times on base
Second Point: That same book (done by the expert of experts) ranked Melky the 4th best left-fielder in the MLB as well. Not only did Melky tie for the AL lead in outfield assists with one heck of an arm, but he has decent range as well.
So Melky can run and field, but can he play solid offense? You tell me:
.280 AVG .360 OBP and had 13 win shares last season, on par with players such as Hank Blalock, Milton Bradley, and Moises Alou. Not bad for a 22-year old that was never a highly touted prospect.
Melky should see more playing time this season and hopefull will provide the Yankees with some of that spark that helped lead them to the AL East crown. Side note: that same spark was later removed with the return of Gary Sheffield and the benching of Cabrera, leading to the disaster that was the 2006 ALDS
