I mentioned yesterday that now that the season is half over, it's time to re-evaluate the poorly performing players who we'd dubbed as slumpers and consider the fact that perhaps they are simply sucking this season. Since my Top Ten focused only on the losers of the loser-est teams in the league I was not forced to think about the worst players on my dear Yankees, but I think the time has come to discuss whether our own underachievers are mired in a slump or doing some serious sucking.

The two boys who come to mind, of course, are Robby Cano and the Melk Man. The BFFs haven't heated up for more than a couple games at a time all season, and it's getting most frustrating to endure. Cano is hitting a meager .241 and only getting on base 28% of the time, and he's only got a .350 slugging percentage; this is quite the drop when we consider his career his .297, .342., and .307 averages in the previous three seasons. As for Melky, he's hitting slightly better - .254 average and .317 OBP - but he's not doing it when it counts: he's only hitting .239 with runners in scoring position. Between the two of them they've only knocked in 60 runs.

So is it time to file these two under the suck category and accept that we're not going to see much from them in 2008? And if so, does that make them potential trade bait? If they don't start picking it up, I think it's entirely possible that either one of them could be traded - along with some prospects, of course - for a pitcher come July. I'd be very sad to see the dynamic duo seperated (who will drive Melky to the games every day?), but if it means getting a pitcher like C.C. (yes, despite your comments and emails, I'm still rooting for that fatass to slap on some slimming pinstripes), I'd bid one of them adieu with no regrets.

At the beginning of the season, poor performance can be overlooked. Some dudes can't play in the cold, some need a little time to get rolling, others are still rehabbing nagging injuries. Oftentimes these excuses prove to be spot on and those slow-starters get back into good form and make us forget they barely made it to the game at the start of the season - look at the Giambino, for example - but there are some dudes for whom the slow-start syndrome does not dissipate. The season is half over now (!) and henceforth I think we can now officially take those "slumpers" out of the slow-start category and file them as 2008 failures*.

Top Ten Weakest Links on the Top Ten Weakest Teams

10) Pirates - Freddy Sanchez
9) Dodgers - Andruw Jones
8) Indians - Travis Hafner
7) Royals - Brett Tomko
6) Reds - Bronson Arroyo
5) Giants - Barry Baked Ziti
4) Padres - Khalil Greene
3) Colorado - Troy Tulowitzki
2) Nationals - Wily Mo Pena
1) Mariners - Richie Sexson

* By the way, do you think we need to classify Cano as a 2008 failure at this point? It's a good thing the Yanks aren't one of the ten weakest teams or I would have had to consider him...


Read last week's Top Ten: Semi-realistic Pitching Options




Smarter.com: Yankees Jackets Yankees Hats Yankees Jerseys MLB Jerseys Baseball Gloves

617 injuries and counting...

How many more till a move has to be made?

Padres annoucers Matt Vasgersian and Mark "The Mudcat" Grant are bar none my favorite baseball announcers (sorry, Mikey Kay... SEEYA.) They may be uber-homers, but they're entertaining, insightful, and never afraid to mention something that might be just a tad bit controversial or offensive. Case in point today:

There are certain agents in baseball - fans know who they are - their tactic, it's borderline extortion, the things they try to do on behalf of their clients.

Yes, Matty, I think we all know who you're talking about; if I'm on his wavelength I'd assume one of those supposed extortion artists is none other than Scotty "Big Bucks" Boras. While I understand that his job is to get his players the best deals he can wager, I think MV is right on the money (hardy har har) on this one. His demands have harmed the progress that the MLB has made in terms of parity, preventing lower-payroll teams from having a short at his clients; even his amateur draftee clients demand too high a price to be available to most teams. Is it wrong in a business sense? Probably not. Ethically? I think so.

It's been many moons since the AL East has been anything but a 2-horse race, with the BoSox and our dear Yanks battling it out for the division and often the wildcard spot, but things are different this year. Those devilish little Rays have surprised everyone by not only breaking their own team records for winning percentage but by staying in contention for the division title. So good are they this year, in fact, that their blueprint for success is the envy of fans everywhere with the young core of exciting players and some quality veterans like Floyd and Percival. They're just 1.5 games behind the Sox and they've got a 3.5 game lead over the Yankees, and with their sweep of the Cubs this week they are continuing to show that they have no intention of slowing down.

The Yankees lived in fear of not making it to the post-season for a considerable portion of 2007 season, which was strange (not to mention stressful; am I the only one that lost many nights of sleep in April and May of last year?!), but having to battle with the Rays is a very surreal state of affairs. Happily, the Yanks are on a tear and have boosted their record to 7 over .500, but they're going to need the Sox* and Rays to slow their roll considerably to give them a shot.

For the first month or so of the season, I wasn't convinced that the Rays were really capable of staying in the race; I thought their hot start was surely an anomoly. Now, though, I think they've proven that they're in it to win it and aren't going to go down without a serious fight. Now, depsite the way Yanks have been playing of late, I've found myself getting just a tad nervous about those Rays. Will they keep this up all season? More importantly, will the Yanks keep playing like they have been over the last week? Will they have to battle it out with the Rays right down to the wire??

How are you feeling about the new AL East threat?

* Many thanks to Papi and Schilling for helping the Yanks with their cause

Despite the 6-game winning streak and three straight games with 8+ runs scored, it's been a semi-rough week for the Yanks, thanks to the loss of the Wangster. As I'm sure you're well aware by now, Wangy had trouble rounding the bases (damn you, 90-degree turns!) earlier this week and busted up his foot; he's now a fallen soldier and has taken up residence at the quickly-overcrowding DL Resort and Casino (which, incidentally, features such games as "how will Pavano hurt himself next?" and the "Wheel of Broken Bones" slot machine).

I've discussed on this here bloggity the few pitching options available to the team, be it by trade or signing pitchers cast away by the rest of the league. Since the issue becomes more pressing with each passing day, I think we should continue the discussion and take a gander at who might be available to fill out the rotation.

Top Ten (semi-realistic) Pitching Options:

10) Carl Pavano (or...not)
9) Roger Clemens
8) David Wells
7) Brad Penny
6) Sidney Ponson (ps: whyyyy bring that bad attitude to a team that's been playing with heart and spirit!?)
5) Brian Fuentes
4) CC Sabathia
3) Hughsie
2) IPK
1) Kei Igawa (you know it's coming)

Read Last Week's Top Ten: Depression-Inducing Disappointments

The firing of Willy Randolph may not have been a big surprise to Mets fans, but kicking pitching coach Rick Peterson to the curb along with him was a different story. The pitching has been the Mets (only) strong point this season and he's been known to work wonders with both struggling youngsters and fading oldsters both in New York and at his previous post in Oakland. With the A's he worked with Zito, Mulder, and Hudson, all of whom proved to be solid starters while under Rick's tutelage; with the Mets, Perez, Feliciano, and Glavine all benefited from his coaching. He's known to be great at relating to each pitcher individually, helping them draw parallels between pitching and their personal life and interests - for example, with Zito he related pitching to surfing. He's a very cerebral dude and doesn't give up on any pitcher, regardless of how poorly they've been pitching.

All this makes me think about our dear Hughsie and I-Ken, who've been struggling (to say the least) to get the job done despite the fact that all the Powers That Be see a lot of raw talent in each of them. I wonder if Ricky P could work some of his magic on those two and turn them around? I know Dave Eiland is a popular hombre, but is he getting the job done? That's not a rhetorical question... I really don't know how effective he has been with his pitching staff. Hughsie's and IPK's performances this year lead me to question his ability to work with struggling youngsters. With Wang out - possibly for the remainder of the season (insert teary-eyed sad face here) - the Yanks desperately need Hughes and Kennedy to perform at least half-decently when they return from the DL Resort and Casino, and I'm just not sure Guidry is up to the task.

The Yanks have been playing very well lately, but they can't bank on the offense scoring 8+ runs every game or Mike "I'm Like a Box of Chocolates; You Never Know What You're Gonna Get" Mussina busting out steller starts every 5 days. Could Ricky be the man for the job? Should the Steinbrothers and the Cash Man start considering a change in their coaching staff? What dost thou think?

To: cyyoung_sabathia@indians.com
CC: bDAWGcashman@yankees.com; steinbrothers@yankees.com; girardino@yankees.com
From: info@yankeeschick.com
Subject: SOS - we need help

Dearest CC,

I'm sure you've heard by now about our latest fallen soldier, our ace of cakes Chien Ming Wangster. The basepaths proved too much to handle - I'm sure you have have experienced the hardship of having to turn corners during your limited interleague play. Word has come from the Powers That Be that the Wangster's foot is in bad shape, and while he won't have to undergo surgery, he'll be taking an extended vacation at the DL Resort and Casino - at least 6 weeks, to be exact.

CC, this puts the Yanks in a bad spot. Surely you have taken notice of the starting pitching problems the team has had even with Wang in the rotation, what with Hughsie and I-Ken taking a serious dive and Pettitte getting off to a slow start. Moose has stepped up to the plate and Rasner has been effective; Jobastartamania has thankfully worked out well thus far but that still leaves us with a few cross-your-fingers-and-hope games every week. With Wang out now, I have a sinking feeling we'll be seeing Kei Igawa back in pinstripes at any time now, and that can't be good for anybody. Who else is there, after all? I suppose there's Dan Geise or maybe Ohledork, but they are not seasoned starters.

YC good pal Peter Abraham made a good point, reminding us that with the way the Yanks' schedule works out, if Wang comes back in precisely six weeks there will only be 5 games for which we need to fill his spot in the rotation. That's good news, but 5 games is 5 games, and like I said, the Yanks have been having trouble with their starters even when Wang's foot was functioning at full capacity. This is where you come in.

I'd like to see how you would feel about making a move to the Bronx and busting out some pinstripe garb. Let's be honest here: your team is 4 games under .500 and 5.5 games out of first place in the division... you most likely won't be playing baseball in October with the Indians, but you might have a shot if you join Girardi and the gang. I have no doubt that you could make a huge impact on the Yanks' season, even though you've had a semi-slow start. You'll have a winning record in no time, and I'd love to see you do that with the Yanks.

Cash, Steinbrothers, and Girardino, please take note. The season lies in your hands.

Love,

Maureen/The Yankees Chick

Bad calls have been a big story - and a big problem - all season. Players are getting robbed, pitchers are getting screwed, and the good folks at Baseball Tonight have had plenty of fodder about which to debate. The sheer volume of mistakes this year has forced the instant replay issue into the spotlight, and it looks like enough is finally enough: instant replay is on its way, whether you like it or not.

Wait a minute, why in tarnation wouldn't you like it?!

Answer me!

Bad news, folks: Carl Pavano's Patented Pain Plague has claimed another victim, striking down the Wangster with a bum foot.

The injury occurred during the 6th inning when Wang rounded third to score on a 2-run single courtesy of the Jeet. Wang was on base thanks to a badly-executed bunt that resulted in a fielder's choice, and by the time Jeet was up Wang had made it to second. With two outs he was running at the crack of the Jeter's bat; he had a good jump and scored easily, but his lack of base-running experience screwed him as he made the 90 degree turn. As Moose explained, pitchers just are only used to running in straight lines (actual quote) - turning is apparently too advanced for them.

Wang will be getting an MRI tomorrow, but Girardi has already said he'd be surprised if Wang managed to make his next start. When asked how he was feeling, he summed it up most eloquently: "It hurts."

The Yanks won the game anyway thanks to a sweet combination of hot bats, good relief pitching (!) and some sloppy pitching from the 'Stros, but the injury cast a bit of a cloud over the otherwise happy day - the win put them 4 games over .500 for the first time all year.

There's really no point in speculating on who might replace him until the MRI results are in... but let's do it anyway. With IPK and Hughsie hanging out at the DL Resort and Casino the Yanks have already had to do some shuffling to fill out the rotation, giving Rasner a shot and transitioning Joba into starter-ville perhaps a little soon than originally planned. Who is left? I have a bad feeling we'll be seeing Kei "You thought I'd be a poor man's Dice-K? Fail!" Igawa back in pinstripes within the week.

I'm sorry.

I'm not sure if you noticed, but the Yanks have serious pitching issues.

Both the rotation and the bullpen have taken a beating this season, with everything from injuries to shocking failures to Jobamania's departure from the 'pen that left the Yanks with a huge hole in the 8th inning spot hitting the team hard. They've been doing their best to piece together the pitching staff and offer run support for the struggling Pettitte and Wangster, but many a game has been lost due to the struggling pitching staff.

Obviously, something needs to be done about this unfortunate situation, and quick. The Yanks have been struggling just to keep their heads above water, and if the pitching staff can't pitch well enough to keep the team in the game and give them a chance to win the Yanks are going to have a hard time topping the Sox and Rays and weaseling their way into the playoffs (sidenote: who would have thought the words "Rays" and "playoffs" would wind up in the same sentance? Without the words "no chance?"). 1 or 2 games over .500 isn't going to cut it when as we get closer to the finishing line.

What is the solution, then? During the off-season they were hesitant to trade Hughes, Kennedy, Melky, or even Cano - at least one of whom would most likely be desired by any team willing to trade a decent pitcher - but now that they've experienced such pitching problems their stance may have changed. There is speculation that the Indians might put C.C. Sabathia on the block soon, since they have very little chance of making a playoff run themselves and would be wise to score a few youngsters in exchange for a guy that is going to be a free agent after the season anyway. Another possibility could be Colorado reliever Brian Fuentes, who could fill that 8th-inning slot. While it'd be a bust to trade away fan favorites like the Melkster and Robby, it seems to me that a bolstering the pitching staff is going to be key to the Yanks (hopeful) success this season.

Would you be willing to trade one of the aforementioned players in exchange for Fuentes or a half-year rental of Sabathia? Or would it break your tender heart to lose a beloved youngster?

Discuss!

Perhaps it's the gold thong or the heinous/hilarious Keith Hernandez-meets-porn-star 'stache, but methinks it's simply an effort to convince the baseball Powers That Be that he's worth a few bucks. JG's contract with the Yanks ends after this season, and he's doing his best to ensure he'll get himself another deal somewhere for 2009. He's already hit as many homers as he hit in the entire 2007 season - 14 - and at the pace he's rocking he'll beat his RBI total in just a few days (39 last year and he's at 35 right now). Furthermore, His OBP and slugging % are both higher than last year, he's doing a decent job at first base, and he hasn't had an OPS this high since 2005. He's looking lean(er) and is clearly feeling healthier than he has in years.

Once the season is over, the Yanks have the option of either re-signing him at the steep price of $22 mil for 2009 or buying him out for $5 million. I'd imagine that they will likely take the latter route; it would be hard to justify spending that kind of dough on a 38-year-old DH who is at best average in the field (even for the Yankees). Regardless of that, though, there is still a chance that they might draw up a new contract and keep him in pinstripes for another year anyway. He said that he'd like to play until he's 40, so he'll obviously be on the prowl for a deal, and the Yanks certainly like keeping their veterans around (Jorgie Porgie, Mo, Dandy Andy, et al). If the Yankees decide to find an actual first baseman and use Matsui and/or Jorgie to fill the DH role, they'd probably have no use for him, but I'm sure some AL team would be happy to have a guy that gets on base 40% of the time in their lineup.

Personally, I like the dear beast and would love to see him on the Yanks - IF there were a spot for him, which I don't think there is. The Yanks need a real first baseman, someone that can play defense, and if they're wise they'll make some sort of move to secure such a man. What dost thou think? Love him or leave him? Or both?

When A-Rod hit that 2-run bomb in the 7th to tie the game yesterday afternoon, I was all set to write a post discussing the scrappy nature of the Yanks' play over the last week or so. Sadly, 'twas not to be - such a post shall have to wait for another day. Instead of being jazzed and proud over another come-from-behinder, my emotions have slid down to the other end of the spectrum: dwelling-ville.

In "honor" of this obnoxious and wholly unwelcome feeling, I've prepared a Top Ten highlighting all the Yankee happenings that have sent me spiraling into depressions of varying depths throughout the year.

Top Ten Depression-Inducing Disappointments

10) Hughsie's disappointing contributions to the rotation
9) Dandy Andy's struggles
8) Jeter's boo-boo
7) A-Rod's missed playing time
6) Ian Kennedy's second bad start. And third... and... the rest of them.
5) Jorgie Porgie Pudding and Pie's 30+ day vacation at the DL Resort and Casino.
4) ...And the backup catcher issues that followed in his wake.
3) Cano's failure to recall the physics of a bat hitting a ball and making it go places where there are no fielders.
2) The Joba-less bullpen
1) Pavano.

Read last week's Top Ten: Yankee Surprises

It's been a wild week for the Yanks, with a couple tough losses, 2 Joba mini-starts, and a few classic come-from-behinders to top things off quite nicely. What about the rest of the league, though? Surely they did something last week. Let's examine those other dudes... in 10 words or less!


AL East Who would have thought it'd be a 3-horse race?
Boston: Manny Being Manny Jackass.
Tampa Bay: Could be the real deal. Also, I love a good brawl.
Toronto: Bullpen blowing it. No chance with Sox/Yanks/Rays(!) anyway.
Baltimore: Where washed-up veterans go to die.

AL Central This seems wrong
Chicago: Ozzie reaches 10 on crazy-meter, Sox win. Go figure.
Minnesota: Good work at draft.
Cleveland: Time to trade Sabathia... to the Yanks!
Detroit: Bonderman dunzo. And the team: Dunzo.
Kansas City: Thank you.

AL West We all know who's winning here
Los Angeles: Pitching good, and when Vladdy starts hitting? Unstoppable.
Oakland: Will you still be "Oakland A's" when you move? Just a thought.
Texas: Josh Hamilton = best story in sports.
Seattle: You are the weakest link. Goodbye.

NL East AKA Mets Smackdown
Philadelphia: If Chipper goes down, Utley's got an MVP shot.
Florida: Coming back to earth. Don't bet on them.
Atlanta: Can Chipper stave off injury and continue? If so, MVP?
New York: WTF? You can't even beat the Padres?
Washington: Prime candidate for deadline trades. Cordero, Johnson?

It was Jobastartamania Part Deux in the Bronx today, and Joba did not disappoint: He threw 78 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, allowing 2 ER on 5 hits and 1 walk, with 5 strikeouts. It wasn't perfect, but his stuff was solid; he was throwing more curves than last week and consistently hitting the mid-90's with that mean fastball. Best of all, he was still throwing a 90-95mpg fastball in the fifth inning, showing no signs of the fatigue you might expect from a guy who was throwing to just a few batters a couple weeks ago. He likely could have gone deeper into the game safely, but Girardi and Eiland had his limit set at a strict-ish 75 pitches and so his day was done. He will probably be cleared to throw around 95 next time around, and after that the special treatment will cease - he'll be a rotation regular throwing as many as he can/as many as it takes.

Obviously, there was a lot of hoopla and debate when the Joba-to-Starter Metamorphosis was first announced. Some of y'all were bracing yourselves for disaster or his arm blowing out from overuse (how could you worry about that? Joe Torre is 3,000 miles away) while others were convinced he was going to waste in the bullpen and could contribute much more in the starting role; we also had a lot of concern about how the bullpen would shape up without him there for that 8th inning magic. Now that we've seen him pitch in two mini-starts and seen how the Joba-less bullpen has fared without him, how are you feeling about his spot in the rotation? Has your mind changed?

The Cash Man has made improving the farm system his pet project over the past few years, and he continued his quest to revamp the whole operation at the draft yesterday. In the past, when the Yanks were more famous for making moves like signing washed up juicers (I'm looking at you, Kevin Brown... looking at you with fire in my eyes), I had a hard time caring much about the kids they drafted, since it was unlikely we'd ever see them in a Yankees uniform. Now that Cash has successfully prevented Big Stein and the Steinbrothers to resist trading any live body under the age of 23, though, I am happily very interested in the process.

Yesterday was day 1 of the draft, and the Yanks wasted no time stocking up on young pitchers. Of their top 10 picks, 5 were pitchers, and 3 of those 5 are high schoolers. Their first-round pick (28th overall), Gerrit Cole, is a 17-year-old RHP from Orange, California, who can hit 95+ with his fastball and also has a good slider and changeup; selection numero dos was a LHP junior from Stanford who rocked a 1.09 ERA in 33 innings this year. They also picked up a couple infielders and a high school catcher, a particularly wise move considering the quickly-advancing age of Jorgie Porgie and lack of a viable long-term backup.

Having seen the Yanks sign draft-picks like Joba, Hughes, and I-Ken and actually hang on to them long enough to put them out on the field in Yankee Stadium certainly makes the draft more exciting (and gives the drafted dudes some hope that they might actually play for the team that drafted them one day), and I'm very tempted to get excited whilst I peruse the information about these draftees. The problem, though, is that the progress of baseball prospects is incredibly difficult to predict - more so than any other American sport (note: I added that "American" in there because I realized I don't know how cricket and curling prospects project). A player that looks like the next Doc Gooden can easily end up being a Paul Wilson; Khalil Greene's $3 million would-be successor might just be your run-of-the-mill Matt Bush.

Bottom line? Let's be optimistic, but hold off on your Cole tattoo for the time being.

... People describe players like David Eckstein as "scrappy" as if it was the greatest characteristic an athlete could possess. My hatred for this is twofold:

This is not a declaration of a particular dislike for Scrapstein. Rather, it is a plea to broadcasters to stop focusing so much on the intangibles an offer insightful commentary and analysis that is based on performance. If the ESPN announcers continue to pepper their game announcements with "he's a scrappy one!" type comments every time I watch the Jays play the Yanks I shall erupt into a fit of shrieks of frustration and hollers of disgust.

The New York Post headline writers are hard at work right now trying to come up with a catchy pun incorporating "Joba" and "Armageddon," but I hope the rest of y'all are keeping your wits about you. Allow me to inject a small dose of "simmer down" into your evening...

After an ugly loss in Minnesota last night, a game that featured a lackluster offensive performance (their sole run came off a Jeter solo shot) and yet another sub-par defensive showing (they've made 7 errors in the last 7 games now), the Yanks are back to an even .500 record. A win tonight will give them a series win and of course the chance to boost their ranking in the standings and they'll be able to cruise into their homestand and Joba's starting debut on a high note.

Here's who we'll be watching and rooting for this evening:

On the Mound:
Dandy Andy (5-5, 4.11 ERA) vs Livan Hernandez (6-2, 4.60 ERA)

Battin' Time:
Former Demon LF
Jeter Jeter Pumpkin Eater SS
Abrewhooo RF
Hot-Rod 3B
Matso Ball Soup DH
Giambino 1B
Slumpy McSlumperson 2B
That Catcher Kid That Isn't Molina or Posada C
Melk-Man CF

It's going to be crucial for Pettitte to have a quality and lengthy start tonight, because Joba's innings will be limited tomorrow and the bullpen better be ready to pitch about 4 innings. I have a feeling that whether he's looking good or not, Girardi is going to keep him out there so he doesn't wear out his relievers. A necessary move, surely, but it could spell trouble for the Yanks tonight if Dandy Andy can't hack it. Solution: GET SOME HITS.

Play ball!

What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, the Yanks were mired in a 2+ month slump, stuck with a pathetic 23-29 record and sitting 12.5 games behind the first place Red Sox. Giambi, Abreu and Cano weren't hitting, Kei Igawa was busy showing the Yanks that he wasn't even close to being even a third-rate Dice-K, Jeter was fumbling balls at short like it was going out of style, and come from behind wins were a foreign concept.

Some things are still the same this year - Cano is slumping again and Kei Igawa still sucks - but compared to last year, the Yankees are actually looking alright. They're only rockin' a .500 record and they're 6.5 games out of first (5.5 out of the wildcard, if you're already scoreboard watching), but it's a far cry from their performance last year and I think we should be feeling fairly positive about their work thus far. They've won some close games and had to do so without Jeter, A-Rod, and Posada for a good chunk of time; once everyone is back to healthy status things should pick up further.

Baseball Prospectus has projected that the Yankees will win 94 games and finish 3 games ahead of the Red Sox to top the AL East. They'll have to win 68 of their remaining 106 games - 64% of them - which may seem like a lofty goal to some but is surely within the realm of possibility once Cano starts hitting and Jorgie Porgie makes his triumphant (por favor) return this week. Do you think they can pull it off? Can Girardi do what Torre could not - bring this team to the Series (or at least the ALCS... another ALDS bust-out would be too much for my YC heart to bear)? Or will the team suffer the same old problems and choke-ness they've suffered for the last 7 years?