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June in the Bronx – Part 2 – The Pitchers

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Of the 4 New York Yankee ERA leaders for June, 1 is a left-handed specialist, two were not on the roster in April and one will not be in the roster for July. And none of them are starters or Mariano Rivers. Suprising? I’ll say so.

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – June
 
Name GP GS GF IP H RA ER BB SO W L Sv ERA OBA
Coke, Phil 14 0 2 12.2 5 1 1 3 14 0 0 0 0.71 .122
Aceves, Alfredo 9 0 2 13.2 11 2 2 4 10 2 0 0 1.32 .224
Hughes, Phil 8 0 2 13.0 5 2 2 3 16 0 0 0 1.38 .114
Veras, Jose 3 0 2 5.0 4 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 1.80 .211
Burnett, AJ 5 5 0 30.0 23 10 7 16 35 3 2 0 2.10 .209
Robertson, David 10 0 6 10.0 7 4 3 5 16 1 0 0 2.70 .194
Rivera, Mariano 11 0 10 11.0 7 5 4 2 14 1 1 9 3.27 .175
Sabathia, CC 5 5 0 31.0 23 14 13 7 22 2 1 0 3.77 .205
Chamberlain, Joba 6 6 0 35.2 33 16 15 15 27 2 1 0 3.79 .244
Pettitte, Andy 5 5 0 26.2 34 19 15 13 27 2 2 0 5.06 .306
Bruney, Brian 6 0 0 4.2 4 3 3 5 3 1 0 0 5.79 .250
Tomko, Brett 7 0 2 12.0 10 8 8 4 10 0 1 0 6.00 .222
Wang, Chien-Ming 5 5 0 22.2 28 17 16 10 19 1 3 0 6.35 .298
  94 26 26 228.0 194 102 90 87 215 15 11 9 3.55 .228
 

Positives

Phil Coke. Coke is beginning to look like the pitcher we saw at the end of 2008. And that is good news indeed. Only one walk in every 4+ innings, leading on the month in ERA, seconding on the month in OBA.

Alfredo Aceves. Aceves has had a sensational season in long relief. This month was no exception. With Wang headed for the DL, Aceves is the obvious man to head to become the fifth starter. I think he can do a job as a starter but he needs to know what his role is and not be jerked about.

Phil Hughes. Hughes led the team in OBA for June and he has settled into his role as a reliever just fine and dandy. With a couple of the starters not producing there has been enough work for Aceves and him but hopefully it will not always be this way. Consequently, the Yankees need to make some decisions during the All-Star break about that crucial fifth starter role. What they decide will have a significant impact on the pitching staff for the rest of the year and their chances of making the playoffs.

A.J. Burnett. The starting rotation has lacked some consistency this year and its Burnett’s chance to return to the top of the heap. He’s seldom been bad and when he’s good he’s capable of being very, very good – and so far those nagging worries about injuries have proved unfounded.

Negatives

Chien-Ming Wang. He looks much better than he did a month or two ago but you still feel you’re going into a game hoping that he will reach the fifth innings and that if he gets there, he might have done enough to have kept the team in the game. The goals of a fifth starter have to be higher than that if you’re going to contend. However, he has done sensationally in previous seasons and it is a difficult conundrum. This latest injury just convolutes the problem.

Brett Tomko. "Tomko" ought to be an alternative for journeyman in the thesaurus. Some games he is good and others he is not. And at the moment the "nots" have the majority. The form pattern suggests he should be due for another purple patch but when he goes down for the third time……

Andy Pettitte. Inconsistent starters indeed. Pettitte looks healthy in the wins column, on the season, but he puts too many batters on base and gives up way too many hits. He’s getting more run support than anyone else and at some point that is going to balance out and then he will be in trouble if he hasn’t improved.

Brian Bruney. When he pitches well, he is prone to injury. At the moment, he’s not so hot but he’s staying fit. He’s giving up too many walks which is leading to too many runs but its difficult to identify what has changed.

Surprises

Jose Veras. Veras was having his best month of the season which, of course, led to him being designated for assignment and leaving town in exchange for cash. He was pretty good in 2007 and 2008 and he looked like he was coming around again. They should have shown more patience.

Mariano Rivera. It’s difficult to tell which Mo is going to turn up at the moment. Some nights he is still capable of being lights out but earlier in the month he developed a tendency to blow the big game. Last season, it was the non-save situation he struggled with, this year it has been the game when the spotlight is brightest. This current good run should help settle him down.

David Robertson. Robertson has had a tendency for his ability to strike opponents out to wither the longer he stayed at the major league level. So far this time around, he’s avoiding that problem and he could be about to become a fixture.

June in the Bronx – Part 1 – The Batters

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Any month that includes as much inter-league play as June did, is always going to be a difficult – particularly in estimating how much it impacts the season as a whole. The month included bad streaks for the Yankees as a team and as individuals. Here’s hwo it went for 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
Ransom, Cody 2 5 2 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .400 .600 .400
Gardner, Brett 24 48 10 16 5 0 2 1 9 4 1 0 8 .333 .479 .439
Pena, Ramiro 11 21 4 7 3 3 0 0 1 5 0 0 1 .333 .476 .364
Jeter, Derek 22 87 17 27 7 3 0 2 12 9 0 0 7 .310 .414 .394
Damon, Johnny 24 85 16 23 15 7 1 4 13 17 0 0 3 .271 .518 .367
Cano, Robinson 25 100 14 27 11 5 0 3 5 10 0 1 2 .270 .410 .308
Teixeira, Mark 25 95 14 25 16 10 0 4 17 12 0 0 1 .263 .495 .391
Swisher, Nick 25 79 12 20 10 8 0 4 16 14 0 0 0 .253 .506 .379
Sabathia, CC 5 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .250 .250 .250
Cervelli, Francisco 7 25 5 6 3 1 0 1 1 5 1 0 0 .240 .400 .269
Posada, Jorge 21 73 11 17 12 1 0 4 11 15 0 1 0 .233 .411 .329
Cabrera, Melky 26 80 11 18 11 6 0 2 11 14 1 2 1 .225 .375 .312
Rodriguez, Alex 25 82 13 17 22 2 0 5 22 17 0 0 2 .207 .415 .387
Matsui, Hideki 24 54 7 11 9 2 0 3 12 9 0 0 0 .204 .407 .348
Burnett, AJ 5 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .200 .200 .200
Pettitte, Andy 5 5 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 .200 .400 .200
Berroa, Angel 7 10 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 .100 .200 .182
Chamberlain, Joba 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 .000 .000
Aceves, Alfredo 9 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
Wang, Chien-Ming 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 .000 .000
Rivera, Mariano 11 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .500
Tomko, Brett 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
Coke, Phil 14 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
    868 140 220 130 51 3 33 131 141 6 4 25 .253 .433 .354
 

Positives

Brett Gardner. Gardner remains something of a conundrum. When he is giving a regular job in the starting line-up, he flounders. When there are no guarantees, he show himself as a feisty player who can get the hits. Of course, his speed is always an asset. As Cabrera had a quiet month, Gardner flourished. Best on the month in batting average and third of the regulars in slugging.

Derek Jeter. The captain continues to be a solid and consistent presence. His place on the All-Star team is a deserved one and as you see the mess so many players have put themselves in, you have to admire how he handles himself, on the field and off. He’s proving to be the consummate singles hitter, not a lot else but at the top of the line-up that is vital!

Robinson Cano. Cano continues to be a steady presence with the glove and with the bat. .270 on this month which he can improve on a little but his performance is so much more convincing and effective than in 2008.

Mark Teixeira. After a disappointing April and a mind-blowing May, Teixeira had a steady June. He looked great in the field and he continued to have some power (although this certainly wasn’t May in those terms).

Negatives

Angel Berroa. Berroa finally got a hit in June. That’s one more than he got in May. Thankfully, the Yankees have designated him for assignment.

Alex Rodriguez. On the month, .207 with 5 home runs. It seems he hits for power or he doesn’t hit at all. There were, to be fair, one or two exceptions to that rule. Did he come back too soon? Will the promised rest days help? Do the Yankees wish they’d stuck to their guns during the Boras debacle at the end of 2007?

Hideki Matsui. Matsui had a difficult month. Too many interleague games at the National league ground which makes him redundant as they won’t risk him in the field. When he was in the line up, his figures didn’t even match those of A-Rod.  .204 with three home runs on the month.

Melky Cabrera. Melky Cabrera has had a good season so far and whilst his work in the field was good in June, his performance with the bat drifted back to the dark days of 2008. He was second in the team in doubles and he still looks good in the clutch but he’s going through a barren spell.

Surprises

Cody Ransom. Nice to see Cody back in the line-up. There was a time when I wondered if the Yankees placing him on the 60 day disabled list might mean he was done for the season. In his first five at-bats back in the team, he hit .400 and this, if nothing else, will be a substantial improvement on Berroa who he matches in the field also. Only time will tell if he can gain some consistency.

Ramiro Pena. Ramiro Pena is headed to triple-A Scranton in a decison which makes no sense to me. In June, he hit .333. He isn’t the most patient at the plate but he has proved a reliable bat off-the-bench and he is as good and better in the field than anybody else in that category. His July in Scranton is dictated by the arrival of Eric Hinske, who is another one of those journeymen big bats that the Yankees tend to pursue at this time of the year. Surprise and mistake.

Johnny Damon. Damon is holding  up much better than I would have predicted. His slugging leads the team on the month, and he was tied second in home runs on the month. His fielding is never going to be that good again but he has managed to get this far without any serious injury.

Jorge Posada. Now back to full fitness apparently, Posada’s bat is not quite what we’re hoping for. 4 home runs on the month is fine but he isn’t hitting for average.

May in the Bronx – Part 2, the Pitchers

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Well, the Yankees game last night was rained out. As Boston lost, the Yankees were elevated to first place again – making today a good day to reflect on the pitching that got them there and that which didn’t live up to expectations…..

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – May
 
Name GP GS GF IP H RA ER BB SO W L Sv ERA OBA
Bruney, Brian 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.00 .000
Robertson, David 7 0 5 5.0 2 2 1 4 6 0 0 0 1.80 .118
Wang, Chien-Ming 3 0 2 8.0 9 2 2 2 7 0 0 0 2.25 .300
Rivera, Mariano 10 0 5 11.0 9 3 3 1 13 0 1 5 2.45 .214
Sabathia, CC 6 6 0 45.2 34 14 13 10 37 4 1 0 2.56 .204
Aceves, Alfredo 9 0 3 19.2 16 6 6 3 18 3 1 0 2.75 .219
Albaladejo, Jonathan 9 0 2 10.0 11 6 4 6 7 1 0 0 3.60 .282
Ramirez, Edwar 8 0 0 9.0 7 4 4 7 8 0 0 0 4.00 .212
Tomko, Brett 5 0 3 4.1 5 2 2 2 0 0 1 0 4.15 .313
Burnett, AJ 5 5 0 32.1 30 15 15 18 32 1 2 0 4.18 .248
Chamberlain, Joba 5 5 0 22.1 24 12 12 12 29 1 1 0 4.84 .286
Pettitte, Andy 6 6 0 36.1 46 21 20 17 18 3 0 0 4.95 .309
Coke, Phil 11 0 3 11.0 9 7 7 5 4 0 2 1 5.73 .237
Hughes, Phil 6 6 0 28.2 35 22 21 13 25 2 2 0 6.59 .307
Veras, Jose 13 0 4 9.2 13 9 9 8 6 2 0 0 8.38 .325
Melancon, Mark 2 0 0 0.1 1 2 2 4 0 0 0 0 54.00 .500
  106 28 27 254.1 251 127 121 112 211 17 11 6 4.28 .259
 

Positives

C.C. Sabathia. As CC Sabathia heads into today’s start against Tampa Bay, it is that .204 OBA that shows that it is not only his top-rank wages which makes him stand out amongst the other starters. Sabathia typically makes a slow start to the season and bearing this in mind it seems that he’s ahead of schedule for another examplary season.

Alfredo Aceves. When a Yankees starter goes down early in the game – and it does happen, Hughes and Wang take a bow, then Aceves is the guy that they can depend upon. He has given us two or three solid innings in every relief performance. This is a team that went without a long reliever on their opening day roster. This was obviously a major mistake and not having someone like Aceves to turn to in those early weeks lost us several games.

David Robertson. Robertson is another who didn’t make the opening day roster but who is making a sizeable difference now he is part of the bullpen. He still needs to gain a little in the consistency stakes but when he is good, he will do very nicely.

Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain still isn’t the complete package as a starter but he is ahead of where I expected him to be at this stage and the voices (including mine) asking for him to be returned to the bullpen are dying down. He is ahead of Pettitte and Wang in his recent starts and May was a good month for him.

Negatives

Edwar Ramirez remains part of the 40-man roster so the Yankees aren’t finished with him but his form has been a big disappointment so far this year and he is learning to make his home at Scranton / Wilkes-Barre (AAA). During May, he averaged nearly a walk and a hit in every innings pitched and whilst the Yankees might have been a little premature in demoting him, it looked as though it was always heading that way.

Phil Hughes. The Yankees seem quite pleased with him and said he was unlucky to lose his starting job but the reality is that he is averaging less than five innings per start and that is ERA for the month was 6.59. We have to put this in context. This is one of the two guys who were going to be a mainstay of the rotation in 2008 and really messed up. Now Hughes is the best of the two (even when Kennedy is fit) but he looks like he will make-do as a number five starter. This is no longer a surprise to me but I’m not expecting a noticeable improvement and this isn’t good enough.

Jose Veras. Last year, Veras was a very important part of the bullpen. This year it is probably only his level of experience which is keeping him in New York. His ERA for May exceeded 8 and this is even considering that he occasionally does give us a good performance.

Jonathan Albaladejo. Another early-in-the-season reassignment. Last year, he started the season well and then got injured. This season he started well and then the hitters figured him out. Like Ramirez, I think he perhaps deserved another week at the top level to see if he could gather himself but really he can have no complaints.

Suprises

Chien-Ming Wang. The guys on the team who still have to communicate through an interpreter are in a difficult place when their form falls apart. Given all the psychological pressure the fact that Wang has taken some major steps towards comeback at all is quite an achievement. He has some distance to go and I thought it was too early to restore him to the rotation but this is so far-so good.

Brett Tomko. I was not alone in shaking my head when I heard that Tomko had been promoted to the Bronx, I’m sure. Another journeyman pitcher, who is likeable but struggles to maintain a high enough level of performance in the top flight. So I’m not expecting this to last but he has put in some creditable innings so far and deserves a nod for that alone.

Phil Coke. Coke is the guy we must go to when we need a left-hander out of the bullpen but whilst his performances have been adequate, he has looked a shadow of the pitcher he was in his appearances at the end of last year. He is simply giving up too many runs – too often in tight situations that can cost us a game.

Mark Melancon started his major league assignment well but then he stopped throwing strikes. He was a surprising call-up who took advantage of his chance but ultimately couldn’t maintain it. His ERA at AAA is less than half of what he produced at the major level and he needs some months at that level under his belt before he is giving another chance in the Bronx.

May in the Bronx – Part 1, the Batters

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The New York Yankees had a poor start to May but by the halfway point of the month they had really hit their stride. During the second half of the month they began the move towards setting a new record for games without  a fielding error and began the long haul towards first place in the American League East after occupying third for most of the season to that point. Since May turned to June, an error by Jorge Posada on a throw to second base and a loss to the American League West-leading Texas Rangers has seen the errorless run come to an end and the Boston Red Sox tie the Yankees for first place in the East but May sure was a month in which the Yankees got hot. Who was repsonsible?

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – May
 
Name G AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG OBP
Posada, Jorge 6 18 4 8 7 1 0 3 3 3 0 0 0 .444 1.000 .524
Teixeira, Mark 28 115 25 38 35 9 0 13 10 24 0 1 0 .330 .748 .391
Gardner, Brett 22 52 13 17 4 1 2 2 7 6 2 0 4 .327 .538 .417
Jeter, Derek 26 112 17 36 13 8 0 3 12 15 1 0 6 .321 .473 .397
Cabrera, Melky 24 84 9 27 10 6 0 1 4 11 2 1 2 .321 .429 .348
Damon, Johnny 27 115 25 35 21 10 1 6 9 22 1 0 2 .304 .565 .355
Cervelli, Francisco 15 42 4 12 4 1 0 0 1 6 3 0 0 .286 .310 .302
Cano, Robinson 28 114 17 31 15 8 1 4 4 6 0 0 1 .272 .465 .297
Molina, Jose 5 15 3 4 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 .267 .400 .313
Rodriguez, Alex 22 77 11 20 17 4 0 7 18 12 0 0 0 .260 .584 .412
Matsui, Hideki 25 87 8 21 10 6 0 5 5 18 0 1 0 .241 .483 .295
Pena, Ramiro 19 39 7 9 2 1 1 0 1 8 0 0 2 .231 .308 .250
Cash, Kevin 10 26 1 6 3 2 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 .231 .308 .250
Swisher, Nick 27 80 9 12 10 1 0 3 19 29 2 3 0 .150 .275 .311
Berroa, Angel 9 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
    980 155 276 152 60 5 47 94 170 11 7 17 .282 .497 .349
 

Positives

Mark Teixeira. In April, Teixeira batted .200 with 3 homers. His average was so outstripped by the hot-hitting Nick Swisher, it began to look like we could have saved an awful lot of money in filling the first-base hole left by the not overly missed Jason Giambi. In May, whilst Swisher cooled right down, Teixeira found his swing and looked like the best first baseman since Tino Martinez. In May, he hit .330 with (count ’em) 13 home runs and a mammoth .748 slugging percentage. This raised him to .279 on the season which shows not only how much he has improved but just how bad that first month in pinstripes was.

Derek Jeter put together a good long hitting streak in May. He didn’t match Ichiro but there was no-one else to match him for second place in hitting safely in consecutive games. His .321 in May is solid form and he deserves his first place ranking in the American League All-Star voting for shortstop. 

Melky Cabrera missed the last few months of the month after slamming into the outfield wall as he attempted a catch but those absent days aside he matched his April performance, hit-for-hit. He has proved an amazingly successful clutch hitter and he has put his 2008 form well behind him.

Johnny Damon. Damon is not great in the field and his throw from the outfield leaves a lot to be desired. However, his hitting in April returned to a level of form that he hasn’t been able to consistently produce since he joined the Yankees.

Negatives

Angel Berroa. Berroa is really just making up the numbers on the roster. Since A-Rod’s return, he has no hope of being an everyday player. In the field, he is adequate. With the bat he is simply horrible. He didn’t manage to get to base safely once in May and it becomes more and more apparent that Pena is a much better option as infield backup.

Kevin Cash. It’s never easy being an ex-Red Sox in pinstripes but Cash really didn’t take best advantage of his opportunity. With Posada and Molina injured and Cervelli having so little Major League experience, Cash should have been the obvious choice to be the team’s first choice catcher during May. Instead, he showed himself to be no more than adequate behind the plate whilst Cervelli excelled beyond expectation. By the time that Cash began to hit, towards the end of the month, the battle was already lost and with Posada fit again, he was the obvious demotee.

Hideki Matsui. Matsui is the everyday DH but he is doing his best to lose that position. He is really not achieving the kind of batting average we expect from him. He strikes out too much and doesn’t gain enough walks. He needs to improve.

Nick Swisher. Last year when I saw Swisher playing for the White Sox, he looked extremely poor. When the Yankees signed him in the close season I couldn’t understand it. I wondered why they hadn’t waited for Teixeira and made an effort to re-sign Abreu. Then when they also signed Teixeira, it made even less sense. However, in April, I became a believer. Swisher was magic and his hitting in the clutch was examplary. And then in May, the guy I saw for the White Sox last year showed up. At this moment, he may be a great clubhouse presence but he is streakiest hitter anywhere and when his head goes down, he really, really struggles.

Surprises

Brett Gardner. The speedy Gardner is another conundrum. Last season whilst the Yankees brass sounded optimistic, the fanbase wondered when he was going to hitting safely often enough to make that speed a real threat on the bases. In April, chosen over Melky Cabrera, he quickly lost the ascendancy with a very ordinary month. But like Teixeira he bounced back to the kind of form he showed in Spring Training during May. The difference is that for Teixeira that is a return to usual form. For Gardner, this month may prove to be a fluke.

Francisco Cervelli. There was a day or two in May when Cervelli led the team in batting average. He was always going to do reasonably well with the "tools of ignorance" but he also showed he can bat at this level which was far from a given. He ended the month on .286. He needs to work on his patience at the plate and he’s not going to be a power hitter but this guy has a future.

Alex Rodriguez. I’m not sure whether this is a positive or negative surprise. For most of May, A-Rod either swung for the fences or got out. His ability as a singles hitter seemed to have deserted him. But he kept going and the home runs kept coming and then on the 25th against Texas, he went 5 for 5 with 3 singles and 2 doubles. Go figure!

Jorge Posada. Posada’s injury seemed to come from nowhere but his damaged hamstring put him out for most of the month. However, either side of his time on the DL, he has still managed to produce with the bat and for that he earns my commendation.

April in the Bronx (part two) – the Pitchers

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Last season, the Yankees had one of the most consistent bullpens in baseball. This year, essentially the same bullpen staff has reported but with a stronger (on paper) starting rotation than last year. Having added CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, and with a fit-again Chien-Ming Wang and with Andy Pettitte without last year’s off-field distractions, what could possibly go wrong:

 

New York Yankees – Pitching – Month – April
 
Name GP GS GF IP H RA ER BB SO W L Sv ERA OBA
Hughes, Phil 1 1 0 6.0 2 0 0 2 6 1 0 0 0.00 .100
Swisher, Nick 1 0 1 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 .250
Melancon, Mark 2 0 1 3.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0.00 .100
Rivera, Mariano 10 0 8 9.2 12 3 3 0 13 0 0 5 2.79 .293
Pettitte, Andy 4 4 0 27.1 24 10 9 6 16 2 1 0 2.96 .240
Chamberlain, Joba 4 4 0 23.0 22 11 8 13 17 1 0 0 3.13 .265
Bruney, Brian 9 0 1 8.0 3 3 3 2 12 2 0 0 3.38 .111
Coke, Phil 11 0 1 9.2 7 7 4 4 8 1 1 0 3.72 .206
Robertson, David 2 0 2 2.1 3 1 1 1 4 0 0 0 3.86 .300
Sabathia, CC 5 5 0 32.1 31 18 17 14 19 1 2 0 4.73 .256
Burnett, AJ 5 5 0 31.2 29 19 19 13 25 2 0 0 5.40 .257
Veras, Jose 9 0 4 11.0 6 7 7 6 10 1 1 0 5.73 .154
Ramirez, Edwar 7 0 0 8.1 11 7 6 8 8 0 0 0 6.48 .306
Albaladejo, Jonathan 9 0 0 11.0 13 10 10 4 5 1 0 0 8.18 .317
Marte, Damaso 7 0 3 5.1 9 9 9 3 6 0 1 0 15.19 .360
Wang, Chien-Ming 3 3 0 6.0 23 23 23 6 2 0 3 0 34.50 .622
Claggett, Anthony 1 0 0 1.2 9 8 8 2 2 0 0 0 43.20 .643
  90 22 21 197.1 206 136 127 86 156 12 9 5 5.79 .273
 

Positives

Mariano Rivera. No surprise to see Mo at the top of my list but it hasn’t been without a wobble or two. But for most of the month there looked to be no chance of him giving up a run. And then came a tight game against Boston. One of Mariano’s strong suits has always been his mental toughness. After last season’s tendency to come up short in a tied game and having blown this particular save, there will be those who claim to have spotted a chink in his armour. Don’t know but at the moment he still looks the best closer in MLB.

Andy Pettitte. I expected Pettitte to be stronger this year and so far that is the story. Two wins and a 2.96 ERA in amongst a staff that hasn’t yet found its direction. It’s good to have this veteran around.

Brian Bruney. So I know that Bruney is on the DL (again) at the moment but this is based on his form prior to that. He had a dreadful first appearance but after that he looked basically unhittable. That .111 OBA speaks volumes. Time will tell whether his "rest" is a temporary glitch or something more substantial but fit, he looked one of our best options.

Joba Chamberlain. Just. Of the remaining starters Joba just comes out on top. In his last start, he finally looked dominating. Prior to that he had looked just enough – at least to keep us in the game. At the moment, the great experiment seems to be working. I’d rather see him in the bullpen and, boy, does the bullpen need him. But for now it seems to be working out. Just.

Negatives

Damaso Marte. What do you do with a left-handed specialist who can’t get left-handers out? Marte didn’t look the real deal last season. This year he hasn’t shown up at all. 15.19 ERA and more than a third of the batters he pitches to are getting on base. Horrible.

Edwar Ramirez. Last year, Ramirez looked dependable. This year, his ERA is 6 and a half. ‘Nuff said.

Jose Veras. Last year, Veras looked dependable. It is hard to track the cause of all these sudden down turns. More peculiar, that most of these guys looked good in Spring Training. Girardi needs to lift some heads that have fallen. His ability  / inability to instill confidence in the roster members may be the defining issue of his tenure as manager.

Jonathan Albaladejo. There’s not much to say that you couldn’t also say about Veras and Ramirez. There are simply too many members of the bullpen who are ragged and under-performing. These guys need to find some consistency.

Surprises

Chien-Ming Wang. Nobody knew quite what to expect from Wang in April. He was coming off a serious injury and his innings in the Spring had been few and their quality indecisive. Nobody expected him to be as bad as he has been. 34.50 ERA and an OBA over .6. Now he is on the disabled list again. This is quite a nosedive. Hope he can pull out of it.

Mark Melancon. Melancon didn’t even make it in to the 2009 Yankees media guide but here he is in the Majors and so far he is holding his own. Whether this can continue is debatable but as out of bullpen options as they have been (can you say "Swisher?"), it has been a pleasure to see him.

AJ Burnett. Burnett looked strong in his first two starts and it was encouraging to see a big money signing so strong straight out of the blocks. He hasn’t maintained that and he has a reputation for injuries. I don’t want any more nasty surprises.

Anthony Claggett. Claggett was a bright hope for the future. Claggett was called up when the pitching staff was particularly horrible in mid-April. Claggett was brought into a game that was already lost. Claggett only had to make some outs and get us through a few innings without further humiliation. Claggett looked worse than Chien-Ming Wang that had preceded him. That’s a lot of baggage for a bright hope to carry as he headed back to the Minors.

The pitching has not been good in April – in the Bronx and on the road!

April in the Bronx (part one)

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A new baseball season wouldn’t be quite the same without some interesting stories surrounding the Yankees. And 2009 has provided a plethora! We went into the season with the cloud of misdemeanours hanging over Alex Rodriguez, a drunk-driving charge for Joba Chamberlain, a new Stadium and an even more expensive roster than usual waiting to persuade the fans that they really had the goods. The month has been mostly successful but when the Yankees lost, they really lost. The lowlight was a 14 run innings given up for the first time in their history. Here’s how the batter’s shaped up in that first month:

New York Yankees – Batting – Month – April
 
Name G AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB SO SH SF SB BA SLG OBP
Cano, Robinson 22 93 18 34 16 5 0 5 6 9 0 1 1 .366 .581 .400
Cabrera, Melky 20 49 11 16 9 0 0 4 6 8 0 0 2 .327 .571 .400
Swisher, Nick 22 77 21 24 19 8 1 7 15 19 0 0 0 .312 .714 .430
Damon, Johnny 20 78 15 23 10 2 1 4 11 11 0 1 3 .295 .500 .385
Matsui, Hideki 19 65 8 19 9 5 1 2 12 9 0 0 0 .292 .492 .410
Jeter, Derek 22 94 14 27 12 4 0 4 9 13 0 0 4 .287 .457 .350
Nady, Xavier 7 28 4 8 2 4 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 .286 .429 .310
Molina, Jose 11 29 2 8 5 0 0 1 3 4 1 0 0 .276 .379 .344
Posada, Jorge 20 69 7 19 14 6 0 3 10 18 0 2 1 .275 .493 .366
Pena, Ramiro 16 26 2 7 2 1 0 0 3 4 0 0 1 .269 .308 .345
Berroa, Angel 4 8 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .250 .250 .250
Gardner, Brett 21 59 9 13 4 3 0 0 3 11 2 1 5 .220 .271 .254
Teixeira, Mark 19 70 11 14 10 3 0 3 17 12 0 1 0 .200 .371 .367
Ransom, Cody 15 50 4 9 6 5 1 0 3 15 1 0 0 .180 .320 .226
    795 128 223 118 46 4 33 99 139 5 6 17 .281 .473 .362
 

Positives

Robinson Cano is not the indifferent player he was a year ago. Then his mind seemed to be elsewhere and his stroke had disappeared. Now he leads the team in batting average, he has 5 doubles and 5 homers. He has looked strong in the field.

Hideki Matsui has overcome some early days of discomfort and water on the knee following on from surgery to see his batting average climbing the list and with some work on his stance he is starting to see some power too.

Derek Jeter has answered some of his critics with some solid performances at shortstop. He’s never going to be the best shortstop in the league but he’s way better than some voices were suggesting. His performance with the bat has been solid and he’s settling into that role at the top of the line-up.

Jorge Posada. Mostly solid behind the plate and producing numbers that are a step-up on last year. The Posada – Molina tandem will serve us well for another year.

Negatives

Mark Teixeira. We need much more from Teixeira. At the moment, he is not giving us more from the position than Giambi did last year. Giambi was supposed to be at the end of his usefulness (he was). Teixeira is supposed to be the future (at the moment he isn’t). .200 with 3 home runs simply isn’t good enough.

Cody Ransom. Ransom was never going to fill A-Rod’s shoes but he was meant to be an adequate replacement without the baggage. Prior to his stint on the DL, he simply didn’t deliver. This wasn’t the young man who delivered two home runs in his first two at bats as a Yankee. Hey, he didn’t manage one in fifty! Can anybody say "Shane Spencer", "Shelley Duncan"?

Brett Gardner. I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Gardner’s substandard April doesn’t qualify as a surprise. He’s a little down on what I expected but he was always going to be a .240 hitter with speed, a useful arm in the field but no power. He doesn’t walk much so once his singles production had dropped with his confidence, he was never going to survive as the everyday centrefielder.

Xavier Nady. This injury to Nady and the very non-specific way in which the Yankees detailed it in press reports is worrying. Behind the scenes issues aside, Bobby Abreu was the obvious player for the Yankees to re-sign for 2009. Damon is not the player he once was and is legs are always going to cause him problems. Nady has one bout of serious arm trouble behind him. When we didn’t chase Abreu, there was always the caution that trouble could come back. The team just has to hope it hasn’t

Surprises

Melky Cabrera. The hope was that Cabrera would bounce back strong enough to challenge Gardner and maybe platoon if Brett didn’t work out. So far, Cabrera is the guy from 2007 that we thought we’d never see again. 4 home runs, .327 batting average, good in the field, some speed. Hey, what’s not to like!

Nick Swisher. During the torrid first weeks of the season, Swisher was our best hope. Things have settled down a little now – for him and for the team but, for someone I would have traded away before the season began, he has been simply great. He looks twice the player I saw playing for the White Sox last year. He has energy, power and enthusiasm.

Jose Molina. Last year when Posada was injured and Molina was bearing the whole weight (let’s not talk about Ivan Rodriguez), he was pretty horrible at the plate and had some substandard games behind the plate. As much as I am sure that he would like to be the everyday player, I think it all got on top of him. This year, he has been his usual self behind the plate but his ability to hit for average has returned.

Ramiro Pena. Pena was going to be the scrappy, little, throwback of a player, who would provide back-up for Ransom until A-Rod was fit and then return to the minors to continue to learn the game. For three weeks that is exactly what he was and then he began to hit and look confident at the plate. Well, I’m surprised.

It will be some months before I get to New York but those horrible glitch days aside I can feel reasonably comfortable that the Yankees can remain in contention until I get there. Looks like another fascinating season ahead. I’m enjoying it. Next, we look at the pitchers in April.

And one more……

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I said:

"On the bench? I’d expect to see Nick Swisher (33), Melky Cabrera (53), Ramiro Pena (he’s been using 90, I think)."

They said:

"The Yankees finalized their Opening Day roster on Saturday, selecting infielder Ramiro Pena as the club’s 25th man over former American League Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa."

The aspect of this that did catch me unawares was that the Yankees removed Dan Giese from their forty man roster to make room for Pena. Giese was a vital part of the roster last season and only just missed out on the last pitching slot. I hope he catches on with another Major League outfit before too long. He gaves us some vital innings last year.

Another Yankees prediction comes true……..

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From Major League Baseball.com:

"The Yankees continued to finalize what will be their Opening Day roster on Tuesday, informing right-handed reliever Jonathan Albaladejo that he will be heading north to New York.

The decision means that the Yankees will not have a dedicated long reliever to begin the season. Alfredo Aceves, Dan Giese and Brett Tomko were all sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, along with catcher Kevin Cash. "

Back to Baseball……..

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With the new season almost upon us, it’s time to catch up on what’s been happening in Spring Training and beyond……

The Yankees had the worst news going into Spring Training as the detail broke that Alex Rodriguez had used steroids whilst with his previous club, Texas Rangers. Rodriguez, in a fair world, should be serving a lengthy suspension but because of the time in which this happened no punitive action has been taken.

Fortunately / unfortunately, it was revealed that A-Rod was carrying a hip problem and would need surgery resulting in him being out of the mix for two-three months. This enabled the rest of the team to get on with the matter in hand without the spotlight caused by their team-mate’s behaviour.

Being able to concentrate on baseball served them well and the Yankees have produced the record of all those in the "Grapefruit League" (training teams based in Florida). They’ve won 20, lost 10 and tied 1.

What does this mean for the team we’ll see for the first series of the regular season?

The injured Alex Rodriguez will be replaced by Cody Ransom who has hit .262 in the Spring. Back-up for that position? Well, my money would be on either Ramiro Pena or Angel Berroa. Both were non-roster invitees to training. Berroa has hit well but Pena looks the better in the field.

Last year’s bright hopes, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes were both re-assigned to minor league camp some time ago. Hughes had a good Spring and is unfortunate. Kennedy will probably hawk his attitude in another town if he wants to get back to the Majors.

Suprise of the Spring was Japanese left-hander, Kei Igawa who pitched extremely well giving up only 1 run in his appearances as a reliever. He didn’t make the cut but could also find a job elsewhere.

Brett Gardner beat out Melky Cabrera for the centrefielder’s job. I’m sad about this one but I suspect that Melky’s cards have been marked against him since he was re-assigned to Scranton during August last year.

Last major issue to be decided? Who will pitch in long-relief? Alfredo Aceves, Dan Giese and non-roster man Bret Tomko have all been used in that role but it seems that Girardi might not go with any of them. The money is on Jonathan Albaladejo getting the last spot on the roster. He won’t be used for as many innings so this will put extra weight on the starters.

So who will we see?

1B – Mark Teixeira. (25). New signing who has had a quiet Spring.
2B – Robinson Cano (24). Needs to improve on last year.
3B – Cody Ransom (12). Will be over-matched and is a streaky hitter. But he has none of the hoop-la surrounding A-Rod.
SS – Derek Jeter (2). Has had negative press for his fielding performance but I don’t see that he’s as bad as they say.
LF – Johnny Damon (18). Another quiet Spring but he should be ready on the day.
CF – Brett Gardner (11). I’d have preferred to see Melky but I wish him well.
RF – Xavier Nady (22). Beat out Nick Swisher in what was really a no-contest.
C – Jorge Posada (20) / Jose Molina (26). Could still be either of them on opening day. Posada hasn’t seen much time behind the plate in the Spring
DH – Hideki Matsui (55). Coming off surgery. Swisher is waiting in the wings.

Starting Pitchers:

CC Sabathia (52)
AJ Burnett (34)
Chien Ming-Wang (40)
Andy Pettitte (46)
Joba Chamberlain (62)

All of the starters have come through a relatively successful Spring and the rotation is as expected.

Relief Pitchers:

Jonathan Albaladejo (63)
Brian Bruney (38)
Phil Coke (48)
Damaso Marte (43)
Edwar Ramirez (36)
Jose Veras (41)
Mariano Rivera (42)

On the bench? I’d expect to see Nick Swisher (33), Melky Cabrera (53), Ramiro Pena (he’s been using 90, I think).

Prediction? If they can avoid being daunted by the A-Rod circus when he returns, I expect them to win the American League East.

Pettitte and the Yankees ….. the story continues

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A few weeks ago I said:

"I’d like to see: Sabathia – Wang – Burnett – Pettitte – Aceves."

In another post I said:

"I think he (Pettitte) should swallow deeply, remember last winter and all the damage that did to his reputation and take the $10 million that the Yankees have on the table. He would be a good no. 4 or no. 5 starter."

Yesterday, Pettitte accepted far less than that offer – albeit in an incentive-laden deal that could net him more than that if the season goes well.

Another piece falls into place in the puzzle.