Will Mark Teixeira cut down on the pull-hitting tendency that has eroded his productivity? (AP) Hola amigos, it’s been awhile since I rapped at ya. A whole offseason has gone by, and I kept busy with a winter’s worth of projects — JAWS, Baseball Prospectus 2012, Extra Innings, Fantasy ...

Russell Martin's receiving skills have been a bigger boon to the Yankee staff than expected. (AP) Today at Baseball Prospectus, colleague Mike Fast published a monumental piece about the effects of catcher mechanics on ball/strike calls, quantifying the impact that catchers have around the margins. ...

Just click the picture already. The past weekend found the Yankees involved in a few big stories. Their four-game losing streak was their second-longest of the season. Their lineup and bullpen looked particularly threadbare due to minor injuries and fatigue, and Joe Girardi’s managing around that ...

Curtis Granderson made major league history when he connected for the Yankees' third grand slam of the game. The start of Thursday afternoon’s game against the A’s was delayed an hour and a half due to rain, and by the third inning, Yankees fans were hoping that Mother Nature would hurry ...

I feel like this post requires an Irish drinking song by way of Newfoundland. It’s set at a wake, but it’s a hopeful wake. The wake is, of course, for Russell Martin’s bat. It actually expired some years ago, but revived under mysterious circumstances this April, when he hit .293/.376/.587. The ...

I thought this was a belated April Fool’s story when I saw it: In the manager’s office after Thursday’s game, Angels manager Mike Scioscia and GM Tony Reagins discussed their options for nearly 30 minutes after center fielder Peter Bourjos injured his hamstring in the eighth inning. The ...

What is Acceptable Production from Your Starting Catcher? Russell Martin finished April hitting .293/.376/.587 and defused any calls for the promotion of Jesus Montero, who has not impressed at Triple-A Scranton. Since then, before/after/during his back stiffness, Martin has hit .194/.331/.301 in 30 ...

Bob Cerv's location along the Kansas City-New York axis was often unknowable. Cerv-ing up some light reading… • ESPN’s Amy K. Nelson profiles Russell Martin, accompanying him to the nail salon — for baseball reasons: One of the simpler changes: manicures. Martin has no qualms about ...

Could the Yankees have plucked the reincarnation of Thurman Munson off the scrap heap? (AP) “A Return to Normalcy” is the title of this week’s Prospectus AL Hit List — you gotta drop those Warren Harding references while they’re still fresh, kids — and while the Yankees topping ...

Russell Martin is enjoying the AL East's bandboxes. (AP) Scrubbing my initial plans to attend Saturday’s wet affair, I spent Sunday night in the Yankee Stadium press box, and watched the Bronx Bombers do two things they’ve done countless times in the past: wait out an inexperienced starter, ...

Francisco Cervelli's injury means we could be seeing a lot more of this. (AP) Between Jorge Posada’s cabeza, Jesus Montero’s defense, Russell Martin’s ongoing decline and Francisco Cervelli’s ongoing battle to maintain his membership in the International Brotherhood of Backup ...

So it has been written, so shall it be done. Francisco Cervelli has fractured his foot and will be out at least four weeks, possibly longer with the inevitable rehab stint. The reserve catcher spot is now open to Jesus Montero, Austin Romine, or, Yogi forfend, Gustavo Molina, a career .235/.295/.348 ...