ESPN.com  |  Baseball Index  |  Peter Gammons Bio

 

Yanks satisfied with catchers


Special to ESPN.com

DIAMOND NOTES: Aug. 29

Jorge Posada
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada feared he might have a broken left big toe, but X-rays were negative.

  • Even in the hours when the Yankees feared that Jorge Posada might have a broken toe, they resisted trading for a veteran catcher who had cleared waivers, like Tampa Bay's John Flaherty.

    The Yankees say they are perfectly willing to go the rest of the way with Todd Greene and Bobby Estalella, whom they acquired in the Brian Boehringer deal with the Giants and will be coming up from Columbus this weekend.

    Speaking of catching, would you have guessed that Cincinnati's Jason LaRue is leading all National League catchers in throwing out runners (61.3 percent going into Wednesday's games)? That's far ahead of runner-up Brad Ausmus of the Astros (49.3 percent).

    It should come as no surprise that Ivan Rodriguez leads the AL and the majors (63.6 percent), followed by Cleveland's Einar Diaz (38 percent).

  • The Mets are convinced that there was some correlation between Edgardo Alfonzo's back problems and the extra weight he carried earlier in the season -- and that he will be back at his All-Star level next season. This winter, Alfonso plans to stay in New York under the watchful eyes of the Mets trainers.

    Alfonso figures prominently in the Mets 2002 plans, at either second or third base, and their attempt to clear salary late in the season is to open up payroll to sign two offensive players and one starting pitcher. With the huge Korean population near Shea Stadium, look for the Mets to make a big move for Chan Ho Park, who the Dodgers may let walk without much of a fight.

  • In a recent Mariners game, scouts clocked Ichiro Suzuki to first at 3.71, 3.72 and 3.70 seconds on ground balls. No one in the American League is close.

    Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories


  • X-rays show no toe break for Posada

    Gammons: Diamond Notes archive

    Gammons: column archive






    ESPN.com: Help | Advertiser Info | Contact Us | Tools | Site Map | Jobs at ESPN.com
    Copyright ©2000 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information are applicable to this site.