Nady Wins Job, and Swisher is Subdued

And, of course, Girardi did not actually say that Nady had won the job. Pretty poor reporting. But at least the post is about baseball. That’s saying something this year.
— KT 16. March 28,Brands Snapback Hats, 2009 2:08 am
Link
Obviously Girardi has made up his mind. WHY ELSE WOULD HE MAKE SUCH A STATEMENT? Premature announcement of resolving a touchy personnel decision that has not really been decided would reflect stupidity of the highest degree.
— Yankeefrank 7. March 24, 2009 10:53 am
Link
And you may not think it’s classless for a manager to tell the press before he tells a ballplayer about his thinking on position battles, but I do.
First to the person suggesting Swisher play third. Swisher is a lefty glove. Lefty’s do not play infield if you know the game.
— david 5. March 24, 2009 8:59 am
Link
CLEARWATER, Fla. – On Nick Swisher’s Twitter page, his enthusiasm all but bursts through your computer screen. It’s a festival of exclamation points and effusive praise. The trip to the pool hall? A great idea. Team U.S.A.? Loaded with talent. A visit from Dad? Very exciting.
go yanks,Consistent Release!
“Swish gives us a lot of flexibility,” Girardi said. “We haven’t left yet, but if we were leaving today, I’d have to find a way to keep everyone happy and keep everyone playing, find at-bats for people.”
— Ryan 2. March 23, 2009 10:02 pm
Link
Your Name Required
Lastly, I agree Swisher is a great clubhouse presence. He will be a good asset for the team as long as they find him at bats. If you trade anyone, trade Matsui/Gardner/Cabrera.
Tyler – I’m glad you aren’t covering national news. Last year if a high ranking republican said in October – “well, based on the polls, if the election were held today – Obama would win” – your NYT headline in October would read “OBAMA wins election, McCain is subdued”.
its a long long season…too many questions about matsui’s physical condition, gardner and cabrera as everyday players, damon’s durability, etc. i hope we are able to hold on to swisher…as a starter or a utility guy. i have only one question….Cody Ransom? surely we could afford a 5 position that at least has some real experience.
Prediction: Nady will revert to his career norms in 2009: .265 BA/.305 OBP — exactly the same performance that caused Cano so much grief last season. Can a team with a rookie CF and light-hitting LF absorb such poor production from RF, a traditional power position?
— The Plate 15. March 26, 2009 12:39 pm
Link
Three other Yankee beat writers reported that -
Note – “IF THE SEASON STARTED TODAY”.
You have to understand, Girardi hedges on almost everything he says, especially in a case like this, because if someone gets hurt between now and April 6, then the whole equation changes.
Girardi told Swisher that Nady was the regular right fielder. That is certainly how Swisher took it, but if some readers want to play the whole “but it’s only March 23″ game, go for it.
Once again, Cashman blew it. He’s spending ~$7M on Swisher and ~$6M on Nady. $13M in today’s world buys Pat Burrell ($8M/per) or Adam Dunn ($10M/per) to play RF.
Tyler, I can’t find anywhere in the “main article” where it says that Girardi told Swisher that Nady is the regular right fielder. I found Girardi’s quote, but is says neither that Girardi made that statement to Swisher nor that he has decided that Nady will be the regular RF. And you seem to explain (at #8) that you’ve decided Girardi has said both of these things because “Girardi hedges on almost everything he says.” That’s simply poor logic.
Besides, this is the blog entry that accompanies the main article, which includes Girardi’s quote with the obligatory hedge. The blog post is intended to summarize or add depth to the actual article. It’s not a substitute.
Second of all, leave Tyler alone. Everyone loves to criticize yet never qualified to be a beat writer/reporter themselves. So get off your envy rage and make valuable insights pertaining to this article. If you hate Tyler so much why the heck are you reading his blog?
To me, Swisher looks like the kind of guy who could start four times a week, to give a breather to Johnny Damon in left, Nady in right, Hideki Matsui at designated hitter or even Mark Teixeira at first. He is a switch-hitter who plays all those positions, and given his ranking in this category, I’d want him in that lineup a lot to wear down pitchers and rip a few home runs.
— O Coelho 13. March 24, 2009 4:17 pm
Link
E-mail This Print Share
Close Linkedin
Digg
Facebook
Mixx
My Space
Permalink Joe Girardi, Nick Swisher, Xavier Nady, Yankees Related Posts From Bats Who’s in Right? (and Other Yankees Issues)Yanks Have Granderson, but Who Has No. 28?Why Girardi Is Starting Swisher for Game 6Would You Have Asked? Lots of Odds and Ends From Texas Previous Post
Looking for a Dry Mound Next Post
W.B.C. to Expand in 2013 16 Comments 1. March 23, 2009 9:12 pm
Link
For now, Swisher will try to stay positive and come to grips with a role he cannot predict and news he did not want to hear.
“That’s why it was interesting today to see a subdued Swisher, one who tried very hard to mask his disappointment at learning from Manager Joe Girardi that Xavier Nady would be the regular right fielder.” it is hard to figure how a guy like this could get his panties in bunch over losing out on a job when your previous season’s BA was one of the worst in the league with a reasonable # of ABs and your spring training BA ain’t much better..
Basically – don’t listen to what Girardi says, listen to what Girardi means. He’s a hedger.
Has Swisher never played third? That seems like the perfect solution to two problems, provided he’s not a Strangeglove at the hot corner.
— a.O 4. March 24, 2009 8:46 am
Link
XHTML: You can use these tags:


— Gary R. 11. March 24, 2009 1:23 pm
Link
“I love this team. I love the coaches, players, I love it all. I think it’s a great spot. But that’s the biggest thing: we’re going to have to wait and see how it plays out.”
Your E-mail Required, will not be published
— Jeff 6. March 24, 2009 10:11 am
Link
The MLB.com piece said Girardi had a conversation with Swisher about the RF job *after* he had made his statements to the press. Classless.
But Nady won the job.
If you’re having to explain yourself in the comments, I think that tells you all you need to know about the clarity of your writing.
— D 3. March 23, 2009 11:04 pm
Link
And Girardi talked to Swisher before the writers had a chance to talk to him. Nothing “classless” about that. Swisher had no problem with the lines of communication on this decision.
Swisher should be our starting centerfielder–i believe he played 70 games in centerfield last season.
— Howard in NYC 8. March 24, 2009 11:26 am
Link
KEEP SWISHER. Anyone remember Louis Soho? The best hands in baseball.
The Yankees should hold on to Swisher and use him, as described in this article, to relieve Damon, Nady, Texiera, and Matsui. Damon and Matsui will probably need more days off than Nady and Texiera due to physical condition. In addition, Swisher brings an intangible to the team, that has apparently been missing inrecent years-someone who is upbeat about playing for the Yankees. With several players facing free agency next season, Swisher should use this season to his advantage and show everyone why he is worth keeping.
Do you have an exclusive here? Does the MLB season now start on March 23rd? Or did you chat with Girardi apart from all the other beat writers?
I agree with both #1 and #2.
“If we were to break today,” Girardi said, “Xavier Nady would be my right fielder.”
The Swisher we see in the clubhouse is the same as the virtual one on Twitter. He’s all smiles and back slaps and good-time music. That’s why it was interesting today to see a subdued Swisher, one who tried very hard to mask his disappointment at learning from Manager Joe Girardi that Xavier Nady would be the regular right fielder.
— Tyler Kepner 9. March 24, 2009 11:47 am
Link
— a.O 12. March 24, 2009 3:27 pm
Link
“I don’t know of anyone who would take that the right way, at first,” Swisher said. “But I have all the faith in the world that this team is where I want to be. The front office has put together a great team and not only that, but just a great group of guys, and we all get along. So that’s the thing: I’m not going to let any of this try to stir things up in any way, because that’s just not our style.”
But Girardi has not spelled out a role like that for Swisher. Girardi will use Swisher to give players an occasional break, but he said he prefers a set lineup, one that does not leave room for a regularly rotating role player.
— D 10. March 24, 2009 1:22 pm
Link
Tyler is crediting Girardi with having at least a modicum of intelligence, and interpreting him accordingly.
Your blog title states – Nady wins job.
We’ve come a long way since Murrow and Cronkite.
stevieray
Search This Blog
Typer….er….Tyler always picks the low hanging fruit when it comes to these articles.
“I’ve been thinking all day about what I wanted to say,” Swisher told us after the game, an 8-3 loss to the Phillies. “I’m the type of guy, I want to play every day,Tampa Bay Rays Hats sale, there’s no doubt about that. I guess we’re just going to see how it plays out.

Maybe the Yankees could trade Swisher before the end of camp, but it might make more sense to hang onto him, both as insurance and as the team looks ahead. He is signed through 2011 and Nady, Damon and Matsui will be free agents this winter.
I get it now.
Your Comment
Comments are ################## and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.
“If the season started today, Joe Girardi said that Xavier Nady would be his starting right fielder.”
On Feb. 25, before the first exhibition game, Swisher wrote: “so happy and proud to be a part of this team. this could be something special.”
— steve golding Add your comments...
So far Girardi has messed up the only decision he’s had to make this season.
I also think the latter three will not hold up (health or production). I see Swisher playing CF. Swisher is a better player than his stats show.