Tag Archives: new york

Take me out to the Ball Game

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So another Baseball update…… which of the New York Yankees are doing well, badly or surprising you, Darren?

Pluses

Mariano Rivera.  We expect Mo to be good but this year so far he’s shaking off his advancing years. 9 games, 10 innings pitched, 4 hits, NO RUNS. 7 saves out of 7 opportunities.

Joba Chamberlain. It should be noted that Mariano Rivera started life as a starter and was so-so before being transformed into first setup man and then closer. Whatever Hank Steinbrenner thinks, Chamberlain is a fine setup man at the moment and there seems no reason to rock the boat. 9 games also, 10.1 innings and a 1.74 ERA. He’s endured one wobble and was back to normal yesterday afternoon.

Brian Bruney. Our third excellent relief pitcher. 1.59 ERA, 9 games, 11.1 innings. Also endured a wobble but there was worse to follow which makes Mr Bruney both a plus and a minus….. (see below)………

Chien-Ming Wang. 5-0, 3.23 ERA, 39 innings. We need to see more strong starters but at the moment Wang is Mr Dependable. He out-duelled Sabathia to give us an opportunity to tie the series against the Indians.

Melky Cabrera. .291 BA, .506 SLG, 5 HRs. While two many bats are quiet, Melky is carrying his share of the weight. Yesterday, his home run was the only thing separating us from Cleveland in the batting column.

Alberto Gonzalez. .316 BA. I expected to see Gonzalez back in the Bronx in September as New York hoped that someone might want to offer him a roster spot in 2009 and to see what he was worth. Instead, the early injury to Jeter put him into the spotlight much earlier than that and at the moment he looks a good utility man who can fill most of the spots in the infield with ease. He’s younger than Betemit and whilst its difficult to see how he would fit for New York in the long term, he is surpassing my expectations and I hope he stays around.

Minuses

Ian Kennedy. 8.53 ERA, 2 losses and less than 5 innings per start. Less was expected of Kennedy than Phil Hughes (see below) which is handy because he is worse. Last year, he looked to have potential but at the moment that has dissipated. Can’t see how much longer he will last in the starting rotation on this form but who will they bring in to fill his spot whilst he sorts himself out.

Phil Hughes. 7.85 ERA, 3 losses and less than 4 innings per start. The burden of being the guy that the Yankees refused to give up must be weighing heavily on Hughes at the moment. He inspires slightly more confidence than Kennedy but not much.

LaTroy Hawkins. 8.56 ERA. His ERA exists to stop Hughes or Kennedy being bottom of that list. In Spring Training, he chose no.22 and drew ribbing for trying to follow Clemens. The Bleacher creatures got on him when that proved too much for him and he swapped to 21 which they have reserved to be retired in honour of Paul O’Neill. Shirt number issues aside, or perhaps partially because of them, he seems to have lost his way and seems to be handy for nothing than filling innings in games we have already lost.

Robinson Cano. .158 BA. .216 OBP. Don’t really want to put him here on this part of my list but at the moment he has got me scratching my head. Girardi has observed that he always a slow starter but the problem with that is he had such a strong spring training. Perhaps a few days off might fix it and at least we have Gonzalez to fill in if it comes to that.

Jason Giambi. .177 BA. He’s beginning to hit for power (5 HRs now) but he’ll need to boost his batting average by at least 50 points and be much more consistent at first base before I’ll be pleased to see him still in a Yankees shirt.

Brian Bruney (as above). Every other year, he has begun solidly and then struggled as the season went on. This year, he starts solidly and then falls covering a ball at firstbase and damages his foot. He might be gone for the season and I’m not sure who replaces him.

Surprises

Jorge Posada. .302 BA. Looked like he’d shaken off the injury but is now headed for the disabled list for the first time.

Jose Molina. .267 BA. Managed to stay off the disabled list and will now be every day until Posada is able to comeback.

Billy Traber. 4.50 ERA. Only left-handed reliever on the roster and was holding his own but now he’s headed for Scranton. Strange decision.

Shelley Duncan. .091 BA, no home runs. I was surprised how short his first stay in the Bronx was but I’m even more surprised to see him back. Ensberg continues to hold his own at 1b and 3b and offensively and Duncan’s power seems to have disappeared.
He’s been gifted another chance but he needs to do something quickly.

Chad Moeller. .350 BA. Designated for assignment on Friday. It looks like, with the injury to Posada, the Yankees may have moved too quickly. We’ll see how the next few days workout – whether we see him again or whether he is headed elsewhere.

Mike Mussina. 2-3, 4.54 ERA. Despite Steinbrenner’s diatribe, close inspection shows that Mussina is contributing and perhaps doing a little better than I expected. I really saw him as the fifth starter this season so if he can continue as he is, he’d been on target for 12 wins and I could stand that. The younger pitchers are the bigger issue.

So the season so far. 26 games, 13 wins, 13 losses and only 1 1/2 games out. 

Team W L PCT GB
Baltimore 14 11 .560 –
Tampa Bay 14 11 .560 –
Boston 15 12 .556 –
NY Yankees 13 13 .500 1.5
Toronto 11 15 .423 3.5

Baseball – the story so far……

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Well, the baseball season has begun and after thirteen games the New York Yankees lie bottom of their division. This is not as bad as it sounds. Just two days ago, we were pushing for the top slot but two consecutive defeats against Boston leaves us with a 6-7 record so far. So good points and bad points……?

Pluses

Chien-Ming Wang (p). 22 innings pitched. 3 wins – no losses. 1.23 ERA. 1 complete game. Wang continues to be our strongest starter which we have needed since the bats have been quiet. He’s worked his way out of a couple of difficult situations but it’s been smooth sailing the rest of the way.

Joba Chamberlain (rp). 4 appearances, 5.1 innings. No runs. It’s like last post-season never happened. He’s near untouchable once more.

Brian Bruney (rp). You’re always left wondering which Mr. Bruney will turn-up. So far, it is the guy who gets people out. He also gave us a surprise start. 7 innings. 2 hits. no runs.

Melky Cabrera (cf). Despite a two-day suspension, Cabrera continues to be wonderfully consistent when available. 2 home runs and a .290 BA

Minuses

Ian Kennedy (p). Was supposed to be better than this. 13.50 ERA gained in a game when we were very glad to still have Albaladejo around (see below).

Phil Hughes (p). Was supposed to be better than this. 9.00 ERA and still looking for his first win after 3 starts. The young pitchers are wobbling.

Kyle Farnsworth (rp) As predicted. At the moment, he’s eating up a few innings in games we were on the way to losing but he’s not delivered for too long and the change of manager hasn’t seen a change of performance.

LaTroy Hawkins (rp). Difficult start for Mr Hawkins but it is early days yet. 9.00 ERA in 6 appearances.

Jose Molina (c). Jose Molina became the surprise starting catcher when Posada continued to struggle with health difficulties but his strong performance was no surprise. Now he looks as though he is headed for the disabled list with ligament damage which leaves the catching spot looking barren unless Posada improves physically.
 
Derek Jeter (ss). Noticeable only by his absence through injury after a quiet first few days. We need him back and quickly.

Jason Giambi (dh / 1b) No surprises here. His first noticeable contribution was a fielding error. His .107 BA says it all.

Surprises

Billy Traber (rp). Also 4 appearances. 3.1 innings and no runs. I don’t how long this can last but our wouldbe left-hand specialist has already delivered more than I expected if he starts to lose it tomorrow.

Andy Pettitte (p). Came back from DL earlier than I’d expected. And settled into his normal role without much hesitation despite all the off-season problems. 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA isn’t world-beating but it is more than expected at this stage.

Jonathan Albaladejo (rp). One of the few on the opening day roster I wouldn’t have guessed. Made a strong early debut when Kennedy’s first start fell apart. And then he was gone….. back to Scranton (AAA).

Robinson Cano (2b). Cano had a strong spring but so far his bat hasn’t shown up since the start of the regular season. He’s usually so consistent too.

Alberto Gonzalez (ss). Shortstop looked set with Jeter installed and Betemit as occasional backup. Jeter’s injury meant we had to consider the options and Gonzalez was brought up from Scranton (AAA) as being defensively stronger than Betemit. His .385 average since arriving makes this all the better and all the more surprising. Makes Betemit’s future a little questionable.

Shelley Duncan (1b). I said there were question marks in the long term for this guy but nobody expected him to be off the 25-man roster within a week. Ensberg is delivering (surprise!) and Giambi is paid too much. It may mean that Duncan is the odd man out and not just in the short term. 

Opening Day Roster

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So still on the baseball theme. After several weeks of Spring training games the Yankees have named their opening day roster. Let’s have a look at the runners and riders:

Pitching Staff

Jonathan Albaladejo (63) . A little bit of an unknown quantity for me. Right-handed relief pitcher who was traded for during the off-season in the Tyler Clippard deal. Clippard was going nowhere in New York so Albaladejo, who is a better fit for a relief position by all accounts, could be a good acquisition. 1-1 with a 1.88 ERA at Washington when he came up towards the end of last year. Blew his only save opportunity.

Brian Bruney (33). Great on his day. Dreadful when he isn’t. And notoriously inconsistent. Has done well to be still around. Hope he makes the best of the opportunity.

Joba Chamberlain (62). He was going to make the starting rotation. And then he wasn’t. He comes back in roughly the same role as last year but with some of the pitch restrictions lifted but also with some of the memories of his struggles in the post-season. Only time will tell.

LaTroy Hawkins (21). Coming in from Colorado as a free agent and the fourth right-hander on the roster. Last year was a good year for him after two seasons moving around and posting an ERA over 4. NYY are expecting a lot from him. It’ll be interesting to see if he delivers.

Kyle Farnsworth (48). Another right-hand reliever. And one that the Bronx crowd will feel that they have seen enough of after two sub-par years.  It’s hard to believe he would be back again if it wasn’t for Joe Girardi taking over as manager and all the talk of their strong relationship when Farnsworth played with him before. I’m not holding my breath.

Phil Hughes (34). First of the starting pitchers on my list. Huge expectations which have been balanced a little by Chamberlain’s emergence. Improved during his short tenure in the job last season, finishing with 5 wins.

Ian Kennedy (31). Another young right-handed starter. Made just 3 appearances last year, finishing with a very solid 1.89 ERA. It will be interesting to see how he fares in May & June after his pitches are better understood by their opponents.

Mike Mussina (35). The face of experience on the starting staff, coming off a very rocky year. His figures on paper don’t look much worse for last year than some of those preceding years but the pen and ink doesn’t tell the full story. There’s a legitimate question here as to whether he can still cut it at this level and if he doesn’t it leaves precious little hiding place for the young arms, bearing in mind Pettitte’s troubled off-season.

Ross Ohlendorf (39). Texan who made six good appearance at the tail-end of last year and who had a good Spring. More of the same please.

Mariano Rivera (42). What can I say? I’ve watched a lot of baseball (contemporary and historic) over the last 20 years and Rivera is the best relief pitcher I’ve ever seen. He’s getting older but close to his best will still be better than anyone else.

Billy Traber (61). This one I didn’t anticipate. Journeyman left-handed reliever who was released by Washington after two not-very-impressive years on and off their roster. Says more about the lack of left-handed relievers in Spring Training than anything else. We’ve fooled ourselves before that ordinary pitchers can suddenly become great. Can anyone say Aaron Small?

Chien Ming-Wang (40). No. 1 starter going into the season and deservedly so for this guy coming off two 19 win seasons. Can he make 20 this time around? Slight question mark over his big occasion temperament?

Batting staff

Jose Molina (26). Solid back-up catcher who can spell Posada. Hard to imagine anyone better in the role.

Jorge Posada (20). Great season last year but he is another year older and coming off a slow Spring. Good tandem with Molina even if he doesn’t repeat.

Wilson Betemit (14). Can be used in a range of positions and is also a useful bat off the bench. Good to see him back but glad we’re not relying on him to be every day at 3b.

Robinson Cano (24). 25 years old and you won’t find many better fielding-and-hitting players in that position in the major leagues. A lot will rest on him continuing to produce.

Shelley Duncan (17). A clutch of home runs and good attitude marked his arrival in the Majors last year. His batting average dipped in the later days of the season and, for me, he is still a question mark for the long-term. 1b is wide-open and that is not necessarily a good thing.

Morgan Ensberg (11). Another surprise name. And another journeyman who is unlikely to be in the post-season in 2008 whether the Yankees make it there or not. Recently with the Astros and Padres, he is patient at the plate and will draw walks but it’s hard when that’s the best thing you can think to say about him.

Derek Jeter (2). Mr Consistency. A great shortstop and a vital part of the team. If he does well so will the Yankees

Alex Rodriguez (13). He wasn’t coming back but now he’s here for the rest of his career or until next time he changes his mind. The Canseco story might disturb him and he has to win back fans who were never really with him in the first place. We’ll see how it goes……

Bobby Abreu (53). His 101 RBIs and 25 stolen bases last year were a vital component that is easy to overlook. Solid, dependable and a great advantage for us in all that he brings to the team

Melky Cabrera (28). It’s easy to forget that he’s still the 4th youngest player on the roster. 2007 wasn’t quite 2006 for Melky but he means that it would be hard to improve on two parts of the outfield.

Johnny Damon (18). Like Mussina, he had a sub-par 2007. Can he come back to his previous standard? Does he still have the desire for the game that he had during his Boston years? Another question mark.

Hideki Matsui (55). The recently married Mr. Matsui. Slow start to Spring training and advancing years but it’s still good to have him on the team.

Jason Giambi (25). Hard-to-believe that Giambi would still be in the Bronx if it wasn’t for the ridiculous contract that the Yankees gifted him in earlier years. I’d be happier if he wasn’t on the roster but for the team’s sake, I hope he has a better year than his forgettable 2007.

Also around:

Andy Pettitte (46). Back trouble puts him on the disabled list after a difficult and troubling off-season. Can he overcome all that he has brought upon himself? Is he still the pitcher he was even without all the back-story? We’ll have to wait and see a little longer…

Sean Henn (30). Mr Henn gets more chances than most but his left-handed action means he is still in the mix but injured. If and when Traber goes to triple-A, he may get yet another chance but the main question is which team will give him a tryout after that.

Scott Patterson (no number allocated). A surprising exclusion. His time will come.

Kei Igawa, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, Chase Wright. We’ve seen them before. The writing is on the wall as they fail to make the cut.

Darrell Rasner, Jeff Karstens. They were supposed to be the two major candidates for the long-relief spot. Neither of them made it. Who will be in long-relief? Will Karstens return to health? Will Rasner settle for being at Triple-A? Questions, always questions…..

Overall we look a little thin. 1b is a real question and LF is a dilemma. Left-handed relief is very weak. Do we have 5 dependable starters? We need a little luck and one or two new faces if we are going to trouble Boston for the division leadership. 

Prediction: Wild Card.