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Yanks add Guzman to ALCS roster

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Chad Jennings has the news: Fast Freddy Guzman has been added to the Championship Series roster in place of Eric Hinske. Hinske has gotten just 15 plate appearances in the last month, and most of those came as the Yanks were resting players down the stretch. Guzman at least gives the Yankees another pinch running threat. I assume Hinske will head to Tampa to stay sharp, because his bat could be extremely valuable off the bench if the Yanks make it to the World Series.

In case you’re wondering, Hinske was not only left off Tampa’s ALCS roster last year, he was also left off their World Series roster. He wasn’t added to the WS roster until prior to Game Four, when Cliff Floyd hurt his shoulder.

Eric Hinske ‘having a great time being a Yankee’

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On June 30, the Yankees acquired Eric Hinske from the Pirates in exchange for two minor leaguers. The move came just days after Xavier Nady’s attempt to rehab from a torn UCL was pronounced a failure, and that the outfielder would undergo his second Tommy John surgery. Hinske, who had signed a one-year deal with the Pirates over the off-season, wasn’t hitting the cover off the ball in Pittsburgh, but that didn’t concern the Yankees much. They wanted a bat with some pop off the bench, and Hinske provided just that.

At the Pocono Record, Justin Rodriguez has interviewed Hinske to talk about the Pirates, the Yanks, the AL East, and the perception of Hinske as a good luck charm. It’s a quick read that shows off Hinske’s loose personality, but there is one item of particular note. Apparently, the Yankees did pursue Hinske over the off-season, but he signed with the Pirates in late January.

Why would Hinske sign with the lowly Pirates over the powerhouse Yankees? He wanted regular playing time. This is something we constantly cite in explaining why it is difficult for the Yankees to assemble a deep bench. On a good team, Hinske is a bench player. At the time, the Yankees had Johnny Damon, Nick Swisher, Xavier Nady, Mark Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez playing his four main positions (LF, RF, 3B, 1B). How much playing time would he realistically have gotten if those guys stayed healthy? Very little, which also raises the question of why the Yankees pursued him in the first place.

When Hinske didn’t get regular playing time in Pittsburgh, he asked General Manager Neal Huntington for an out. He granted just that, allowing Hinske to fill a similar role on a much better team. Not that he has a problem coming off the bench. “You can make a decision to be a miserable person or make a decision to help the team win,” he said in the interview. It sounds and looks like he’s fitting right in with the Yanks. While he’s not a big reason for the Yankees surge, he does provide valuable bench depth which allows Girardi to give his veterans a day off. You might not see that in the box score every day, but it’s fair to say that having Hinske as the first bat off the bench is a bit better option than, say, Gardner, who was their first option earlier.

Again, the interview is worth a read.

Yanks acquire Eric Hinske

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Will Carroll tweets that the Yanks have acquired Eric Hinske from the Pirates. Joel Sherman says that the Pirates will receive minor leaguers Casey Erickson and Eric Fryer. Mark Feinsand says that Hinske will be in uniform tonight.

Hinske, 31, hit .255-.373-.368 with the Bucs while playing first, third and rightfield. With a career .803 OPS against righthanded pitchers, he gives the Yanks’ bench a little bit a thump from the left side. He signed a one year, $1.5M contract with the Pirates last winter, and Sherman says the Pirates are sending over $400,000 to cover approximately half of what he’s owed the rest of the year. Since Hinske can handle the four corner spots, the team will option Ramiro Pena to Triple-A Scranton so he can get regular playing time, as well as get some reps in the outfield. Cody Ransom becomes the defacto backup middle infielder.

Erickson, 23, had a 2.25 ERA mostly as a reliever with Low-A Charleston this year. Fryer, also 23, hit .250-.333-.344 with High-A Tampa, playing mostly left field. The Yankees originally acquired him for Chase Wright back in February.