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July in the Bronx – The Yankees’ batters

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The New York Yankees went into July in a strong position but during the month they allowed both Tampa Bay Rays and, for a while, Boston Red Sox to close the gap. They addressed some of the problems we’re going to highlight in this review with a group of trades at the end of the month which brought in Lance Berkman, Austin Kearns and Kerry Wood whilst giving up not a lot in return. This has particularly patched the gap left by Nick Johnson’s long and predictable injury. But before all that happened, there was most of the month of July to unfold……

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – July
Name G AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG OBP
Teixeira, Mark 26 96 25 33 26 10 0 8 20 12 0 1 0 .344 .698 .462
Thames, Marcus 9 18 2 6 4 0 0 1 2 6 0 1 0 .333 .500 .381
Swisher, Nick 25 102 20 33 16 10 0 7 10 23 1 0 0 .324 .627 .384
Cano, Robinson 25 98 17 27 18 8 2 6 12 10 0 1 0 .276 .582 .351
Pena, Ramiro 15 26 3 7 3 0 0 0 0 7 1 0 1 .269 .269 .269
Miranda, Juan 10 15 1 4 2 0 0 1 1 4 0 0 0 .267 .467 .313
Granderson, Curtis 26 94 17 25 10 3 2 3 7 21 2 1 2 .266 .436 .314
Rodriguez, Alex 26 105 9 26 31 8 0 5 9 18 0 3 0 .248 .467 .305
Posada, Jorge 21 73 7 18 10 5 0 3 12 18 0 0 0 .247 .438 .360
Jeter, Derek 26 106 22 26 9 4 0 1 10 15 1 0 3 .245 .311 .310
Curtis, Colin 15 34 7 8 4 1 0 1 2 8 0 0 0 .235 .353 .297
Gardner, Brett 25 77 16 17 13 3 0 2 18 19 1 0 6 .221 .338 .375
Cervelli, Francisco 14 42 3 9 2 1 0 0 2 8 2 0 1 .214 .238 .267
Huffman, Chad 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 .000 .000 .250
Russo, Kevin 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
Berkman, Lance 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
894 150 239 148 53 4 38 105 174 8 7 13 .267 .463 .347

Good

Mark Teixeira. Teixeira finally hit his stride in July and produced form which emulated his 2009 season offensively. This year whilst he has been consistently strong in defense, he has just not shown up at the plate. Now all that has begun to change. In July, he led the team in ERA, OBA and Slugging percentage. His 8 home runs were also ahead of the rest whilst his RBI total was second only to A-Rod.

Marcus Thames. Marcus has continued to impress against left-handed pitchers whilst his figures against righties were significantly better in July too. He will continue to be very much a back-up player and in that role 6 hits in 18 at bats will do very nicely indeed.

Nick Swisher. Nick Swisher is another player that has grown beyond recognition since he arrived in New York and this streakiest of players seems to be settling into a nice routine. Going into the season he looked like one of the potential weaknesses in an outfield that was going to over-rely on Granderson. As the season has developed, Swisher has become the guy who is first pencilled in of those in an outfield role. His .324 and increased patience at the plate (we could still use a few more walks from him) were highlights of a strong July.

Ramiro Pena. Pena had his best offensive month of the season and this coincided with Russo being the guy to be sent to the minors when changes were made early in the month. He still has a long, long way to go – no extra base hits and, more alarmingly, no walks on the month – but this was an advance.

Bad

Francisco Cervelli. I think Cervelli is over thinking at the plate and whatever hits he was producing last year and in the early months of the season are drying up fast. This is particularly bad timing for a slump with Posada’s on-going problems meaning that the team must depend on him and .214 on the month with one double simply does not cut it.

Colin Curtis. Curtis lost his back-up spot this month and forced the Yankees into making a move for Kearns and he has no-one to blame but himself. His 8 hits in 34 at-bats simply were too poor to be sustainable as things got tight at the top.

Derek Jeter. Jeter’s worst month at the plate in nearly two seasons in the midst of a season that is all the more noticeable poor because of his heroics in the championship winning season.

Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod’s preoccupation with himself and his tendency to concentrate on his own goals rather than the teams became so obvious with the horrible slump that occurred in the run-up to his 600th home run and ruined his July figures.

Surprises

Brett Gardner. Gardner became the player he was in 2009 in July and consequently, he produced by far his worst month’s figures of 2010. His .221 month means that when Kearns settles in, Gardner will begin to lose playing time.

Juan Miranda. Miranda finally settled into a rhythm in July — which resulted him being reassigned to Scranton. His .267 with one homer didn’t set the world alight but the choice of Berkman – who has never had to play DH – to replace him is an odd one.

Kevin Russo. Like so many other players on the Yankees roster this season a bright start when first called up soon became a gloomy outlook for Russo and whereas he was once getting more playing time than Pena, he now finds his future at Triple-A.

Jorge Posada. Things are not right with Posada. He needs more rest and the fact that he is being used mainly as a DH and that his batting figures are still so poor says everything.

The Yankees in June – The Pitching

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The Yankees’ pitching has not been predictable this season. The performances have certainly not been like they were expected to be pre-season. Joba Chamberlain and A.J. Burnett have failed, so far, to live up to their top billing. But also, the appearances of April have not gelled into full season trends with Javier Vazquez particularly overcoming his early season problems. How did it all look during June?

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – June
Name GP GS GF IP H RA ER BB SO W L Sv ERA OBA
Mitre, Sergio 1 0 1 2.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0.00 .167
Rivera, Mariano 11 0 11 13.0 4 0 0 2 16 2 0 7 0.00 .093
Robertson, David 9 0 2 9.0 8 1 1 4 9 0 0 0 1.00 .250
Sabathia, C.C. 5 5 0 37.0 25 9 9 12 35 5 0 0 2.19 .191
Logan, Boone 4 0 1 7.2 7 2 2 5 7 0 0 0 2.35 .250
Pettitte, Andy 5 5 0 34.0 29 15 12 12 33 2 1 0 3.18 .232
Vazquez, Javier 6 6 0 39.0 26 14 14 12 35 3 2 0 3.23 .187
Chamberlain, Joba 12 0 0 10.2 11 5 5 4 10 0 0 0 4.22 .275
Gaudin, Chad 7 0 6 12.2 12 7 7 7 7 0 1 0 4.97 .267
Hughes, Phil 5 5 0 31.1 37 19 18 8 24 4 1 0 5.17 .303
Park, Chan Ho 9 0 5 11.2 11 7 7 4 11 0 0 0 5.40 .250
Marte, Damaso 8 0 0 5.1 2 4 4 5 3 0 0 0 6.75 .125
Burnett, A.J. 5 5 0 23.0 35 29 29 17 19 0 5 0 11.35 .357
87 26 26 236.1 208 112 108 93 211 16 10 7 4.11 .239

Good

Mariano Rivera. Rivera suffered one or two hiccups in May but his long career show that those occasional problems are nothing more than that and he finds it amazingly easy to get back in the groove. In 11 appearance in June, he only allowed six players to get on base and none of them resulted in runs given up. He continues to astound.

C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia took 5 wins in 5 starts after a largely indifferent start to the season. He is hitting his stride excellently as the season reaches its midpoint and a 20 win season looks well within his reach.

Andy Pettitte. Another solid month for Pettitte who is supposed to be aging and consequently fading. Without last year’s self-inflicted burden on his shoulders, he is looking more intimidating, more confident and simply a better pitcher. True growth isn’t found in pills or serum or injection but in overcoming adversity using those natural God-given resources.

Javier Vazquez. And now Vazquez is giving the Yankees the innings and solid pitching that he has delivered for every other team that he has represented but that he has struggled to match in the Bronx. In June, he kept his OBA below 2 and delivered six and a half innings, on average, each outing. That will do very nicely. Thank you.

Sergio Mitre. Mitre must be truly disappointed to be on the disabled list. That’s always a difficult experience but even more so when everything is coming right for you. His final appearance before the injury was as good as anything he has produced for the Pinstripes.

Bad

A.J. Burnett. Burnett got lost in June but there are already signs that his time in the wilderness might be coming to an end. But June saw him deliver a lousy 11.35 ERA and put more batters per innings on base than any other Yankees pitcher. Let’s hope those better days come thick and fast.

Joba Chamberlain. When he’s good, he’s good. But when he’s bad, he is simply awful. And the bad days are outnumbering the good. They failed to make a starter of him and he isn’t the reliever he was. Sometimes you tamper at your peril.

Chan Ho Park. There was a time when Park was a dominating starter. There was a time when Park was a dominating reliever. At the moment he is not pitching well, his mechanics seem all over the place and he is being hit all over the park.

Chad Gaudin. Having released this guy in Spring Training, I do not understand why we brought him back. Having brought him back when there was a number of injuries around, I don’t understand why he is still around now we have more options. He is ordinary when he is at his best.

Surprises

David Robertson. And in June, the 2009 David Robertson reappeared on the roster of the Bronx Bombers. Only time will tell whether the career of Mr Robertson will be more like this guy or whether the pitcher from the previous two months of this season will return. Certainly, this guy is the better one for the Yankees. He gave up one run and averaged a strikeout per innings. He still allowed too many men to get on base but this was a surprising return to form.

Boone Logan. Logan had a good month in June – which resulted in reassignment and another trip to the minors. The need to make a space on the roster for Dustin Moseley was obviously the core reason for this but Logan does bring something to the roster which will be missed. On the other side of the coin, it could be argued that there were times in June when Logan escaped lightly, having put several men on base but managing to get the final out when in difficult straits. There were also times when he was fortunate that others were able to come in and right the ship for him.

Phil Hughes. Hughes won four games in June – but you don’t have to look far to realise that this was mostly down to a very high level of run support. He may still be winning but he is not pitching as well as he was earlier in the year.

The Yankees in June – the batters

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The Yankees had a mixed month in June. Overall, they were very good but they had a couple of dry spells when the bats fell silent and they lost games that, on paper, they should have won. The month finished with 16 wins and 10 losses and with the usual mix of strong performances and under-achievers. Here’s our monthly survey, beginning with the batters:

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – June
Name G AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG OBP
Gardner, Brett 21 60 13 23 7 2 2 1 9 12 0 1 6 .383 .533 .472
Curtis, Colin 7 9 0 3 4 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 .333 .556 .400
Cano, Robinson 26 102 19 34 13 6 0 4 9 11 0 0 0 .333 .510 .398
Teixeira, Mark 26 100 19 25 14 6 0 5 13 20 0 0 0 .250 .460 .353
Pettitte, Andy 5 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 .250 .250 .250
Rodriguez, Alex 22 82 12 20 13 6 0 4 8 13 0 1 0 .244 .463 .308
Jeter, Derek 25 103 18 25 8 5 0 3 15 18 0 0 3 .243 .379 .339
Swisher, Nick 26 104 13 25 19 5 1 4 13 22 0 2 0 .240 .423 .319
Granderson, Curtis 26 92 13 22 15 3 1 5 8 25 0 1 2 .239 .457 .297
Posada, Jorge 24 74 10 15 14 2 0 3 14 23 0 2 0 .203 .351 .337
Moeller, Chad 2 5 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 .200 .400 .333
Huffman, Chad 8 15 0 3 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 .200 .200 .294
Cervelli, Francisco 21 61 4 11 6 2 1 0 6 9 1 0 0 .180 .246 .275
Pena, Ramiro 14 22 0 3 2 0 0 0 2 4 1 0 0 .136 .136 .240
Russo, Kevin 13 23 1 3 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 0 1 .130 .130 .231
Thames, Marcus 7 14 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 .071 .071 .133
Miranda, Juan 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
Rivera, Mariano 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
Vazquez, Javier 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 – – 1.000
Burnett, A.J. 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 .000 .000 .000
Sabathia, C.C. 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
877 124 215 117 40 5 29 106 174 6 7 12 .245 .401 .333

Good

Brett Gardner. Some where in the close season, someone kidnapped Brett Gardner and replaced him with the guy we’re seeing this season. Still a pest and a nuisance on the basepaths, this guy is now hitting in a much more accomplished way and has raised his average phenomenally. He should be the first guy written into the outfield line up on current form and achieved a .383 BA and a .533 slugging percentage during June.

Robinson Cano. Cano is the American League’s starting second baseman in the All-Star game and frankly it could be no other way. June was probably his weakest month of the season so far. He ONLY batted .333 with 4 home runs.

Mark Teixeira. Teixeira led the Yankees in extra base hits in June. He is still far short of his MVP-like performance in 2009 but his 6 doubles and 5 homers were a significant step in the right direction.

Colin Curtis. Brought in to cover the gap on the bench left by Marcus Thames’ injury, it didn’t take long for Curtis to jump ahead of Chad Huffman in the management’s thoughts on who is the longterm replacement there for the released Randy Winn. Curtis will see limited action but has been effective when called upon.

Bad

Marcus Thames. Thames started the season in very convincing fashion. Injuries meant that he couldn’t be limited to being used against left-handed pitchers and then he was injured himself. An .071 month in 14 at-bats followed by 2 weeks on the disabled list made for a shocking month for Thames.

Kevin Russo. Both Russo and Pena proved that there use as a defensive substitution and late innings replacement is messing with their batting mechanics. Solid defensively, it is hard to see who was the worst at the plate.

Ramiro Pena. See Kevin Russo.

Francisco Cervelli. Like the aforementioned Russo and Pena, Cervelli had a difficult month as a batter. The difference for Cervelli was that, during June, he was the team’s most called upon catcher. Those pundits who said he couldn’t bat are going to be mumbling again unless he break out of this nosedive.

Surprises

Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez is seeing an end to his power outage (perhaps) but he is still not getting on base nearly often enough. 10 extra base hits but only .244 on the month.

Derek Jeter. Jeter proved himself all over again in 2009 but his 2010 figures are shown a marked slide offensively which detracts from his continued defensive rebirth. Maybe his appearance in the All-Star game will be his springboard to a big second half.

Jorge Posada. Posada recovered from injury more quickly than I expected but his batting performance did not come back with the physical presence. The continued absence of Johnson means that even when not called upon to catch, Posada is uppermost in Girardi’s mind for DH time. On current performances, he could do without that work.

Chad Huffman. Huffman was a disappointment from the get-go. He has no power, isn’t hitting for much of an average. This is what happens when we pick up the castoff scraps from under other franchises’ tables.

The Yankees in May – The Batters

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May was a month when the Yankees had to deal with a lot of injuries and in which the comfortable lead they had achieved in April gradually disappeared resulting in the Tampa Bay Rays passing them at the head of the division. Given the extent of their injuries, they had a reasonable month. Here are the players who were at the heart of it:

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April in the Bronx – the Yankees at bat

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In 2009, the New York Yankees won the world series. In 2009, April was a horrible month for the New York Yankees.

By contrast, 2010 has seen the Yankees have an exceptional April. Will they maintain the level of performance and have another 100+ game winning season? If they can steer clear of major injuries all the evidence suggests they will.

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New York Yankees – The Bombers in October / November. Part 4 of 4

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If the Yankees were to win the World Series or even get there, they were going to have to rely heavily on their starting rotation. The problem was that by the time of the ALCS, the Yankees effectively had a three-man rotation. Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte and…………..
This meant that those three guys could not slip up and Rivera had to be as solid as ever and some how or other they had to keep a tight bridge in the late innings before they got to Mo. It couldn’t happen could it…… A round of applause for the Yankees’ pitching.

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – October (American League Championship Series)
Name GP GS GF IP H RA ER BB SO W L Sv ERA OBA
Marte, Damaso 3 0 0 1.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000
Coke, Phil 2 0 0 0.2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 .500
Robertson, David 2 0 1 2.0 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0.00 .143
Gaudin, Chad 1 0 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000
Sabathia, CC 2 2 0 16.0 9 2 2 3 12 2 0 0 1.13 .161
Rivera, Mariano 5 0 3 7.0 3 1 1 2 4 0 0 2 1.29 .125
Pettitte, Andy 2 2 0 12.2 14 4 4 2 8 1 0 0 2.84 .298
Hughes, Phil 3 0 0 2.2 4 1 1 1 3 0 1 0 3.38 .308
Chamberlain, Joba 4 0 0 1.2 5 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 5.40 .556
Burnett, AJ 2 2 0 12.1 11 8 8 5 7 0 0 0 5.84 .234
Aceves, Alfredo 2 0 1 1.1 3 2 2 2 0 0 1 0 13.50 .600
28 6 6 58.2 51 19 19 18 38 4 2 2 2.91 .236
New York Yankees – Pitching (World Series)
Name GP GS GF IP H RA ER BB SO W L Sv ERA OBA
Marte, Damaso 4 0 0 2.2 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0.00 .000
Rivera, Mariano 4 0 4 5.1 3 0 0 2 3 0 0 2 0.00 .167
Robertson, David 2 0 0 2.1 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0.00 .222
Aceves, Alfredo 1 0 0 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.00 .143
Chamberlain, Joba 3 0 0 3.0 2 1 1 1 4 1 0 0 3.00 .182
Sabathia, CC 2 2 0 13.2 11 5 5 6 12 0 1 0 3.29 .216
Pettitte, Andy 2 2 0 11.2 9 7 7 8 10 2 0 0 5.40 .225
Burnett, AJ 2 2 0 9.0 8 7 7 6 11 1 1 0 7.00 .235
Coke, Phil 2 0 1 1.1 3 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 13.50 .500
Hughes, Phil 3 0 1 1.2 2 3 3 2 1 0 0 0 16.20 .333
Bruney, Brian 1 0 0 0.1 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 54.00 .750
26 6 6 53.0 44 27 27 26 50 4 2 2 4.58 .227


Positives

David Robertson. Robertson is beginning to impress as a reliever and can be an important part of the Yankees’ bullpen in 2010. He had some injuries to contend with during the latter part of the season but again in the ALCS and WS, he was everything he could have been.

CC Sabathia. Sabathia was great in the American League Championship Series and then so-so in the World Series. He averaged 8 innings a game in the ALCS and earned the win in both games. In the World Series, he was not as strong but still came out with a better ERA than his two fellow starters.

Mariano Rivera. Rivera was seldom called on to pitch more than one innings during the regular series. In the post-season as confidence in Hughes and Chamberlain was at its lowest, Rivera was pressed into pitching 7 innings in 5 appearances in the ALCS and 5.1 in 4 appearances in the World Series. He earned 4 saves and achieved a miniscule ERA. One day he will retire and what will poor Yankees do then…..?

Andy Pettitte. Andy was not everything he could have been in the last two sections of the season but he did enough. He took 3 wins in 4 starts and the other game was a no decision. That’ll do.

Negatives

AJ Burnett. Burnett wasn’t as good as he needed to be in the Championship Series and World Series but somehow he managed to finish with only one loss. We couldn’t really afford this with only 3 starters but somehow we got away with it.

Phil Hughes. Hughes really needed to bounce back after the American League Division series and truth be told, he did a little better in the ALCS but close examination of the video and the statistics suggests he was lucky and his performance in the World Series confirmed this.
His OBP didn’t rise a lot but his ERA ballooned to over 16. Will the real Phil Hughes please stand up?

Brian Bruney. A mixed season saw Bruney left off the ALDS and ALCS rosters only to be recalled for the World Series. He made one appearance. He got one out and gave up 3 hits and two runs. Last chance gone.

Surprises

Damaso Marte. 7 appearances, 4 innings, no hits, no runs, no walks. There were times this season when Marte looked like he was at the end of his time with the Yankees. His work for them in 2008 had not matched his C.V. and when he was fit in 2009, he was uneven and inconsistent at best but when it really mattered he came up with the goods. We would however like a whole season of these kind of performances.

Alfredo Aceves. Aceves was disappointing in the Championship Series but bounced back in the World Series where his 2 innings in one appearance was virtually spotless…… as did…….

Joba Chamberlain with 3 innings in 3 appearances which was more important for what it wasn’t than what it was. It wasn’t a performance to match Marte but it was so much better than Chamberlain had been for several weeks and that gives hope for the future.

New York Yankees – The Bombers in October / November. Part 3 of 4

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The Yankees’ bats badly needed to recover if they were to continue the winning streak they had begun against the Twins. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim looked far more formidable opponents not least their outfield which had been partially imported from the New York Yankees where Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera would no doubt make their presence felt. As it worked out, the batting lineup did just that against LA before hitting a partial lull against the Phillies in the Fall Classic.

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – October (AL Championship Series)
Name G AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG OBP
Gardner, Brett 6 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .667 .667 .667
Hairston Jr., Jerry 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .500 .500 .500
Rodriguez, Alex 6 21 6 9 6 2 0 3 8 3 0 1 1 .429 .952 .567
Cabrera, Melky 6 23 3 9 4 2 0 0 3 6 2 0 0 .391 .478 .462
Molina, Jose 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333
Damon, Johnny 6 30 4 9 5 1 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 .300 .533 .323
Cano, Robinson 6 23 4 6 4 1 2 0 4 3 0 0 0 .261 .478 .414
Jeter, Derek 6 27 5 7 2 0 0 2 6 5 0 0 0 .259 .481 .394
Matsui, Hideki 6 21 1 5 3 1 0 0 5 4 0 0 0 .238 .286 .385
Teixeira, Mark 6 27 2 6 4 1 0 0 3 8 0 1 0 .222 .259 .290
Posada, Jorge 6 20 3 4 1 1 0 1 5 5 0 0 1 .200 .400 .360
Swisher, Nick 6 20 2 3 0 0 0 0 3 7 1 0 0 .150 .150 .292
Cervelli, Francisco 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
Guzman, Freddy 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
222 33 62 29 9 2 8 38 47 4 2 2 .279 .446 .389

New York Yankees – Batting (World Series)
Name G AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SB BA SLG OBP
Matsui, Hideki 6 13 3 8 8 1 0 3 1 3 0 .615 1.385 .643
Jeter, Derek 6 27 5 11 1 3 0 0 1 6 0 .407 .519 .429
Damon, Johnny 6 22 6 8 4 2 0 0 3 3 3 .364 .455 .440
Pettitte, Andy 2 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .333 .333 .333
Posada, Jorge 6 19 1 5 5 1 0 0 2 7 0 .263 .316 .318
Rodriguez, Alex 6 20 5 5 6 3 0 1 3 8 1 .250 .550 .423
Hairston Jr., Jerry 3 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .167 .167 .167
Cabrera, Melky 4 13 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 .154 .154 .154
Teixeira, Mark 6 22 5 3 3 1 0 1 2 8 0 .136 .318 .296
Cano, Robinson 6 22 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 .136 .136 .130
Swisher, Nick 5 15 3 2 1 1 0 1 4 4 0 .133 .400 .316
Gardner, Brett 5 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 .000 .000 .000
Molina, Jose 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 .000 .333
Burnett, AJ 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .000 .000
Sabathia, CC 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .000 .000 .000
Hinske, Eric 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 – – 1.000
198 32 49 30 12 0 6 18 56 4 .247 .399 .326

Positives

Hideki Matsui. Whilst it was a trifle generous to make Matsui World Series MVP – perhaps Jeter with twice as many at-bats and a strong performance in the field might have been a more logical choice – there is no question that after a quiet Division series and Championship series, his bat suddenly came to life. He contributed 4 extra base hits including three home runs. I still think this might have been a good point for him to retire and go out on a high but we will see what next season brings.

Derek Jeter. An indifferent series against the Angels gave way to a strong performance against the Phillies which made Jeter the most likely Yankee in the considerations for the AL MVP. After Matsui and A-Rod, he was even third in slugging during the World Series bringing a grand culmination to a truly impressive season.

Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod was outstanding in the ALCS and added a home run in a quieter World Series. He has silenced his critics who looked askance at his post-season stats prior to this year. He is still open to criticism in a whole host of other areas but one apparent flaw is dealt with.

Johnny Damon. After a quiet series against the Twins, Damon came up with the goods throughout the rest of the way. Two home runs against the Angels and then a .440 OBP against the Phillies were amongst the highlights here and are strong reasons whilst the Yankees are still unable to shake the notion that they might pay the money and bring him back for 2010.

Melky Cabrera. Cabrera had a great series against the Angels. Injuring himself during the series against the Phillies means that we will never know if he could have continued this in the World Series and what difference that might have made to his future with the Yankees. His .462 OBP and 9 hits against the Angels ought to have been argument enough to keep him as a desired member of the staff for next year.

Negatives

Mark Teixeira. Teixeira didn’t bounce back after a poor series agains the Twins – in fact, if anything his struggles became worse. .222 and .136 with 1 home run was not the form he delivered for the majority of the regular season and the question mark about post-season performance which hung around Rodriguez for so long will now pass to him.

Freddy Guzman. The only reason to carry Guzman on the ALCS roster was because Girardi was going to make him run. Consequently, the Angels were ready for him and the move negated itself. He’s a one trick pony who should have been left at home.

Nick Swisher. Swisher was another who did not rebound after a weak ALDS. His World Series performance was a little better in that he produced some power but as much as it is difficult not to like the guy and wish him well, it is hard to understand why the Yankees seem so set on him as the everyday right fielder next year.

Surprises

Brett Gardner. Gardner doesn’t take his chances. He began the season with Girardi describing him as the everyday centrefielder. He played his way out of that one and handed it back to Melky. He had a strong ALCS and when Cabrera got injured he had every opportunity to take the position by the scruff of the neck and at least make a memorable contribution that would stick in the management’s thoughts. It didn’t happen.

Jerry Hairston. Hairston produced .250 across the two series in what was not an easy role. He has been some distance ahead of Hinske as someone to bring off the bench since the two of them arrived

Andy Pettitte. Way to go, Pettitte, for being the only pitcher to produce a hit during the games in Philadelphia and for managing to turn it in to a run!

New York Yankees – The Bombers in October / November. Part 1 of 4

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The Yankees last few games of the regular season were ones to be got through and hope for a minimum of injuries. The Division Series is tricky simply because being only five games long, it can be argued that the team who have had to play right down to the wire to qualify quite often go into game 1 with the highest level of momentum. However, this year despite the Yankees bats falling quiet , there were to be no upsets and the Twins were seen off in three games.

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – October (Regular Season)
Name G AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG OBP
Pena, Ramiro 3 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500 .500
Rodriguez, Alex 2 7 2 3 7 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 .429 1.286 .429
Damon, Johnny 2 8 1 3 3 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 .375 .625 .375
Cabrera, Melky 2 6 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333
Miranda, Juan 3 3 2 1 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 .333 1.333 .333
Gardner, Brett 3 7 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 .286 .286 .375
Hairston Jr., Jerry 3 7 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286 .286 .444
Jeter, Derek 2 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .286 .286 .286
Molina, Jose 2 8 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 .250 .375 .250
Guzman, Freddy 3 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .250 .250 .250
Cano, Robinson 3 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .222 .222 .222
Matsui, Hideki 2 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .167 .167 .167
Teixeira, Mark 3 6 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 .167 .167 .444
Hinske, Eric 3 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 .167 .167 .286
Posada, Jorge 2 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .143 .143 .143
Swisher, Nick 3 7 2 1 0 1 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 .143 .286 .455
Duncan, Shelley 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
Cervelli, Francisco 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
106 17 27 16 4 0 3 8 23 0 0 4 .255 .377 .325

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – October (American League Division Series)
Name G AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG OBP
Rodriguez, Alex 3 11 4 5 6 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 .455 1.000 .500
Jeter, Derek 3 10 4 4 2 2 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 .400 .900 .538
Posada, Jorge 3 11 1 4 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 .364 .636 .364
Matsui, Hideki 3 9 1 2 2 0 0 1 3 3 0 0 0 .222 .556 .417
Cabrera, Melky 3 12 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 .167 .167 .167
Cano, Robinson 3 12 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .167 .167 .167
Teixeira, Mark 3 12 3 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 .167 .417 .231
Damon, Johnny 3 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 .083 .083 .154
Swisher, Nick 3 12 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 .083 .167 .083
Molina, Jose 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
102 15 23 15 3 0 6 9 22 0 0 0 .225 .431 .288


Positives

Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez has hardly had the easiest season although much of the damage has been self-inflicted in one way or another. It also needs to be noted that of all the Yankees’ big names, he is the one who has most often fallen flat when it comes to these big occasions. How delightful then to see him hitting for average in games 160, 161 and 162 when the outcome didn’t matter and adding some much needed power when the ALDS came along.

Derek Jeter. Jeter, on the other hand, has been just what the sport needed all season. A great sportsman who produces consistently and is concerned about character and appearance. 2 doubles, 1 home run, 3 walks. As the Yankees had to scratch out runs Jeter was just the guy to help them achieve that goal.

Jorge Posada. Posada was quiet in the latter days of the season but he did what needed to be done in the post-season albeit by sparking a little controversy along the way.

Juan Miranda. Miranda was never going to be on the post-season roster but he used the opportunities that he got at the end of the regular season to further his ambition of being part of that squad in 2010. Just as he did at the close of 2008, he was able to bring both hitting-for-average and power to some rather lacklustre team performances.

Negatives

Nick Swisher. Swisher is obviously a good clubhouse presence but he is also just about the streakiest player in the major leagues at this time and late October saw his bat fall very quiet once again.

Mark Teixeira. Teixeira has had a great season with the bat and defensively but in late October he went back to the form that he had shown in April.

Robinson Cano. Cano was one more who began to slumber as the season drew to a close and couldn’t be woken by the crowds of the ALDS.

Shelley Duncan. Another who was never going to play a part in the post-season but who had once last stab to make it as a Yankee after a good season at AAA. Expect his two at-bats against Tampa to be his last as a Yankee.

Surprises

Ramiro Pena. Pena’s reward for the two hits in his last four at-bats of the season was to be left off the post-season roster just as his continually impressive play in the regular season so him demoted to AAA. Go figure……

Eric Hinske. Hinske on the other hand who looked over-matched most of the season would be included in the roster to face the Twins but never got off the bench. Useful selection.

Francisco Cervelli. And whilst I’m moaning at the Yankees failure to give opportunities to youth, let’s not forget Cervelli who has a future with the Yankees and …….

Jose Molina. ……..who does not. Cashman and Girardi went with Molina. No disrespect to Jose who has done a very good job backing up Posada during his time with the Yankees but that time is over and Cervelli needs to be tested in the big situation.

September in the Bronx – Part 2 – The Pitchers

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The Yankees have benefited from some great pitching performances and some consistent pitchers this year. Who were the main heroes and the late season culprits?

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – September
Name GP GS GF IP H RA ER BB SO W L Sv ERA OBA
Coke, Phil 10 0 2 5.2 1 1 0 2 5 0 0 1 0.00 .059
Robertson, David 4 0 0 3.2 1 0 0 2 6 0 0 0 0.00 .083
Kennedy, Ian 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0.00 .000
Sabathia, CC 5 5 0 35.0 20 6 5 13 36 4 0 0 1.29 .167
Hughes, Phil 12 0 2 12.2 6 3 2 3 16 3 0 2 1.42 .143
Rivera, Mariano 11 0 11 10.2 8 2 2 3 10 2 1 7 1.69 .211
Albaladejo, Jonathan 9 0 2 7.1 9 3 2 3 3 1 0 0 2.45 .310
Aceves, Alfredo 7 0 1 14.1 11 5 4 4 13 1 0 0 2.51 .208
Bruney, Brian 11 0 1 8.2 8 3 3 6 7 1 0 0 3.12 .242
Towers, Josh 2 0 2 5.1 6 3 2 1 2 0 0 0 3.38 .273
Gaudin, Chad 5 5 0 26.2 27 11 11 10 18 1 0 0 3.71 .265
Burnett, AJ 6 6 0 37.1 39 18 17 16 39 2 1 0 4.10 .262
Pettitte, Andy 4 4 0 23.0 21 12 12 13 15 2 1 0 4.70 .244
Melancon, Mark 4 0 0 5.0 6 3 3 4 3 0 0 0 5.40 .300
Dunn, Michael 4 0 3 4.0 3 3 3 5 5 0 0 0 6.75 .200
Chamberlain, Joba 6 6 0 22.2 31 19 18 11 17 1 2 0 7.15 .320
Ramirez, Edwar 5 0 2 4.2 7 4 4 3 6 0 0 0 7.71 .350
Marte, Damaso 10 0 1 5.0 6 5 5 2 4 1 2 0 9.00 .300
Mitre, Sergio 4 2 1 15.0 21 18 16 4 12 0 2 0 9.60 .309
120 28 28 247.2 231 119 109 107 218 19 9 10 3.96 .244

Positives

Phil Coke. Coke has not looked the pitcher who made his entry on to the major league stage in 2008. He has, however, usually provided an adequate performance and has frequently been better than that. In September, he started to look again like the pitcher we had seen back in the previous season and when he wasn’t that good, he looked like the luckiest pitcher in the major leagues. It is not a bad combination if you can pull it off.

C.C. Sabathia. With the expection of an abysmal performance against Tampa Bay in the last few days of the season (which fell in October), Sabathia looked every bit a 20-game winner. That defeat left him stuck on 19. Four of those came in September and a 1.29 ERA over 35 innings is quite an achievement.

Phil Hughes. Hughes has become a consummate relief pitcher in 2009 which is why the Yankees are thinking of converting him into a starter in 2010!! Less than 2 runs every nine innings, less than 1 walk every four innings. Great performances.

Alfredo Aceves. Aceves has had a great time of it in 2009. He was left off the opening day roster but since he made it, there has been no looking back and September was as good as every other  month of the season.

Negatives

Sergio Mitre. Mitre was the fifth starter for the last few months of the season. His performance in September was so bad that he took away any chance he had of making the playoff roster. A 9.60 ERA for the month, a visible lack of confidence and the highest OBA on the side. Great finish!

Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain, at times, has looked like he was growing into a great starter. For most of September, he didn’t look like he should ever be allowed to start again. At times, he looked like he couldn’t throw strikes and when he did manage one, it generally ended up in a gap in the outfield. Back to Plan A, I think.

Edwar Ramirez. At the start of the year, Ramirez looked like a fixture in the 2009 Yankees bullpen. By mid-season, he was gone. At the roster expansion point, he returned. He didn’t look any better and his time with the Yankees should be at an end now.

Damaso Marte. He looked a much better possibility after returning from injury than he had before he was injured. Second in the pecking order amongst left-handed specialists – behind Coke but looking more reliable than late season call-up, Mike Dunn – Marte, suddenly fell apart again late in the month.

Surprises

Ian Kennedy. I don’t know what was more surprising. Was it that Kennedy made it back to the Majors in 2009? Or was it that he got out of his one appearance with a 0.00 ERA. Put simply, he was awful in that game.

David Robertson. Robertson was another pitcher who managed to get ahead of the timetable and return to the team before season’s end. That was where the similarity with Kennedy ended. He threw well. He threw strikes. He occasionally got in to a jam but he usually managed to get himself out of the problems. Sadly, because of Chamberlain’s redirection to the bullpen, he is unlikely to get many innings in the playoffs.

Brian Bruney. He had a good month, on the whole, in September, and it was somewhat surprising that he didn’t make the roster for the first round of the playoffs. He pitched with conviction but his uneven season was too much for him to overcome.

Chad Gaudin. If the Yankees need a 4th starter in the playoffs, it is likely to be Gaudin which in and of itself suggests how much of a surprise Gaudin has been over the last few weeks. He has shown a gritty determination to keep the Bombers in the game and produced some goos innings without ever been overpowering.