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LITTLE DEFENSE IN JOE'S LINEUP
from newspost.com
By Joel Sherman
September 28, 2006 -- JOE Torre managed his seventh All-Star team last night,
writing out a lineup card that would hold its own, or even outstrip, anything
the fans would vote in for mid-July.
You could see just how seductive it all must be to Torre, assembling an order
in which the ninth-place hitter, Robinson Cano, might win the AL batting
title. For the first time this season, Torre had all of his weapons, forming
what Orioles pitching coach Leo Mazzone called "by far the best lineup in
Major League Baseball."
This updated Murderers' Row performed with devastating might. Before an out
was recorded in the fourth inning, every member of the lineup had either
scored a run or knocked one in. By the time the eighth inning began, every
starter except DH Jason Giambi was out of the game, the crushing work done in
what would be an 18-hit, five-homer, 16-5 rout of Baltimore.
This is essentially what had been anticipated in the days since Bobby Abreu
was obtained, and Cano, Hideki Matsui, Gary Sheffield and now Giambi returned
from injury to join Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge
Posada. What Torre can construct is a 1-through-9 wrecking machine full of
lefty-righty balance, power, patience and even speed. It is something out of
a Fantasy League and almost certainly comprises the nine men Torre will use
when the AL Division Series arrives next week.
Again, you can see the seduction in it all. Yet even after witnessing the
bashing possibilities, I think Torre is making a mistake. Where he can, Torre
should emphasize defense. That would be at first base and left field by going
with Andy Phillips and Melky Cabrera. Here are three reasons why:
1. The Yanks should be able to score plenty with a lineup that is seven deep
in stars, and Cabrera is, at the least, a tough at-bat.
2. Torre announced Chien-Ming Wang will start Game 1 and, if necessary, Game
5. Of the 82 pitchers who currently qualify for the ERA title, none strikes
out fewer per nine innings than Wang. In other words, the ball is in play
against him and defense is vital. Wang induces the most grounders in the AL,
and putting a novice such as Sheffield at first or clumsy Giambi is a
detriment.
The other two main starters, Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson, are finicky
veterans who tend to let errors impact their concentration and effectiveness.
3. In this scenario, if the Yanks lead from the beginning of a postseason
game, they always have their best defense on the field. But, if they trail,
Torre could be extremely aggressive from the fifth inning on pinch-hitting
for either Phillips or Cabrera. If, for example, Giambi was the DH, Torre
would have available a lefty (Matsui), a righty (Sheffield) and a
switch-hitter (Bernie Williams), and the manager could cherry-pick matchups.
These hitters may only get one at-bat, but it would almost guarantee it in a
huge spot.
Will Torre go this way? Probably not. He said, "It is going to be a busy week
trying to figure it out." But he mostly sounds as if he already has. He said
Sheffield looks comfortable at first base, though last night he still
appeared to be what he is, a veteran learning a new spot. Torre also said
Matsui, though inferior to Cabrera, is still a capable left fielder.
On the surface, the decision seems to come down to starting the best offense
possible to try to overwhelm opponents vs. emphasizing defense throughout the
game. But the key might be subtler. Torre's instincts lean toward favoring
veterans and averting the disharmony that could emerge should he sit
Sheffield or the potential international incident should he not start Matsui.
Anyway, Torre always can react by editing as he goes along, like he did last
year when he recognized the need for better defense in center field and
started Bubba Crosby over Williams.
But mainly Torre will hope the postseason goes like last night, with his
offense bludgeoning a foe so much that defense hardly matters. He will hope
that fielding realities do not deter his Fantasy lineup.
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