Bleacher Creature Feature
#38: Bull Shift
5 April 2003
Much ink has been spilled (hm -- that's not very high-tech; "many pixels have been lit," perhaps?) on the subject of Derek Jeter's injury, and what I'd like to address is the most important aspect of the whole thing, which has largely been ignored. I've been reading tons of articles from various local papers and sports Web sites, and even one article that specifically listed (and dismissed) all those factors that could be blamed. The latter exonerated both Jeter and Blue Jays catcher Ken Huckaby because both of them were doing their jobs, and hustling. In Jeter's case, he was exhibiting the very hustle that George Steinbrenner was accusing him of not displaying enough of; in Huckaby's, he was making a very heads-up play, running to cover third.
Which leads nicely to what was to blame: The Overshift.
It's becoming more and more common with left-handed power hitters. Most often we see it on Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds, but some teams even employ it against the likes of Mo Vaughn. The third baseman plays shortstop, the shortstop plays on the other side of second base, and the second baseman plays short right field. I was hoping that the stupid Overshift would die the death when Giambi slapped a ball down the third-base line for a hit against the Red Sox last year -- which would've been a cheap groundout if everyone was in position -- but it didn't even slow The Overshift down.
And now it's led to a major injury for the Yankees. Because the play would never have happened if someone was covering third base. As Giambi grounded out -- on a play that would've been made without The Overshift -- Jeter saw that third base was open, and so went for it. Huckaby made his mad dash to third to cover and in his understandable zeal to not see Jeter take an extra base, went barreling into third, causing the injury.
I've never been a big fan of The Overshift. I really don't think it saves enough runs to justify putting people so far out of position and leaving a base uncovered. All it gives the defense is a weakness for the offense to exploit for a minimal gain in possible chances on a pulled ball.
But the only person who's gained from this particular edition of The Overshift is Erick Almonte...
* * *
David Wells pitched beautifully yesterday -- admittedly only against the Deviled Eggs, but still, it's nice to see that the whole Perfect, I'm Not crap is being left in the waste-paper basket where it belongs. I figured all the artificial controversies of spring training would evaporate once the season started, and reality is proving me right thus far. Wells's line was vintage Boomer: 8 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 90 PT. Economical, good K-BB ratio, lots of hits but no runs. You gotta love it.
So far the starting rotation is 4-0, with 27 IP (an average of slightly under seven per game), 23 H, only 5 ER, 2 BB (yes, you read that right), and 24 K. None of them went over 100 pitches, and their collective ERA is 1.67.
While I doubt that they can keep that up all year, it is a good sign for at least the short term...
* * *
By the way, Wells is doing a book signing at the independent bookstore that's all of three blocks from our apartment on 28 April. Still debating whether or not to show up......
* * *
April is usually Bernie Williams's cruelest month. If you look over the last three years, most of his month-by-month totals are lowest in the first month of the season. From 2000-2002, his April numbers are, in aggregate, .249/.350/.408, which are the lowest batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage of any of the other months of the season. Last year was especially brutal: .236/.367/.292, which is not what you want from your cleanup hitter. Toss in 1999's .291/.322/.372 (ESPN.com's split stats only go back that far), and you have sheer ugliness. (In '99, that was the only month in which his BA was under .300, his OBP under .400, and, not counting a six-game October, his SLG under .440.)
So Bernie's production in the first four games is rather astounding:
4 G, 18 AB, 5 R, 9 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 1 K, .500 BA, .591 OBP, .778 SLG
It took him all of April to hit 7 RBI last year, and he may get there before Opening Day at the Stadium Monday....
* * *
With the apparent prognosis that Jeter won't need surgery, the Yankees won't need to trade to find a real shortstop. As well as he's played since being inserted into the lineup, Almonte is a stopgap at best. He may surprise in a short stint, but he would not have been a viable option if Jeter was going to be out for the season (a legitimate concern before Thursday's MRI; SEE ALSO: Phil Nevin). However, the Yankees would be fools at this point to give up anything (other than Sterling Hitchcock and/or Raul Mondesi) for a temporary shortstop. I don't think the gap between the Yankees and the Red Sox is as small as others do, and I certainly think it's bigger than Jeter. A panic move right now does nobody any good, especially if Jeter is going to be back this season. If somebody else goes down for an extended period, that's a whole 'nother thing, but the Yankees have sufficient offensive depth to weather this. While they're not likely to keep their pace of 9.75 runs per game up for very long, I don't think there's reason to think that they can't get through this and remain atop the AL East.
NEXT: Much Better than the Devlin/Emmerich Movie
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