YANKEE NOTES
KANSAS CITY – With eyes on the AL batting-title race between the Twins’ Joe Mauer and Yankees captain Derek Jeter, there could be a recognizable third entry surfacing soon.
Robinson Cano, who started last night’s action batting .339, didn’t have the required 425 plate appearances to qualify because he missed six weeks due to a hamstring problem. He was 25 appearances short.
Cano’s .339 would have put him in third place behind Jeter’s .343 and ahead of Baltimore’s Miguel Tejada’s .335. Mauer led all AL hitters with a .345 mark heading into play yesterday.
A batter needs 502 plate appearances at the end of the season to qualify for the batting title. Considering there were 25 games remaining before last night’s against the Royals, if Cano averaged four plate appearances per game he would finish with 525.
Jeter started last night’s game riding a 16-game hitting streak, the longest of the year by a Yankee and one short of his career high.
Also, Cano is the Yankees’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which is given by Major League Baseball to a player who is skilled on the field and active in the community.
*
Andy Cannizaro‘s minor-league experience included three seasons in Trenton (Double-A), which is never a good sign the organization believes you are a future major leaguer.
“It’s been a long journey and at times frustrating,” the infielder said Tuesday night before making his major-league debut as a replacement for shortstop Nick Green in the Yanks’ 5-0 loss. “After I was told I was coming here, it makes every day worth it. I wanted to be here. It’s a dream come true.”
Cannizaro, generally listed at 5-foot-10, was a seventh-round pick out of Tulane in the 2001 draft.
*
Brian Bruney has worked his way off the couch to a point where he has to be considered for a spot in Joe Torre‘s postseason bullpen.
Released by Arizona this season because of a bad arm, the 24-year-old was home when the Yankees called. He pitched for Columbus (Triple-A) and was promoted when the Yankees needed a pitcher in the bullpen. In eight games, Bruney had worked 8 1/3 innings, allowing one run and six hits. He has a 95 mph fastball, and had recorded 13 strikeouts compared to five walks.
“Bruney has a chance,” Torre said of the right-hander who posted 12 saves for the Diamondbacks in 2005.
*
Rest assured Jeter knows who Todd Wellemeyer is now after the gas-throwing Royals right-hander blew away Jeter with fastballs in the mid-90s in the seventh and ninth innings Tuesday night to seal Kansas City’s win.
“The last guy, I don’t know, I never saw him,” said Jeter, who fanned against Wellemeyer to strand a runner in the seventh and whiffed with the bases loaded to end the game. “Those pitches were by me when I swung.”
