Earlier in the week, ESPN’s Rob Neyer caused a bit of a stir when he wrote this assessment of the Yankees’ possible switch of new acquisition Curtis Granderson from center field to left field.

My guess is that they’ll stick with Granderson in center field for practical reasons. The Yankees can always move him to left field. But once there, it might be problematic to return him to center if, say, they signed a new left fielder next winter. It’s pretty obvious that the organization doesn’t care about defense. That’s why they’ve got all those high-strikeout pitchers. They can carry Granderson’s decent glove in center for at least one season and probably more.

I’m a fan of Rob’s writing, particularly his books on baseball blunders and great dynasties, but he’s way, way off when he says the Yankee organization “doesn‘t care about defense.” There is little evidence of the Yankees’ being indifferent to fielding issues. One of Brian Cashman’s biggest concerns after the 2008 season–and he stated this publicly on at least one occasion–was the team’s declining defense. That sentiment was a huge factor in letting both Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu, two of their weakest links in the field, depart as free agents without so much as qualifying offers. The Yankees replaced both players with superior defenders in Mark Teixeira at first and Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady in right field. Faced with similar concerns about their double play combination of Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter, the Yankees assigned both to work extensively with new coach Mick Kelleher last spring. Both players emerged as improved defenders in 2009. And then there is the more recent decision not to bring back Johnny Damon. Damon’s defensive foibles (along with his age) factored into Cashman’s decision not to budge from making a two-year offer worth $14 million. In replacing Damon, the Yankees are calling upon Brett “The Jet” Gardner, whose prime attribute is his speed and range in the outfield. Does this sound like the working plan of a general manager that doesn’t care about defense? I don’t think so.

Yes, the Yankees do care about their defense. It’s just that they don’t place as high a priority on defense as teams like the Mariners, A’s, and Red Sox do. (And one could argue that those teams are placing way too much emphasis on defense, at the expense of fielding subpar batting orders.) The Yankees won the World Series last year with a solid but unspectacular defense playing behind a high-strikeout pitching staff. On the whole, the Yankees didn’t display much range, and they didn’t make many highlight reel plays, but they turned in routine plays consistently, made few tangible errors, and executed the fundamentals of hitting the cutoff man and throwing to the right base. That’s what solid defense is about: making the routine plays time and time again. The Yankees care about defense enough to execute that part of the game very well…

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If you’re a Yankee fan–and you likely are if you follow the Banter–Adeinis Hechavarria is a name you need to know. Some people believe he will be the player who succeeds Derek Jeter at shortstop, perhaps in the year 2012 or 2013, assuming that Jeter moves to another position, or flat-out retires. Hechavarria is a Cuban defector who fled the grip of Fidel Castro for the relative freedom of Mexico last summer. Although major league clubs are not yet permitted to sign Hechavarria, that permission will likely come in the next few months. Once that happens, the Yankees will officially become the favorites to sign the shortstop, who is either 19 or 21 years old, depending on the source.

So what kind of a player is Hechavarria? According to the scouting reports I’ve found, Hechavarria offers a combination of blazing speed and plus power, with the ability to take the ball to right field. In the field, he has good range, quick feet, and soft hands, but his throwing mechanics need work. Having already scouted Hechavarria on numerous occasions, the Yankees like what they see in the athletic shortstop, who stands six feet tall and weighs 170 pounds. Some talent evaluators foresee him being moved to center field in the future, ala the Rays’ B.J. Upton, but the Yankees seem to think he can handle shortstop for at least a few years. By then, we should all have a better idea of how to pronounce his name; I am from Latino ancestry and have little idea how to say it. For now, we can at least practice how to spell it…

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Finally, a non-Yankee note. Former big league right-hander Jim Bibby passed away earlier this week at the age of 65, a victim of a long battle with cancer. I was saddened to hear the news, particularly because I remember Bibby very well, especially from his days with the Pirates. An enormous right-hander who stood six feet, five inches and weighed nearly 250 pounds, Bibby was an important part of the Bucs’ 1979 world championship team, a valuable pitcher who could star or relieve with equal effectiveness. Blessed with a power fastball, Bibby was also well known for pitching a 13-strikeout no-hitter for the Rangers in 1974 and for being the older brother of Henry Bibby, a very good shooting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers during the Julius Erving-Maurice Cheeks era.

After a few moments, my sadness gave way to a smile in recollecting Bibby. That’s because he was one of the most interesting subjects of the one of the funniest baseball books ever written, Seasons in Hell, by Mike Shrospshire. A lot of the Bibby material is X-rated and therefore not appropriate to my PG writing style, but some can be revealed here. First off, Bibby used to sweat like no other ballplayer I’ve seen. On hot, humid days, he would look like Albert Brooks in Broadcast News, the perspiration pouring down his face and arms like Yosemite Falls. Furthermore, Bibby used to go by the “stage name” of “Fontay O’Rooney” during Rangers road trips. Now I’m not sure why he needed a stage name–was he performing in Vaudeville or doing one-man shows on the road?–and I have no idea why he selected the odd moniker of Fontay O’Rooney as his alter ego. Is it an anagram for something else? No one really seems to know. Whatever the case, it was an indication of Bibby’s colorful, offbeat character.

By all accounts, Bibby was a good man, too. A veteran of two years in the Vietnam War, Bibby’s intimidating physical appearance belied his friendly nature. He was outgoing and funny, and so popular as a minor league pitching coach that the Lynchburg Hillcats held a bobblehead night in his honor.

Farewell, Fontay O’Rooney. You will be missed.

Bruce Markusen writes “Cooperstown Confidential” for The Hardball Times.