twilightdawning

A writer's thoughts – mainly about music, sport and theatre. Shakespeare, Bob Dylan, live shows, New York Yankees

Yankees at first base … but not very safe

Posted on November 6, 2008 by twilightdawning

The Yankees used 12 players at first base and still they couldn’t find anyone who was satisfactory.

Jason Giambi (145 games) played at first base during 113 of the 162 games in 2008. There were times during the season when his offense was invisible. During April, he batted .148 with 0 home runs. It was hard to see why the Yankees were persisting with him giving the infamy of some of his actions in previous years. In May, he looked like a different guy. He hit with .353 albeit still with only 3 home runs. His power had kicked in by June. He reached 9 home runs by the end of that month. That power stayed but his ability to hit for average declined as the season went on. He made 9 errors during the season and his ability in all areas has withered with age. His 32 home runs shine but his .247 was simply not good enough. The Yankees have declined their option on his contract and they shouldn’t get into negotiations to bring him back. Time for a new face at first base.

Wilson Betemit (87 games) played at first base during 35 of the 162 games in 2008. I would have released Betemit at the end of 2007 and I had no bright hopes for his contribution this year. His early season injury and eyesight problems didn’t seem likely to help but somehow or other, he came back stronger. I expected his contribution such as it would be to be in the middle infield positions off the bench but most of his games whether as a starter or more commonly as a substitute came at 1b. He had a positive contribution to make which leaves me asking to see him as the key member of the bench in 2009. He batted .265 with 6 home runs and only a handful of errors in the field. No mean achievement given that he was put into a number of different fielding situations and that he had no regular role. Bring him back as a back-up.

Cody Ransom (33 games) played first base during 19 games of the 2008 season. Ransom didn’t arrive in the Bronx until August. He had a little major league experience but not much. His first two at-bats were home runs. He played all the infield positions but struggled at the middle infield position. He needs a good spring training but I could see him as the back-up first baseman with Betemit taking on the bench role for the other infield positions. A chance of being in the Bronx on opening day.

Richie Sexson (22 games) played first base during 18 games of the 2008 season. Sexson was meant to have been brought in to add power – he hit one home run. His signing was a big mistake – no other team took him up when he was released by the Yankees in mid-August and it is hard to imagine that his career isn’t over. Already gone.

Shelley Duncan (23 games) played first base during 16 games of the 2008 season. Duncan was the late blooming, bright young hope. That hope disappeared quickly and he wasn’t even called up in September. I have higher hopes of being in the Bronx in April than he has.

Jorge Posada (51 games) 7 at 1st base. I’ll say more about him when we get to the catchers.

Morgan Ensberg (28 games) 7 at 1st base. I’ll say more about him when we get to third base.

Juan Miranda (5 games) played first base during 5 games of the 2008 season. Miranda didn’t look that convincing when he arrived in the Bronx but he has gone on to hit extremely well in the Fall League since the season finished. At the moment, he has an outside possibility of being the opening day first baseman, if a big name signing doesn’t materialise at this position. Alternatively, he’ll end up back in Scranton as a prospect for 2010. Wait and see.

Xavier Nady (59 games) 3 at 1st base. I’ll say more about him when we get to the outfielders.

Chad Moeller (41 games) 2 at 1st base. I’ll say more about him when we get to the catchers.

Johnny Damon (143 games) 1 at 1st base. I’ll say more about him when we get to the outfielders.

Jose Molina (100 games) 1 at 1st base. I’ll say more about him when we get to the catchers.

Summing up, there is a slim possibility that Juan Miranda could be first choice at first base. There is a slim possibility that if his problems continue Jorge Posada could play more games at first base than anyone else but it won’t be that way on opening day and the chances beyond that are wafer thin. Cody Ransom and Wilson Betemit look possibles to be coming off the bench. Frankly, we need to sign a free agent to fill the first base gap.

Back to baseball……

Posted on November 4, 2008 by twilightdawning

Well, the baseball season is over. In case you hadn’t noticed the Phillies swept the board. They deserved it, I think. Certainly one of the most consistently impressive teams throughout the year. For me, it was one of the most enjoyable years in baseball. The Yankees only ran in third in their division but I think the basics are there for a successful year in 2009 with only a couple of big signings required.

I’m going to review the Yankees’ season. I’m going to begin by looking at the players. Position by position – beginning at first base.

At the end of the review (however long it takes), I will announce the TWI-D Yankees awards based on my rating of players during the season. That’s right not the TYIB (This Year in Baseball) awards, or the TWIB (This week in Baseball awards) but the TWI-D (Twilight Dawning) awards.

The baseball world waits with baited breath………

End of the Innocence – The End of August – Part 2

Posted on September 7, 2008 by twilightdawning

And so to the pitchers:

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – August

Name IP H RA ER BB SO W L Sv ERA OBA

Aceves, Alfredo        2.0  0  0  0  0  3 0 0 0   0.00 .000

Rivera, Mariano       14.1  9  3  3  2 13 1 2 6   1.88 .173

Giese, Dan             9.0  5  2  2  5  8 0 0 0   2.00 .156

Mussina, Mike         40.0 38 14 13  6 30 3 0 0   2.93 .262

Pavano, Carl          11.0 10  4  4  2  6 2 0 0   3.27 .256

Bruney, Brian         13.0  8  5  5  8  9 0 0 0   3.46 .178

Ponson, Sidney        34.0 37 20 20 14 12 1 3 0   5.29 .291

Britton, Chris         5.0  7  3  3  1  6 0 0 0   5.40 .304

Rasner, Darrell       29.1 33 22 18  8 15 0 1 0   5.52 .273

Veras, Jose           13.0 13  8  8  8 16 2 1 0   5.54 .260

Pettitte, Andy        37.0 47 24 24 13 26 1 3 0   5.84 .320

Ramirez, Edwar        11.2 15 10  9  4 13 2 1 1   6.94 .300

Marte, Damaso          9.1  6  8  8  6 13 0 3 0   7.71 .182

Robertson, David      11.0 15 10 10  5 12 1 0 0   8.18 .349

Chamberlain, Joba      4.2  8  5  5  2  5 0 0 0   9.64 .381

Traber, Billy          4.2 10  5  5  1  3 0 0 0   9.64 .417

Kennedy, Ian           2.0  9  5  5  1  1 0 1 0  22.50 .600

Pluses

Alfredo Aceves. Late August call-up who now looks like a September addition to the starting rotation. Fine August debut

Mariano Rivera. A slight improvement in his season ERA (and why not?) will give him the best ERA of his career. August hasn’t been his best month but it has been better than most everybody else in the Bronx!

Mike Mussina. Three more wins in August and a twenty win season is still a possibility. His performances have had bags of grit and determination and just the right level of remaining skill.

Minuses

Joba Chamberlain. Let’s recap the story. Chamberlain was an outstanding reliever until ownership decided to interfere and told the management that he must be a starter almost overnight. Fast tracked he first became a so-so starter and then an arm-damaged member of the disabled list. Now back to "fitness", he is sub-par as a reliever which is where he will apparently stay in 2009.

David Robertson. Promoted from AA to the majors, he has liked so many young pitchers this season failed to maintain his own standards and then been returned to a lower level. His 8.18 ERA in August demanded his demotion to Scranton.

Billy Traber. We are now discovering with the promotion of Phil Coke that we have had some decent left-handed pitchers all along. Traber was not one of them.

Surprises

Carl Pavano. Two wins for him after a disastrous stint in pinstripes. The winning run has been a bit lucky and won’t be maintained but at least he finally came up with something.

Dan Giese. Back in the majors. Back in the bullpen. Back to fitness. And still he does well. He has done whatever we have asked of him and he deserves a long future in New York as his reward.

Phil Hughes. No, he’s not on the above table and perhaps, there lies the surprise. He is now pitching with a horrible inflated ERA at Scranton. Hughes and Ian Kennedy were meant to be the future of the rotation. Now there’s a legitimate question about what there future holds. One to observe from a distance in Spring training.

Yankees and pitching and August…… so far

Posted on August 22, 2008 by twilightdawning

Well, after last night’s debacle it is not a good time to be commenting on the pitching but it’s got to be done…..

Pluses

Brian Bruney. Bruney has come back from injury with few problems and he has resumed the role he had before his foot gave way. This has been especially timely following Farnsworth’s departure. He has a 2.33 ERA but more significantly a team leading OBA of 1.76.

Jose Veras. 4th on the bullpen with 43 appearances and one of those ahead of him has headed off to Detroit. Veras has a 2.84 ERA for the season. With the occasional wobble, he remains mostly solid and dependable.

Mike Mussina. 16 wins, 7 losses, 3 no decisions. I would have bet heavily against that performance from Mussina coming into the season (if I was a gambling man!)

Minuses

Damaso Marte. If we leave out his figures from the time before he came back to New York (yes, he was here before, you could look it up!), he has accumulated a 11.05 ERA. He was going to be the sole left-handed reliever. He has already disappointed enough to make Traber’s recall necessary – which hasn’t been pretty.

David Robertson. Arriving from Double-A with a minimum of fanfare, Robertson settled into his role with a minimum of difficulty. Like with so many players this year, the difficulties began in the Bronx and Girardi’s coaching staff have been unable to iron them out. This has led to some lacklustre performances and a 5.96 ERA which the 3-0 record cannot hide.

Chris Britton. For the onlooking fan it was difficult to see earlier in the year why they weren’t giving Britton a more extended stay at the major league level. Now he has achieved that, it has become obvious. His ERA has drifted out to 4.61 and he has only 6 strikeouts in 13.2 innings of play.

Surprises

Billy Traber. He’s still on the major league roster in the second half of August. This is enough of a surprise for me. Earlier in the year when they would send him in for a 1/3 of an innings to get out the left-handed hitter, he didn’t look so bad. Now he and his 7.02 ERA need to go back to Scranton.

Sidney Ponson. He’s still on NYY’s major league roster in the second half of August. He’s managed to control and behave himself in the clubhouse by all accounts and his pitching has been way better than it was last time around. It’s almost been a positive surprise. But then came last night………

Ian Kennedy. Still don’t figure this one. He returned to the roster earlier in the month. Pitched two innings as a starter. Gave up 5 runs on 9 hits. In interview after the game it didn’t seem to matter to him. He was demoted. This weekend there’s a gaping hole in the rotation a mile wide and we’d rather go with Pavano. That’s how bad it’s got for Kennedy. What happened to the pitcher we saw last season?

Yankees and hitting and August…. so far

Posted on August 21, 2008 by twilightdawning

Well, I’ve been going through an unusually quiet time. Nothing much to say about anything else but a few words on what’s happening with the Yankees through the first half of August:

Pluses

Alex Rodriguez – A-Rod has been a positive influence in the first half of the month and through the season as a whole. 2nd in RBIs (77) and 1st in Homers (28). He’s spoken up over the last few days demanding the team press and put together a winning streak before it’s too late.

Bobby Abreu – Abreu leads the squad in RBIs (81) but also in strikeouts (89). It’s been a mixed year but the positives have outweighed the negatives for Abreu.

Xavier Nady – Nady has hit .309 since joining the Yankees. He has plugged holes in the outfield where most of the players who have been used have performed when they have been fit – but Damon and Matsui have had difficult years in terms of fitness. Nady has proved to be all that a quickly obtained outfielder could have been.

Minuses

Ivan Rodriguez – Where Nady has continued the solid season he was having before joining the Yankees, the same cannot be said for Pudge Rodriguez. There weren’t many home runs before he left Detroit but now the batting average has dried up as well. .229 since moving to New York which when combined with Molina’s .227 doesn’t amount to much.

Melky Cabrera – .242 in 117 games and demoted to Scranton (AAA). Cabrera couldn’t have envisioned this season and neither could the fans or the management. Gardner and Christian don’t have much more to offer in batting average and the fact that they chose to re-assign Melky shows how deep the malaise has become.

Richie Sexson – The signing and eventual release of power-hitting Richie was one big mistake. During 22 games and 28 at-bats he came up with one home run.

Surprises

Hideki Matsui – The very fact that Matsui is in the line-up again in 2008 is enough of a surprise to qualify as a major surprise. Not sure it will produce much but its time to play our last cards and Matsui is just that.

Wilson Betemit – Betemit has had enough discouragements this year. Slumps, injuries, eyesight problems and being overlooked when major roles were available. That he has raised his average to .261 and has a higher slugging percentage than Jeter under those circumstances is quite an achievement.

Cody Ransom – Didn’t expect Ransom to make the majors this year. 1 at-bat, 1 home run. It’s a nice story.

July review – New York Yankee pitchers

Posted on August 4, 2008 by twilightdawning

On the whole, July has been a good month for pitching for the Yankees with few exceptions. Even those who didn’t do so well managed the odd good outing:

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – July

Name GP IP H RA ER BB SO W L Sv ERA OBA

Ramirez, Edwar 10 11.1 0 0 0 3 16 1 0 0 0.00 .000

Giese, Dan 6 10.1 8 2 2 2 5 0 0 0 1.74 .211

Farnsworth, Kyle 10 8.1 4 2 2 4 9 0 0 0 2.16 .133

Chamberlain, Joba 6 35.2 30 11 10 10 43 2 1 0 2.52 .227

Mussina, Mike 5 31.0 36 9 9 2 27 3 1 0 2.61 .300

Veras, Jose 11 10.1 8 3 3 5 13 0 1 0 2.61 .211

Rivera, Mariano 9 11.0 11 4 4 1 15 2 1 4 3.27 .262

Hawkins, LaTroy 6 6.2 6 3 3 1 5 0 0 0 4.05 .240

Pettitte, Andy 6 38.0 41 23 20 10 33 3 3 0 4.74 .281

Robertson, David 12 12.2 8 7 7 7 16 2 0 0 4.97 .174

Rasner, Darrell 4 21.2 29 16 15 11 11 1 2 0 6.23 .333

Britton, Chris 1 3.2 7 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 7.36 .438

Traber, Billy 2 2.1 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 7.71 .222

Marte, Damaso 3 2.1 4 2 2 1 4 0 0 0 7.71 .364

Ponson, Sidney 4 20.2 33 18 18 8 8 1 1 0 7.84 .379

Pluses

Edwar Ramirez. In 10 appearances in July, Ramirez didn’t give up a run and achieved 11 1/3 innings on the mound. He’s already experienced a wobble in August but in July he was as good as it gets

Joba Chamberlain. Joba is finally settling into this starting business. In July, he achieved two wins and was solid in every other statistical category.

Mike Mussina. Moose continues to enjoy his indian summer. With solid support from the offence and some canny pitching, he continues to succeed despite allowing two many runners.

Minuses

Sidney Ponson. Despite the occasional good start this has not been a good month for Sidney. 7.84 ERA and only 5 innings (on average) per start.

Darrell Rasner. Rasner and Ponson give us two games in every five where we’re lucky to be level when the starter leaves. Personally, I’d rest Rasner and give him a moment to catch his breath and allow Giese to take his next start.

David Robertson. After beginning well, he appears to be fading fast. His ERA was a whisker under 5 for the month.

Surprises

Kyle Farnsworth. Farnsworth was finally in his stride. An OBA of .133 on the month was positively miserly resulting in a 2.16 ERA for that period. It must have hurt Girardi to see him go.

Dan Giese. Giese continues to be successful. Soon I’m going to stop being surprised by this. Proportionally, he gave up a lot of hits but very few of those passed home plate.

Mariano Rivera. Rivera is struggling when he comes into a game level or behind and generally it is the first batter he faces who hurts him. Maybe this is psychological at the moment but it is a mar on an otherwise great season.

July review – New York Yankee hitters

Posted on August 3, 2008 by twilightdawning

Mmmmm…….. Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez for Kyle Farnsworth. Girardi described it as robbing Peter to pay Paul. Too true. The last two months are the first time that I’ve been glad to see Farnsworth on the Yankees roster sheet and now he is gone. Pudge is not the player he once was but he seems to have matured as a person. So I guess this one hangs in the balance and may do until late September. July was a very mixed month for the Bronx Bombers. Here is how it played out on the offensive side of the account (I’ve included the stats for actual Yankees appearances for the incoming players):

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – July

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG

Mussina, Mike 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500

Christian, Justin 10 2 4 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 .400 .500

Rodriguez, Alex 95 20 32 21 6 0 7 9 20 0 1 4 .337 .621

Rodriguez, Ivan 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .333 .333

Sexson, Richie 15 1 5 2 0 0 0 4 5 0 1 0 .333 .333

Cano, Robinson 101 11 33 17 6 1 3 3 9 1 0 0 .327 .495

Damon, Johnny 54 11 17 11 4 0 1 7 6 0 0 2 .315 .444

Abreu, Bobby 97 21 29 20 11 0 4 14 15 0 0 2 .299 .536

Jeter, Derek 100 14 28 14 8 0 2 10 16 0 0 1 .280 .420

Nady, Xavier 18 6 5 4 2 0 2 2 4 0 0 0 .278 .722

Cabrera, Melky 92 11 25 3 3 1 1 2 13 1 0 2 .272 .359

Giambi, Jason 64 7 15 16 1 0 3 14 18 0 1 0 .234 .391

Molina, Jose 50 8 11 1 2 0 0 5 9 1 0 0 .220 .260

Betemit, Wilson 46 4 10 3 1 0 0 3 15 1 0 0 .217 .239

Posada, Jorge 42 5 9 2 2 0 0 8 14 0 0 0 .214 .262

Gardner, Brett 56 8 9 7 1 0 0 5 16 2 1 4 .161 .179

Moeller, Chad 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .083 .083

Gonzalez, Alberto 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000

Pluses

Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod continues to be consistent and impress. Of the players who have been on the roster all month he leads in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging average, home runs, and is tied for lead in stolen bases.

Robinson Cano. Having begun to turn things around before the All-Star break, he was red-hot immediately after the restart. A swollen hand saw him dip again at the end of the month and then drop out of the lineup in early August.

Bobby Abreu. .299 in July with 11 doubles and 4 home runs. It’s the nearest he’s come to his previous from during this season.

Minuses

Alberto Gonzalez. Gonzalez looked a good prospect at the beginning of the season. He was only given 1 at bat in July, leaving him at .173 batting average and .212 slugging for the season. Not surprisingly, he was traded at the deadline for anything we could get.

Jason Giambi. 3 home runs and .234 batting average. Giambi is busy turning a comeback year into nothing special.

Chad Moeller. 1 hit in 12 at bats for Moeller and third string catcher gave us enough reasons to be sure that a Molina-Moeller tandem was never going to cover Posada’s absence. So Moeller is gone and Pudge is in but we have had to give up Farnsworth to achieve this.

Surprises

Wilson Betemit. Betemit was poor for the part of the season, massively improved for the second and hit the skids again shortly after. Defensively he’s been okay but poor offense has let him down – somehow we think Sexson is going to be an improvement.

Justin Christian. Christian was called up ahead of Brett Gardner. Gardner seemed to settle more quickly and the edge in speed on the bases. But Christian has persevered and whilst Gardner’s confidence seemed to fail as July progressed (resulting in him being sent back to Scranton), Justin produced 4 hits in 10 at bats. He’s going to see more bench time than playing time but he’s earned his spot

Richie Sexson. Five hits in his first fifteen at bats. No home runs. No extra base hits. Not sure what to make of this but it certainly wasn’t what was expected.

All-Star Break #2 – Where do we go from here?

Posted on July 17, 2008 by twilightdawning

I averaged out predictions I made before the season began with those made by the Bill James Handbook 2008 and compared them with the stats actually produced up to the All-Star Break.

Here’s how the Yankee hitters are doing compared to those pre-season expectations:

Hideki Matsui

Projected: Games – 79, Average – .293, Home Runs- 15.
Actual: Games – 69, Average – .323, Home Runs – 7.

Two factors here – the first is the inability to hit for power (markedly less home runs), the second is the inability to play the field on a regular basis. Both of these point up the significance of his problems with his legs which may have finished him for the rest of the season. By contrast, his batting average is up as much as his slugging is down. A future as a successful singles hitter and DH (an unusual combination) or early retirement. Time will tell.

Johnny Damon

Projected: Games – 89, Average – .278, Home Runs – 9
Actual: Games – 82, Average – .319, Home Runs – 6

Similar story for Damon. His decline began in the second half of 2006 and is also associated with aging legs. His average has rebounded to 2005 (Boston) heights but power is down and he has his first period on the disabled list. The twist in this is that his injury is a damaged shoulder and nothing to do with his legs. This suggests that there is more hope in him continuing as an outfielder than Matsui but he is another reason for the dramatic reduction in the Yankees’ power production.

Alex Rodriguez

Projected: Games – 93, Average – .300, Home Runs – 28
Actual: Games – 75, Average – .312, Home Runs – 19

Rodriguez’s stint on the disabled list has hampered his home run total but not his slugging pct. (I had him at .586, he is actually 581 – a very minimal difference. Not many people expected A-Rod to still be a Yankee right now. Given the shenanigans of the close season and the off-field rumours as well as the injury, he is doing remarkably well.

Derek Jeter

Projected: Games – 93, Average – .312, Home Runs – 9
Actual: Games – 88, Average – .284, Home Runs – 5

Jeter is just not quite himself at the moment. His figures are still good but he has set a remarkable standard for himself which he is not matching. Difficult to know if this is just a blip or whether it is a sign of a slight downturn.

Bobby Abreu

Projected: Games – 94, Average – .285, Home Runs – 12
Actual: Games – 92, Average – .274, Home Runs – 10

Again, a slight downturn but it is made more significant because there is a trend like this across the team. 10 points off average and only 2 home runs down but we need him to step up as one of the few injury-free players in the squad.

Jorge Posada

Projected: Games – 84, Average – .281, Home Runs – 12
Actual: Games – 49, Average – .272, Home Runs – 3

Posada had a BIG year in 2007. So far, injury and lack of managerial confidence have spiked his year in 2008. He spent a long time out (35 games down on prediction) but despite the fact that Molina didn’t carry the responsibility of being first choice during the actual injury time, part of this is because Girardi has continued to favour Molina since Posada’s return; citing arm strength as his reason. During this period of uncertainty, Posada’s batting average has dropped off markedly but his home run production and slugging has never got out of the doldrums.

Jason Giambi

Projected: Games – 72, Average – .249, Home Runs – 15
Actual: Games – 83, Average – .253, Home Runs – 19

Going into the season, Giambi was going to share DH with Matsui and 1B with a whole range of possible candidates. Not many of those candidates reached expectations and with Mientkiewicz already gone to other pastures and Shelley Duncan failing miserably, Giambi became the most prominent first baseman due primarily to his huge contract – if we’re going to have to pay him, he might as well play somewhere. The remarkable thing is that this undue perseverance actually paid dividends. First, he began to hit for power and then his average perked up as well. Things are a little quieter right now and whilst no-one is going to make this guy a sporting hero (stache or no stache), he is so much more valuable than I expected.

Robinson Cano

Projected: Games – 88, Average – .322, Home Runs – 11
Actual: Games – 93, Average – .246, Home Runs – 6

Robinson is stranded in a season-long funk (so far) and his fall off in every offensive category is more marked than anyone else on the team. The only positive is that his batting average in July (but not his slugging) has taken a marked upturn to .273 on the month. This is still nowhere near what we expect but it is a step in the right direction.

Wilson Betemit

Projected: Games – 77, Average – .263, Home Runs – 10
Actual: Games – 47, Average – .243, Home Runs – 4

It’s hard to be positive about that second line but I’m going to be. Simply put, prior to his time on the disabled list, Betemit was awful. Since that time, he has become our most important bench and utility player. Offensive figures don’t show everything (particularly not the meagre selection presented here) and he has done very well defensively as well as putting up .267 BA in June. So far, July has seen him back in the doldrums with the bat but the mere fact he is still here is quite something after the opening to the season he had.

Melky Cabrera

Projected: Games – 90, Average – .283, Home Runs – 6
Actual: Games – 92, Average – .241, Home Runs – 8

With Cabrera I’m looking for a good day in the field and a clutch of singles. Perversely, his home run hitting is up! Defensively, he has been fine but that 40 point drop in average is part of the general trend but is worrying all by itself. You begin to wonder about the coaching staff when the malaise is this wide spread.

So that it’s for the hitters:

Pluses: Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon,
Minuses: Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera
Surprises: Jason Giambi, Wilson Betemit

All-Star Break # 1 – Adding insult………………….

Posted on July 16, 2008 by twilightdawning

There are many ways to consider the Yankees performance in the first half of the season. One of the main things to influence our performance (and put us in third place) is the extensive list of players who have spent time on the disabled list during this period. Here they are (in alphabetical order):

RHP Jonathan Albaladejo — Out for the season with a stress fracture in his right elbow. Albaladejo was a surprising breakthrough but he will have to do it all over again.

IF Wilson Betemit — Missed 19 games beginning on April 14 with corneal conjunctivitis, then was on the disabled list in May with a strained right hamstring. Fortunately, he’s come back a better player for the examinations he received during that time.

RHP Brian Bruney — Tore a ligament in his right foot in April; avoided surgery and could rejoin the Yankees in late July. We need him back and we need him to be the player that he was this season rather than the player he was at the end of last year.

OF Johnny Damon — Hit the disabled list for the first time in his career on July 6 with a sprain and contusion of the left joint of the left shoulder. His best-case return would be 15 days, and his throwing may be limited. The good money is that he will be out quite a bit longer.

1B Shelley Duncan — Separated his right shoulder while diving for a ball in a game at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and may be out for the season. Let’s face it, he was going nowhere before he was sent to Scranton.

RHP Phil Hughes — Has been on the disabled list since April 30 with a stress fracture in one of his ribs. He could return in August. Let’s hope the 2007 guy show’s up if he does make it back then.

SS Derek Jeter — Was hit in the left hand by a Daniel Cabrera fastball on May 20 and fell into an extended slump immediately after. Things have improved since then but he’s still not the Jeter of old.

RHP Ian Kennedy – Went to disabled list but there’s obviously far more going on here mechanically than a simple injury. I don’t expect to see him making a run at the Major Leagues before Spring Training

DH Hideki Matsui — Aggravated his left knee by playing the outfield for two games in Houston and is currently on the disabled list. Season-ending surgery is a possibility. He was the guy to cover for Damon’s aging legs. He can still hit but his fielding days might be behind him.

RHP Carl Pavano — Continuing to rehab from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery and could be ready for a big league promotion in August. But why would you need to work for a living when you can earn all that money for doing nothing?

C Jorge Posada — Was on the disabled list from April 28 through June 3 with right rotator cuff tendinitis that curtailed his throwing. Since then has done far more at DH and 1B (!) since then. What’s that about? Girardi doesn’t trust his arm.

3B Alex Rodriguez — Missed 16 games with a strained right quadriceps after turning a strain into something more serious by rushing back. It was Rodriguez’s first stint on the DL since 2000. He’s one of the few who’s bounced back from injury.

RHP Humberto Sanchez — Currently pitching in the Minor Leagues, Sanchez (acquired from Detroit in the Gary Sheffield trade) could be considered for his big league debut in September. However, we are not holding our breath.

RHP Chien-Ming Wang — Suffered a partially torn tendon in his right foot on June 15 while running the bases in Houston. He is on crutches and is out until September. Along with Bruney and Damon, one of the three costly on-going absences which might cost us a spot in the post-season.

Dark Days at Yankee Stadium – Part 2

Posted on July 8, 2008 by twilightdawning

So now to look at the pitching in June.

Not much to say that is positive here either. However, given the scope of the injuries with both starters (Wang, Hughes, Kennedy) and relievers (Bruney, Britton) out, there is scope for improvement after the All-Star break.

Here’s the figures for the month. I’ve removed a couple of columns that proved confusing for some folks last month.

New York Yankees – Pitching – June

Name GP IP H RA ER BB SO W L Sv ERA OBA

Ponson, Sidney         1  6.0  5  0  0  4  4 1 0  0   0.00  .238

Igawa, Kei             1  1.0  2  0  0  0  0 0 0  0   0.00  .500

Britton, Chris         2  2.1  2  0  0  0  2 0 0  0   0.00  .222

Rivera, Mariano       11 11.1  6  2  2  1 18 1 1  7   1.59  .154

Chamberlain, Joba      5 25.0 22  7  5 13 26 1 0  0   1.80  .239

Veras, Jose           13 13.2 12  3  3  7 14 2 0  0   1.98  .235

Mussina, Mike          5 34.0 33 12 12  5 25 2 2  0   3.18  .258

Giese, Dan             6 19.0 15 10  7  6 12 1 3  0   3.32  .208

Farnsworth, Kyle      11 10.2 11  4  4  4 12 1 1  1   3.38  .282

Pettitte, Andy         6 40.2 39 18 17  9 28 4 0  0   3.76  .255

Wang, Chien-Ming       3 16.2 18  8  7  6  9 2 0  0   3.78  .286

Hawkins, LaTroy        7 10.1 11  5  5  5  3 0 0  0   4.35  .289

Robertson, David       1  2.0  4  1  1  0  1 0 0  0   4.50  .500

Rasner, Darrell        6 32.0 47 24 23 11 24 1 5  0   6.47  .341

Patterson, Scott       1  1.1  1  1  1  2  2 0 0  0   6.75  .200

Ramirez, Edwar        11 11.0 10  9  9  6 13 0 0  0   7.36  .244

Ohlendorf, Ross        8  8.1 12  8  8  5  5 0 0  0   8.64  .333

Traber, Billy          3  1.2  2  2  2  0  1 0 0  0  10.80  .286

Pluses

Mariano Rivera. His worst month of the year and he’s still weighing in a 1.59 ERA and the best OBA on the team. Hall of Fame, Monument Park beckons. The best reliever I’ve ever seen.

Jose Veras. His ERA improves to 2.54 on the season as he produced a spartan 1.98 in June. Also took two wins on the month. He has become a vital cog in the machine that leads to Rivera.

Mike Mussina. It can no longer be described as a surprise but Moose is having a helluva comeback year. 2-2 on the month with 3.18 ERA puts him on track for a possible 20 win season. I would have settled for 10 after 2007.

Minuses

Ross Ohlendorf. Simply fell apart in June to the extent that he has had to go back to the minors to work on his pitches. Don’t know what this implies about the coaching staff at the major league level.

Darrell Rasner. In less injury-troubled times, Darrell would have been allowed a break from the starting rotation and gone to long relief. Again, it is troubling that the coaching staff in the Bronx are not able to help him with his confidence and his mechanics.

Edwar Ramirez. For the second season running, Ramirez looks the business on call-up and then wilts visibly as the batters get used to facing him. His 7.36 ERA on the month (compare to 2.90 on the season) is a little unlucky but even bad fortune can’t account for that bloating.

Surprises

Sidney Ponson. Well, he produced a great second debut. We all know that it is all downhill from here but he gave us one good game.

Kyle Farnsworth. Continues to survive the odd bad outing and bounced back from minor injuries to be a good part of a suffering staff. 3.38 ERA on the month.

Joba Chamberlain. Achieved his first win as a starter but the jury is still out on this transition. He only average five innings an outing in the month and most of the time was good enough to keep the Yankees in the game but not much more than that.