To trade for Johan, or not to trade that is the question.

To all but the most optimistic fans, the off season has not been kind to the Yankees and their faithful fans. Not only are we recovering from the taint of another first round playoff exit coupled with a Boston Red Sox World Series, but we are also coping with allegations of steroid use against two genuine Yankee heroes Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens, as well as those levied against lesser heroes David Justice and Chuck Knoblauch. (As for the Ron Villones and Rondell White’s of the world – well, as soon as you can find their contribution to a World Series win, you let me know.) Some fans will add the loss of Joe Torre and Don Mattingly to the list, and while I admire and appreciate their contributions to the team, I am not sad to see them go.

There is some good news, Alex Rodriguez has returned, as have Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada. Above all, losing A-Rod would have been absolutely devastating, as there is no way the Yankees could have replaced his production in the line up. There is a huge fall off between A-Rod’s worst season and Wilson Betemit, and regardless of whether you want to hang out with A-Rod, as fans we should all be thanking our lucky stars that Alex will be back. Rivera, Pettitte and Posada all occupy key positions that currently have no understudy. While all three are being overpaid, considering the alternatives, their return will be key to another winning season.

Once again the biggest questions for the Yankees this off season is the pitching. As of now, the rotation would be Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy and Mike Mussina. The bullpen is Mariano Rivera and, ummm…well, let’s talk about that another time. The rotation is very solid with a ton of upside. It is very possible that Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy could soon bring to mind some other big threes, such as John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux or Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder. Of course, given the precociousness of young pitchers, they could also all be out of baseball by 2012. Looked at in a vacuum, the Yankees staff projects nothing but sunny days; looked at in comparison to their biggest rivals the Red Sox, the view is a little cloudy. The Sox are going to roll out Josh Beckett, Dice-K (too lazy to look up the proper spelling), Curt Schilling, Jon Lester, Clay Bucholz, Tim Wakefield, and quit possibly Johan Santana. It is that last name that is a major point of concern for the Yankees. The truth is, it will be difficult to beat a very good Boston team as things stand right now. The task will become somewhat Herculean if the Red Sox add baseball’s best pitcher; especially if they do so without giving up their best prospect, Bucholz. (Of course there is a giant asterisk to all of this. The Red Sox would only be unbeatable on paper. There is a chance Becket reverts to 2006, Dice-K does not improve, Santana’s increased HR rate last year was the beginning of a trend, not a blip, Schilling’s aging accelerates, and Bucholz doesn’t pan out – see this is why I hate pitchers.)

So, the question becomes, do the Yankees say damn the torpedoes and acquire Santana no matter what the cost may be. The question is a simple one. If you believe that Santana is the fire-breathing lefty that can lead the Bombers back to the World Series – then you make the trade no matter what. Perhaps the strongest argument to be made for this approach is this: imagine if the Yanks had Santana in games 1 and 4 of the American League Division Series instead of Wang - suddenly, it is not so hard to imagine the Yanks, not the Red Sox, pounding the National League’s latest patsies, the Rockies. Johan Santana could very well be the missing link between the Yankees and their 27^th World Championship.

So why isn’t Santana being measured for pinstripes right now? Mostly because Santana is not yet a free agent, and in return for Johan, the Twins are demanding Hughes, Kennedy and Melky Cabrera. Hughes is a blue-chip prospect who projects as a 1 or 2 in anyone’s staff; Kennedy projects as a solid 3, but has the added bonus of already appearing to be a polished pitcher (see Baseball America or Baseball Prospectus, or any game he pitched, if you don’t believe me); while Cabrera is probably going to project out as a 4^th outfielder on a good team and a starter on most others.

As of right now, Santana is far better than Hughes, Kennedy or Cabrera. In fact, if everything goes right you hope that Hughes will someday be as good as Santana is now. So why is Hank, Cash and company so reluctant to make this deal? After all prospects are just that, prospects, with no guarantees as to their future. Furthermore, when you’re adding a player of Santana’s stature, you are going to have to give up a lot. Detroit gave up their two best prospects for Miguel Cabrera, Arizona gave up their two best prospects for Dan Haren, and now both teams are favorites to win their respective division. Given, Hughes is far better than any of the prospects given up by either Arizona or Detroit. If the Yanks add Santana, they would also be favorites to win – or would they?

Upon closer inspection, maybe there is a method to Hank and Cash’s madness. First of all, the Yankees would be parting with Cabrera, their starting centerfielder. With Melky gone, the Yankees outfield looks like this – Hideki Matsui in left, Johnny Damon in center, and Bobby Abreu in right. Not only is the outfield old and injury prone, Matsui has no range and can’t throw, Damon has range but can’t throw, and while Abrue has range and can throw, he’s afraid of the wall and has no idea how to take a proper route to a flyball. In other words, unless Santana plans on striking everyone out, his ERA is going to suffer because he will be playing in front of a below average defensive team. Now, Santana might get some of that ERA back because Yankee Stadium is a slight pitcher’s park, but he’d also be dealing with Derek Jeter at shortstop and ?? at first base – not an appealing defensive package. The bombers have missed out no the more appealing centerfield options, and would likely have to resort to Mike Cameron for an outside solution. Cameron is a fantastic fielder and as good a hitter as Melky. But Cameron is injury prone and being heavily pursued by the Phillies right now. If Melky goes, odds are Damon is back in center field this year.

Then there are the two pitchers, Hughes and Kennedy. Make no mistake, despite what some fans have made of him, Ian Kennedy is not the kind of prospect you hold onto at the cost of getting Johan Santana. The issue is not one of talent, but depth. While the Yankee farm system is loaded with pitching prospects, after the big 3, Alan Horne is the only one likely to contribute much in 2008. Therefore, if they trade both Kennedy and Hughes, the rotation will be Santana, Pettitte, Wang, Chamberlain, Moose and Horne. Given that Pettitte and Moose are health risks and Chamberlain has never thrown more than 150 innings in a season, this is a very shallow rotation. Matters would get worst in 2009, when Pettitte and Moose leave (although, there are likely to be other pitchers on the market by that point). By holding onto Kennedy, the staff is Santana, Pettitte, Wang, Chamberlain, Kennedy, Moose – a far deeper option.

So it comes down to this, if the Yanks really believe they are one Johan away from a World Series, they should do the trade. However, if the Yanks believe that Hughes will be a 1 or 2 for the next ten years, that Kennedy will be a 3 for the next ten years, and that Melky will be a solid contributor until someone better comes along – then they should stand pat. As for me, I’m torn. I’ve howled and ranted about my love for Phil Hughes and after watching him pitch, nothing has changed. I’m not as high on Kennedy and Cabrera, but can admit I’m not exactly looking forward to runners going from first to third on a fly ball because Damon can’t throw. Ultimately, I’d hold off for now. See how the market develops and hope the Twins hold on to Santana, so that the Yanks can sign him in the off season. Then again, we would still have Joba, and the thought of him and Santana anchoring our staff for the next six years – well, it gives me shivers.

Melky! Is there anything he can't do?

"World Milk Day!"

And Steve Phillips thinks the Yanks should have traded him for Eric Gagne. Steve, Melky wins games, Gagne loses them - any questions?

Gassed

We'd like to give the Gas Face to all the writers and pundits who criticized Brian Cashman for not giving up Melky Cabrera or Ian Kennedy to get Eric Gagne. Once again, Cashman proved the know-nothings wrong by refusing the trade and bringing up Joba Chamberlain instead. Want proof? How about last night. While Gagne was getting smacked around like the ex-superstar he is by the Baltimore Orioles, Joba was making the Indians look like small children facing a giant. Joba - 2 innings, 4 strikeouts, Gagne - 1 inning, 4 runs - Cashman wins again!

Trade Deadline Wrap-Up

'Don't believe the hype' would be a pretty accurate description of this year's trade deadline. The biggest name to move was Mark Teixeira. Other than that, we saw a whole bunch of teams doing minor patchwork to set themselves up for the stretch run. There are a couple of contributing factors to this: the Wild Card race in both leagues is wide open so a lot of teams weren't ready to deal themselves out; teams are beginning to recognize that mortgaging the future for a middle reliever or an aging starter doesn't work out in the long term; and there simply weren't that many big name players on the market. (Note: None of this applies to the Pittsburgh who have made one of the most non-sensical trade in the history of baseball. Oh well - Viva Matt Morris - for whatever that's worth).

So how did our Yankees do? Pretty well I'd say. Scott Proctor for Wilson Betemit is pretty much a no-brainer. Anytime you can trade a middle reliever without dominating stuff, whose arm may disintegrate at any moment, for a switch-hitting, 25 year old, quasi-prospect you've done well. Betemit is already a better option off the bench than Miguel Cairo and there's a chance he could still develop into an everyday player. More important was adding Jose Molina before the trade deadline. Those two deals have gone some way towards improving the Yankees biggest problem the atrocious bench. And, Cashman managed to address a major problem without mortgaging the future.

I know some people have killed the Cashman for not adding Eric Gagne, but those people should all get the gas face. While Gagne would have been nice, we need to remember that this is Eric Gagne Model 2007, not Eric Gagne model 2002 to 2004. This year, Gagne has thrown 33.3 innings pitched, he missed time at the beginning of the season, struck out 29 and saved 16 games, his ERA is 2.16. While those numbers look good, there is a giant however coming, that however is what Gagne has done since July 1st. Since July 1st Gagne has made 11 appearances, he has pitched 11.1 innings, over that span he has allowed 11 hits and 5 runs, his ERA doubled from 1.11 to 2.16. Those are hardly dominating numbers. What we're dealing with here is the myth of the closer, essentially if a guy has had success closing in the past, he will continue to do so, regardless of how bad his peripheral numbers are (For more evidence of this phenomenon, see: Borowski, Joe, Jones, Todd, or our very own Farnsworth, Kyle). Furthermore, Texas was asking for Melky Cabrera or Ian Kennedy in return for Gagne. It is never a good idea to trade your future CF and a future starting pitcher, who is dominating in the minors, for 9 weeks of a middle reliever who has had major arm problems. Gagne is no longer a dominating pitcher, and while his addition would have been nice, there's no reason to believe that Joba Chamberlain cannot do at least as well as Gagne would have.

More to the point, the Yankees are playing for their playoff lives. They need to either catch Cleveland or Boston to get into the playoffs. While they have Cleveland in their sights, they're still behind the 8 Ball. Mortgaging the future for a middle reliever doesn't make sense for a team fighting to make the playoffs. Had they made the trade and missed, this could have been the kind of trade that has disastrous consequences. You know, the ones where teams give up young prospects for middle relievers and don't win anything.

There is also the fact that Gagne would have been much more useful to Cleveland than he is to Boston. Considering, the Yanks have Cleveland in their sights for the Wild Card Spot, this is somewhat of a win.

Now, while getting Gagne made little to no sense for the Yanks, it does somewhat make sense for Boston. I'm a firm believer in the idea that if you can make a trade that will win you a World Series now, you do it without regard for future implications. I'm not saying you trade your top prospect for a lefty pinch hitter, but teams should always play to win now. If the Red Sox feel that the only thing they need is another middle reliever to guarantee post season success, they did the right thing. The Sox gave up Kason Gabbard, David Murphy and Engel Beltre, and while it is possible that one or two of those players may turn into decent major leaguers, this is hardly giving up the farm. While I feel that Gagne is overrated, this is the kind of trade first place teams with huge leads should be making.

YES for sale, get em while they're hot!

According to Fortune.com, the YES Network is for sale. "The highest-rated regional sports network in the country and the cable home of the Yankees and the NBA New Jersey Nets, YES is jointly owned by the Yankees, investment bank Goldman Sachs & Co. (Charts, Fortune 500) , and former Nets owner Ray Chambers. Goldman and Chambers would like to cash out, YES and Yankees insiders say, and one source says to expect a deal by summer's end. Some possible bidders: Cablevision, Comcast (Charts), News Corp. (Charts, Fortune 500) and Verizon (Charts, Fortune 500)." (Source Fortune)

As long as the new owners don't adopt Fox's style of sports coverage, known for coming back to commercial breaks with runners already on base or a batter already at 3-2, I don't really care. I don't get why they would want to get rid of a source of revenue, especially one that will continue to bring in cash as long as the Yankees don't revert to the early 90's Yankees. Then again the profits on the sale could be A- Rods salary for his next 5 years here. So scratch everything I said before that last sentence, sell the network!!

Four Hundred and Ninety Nine, One to Go

God clearly has a sense of humor. Every member of the Yankees homers except A-Rod. Damon, Abreu, Matsui, Posada, Melky, Cano, Shelly Freakin' Duncan all go yard. And yet poor A-Rod remains mired at 499.

Retarded arguments beware, 26 is on ya

My morning ritual involves a large iced skim latte and Mike and Mike on ESPN radio as I drive to work. Normally this is my time to relax and let my mind wonder before thinking about the work before me. This morning, I had the unfortunate pleasure of listening to Erik Casilias sit in for Mike and Mike. Casilias is one of the normal sit ins for the Mike and Mike crew, and while not my favorite, I usually enjoy the change of pace he provides. This morning, I was stunned to find out that Erik Casilias is a glue-sniffer, the only possible explanation for this morning’s rant. Let me explain:

Now for the record, what I heard today was the conclusion of a rant started on Friday morning. So I did not hear the genesis of Mr. Casilias’s addled thoughts. But what I caught today was this, Mr. Casilias proclaimed that while Derek Jeter will be a first ballot hall of famer, he is not one now. He then made two further proclamations. The first being that if Jeter were to retire today and make the Hall of Fame, he would be the worst offensive player in the history of the Hall. He justified that claim by stating that Jeter didn’t have 3,000 hits, wouldn’t have 500 homers and so far has no MVP awards. Then, after taking another huge huff of industrial strength glue, he boldly proclaimed that he didn’t like Jeter, because he prefers his Hall of Famers to have “hardware.” Explaining that “hardware” meant MVP or Cy Young awards. He concluded with “that’s why I like Rollie Fingers, he has a Cy Young and an MVP award.” (To be fair, that was a lead in to Rollie Fingers appearing on the show. Although it is possible that Mr. Casilias does not know that Derek Jeter is ineligible for the Cy Young Award. )

Here’s my what I imagine Mr. Casilias’s pre-show prep went like.
Mr. Casilias “Derek Jeter is over rated.”
ESPN Intern “Why do you think that?”
Mr. Casilias “He has no MVP awards.”
ESPN Intern “So.”
Mr. Casilias “Well Juan Gonzalez has two MVP awards, so he must be twice as good as Derek Jeter. And, more important, twice as worthy of Hall of Fame induction.”
ESPN Intern “But he washed out early and almost all baseball experts consider his MVP results a matter of the voters overvaluing RBIs more than anything else.”
Mr. Casilias “Hold on, I need another hit of glue. Okay, well what about George Bell.”
ESPN Intern “What about George Bell.”
Mr. Casilias “Well George Bell has one MVP award, and one is more than zero, so George Bell is more worthy of being in the Hall of Fame than Derek Jeter.”
ESPN Inter “Ummm…okay…whatever, here’s some more glue.”

Look I know some people think Derek Jeter is overrated. Even we’ll admit he didn’t deserve his gold gloves, but anyone who questions Jeter being a first ballot Hall of Famer is an idiot. Let’s break down Casilias’s statements. His first one, about if Jeter’s career ended today would he be Hall worthy, is simply idiotic. It is the equivalent of me arguing “If the war in Iraq ended today, there would be no more soldiers dying in Basra.” Sure it’s true, but it’s absurd and irrelevant as the war in Iraq is not ending today. Neither is Derek Jeter’s career. I’m not sure what Casilias is going by, but Jeter is just over halfway done with his career. He has played 12 full seasons and he is only 32, he has never been an injury risk and has no statistical signs of slowing down. Oh, and by the way he already has 2,292 hits. Over the last 11 seasons he has averaged 194 hits per year. Which means he should break 3,000 in four seasons, this would put him on pace for about 3,500 hits for his career. For those who don’t know, and I know Erik Casilias doesn’t know, Tony Gwynn has 3,141 hits for his career, and Gwynn was a first ballot Hall of Famer. Here’s another equivalent of Casilias’s argument “If Albert Pujols retired today he wouldn’t have 500 homers and would not be worthy of the Hall of Fame.” Sure, that would be true, but that would come as quite a surprise to Pujols who will probably play ten more seasons. I mean for fuck’s sake, how many players are evaluated based on their first 11 seasons. Did Greg Maddux have 300 wins after 11 seasons? No. Did Roger Clemens have 300 wins after 11 seasons? No. Did Barry Bonds have 500 homers after 11 seasons? No.

Casilias stated that if Jeter retired today and was voted in, he would be the weakest player in the Hall. Stunningly Casilias even got this wrong. Compare Jeter to two Hall of Fame shortstops, Pee Wee Reese and Phil Rizzuto. Reese retired with 2170 hits, .269 career Batting Average, .366 career On Base Percentage and .377 career Slugging Percentage (in 16 seasons). Rizzuto finished with 1,588 hits, .273 Batting Average, .351 On Base Percentage, and .355 Slugging Percentage (in 13 seasons). For sake of comparison, Cal Ripken Jr. finished with 3,184 hits, .276 Batting Average, .340 On Base Percentage, and .447 Slugging Percentage (in 21 seasons). Jeter has 2,292 hits, .318 Batting Average, .389 On Base Percentage, and .463 Slugging Percentage. So to be clear, as of right now, Derek Jeter has a higher career Average, On Base Percentage, and Slugging Percentage than current Hall of Famers, Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto and Cal Ripken Jr. Now, those are just pure numbers. Without even getting into the Rookie of the Year Award, the World Series MVP, the All-Star Games, the two MVP Runner Ups, Jeter has the stats to get into the Hall of Fame.

Now, Casilias’s statement about hardware is so stupid it barely deserves a comment. But, here are some of the luminaries who have won the MVP Award over the last 20 years: Terry Pendleton, Jose Canseco, George Bell, Kevin Mitchell, Mo Vaughn, Larry Walker, Juan Gonzalez (twice) and Jason Giambi. According to Casilias all are more Hall of Fame worthy than Derek Jeter - pure stupidity.

I recognize that Casilias probably spent very little time actually thinking about his argument and simply seized upon what he thought would be a controversial topic. As the stats show, he clearly never bothered to look up Derek Jeter’s career numbers and compare them to actual Hall of Famers. Furthermore, trying to evaluate Jeter’s career when it is halfway done, is a cheap way of making an argument. More importantly, most baseball fans who care about the sport are not listening to Erik Casilias for insight. Those real fans are reading Baseball Prospectus, or Baseball Analysts, or the Hardball Times. But the sad thing is that it is people like Casilias who have repeatedly cheapened the MVP and Cy Young awards. Journalists who are too lazy to look beyond RBIs or Wins when placing their ballots. Journalists who give us Cy Young awards winners like Bartolo Colon and MVPs like Justin Mourneau (who is incredible, but was merely the third best player on his own team). It is sad to me that because of those journalists those awards have been cheapened in the eyes of so many. I know Casilias wants to make a splash, but maybe he should think before he speaks…it would go a long way.


(i wanted to put up a pic, maybe casilias sniffing glue out of a Cy Young award, but i couldn't find a picture of him... which sorta says it all about actually considering his argument, if anyone does have a pic of this genius please send it over, im sure well need it again soon.)

So...

Sorry it has been so long between updates, life has a way of interfering with blogging…anyways. Here are some thoughts:

1. The Yankees have largely lived up to our post All-Star Break plan, taking 3 of 4 from the 6 of 8 from Tampa Bay (2 series), 3 of 4 from Toronto, and 3 of 4 from the Royals. When you couple that with the pre-All Star Break series wins against the Angels and the team had a nifty little streak going. But, that somewhat ground to a halt when Baltimore took 2 of 3 over the weekend (I’m discounting the already won game, the teams completed Friday night). While one doesn’t want to overreact to one series loss, the weekend was bad. In order for the Yankees to make up ground on Boston and the Wildcard they simply cannot afford to lose series against losing teams. The Yanks have the next 6 against the White Sox and the Royals – anything less than 4 wins could be devastating.

2. The Yankees finally got rid of Will Nieves. I can’t tell you how excited I was watching Jose Molina collect 3 hits in his first game against Kansas. In fact, I was so thrilled by the prospect of having an actual living, breathing ballplayer back up King Jorge that I didn’t care that the Yanks lost. I can’t believe it only took Brian Cashman half of a season of watching a guy hit below .200 with no power before he thought about replacing him.

3. Phil Hughes comes back on Saturday, August 4^th – cue the angels singing and the golden lights.

4. Joba Chamberlain is coming up to help the pen. Part of me likes this move, Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth are awful. Joba throws in the high 90s and can be dominate. Furthermore, there is a blueprint for success here – look at Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano. Of course, neither of those pitchers were managed by Joe Torre. Torre is awful when it comes to managing his bullpen and the thought of what he might to do poor Joba’s arm is horrifying. However, this could provide the Yanks with a strike out pitcher from the pen, other than Mo, something the teams sorely needs.

a. Actually, I take that entire paragraph back. There’s such a likely hood that Torre will irreparably harm Joba that I think the team needs to hold off till Torre leaves – it is just not worth it.

5. Trade Deadline Thought: I kind of hope the team stands pat. There’s not a whole lot out there, I don’t think adding Eric Gagne is going to make a tremendous difference (and it will kill one of my Fantasy teams) and Texas wants too much for Mark Teixeira. Moving Kyle “disaster walking” Farnsworth or Scott “home run” Proctor would be addition by subtraction and if the team can get some live young arms, or better yet, some young hitting prospects, I’m all in.

D-D-D-Duncan

"AB: 12 -- R:3 -- AVG:333"

Part Deux

"I realize the outfield got a D not an F, but they still blow."

Just to put into perspective how good A-Rod, Jeter and Posada have been and how bad the rest of the team has been, think about this:
Right now Alex Rodriguez leads the Major Leagues in Value Over Replacement Player (see www.baseballprospectus.com - Value Over Replacement player is basically how many more runs over the course of the season a player is worth in comparison to your league average player), Posada is 19 and Jeter is 20, the next highest ranked Yankee hitter is Hideki Matsui at 107. To really make you really want to slice your eyelids, Jason Giambi, who has been out for the last month, is 5th on the team as of now. Yup, Mr. DL himself has been more valuable than Robinson Cano, Bobby Abreu, Melky Cabrera and Johnny Damon - simply putrid. Which brings us to our outfield grade.

Outfield: D
Wow, I'm still feeling nauseas after that last paragraph, so here goes nothing. In a word, the Yankees outfield has been atrocious. Bobby Abreu can't hit, Hideki Matsui can't field, Melky Cabrera can't identify a breaking ball, and Johnny Damon can't stay off the disabled list. Not really sure what else there is to say. For most teams, the outfield is a source of offense, come to think of it, so is First Base, but not for the Yankees. Nope, we are going to become the first team to succeed while getting almost zero production from the outfield. Oh wait, .500 isn't success for the team with the highest payroll in baseball?

The Truly Dope

"No seriously, everyone else does suck."

As there is no rest for the truly dope, we here at 26goingon27 will be bringing you our mid-season grades over the All-Star break. We will also be posting our predictions for the second-half on Thursday. Starting with the infield:

Starting Catcher: Grade A
What is not to love about what King Jorge has been doing this season? He’s hitting .326, slugging .505, and getting on base at a .399 clip, he also leads the team with 25 doubles. Not only that, he actually called out his teammates for being the slackers that they are. We could nitpick about the fact that opposing teams are running against the Yanks at will. However, I’m not sure how much of that is Jorge’s fault and how much is the fact that Moose and Clemens couldn’t keep my grandmother from taking a big lead.

Backup Catcher: F-----------
Words fail to describe how truly awful Will Nieves actually is. Just looking at his stats makes me want to roll around in a bathtub full of rusty nails. The only thing good taste allows me to print is 50 at-bats, 6 hits – I’m going to be sick…
Note: I am separating catcher and back up catcher because to put Will Nieves and King Jorge in the same paragraph is straight blasphemy. Seriously, my computer refused to let me type when I even tried to write about them together. Now if only my computer could keep Nieves out of the Yankees dugout.

First Base: F
The only thing keeping this from being an F- is that Josh Phelps (before getting cut) actually hit the ball. Watching Miguel Cairo at first makes me embarrassed to root for this team. And by the way, can Yankee fans please get off Cairo’s jock. I mean we put a picture up of him on the website, but it was a joke. Saturday night, a good friend tried to argue that Cairo playing first isn’t the problem and that Cairo’s the kind of guy the Yankees need. First of all, I’m not sure how a first baseman who is hitting .263 with 6 extra base hits provides anything to a team, unless Cairo gets credit for not being Doug Mientkiewicz. And, second of all, why do the Yankees need a barely competent hitter on our team at all. Someone, please explain the allure of Miguel Cairo to me.
Given the state of things for the Yankees this year, the fact that Andy Phillips has actually been hitting since he’s been called up, means he’s likely to get hit by a bus over the All-Star Break.

Second Base: C
Right now Robinson Cano has two things going for him, according to Zone Rating (see www.nomaas.org) he is ranked 2nd out American League Second baseman, which is a very good thing; and the fact that he rakes in the second half of last year. As most experts, see Steven Goldman or anyone form Baseball Prospectus, have pointed out, if Cano is not batting over .300 he’s simply not a good hitter. This year he is hitting .274, not a bad batting average by itself, but his on base percentage is only .314 which is putrid. To put the utter awfulness of Cano’s .OBP in perspective, Bobby Abreu is having as awful a year as humanely possible and he is getting on base at a .352 clip. Cano is either going to have to learn to identify pitches or hit above .310 to really have any value.

Third Base: A+++++++++
If you disagree with this grade you are retarded. If you think that the Yankees should not do everything in their power to make sure Alex Rodriguez is in pinstripes next year, you are too stupid to sit in the back of the short bus. The next person who says that the Yanks need more guys like Cairo and to get rid of A-Rod is getting beaten till they are bloody. Look at the numbers - 30 homers, 86 RBIs, 79 runs, .317 batting average, .413 on base percentage, .665 slugging percentage at the break – he is out of his freakin’ mind.

Shortstop: A-
It is kind of weird, Derek Jeter has been so good for so long that he has almost become underrated. He’s batting .336, slugging .463, getting on base at a .408 clip and no one notices because we all expect him to do that. For the first half of the season the Yankees are 1 game under .500 and Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada are the only players hitting like they are capable of – that says something about how good these guys are.
The only knock on Jeter is his defense, which has been especially awful this year. Zone Rating has him as worst in the American League and anyone who has watched a few games this year knows how much trouble the Captain is having going to his left. Unlike Posada whose trouble with base runners involves others, Jeter’s defensive problems are all his own fault so it is costing him half a grade.

Tomorrow – the outfield

Torre waves the white flag...

Even though the Yankees are 2 games under .500 and 11 games behind the Boston Red Sox, Joe Torre has decided the Yankees don't need to win this game. How else do you explain starting Miguel Cairo, Will Nieves, Melky Cabrera, Andy Phillips and Kevin Thompson against Johan Santana? In case no one's noticed Santana is the best pitcher in baseball.

Happy Birthday George, your 2007 Bronx Bombers, featuring such feared automatic outs as Will Nieves and Miguel Cairo.

Congrats to the Rocket Man!!!!

Thanks to Roger Clemens' vintage performance, we suggest the Yankees hold off blowing up the team for one more game. However, if A-Rod is really hurt, then screw it, sell the lot of them.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!!!!!

Get this, Monday in a tie game that the Yankees absolutely needed to win Torre won't use Mariano Rivera in the 9th. BUT TONIGHT, with the Yankees down 4-0 he brings Mariano in in the 8th. Someone please, please stop this man now.

I'm too depressed to keep writing.

Wheres Mo?

"Torre couldn't do the Magic Eye posters either"

We here at 26goingon27 have unearthed a fact about baseball that Joe Torre may be interested in. Evidently, if you are the away team and the score is tied in the bottom of the 9th or any inning after that and the other team scores, you lose. You would think that as a major league manager Joe Torre would understand this, he doesn't. It is the only possible explanation for his refusal to use Mariano Rivera, aka the best reliever on the planet, in Saturday and Monday's losses. Torre already cost the Yanks a game in the 2004 World Series, remember when he went to the immortal Jeff Weaver instead of Mo, and he still hasn't learned.

Then again maybe he knows and doesn't care. After all Joe Torre also thinks Miguel Cairo should start at first base.

Another reason to hate Coors

"The Yanks, feeling the vibe of Coors, decided follow in its footsteps and end up down the toilet at the end of the night."

OUCH! Three games, three losses, a total of five runs scored and three decent pitching performances wasted. To make matters worse, the Yankees are back at .500 and Boston’s lead is once again in double digits.

There are a couple of different ways to look at this Colorado swoon, the truth is, if you weren’t giving up on the Yankees after the Mets series, there’s no need to abandon ship now. A couple of years ago I was at a Yankees – White Sox game. It was during the first few weeks of the season, and was one of Javier Vazquez’s first starts for the Yankees. I don’t recall the exact score (and am too lazy to go to Retrosheet.org right now), but in the 9^th the Yanks were losing 7-4, or something like that. Most of the fans had hung around because it was a beautiful night and it was only 3 runs that needed to be made up. Tony Clark was leading off the ninth and promptly flied out, immediately the flood gates opened with fans flocking for the subway. Suddenly the guy in front of me stands and yells “OH, so Tony Clark makes an out and now everyone’s leaving!” The point is this, the Yankees were probably going to lose before Tony Clark made that first out, so if you had hope that they could come back in the 9^th, there odds of doing so had only marginally decreased from what was already a tough task. The same could be said of this sweep, if you really think the Yankees are going to make the playoffs, this is only a temporary setback.

On the other hand…

The Yankees simply cannot afford to get swept by anyone. The Bombers are 10.5 behind Boston and 6.5 out of the Wild Card. The Red Sox, Tigers, and Indians are all better than the Yankees this year. Even teams that are not better than the Yankees, Angels, Atheltics and Mariners I’m looking at you, have better records. What the Yankees need is a sustained winning streak combined with a sustained losing streak by some of those teams – something that is simply not very bloody likely.

Here’s what has to happen for the Yankees to really have a chance at the Wild Card.

1. Finish the 1^st half on an positive note. This is going to require playing very well for the next 6 games, 3 against San Francisco and 3 against Baltimore, because they then play 3 against Oakland, 4 against the Twins, and 3 against the Angels.
2. Immediately after the All-Star Break, the Yanks need to go on a tear. They open the second half with 4 against Tampa Bay, 4 against Toronto, 3 more against Tampa Bay, 4 against the Kansas City, 3 against Baltimore, 3 against Chicago, another 3 against Kansas City. This is a great stretch to make up ground, the Yankees simply must do so during this time. The end of August is nasty – 3 against Cleveland, 7 games against Detroit, another 3 against Anaheim, and 3 against Boston.
3. Plug the hole at 1B. Look there’s a giant fucking problem when a team’s payroll is close to $200,000,000 and the manager is plugging in the following names at 1b – Doug Mientkiewdaklfjdakl;fjd; Josh Phelps, Miguel Cairo (even his supercharged form), Johnny Damon, and Andy Phillips. Sure, our anonymous poster will be excited that Doug M is coming back in the second half, but those of us who can read the back of a baseball card understand that Doug’s comeback is not a good thing. It is disgraceful how much trouble the Bombers have had filling this position. Combined with the double whammy of having Jason Giambi out, thus robbing the team of a DH as well, there are two major holes in the lineup. While I would cut off my right toe to get Mark Teixeira (though not if we have to give up Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, or Joba Chamberlian), I just don’t see it happening. Adam Dunn on the other hand would be a substantial improvement over our anemic first sackers. (Before you post, Anonymous, I know Adam Dunn strikes out a lot, but we’ll take all those homers over Cairo’s infield singles.)
4. Figure out what to do with Johnny Damon – he’s killing us. The guy can’t play the field and can’t swing the bat, which means he either needs to be put on the DL or released. I’m not advocating releasing him, but a nice long stay on the DL so that he can get healthy sounds appropriate. (For the record, I think it is beyond pathetic when players put themselves above the team by trying to maintain their consecutive game streak or their never having been on the DL streak. Seriously, do these guys think they’re helping the team by limping out on the field, grounding out to the pitcher and sitting down. I mean sure Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken had some days where the manager helped them keep their streaks going, but that was Lou FREAKIN’ Gehrig and Cal Ripken! Not Johnny and Miguel Tejada. While I’m ranting, even Ripken was no Gehrig – look at the stats. If you hit like Gehrig you can play every single game and never go on the Disabled List – otherwise not a chance.)
5. Paging Kevin Long, as hitting instructor it is your duty to explain to Melky Cabrera that pitches three feet over his head are very difficult to hit. While you’re at it Mr. Long, it might be time to teach Robinson Cano that there’s no rule in baseball that you have to swing at the first pitch.
6. Pray Phil Hughes comes back soon.
7. Someone other than Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and A-God needs to step up on a consistent basis. Both Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui are showing signs of life, but if those top three don’t hit, the Yankees lose. It would be nice if Robinson Cano, or Damon (after he returns from the DL) or Melky or the void at first base could actually contribute.
8. Hope that Kei Igawa doesn’t implode tonight.

For $80?!?!

"Bleacher creatures and fans in the outfield, get your gloves ready...he's baaaaaaaack."

Gettin' Ready for Kei

"Ron Guidry limbers up for Kei Igawa's return to the big leagues."

Tazmiguien Devil

When asked to comment, Cairo could only mutter, "So, tired. So, very tired."

We here at 26goingon27 want to personally thank the demon that is currently possessing Miguel Cairo's body and making him resemble a major league ball player. Demon, we hope you never leave.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

"This is your brain"

"...This is your brain on drugs, any questions?"

Welcome Back, Bobby!

April - 91 AB/ 1 HR/13 RBI/ 2 2B/ 19 R/ .360 OBP/ .308 SLG/ .253 BA
May - 106 AB/ 1 HR/ 9 RBI/ 4 2B/ 13 R/ .267 OBP/ .274 SLG/ .208 BA
June - 38 AB/ 1 HR/ 9 RBI/ 6 2B/ 14 R/ .604 OBP/ .789 SLG/ .500 BA

The real Bobby Abreu has resurfaced in June. In 38 at bats we've seen the on base - doubles machine that we know Abreu really is. Abreu's June rate stats, OBP/SLB/BA, off the charts in June. Even better, in his first 197 at bats he hit 6 doubles, in his last 38 at bats he's hit 6 doubles. Topping that, in June he's already matched his May total for RBIs with 9. It is about time the real Bobby Abreu has shown up.

In an Otherwise Dismal Season

"The new faces of Yankees starting pitching"

In an otherwise dismal season, a ray of hope has been the Yankee pitching prospects. Notably, in the forms of Phil Hughes and Tyler Clippard; however, even having the Funcrusher himself Matt DeSalvo pitch is cause for optimism. Putting the team’s best arms forward, let’s consider the emergence of Hughes and Clippard. Both are under 23, have prospered in the minors, have plus stuff (Hughes clearly having plusser stuff), and have pitched well in the majors (Hughes pitching weller). (Okay, I promise, I’ll stop trying to write like Yogi Berra talks starting now).

Last night, Clippard improved his record to 3-1 against the Chicago White Sox, by throwing 5 solid innings, giving up 5 hits, 3 walks, but striking out 4 and only giving up 1 run. A pretty good case could be made that Clippard should have gone another inning because he had only thrown 89 pitches, but Joe Torre is intent on making every reliever pitch until their arms fall off. We can probably cue up Brian Bruney and Scott Proctor as the latest winners of Torre’s quest to leave no reliever’s shoulder or elbow unscarred. Still, Clippard is young and an argument can be made that he should be kept on a strict pitch count. Regardless of his usage, Clippard’s record, 3-1, and ERA, 3.60, both bode well for the future. Even when you consider that Clippard’s numbers for the year, 20 innings pitched, 18 hits, 11 walks, while striking out 14, aren’t really in line with his won/loss record. For Clippard to stick, he’s going to have to whittle those walks down, but his strikeout rate is acceptable and should get better as he matures. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that he projects as a solid 3 or 4, maybe even a number 2 pitcher down the line.

Phil Hughes of course is the anointed one and his second start indicated why. Although Hughes’ coronation has been somewhat delayed by two leg injuries, a hamstring pull and a sprained ankle, neither are cause for real concern. Hughes’ arm is fine and his leg injuries are of the flukish – one off nature, not the kind that tend to haunt a player. Perhaps the time off will be a blessing in disguise, saving his arm for the long haul.

In addition to the nearly dynamic duo of Hughes and Clippard, Matt DeSalvo also made his debut this season. Unfortunately, after two decent starts against Seattle, it became apparent that DeSalvo was not the third jewel in the Yankees pitching crown, but the Funcrusher Plus. DeSalvo never really projected as a plus prospect, he doesn’t throw hard, he was undrafted out of college, and at 27 he’s old for a prospect. To make matters worse, his pitches have the deadly (for the pitcher) combination of not causing hitters to swing while too often missing the strike zone all together or ending up as fly balls. That combination is very tough for any pitcher to overcome. However, there is an upside to learning that DeSalvo can wreck any winning streak. The upside is that the Yankees know what they have and what they’re dealing with. This knowledge is invaluable. Teams’ often overrate prospects, refusing to trade them or counting on them heavily in their future planning only to learn that they lack the ability to get major league hitters out on a consistent basis. Knowing who you cannot build around can be just as useful as learning that Clippard and Hughes can be built around.

In addition to Clippard and Hughes, there are other bright young spots in the Yankee organization. The Yanks have seen that Darrel Rasner and Jeff Karstens might just make it as 4 or 5/mop up men. Guys like Rasner and Karstens are useful; it is a lot better on the bottom line to pay them, than to pay Jaret Wright or Kei Igawa for similar or worse performances. Additionally, Ian Kennedy, the Yanks number pick last year, dominated single A ball and is already on his way to double A. While other prospects have shown promise.

Interestingly, despite all the negative attention the Yankee’s pitching has gotten this year, it is the part of the team most set for the coming years. Going into 2008, the Yankees should have Phil Hughes, Tyler Clippard and Chien Ming Wang slotted into the rotation. Additionally, it is clear that Andy Pettitte’s option is a no brainer to be picked up and Mike Mussina is solid as long as he’s not being counted on as the ace. Is it John Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine circa 1996? No, but it could be one of the better staffs in baseball. Plus, with guys like Rasner and Karstens, Kennedy and the slew of young arms Brian Cashman has stockpiled, there’s depth in case of an injury. This should be the first off-season where the Yankees aren’t desperate to sign an arm. Which is a good thing, because the future of the offense is suddenly looking very shaky, but more on that another time.

Giambi, Sheffield, Mientkeiwicz, Phelps...

Well, with Miguel Cairo playing first nothing can go wrong.

HOLY CRAP - JOE MORGAN GOT SOMETHING RIGHT

Morgan on why the A-Rod "Ha" play was no big deal.
"The real reason is money. Public, players alike have been jealous that he got that big contract. He's been a target since that happened. I've stated before that it wasn't out of line what he did. We've seen runners hesitate when there's a grounder in front of them to distract the fielder. We have so many things that are more obvious than what A-Rod did. I said on the air the other day - if Eckstein had made that play, everyone would have said what a smart play. It was a bad play by the third baseman, he should have caught that ball."

Matt DeSalvo is the Funcrusher Plus

Its still all A-Rods Fault

That bastard...

"This was a negative weekend"

Dear Mr. Kay,
You're an asshole.
-26goingon27

A Thin Ray of Hope

"What the outfield wall looks like to us and what it looks like to Bobby Abreu"

Yes, yesterday was awful. Watching the seventh inning felt like getting kicked in the groin while someone sprays lemon juice into your eyes. Oh, and Roger Clemens is hurt, that is the kick in the shins as you lay on the ground recovering from the groin shot. Oh well, at least Doug M. is out for a bit.

Despite being 13.5 games out, despite being 7 games under .500, despite being 1 game out of last, there is a thin ray of hope for the Yankees. After tonight, the Yankees schedule gets remarkably easier. Check out the rest of June (records in parenthesis):
4 games against the White Sox (25-26)
3 games against the Pirates (24-31)
3 games against the Diamondbacks (33-24)
3 games against the Mets (35-19)
3 games against the Rockies (26-30)
3 games against the Giants (26-28)
3 games against the Orioles (27-29)
3 games against the Athletics (27-27)

Thats a total of 25 games, 19 of which are against teams who are .500 or worse, and 15 of which are against National League teams.
There is no reason the Yanks can't win 17 of those 25 games, in truth, they are capable of winning 20 or more out of those 25 games. A month like that can certainly turn a season around. Of course the downside of playing like a little league team for the first two months of the season is the following: the Yanks absolutely cannot afford to win less than 17 of those games, because if they do, they'll still be below .500 going into July.
This is the real test of whether the Yanks can turn this season around. Hopefully they will.

Scotty-P

"No one told Scott Proctor Yanks don't throw at batters."

A Moose for All Seasons

Faithful 26goingon27 readers may have noticed our recent lampooning of Mike Mussina. Now, I personally am a “Moose Man”, and not in that weird Canadian sort of way, but he certainly deserved the criticism when he came up short in a must-win game against Boston last week. Now, I believe that Moose's failings are the result of high expectations; he’s a very good pitcher, who is supposed to be a great pitcher. For instance, Moose has never won 20 games, but he has won 19 twice, 18 three times, and 17 twice. Perhaps more impressive is that in 16 major league seasons, Moose has won at least 15 games ten times. Here’s another way to look at it, although he’s never won a Cy Young Award, he’s finished in the top 6 times. Similarly, while never winning the ERA crown, he’s been in the top 5 seven times. There’s also the near no-hitters and near perfect games. Those are all impressive accomplishments that put him on the almost Hall of Fame status.

Despite those accomplishments, Moose has earned his share of criticism, for one, he was one of the most highly paid players in the game and he was not one of the five best pitchers in the game during that period. Furthermore, he’s a whiner, complaining about having his starts mixed up and other assorted things. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but gets a lot of strikeouts, but gets them with off speed pitches and a knuckle-curve - very unsexy. Finally, the Yankees have not won a World Series since he’s been here. It is that last factor that has somehow earned him the perception of being unclutch, the harshest of insults to be hurled at a Yankee. So, is Moose truly unclutch or is it just perception? Here’s a look at how he’s performed in the playoffs for the Bronx Bombers.

Note: I am ignoring Mussina’s career with the Orioles. I realize this may be unfair to him, however we're concerned with Mike as a Yank not an O.

2001
American League Division Series against Oakland Athletics
Mussina’s first playoff appearance for the Yankees was in 2001 against the Athletics. Mussina pitched game 3 against Barry Zito, with the Yankees down 2 games to none. Moose pitched very well in that game, scattering 4 hits and a walk over 7 innings, while striking out 4. The Yankees won 1-0 and proceeded to take the next two games to win the series. Unfortunately, Moose’s performance tends to get overshadowed by some guy named Jeter and some flip play he made. It is worth noting that Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, guys most Yankee fans count as playoff dependable, lost the first 2 games of the series. I’d say this counts as a very good pitching performance in a must win situation, and is therefore a clutch start.
Yankees win the series 3-2

American League Championship Series against Seattle Mariners
Against the Mariners, Moose pitched game 2, with the Yanks having won the opener. Once again Moose pitched well, 6 innings, 4 hits, 1 walk, 2 runs and 3 Ks. The Yanks won 3-2. So far, so good for the Moose man.
Yankees win the series 4-1.


World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks
The World Series that year was a memorable one for a lot of reasons better chronicled in other places. Moose pitched games 1 and 5. In game 1, Moose got hammered, getting knocked out in the third inning after giving up 5 runs and 6 hits, although 2 of the runs were unearned and he did strike out 4. In game 5, better known for Scott Brosius’ Tino Martinez imitation, Moose pitched very well, going 8 innings, scattering 5 hits and striking out 10, though he did give up 2 solo homers. Once again, an excellent pitching performance was obscured by other Yankees’ late inning heroics.
The Yankees lose the series 4-3.

So in the 2001 playoffs, Moose makes 4 starts and wins 3, so far, so clutch. Clemens had an outstanding playoff run in 2001, but otherwise, Moose was our second best playoff pitcher that year.

2002
American League Division Series against Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sonoma County, Orange County, etc.
Moose pitched game 3 against the Angels. The series was tied 1-1 going into this game. An awful start for Moose - 4 innings, 6 hits, 4 runs and 1 K. Most disturbing was the Yankees got off to a good start against Angel’s starter Ramon Ortiz, scoring 6 off him in the first 3 innings and Moose could not hold the lead. Although Mike Stanton would eventually blow this game, Moose deserves the lions’ share of the blame for this loss.

Note: The Yankee pitchers were awful in this series. Clemens won game 1, but gave up 4 runs in 5.2 innings; Pettitte, got knocked out after 3 innings in game 2, giving up 4 runs and 8 hits, and finally Boomer Wells gave up 8 in 4.2 innings in the finale. Overall, a horrid showing by the Pinstriped hurlers.
The Yankees lose the series 3-1.

2003
American League Division Series against the Minnesota Twins
Moose was out dueled by Johan Santana and the Twins’ bullpen in game 1 of the American League Division. Still, Moose pitched well, giving up 3 runs over 7 innings while striking out 6. Hard to put this loss on him.
The Yankees win the series 3-1.

American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox
In game 1 of a superb American League Championship Series against Boston, Moose was off his game. Going 5.2 innings, giving up 8 hits, 4 runs on 3 homeruns and only striking out 4, while being bested by knuckler Tim Wakefield. In game 4, Moose did a far better job then in game 1, striking out 10 and giving up 3 runs over 6.2 innings, but still lost to Wakefield who threw a gem. Throughout this series, Mussina had a terrible time with the longball, giving up 5 homers in his two starts.

In game 7, Moose shined brightly in a game that is forever memorialized in baseball lore. In the 4th inning with the Bombers down 4-0 and facing a sharp Pedro Martinez, Moose came in with 2 on and no one out. Giving up another run at this point could have proven deadly, but with cool precision, Moose got Jason Varitek to strike out and Johnny Damon to ground into a double play - snuffing out the threat. While the MLB commercials love showing Aaron Boone’s shot, Moose’s pitching in the 4th was a significant factor in turning the game around.
The Yankees beat Boston 4-3.

World Series against Florida Marlins
In the World Series against Florida, Moose was outstanding in game 3, giving up 1 run in 7 innings, while striking out 9. The Yanks did lose this series in 6, but Moose pitched the best game out of any Yankee starter.
Yankees lose the series 4-2.

2003 was a fairly good playoff run for Mussina. Overall he made 4 starts, was outstanding in 1, good in another, okay in a third, and awful in the 4th. He also deserves credit for his outstanding relief work.

2004
American League Division Series against the Minnesota Twins
In the American League Division Series against the Twins, Mussina was once again bested by Johan Santana, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Moose pitched very well, 7 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs and 7 strikeouts.
The Yankees win the series 3-1.

American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox
I’m not going to spend a lot of time on the series against Boston, because it will just make me mad. So, in short, Moose was solid in game 1, going 6.2 innings and striking out 8 while giving up 4 runs in a Yankees win. In game 5, Moose pitched well, giving up 2 runs in 6 innings while striking out 7.
No results as this series never really happened.

2005
American League Division Series against the Anaheim Angels of the Northwest
Against the Angels, Moose had two starts. He was workmanlike in game 1, getting the win, while pitching 5.2 innings, striking out 4 and giving up 0 runs. Although he wasn’t scored upon, the fact that he didn’t make it out of the 6th tarnishes this start. In game 5, Moose was awful, getting knocked out in the third after giving up 5 runs on 6 hits, while striking out 3. (This game featured the fielding ineptitude of Gary Sheffield and Bubba Crosby, so those runs are a bit misleading, he was bad, but not that bad).
Yankees lose the series 3-2.

2006
American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers
Moose pitched game 2 of the American League Division series against Detroit.
I was at this game, it was painful.

Moose’s line was solid, 7 innings, 4 runs, 8 hits and 5 strikeouts. Moose wasn’t bad, but disappointing in the sense that he just could not hold Detroit down in what should have been a winnable game.
Yankees lose the series 3-1.

In conclusion, Moose has been a solid, but unspectacular postseason pitcher. His two signature performances were his winning the “Flip” game in 2001 and his relief appearance against Boston in 2004. His worst performances were game 5 of the 2005 ALDS, game 1 of the 2001 WS, and game 3 of the 2002 ALDS. He was also outstanding in the 2003 World Series against Florida and in game 5 of the 2001 World Series against Arizona. Other than that Moose has a mixture of solid but unspectacular starts. Truth be told, his overall numbers are solid, he just lacks those killer, spectacular post season starts that make Yankee fans embrace Pettitte, Clemens, Cone and El Duque. In other words, he is basically the same pitcher in the post season as he is in the regular season, usually solid, sometimes spectacular and occasionally awful. He doesn’t seem to elevate his game, but he doesn’t pitch poorly either. Is he clutch, unclutch, I’m not sure? He’s won some big games in the post season, Moose just lacks that signature game, perhaps this is the year he gets it.

Our First Comment

We here at 26goingon27 truly appreciate anyone who reads our site or takes the time and effort to comment on it. Normally, we won’t respond to every comment, but since this is our first, we are. I’m not reprinting the whole thing, scroll down and link to it if you want to read it. Basically anonymous thinks we’re a bunch of excuse makers, clearly not understanding analysis, and that Brian Cashman is a jerk. I’m not going to bother with the trite stuff, but as for the rest, let the lesson begin.

Anonymous takes us through a position by position breakdown, his or her or its comments are in italics. I’m only commenting where I disagree.

He doesn’t mention King Jorge, I can only assume because even he knows how good Jorge is, so he got one thing right.

1B - doug m., despite your hate for him should just play every day. he is hitting better in may and you dont need a home run hitter at every spot, especially 9th. you take his defence forgranted which is necessary with cano at 2nd. he has already come up with some huge plays
Look, I’m not going to debate this, if you think Doogie is a good player you’re an idiot. The Yanks don’t need homerun hitters at each position, but they need actual real life MLB hitters, something Doug is not. If you doubt me go to www.baseballreference.com, type in Doug, then type in any other Major League First Basemen, if you don’t see a difference go watch the WNBA.

CF - damon is getting older, is breaking down more and more every day and has an arm like a wet noodle. damon was a decent signing because it took away a key component from the sox and he gives them a nice leadoff hitter but still, another cashman fucked up. he is clearly on the decline and playing hurt...cashman could have signed beltran for $20M less than the mets but he passed, a major fuckup passing on a premier gold glove CF who is a true 5 tool player.
I agree and disagree. Yes, the Yankees should have signed Carlos Beltran. Yes it is always a risk when you sign a 30 year old, especially when he relies on his legs. However, given the fact that Gary Matthews Jr. and Juan Pierre just got huge contracts and Damon is clearly better than both of them, this is looking like something of a discount. Also to be fair, Damon had a huge season last year.

RF - abreau wont slump the whole season but he lost his power a while ago and plays right field like the wall is wrapped in barb wire. watching him go back on a fly ball has actually become really hilarious. good job signing an awful RF in MLB's shortest right field park. another brilliant cashman move.
Look Abreu has clearly slumped since he stopped using the grey glove. However, he tore it up last year and will probably bounce back. Also, Cashman gave up a minor league middle reliever and a shortstop who has almost no chance of being a good MLB player for one of the best outfielder in baseball over the past 7 seasons. If you think this is somehow a bad move, you’re probably Steve Phillips.

Giambi- one of the worst yankee signings. its always something with him whether its bone chips, stomach virus, cancer, sars or some ridiculous shit that puts him on the DL. also, he was a disaster at first the past few years and they finally had enough. for such a waste he has a big mouth...good teammate throwing a-rod under the bus last season in the SI article. he has done nothing aside from causing distractions in the clubhouse. do you know the yankees owe him 21M next season?? and 23M the following?!? CASH-MONEY, brilliant signing
The guy has been a stud when healthy, not so when hurt. His teammates love him, he’s the only guy willing to talk to the press, and he is the only person in MLB to come clean about steroids. Is he being paid too much, absolutely, but at the time no one questioned this deal.


kei igawa another terrible move by cashman
Just to be clear the New York Mets and the Seattle Mariners both really wanted Igawa and bid highly for him. In retrospect was this a bad move, yes, but look its not like the Yanks were the only team who thought he’d be good.

farnsworth another terrible move by cashman (should have tried to trade him to philly with melky for brett myers insted of giving clemens that joke of a contract)
Ummm…evidently anonymous knows something we don’t, because as far as I can tell this trade was never on the table.

cashman is also a douchebag because he could have got mike gonzalez straight up for melky from the pirates but passed. like the yanks ever need to hold on to a corner outfielder, the most expendable piece in baseball. melky will never be an every day outfielder anyway since he isnt a $15M player
My favorite of all comments. Look, there are a few absolute’s in baseball, one is don’t trade a young everyday player who shows promise for a middle reliever. I just want to be sure that anonymous is talking about the same Mike Gonzalez who just had his third MRI in a week - that’s the guy Cashman should have traded for? Melky might not be an everyday player, but that would be because of his own limitations, not the size of his contract.

Yanks 8-3

The difference between Schilling and Pettite:

Schilling goes 6 and give up a run per inning. Pettite goes 7 and gives up one.

Wussina

"According to Moose, dryness in the air caused his antlers to become brittle and he had too much rest, or too little, not sure."

The Leader

We're a Yankees blog, but something as dope as this going on in New York will always get coverage by us.

For at least one night, we were reminded that there is still life and talent left in hip-hop. It’s been 20 years since the release of Paid in Full and the current state of rap is a reminder of how much changes over two decades. Synthesizers are replacing samples, lyrics have lost any depth or substance they once had and wardrobes have gone from Coogi and Adidas to Louis Vuitton and BAPE.

Billed only as The 18th Letter and The Leader, Southpaw in Brooklyn subtly advertised the show with a ‘know the deal or don’t show’ attitude. After an hour and half wait, Rakim graced the stage at 2:00AM to a packed house. The material was what you expected, tracks from his extensive catalogue ranging from ageless Eric B. classics like “Paid in Full” and “Don’t Sweat the Technique” and solo singles “When I B On the Mic” and “It’s Been a Long Time.” More impressive than Rakim’s setlist however was his incredible stage presence, unmatched by anyone else and a fine example of how you earn the title The Master.

Rakim’s breath control is simply remarkable. So many great artists on record are a disappointing live act because of their lack of breath control. While many rely on a hypeman to finish a verse or pickup during a loss of stamina, Rakim went on stage with just a mic in hand. Each rhyme came off seamlessly and made everything seem easy. Although the entire show was full of energy and the crowd was live, the place nearly exploded when he brought out KRS-One. Everyone in attendance knew that they were going to be catching one of the greatest of all time but its unlikely anyone anticipated being presented with two of your favorite rappers on one stage.

The Good, The Bad and The Clippard (In three parts)

"Is there really any question whether or not we're resigning Georgy?"

The Good

1. King Jorge the First and Derek Jeter both continue to smoke the ball.

2. Bobby “Remember when I came here late last season and hit .400” Abreu actually showed signs of life. Abreu did a considerably better job of resembling an actual baseball player and not an atrophying one.

3. Andy Pettitte pitched well and deserved to win.

4. Scott Proctor showed that when he is not asked to pitch everyday he can be an effective reliever.

5. Josh Phelps smoked the ball on Saturday, proving that there is an actual viable alternative to Doogie on the Yankees’ bench. Now, I admit this may be due to the fact that Phelps is only hitting lefties, but still, can he really be that bad against righties? (Nice job by Tim McCarver on Saturday pointing out that Phelps approached the at-bat against Wagner convinced he was going to see nothing but fastballs. As McCarver put it “he’s taking fastball swings at sliders.”)

6. A-Rod looked like he might be heating up again. (Even though every loss this season has been entirely and solely his fault.)

7. Tyler Clippard – but more on him later

The Bad

1. Kyle Farnsworth – I just don’t get him. He’s got the body of a Ferrari, but the engine of Pinto. He’s got plus stuff, a great fastball and a killer slider, yet he can never seem to get out of an inning without giving up a run or two. It is hard to put Saturday’s loss on him. But given the way the Yanks were starting to hit and the fact that they have had success in the past against Wagner, you have to wonder how the inning would have played out if they were only down 2 runs instead of 4. The man simply can’t get the big outs with runners on base.

2. Robinson Cano – Look, I understand guys make errors. I’ll even go so far as to concede that the third error was not entirely his fault, as the 2 runs score regardless. But I’m not buying Joe Torre’s reasoning that Cano is so smooth he just looks lackadaisical. The 3 errors Cano made on Saturday (I’m replacing the throw that went off his foot at the end of the game, with the double play he blew by dropping the ball) were all inexcusable. Cano just looked like he couldn’t be bothered. Cano’s play in the field coupled with a complete unwillingness to adapt at the plate, tends to show a guy with an attitude problem. I remember at the beginning of the season, Cano approached the plate and tapped the opposing catcher on the shin guards (not sure if he still does this, will have to watch), the Yankee announcers pointed out that Cano’s actions were pushing the envelope of what is acceptable. Cano’s actions did display nothing but pure arrogance to me. I like Cano, but he’s got to make some changes, at least for appearances sake.

3. Yankee clutch hitting – other than Saturday’s 8th and 9th innings, and Jeter and Damon’s two-out hits yesterday, the team continually fails to drive in runs.

4. Yankee fielding – its awful.

5. Yankee pitchers inability to hold runners on. Again, a nice call by McCarver on Saturday pointing out how the Mets double steal in the 8th changed the situation from bases loaded, two outs, to 2 runs scoring on Julio Franco’s single.

6. Roger Clemens – seriously, he might be the new A-Rod. I’ve already heard one fan explain that since the Yankees have signed Clemens the team has gone into a tailspin. The fan further opined it is because the team is upset about Clemens’ contract. Actually, its probably A-Rods’ fault the Yanks gave Clemens the contract, so maybe Rocket is off the hook.

The Clippard

One of the benefits of having so many rookies pitch for the Yankees this year, is that it gives the team a chance to evaluate which prospects are for real and which aren’t. Phil Hughes has proven that he has a bright future and deserves a spot in the rotation this year. On the other hand pitchers like Matt DeSalvo, Chase Wright, and Jeff Karstens have shown that while they may be serviceable 4th or 5th guys or maybe long relievers, they are not going to lead the Yankee staff after Moose, Clemens and Andy are gone.

It appears that Clippard belongs in the Hughes category (if not quite that good). Clippard faced a tough line up last night, the best in the National League and one of the best in the majors – and he threw 6 innings of one run ball, including 6 strikeouts. The most important aspect of Clippard’s start are the Ks. The problem with pitchers like DeSalvo, Wright and Karstens is that they don’t strike people out. You are putting a lot of pressure on the defense when the ball is constantly being put in play. All three of those pitchers compound the situation by being fly ball guys, because fly balls tend to go over the wall from time to time.

Last night, the second inning was a perfect example of why Clippard and his ability to strike people out is distinguished from DeSalvo, Wright and Karstens. In the second, Clippard got the first out and then gave up a home run to David Wright and a double to Shawn Green. (On a side note, it looks like Wright has gotten over the curse of the home run derby. Side note number two, the pitch Clippard threw to Wright was not a bad pitch, it was a fastball tailing away from Wright, just an example of a great hitter hitting a good pitch.) Now Clippard had just had two of his pitches scorched and he was facing Paul Lo Duca, an overrated but competent hitter. Clippard struck him out. Given, Clippard then walked Damian Easley and John Maine before getting out of the inning. But the point is, that the strike out was huge because it got the second out and kept Green from advancing or scoring. That ability to get the strikeout, is a huge improvement over, say Matt DeSalvo, who probably gives up a fly ball that maybe goes in the gap or over the wall. My point is this, prospects who strike guys out tend to have better futures than guys who don’t. Tyler Clippard, like Phil Hughes, has proven he has that ability. If nothing else, the future is bright for 2/5 of the Yankees rotation.

Of Mice And Men (Part 3 of 3)

"The new look of the Stadium"

Then there’s the Phelps/Giambi/Mientkiedlkja;ldj;lajkfd;lk mess. There is simply no excuse for carrying three first baseman/DH types. Here’s a typical Yankee problem: Mientkiewicz starts at 1B, Giambi DHs, Giambi gets up in the 7th and gets on base, Torre pinch runs with Cairo, Cairo doesn’t score, Torre pinch hits for Cairo with Phelps. Now, Mientkiewicz comes up with runners on-base and because Torre has no one to pinch hit for Dougie-M, Dougie-M does what he does best: ground into a double play, strike out or pop out. You see the problem. Sure some of this could be avoided if Torre would simply stop pinch running for Giambi, then again some of this could be avoided if we actually had a decent bat off the bench who could pinch hit for Doug or Cairo. Actually, this could be avoid if we got rid of Doug and went with Phelps, as Phelps can at least hit the ball with some authority. Unfortunately, Lord Voldemort has placed a spell on the Yankees that forces them to view Doug as a valuable player who saves their pitchers by snagging line drive after line drive that would wind up as a double down the line, but dies in Doogie’s glove. Hopefully, this will be resolved in the next Harry Potter book due this summer.

Finally, there’s the Posada situation. Jorge Posada is this season’s MVP and one of the most underrated players of the past 6 years – end of story. He’s been one of the best hitting catchers in all of baseball for the past 6 years and his defense has grown stronger each year. Even though he is in his thirties, the only catchers who are more dangerous with the bat than Jorge are Victor Martinez, Brian McCann and Joe Mauer. He’s a much more dangerous hitter than Jason Varitek has ever been, and he’s much, much, much, much, much, much, much more dangerous than Paul Lo Duca (unless the danger is in relation to underage Long Island Girls and not pitched baseballs). If Posada were to miss a significant amount of playing time, the Yanks are screwed, done, finished. Imagine replacing a guy whose slugging .548, has an OBP of .422, and is batting .365 with Mr. Zero himself Will Nieves. Now, given Jorge has never been on the DL, but anything is possible and once again it is absolutely inexcusable to have no backup in case Jorge gets hurt. Now, I’d love to see the Yanks get creative and use Phelps as the backup. Michael Kay thinks that’s a terrible idea, because Phelps is not great defensively and it would annoy the pitchers. I wonder how annoyed the pitchers get when there are runners on base and an automatic out at the plate.

The ultimate result of a bad bench is that it exacerbates the bad luck. With Giambi and Damon nursing injuries, there’s no one to ease the pressure on them. Same goes for Abreu and Cano’s slumps. With a payroll approaching $200 million, there’s absolutely no excuse for neglecting the bench. Now, if I were GM, here’s how I would improve the bench:
1. Cut Cairo, Nieves, and Doug
2. Call Kansas and see what it would take to get Jason LaRue, even if it means taking Scott Elarton off their hands. (YES, I stole this idea from www.baseballprospectus.com – Transaction Analysis by Christina Kahrl) But a great idea, is a great idea.
3. Tell Phelps he’s the starting 1b, until Richie Sexson can be pried from Seattle
4. Bring up Kevin Thompson and send down Melky Cabrera (Got Melky, sure, but witty slogan aside, he’s lost at the plate and doing more harm than good).
5. Now that Oakland is awash in outfielders, see if they will trade us Shannon Stewart on the cheap – just to add to the bench.