Picture this: The year on the calendar is 2010. The Yankees have just taken the field for a late September game against the Red Sox. Phil Hughes, the Yankees' 24-year old ace is on the mound, as the Yankees attempt to seal up the division crown with a win over the Red Sox. The first batter up is Jacoby Ellsbury, and he hits a hot smash between second base and third, where the Yankees newly crowned shortstop, 22-year old Carmen Angelini makes a diving stop and fires to Juan Miranda, the Yankees' 27-year old first baseman to nab Ellsbury by a step. The Yankees win on the strength of homers from Robinson Cano, designated hitter Derek Jeter and Austin Jackson, the Yankees' 23-year old centerfielder. Jeff Marquez pitches two scoreless innings in relief, and Melky Cabrera robs a would be home run off the bat of Mike Lowell.
Now, picture this: The year is still 2010 and the Yankees ace is Johan Santana, now 31 years old and still a very good pitcher, but there has been somewhat of a decline in his ability since 2007. The Yankees have a considerably older team, with 34-year old Pat Burrell in left, 36-year old Derek Jeter (still a talented player, but with considerably worse defense) at shortstop and Randy Winn, 36 years old in center field. The rotation consists of Santana, Chien-Ming Wang, Matt Morris (now 35), 36-year old Mark Hendrickson, and 35-year old Tim Hudson. They have a solid team, but due to the trades made to obtain the rapidly declining and injury prone Ryan Howard to DH and Richie Sexson to play 1st base, they were strapped for useful young players, forcing them to sign quite a few free agent starting pitchers, which cost them considerable money, and forced them to have a very weak bench, leaving them largely unprepared for injuries and causing them to be 81-78 at this point in September, with just 3 games remaining.
Now I'm not saying that trading young players is a bad idea. It isn't always, but it depends on what they are being traded for, and if it is done so much that it depletes the team's resources. I'm not saying that the Yankees will be great in 3 years if they don't trade for Johan Santana and terrible if they do. I'm not saying that Hughes and Austin Jackson and Jeff Marquez and Carmen Angelini will become great or even good. My major point here is that its important to look at what George Steinbrenner (still a great man who has done a tremendous amount for this team) did in the 1980's and the kind of situation we had then. Now look at Brian Cashman's mantra with regard to young players and free range spending. It isn't just Brian Cashman, there are many other executives who agree with him, as demonstrated by the Yankees hesitance to include Phil Hughes in a trade for Johan Santana. When you look at the gradualism demonstrated in the first scenario with some veterans still around (Jeter), but a lot of kids contributing, as compared to the brashness and win right now mentality of the second, you see how much better we are with plan #1.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
Top 20 Free Agents
1) Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees: Best player in the game, adds some credibility to a lineup wherever he goes, is an above average fielder and still runs well.
Prediction:
Actual: New York Yankees, on a 10 year, $275 million deal
2) Andruw Jones, CF, Braves: Best outfielder available, coming off bad ’07 season. Monster power, doesn’t always walk, above average defender, strikes out a lot, may take a 1 year deal and is a Type B free agent
Prediction:
Actual: Los Angeles Dodgers, on a 2 year, $36.2 million deal
3) Torii Hunter, CF, Twins: Excellent defensive outfielder off a career year in ’07. Above average righty power, but doesn’t take many pitches.
Prediction:
Actual: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, on a 5 year, $90 million deal.
4) Mariano Rivera, RP, Yankees: Elite relief pitcher, among top closers of all time, older but still dominant stuff. Prone to bloop hits and broken bats
Prediction:
Actual:
5) Eric Gagne, RP, Red Sox: Top-flight reliever coming off shaky two months in
Prediction:
Actual: Milwaukee Brewers, on a 1 year, $10 million deal.
6) Jorge Posada, C, Yankees: Best catcher available via trade or free agency, coming off best year ever in ’07, likely to seek 4 year deal, always a question mark on defense but his bat carried him.
Prediction:
Actual: New York Yankees, on a 4 year, $52.4 million deal.
7) Mike Lowell, 3B, Red Sox: Middle of the road 3B in a market filled with them, strong offensive and defensive season, winning the WS MVP, much better hitter in Fenway Park.
Prediction:
Actual:
8) Aaron Rowand, CF, Phillies: Very good defensive center fielder, some righty power, never walked much until ’07, will be a risk to see if ’07 was a break out or a fluke
Prediction:
Actual: San Francisco Giants, on a 5 year, $60 million deal
9) Kosuke Fukudome, OF, Chunichi Dragons: Good defensive outfielder, Ichiro-like throwing arm, walks a ton with considerable doubles power, runs well and has Paul O’Neill personality
Prediction:
Actual: Chicago Cubs, on a 4 year, $48 million deal
10) Francisco Cordero, RP, Brewers: 2nd Best available closer, good repertoire, high k/9 rates in career, makes sense in anyone who misses out on Rivera, may set up
Prediction:
Actual: Cincinnati Reds, on a 4 year, $46 million deal
11) Barry Bonds, OF, Giants: 2nd best bat of all free agents, comes with tons of steroid baggage and is a poor defender in left, best suited for DH duty
Prediction:
Actual:
12) Carlos Silva, SP, Twins: Top free agent starting pitcher and type B free agent, gets a ton of ground balls, and is best off away from the dome in
Prediction:
Actual: Seattle Mariners, on a 4 year, $44-48 million deal
13) Mike Cameron, OF, Padres: Very good defensive outfielder, nice power, still good speed, brings some steroid baggage and will be a nice alternative for whoever misses out on Jones, Rowand and Hunter
Prediction:
Actual:
14) Milton Bradley, OF, Padres: Good defender at a corner spot, good power, volatile personality, coming off major injury, looks like he belongs in
Prediction:
Actual: Texas Rangers, on a 1 year, $5 million deal
15) Roger Clemens, SP, Yankees: Older, and unlikely to return to pitching a full season, did a decent job in ’07 for the Yankees but not great and injury issues plagued him
Prediction: Retirement
Actual:
16) Bartolo Colon, SP, Angels: Major injury concern, but still talented, despite a weight problem, and will benefit from leaving the DH league, and could find a fit with a team that loves Dominican players
Prediction:
Actual:
17) Scott Linebrink, RP, Brewers: Not a great pitcher, helped out by that ballpark, but his numbers are pretty and someone will take a chance, given the lack of available relief pitching, could get a multi-year deal
Prediction:
Actual: Chicago White Sox, on a 4 year, $18 million deal
18) Octavio Dotel, RP, Braves: Great arm, major injury concerns, could close when healthy, very good stuff, should find a home with an NL team, and may be best off as a set up man in a more limited role to protect his arm
Prediction:
Actual:
19) Michael Barrett, C, Padres: Decent offensive and defensive player, probably won’t get the multi-year deal he desires, and will likely follow the best chance to start and that will be with the team that misses out on the Musical chairs for catchers
Prediction:
Actual: San Diego Padres, on a 1 year, $3.5 million deal
20) Luis Castillo, 2B, Mets: Above average speed and defense, with a decent but powerless bat and he becomes an interesting choice to lead off and play 2B for a lot of teams, should get a 2 or 3 year deal, switch hitting ability adds flexibility to a lineup
Prediction:
Actual: New York Mets, on a 4 year, $25 million deal
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Filling the Holes Internally.
Well first off I would like to say that this was a hell of a season for Yankee farm hands. Shelley Duncan turned out be a great bench player, Joba was lights out in the 8th, Ian Kennedy had three great starts, and Phil Hughes really came around towards the end of the season. Now on to the topic...
The Offense
The Yankees lose the most productive player in baseball with the departure of Alex Rodriguez and it will be not be easy to fill that void.
Options: Not many, our only legitimate in house replacement would be Wilson Betemit. He has tons of untapped potential but he never has lived up to that. Down on the farm there isn't much either. Eric Duncan has become a complete flop and our only hope is that Marcos Vechionacci turns into the stud that he is supposed to be(he is currently tearing up the Venezuelan Winter League).
First Base: This has been a real problem for the Yankees lately. With the constant platooning and player swapping it seems like a new face has been playing first every week.
Options: With Betemit occupying third base, the only in house option we have is Shelley Duncan. I think Duncan could put up pretty respectable numbers, say .250-.260 BA, .320+ OBP, .500 SLG. On the farm we have Juan Miranda who is currently mashing right hand pitching with a .379 BA in the AFL. Platooning him with Duncan might make for a pretty reliable offensive force coming from first base. Of course, you're sacrificing defense when playing these two.
Catcher: Just pray to god that Posada re-signs. PRAY!
Bullpen: Most likely the Yankees will let Vizciano walk for Draft picks so that leaves the bullpen down a man.
Options: Where do I begin? There are a TON of farm options. Edwar Ramirez, Mark Melancon, Ross Olhendorf, Humberto Sanchez, James Brent Cox, the list goes on. All of these guys have knockout secondary pitches and could definitely contribute to this team. There is no need for the Yanks to put Joba back in the pen. This could end up being one of the strongest parts of the team in 2008 if all of these guys live up to their potential.
Other than those things, this team is pretty solid. The starting rotation could wind up being the best in the league with Wang, Hughes, Kennedy, Chamberlin, and Pettitte. The offense will hurt a little without Rodriguez's bat but the yanks should be able score about 800 runs. Remember, pitching wins championships!
The Offense
The Yankees lose the most productive player in baseball with the departure of Alex Rodriguez and it will be not be easy to fill that void.
Options: Not many, our only legitimate in house replacement would be Wilson Betemit. He has tons of untapped potential but he never has lived up to that. Down on the farm there isn't much either. Eric Duncan has become a complete flop and our only hope is that Marcos Vechionacci turns into the stud that he is supposed to be(he is currently tearing up the Venezuelan Winter League).
First Base: This has been a real problem for the Yankees lately. With the constant platooning and player swapping it seems like a new face has been playing first every week.
Options: With Betemit occupying third base, the only in house option we have is Shelley Duncan. I think Duncan could put up pretty respectable numbers, say .250-.260 BA, .320+ OBP, .500 SLG. On the farm we have Juan Miranda who is currently mashing right hand pitching with a .379 BA in the AFL. Platooning him with Duncan might make for a pretty reliable offensive force coming from first base. Of course, you're sacrificing defense when playing these two.
Catcher: Just pray to god that Posada re-signs. PRAY!
Bullpen: Most likely the Yankees will let Vizciano walk for Draft picks so that leaves the bullpen down a man.
Options: Where do I begin? There are a TON of farm options. Edwar Ramirez, Mark Melancon, Ross Olhendorf, Humberto Sanchez, James Brent Cox, the list goes on. All of these guys have knockout secondary pitches and could definitely contribute to this team. There is no need for the Yanks to put Joba back in the pen. This could end up being one of the strongest parts of the team in 2008 if all of these guys live up to their potential.
Other than those things, this team is pretty solid. The starting rotation could wind up being the best in the league with Wang, Hughes, Kennedy, Chamberlin, and Pettitte. The offense will hurt a little without Rodriguez's bat but the yanks should be able score about 800 runs. Remember, pitching wins championships!
Saturday, November 3, 2007
The Offseason Plans
1) This sounds easy and an obvious choice for what the Yankees must do to give themselves the best chance for a World title in 2008 and beyond, but they have to sign Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada...to reasonable contracts. Now, I'm not saying to low ball them, or to make the contract negotiations miserable, but they should hold firm to one thing in particular: 3 Years. Do not risk giving Posada four years and being stuck in another Bernie Williams situation. Give him 3 years and by the end of that contract, he should be a DH. If he continues offensive success late in the contract, then offer him a 1 year deal to return as the DH. They really shouldn't have too many qualms about the money as the losses of Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez will already clear a considerable amount of money. Mariano, like Posada, should be given no more than a 3 year deal, although 4 years for him wouldn't be awful because of how he has been consistently very good and may continue similar success as he gets older. Also, as a reliever, he would likely have less a role in the bullpen if he did struggle in his 3rd and fourth years. Again, it would be the preference to keep him at 3 years, but 4 years should not be a deal breaker for him.
2) Hope Andy Pettitte picks up his option
3) Sign Morgan Ensberg to a 1 year, $3 million deal with incentives to boost it near $5 million
4) Trade Kyle Farnsworth and Mike Mussina to the Phillies for Pat Burrell. Why? Burrell is a free agent after 2008, the Phillies badly need pitching, the Yankees could use a right handed power bat, and Pat Burrell is an awesomely good hitter. While the Yankees may not love the thought of another DH, allowing him to split time with Hideki Matsui in left and DH would probably keep both Burrell and Matsui healthier and more productive. Additionally, Burrell would likely be declared a Type A free agent at the end of next season and would therefore grant the Yankees two more first round draft choices. The Yankees, with their depth of starting pitching, would have a hard time slotting Mussina in to the rotation on a regular basis. The Phillies, meanwhile, have a ton of offense and could afford to risk a platoon involving Greg Dobbs in left, with Shane Victorino and Michael Bourn anchoring the other two spots, or could maybe turn to Aaron Rowand and lure him back with $13 million and the promise that they will be even better next season.
5) Re-Sign Jose Molina
6) Tell Luis Vizcaino to peace out, and gladly take the draft pick for him.
7) Designate Andy Phillips for assignment. Seriously, just end the love affair for this average player.
8) Re-Sign Doug Mientkiewicz
9) Promote Alan Horne
10a) Sign Richard Hidalgo to a 1 year deal worth 4-5 million. Hidalgo hits lefties well, and would be a nice guy to slide in place of Abreu or Matsui vs. lefties.
10b) Sign Sammy Sosa to a 1 year deal worth 2 million. See above.
10c) Promote Bronson Sardinha if a deal cannot be reached involving the above.
11) Trade Jason Giambi and pay his entire contract to the desperate-for-offense Minnesota Twins. In return, take whatever the Twins are kind enough to give us.
12) Ship Brett Gardner and Chase Wright to the Nationals in exchange for Chad Cordero. Cordero makes sense for the Yankees because 1) He has pitched well throughout his career and 2) He is a free agent at the end of the year and requires no commitment beyond this year and may be a Type A after this year. The Yankees badly need bullpen help and if the Yankees make a quick strike for Cordero, they will add a veteran solid pitcher to set up for Mariano, with the rookies and Chris Britton filling the innings before the 8th. The Nationals need a center fielder, and while Gardner struggled last season in AAA, he still projects nicely and the Nationals have time to let him learn on the job, also allowing them to stay out of the free agent market, while Wright gives them a guy who could potentially start for them right out of Spring Training. Additionally, this keeps the Red Sox from dealing Coco Crisp to the Nationals and getting anything good back.
Damon, CF
Jeter, SS
Abreu/Hidalgo/Sosa, RF
Burrell, DH/LF
Matsui/Sosa/Hidalgo, LF/DH
Posada, C
Cano, 2B
Betemit (vs. righties)/Ensberg (vs. lefties), 3B
Duncan, 1B
Cabrera, OF
Sardinha/Sosa/Hidalgo, OF
Molina, C
Ensberg/Betemit, INF
Mientkiewicz, 1B
Wang
Pettitte
Chamberlain
Hughes
Kennedy
(6th: Clippard)
(7th: Rasner)
Britton
Ramirez
Horne
Ohlendorf
Cordero
Rivera
No, this is not a perfect team. Not at all. There are many question marks, particularly in the bullpen, with 3 rookies. However, due to a lack of other options, all of the players make more sense than what is available in free agency. Ensberg and Betemit won't make anyone forget A-Rod, but the combination of them, some more offense from the DH, CF and 1B positions would all help to fill his hole. Additionally, Kennedy, Joba and Hughes have some MLB experience under their belts and should represent an upgrade over the rotation at this point last season. Meanwhile, the deal also leaves open the possibility for the Yankees to sign Mark Texieria and Johan Santana in the 2008 offseason, while allowing our younger pitchers to develop a little more.
2) Hope Andy Pettitte picks up his option
3) Sign Morgan Ensberg to a 1 year, $3 million deal with incentives to boost it near $5 million
4) Trade Kyle Farnsworth and Mike Mussina to the Phillies for Pat Burrell. Why? Burrell is a free agent after 2008, the Phillies badly need pitching, the Yankees could use a right handed power bat, and Pat Burrell is an awesomely good hitter. While the Yankees may not love the thought of another DH, allowing him to split time with Hideki Matsui in left and DH would probably keep both Burrell and Matsui healthier and more productive. Additionally, Burrell would likely be declared a Type A free agent at the end of next season and would therefore grant the Yankees two more first round draft choices. The Yankees, with their depth of starting pitching, would have a hard time slotting Mussina in to the rotation on a regular basis. The Phillies, meanwhile, have a ton of offense and could afford to risk a platoon involving Greg Dobbs in left, with Shane Victorino and Michael Bourn anchoring the other two spots, or could maybe turn to Aaron Rowand and lure him back with $13 million and the promise that they will be even better next season.
5) Re-Sign Jose Molina
6) Tell Luis Vizcaino to peace out, and gladly take the draft pick for him.
7) Designate Andy Phillips for assignment. Seriously, just end the love affair for this average player.
8) Re-Sign Doug Mientkiewicz
9) Promote Alan Horne
10a) Sign Richard Hidalgo to a 1 year deal worth 4-5 million. Hidalgo hits lefties well, and would be a nice guy to slide in place of Abreu or Matsui vs. lefties.
10b) Sign Sammy Sosa to a 1 year deal worth 2 million. See above.
10c) Promote Bronson Sardinha if a deal cannot be reached involving the above.
11) Trade Jason Giambi and pay his entire contract to the desperate-for-offense Minnesota Twins. In return, take whatever the Twins are kind enough to give us.
12) Ship Brett Gardner and Chase Wright to the Nationals in exchange for Chad Cordero. Cordero makes sense for the Yankees because 1) He has pitched well throughout his career and 2) He is a free agent at the end of the year and requires no commitment beyond this year and may be a Type A after this year. The Yankees badly need bullpen help and if the Yankees make a quick strike for Cordero, they will add a veteran solid pitcher to set up for Mariano, with the rookies and Chris Britton filling the innings before the 8th. The Nationals need a center fielder, and while Gardner struggled last season in AAA, he still projects nicely and the Nationals have time to let him learn on the job, also allowing them to stay out of the free agent market, while Wright gives them a guy who could potentially start for them right out of Spring Training. Additionally, this keeps the Red Sox from dealing Coco Crisp to the Nationals and getting anything good back.
Damon, CF
Jeter, SS
Abreu/Hidalgo/Sosa, RF
Burrell, DH/LF
Matsui/Sosa/Hidalgo, LF/DH
Posada, C
Cano, 2B
Betemit (vs. righties)/Ensberg (vs. lefties), 3B
Duncan, 1B
Cabrera, OF
Sardinha/Sosa/Hidalgo, OF
Molina, C
Ensberg/Betemit, INF
Mientkiewicz, 1B
Wang
Pettitte
Chamberlain
Hughes
Kennedy
(6th: Clippard)
(7th: Rasner)
Britton
Ramirez
Horne
Ohlendorf
Cordero
Rivera
No, this is not a perfect team. Not at all. There are many question marks, particularly in the bullpen, with 3 rookies. However, due to a lack of other options, all of the players make more sense than what is available in free agency. Ensberg and Betemit won't make anyone forget A-Rod, but the combination of them, some more offense from the DH, CF and 1B positions would all help to fill his hole. Additionally, Kennedy, Joba and Hughes have some MLB experience under their belts and should represent an upgrade over the rotation at this point last season. Meanwhile, the deal also leaves open the possibility for the Yankees to sign Mark Texieria and Johan Santana in the 2008 offseason, while allowing our younger pitchers to develop a little more.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Michael Kay and Skip Bayless: SHUT UP!
Please, please, pretty please with a cherry on top, stop talking about how the mighty Ichiro could hit 30 or 40 home runs in a season if he so felt like it! That doesn't make any sense, a home run is the best thing you can do when you are at bat, and this guy has the ability to and chooses not to? Bullshit. If it were the bottom of the 9th inning of a game with the Mariners down a run with men on base, why wouldn't he hit a home run? He'd rather hit a single? THE GUY CAN NOT HOMER AT WILL. PERIOD. END OF STORY.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Clueless Joe strikes again
Can ANYONE figure out exactly why Pettitte was left in the game for the 7th, when he was clearly tired? If Joe's going to let the players decide when they play, we might as well not have a manager at all.
That said, this series should have never happened as it did. Losing 2 out of 3 to one of the worst teams in baseball should not happen, particularly not in a pennant race in September. No excuse for the disgusting display of baseball which took place this weekend. The combination of poor starting pitching on Friday, poor hitting on Friday and Sunday and more management on Sunday should never happen, regardless of if we're playing Tampa Bay or Boston. It is ridiculous.
That said, this series should have never happened as it did. Losing 2 out of 3 to one of the worst teams in baseball should not happen, particularly not in a pennant race in September. No excuse for the disgusting display of baseball which took place this weekend. The combination of poor starting pitching on Friday, poor hitting on Friday and Sunday and more management on Sunday should never happen, regardless of if we're playing Tampa Bay or Boston. It is ridiculous.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Ian Kennedy's Report Card
Ian Kennedy pitched a great game today in his debut for the Yankees posting a line of 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks and one HR. Here are my grades on his performance
Control: While the 2 BB seem a little high for someone that is a control pitcher, Kennedy did a good job of locating his pitches and keeping the ball away from the middle of the plate. He lived up to his hype on this account, any pitch in any count. Besides giving up the HR to Upton(who is having a great season) he did a good job of commanding his pitches. B
Stuff: Kennedy has better stuff than I expected. His fastball seemed to have good movement and his slider seemed to be a bit better than "average." His curve had good late break and his change-up was as good as proclaimed, a true Plus pitch A
Poise: Not only Kennedy throw the ball well but he kept his cool on the mound. Getting into jams didn't seem to phase him much and he seemed pretty relaxed for his major league debut at Yankee Stadium A+
Overall: Kennedy had a great start to his ML career today. He kept a pretty good offense in check and kept the Yankees in the game, something that Mike Mussina couldn't do. Other than the HR to Upton I couldn't ask for much more from a 22 year old in his first year of professional baseball. A
Control: While the 2 BB seem a little high for someone that is a control pitcher, Kennedy did a good job of locating his pitches and keeping the ball away from the middle of the plate. He lived up to his hype on this account, any pitch in any count. Besides giving up the HR to Upton(who is having a great season) he did a good job of commanding his pitches. B
Stuff: Kennedy has better stuff than I expected. His fastball seemed to have good movement and his slider seemed to be a bit better than "average." His curve had good late break and his change-up was as good as proclaimed, a true Plus pitch A
Poise: Not only Kennedy throw the ball well but he kept his cool on the mound. Getting into jams didn't seem to phase him much and he seemed pretty relaxed for his major league debut at Yankee Stadium A+
Overall: Kennedy had a great start to his ML career today. He kept a pretty good offense in check and kept the Yankees in the game, something that Mike Mussina couldn't do. Other than the HR to Upton I couldn't ask for much more from a 22 year old in his first year of professional baseball. A
Friday, August 31, 2007
What to Expect From Ian Kennedy
The number one first round draft pick out of USC, Ian Kennedy, makes his debut Saturday afternoon against a good offensive team in the Devil Rays. Kennedy's college track record is quite impressive and his career at USC matches those of Mark Prior's and Randy Johnson's but unlike Prior and Johnson, Kennedy has a much lesser fastball. The scouting on Kennedy is mixed. Some scouts have him listed as a solid #2 and the next coming of Mike Mussina while others think he won't be anything better than a #4/#5 starter.
here is an idea of what Kennedy throws...
Fastball: Kennedy sits comfortably at 90-92 and according to a report at Trenton, he hit 95 on the gun once. His fastball doesn't have amazing velocity or movement but he is an artist at locating it ala Mike Mussina
Curveball: Kennedy's curve is his second best off-speed pitch. I've heard mix things about it but from what I've gathered it seems to be a pretty good pitch. Its not a plus pitch but its pretty close to it. He has pretty good control of this pitch also
Change Up: Kennedy's change is a plus pitch and like his fastball he can throw it in any count. He uses it effectively and mixes it well with his fastball. Its his best weapon
Slider: Its not his best pitch but he still mixes it well with his repertoire. Its an average pitch.
I think Kennedy could end up being a really solid #3 starter. While his ERA may not be a pretty 3.00 ERA every year, he can provide solid pitching and give innings to an already strong rotation for the future. With a tactical baseball mind and impeccable control, I see no reason why Kennedy can't be extremely successful.
here is an idea of what Kennedy throws...
Fastball: Kennedy sits comfortably at 90-92 and according to a report at Trenton, he hit 95 on the gun once. His fastball doesn't have amazing velocity or movement but he is an artist at locating it ala Mike Mussina
Curveball: Kennedy's curve is his second best off-speed pitch. I've heard mix things about it but from what I've gathered it seems to be a pretty good pitch. Its not a plus pitch but its pretty close to it. He has pretty good control of this pitch also
Change Up: Kennedy's change is a plus pitch and like his fastball he can throw it in any count. He uses it effectively and mixes it well with his fastball. Its his best weapon
Slider: Its not his best pitch but he still mixes it well with his repertoire. Its an average pitch.
I think Kennedy could end up being a really solid #3 starter. While his ERA may not be a pretty 3.00 ERA every year, he can provide solid pitching and give innings to an already strong rotation for the future. With a tactical baseball mind and impeccable control, I see no reason why Kennedy can't be extremely successful.
Josh Beckett: King of Punks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzlcHGQAN_Q
If you can't read his lips, he says "get out of here you [expletive] [expletive]"
The same guy who is notorious as a head hunter and who isn't afraid to hit anyone on purpose. The same guy who whined about Ryan Howard not running out a pop up and Shea Hillenbrand walking to first on a pitch he thought was ball 4- both in ST.
If you can't read his lips, he says "get out of here you [expletive] [expletive]"
The same guy who is notorious as a head hunter and who isn't afraid to hit anyone on purpose. The same guy who whined about Ryan Howard not running out a pop up and Shea Hillenbrand walking to first on a pitch he thought was ball 4- both in ST.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Yanks beat Bosox behind Damon, Pettitte
Damon since the All-star break: .304/.390/.466
Pettitte pitched a solid game, giving the Yankees length so that we'd only need Joba for one inning before turning it over to Mo, allowing us to have a well rested Kyle Farnsworth and Luis Vizcaino for tomorrow. He looked very sharp against a very potent offense aside from the home runs allowed to Manny and Varitek. Damon came up big with his 2-run shot and as the stats above show, he has done a nice job since the all-star break.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Pathetic.
Over the last 4.2 innings of the game, the Yankees went 1-for-15.
Embarassing, and to make matters seem worse, the Tigers did not have a hit after the third inning.
Awful game.
On a positive note, however, Hughes looked improved from his past few starts and his control looked very sharp, and aside from 2 bad pitches to Guillen and Thames, he pitched very well, and Kyle Farnsworth also looked extremely strong in his inning of relief.
Embarassing, and to make matters seem worse, the Tigers did not have a hit after the third inning.
Awful game.
On a positive note, however, Hughes looked improved from his past few starts and his control looked very sharp, and aside from 2 bad pitches to Guillen and Thames, he pitched very well, and Kyle Farnsworth also looked extremely strong in his inning of relief.
WANG 8IP 5H 1ER 2BB 6K
After struggling in most of his starts since late July, Chien-Ming Wang absolutely dominated the Tigers. Until tonight even in his "good" starts Wang had been giving up a ton of hits. Check it out
I was really starting to worry about the cracked finger nail that has been plaguing him for a while, but he really impressed me tonight. He also had six strikeouts. Although he still doesn't strike out a lot of batters Wang has K'd 6 in his past two starts. Obviously we would like to see him locked-in like he was against the Mets when he punched out a career high 10. It's highly unlikely... Last season, Wang struck out only 76 batters in 218 IP. This season he has 81K in 159.1 IP. Obviously an improvement, but to rise to the next level he would need to improve even more next season.
Maybe next season he will improve, but right now I'd be happier if he continued to roll ground balls and eat up innings. Wang's 8 IP tonight were exactly what the team needed and with Mussina struggling, Clemens being inconsistent, and Hughes being inexperienced; the Yankees really need Wang to pitch well down the stretch.
"Why did we become Tiger fans? Billy you didn't throw away my Red Sox hat did you?"
Saturday, August 25, 2007
HENN LAYS EGG! But who can we blame?
"Is a 6.10 ERA gud?"
This is my first entry on the Holy Cow! Yankees Blog and I regret that it had to come on such a horrible night/morning for the Yankees. After avoiding being swept by the Angels the Yankees came in to Detroit needing this series in the worst way. By the time the game (delayed four hours by rain) was underway the Red Sox had already won twice and the Mariners were on their way to another victory...
Clemens obviously wasn't sharp, but the Yankees were able to score 6 runs... A-Rod hit his 43rd homer of the season. The bullpen tossed 5 shutout innings of relief, Mariano Rivera pitched. This sounds like it should have a good ending right? WRONG! It was horrendous. Sean Henn blew another huge game for the Yankees by giving up a 3-run walk off homer to Carlos Guillen. One of the worst losses of the season in my opinion. It's easy to ride Henn because of the two heart breakers he has lost over the last week, but who is really to blame?
Some fans have chattered about Torre not using relievers for more than one inning, and I agree Chamberlain could have gone another inning, perhaps Ramirez too, but you really can't kill him on this one. Farnsworth is a one inning pitcher, Vizcaino has complained of a tired arm recently, and with Rivera's little hiccup recently you don't want to stretch him more than you need to. At some point in long games you are forced to use your worst relief pitchers.
Obviously Sean Henn is not major league material. Moving him to the pen seemed like a good idea before the season, but it hasn't worked. Going into the game Henn had a WHIP of 1.58, horrible. How he's managed to pitch 31 innings for this team is beyond me. I'm sure this topic will come up more in the future as it has all season, but where the FUCK is Chris Britton?
What was the point of trading Wright for Britton if he's going to rot in the minor leagues all season? I'm not saying the Yankees should have kept Mr. Wright, but what the hell? The guy was a good pitcher out of the O's bullpen (is that really possible?) last season and he has pitched well on every level so far this season. While I applaud the front office for many moves it has made this season, it's really a joke that Britton hasn't become a staple in the bullpen.
Instead the Yankees decided to call up Brian Bruney who to my knowledge didn't even warm up during this game. Regardless he had a 6.00 ERA since being sent down to AAA. Prior to that he still had a relatively good ERA (3.40), but since June Bruney walked 16 batters and struck out only 8. That's beyond alarming, I think we all know why the Diamondbacks let him go now.
Anyway that's more than enough to chew on for one entry... Since the Yankees started to make this nice little run that they have I claimed that this stretch of games at the end of August would be the defining point of the season. Right now it only looks so-so. Are the Yankees the team that started off the season horrendously? Are they the team that dominated in July/Early August? Or are they somewhere in between? I'd like to think they're a championship caliber team this season, but these next three games and the upcoming series with the Red Sox will really speak volumes about what kind of team this is. Let's not forget there is a potentially huge series coming up in early September against the Mariners as well.
One last thing:
The worst umpired game I have ever seen, Posada getting tossed was bullshit, but the game ended so bad I didn't feel like writing more about it.*It felt good to make my first entry here... This certainly isn't the first Yankees blog out there and it won't be the last. We don't have any "inside" sources, just solid and well formed baseball opinions. Hopefully there will be some unique content (funny images coming soon) that will keep you coming back.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Ron Villone to DL, Brian Bruney called up
Why, exactly, was Bruney called up? All Bruney proved with us was that he had consistent trouble throwing strikes with his 30 walks in 42.1 innings, and since being sent down he has allowed 4 ER on 5 hits in 6 innings with Scranton Wilkes-Barre, while walking 2. Meanwhile, Chris Britton continues to dominate AAA ball, earning him all of 5 major league innings this season.
Welcome
Hey all Yankee fans, this blog was made with the title picked as a memorial towards the late great Phil Rizzuto. Myself and my colleague, "Well I thank you Suzyn" will be doing the lion's share of the posting with possible graphic contributions from two other colleagues, John Flaherty and Stan Papi. We look forward to many future posts and to help this blog grow into the echelon where great blogs such as nomaas and firejoemorgan are at.
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