Shelley Duncan Signs With Cleveland

Chad Jennings is reporting that Shelley Duncan has found a new home and has signed with the Cleveland Indians. The deal is probably a minor league deal, but Jennings had no details on it.

Good luck in Cleveland, Shelley.

Duncan Now A Free Agent

After being outrighted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, Shelley Duncan has elected to become a free agent and is now available for any team to sign.

In two stints this season with the Yankees, hit just .200 (3-for-15) with one RBI n 11 games. but was named International League MVP after a great year in Scranton.

Good luck Shelley, hopefully he can catch on somewhere.

So Long, Shelley

Chad Jennings is reporting that Shelley Duncan has said that if he clears waivers he will not accept his assignment to triple-A Scranton.

“I’ll wait and see,” Duncan said. “I might clear on Monday or something, and if do, then I’ll become a free agent.”

Good luck Shelley.

40-Man Roster Updates

With the Rule 5 draft coming up next month the Yanks made several adjustments to their 40-man roster today, here are those changes:

Pitchers Hecton Noesi Ivan Nova and Romulo Sanchez, infielders Reegie Corona, Eduardo Nunez and Kevin Russo, and outfielder Austin Jackson have been added to 40-man.

Shelley Duncan has be outrighted to triple-A.

The Yankees updated 40-man roster now has 39 spots filled, so expect some more changes to the roster later this offseason.

Two Yanks Get IL Honors

Chad Jennings is reporting that Shelley Duncan was named International League MVP, and Austin Jackson was named IL Rookie of the Year.

Duncan is hitting .273/.371/.546 with 29 HR, 26 doubles and 92 RBI in 116 games.

Jackson is hitting .293/.352/.399 with 4 HR, 22 doubles, 8 triples, 57 RBI and 23 stolen bases.

Congrats to Shelley and AJax.

Add Edwar to the List of Call-Ups

Last night we learned that Mike Dunn, Mark Melancon, Ramiro Pena, and Francisco Cervelli would be joining the Yankees. Today, Chad Jennings informs us that Edwar Ramirez will also be added to the roster.

In 29 games for SWB Ramirez is 1-5 with 4 saves and a 3.18 ERA. In 51 IP he's allowed 18 ER on 39 hits, he's walked 16 and struck out 62. Oppenents are hitting .205 against him.

Replacing them on the SWB Yanks roster will be RHP Humberto Sanchez, RHP Eric Wordekemper,
and OF Freddy Guzman. There are still two spots open on the SWB Yanks roster and I will update this post as soon as those players are identified.

Also, Mark Feinsand is reporting what Jennings said yesterday, that Shelley Duncan and Austin Jackson could join the Yankees once the Triple-A playoffs are over.

Shelley Optioned to Make Room for Hairston

Yes folks, the savior is here! Jerry Hairston and his ferocious .703 OPS are here, and he's starting in left today. Everything will be OK guys.

To make room for the savior on the roster, Shelley Duncan has been optioned back down to Triple-A after recieving free dugout seats for last night debacle. Besides the Hinske move, has this team made on transaction that makes sense since the season began? I'm sure you are all as happy as I am that Cody Ransom somehow is keeping his roster spot.

Oh, before I forget, Cody Ransom is also in the lineup today and he's playing first.

Watch your Forearms: Shelley Headed to Chicago

Chad Jennings is reporting that Shelley Duncan is on his way to Chicago to join up with the Yanks. No word on who will be sent down, but I'm assuming it will be either David Robertson, Jonathan Albaladejo or Mark Melancon.

Shelley is having a big year down in Triple-A, hitting .268/.363/.548 with 25 HR and 75 RBI.

Who should the Yanks call up to replace Gardner?

With Brett Gardner sidelined for the next three weeks or so with a broken left thumb the Yankees find themselves in a pretty tough situation.

Right now the Yankees have five guys who can play the outfield; Johnny Damon, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, Eric Hinske, and Cody Ransom. But only one of those players is good enough defensive to play center regularly and that's Melky Cabrera. Now, I'm not so sure I want to see Melky in center every day, but as of right now he's going to have to because those other guys are just not good enough to play center, even if it's only one or two days a week.

To me this makes the idea of calling up Austin Jackson much more reasonable than it was when the Yanks had both Gardner and Melky on the roster. I see little problems with calling him up for three weeks, playing him everyday, and then sending him back down. As Chad Jennings pointed out today, the Yanks could still send Jackson back back to Triple-A and recall him on September 1 without burning an option.

In 92 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre AJax is hitting .311/.375/.429 with 4 HR, 19 doubles, 5 triples, 38 RBI, and 17 stolen bases in 19 chances. But lately he's been in one of his worst slumps of the season, going .167/.244/.194 over the past two weeks. Then again, Francisco Cervelli was hitting .190 in Double-A before coming to the Bronx out of necessity, and things worked out pretty well for him.

A few months ago when people first brought up the idea of calling up Jackson, I wanted nothing to do with the idea. Giving Jackson an early call-up at that point didn't seem like the smartest move. He was new to Triple-A, and the Yanks didn't necessarily need another center fielder. I wanted them to leave him in Triple-A all year and then call him up in September and then was hoping he'd make the team out of spring training next year. But situations have come up that have change my feelings. As long as he plays almost everyday, I don't see how three weeks of AJax in the pros now would be a bad thing. If he struggles you send him back down, if he does a decent job you keep him until Garnder comes back, and if he plays great, well, that's a problem I'm sure the Yankees would love to have.

There are other options, though. Shelley Duncan and John Rodriguez are having very good years down in Scranton, but do the Yanks really need another corner outfielder? If I was running the show I'd want someone who could play center and play it well.

Ramiro Pena has been playing some games in center field since being sent down, and though I think it's pretty unlikely, he could be another option. I asked Chad Jennings how Pena has looked in the outfield so far and here was his response:

I believe I've seen him play center twice and he looks good. He's terrific side to side and looked good the one time I remember him charging a ball. Not sure about going back on flyballs. Don't remember him having to do it. His throws have been ok. Clearly still figuring out that part of it. He can certainly play the position. He's looked better than I expected.

So far so good for Pena in the outfield, but I just don't think he's had enough experience yet.

Besides that, they could always make a trade, but right now I have no idea what the market looks like for centerfielders. And do the Yankees really want to trade for someone they might only need for three weeks? I don't think so.

Who do you think should replace Gardner?

Shelley "Slam" Duncan Finishes 2nd in AAA HR Derby

From Jared Ravich:

It was a big night for hometown heroes at Portland's PGE Park, where the Beavers' own Chad Huffman took the trophy -- as well as $1,000 and a brand new laptop -- at the 2009 American Family Insurance Triple-A All-Star Home Run Derby.

He outlasted Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Shelley Duncan of the International League with a total of 15 homers.

"It was great to have the fans behind me, helping me get through it," the outfielder said. "It's not a distance game, it's a numbers game. I was just trying to get there and put good wood on it. It will take care of itself."

Duncan, who came into the competition with 21 regular-season homers to lead all competitors, squeezed into the second round with five and added another four before slugging just one in the final frame.

"I feel great," Duncan said. "I'm happy it was fun out there."

Duncan was greeted at the plate with a smattering of boos at the mention of the Yankees, clearly not a popular franchise in the Portland area.

"I did notice that," Duncan said with a smile. "It's kind of funny, too, because it's the complete opposite on the East Coast. Where we play and every city we go to there's Yankee fans everywhere. To tell you the truth, it's kind of neat to have a little change. It was fun to hear boos. It really was."

I wouldn't mind see Shelley blasting some shots in the Bronx come September, or who knows, maybe even earlier.

By the way, isn't it funny that baseball fans even hate our minor leaguers? I love being a Yankees fan.

Ransom deserve a roster spot over Pena? I Don't Think So

Yesterday, Peter Abraham discussed what would happen with the Yankees roster when Jose Molina makes his return, a return that is not too far away. He could be back as soon as a few days from now.

Basically Pete says that the Yanks will keep Ransom and have to decided whether to send down Francisco Cervelli or Ramiro Pena if they decide to keep three catchers, or even send both down and call up a player like Shelley Duncan or John Rodriguez who are both having big years in Triple-A.

Now I understand that the Yanks want these guys to develop in the minors, but so far we've seen much more development out of these two at this level than we might have in all their time spent in the minors. Also, if the Yanks just don't want to carry three catchers that's perfectly fine, and the right thing to do then would be to send Cervelli to Scranton and let him play everyday.

But if they decided to send down Pena and keep Ransom it makes very little sense to me. I know it would probably mean they'd have to lose Ransom for good, but really, who cares? Do the Yankees really see that much value in this guy? Because I sure don't. Pena is a better fielder, he's faster, and while Ransom might be the better hitter, so far he hasn't shown it this season. In fact, I'll take that back, I don't even think Ransom is a better hitter, after all we are talking about a guy with a lifetime hitting line of .239/.325/.412.

The 2009 Yankees are a better team with Ramiro Pena, not Cody Ransom.

Some More Stuff

From Sam Borden via Peter Abraham:

The 40-man roster move was Shelley Duncan being designated for assignment. … Brian Cashman said Phil Coke has been told to prepare to come to camp to work as a starter.

He really loves playing the game and has a lot of fun out there, which made him very easy to root for. Hopefully he catches on somewhere. Good luck Shelley.

I like Phil Coke a lot, but I'm not sure how well his stuff will translate as a starter at the major league level. However, as Peter said on his blog, "At worst, you build up his arm strength."

There's going to be a lot of competition for that fifth starter role, which should make for a very interesting spring.

Duncan Injures Shoulder In AAA Game

From Chad Jennings:

Shelley Duncan had his arm in a sling and is scheduled to see a doctor on Wednesday. Duncan said he believes he separated his shoulder, and he knew pretty quickly that something was wrong. His catch was pretty remarkable -- all out dive into the warning track -- but Duncan took a long time to get up and immediately left the game.

“Any time you do one of those kamikaze plays, when you get up, you always do like a systems check,” Duncan said. “You try to feel everything, maybe move around a little bit, shake it off. When I was doing that, I just knew right away something was wrong.”

No matter what level it is, from A-ball to the Majors, this team cannot stay away from injuries.

Duncan Down, Gonzalez Up

Peter Abraham is reporting that the Yankees have optioned Shelley Duncan back to AAA Scranton and he's been replaced by infielder Alberto Gonzalez.

Duncan wasn't getting any playing time and he'll be better off getting some ABs with Scranton. I really would have liked to see Brett Gardner get called up instead of Gonzalez, but the Yankees apparently don't want to call him up unless he's going to play everyday, which barring an injury just isn't going to happen.

Why do we need both of them?

Why do the Yanks need both Duncan and Ensberg on the roster?

They both aren't hitting,

Duncan - .164, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .497 OPS
Ensberg - .203, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .506 OPS

I understand you need that right-handed option for first base, which is why they should keep ONE of them, but to continue to waste a roster spot on both of these guys is pointless.

Drop one of them and call up Brett Gardner. Plus with the way Melky has been hitting, maybe a little competition for the CF spot would do him some good.

And as I've mentioned before I think Gardner is the type of player this roster needs; a speedy, on base guy, who can play stellar defense.

If it were up to me I'd probably send Duncan down, he still has options left, and Gardner can replace him as the 5th outfielder.

What would you do?

Duncan: I played like poop

Yankees first baseman, Shelley Duncan, was very honest about how he felt he played in yesterday's game.

From Erik Boland:

...Shelley Duncan boiled down his first start of the season to another word.

"Poop," Duncan said as he fiddled with the tab of a soda can in front of his clubhouse stall after yesterday's 6-3 loss to the Rays.

...He finished 1-for-4, grounded out with two runners on base to end the eighth and committed a throwing error that led to two unearned runs.

"I feel like I have some work to do," Duncan said. "I felt like poop a little bit. Hopefully, I can put the work in the cage and next time around I can be sharp."

As for his choice of words, Duncan said, "It just means you feel you can do a lot better, you feel you can feel a lot better. You don't feel like your swing at everything was 100 percent. That was me [yesterday]. Poop."

I'll give him credit for being honest. Between the ground out to end the 8th, and the error in the second, I thought he played like "poop" too.

Duncan and Cabrera Have Suspensions Reduced

From the New York Post:

April 5, 2008 -- It was an offerMelky Cabrera Melky Cabrera and Shelley Duncan couldn't refuse.

Given an opportunity yesterday to reduce their suspensions stemming from last month's incident with the Rays, both players accepted, and won't have to plead their cases to the commissioner's office.

Each player had a game removed from his original suspension of three games. Cabrera's term began last night and will last through today's game against Tampa Bay, and Duncan will serve his suspension tomorrow and Monday.

"The Players' Association and Commissioner's office got together and found common ground, so it's time to serve and move on," GM Brian Cashman said.

"Ultimately we were going to have to do it at some point. We just have to get this thing over with, one way or the other. I'm glad it's not three games, glad it's two. After Monday it will be all gone."

Their suspensions were clearly too long to begin with, so this was MLB's way of cleaning up their mistake.

Appeals to be Heard on Monday

Melky Cabrera and Shelley Duncan will meet with Major League Baseball on Monday to appeal their three-game suspensions for the spring training brawl with the Rays. I wouldn't expect any games to be shaved off, though. Duncan did slide with his spikes up, and supposedly they have video of Melky punching Evan Longoria in the face (I still would love to see that video).

Girardi Defends Duncan

From the New York Post:

"Shelley told me that he tried to break up the play," Girardi said. "I saw a similar slide that he made in Toronto, a very hard slide that he went after the ball in the player's glove. I believe my player. And the way he reacted when he slid leads me to believe that that's what he was trying to do. 'Cause if there was malicious intent, I think he would have popped right up. I believe my guy."

Girardi said he didn't have a problem with the slide.

"Did his spikes go up a little high? Yes they did," he said. "Part of that could have been because he hit the base funny and then he hit him. When you hit the base funny your legs kind of go up and then if you make contact, it's going to go up. It's going to push up. You don't want to try to hurt anyone, but I believe Shelley wasn't trying to hurt anyone."

Shelley's father Dave was also on the defensive:

Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, flush with the excitement of having a new million-dollar arm in camp, still has something to be furious about. The slow-burn coach, the longest serving pitching coach in baseball history, was irate with how son, Yankees first baseman Shelley Duncan, has been described after a slide that erupted the rivalry between Tampa Bay and the Yanks this past week.

“Borderline criminal” was how one baseball official put it.

And Duncan was simmering before his kid’s suspension was announced Friday.

“I don’t like the comments being made,” Papa Duncan told the media Thursday before discussing the pending arrival of Kyle Lohse. “He plays the game hard. He plays to win. He plays the way you want everybody to play.”

The Captain and Cashman discuss Duncan's Suspention

When GM Brian Cashman was asked about Shelley Duncan he said, “I’ll take 25 Shelley Duncans. How about that?”

Derek Jeter was also asked and had this to say, “If I were Shelley I wouldn’t change the way I play the game. There’s no reason to change the way he plays the game.”

Jeter also doesn't think this bad-blood between the two teams will continue. "Why should we anticipate something?" he said. "So it happens for the next 19 games we play them? No. Why would it linger on? Why would you continue to do it? If something happens, it would be stupid. It gets to a point where it's got to end."

MLB has also changed the umpire crew for tomorrow's spring training game between the two teams because of brewing trouble.

Determined to stop the Yankees and Rays from turning Saturday's split-squad rematch into a split-lip affair, veteran crew chief Jerry Crawford was added to the original three-man crew.