07/13: The Hughes & Tabata Show
Posted by: James
Continuing my little run of prospect news, here's a little more on one of the big guns in the Yankees farm system not named Phil Hughes, Mr. Jose Tabata. Now Mike A. over at Baby Bombers has covered some of this already and he's far more knowledgeable about the minors than I am, but I still wanted to point some of this out. It never hurts to know a little more about the stars (knock on wood) of tomorrow.
The following comes from an article at ESPN on the Futures Game, in which both Tababta and Hughes took part:
Baseball America quickly followed up with a lead article on Tabata and on how/where he projects. Unfortunately, I don't have a subscription but as of this writing, even after a couple of "slumps", Tabata's line for the year is .316/.375/.448/.823 with 22 2Bs, 1 3B and 5 HRs in a league where the pitchers are (generally) three to five years older than him. If he keeps that up, he's going to keep getting more and more attention until it reaches the Hughes level.
I mean, look at his splits right so far. His worst month so far was June where he hit .315 and got on base at a .410 clip but only put up a .371 SLG (.780 OPS). Most organizations would take those numbers from pretty much all their prospects in low-A ball. However, getting that kind of production from a kid (he turns 18 in a month) is extraordinary, especially since he's still learning the game (take a look at those walk totals rising each month). In recent interviews, he's talked about how he idolized some Yankees when he was growing up (including Jeter, which shows his age) and how he models his hitting after Manny Ramirez (and if you've seen video of Jose at bat, he does a pretty good impersonation). At this point in his career and I will be the first to say that it is VERY EARLY, but again, it's very hard not to get excited about this kid, especially with many people starting to gush about him.
So, just in case you haven't been really reading to this point (or were summarily distracted by my drool), here's the gist: Around this time next year, the Yankees could have the best pitching prospect (Hughes is already among the top 3) and the best position prospect in the minors. The latter statement is more of a reach but Jim Callis pegged Tabata as the most impressive position player in the Futures Game and one of the 10-20 best prospects in baseball so who knows? A little wishful thinking never hurt anyone.
The following comes from an article at ESPN on the Futures Game, in which both Tababta and Hughes took part:
The clear star of batting practice was 17-year-old Yankees phenom Jose Tabata. With a more developed body than your typical high school-aged player, Tabata doesn't have a teenager's physique. He starts with a high setup and has a strong, furious swing that produces good power to all fields. He also took fly balls in center field, and if he can legitimately play there, he'll be a contender for the title of the top prospect in baseball this winter.
Baseball America quickly followed up with a lead article on Tabata and on how/where he projects. Unfortunately, I don't have a subscription but as of this writing, even after a couple of "slumps", Tabata's line for the year is .316/.375/.448/.823 with 22 2Bs, 1 3B and 5 HRs in a league where the pitchers are (generally) three to five years older than him. If he keeps that up, he's going to keep getting more and more attention until it reaches the Hughes level.
I mean, look at his splits right so far. His worst month so far was June where he hit .315 and got on base at a .410 clip but only put up a .371 SLG (.780 OPS). Most organizations would take those numbers from pretty much all their prospects in low-A ball. However, getting that kind of production from a kid (he turns 18 in a month) is extraordinary, especially since he's still learning the game (take a look at those walk totals rising each month). In recent interviews, he's talked about how he idolized some Yankees when he was growing up (including Jeter, which shows his age) and how he models his hitting after Manny Ramirez (and if you've seen video of Jose at bat, he does a pretty good impersonation). At this point in his career and I will be the first to say that it is VERY EARLY, but again, it's very hard not to get excited about this kid, especially with many people starting to gush about him.
So, just in case you haven't been really reading to this point (or were summarily distracted by my drool), here's the gist: Around this time next year, the Yankees could have the best pitching prospect (Hughes is already among the top 3) and the best position prospect in the minors. The latter statement is more of a reach but Jim Callis pegged Tabata as the most impressive position player in the Futures Game and one of the 10-20 best prospects in baseball so who knows? A little wishful thinking never hurt anyone.
Posted by: Patrick
From MiamiHerald.com:
Good try, though!
Retort of the week: A Yankees fan walking the streets of Manhattan approached Dontrelle Willis last weekend and said, ''You [would] look better in pinstripes.'' Willis responded: ``I'm already in pinstripes!''
Good try, though!
07/13: Eat at Mo's!
Posted by: Patrick
Peter Abraham reports that Mo's New York Grill is opening today in New Rochelle.
They have a website.
Rivera is branching out from baseball and becoming a partner in a new restaurant in New Rochelle. "Mo's New York Grill" will officially open this afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. ...
"This isn't a sports bar. It's a nice place to get a good meal with your family. We wanted it to be classy. I'm real happy with how it turned out. Real happy."
"This isn't a sports bar. It's a nice place to get a good meal with your family. We wanted it to be classy. I'm real happy with how it turned out. Real happy."
They have a website.
07/13: Inspector Gadget
Posted by: Patrick
Cool article about Mo at NorthJersey.com:
Cutters themselves aren't that unusual. Rivera, however, has a long-armed, full extension that prompted David Cone to dub him Inspector Gadget. ...
"I'm sure you can learn it, but it won't cut like his," Yankee starter Mike Mussina said. Mets closer Billy Wagner said he's watched Rivera's impossibly late-breaking ball so many times and so enviously, he's finally decided, "It's a gift from God." ...
Rivera credits former pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre with helping him control it and Torre said that's what makes knowing what's coming irrelevant. Recalling a conversation he had with Sandy Koufax about Randy Johnson this year, he said Koufax reminded him, "It's not what you throw, it's where you throw it."
"Mo," Torre said, "is a perfect example of that." ...
"Being a closer is not a cool job. No pitcher wants to be a reliever," he said. Fumbling for an explanation, he settled on, "It's a lot of responsibility," even as the words sounded funny from a player so branded by his cool unflappability. ...
Rivera's not necessarily the cerebral craftsman Mussina is, but Guidry stiffened at Kaat's lumping him along with his relieving brethren under the title "throwers."
"Mo pitches," Guidry said sharply. "He's got a great sense of what's around him and what he needs to do."
"I'm sure you can learn it, but it won't cut like his," Yankee starter Mike Mussina said. Mets closer Billy Wagner said he's watched Rivera's impossibly late-breaking ball so many times and so enviously, he's finally decided, "It's a gift from God." ...
Rivera credits former pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre with helping him control it and Torre said that's what makes knowing what's coming irrelevant. Recalling a conversation he had with Sandy Koufax about Randy Johnson this year, he said Koufax reminded him, "It's not what you throw, it's where you throw it."
"Mo," Torre said, "is a perfect example of that." ...
"Being a closer is not a cool job. No pitcher wants to be a reliever," he said. Fumbling for an explanation, he settled on, "It's a lot of responsibility," even as the words sounded funny from a player so branded by his cool unflappability. ...
Rivera's not necessarily the cerebral craftsman Mussina is, but Guidry stiffened at Kaat's lumping him along with his relieving brethren under the title "throwers."
"Mo pitches," Guidry said sharply. "He's got a great sense of what's around him and what he needs to do."
Posted by: James
For all you prospect hounds, some very good news - Christian Garcia is (finally) pitching again! He pitched one inning for the GCL Yankees yesterday and struck out the side.
This is the first appearance for Garcia this year as he has struggled with injuries, specifically a strained oblique, though I assume something else must have come up for him to be out this long. He was supposed to start the year at single-A Tampa (alongside Phil Hughes) but the aforementioned injuries have held him back until now. Expect him to be watched very carefully and kept on pretty strict pitch counts as he works up his arm strength. Hopefully, he can make log some meaningful innings this year so that the Yanks can get a better feel for where he currently stands.
For those of you who don't know much about Christian Garcia, here's a little recap. A former catcher (he only started pitching senior year of high school), he was a 3rd-round draft pick in 2004 (same year as Hughes (yeah!) and Poterson (boo!)) and his stuff has often been described as electric. He throws a 4-seamer that sits in the 92-95 mph range (though he cranked it up higher towards the end of last year) and might even add a couple of ticks as he gets older and adds a little weight (turns 21 in a month and a half and is listed at 6'4" 175 lbs.). His repertoire also includes a very good (some say major-league ready) knuckle-curve, an average-at-best change-up and a splitter.
Because he hasn't been pitching very long, he's still very raw on the mound (i.e. he's not a pitcher yet) and sometimes get rattled and loses command of his pitches. Still, when he does have his pitches working for him, he has been near un-hittable. That, combined with pretty good reports from most scouts and "good projectability" gives him one of the highest ceilings in the Yankee system. In fact, you could make the argument that he slots in right behind Hughes in that respect. Still, before you get too much more excited, let's just be happy that he's back and healthy and hope that he pitches very well for the rest of the year.
This is the first appearance for Garcia this year as he has struggled with injuries, specifically a strained oblique, though I assume something else must have come up for him to be out this long. He was supposed to start the year at single-A Tampa (alongside Phil Hughes) but the aforementioned injuries have held him back until now. Expect him to be watched very carefully and kept on pretty strict pitch counts as he works up his arm strength. Hopefully, he can make log some meaningful innings this year so that the Yanks can get a better feel for where he currently stands.
For those of you who don't know much about Christian Garcia, here's a little recap. A former catcher (he only started pitching senior year of high school), he was a 3rd-round draft pick in 2004 (same year as Hughes (yeah!) and Poterson (boo!)) and his stuff has often been described as electric. He throws a 4-seamer that sits in the 92-95 mph range (though he cranked it up higher towards the end of last year) and might even add a couple of ticks as he gets older and adds a little weight (turns 21 in a month and a half and is listed at 6'4" 175 lbs.). His repertoire also includes a very good (some say major-league ready) knuckle-curve, an average-at-best change-up and a splitter.
Because he hasn't been pitching very long, he's still very raw on the mound (i.e. he's not a pitcher yet) and sometimes get rattled and loses command of his pitches. Still, when he does have his pitches working for him, he has been near un-hittable. That, combined with pretty good reports from most scouts and "good projectability" gives him one of the highest ceilings in the Yankee system. In fact, you could make the argument that he slots in right behind Hughes in that respect. Still, before you get too much more excited, let's just be happy that he's back and healthy and hope that he pitches very well for the rest of the year.
07/12: Time to Throw in the Towel
Posted by: Seamus
An excerpt from ESPN columnist Eric Neel's recent column:
Ugh, I just hate it when these guys give away the ending! I think if YES wasn't on basic cable here I'd have to cancel my subscription for the remainder of the year.
Shouldn't all those negatives that Neel brought up be reasons why the Yankees SHOULD be in it towards the end? I mean isn't the fact that "Shawn Chacon v1.0" has only gotten us three games behind the Red Sox kind of a positive? Isn't he basically saying that we just saw the worst of the Yankees the first half of this year, and at three are three games out they are basically finished?
Not to mention the Yankees were in much worse shape last year at this point and I do believe at some point in August they were still 5 or 6 games behind Boston. Anyone smell another Dan Shaughnessy?
But, beyond the fact that their familiarity should breed our contempt is the fact that the Yanks just won't be in it come crunch time this fall. Kudos to them for hanging in there through all the injuries so far this year; they've played the underdog so well even Jim Caple kind of likes them now (just kidding, Jim; I know that's sacrilege in your house).
The offense is strong, as always, even without Sheffield and Matsui. But after Mike Mussina, the pitching staff is full of question marks. Shawn Chacon has reverted to Version 1.0. There is no Aaron Small, literally and figuratively speaking. And Randy Johnson just isn't scaring anyone these days. The stuff is still fast, but it's flat, hittable, almost inviting. I was in Yankee Stadium 10 days ago and I saw Eli Marrero, Eli Marrero, take the man deep with two outs in the sixth … I'm not making this up.
The offense is strong, as always, even without Sheffield and Matsui. But after Mike Mussina, the pitching staff is full of question marks. Shawn Chacon has reverted to Version 1.0. There is no Aaron Small, literally and figuratively speaking. And Randy Johnson just isn't scaring anyone these days. The stuff is still fast, but it's flat, hittable, almost inviting. I was in Yankee Stadium 10 days ago and I saw Eli Marrero, Eli Marrero, take the man deep with two outs in the sixth … I'm not making this up.
Ugh, I just hate it when these guys give away the ending! I think if YES wasn't on basic cable here I'd have to cancel my subscription for the remainder of the year.
Shouldn't all those negatives that Neel brought up be reasons why the Yankees SHOULD be in it towards the end? I mean isn't the fact that "Shawn Chacon v1.0" has only gotten us three games behind the Red Sox kind of a positive? Isn't he basically saying that we just saw the worst of the Yankees the first half of this year, and at three are three games out they are basically finished?
Not to mention the Yankees were in much worse shape last year at this point and I do believe at some point in August they were still 5 or 6 games behind Boston. Anyone smell another Dan Shaughnessy?
07/12: I Tell Ya, I Get No Respect!
Posted by: James
Over at Milb.com, they do a little feature every week wrapping up the various leagues and throwing out little notes on who's hot or not. Here's the best part from the Eastern League notes:
Are you serious? Tyler Clippard? As in...the guy who just won the Eastern League pitcher of the Week award? The same Clippard who has won the award 2 out of the last 3 weeks (pile-driving his ERA from 5.69 to its current 4.17)? Wow.
I know, I know - I have a little bit of a prospect-crush on Clippard so I'm biased. I can't help it - I don't mind rooting for the underdog and there are a lot of people out there that question whether or not Clippard can continue his success (both at higher levels of the minors and the big leagues). I think a lot of the concern that come up about Clippard are noted by Bryan Smith over at the great Baseball Analysts (this was before Clippard's turn-aroud and I would strongly suggest reading the comments of the article):
Well, he's certainly done a whole heck of a lot better since that write-up and hopefully, he can keep this streak going. I'm hoping for a good rest of the season and a possible starting spot at AAA Columbus next year. Then, theoretically, you would have White, Hughes, Clippard and perhaps Karstens at AAA to start the year and perhaps offer up pitching help later in the season.
WHO'S NOT: RHP Tyler Clippard is tied for the league lead in losses with 10. In 17 starts, he is 4-10 with a 4.29 ERA.
Are you serious? Tyler Clippard? As in...the guy who just won the Eastern League pitcher of the Week award? The same Clippard who has won the award 2 out of the last 3 weeks (pile-driving his ERA from 5.69 to its current 4.17)? Wow.
I know, I know - I have a little bit of a prospect-crush on Clippard so I'm biased. I can't help it - I don't mind rooting for the underdog and there are a lot of people out there that question whether or not Clippard can continue his success (both at higher levels of the minors and the big leagues). I think a lot of the concern that come up about Clippard are noted by Bryan Smith over at the great Baseball Analysts (this was before Clippard's turn-aroud and I would strongly suggest reading the comments of the article):
Things have been a struggle for Clippard this season, his ERA higher than his hit rate suggests that it should be. The reason, as we have learned from the Hardball Times extensive coverage on the batted ball, is that EL hitters are likely hitting the ball very hard. We always knew that Clippard had a good curveball, a pitch that has always been enough to garner a good amount of strikeouts. We knew he always had good control, lending to positive walk rates for much of his career. Put those together, and many people thought you had the start of a pitching prospect.
But it's hard to be truly successful without a fastball. Clippard is a solid young pitcher, and his good control helps, but there just isn't enough juice on the fastball. It is going to, consistently, get hit hard. Add in the fact that a curveball-happy pitcher tends to hang a lot of pitches, and Clippard's future doesn't shine so bright. Like Duncan, you can bet Clippard won't be the most sought after Yankee prospect this July.
But it's hard to be truly successful without a fastball. Clippard is a solid young pitcher, and his good control helps, but there just isn't enough juice on the fastball. It is going to, consistently, get hit hard. Add in the fact that a curveball-happy pitcher tends to hang a lot of pitches, and Clippard's future doesn't shine so bright. Like Duncan, you can bet Clippard won't be the most sought after Yankee prospect this July.
Well, he's certainly done a whole heck of a lot better since that write-up and hopefully, he can keep this streak going. I'm hoping for a good rest of the season and a possible starting spot at AAA Columbus next year. Then, theoretically, you would have White, Hughes, Clippard and perhaps Karstens at AAA to start the year and perhaps offer up pitching help later in the season.
07/12: Yankees at the All-Star Game
Posted by: Patrick
Both Jeter and A-Rod combined for an 0 for 5 night, although Jeter did help turn 2 double plays. The most impressive Yankee performance came from Mo, who entered in the bottom of the 9th after Michael Young hit a 2 run triple to put the American Leaguers ahead 3-2.
Freddy Sanchez grounded out to Jose Lopez for the first out. Carlos Beltran was up next, hitting it again to Lopez, who couldn't handle it. E5. Home Run Derby champ Ryan Howard was up next and Mo got him to ground to Michael Young at second, who threw to first for the out, allowing Beltran to advance to second. Man on second, 2 outs for Carlos Lee. Mo got him to pop up to end it, giving him his third all-star game save, tying Dennis Eckersley for the record.
Check out these:
LOL. I love that. "I've been doing this for years."
Via Alex.
Freddy Sanchez grounded out to Jose Lopez for the first out. Carlos Beltran was up next, hitting it again to Lopez, who couldn't handle it. E5. Home Run Derby champ Ryan Howard was up next and Mo got him to ground to Michael Young at second, who threw to first for the out, allowing Beltran to advance to second. Man on second, 2 outs for Carlos Lee. Mo got him to pop up to end it, giving him his third all-star game save, tying Dennis Eckersley for the record.
Check out these:
[Rivera] said he appreciates what Papelbon ... has done in Boston. Longevity is the hardest part, Rivera said, adding that, "I've been doing this for years." ...
But Rivera's abilities are only part of the reason he is revered. Rangers shortstop Michael Young remembers last year's All-Star Game in Detroit, when he was sitting in the dugout with Rivera next to him. A moment later, Gary Sheffield came up to Young.
"Sheff goes, 'That's a legend right there sitting next to you,'" Young said, "and Gary Sheffield is a potential Hall of Famer (yet) he's the one who singles out Mo. Those are the kinds of things that stick out in your mind. ... (Rivera) might be the most respected player in the league." ...
Alex Rodriguez shrugged when asked about Guillen tapping Rivera ahead of the other closers to handle the ninth inning tonight, as if it was obvious.
"If my life depended on it - if my daughter's life depended on it - I'd want Mariano Rivera closing," A-Rod said. "Wouldn't you?"
But Rivera's abilities are only part of the reason he is revered. Rangers shortstop Michael Young remembers last year's All-Star Game in Detroit, when he was sitting in the dugout with Rivera next to him. A moment later, Gary Sheffield came up to Young.
"Sheff goes, 'That's a legend right there sitting next to you,'" Young said, "and Gary Sheffield is a potential Hall of Famer (yet) he's the one who singles out Mo. Those are the kinds of things that stick out in your mind. ... (Rivera) might be the most respected player in the league." ...
Alex Rodriguez shrugged when asked about Guillen tapping Rivera ahead of the other closers to handle the ninth inning tonight, as if it was obvious.
"If my life depended on it - if my daughter's life depended on it - I'd want Mariano Rivera closing," A-Rod said. "Wouldn't you?"
LOL. I love that. "I've been doing this for years."
When Michael Young's two-run triple gave the AL a one-run lead in the top of the ninth, it was time for Rivera to reward Guillen for his decision.
"I was honored by that," Rivera said. "We have a lot of young guys here, but he used me -- the old man."
"I was honored by that," Rivera said. "We have a lot of young guys here, but he used me -- the old man."
Via Alex.
Posted by: James
Over at WasWatching.com, Steve L. put up a post about a week ago where he disputed the notion that Derek Jeter’s power numbers were down from previous years. He didn't buy it so he showed that overall, Jeter’s slugging (.470) and isolated power, ISO = SLG - BA, (.121) are actually in line with production from his recent seasons.
A little while later, Benjamin Kabak over at Off The Façade looked a little closer at the numbers and correctly pointed out that looking at the overall numbers was misleading.
Still, both Steve and Ben, while answering their own questions, left me with one of my own; if Jeter's power is down, has it been his injured thumb that's been the culprit? Well, to answer the question, let's take a look at some data (woo hoo!).
First off, it's important to remember just how good Jeter's April numbers were. He lit up the league to the tune of .396/.505/.637/1.142 with 3 HRs and 20 RBI and was driving everything in sight (9 2Bs and 3 3Bs for a total of 15 XBHs). Now, I couldn't remember the exact day that Jeter went down due to the hand injury but looking at the numbers, I would have assumed it was May due to the drop-off in numbers (.292/.360/.372/.732 with 2 HRs and 3 2Bs). Well, it turns out that I was wrong. It was June 4th that Rodrigo Lopez hit Jeter in the right hand with a pitch (later diagnosed as a bruised thumb) so Jeter pulled off that May power-outage on his own. In fact, his overall numbers after the injury are actually better than what he put up before the injury (not including his torrid April). From May 1 to the game where he got hit, Jeter put up a line of .306/.381/.387/.768 (.081 ISO) with 4 2Bs and 2 HRs in 30 Games and 124 ABs. Since he came back, it's been .345/.411/.398/.809 (.053 ISO) with 6 2Bs and no HRs in 28 games (113 ABs). If we give him the first two games back to get acclimated and take them out of the equation, the line becomes .371/.429/.429/.857 (.058 ISO) with the same XBH total in 26 games and 105 ABs.
Well, those are the numbers and you can take away what you want. The thumb doesn't seem to be bothering him in terms of actually getting the bat on the ball as he's been hitting real well after coming back. However, it does look like it's affected his power, even if it's only a little bit. Here's my take, and you can take this with a pitcher of salt; after a hot April, Jeter "slumped" in May and rebounded in June and July. However, as he started getting hot again, lingering problems with his thumb haven't allowed him to drive the ball as he normally would be able to. Still, there's still a good half-season left so who knows what the next few months can bring? Jeter could very easily go on another tear like he did in April and even if he doesn't, there aren't many teams out there who have shortstops who are hitting .345 with a .422 OBP.
A little while later, Benjamin Kabak over at Off The Façade looked a little closer at the numbers and correctly pointed out that looking at the overall numbers was misleading.
While Steve’s analysis is correct in noting that Derek’s cumulative power numbers this season are in line with his numbers of years gone by, that is simply because he got off to a torrid start. During this so-called power outage, Derek’s power numbers are definitely down, and if the power outage lasts long enough, his season numbers will slide further as well. Remember: On May 16, Jeter’s slugging was .548 and his ISO power was .199. (.462 SLG and .117 ISO as of 7/11/06).
Still, both Steve and Ben, while answering their own questions, left me with one of my own; if Jeter's power is down, has it been his injured thumb that's been the culprit? Well, to answer the question, let's take a look at some data (woo hoo!).
First off, it's important to remember just how good Jeter's April numbers were. He lit up the league to the tune of .396/.505/.637/1.142 with 3 HRs and 20 RBI and was driving everything in sight (9 2Bs and 3 3Bs for a total of 15 XBHs). Now, I couldn't remember the exact day that Jeter went down due to the hand injury but looking at the numbers, I would have assumed it was May due to the drop-off in numbers (.292/.360/.372/.732 with 2 HRs and 3 2Bs). Well, it turns out that I was wrong. It was June 4th that Rodrigo Lopez hit Jeter in the right hand with a pitch (later diagnosed as a bruised thumb) so Jeter pulled off that May power-outage on his own. In fact, his overall numbers after the injury are actually better than what he put up before the injury (not including his torrid April). From May 1 to the game where he got hit, Jeter put up a line of .306/.381/.387/.768 (.081 ISO) with 4 2Bs and 2 HRs in 30 Games and 124 ABs. Since he came back, it's been .345/.411/.398/.809 (.053 ISO) with 6 2Bs and no HRs in 28 games (113 ABs). If we give him the first two games back to get acclimated and take them out of the equation, the line becomes .371/.429/.429/.857 (.058 ISO) with the same XBH total in 26 games and 105 ABs.
Well, those are the numbers and you can take away what you want. The thumb doesn't seem to be bothering him in terms of actually getting the bat on the ball as he's been hitting real well after coming back. However, it does look like it's affected his power, even if it's only a little bit. Here's my take, and you can take this with a pitcher of salt; after a hot April, Jeter "slumped" in May and rebounded in June and July. However, as he started getting hot again, lingering problems with his thumb haven't allowed him to drive the ball as he normally would be able to. Still, there's still a good half-season left so who knows what the next few months can bring? Jeter could very easily go on another tear like he did in April and even if he doesn't, there aren't many teams out there who have shortstops who are hitting .345 with a .422 OBP.
07/10: Fixing The Yanks
Posted by: James
Update: Lirano is in! He will be taking the place of Jose Contreras, who pitched on Sunday.
I begged, I pleaded, I voted...but somehow Francisco Liriano, who didn't make his first start until May 19th, 42 games into the season, and among AL pitchers, ranks 1st in ERA (1.83), 1st in WHIP, (0.97), 2nd in WPct (.909), 2nd in BAA (.201), 6th in SO (102) and ranks 10th in W (10), just didn't make the roster for the AL. I'm not touching Mark Redman but to me, Mike Mussina clearly has better numbers than Mark Buerhle and Francisco Liriano's numbers are clearly better than Mussina's! Ahh - Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Does not compute!
This can only be avenged in one situation. Liriano must get the ball as often as possible in the 12 games the Twins have left against the White Sox...and in those starts, I'd like to see shut outs (of course, this would help the Yanks in the WC chase as well so perhaps this is a little selfish on my part).
Anyway, because of this, my already tepid interest in the All-Star game is down to practically none so in a search for something baseball related to think about, I wanted to throw this back out there. WasWatching.com had a post recently detailing the Yankee problems, which Steve defined as:
Now, it's been 5 days since then (and Melky has picked it up a little, Phillips continues to struggle and Jaret Wright surprised everyone by going 6 innings) but for the most part, the problems remain the same. We are halfway through the season now and if the playoffs started today, the Yankees (3 games back of the Red Sox, 6 games back of the wild-card leading White Sox) would be on the outside looking in. So, the question becomes - what do you do now? Do you make a move or stand pat believing that this team can stay in the race long enough for Matsui and Sheffield to come back? If you make a move, do you go for a big-time star (ex. Abreu), middle of the road (C. Wilson) or scan the waiver wires? And don't forget about the pitching either. First off, I would read Steve's post (it's his usual well-constructed, reasoned writing) and then let me know where the team goes from here.
I begged, I pleaded, I voted...but somehow Francisco Liriano, who didn't make his first start until May 19th, 42 games into the season, and among AL pitchers, ranks 1st in ERA (1.83), 1st in WHIP, (0.97), 2nd in WPct (.909), 2nd in BAA (.201), 6th in SO (102) and ranks 10th in W (10), just didn't make the roster for the AL. I'm not touching Mark Redman but to me, Mike Mussina clearly has better numbers than Mark Buerhle and Francisco Liriano's numbers are clearly better than Mussina's! Ahh - Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Does not compute!
This can only be avenged in one situation. Liriano must get the ball as often as possible in the 12 games the Twins have left against the White Sox...and in those starts, I'd like to see shut outs (of course, this would help the Yanks in the WC chase as well so perhaps this is a little selfish on my part).
Anyway, because of this, my already tepid interest in the All-Star game is down to practically none so in a search for something baseball related to think about, I wanted to throw this back out there. WasWatching.com had a post recently detailing the Yankee problems, which Steve defined as:
1. Offensively, Bubba, Melky, Bernie, and Andy Phillips are not cutting it.
2. On the mound, Jaret Wright and Shawn Chacon are offering very little.
3. Defensively, A-Rod is under-performing at 3B and Bernie is a nightmare in RF.
2. On the mound, Jaret Wright and Shawn Chacon are offering very little.
3. Defensively, A-Rod is under-performing at 3B and Bernie is a nightmare in RF.
Now, it's been 5 days since then (and Melky has picked it up a little, Phillips continues to struggle and Jaret Wright surprised everyone by going 6 innings) but for the most part, the problems remain the same. We are halfway through the season now and if the playoffs started today, the Yankees (3 games back of the Red Sox, 6 games back of the wild-card leading White Sox) would be on the outside looking in. So, the question becomes - what do you do now? Do you make a move or stand pat believing that this team can stay in the race long enough for Matsui and Sheffield to come back? If you make a move, do you go for a big-time star (ex. Abreu), middle of the road (C. Wilson) or scan the waiver wires? And don't forget about the pitching either. First off, I would read Steve's post (it's his usual well-constructed, reasoned writing) and then let me know where the team goes from here.
