Kuzul

The New York Yankees have had their share of outstanding catchers over the past century, so where does Jorge Posada rank on that list?With the 40-year-old veteran reportedly set to announce his retirement in the next few weeks, let's count down the top 10 backstops in the storied history of this franchise...Begin Slideshow

Yankees C/DH Jorge Posada has decided that he will hang up his cleats and retire from Major League Baseball, ESPN reports. This is relevant to Red Sox fans, since Jason Varitek is currently in the same situation that Posada found himself in.Jorge Posada has been a staple in the New York lineup since being drafted in 1990. This past season, injuries and poor performance caused a shift in the starting catcher role, which was filled by Russell Martin. Posada only played the field in 16 games in 2011: 14 of them coming at first base, one at second base and only one behind home plate.The fact of the matter is that Posada was no longer in the Yankees' plans, and even though he is a New York icon, they couldn't really do much for him. They already have a starting catcher in Martin, and surging prospect Jesus Montero will fill ...

The 2011 season appeared to have been the last for Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, as Sweeny Murti is reporting that Posada will officially retire within the next few weeks. While acting primarily as a designated hitter and bench player, Posada hit .235 with 14 home runs and 44 RBI in 387 at-bats during the 2011 season.This is certainly not surprising news. Posada has battled injuries for each of the last four seasons, only reaching 120 games played once in that stretch. At this point, his value in the field is nothing more than that of an emergency first baseman or catcher. If he even wanted to play, he would only be a truly valuable player in the American League as a designated hitter. Given his age (40) and the abuse to the body that catchers always take, it certainly makes sense that the market would be thin on him. Long gone are the ...

Bernie Williams, one of the most loved Yankees by the fans, accomplished some impressive feats during his Yankee tenure. His success in pinstripes almost didn’t transpire earlier in his Yankee years.  Williams had become the regular center fielder in 1993. George Steinbrenner considered trading him in 1995, but Buck Showalter, the manager at the time, talked Steinbrenner out of making that giant mistake. Steinbrenner was known as being controlling and difficult to approach.  Thankfully, he listened to Showalter’s advice about Williams. Each year, the Baseball Writers Association of America votes by mail on eligible candidates for election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Bernie Williams is on the Hall of Fame ballot for 2012.  Gaining 75 percent or more of the votes to get elected is not an easy task.  Looking back at Williams’ career, I think that he put up consistently strong numbers and earned ...

It might not be obvious now, but Phil Hughes will be one of the most watched and vital pieces to the New York Yankees' success in 2012. Hughes, in my opinion, will be the third starter barring a surprise (or not so surprising) lapse before the season starts. Success in that slot of the rotation will be important in giving the Bombers stability in their starting five. We basically have a good idea what you're going to get from CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova, but beyond that, there is no certainty. Even Nova, with only one full year of experience, isn't exactly a given. A.J. Burnett will be a toss-up, while Freddy Garcia might have a tough time duplicating 2011. That makes Hughes' role monumentally more important. He could be the wild card. If you factor in health, it's easy to make the case he's just as big a question mark as the ...

Earlier this week, David Kaplan of Comcast Sportsnet Chicago reported that the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays were all going after Matt Garza of the Chicago Cubs and had been involved in talks to acquire this starting pitcher.  Just today, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has reported that the Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins have greatly rammed up efforts to land Garza in a trade with Chicago.  Out of all the teams, the Toronto Blue Jays seemed to have gotten the farthest in trade talks, as they were exclusively talking with Theo Epstein earlier in the week.  It now seems very likely that the Cubs will make a deal sooner rather than later.  It is true that Epstein is looking for a major deal for Garza, as he believes that he could build the team around an "ace" like Matt Garza.  With recent trades for ...

New York Yankee fans have been blessed with a successful baseball dynasty for quite some time.  The occasional bump presented itself and has led to some problems since 1996, but overall, the Yankees have been a major baseball force. The Yankees organization is filled with talent galore, with pitching, catching, fielding, hitting and base-running.  Popular players have come and gone, but core players have remained. Great talent will come up from the farm system, but what about the older players who have been the backbone of the Yankees?  How much longer can they play effectively and productively as they age? Jorge Posada will likely either retire or end his career elsewhere.  Let’s hope that he chooses retirement and goes out as a Yankee. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera are three of the best players in Major League Baseball.  They have collectively been the heart and soul of the ...

The New York Yankees trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 at Dodgers Stadium in the top of the ninth inning. It was the second game of the 1978 World Series. Bucky Dent led off with a single to left field against left-handed relief pitcher Terry Forster. Roy White then hit a dribbler that the somewhat rotund Forster fielded and threw to first for the out, moving Dent to second. It was a good or bad as a sacrifice. Paul Blair, who had pinch-hit for left-handed hitting Gary Thomasson, drew a walk to put the potential tying and winning runs on base. That was all for Forster. Young fire-balling right-hander Bob Welch came in to face Thurman Munson. All Munson could manage was a fly ball to right field that Reggie Smith caught for the second out. When he first joined the Yankees, Reggie Jackson informed the world that “It all ...

Ty Cobb won the triple crown in 1909. He batted .377, hit nine home runs and drove in 107 runs.Yes, it certainly was the dead-ball era when nine home runs leads the league. In 1909, American League teams averaged 3.44 runs a game. In 2011, American League teams averaged 4.46 runs a game. Yes, it still is the lively ball era.One result of the lively ball era is that Cobb is slightly underrated as an offensive force. Cobb ranks at the top of many offensive categories when one uses traditional statistics. His .366 batting average is the best ever; he ranks ninth, with a .433 on-base percentage; he slugged .512 and is fifth with 5,854 total bases. Until Pete Rose broke his record, Cobb was first with 4,189 hits. Cobb is second in runs scored, with 2,246, which is remarkable considering that runs were at a premium for most of ...

Andruw Jones and the New York Yankees have come to terms and settled on a one-year contract.  The agreement will not become official until Jones completes a physical. His contract is for $2 million, plus additional potential performance incentives of $1.4 million, according to CBSSports.com. Jones has been a benefit to the Yankees as a fourth outfielder who is able to come off of the bench cold and perform well.  He is a powerful hitter and has had great success against left-handed pitching.  According to Yankees.com, this may open up the possibility of Jones replacing Brett Gardner against left-handed pitchers. During 77 games that he played in the 2011 season, Jones batted an average of .247, 13 home runs and 33 RBIs.  Against left-handed pitching, he batted .286, and out of 36 hits, 16 of them he took extra bases. Over the course of his career beginning in 1996, he ...