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More on Wang and Damon

According to the NY Daily News, the Yankees offered Wang a minor-league contract with a promise that he would return to the Bronx if and when he could prove his shoulder was back to normal. His agent, Alan Nero, insisted that Wang receive guaranteed money, which turned out to be the sticking point for the Yanks. It could be a bluff, but for now Wang is a free agent. It would be see him work his way to the Yanks from the minors. For a pitcher who used to be a reliable 19-game winner each year, he surely could still add value to their rotation.

Also, according to the same article, Johnny Damon's agent, Scott Boras instructed the Yankees to not bother making an offer unless it was for a minimum of 3 years and $13 million per year. This would make sense and be right in line with a statement that Damon recently made when he claimed the Yanks have not made him an offer. I have no doubt that Brian Cashman is sticking to his guns regarding $8 million per year for 2 years, which is apparently the numbers that the Yanks have in mind for Damon. I don't think those numbers are unfair.

Labels: Contract negotiations, Damon, Pitching, Wang

posted by webmaster @ 5:59 AM 0 comments

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Yanks dump Wang

While it is possible that the Yanks could sign Chien-Ming Wang at some point in the future, for now they have severed their relationship with him. After injuring his foot running the bases in an interleague game in 2008, Wang suffered a series of injuries and never pitched the same again. This was surely not an easy decision, especially with the pressure to defend their championship and having only three legitimate starters signed at the moment. Bring on Roy Halladay.

Labels: Pitching, Wang

posted by webmaster @ 3:21 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

It's official: Granderson to the Yanks

Today the Yankees officially completed the deal that sends Ian Kennedy to Arizona and Phil Coke and Austin Jackson to Detroit, but more importantly brings Curtis Granderson to the Bronx. Granderson has the potential to do great things for the Yanks as the 28-year old left-hander looks to continue to hit for power, average, play a strong outfiield and bring some speed with him as well. This move solves one of the two issues that the Yanks' front office has to deal with during the offseason - pitching and the outfield. With Granderson, New York no longer has to feel pressure to bring Damon or Matsui back, although they would be wise to consider either. My guess is that Jeter will lead off, followed by Granderson, Teixiera and A-Rod. That should prove to be a very productive and dangerous 1 - 4 in the lineup. Up next, pitching. The acquisition of Roy Halliday would make this a great offseason.

Labels: Granderson, Kennedy, Outfield, Pitching, Prospects, Trade

posted by webmaster @ 9:24 PM 0 comments

Monday, December 07, 2009

Yanks trade Bruney to Nationals

Brian Bruney is heading to Washington DC for a player to be named later. Although he was a respectable 5 - 0 with a 3.92 ERA last year, no doubt that his strained right elbow which shortened his season had something to do with the trade. With Hughes and Chamberlain stepping in to take on Bruney's role by the end of 2009, it's likely that one or both may continue to do the same in 2010 and beyond.

Labels: Bruney, Pitching, Trade

posted by webmaster @ 10:52 PM 0 comments

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Another win and sole possession of first place, but at a cost

The Yanks dumped the Tribe behind 5+ shutout innings by Pettitte, but he had to leave the game in the 6th due to back stiffness. Fortunately, the bullpen picked up where Andy left off. Alfredo Aceves came in and threw 3 shutout innings (3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K), followed by vintage Mariano, who got the save. This was the 58th (and MLB record-breaking) time that any starter and closer combined for a win and save.

As for other injury news, Posada came back and had a nice game to prove that he is healthy, and Melky is expected to return after the Cleveland series this weekend.

Today, CC returns to face his former team.

Labels: Aceves, Cabrera, Injuries, Pettitte, Pitching, Posada, Rivera, Winning

posted by webmaster @ 8:17 AM 0 comments

Friday, May 22, 2009

More ups than downs

After all the hype of the reunion of Joba Chamberlain and Aubrey Huff, it amounted to nothing after Chamberlain was knocked out of the game by an Adam Jones line drive last night. Chamberlain's injury, for however long it lasts, might just be balanced out by the return of Wang, who will be working out of the bullpen for the time being. And when everything is said and done, the Yanks have a 9-game winning streak.

Labels: Injuries, Joba, Pitching, Wang

posted by webmaster @ 6:29 PM 0 comments

Sunday, May 03, 2009

Wang's feet might be the problem

The Yankees believe that Chien-Ming Wang's foot might be the cause of his early pitching struggles this season. This would mean it's a carryover from his injury last year. This isn't good news for a starting rotation that has already seen more than its share of struggles only one month into the season.

Labels: Injuries, Pitching, Wang

posted by webmaster @ 11:11 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The kids pick up some slack

With CC and Wang getting hit hard so far this season, and even AJ giving up 8 runs during his last start against Boston, the Yankees had to look to their youth for some help. Following yesterday's solid outing by Phil Hughes (6 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 0 R), the New York enjoyed watching Joba post some equally impressive numbers (7 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 R) of his own. Now if only they can keep this up.

Labels: Burnett, CC, Hughes, Joba, Pitching, Wang

posted by webmaster @ 10:10 PM 1 comments

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Pitching woes

The Yanks followed up Friday night's embarrassing collapse with another disaster last night. AJ Burnett went from virtually unhittable to out-of-control at some point while sitting on the bench during the top of the 4th inning. Burnett had been the one bright spot in the starting rotation before yesterday's game, but now there is not one starter who has been consistently good since the beginning of the season. As if there was not already enough strain on pitching, Brian Bruney was placed on the DL for two weeks. He believes his elbow strain might be due to too much throwing in the bullpen in between appearances. Since Wang is on the DL, he will be replaced by Phil Hughes, who is 3 - 0 with a 1.86 ERA in three starts at Scranton/Wilkes Barre. In 19 1/3 innings, he has struck out 19 and walked only 3. Hopefully, with less pressure on Hughes, he will perform better than last year (0 - 4, 6.62 ERA).

Labels: Bruney, Burnett, Hughes, Injuries, Pitching, Wang

posted by webmaster @ 10:01 AM 1 comments

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Chamberlain arrested for DUI

Joba Chamberlain was arrested yesterday for driving under the influence of alcohol and having an open container in his car. Hank Steinbrenner spoke out in support of him stating that he will give Joba a second chance. This came shortly after Steinbrenner stated that Joba will start next year, a decision that I think is completely wrong for a variety of reasons. But in the mean time, Joba will have to deal with this bump in the road.

Labels: bonehead, Hank, Joba, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 7:48 PM 0 comments

Monday, August 18, 2008

Back from the dead

The Associated Press is reporting that either Phil Hughes or Carl Pavano may be activated to pitch against the Orioles this weekend. Yes, I said Carl Pavano - the man who has thrown exactly 11 1/3 innings in the last 3 years. He threw another rehab game for Trenton last night, throwing 88 pitches (58 strikes) in six innings, allowing only one run (solo home run) and five hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Personally, I will be willing to put all questions about his work ethic and injuries aside if he plays a role in helping the Yanks make anything with their last few months in Yankee Stadium.

Labels: Injuries, Pavano, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 7:40 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Yanks trade Farnsworth for Pudge

Today the Yanks traded Kyle Farnsworth to Detroit for Ivan Rodriguez. All day I've heard about what a career that Rodriguez has had. The typical rant goes something like this: Ivan Rodriguez has played in14-all star games, won 13 Gold Gloves, has hit almost 300 career home runs and has over 2500 career hits. Also, over the years he has thrown out a massive number of runners due to his cannon of an arm. I can't disagree with any of this. It's all true. It's also true that Ivan Rodriguez turns 37 years old this November. It's also true that he's on pace to hit 8 home runs this season (which would leave him with 3 left to hit). It's also true that he has not hit over .300 for four years.

It can be argued that the Yankees did the smart thing when they traded Kyle Farnsworth at the peak of his value. He had certainly struggled in recent seasons in the Bronx, and only recently had he began to show signs of the dominant pitcher he was in Detroit and Atlanta. Previous to his most recent performance against Baltimore, Farnsworth had given up only 2 runs in his last 17 appearances. He was part of a bullpen that has collectively been dominant over the last 6 to 8 weeks. So, considering the fact that the Yanks managed to trade him during what might have been the two best months of his 2 1/2 years in New York and the fact that they have several other strong relievers such as Ramirez, Veras, Robertson and Rivera, there is some logic to dealing him. But why give him away for a player who was once great but going steadily down hill. Jorge Posada underwent surgery today and that probably could not be avoided. He will certainly be out for the rest of 2008. That leaves Jose Molina and Chad Moeller. Molina has not had a hot bat since he came to New York, however he has demonstrated that he has such a strong arm that almost any runner will think twice about stealing when he is behind the plate. He appears to call a good game and is a solid defender, not allowing an extraordinary number of passed balls. I won't defend Chad Moeller's defense or offense, but he is a back-up catcher for a reason.

So I have to ask the obvious question: What have you gained with Ivan Rodriguez? You've certainly upgraded the offense from the catcher's position as Molina is hitting .226 to Rodriguez's .290 and despite the fact that Rodriguez has only squeezed out 5 home runs so far this season, that's 5 more than Molina has managed to hit. However, I can't see a major change to the defense. So the net gain is the Yankees have gained 8 home runs and .066 batting average points over a season. Now consider the fact that about 24 hours ago, Mark Teixeira was still available. The 28-year old first baseman has proven that you can expect him to hit 40 homeruns and .290 out of him, along with a solid glove at first base (is the stache reading this?) The Angels managed to lure Teixeira away from Atlanta with a mediocre first baseman and an unproven pitching prospect. I have to believe that Atlanta would have taken Farnsworth back along with a second tier prospect or two for Teixeira. Call me crazy.

Labels: Catcher, Farnsworth, I-Rod, Molina, Offense, Pitching, Posada, Trade

posted by webmaster @ 9:59 PM 0 comments

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Roster moves, potential trades

In order to make way for newly-acquired Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte, the Yanks made a few moves today. Nady's presence means too many outfielders, so Brett Gardner was optioned to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Latroy Hawkins was designated for assignment to make room for Marte. In another long-overdue move, Kei Igawa was outrighted to the minors today.

There is increasing talk about the Yankees getting Jarrod Washburn from the Mariners. I would caution anyone about getting excited about Washburn. With the exception of a few seasons, the 33-year old lefty has had a noticeably unremarkable career. He has a lifetime ERA of 4.12 and a record of 97 and 95, and has not had a respectable season since he was 8 and 8 with a 3.20 ERA in 2005 with Anaheim. Rumors are that the Yanks will basically be allowing Seattle to dump Washburn's contract off and therefore will only give them a low-level prospect in return. Washburn will obviously be a #5 starter is he is acquired.

Much more interesting but significantly less discussed is the remote possibility that the Yanks trade for Roy Halladay. There has been speculation that Halladay will be traded, and despite Toronto's denials, he apparently is desperate to win a world championship and is not oblivious to the fact that as long as he is in Toronto, that would be a long shot.

Labels: Gardner, Halladay, Hawkins, Igawa, Marte, Nady, Pitching, Rotation, Washburn

posted by webmaster @ 5:37 PM 0 comments

Friday, July 25, 2008

Yankees acquire Nady and Marte from Pirates

Tonight the Yanks traded three young prospects and Ross Ohlendorf for Rightfielder Xavier Nady and relief pitcher Damaso Marte. First, to address who they gave up:

Ross Ohlendorf is a 25-year old right-handed reliever who was 1 - 1 with a 6.53 ERA in 6 games this, his first major league season. Jose Tabata is a 19-year old right-handed outfielder who has shown signs of being an average hitter in the minor leagues. George Kontos is a 23-year old, right-handed starting pitcher who consistently has a high WHIP. Phil Coke is a 26-year old, left-handed starting pitcher whose ERA seemed to float around the mid to high 3's and also had a high WHIP. You never know who will pan out and who won't. Just because some of these guys are in the mid-20's doesn't mean they can't come around and develop into an impact player. You can't predict the future, you can only go on the information you have available to you at the time. Based on that thought, I'd say they didn't give up too much.

As for who they received in return:

Xavier Nady is a 29-year old right-handed right-fielder who has a career average of .281 and 75 career homeruns. However, he has never played a full season in his major league career and appears to have the type of power to hit 20-25 home runs per season if he was an every day player. This season he has been an everyday player for the Pirates and is hitting .330 with 13 home runs. Here is a quote from Stats Inc.

"Even though his swing can get a little long and he still has to learn to lay off the breaking stuff outside, there were noticeable improvements in Nady's approach last year. He didn't give away as many at-bats and didn't try to yank everything. He came to the plate with a plan, and when the pitcher made a mistake, he hit it a mile. There still are questions about what position Nady will end up playing, but given the dimensions of Petco Park, he's probably best suited to first base. He's a smart base runner, but with only station-to-station speed. "

Damaso Marte is a 33-year old left-handed middle reliever. His career ERA is 3.21 and he is 21 - 21. He's right around 1 K per inning pitched and his WHIP is a little over 1.

Clearly, this move is at least partially a reaction to the status of Posada and Matsui. The Yankee bats have been quiet and with the prospect of either or both of them being out of the lineup for the remainder of the season, the Yanks had to make a move. With the addition of Marte, they now have a left-handed reliever. Other than Pettitte, Marte is the only left-handed pitcher they have. This, no-doubt, was also a factor in the acquisition of Marte.

Labels: Hitting, Marte, Nady, Offense, Outfield, Pitching, Trade

posted by webmaster @ 8:56 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Yanks keep on rolling behind Moose's strong start

Mike Mussina pitched 8 shutout innings, limiting the Twins to 6 hits, no walks and striking out seven today. The offense continued to show signs of life, scoring five runs on 9 hits and a walk. And although the bullpen has been getting due attention to their success lately, starting pitching has been strong. In the last 6 games, starters have given up 8 runs in 39.1 innings. No pitcher has gone less than 5.2 innings and two have gone 8. All this, and Wang is still set to come off the DL by the end of the season and (brace yourself) Carl Pavano may even be starting a rehab stint soon, which can't be a bad thing. We can only hope that as they are getting strong performances out of their starters, bullpen and bats, they are not peaking too early this season. This weekend in Boston should be fun.

Labels: Bullpen, Moose, Pitching, Rotation

posted by webmaster @ 8:46 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The offense stays alive

For the second night in a row, the Yanks' offense was alive. This is noteworthy as their inconsistent and underproductive offense has been an issue for the better part of the season so far. Their pitching certainly has been sharp. Before the start of tonight's game, their bullpen had pitched 64 innings over the last 20 games, during which time they had a 1.69 ERA with 67 strikeouts and only 21 walks. This was highlighted by Farnsworth's inning of no-hit relief tonight which extended his no-hit streak to 9 innings in a row. Their starters have also been solid, and tonight was also an example of that with Rasner going 5 2/3 innings and only giving up 2 runs. With the Rays loss, they are only 3 1/2 games out. Tonight makes five in a row. Right now, life is good.

Labels: Farnsworth, Offense, Pitching, Rasner, Winning

posted by webmaster @ 10:39 PM 0 comments

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Despite win, offensive woes continue

The Yanks pulled off a strange win in the Bronx yesterday. Despite the usual solid performance from both starting pitching, their offense continued to struggle where they should be shining. The bombers demonstrated the ability to get on base - they got 13 hits and 11 walks in 12 innings. That's an average of 2 runners per inning. However, the managed to only push 4 of those runners across the plate. They looked like they were going to break the game open in the 2nd after scoring 2 runs and runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and the heart of the lineup coming to bat, but Jeter, Abreau and A-Rod all managed to strike out swinging. This scenario has become all too common with the team - the offense either not getting anyone on base at all, or getting runners on base and failing to score them. It has been the story of most of this season and as far as I'm concerned, it is *THE* reason that the team is 52 - 45 and 5.5 games out of first instead of 62 and 35 and in first place by 4.5 games. To be honest, I'm tired about credit going to the opposing pitchers. All too often do I hear John Sterling on the radio or Michael Kay on the YES network or some sports journalist attempt to explain away their underachieving offense by giving credit to the opposing pitcher. Sterling tried to give credit to Oakland's pitching during yesterday's game, but the fact of the matter is that Oakland's starting pitcher, Sean Gallagher, has a career ERA of just under 5 and an ERA of 4.20 for the season so far. He's far from an ace and not nearly unhittable. But yet, they still struggle. As for pitching, Joba pitched 6 innings allowing 1 run. Veras came in and gave up a run and Mo also gave up a run, but both have been so strong lately that when they occasionally go give up a run, there is no room to really criticize them. And of course, more solid performances out of Farnsworth, Ramirez and Robertson. The Yanks obviously celebrated when Molina was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 12th to force in the winning run, but the truth is that they really have no room to celebrate. They have all the pieces they need to succeed, and they aren't getting it done enough. Even when they do manage to win, it's usually too close for comfort and barely a victory. This will have to change or the playoffs will be an unpleasant experience yet again.

Labels: offensive woes, Pitching, Winning

posted by webmaster @ 8:22 AM 0 comments

Friday, July 11, 2008

Hold off on Fuentes

Colorado is looking to deal reliever Brian Fuentes, and the Yankees are apparently one of the teams expressing interest. This is not a good idea for several reasons. The first four reasons are named Rivera, Ramierz, Farnsworth and Veras. The Yankees have the greatest closer in all of baseball arguably having the greatest season of his career. They also have seemed to have found their bridges to Mo in Edwar Ramirez, Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Veras. Even their starting rotation is looking strong with Chamberlain continuing to progress down the road to being their ace. Moose is consistently solid and Pettitte has been delivering great stuff. If Wang comes off the DL and can bring 85% of what he had before he got hurt, they will have a strong pitching staff for the end of the regular season and (hopefully) deep into the playoffs.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Their offense stinks.

Labels: Bullpen, offensive woes, Pitching, Rotation, Trade

posted by webmaster @ 4:40 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Kennedy's frustrations

After being demoted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 4, brought back up to the Yankees on May 15, placed on the DL on May 28 and then activated from the DL on June 24 and sent down to Single-A Tampa to begin a rehab stint, the roller coaster which is Ian Kennedy's 2008 season was back on the upswing until a frustrating and rain-shortened start last Thursday. His recent performances look like this:

June 28 (Tampa Yankees) - 5 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0 ER

On July 3, he pitched 2 innings of a rain-suspended game where he gave up one run with two hits, including a solo home run and two walks.

He feels good, is apparently injury free and is ready to start again. The Yanks surely need him.

Labels: Kennedy, Pitching, Rotation

posted by webmaster @ 5:19 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Yanks eyeing Zambrano

Apparently the Yanks are pondering the idea of adding Zambrano to their pitching staff. And no, I don't mean the 27-year old Cubs' starter Carlos Zambrano who is 9-3 with a 2.63 ERA who is helping them stay at the top of their division. I wish. They are thinking about 32-year old Victor Zambrano, who posted a record of 0 - 3 with a 10.17 ERA in 2007 before the Rockies dropped him. His performance was so unremarkable that he has yet to throw a pitch in 2008. He currently is not pitching for any team on any level.

I understand the idea - injuries to New York's pitching staff, especially starters like Wang, Hughes, Kennedy and Pavano combined with not-so stellar performances from individuals like Igawa and now, more recently, Rasner, have forced them to make drastic moves like elevate Joba Chamberlain from his role as Mo's set-up man to a starter and bring in pitchers who, are to one degree or another, considered has-beens like Ponson and now even possibly Victor Zambrano. It's frustrating to see all the talent that their pitching staff has and how little it produces relative to all that talent. It reminds me of......their offense, which really what they should be concentrating on. Based on their lack of production in the last two weeks, they need to concern themselves with scoring runs when it counts and consistency.

Labels: Injuries, Pitching, Zambrano

posted by webmaster @ 4:37 PM 0 comments

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Just barely hanging on

Tonight's game against the Red Sox was one of the most nerve-racking games for as long as I can remember. On top of mounting pressure that increases each year the Yanks do not win another championship is the more recent pressure on the offense that simply doesn't earn its paycheck. Once again, the Yankees made a young, inexperienced pitcher look good. Boston rookie Justin Masterson limited the Yanks to 2 runs over 6 innings, despite allowing 6 hits, 2 walks and hitting 3 batters. He was able to do this because the offense, yet again, gave away opportunities to score that were handed to them. For example, Jason Giambi struck out with one out and the bases loaded in the third inning. When you make over $23 million a year, there really shouldn't be a lot of tolerance for at-bats like that. I'm not attempting to suggest that Giambi, or anyone else for that matter, should be batting 1.000 with runners in scoring position. I'm not implying that every runner on third base with less than 2 outs should be brought home. However, when you have a $90+ million lineup, you should be scoring more teams than the Bronx Bombers. Despite the fact that they only managed to push 2 runs across the plate tonight, a heroic pitching performance by Moose managed to save them. He tossed six shutout innings, limiting Boston to 4 hits and 1 walk. Veras and Farnsworth provided perfect middle relief. It was not until Mariano came in to close it in the 9th when it got interesting. Before he even got an out, he gave up 2 hits and hit 2 batters. The bases were loaded with the score 2-1 when Mo struck out Crist, got Varitek to pop out and got Lugo to strike out. It was not fun to watch. Despite the nailbiter win and the solid pitching by Moose and the middle relief, the fact of the matter remains that the offense is sputtering and has no heart. There will be no happy ending in 2008 if things don't change.

Labels: Moose, offensive woes, Pitching, Rivera

posted by webmaster @ 10:21 PM 0 comments

Timing

Sometimes, timing means everything. And based on the results of the crushing loss to Boston yesterday, it is fair to question the timing of Girardi's 32-minute team meeting after Thursday's 7-0 loss to Boston. When you have a team that is clearly having offensive consistency issues and frequently does not appear to have their collective head in a game or playing anywhere near their capability, it might be prudent to set your team up for success by gaming the system a bit. What I mean is, if you are going to have a come-to-Jesus meeting with your team, you may want to plan for a time and date that will be conducive to at least one follow-up victory to get your players in the right state of mind. When Girardi called the meeting after the game on Thursday, I have to wonder if he even considered the fact that the Yanks were going to face Beckett the next day and they were going to throw the struggling Darrell Rasner up against him. He could have waited a day or two when the pitching matchups were a bit more favorable to the Yanks. Mussina faces Masterson at the Stadium today and Sunday's game features Chamberlain against Wakefield. Either game would have been a better launching pad for an emotional pep talk than Friday.

It's clear that the meeting was effective, as the first inning resulted in three runs and an offense that was pumped up. However, that was the beginning and end of their post-meeting adrenaline. They were shut down for the rest of the game, and as a result, I can only imagine that their morale is even lower than before the meeting. Girardi is left with the burring question - what does he tell the team now? I'm not sure how he answers that question. The team is not clutch and based on their level of performance and their body language, they don't seem to be too bothered by it. Last year, the Yanks finished their season 50 - 25 only to go limping into the playoffs via the wildcard. This year, there is less reason to believe the team has the heart to comeback this year. I believe, as John Sterling has been saying lately, that this team has a glass jaw and may not be able to recover.

Labels: bad decisions, Girardi, morale, offensive woes, Pitching, Rasner, Slump

posted by webmaster @ 9:05 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Joba making progress

With the help of some hot Yankee bats, Joba Chamberlain finally received his first win after five tries as a starter tonight. Not only did he win, he shutout the Pirates for all of the 6 2/3rds innings that he pitched. The good news continues. In his first start with no pitch limit, he threw 76 strikes out of a total of 114 pitches. His numbers were very Joba-like. He gave up less than one hit per inning (6 hits in 6 2/3rds innings), only 1 walk, and struck out 7. His ERA is now 2.03 and may very well drop back under 2 after his next start. He has now averaged 6 innings in his last three starts, which is a dramatic improvement from his first start (2 1/3rd innings) and even his second start (4 1/3rd innings). I am still skeptical about pulling him out of the bullpen but I must admit, if this trend continues, it will be great to have a young starter with his talent in the starting rotation.

Labels: Joba, Pitching, Winning

posted by webmaster @ 11:18 PM 0 comments

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Pitching injuries

Am I the only one who thinks that the fact that all nine of the Yankees who are on the DL are pitchers? With Wang joining the list last week, the need for solid pitching became all the more important this weekend. This meant that today's injury to Farnsworth's hand was disheartening until it became apparent that it probably won't put him on the DL. Just the same, Yankee fans will be holding their breath until he proves that he can pitch without this latest injury effecting him. What's most frustrating is that this team appears to have real potential make a run at their 27th championship this year. For the first time in several years, they have a pitching staff which gives its fans reason to believe in them. It's not unreasonable to picture a 1-2-3 combo of Chamberlain, Wang and Pettitte leading the team through the playoffs. While their on-again, off-again offense only managed to squeek out 6 runs in 3 games against the Reds this weekend, they have been fairly consistent in recent days and are showing depth through almost all of their lineup. However, the reality of their injuries means that it will be difficult to imagine a successful playoff run without Wang returning and pitching as well as he was before he got hurt. The success of the 2008 season rests on the ability of their pitching staff to recover and return to their previous performance levels. Otherwise, it will just be another year of disappointment.

Labels: Injuries, Pitching, Rotation, Wang

posted by webmaster @ 11:18 PM 0 comments

Friday, June 06, 2008

Quiet offense

When the Yankees are in desperate need of pitching, Darrell Rasner shows up with 8 innings pitched and only allows two runs to score. Unfortunately, the offense never returned the favor for him tonight. Despite 10 hits and a walk, the Yanks could only manage to bring 1 run home. It was Rasner's longest career outing in terms of both innings pitched and number of pitches thrown. It was a great effort on his part and slowly I am beginning to believe that this guy may be a factor down the road and into the postseason if there is one. In fact, with the rotation they have right now, Rasner is their #1 starter according to his 2.58 ERA. In 6 games, he has had 5 quality starts. Whatever happens, the Yanks will need this to continue.

Labels: Pitching, Rasner, Rotation

posted by webmaster @ 10:33 PM 0 comments

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Long-term vision

Regardless of what happens this season, I think the Yankees are making a lot of good long-term decisions lately. Today it was reported that the Yanks are talking to Brian Cashman about a contract extension. I was happy to hear that since I am completely in support of the direction that Brian has been taking this team in the last year or two - that is, leaning away from the big-name acquisitions (Santana), dumping off the overpaid big-names (Sheffield) and retaining the young kids with potential (Chamberlain, Cabrera, Cano, Hughes, Kennedy). I hope Cahsman sticks around for a few more years at the very least. The second bit of good news was that, even having to wait until the 28th pick of the first round, the Yanks still managed to grab a solid pitching prospect in Gerrit Cole. The 17-year-old right-hander can already hit 100 MPH and was ranked the #1 high school baseball player in the nation by Perfect Game Crosschecker. Here is what PGC had to say about him in their coverage of today's draft:

"For pure electric stuff, Cole might stand on top of the list of pitching prospects in the 2008 class. His fastball was up to 97 mph with tons of late life and movement at the World Wood Bat Association fall championship in Jupiter, Fla., and his changeup, low-80s curveball and upper-80s slider showed the same kind of quality and life. His fastball velocity was the highest recorded at the 80-team event. Cole has some pitchability and command, and plenty of projectability in his young 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame. His extended mid three-quarters release point is a bit lower than standard and helps add to his fastball life. The question for scouts this spring is going to be seeing him extend himself. Few scouts have seen him pitch deep into games, as he competed on the showcase circuit during the summer - he worked only four innings in Jupiter -and has thrown less than 40 innings at the high school level (3-0, 1.21 with two saves in 29 innings as a junior) due to a deep pitching staff at Orange Lutheran High, where he also plays right field. He was a 2007 Aflac All-American."

"Cole is one of the enigmas of the 2008 draft. He answered some questions very well this spring, throwing 61 innings while going 7-1, 0.57 with 98 Ks and only 16 walks, and pitching deep into pitch counts. His fastball was dominant, touching 97 mph at times with very good life. Questions arose about his curveball consistency, his exaggerated long and extended arm action and his approach to the game. Throw in a Scott Boras-signability scenario and it’s very difficult to tell how June 5 will play out for Cole."

Labels: Cashman, Cole, Draft, Pitching, The future

posted by webmaster @ 6:29 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Mixed results for Chamberlain's first start

Normally it would be considered a total failure when a starting pitcher gives up two runs before he is pulled in the third inning. However, all things considered, I don't think this was all bad for Joba's first ever major league start. His line was 2.1 innings pitched, 1 hit, 2 runs (1 earned), 4 walks, 3 Ks and 62 pitches. The good news is that some of his numbers were right on target (3 Ks and only one hit in 2.1 innings). It's obvious that his 4 walks were very uncharacteristic and it's reasonable to expect the walks to significantly decrease. The run he gave up in the first inning scored on a walk, balk, passed ball and a single. The second inning was three up, three down for Chamberlain. The third inning, Joba got the first batter out and walked the second before he was pulled. This runner was allowed to score on a stolen base, error and ground out. You can't actually say that Joba got hit Hard. His next start on Sunday against Kansas City should be interesting. He will probably get a slightly higher pitch limit (maybe 75?) and will probably have less walks as his adrenaline might be better under control. Hank Steinbrenner had a good point when he pointed out before yesterday's game that the plan with Joba is long-term and could last for 15 years. As I've said, I am opposed to this move, but if Joba can effectively bring his low ERA and high strikeout ratio to his starting pitching career, the Yanks might finally have the ace they need to lead them to another championship.

Labels: Bullpen, Joba, Pitching, Rotation

posted by webmaster @ 5:11 AM 0 comments

Monday, June 02, 2008

Yanks looking at Fuentes?

The Denver Post is reporting that the Yankees are looking at Rockies reliever Brian Fuentes as a potential replacement for Joba in the bullpen. The 32-year-old left-hander has a career ERA of 3.49 and 91 saves. He's averaged about .4 walks .8 hits and 1.1 strikeouts per inning over his 8-year career. His 2008 numbers are about the same, with his ERA 2.78 so far. One important thing to keep in mind: Fuentes has pitched his entire career at Coors field, which is known as not being pitcher friendly. So there is a chance his numbers could improve if he were to move to New York. This could get interesting.

Labels: Bullpen, Fuentes, Joba, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 8:34 PM 0 comments

Posada to return this week

The Yankee lineup that, even without Jorge Posada, costs more than many other entire teams, has been struggling to score runs against some not-so-pitchers on some not-so-good teams so far this season. This is only one of many reasons that the return of Posada this week can only be good news to the Bombers. He also brings his ability to call a good game and handle each Yankee pitcher than takes the mound. His work ethic and overall attitude will also be an added benefit to a team that sometimes seems to be collectively playing in a fog. And with Joba beginning his new life as a major league starter, having Posada's experience and wisdom as his battery counterpart can only help his transition.

Labels: Injuries, Joba, Offense, Pitching, Posada

posted by webmaster @ 8:12 PM 0 comments

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Joba to start on Tuesday

We are about to begin to see how wise the decision is to convert Joba to a starter. Tuesday, Chamberlain will start his first game in pinstripes at the Stadium against the Blue Jays. If last Wednesday was any indication, his first start may not meet the high expectations he has set in everyone's mind based on his performance as a set-up man for Mariano. When he entered the game with 2 outs in the 7th inning on Wednesday, he was expected to finish the game. However, it took him 28 pitches to get 4 outs, and although he struck out 3 and gave up no runs, he also gave up a hit and walked one. While it can still be considered a solid and successful outing, these are not Joba-like numbers. But even if he struggles in his first few starts, there is no doubt he will be given more than enough opportunities to succeed as a starter. If it turns out that he becomes an ace, then the Yankees have filled a very big hole in their pitching staff and opened up another equally big hole - the need for a closer to fill Mariano's shoes when he retires in 3 to 4 years. It's great that you have an ace who gives you a high probability of success every 5 days throughout the regular season. And I don't believe it is possible to over exaggerate the value of an ace when it comes to the playoffs, especially the first round - the division series - which is the best of 5 games and can be won or lost on a few plays. However, what do you do when you now have to worry about holding so many late-inning one-run leads and you don't have a lights-out closer to convert all of those nail-biters to wins? While it is very early for any sort of accurate speculation, let me propose an answer to this question since I suspect Joba's journey to the starting rotation is a one-way trip. There hasn't been much media attention on him lately, but Edwar Ramirez has quietly been putting together a solid start to his 2008 season. The 27-year old right-hander is 1 and 0 with a 0.00 ERA in 13 games. In 14.2 innings, he's given up 10 hits, 6 walks and struck out 15. If these numbers are a reflection of his future, he may have a major role in the Yankee bullpen including the possibility of becoming their closer. The only thing that is a bit alarming is the relatively high number of walks compared to innings pitched (almost one walk every 2 innings). But as I said, it is early and being a closer brings with it a great amount of media scrutiny and pressure. For now, we can only hope Joba becomes the starter that we all want him to be.

Labels: Bullpen, Joba, Pitching, Ramirez, Rotation

posted by webmaster @ 10:19 AM 1 comments

Friday, May 23, 2008

The conversion of Chamberlain begins

Joba Chamberlain is now being converted to a starter. I can't believe this is a good idea. Granted, the potential of having a 22-year old who throws as well as a starter as Joba has in the bullpen is very tempting. He could potentially be the ace who leads the team to a number of world championships in the next 15 years or so. However, he is not there yet and there are several reasons he shouldn't go down this path. First and foremost, who will be his replacement in the bullpen? There is the counterargument that Mariano is still a capable closer and can hold things down for a few years. I fully concede this to be possible and maybe even likely. If his numbers so far this year are any kind of predictor of the things to come in the last few years of Mariano's career, he will certainly go out with a bang .To date, Mo has 11 saves and a 1 and 1 record in 18 games with a 0.47 ERA. At the age of 38, the guy is still lights-out. However, 38 is not young, and sooner or later, the Yankees will have to plan for the Post-Mo era. Who will fill Mo's shoes? They don't have any prospects with any reasonable chance of being the next Mariano. I can't envision a trade that could bring anyone even close to Mo's caliber to the Bronx. This leaves us with one remaining option - settle for a much lesser quality closer. I don't see this as part of a winning formula. I don't underestimate the value of an ace starter. In fact, I am convinced that the current Yankee roster is, despite their struggles in 2008 so far, one ace away from becoming the dominant ball club they were at the end of the 1990s. It may sound far fetched, but Wang would be a great #2 starter, followed by Pettitte and anyone who can step up to be #4 and #5 after that. Their middle relief is noticeably improved this year, and with Joba setting up Mariano and one day replacing him, how can you go wrong with that pitching staff? The offense has been inconsistent and struggling but they have enough talent where they will come around. Championships are won with pitching, but while an ace is important, so is a closer. And with Joba, you have a proven 1-2 inning closer and you are rolling the dice making him a starter. To quote a famous Yankee, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Labels: Bullpen, Depth, Joba, Pitching, Rivera, Rotation

posted by webmaster @ 2:10 PM 1 comments

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Rasner looks strong

Darrell Rasner had his second quality game in as many starts this season on Saturday. For the second time in a week, the 27-year old right-hander threw 6 innings and limited his opponents to 2 runs. In fact, if you consider that he left the game yesterday having given up only one run and leaving a man on first, who was subsequently allowed to score by his Kyle Farnsworth, Rasner really shouldn't be held accountable for the second run. But who can complain? Farnsworth has been throwing as well as he ever has since he has joined New York in 2006. And of course, Chamberlain and Rivera came in to combine for a scoreless 8th and 9th. On a side note, anyone notice how seamlessly Joba has recovered from his blown game on May 6? The kid has maturity.

Labels: Farnsworth, Joba, Pitching, Rasner

posted by webmaster @ 8:11 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

CC in pinstripes?

What if I told you that there was a 28-year young left-handed pitcher who has already won one CY Young award and has a record of 31 - 18 with a 3.21 ERA against American League batting in the last two seasons? That would sound like a nice fit wearing pinstripes and pitching next to Wang in the Yankee rotation, no? If you agree, you are like many Yankee fans who want to see CC Sabathia play out his last season in Cleveland and then sign with the Yanks. He claims he isn't auditioning for a spot in the Yankee rotation when Cleveland plays NY at legends field in next Sunday's pre-season game, but the reality is, since he has suspended contract talks until his current contract expires after the 2008 season, speculation will not go away. In fact, don't rule out talk of trade before the 2008 deadline if the Yanks are making another run at it and Cleveland gives up on the idea of resigning him and decides to get what they can for him before he leaves and they get nothing. This could get interesting, and he could definitely fill a big hole in the Bronx.

Labels: Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 10:23 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Five shutout innings

It's still early, but the arms are looking good. I am especially happy to see Igawa throw well. He needs to start earning his salary.

Labels: Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 5:40 AM 0 comments

Monday, February 18, 2008

A good investment

Francisco Rodriguez is only 26 years old and he already has 132 career saves with a lifetime 2.37 ERA. Now he is saying that he expects to become a free agent after 2008. Yes it's a bit premature to start speculating, but the Yanks will be dumping some big contracts after this coming season (Giambi and Moose) and will have some money to spare. How sweet would it be to have Joba and F-Rod fighting as a set-up man and closer (pick which is which)?

Labels: Pitching, Salaries, The future

posted by webmaster @ 12:08 PM 0 comments

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Santana race over. Winner: Mets

It's all but written in stone: Johan Santana will be coming to New York next year. But he will be landing in Queens and not the Bronx. This acquisition will cost the Mets four prospects and $137.5 million over 6-years. I think this is the best thing that could have happened for the Yanks. They did not have to give up any serious prospects and they will not have to face Johan in a Boston uniform. I think he would have been a much smarter acquisition for Boston. Just imagine Johan and Dice-K fighting over who will be #2 and who will be #3 behind Josh beckett! Beckett is already lights-out. If they had a 2-3 of Santana and Matsuzaka, they would be planning where to hang their 2008 World Series Championship banner as I type this. Since the Yanks don't currently have a lights-out starter (Chamberlain has yet to prove to be lights-out as a starter and I firmly believe he should be in the bullpen as the heir-apparent closer, waiting for Mo to retire), they need to focus on acquiring such a caliber pitcher who can lead them in the postseason. Don't misunderstand me. Santana is very good, but there is a difference between very good and lights-out. The Yankees, if they are going to trade prospects for a pitcher, need to find someone who is lights out.

Labels: Hughes, Pitching, Santana

posted by webmaster @ 9:51 AM 0 comments

Friday, December 07, 2007

Yanks shopping Matsui

I think I am really starting to like the direction the Yankees are going, especailly in the long term. The latest rumors have them shopping Hideki Matsui to the Giants for young pitching. Don't get me wrong. I really like Hideki. I love his work ethic and his modesty. He has power and hits for average and plays a decent outfield. However, the Yanks are heavy on bats and light on pitching and I like any idea of restoring the balance.

Labels: Matsui, Pitching, Trade

posted by webmaster @ 2:31 PM 0 comments

Thursday, December 06, 2007

The plan may be to work with what they have

It appears, at least based on public comments, that the Yanks may really be cooling off on Santana. Not only that but ownership may be willing to concede 2008 while having high expectations for the future beyond next year. Yesterday's New York Times quoted Hank stated "I hope we can challenge this year, and I think we can. But the future looks even brighter." Not exactly a confidence-inspiring battle cry for next season, but I think I understand it. For the first time in history, someone with the last name Steinbrenner is not going to sacrifice young, potential talent for a chance at an high priced, already-established player. Considering the potential in Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy, it's probably not a bad idea.

Labels: Pitching, Strategy, The future

posted by webmaster @ 8:40 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Yanks trade Clippard

The Yanks reportedly traded Tyler Clippard to the nationals for reliever Jonathan Albaladejo. Both are young and neither has a year of MLB experience. Here's Clippard's lifetime stats and here's Albaladejo's numbers.

Labels: Pitching, Trade

posted by webmaster @ 7:19 AM 0 comments

Monday, December 03, 2007

Hank ready to pull out of Santana competetion?

Hank Steinbrenner, who has only recently inherited day-to-day operational management duties of the Yankees from his father, is already establishing himself as a chip off the old block. He is certainly part of the reason Joe Torre was given a less-than-generous offer and decided to seek employment elsewhere. He was vocally supportive of the Yankees hard line against Alex Rodriguez and eventually won the staring contest with Scott Boras. Now, it seems he has learned from the mistakes of the past and is demonstrating some of the stubbornness that has become a trademark Steinbrenner trait as he appears to be ready to draw the line with the Johan Santana trade talks and possibly withdraw all offers. Tonight may be the night that the Yankees pull out of Santana trade talks, weary that they are being drawn into a bidding war with Boston. No doubt that Andy Pettitte's decision to put the pinstripes on for one more year in 2008 has something to do with this, as suddenly, the Yanks are slightly less desperate for pitching. However, I'm not sure why Hank would be so quick to pull out, as if Boston does eventually get Santana (and the very thought of Beckett, Santana and Dice-K in the same rotation makes me cringe), it can only be in the Yanks best interest if they are forced to give up as much talent as humanly possible. However, this move makes sense as Hank may very well believe that New York is still in the hunt and he doesn't want to sell the farm, excuse the pun. We may just learn more in the next few days, but in any case, so far, I am definitely becoming a fan of Hank Steinbrenner.

Labels: Boston, Hank, Pitching, Santana, The right thing to do

posted by webmaster @ 10:21 PM 0 comments

Andy is coming back!

Part of the Yankees desperate need for starting pitching was eased when Andy Pettitte's agent announced that he will be returning to play for the Yanks in 2008! Now they are one deal with Minnesota away from making another strong run for their 27th championship.

Labels: Pettitte, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 12:02 PM 0 comments

Sunday, December 02, 2007

When it comes to Santana, the Sox have limits too...

Boston has limited what they are willing to give up for Johan Santana. They have informed Minnesota that they will include either Jacoby Ellsbury or Jon Lester in a package for Santana, but not both. This can only be good news for the Yanks, and it gives greater likeliness to the possibility that Minnesota holds on to Santana until 2008. But of course, there is always the chance that somebody is bluffing.

Labels: Boston, Pitching, Santana

posted by webmaster @ 3:46 PM 0 comments

Twins looking for quite a bit in return for Santana

Apparently the Twins weren't so impressed when the Yanks added Phil Hughes to their package in offer for Johan Santana on Friday. Minnesota may have taken notice when Posada surprised some by making public statements in support of the need for the Yanks to trade for Santana. I have never nor will I ever doubt Posada's desire to win. I believe he is probably some distant cousin to Paul O'Neill and Scott Brosius, because he possesses the same tough-as-nails approach to the game. I wish they could clone him. Regardless of whether or not his statements have effected the Twins, talks look like they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. This, despite the dangling of Melky and Hughes. If this is true, Minnesota may be willing to wait and hold on to him until at least the middle of next season. Unfortunately, this is probably the best choice for the Yanks to make as the alternative is to sacrifice too much of the future for a man who has yet to go through the pressure cooker of NY media, NY fans, NY management and the expectations placed upon anyone who puts on the pinstripes.

Labels: Pitching, Posada, Santana, Trade

posted by webmaster @ 2:56 PM 0 comments

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Posada is a done deal; Sox pushing for Santana

The Yanks finalized Posada's new contract today, signing him for four years and $52.4 million. That's the good news. The bad news as that Boston is reportedly working with the Twins on a deal for Santana. Even if they don't land him (and with Johan next to Beckett and Dice-K, Boston's rotation would be rock-solid), they will no doubt drive the cost up (in terms of both contract price as well as the prospects they have to trade) for the Yanks.

Labels: Pitching, Posada, Salaries, Santana

posted by webmaster @ 4:10 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Santana trade talks begin

For now, they are only preliminary talks.

Labels: Pitching, Santana, Trade

posted by webmaster @ 12:24 AM 0 comments

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Santana chase

The Twins recently offered their ace lefthander Johan Santana a 4-year, $80 million contract which would make him the all-time highest paid pitcher. Its unlikely that he turned down the offer for the money. Rather, he likely wants to be part of a winning team. After negotiations broke down, the Twins indicated that they would begin shopping him around and its reported that he would be willing to trade his full no-trade clause to be traded to a winner. One source reported that the Yanks plan to make a "good, strong offer" but it is unknown what this means. I do not need a lot of convincing as to what Santana would mean to the club. The Yanks obviously want him and if Pettitte doesn't come back, they may very well need him. In fact, there's a case to be made that it will be easier to convince Pettitte to come back and take another shot at a ring if Santana is in pinstripes. Santana is a 28-year old lefty and already has 2 CY Youngs. He has a career record of 93-44 with, what I believe to be the most important statistic, a career ERA of 3.22. The questions will obviously be: who should the Yanks give up and what will he be worth when he is in NY? The answer to the second question will lead you to the first. It's important to understand exactly who Santana will be and who he won't. I have no doubt that he could have a long, successful career in New York. With the bats New York has in their lineup backing up his low ERA, he will be a threat to win 20 games each season and a perennial CY Young contender. However, the Yanks don't need to win games in the regular season. The have proven they can already do that. They need to win playoff games. They have proven over the last seven seasons that they have no problems getting to the playoffs but they consistently choke, more often than not against sub-par teams, once they get there. They also have had their share of good pitchers over the last seven years. Pitchers such as Mussina, Pettitte and Wong have been very good during the regular season, but they have also been consistently beaten in the playoffs. Good pitchers can win many games and get beat in the playoffs. The Red Sox cruised through the playoffs this year very much on the back on Josh Beckett. In four starts, Beckett was 4 - 0 with a 1.20 ERA. In the same playoffs, Chien-Ming Wang was 0 - 2 with an ERA of 19.06. Both have comparable regular-season numbers. That's the difference and without a lights out pitcher, the Yanks will continue to struggle in their quest for a 27th world championship. The final question mark for Santana is how will he stand up to the pressure of New York. The fans, the media, the ownership and even the team will place very high expectations on a player with little tolerance for failure. Some flourish in the pressure while others can't handle it.

The other side of the equation is what the Twins will want in exchange for Santana. Reports are that the Twins are looking for three or four good prospects. Of course, the definition of what a "good prospect" is can mean different things to different people. Cano and Cabrera's names were both mentioned, along with Hughes, Kennedy and Chamberlain. I consider Cabrera expendable. I know he has a great arm, but in two full major league seasons, so far he seems to be a .280 hitter with 8 home runs per season. Cano is a slightly different story as he looks as if he can hit over .300 with about 20 homer runs each season and his fielding is above average. They all have great potential and have less than a full year of major league experience, which makes them big question marks. I don't know that there's an easy answer to the question of who to offer for Santana, but I hope Cashman continues to have his way and the Yanks continue to protect their future.

Labels: Cabrera, Cano, Cashman, Hughes, Joba, Kennedy, Pitching, Santana, The future

posted by webmaster @ 3:23 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Focus on Andy

Joe Girardi is turning his attention to Pettitte and speculating that he may me convinced to come back for another year.

Labels: Pettitte, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 7:07 PM 0 comments

Next Step: Pettitte

With Posada and Rivera now officially staying in the Bronx and A-Rod all but finished with his mega deal, the Yankees are taking the next logical step. They are turning their attention to Pettitte. With no worthwhile pitchers on the free agent market this offseason, they would be best advised to beg Andy to return and wait until the Twins decide if they are going to trade Santana. If they are going to take another real run at their twenty-seventh championship, they will need a significantly better rotation than they have had in the last seven years. Their starting rotation will have to be rebuilt either via home-grown talent, free-agent acquisitions, or the most likely scenario, all of the above.

Labels: A-Rod, Pettitte, Pitching, Posada, Rivera, Santana

posted by webmaster @ 12:54 PM 0 comments

Sunday, August 26, 2007

The good and the bad

The good news as that the night after the Yankees suffered a heartbreaking loss in the bottom of the 11th inning after a rain delay caused the game to go well past 3am, they needed Chien-Ming Wang, who has struggled as of late, to deliver and that's exactly what he did. The Yanks needed him to eat up a lot of innings and keep the Tigers' bats at bay, and he succeeded in both. In eight innings, he gave up one earned run, two walks and five hits. He will be a critical piece to any run New York makes for the playoffs and any postseason success they wish to have. Their ace is back, for now.

The bad news is that not only did Boston win, but Tim Wakefield is now tied for the most winningest pitcher in the Major Leagues with sixteen. And who is he tied with? His teammate Josh Beckett. yes, Boston has the top two pitchers in the majors according to wins. This is going to be a problem, not only when it comes to edging them out to win the division, but also during the postseason.

Labels: Boston, Pitching, Wang

posted by webmaster @ 9:47 AM 0 comments

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Not time to panic yet. Not even close.

I know the arguments. The Yanks are 18 - 23. They are 10 1/2 games in back of the first-place Red Sox (Oh how it pains me to use the phrase "the first-place Red Sox"). They are 5 games under .500. Nope, it's not fun watching this. But is it the end of the world? No. Is it even the end of the season for that matter? Not even close.
Normally, this is where I would go on one of my anti-media tirades. But I have to say, they seemed to have handled this situation with a sense of appropriateness. There are stories going around about how Torre won't last long if they don't pull things together. And this I don't doubt. But lately, I think the media has done a fairly good job of maintaining some sense of proportion to their coverage of the Yankees' woes. They hardly even noticed that after completely pounding the cover off the ball for the first three weeks of April, A-Rod has been very quiet and not as clutch. So for this, I commend the media.
The simple fact of the matter is this: The Yanks are too deep, their talent is distributed too far and wide, they have too many options for them to continue playing .439 ball for the rest of the season. Need I remind anyone that their starting rotation still includes Chin-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina. It will also include Roger Clemens when he is ready and Phil Hughes, the rookie who threw 6 1/3 no-hit innings until he pulled his hamstring. Don't look now, but that's not exactly a bad starting rotation. It very much has the potential to be dominant. And I shouldn't have to mention their lineup. Their 1-9 lineup can go toe-to-toe with any other lineup in the game. Furthermore, I am highly skeptical that Boston is goign to play .700 ball for the rest of the season. I respect what Josh Beckett is doing. Matsuzaka seems to be slowly improving from a slow start. And I don't doubt that Schilling still has some good games left in his arm. And of course, Ortiz and Ramirez have to be two of the scariest back-to-back hitters in teh game. However, these guys are not unbeatable. Not by a long shot. But back the the Yanks...
So they start their season with lousy pitching for the first month or so. Lately, they have pitching and no hitting. Previous to the 10-7 loss to the Mets yesterday, the Yanks pitching staff had given up 34 runs in 15 of the last 17 games (excluding blowouts on May 10 by Texas and May 4 by Seattle). That is an ERA of about 2.30, excluding thew two blowouts, over almost 3 weeks. And they still find themselves playing under .500 ball. You can't blame the bats for this season so far and you can't blame the arms. They have already suffered their way through a lot of injuries and, in my opinion, aren't doing that bad all things considered. The problem is injuries and the problem is getting success out of the bats and the pitching at the same time. Neither of these implies a problem with management. Joe Torre is not the problem right now, and replacing Torre will not fix the problem. However, with a series with Boston following today's game against the Mets, you know heads are going to roll soon. A sweep from Boston and Torre may find himself sitting at home watching the games from now on. And it doesn't get better after that. Anaheim comes in the the stadium following the Boston series. Joe has his work cut out for him, and I hope the Boss remains patient.

Labels: Hitting, Pitching, Slump, The Boss, Torre

posted by webmaster @ 7:26 AM 0 comments

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Roger is back

It was just announced between innings by Roger himself that he is now a Yankee again. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. He had a decent regular season ERA when he was a Yankee the first time, but he did struggle during the postseason. He turns 45 years old this August. Only time will tell.

Labels: Clemens, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 3:15 PM 0 comments

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Alex to media: I've got your clutch hit right here!

Today may go down as the day Alex Rodriguez left the media in the dust. He bailed out the team from a second consecutive loss to an embarassingly bad team. He also bailed out the pitching staff from another less than stellar performance. First, Kei Igawa became the next name on a growing list of Yankee starting pitchers who are either injured or are healthy and pitching like they are injured. Four games into the season, starting pitching has pitched a total of 17 1/3 innings, which is an average of 4 1/3 innings per game. In those 17.1 innings, they have given up 28 hits, 11 walks and 22 runs. This is an ERA of 11.42. But Alex hit a two-run homer in the first inning. Giambi hit a 3-run shot in the 8th which at the time looked like it was going to be too little, too late. However, with the Yanks down by a run in the bottom of the 9th and 2 outs, Alex would come to the plate with the bases loaded in a moment that you just knew, one way or another, was going to make headlines the next day. He took strike one and swung and missed at strike two and you could practically see the feast the media were going to have on him the next day. The door out of New York was opening and Alex was taking the first step. But he closed that door when he drove a 1-2 pitch over the center field wall. Ballgame over. Yankees win. Tha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha Yankeeeees wiiiiiiinnnn.

Labels: A-Rod, Heroes, Igawa, Media, Pitching, Victory

posted by webmaster @ 9:47 PM 1 comments

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Today's game postponed due to rain

Andy Pettitte's first game back in pinstripes has been postponed due to rain. There has not been a makeup date set at this time, and Andy will not pitch tomorrow vs. the Rays at 7pm. The Yanks reshuffled their starting rotation so that Pettitte will pitch tomorrow, Moose, Igawa and Rasner will pitch the three games this weekend at the Stadium against the Orioles, and Pavano will pitch their first road game against Minnesota on Monday.

Labels: Pettitte, Pitching, Rain

posted by webmaster @ 12:30 PM 0 comments

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Carl Pavano the ace?

Chin-Ming Wang will likely start the season on the disabled list due to a pulled hamstring. He will probably miss at least a month. While it's not good news, it shouldn't be a long-term problem. Andy Pettitte has been experiencing back problems, so he won't pitch on opening day. Mike Mussina is on a schedule that he doesn't want to break, so he will not pitch opening day. Kei Igawa and Jeff Karstens face a similar schedule issue. I think you know where this is heading. Carl Pavano, the same guy who hasn't pitched since 2005, looks as if he will pitch on opening day against the Devil Rays. Who would have guessed?

Labels: Pavano, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 10:55 PM 2 comments

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

The turnaround continues

I am becoming a true believer when it comes to Brian Cashman and the new direction of the Yanks. Don't get me wrong - I'm nowhere near ready to start raising the 2007 World Champions banner yet. Having suffered through the pain of the last six postseasons, I'll celebrate when the final out is made and the Yanks are the only team left standing. As a great Yankee catcher once said, It ain't over till it's over. However, in my opinion, they are making great decisions in this offseason and to this point, it does not appear to be a coincidence. Rather, it appears to be a deliberate series of decisions which, when added up, appear to be a new strategy which I absolutely love. They are continuing to dump the overpaid contracts and investing in youth, pitching proven players and their farm system. The latest proof - Randy Johnson and $2 million for Luis Vizcaino, three young pitching prospects and a young infielder. Personally, I would have been happy to see Randy and his $16 million salary just go away, but to get all this current and potential talent for him is pure brilliance. For the life of me, I have no idea why Arizona would go for this deal. Randy is 43 years old. I just hope that the money that was freed up will not go towards Clemens. Now that Igawa is officially a Yankee and Barry Zito is off the market, the Yanks probably have acquired all the external pitching they need.

Labels: Cashman, Pitching, Strategy

posted by webmaster @ 11:13 PM 1 comments

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

The Big Useless

Rumors are running rampant about the the potential trade of Randy Johnson. While his 37-19 record during his first two years in the Bronx is respectable, his regular season ERA of 4.37 is not. Furthermore, the Yanks have had absolutely no trouble getting through the regular season to the playoffs. They have reached the postseason for twelve consecutive years. Their problem, especially the last six years, involves them not making it all the way through the postseason. More often then not, they are eliminated by a team that is not nearly the caliber than they are. In fact, other than losing to the Marlins in the World Series in 2003, I don't believe they have been eliminated by a superior team in the playoffs since their most recent playoff run began in 1995. They need players who specifically can carry them when it matters most - in October. This is why the recent reacquisition of Andy Pettitte was so important. This is also why dumping Randy is equally important. In three postseason appearances for the Yanks, Randy is 0-1 with an ERA of 6.92. As if any other reasons were needed, he is 43 years old and coming off back surgery. The $16 million reserved to pay his salary in 2007 would be freed up to potentially make a run at Barry Zito, a man who, for reasons explained previously in this blog, should be pursued. If (and I say IF knowing that it is still a big IF at this point), Johnson is dumped and Zito is acquired, this will top off what has already been a very successful offseason for the Yanks to this point. Can anyone say "icing on the cake"?

Labels: Pitching, Randy

posted by webmaster @ 7:08 PM 1 comments

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Barry Zito, now more than ever

Boston has sealed the deal with Matsuzaka and strengthened their bullpen with Brendan Donnelly and J.C. Romero. Suddenly the AL East is getting tight again. Oh, and if there were any whiners left in Beantown, they now have nothing left to say. Certainly it's now valid to ask, who's the Evil Empire now? But I don't think the Yanks will just sit back and watch.

The good news is that not only are the Yanks are making progress on a deal with Igawa, but they are going after 28-year old reliever Mike Gonzalez of the Pirates. They will have to trade Melky Cabrera in that deal, but Bernie will no doubt be available for another year or two until they can develop or trade for another solid 4th outfielder. But onto even more intriguing matters: Barry Zito.

There is very little talk about Yankee interest in Zito at the moment. But let me briefly make a case for it. The first barrier is going to be the team salary limits and the luxury tax. The Yanks already have to pay an additional 40% of their team salary above $128 million, and starting the 2007 season somewhere close to $200 million means they are already looking at a a $32 million tax bill. Signing Zito to a $15 million a year contract will bring with it an additional $6 million luxury tax bill. All this is, without a doubt, a lot of money. However, consider the fact that 2007 is the final season in Randy Johnson's current $16 million/year contract, and God willing, his final season in pinstripes period. The Big Unit had some big years, no doubt. Unfortunately none of them were in the Bronx. So for one season the two overlap, but beyond that, it's almost like trading Randy for Zito and paying them the same. Here are a few more nuggets to think about:

Only 28-years old
Left-hander
Lifetime ERA of 3.55
Very durable (200+ innings in each of his first 6 seasons, has never missed a start)
Control pitcher (1430 career IPs, 560 career walks - average of 1 walk each 2.5 innings)
Cy Young winner (2002), 3-time All-Star (2002, 2003, 2006)

Now consider him joining the rotation with Mike Mussina, Andy Petitte, Kei Igawa and Chin Ming-Wang. Please tell me that rotation doesn't make you drool, especially when backed up by the current set of Yankee bats. And the final reason for bringing Zito in: Johnny Damon supports the move. And who can argue with Johnny Damon?

Labels: Pitching, Zito

posted by webmaster @ 7:17 PM 0 comments

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Andy is back in the Bronx

Andy Petitte and the Yanks came to an agreement yesterday on a 1-year, $16 million contract with one player option year. His record in New York (137 - 69) and the fact that he is, of course, a lefty will make him a welcome addition to a rotation. Assuming they sign Igawa, their only question mark for the rotation wil be their #5 slot. Having Andy back for the regular season is sweet enough, but don't forget - this is a guy with a lifetime 18-6 record in the postseason. And at this moment in time, the Yanks need people who can figure out how to win in October.

Labels: Pettitte, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 6:52 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Signs of life in Petitte talks?

Accodring to Sportsillustrated.com, the Yankees and Andy Petitte are working on a 2-year, $13 million a year deal. If they can work this out and also work out a deal with Igawa who they already have won exclusive rights to negotiate with, they will be on their way to having a solid rotation which would look something like this:

Wang
Moose
Petitte
Igawa
Randy, Pavano or any number of their prospects

No doubt they are going to need the pitching, though, especially when facing the Boston bats. Not only are the Manny Ramirez trade talks all but over, but Boston is acquiring J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo.

Labels: Boston, Pettitte, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 7:53 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Yanks win bidding to negotiate with Igawa

The Yanks have won the bidding for 27-year-old, left-handed pitcher Kei Igawa, of the Hanshin Tigers today. Apparently their winning bid of $25 million beat out the Mets' $15 million bid. They now have until December 28th to work out a deal with Igawa. He was 14 and 9 with a 2.97 ERA in 29 games in 2006. His lifetime stats are here.

While non-MLB stats are by no means an accurate predictor of MLB performance, it's looking like he's going to cost the Yanks about half of what Matsazuka will cost the Sox when all is said and done. Even if Matsazuka is slightly better, I don't see that being worth the difference.

Speaking of Boston, the rumors continue to heat up that Manny is on the verge of being traded. Although he has been on the verge of being traded several times since 2003, I haven't seen the media in such a stir about it like they are now. I hate to see Manny go in the sense that he will not cause problems for them inside the clubhouse. On the other hand, it appears as if J.D. Drew will replace him, and that will mean a lot less protection for Big Papi in the lineup. So, not only will they be losing the production of Manny's bad, but Ortiz may lose a little bit as well. That's good news in my book.

Labels: Boston, Igawa, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 7:43 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

The Moose is back

Mike Mussina and the Yanks agreed to a 2-year/$23 million agreement today.

Labels: Moose, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 3:38 PM 0 comments

Sunday, November 19, 2006

All's quiet on the pitching front

Another week gone by and still no better news on the Yankees' starting rotation for next year. The latest on Pettitte - that he will likely either retire or return to Houston - has not changed. An informal survey of some general managers revealed that most believed Barry Zito would be wearing a Met uniform next year. The thin pitching market is forcing the Yanks to consider, and I cringe to say this, former Yankee Ted Lilly who had a not-so impressive 15-13 record with a 4.31 ERA. I'm hoping that Cahsman is thinking of Lilly in the number 5 slot, but somehow I doubt it.

With a very strange twist of fate, a man named Bob Cartwright who was supposed to be on the plane that crashed and killed Cory Lidle and Tyler Stanger on October 11, was killed in another plane crash on Tuesday. I guess you really can't escape fate.

Labels: Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 4:28 PM 1 comments

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Boston wins the Matsuzaka bid

Boston has won the rights to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka with by placing a $51.1 million bid. Reports have the Yanks placing a bid of around $33 million. I am at a loss to explain why New York has lost this bid. Are they attempting to tone down their image as a big-money team? Were they hesitant to spend the better part of $100 million (probably the total cost of the winning bid as well as the likely total cost of a multi-year Matsuzaka contract) to bring unproven talent to MLB? When everything is said and done, the Yanks will have paid Randy Johnson $48 million for three years of dissapointing pitching, assuming 2007 is anything like 2005 and 2006 for Randy, which there is no reason to believe it won't be. They also signed Carl Pavano for $40 million for 4 years, and he has won a total of 4 games in the first two years of that contract. Are they still hurting from being burnt by overpaying other talent that has not produced in the Bronx?

Labels: Boston, Payroll, Pitching, Whiners

posted by webmaster @ 6:21 AM 0 comments

Monday, November 13, 2006

It's all but official...

Red Sox have placed the high bid of $42 million to negotiate with Matsuzaka. Petitte's value just went up $3 million a year in the Bronx.

Labels: Boston, Pitching

posted by webmaster @ 7:30 PM 0 comments

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Done deal

Jared Wright has been officially traded to the Orioles. In return, the Yanks get a young right-handed reliever named Chris Britton. The 23-year old Britton was 0 and 2 with a 3.35 ERA in 2006, which was his first major league season. Not a bad decision at all in my mind. Wright was never the ace he was built up to be, posting a combined 16 and 12 with a 4.98 ERA in two years in the Bronx. Britton will provide some youthful support to a struggling bullpen. But this move begs the question: With the Yanks down to one guaranteed pitcher in their rotation at this moment, do they know something the rest of us don't about the Matsukaza bid?

Labels: Orioles, Pitching, Wright

posted by webmaster @ 7:07 PM 1 comments

Wright to Baltimore

The Yanks' pitching rotation is about to get even shorter. Jared Wright is on the verge of being traded to Baltimore. The Yanks may get a prospect or even a major leaguer in return. For those of you keeping track, this is what the starting rotation looks like for next year:

Chien-Ming Wang
???
???
???
???

Moose's regular contract is expired. The choices are pick up his option year for $17 million (not likely) or renegotiate a multi-year contract (likely and already being negotiated to the tune of 2 years/$20 mil). Randy Johnson is recovering from back surgery and his status is unknown. Besides, he's 43 years old and pitches like he's.....43 years old. Cory Lidle was tragically lost in the plane crash. And while it's easy to forget about Carl Pavano, he's still making $10 million a year in his perpetual state of injury recovery.

The frustrating part of all of this is the fact that there are plenty of opportunities for the Yanks to take control of their own destiny this offseason. There is no reason why they can't win the bidding for the rights to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka, unless their reluctance to place a competetive bid is a result of a weak decision to appease critics who claim they buy their wins. Andy Pettitte is way too young to retire and has proven himself in the Bronx. Even Barry Zito has said he wants to pitch in New York, either in the Bronx or Queens. Bottom line - there is no reason they don't have a solid rotation next season. Stay tuned.

Labels: Pitching, Wright

posted by webmaster @ 2:54 PM 0 comments

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Shef to Detroit for some young arms, but the pitching market is getting thin

The Yankees made a strong move to improve their future yesterday when they traded Gary Sheffield to the Detroit Tigers for three young pitchers. What they lost: A great bat and a strong arm on an aging player with an attitude. What they gained: Three very solid, young pitching prospects.

The gem of this deal is Humberto Sanchez, who was widely considered to be one of the best pitchers in Detroit's farm system. The 6'3" 230 lb. 23-year old Dominican right-hander was 10 and 6 with a stingy 2.63 ERA for the AAA Toledo Mud Hens of the International league in 2006. In 123 innings, he gave up 97 hits and walked only 47, while striking out 129. His player page is here.

The other two pitchers are both 22-year old relievers named Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett. Whelan was a catcher until he was drafted by the Tigers out of Texas A&M in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. He has a fastball that has been clocked at 95-96 MPH. Before the trade, he posted a 4-1 record with a 2.67 ERA for the single-A Lakeland Tigers in 2006. Clagett spent most of the year pitching for the single-A West Michigan Whitecaps where he posted a 7 and 2 record with a 0.91 ERA.

Sheffield received a 2-year, $28 Million extension to play for the Tigers until 2009.

So the Yanks have made what I consider to be a great move for their pitching staff in the coming years, but what about 2007? Right now it's not looking good. First, there are several teams bidding for the right to negotiate with Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Seibu Lions. Keep in mind that only one team can win the bid, and even if they do win it, they only with the right to start talking to his agent, Scott Boras. If a deal is negotiated, then he comes to the United States to pitch. If not deal is made, then he plays out the last year of his current contract with the Lions and then becomes a free agent after 2007. All bids were submitted last Thursday, and next Tuesday the announcement as to the team who placed the winning bid will be made. Rumors have teams such as the Rangers and the (brace yourself) Red Sox winning the bid. Somehow I have a feeling that the Yanks could have easily won this bid except that pressures in recent years to not appear to be a greedy, money-hungry team are causing them to pay attention to their image. Whatever the results, the official announcement will be Tuesday.

As if the Matsuzaka news wasn't enough, it appears as if Andy Pettitte, who as a free agent has attracted the interest of the Yankees, is reportedly leaning towards retirement. The 34-year old lefthander had a 14-13 record with a 4.20 ERA in 2006, but he finished the season strong giving up only 16 runs in his last 9 starts.

In ten days MLB will announce the American League MVP for 2006. I hope Jeter is getting his suit pressed and shoes shined for the press conference.

Labels: Pitching, Shef

posted by webmaster @ 12:48 PM 0 comments

YANKEE QUOTES

TEAM INFORMATION LINKS

25-MAN ROSTER

DEPTH CHART

DISABLED LIST

SCHEDULE

TEAM LEADERS

SORTABLE PLAYER STATS

CURRENT WEATHER AT THE GAME

DEFINING HISTORY

LAST UPDATED: 10/05/2009

ALL-TIME SAVES LEADERS

RANK

1.
2.
3.

NAME

Trevor Hoffman
Mariano Rivera
Lee Smith

SAVES

591
526
478

ALL-TIME HITS LEADERS

RANK

1.
2.
3.
4.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
82.
83.
84.
85.

NAME

Pete Rose
Ty Cobb
Hank Aaron
Stan Musial
Andre Dawson
Ken Griffey Jr.
Vada Pinson
Luke Appling
Derek Jeter
Willie Davis
Steve Finley
G. Van Haltren
Alex Rodriguez

HITS

4,256
4,198
3,771
3,630
2,774
2,763
2,757
2,749
2,747
2,561
2,548
2,532
2,531

ALL-TIME HOME RUN LEADERS

RANK

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8(T).
8(T).

NAME

Barry Bonds
Hank Aaron
Babe Ruth
Willie Mays
Ken Griffey Jr.
Sammy Sosa
Frank Robinson
Mark McGwire
Alex Rodriguez

HR

762
755
714
660
613
609
586
583
583

27 WORLD SERIES TITLES

1923 - 1927 - 1928 - 1932 - 1936 - 1937 - 1938 - 1939 - 1941 - 1943 - 1947 - 1949 - 1950 - 1951 - 1952 - 1953 - 1956 - 1958 - 1961 - 1962 - 1977 - 1978 - 1996 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2009 - ????

16 RETIRED NUMBERS

1      BILLY MARTIN
3     BABE RUTH
4      LOU GEHRIG
5      JOE DIMAGGIO
7     MICKEY MANTLE
8      YOGI BERRA
8      BILL DICKEY
9      ROGER MARIS
10    PHIL RIZZUTO
15    THURMAN MUNSON
16    WHITEY FORD
23    DON MATTINGLY
32    ELSTON HOWARD
37    CASEY STENGEL
44    REGGIE JACKSON
49    RON GUIDRY

40 HALL OF FAMERS

Frank Baker 1916-19, 1921-22
Yogi Berra 1946-63
Wade Boggs 1993-97
Roger Bresnahan 1901-02
Frank Chance 1913-14
Jack Chesbro 1903-09
Earle Combs 1924-35
Stan Coveleski 1928
Bill Dickey 1928-43, 1946
Joe DiMaggio 1936-42, 1946-51
Leo Durocher 1925, 1928-29
Whitey Ford 1950, 1953-67
Lou Gehrig 1923-39
Lefty Gomez 1930-42
Goose Gossage 1978-83, 1989
Clark Griffith 1903-07
Burleigh Grimes 1934
Ricky Henderson 1985-1989
Waite Hoyt 1921-30
Catfish Hunter 1975-79
Reggie Jackson 1977-81
Willie Keeler 1903-09
Joe Kelley 1902
Tony Lazzeri 1926-37
Mickey Mantle 1951-68
Joe McGinnity 1901-02
John McGraw 1901-02
Johnny Mize 1949-53
Phil Niekro 1984-85
Herb Pennock 1923-33
Gaylord Perry 1980
Branch Rickey 1907
Phil Rizzuto 1941-42, 1946-56
Wilbert Robinson 1901-02
Red Ruffing 1930-42, 1945-46
Babe Ruth 1920-34
Joe Sewell 1931-33
Enos Slaughter 1954-55, 1956-59
Dazzy Vance 1915, 1918
Paul Waner 1944-45
Dave Winfield 1981-88, 1990