Mark Reynolds vs. Jeff Baker- Who Ya Got?

Joel Sherman threw another name into the free agent hat yesterday when he reported that the Yankees had "expressed interest" in utility man Jeff Baker.  They've been linked to him before but never made any serious moves and he actually makes a ton of sense for them right now.  They're also still linked to Mark Reynolds but it's highly unlikely they have room for both on next year's roster.  So who would you rather have?

Reynolds Career Averages: .233/.329/.464, .344 wOBA, 28.86 HR*
Baker Career Averages: .267/.321/.440, .330 wOBA, 5.33 HR*

Reynolds Career vs. LHP: .238/.359/.475, .361 wOBA
Baker Career vs. LHP: .298/.353/.522, .375 wOBA

Reynolds Career BB/K Rates: 11.6% BB/32.3% K
Baker Career BB/K Rates: 7.1% BB/24.0% K

Reynolds Defensively: Well below-average at the infield corners; hasn't played the outfield since '07
Baker Defensively: Below-average at the infield corners, well below-average at second, below-average in the outfield but capable of playing it.

Closer than you thought, right?  Reynolds provides the power and patience that fits well with the Yankee offensive model, but he's a big time hacker and a butcher in the field.  Baker is a more balanced hitter with tremendous power potential against lefties and he can play more positions, although none of them particularly well.  Take your pick, Cash.  Just don't lose out on both of them.

*- Baker has never played more than 104 games in a season.  Reynolds has never played less than 111.

Who Would You Rather Have In A 1-Run Game?

Joba Chamberlain w/ runners on base this season: 5.07 FIP, .345 wOBA against
David Robertson w/ runners on base this season: 2.33 FIP, .212 wOBA against

Joba w/ RISP: 5.38 FIP, .386 wOBA against
D-Rob w/ RISP: 1.57 FIP, .173 wOBA against

Joba in high leverage spots: 6.41 FIP/.397 wOBA in 2.2 IP
D-Rob in high leverage spots: 2.13 FIP/.190 wOBA in 17.2 IP

I love ya, Joe.  But I don't know what the hell you were thinking in the 7th yesterday.  There's no justification for bringing Joba into any close game anymore.  Not when every win counts.

A Doubleheader Of Divergent Career Paths

If you're looking for a quick visual representation of the Yankees' organizational struggles when it comes to developing starting pitching, look no further than the 2 guys starting today's doubleheader.

Ivan Nova was an undervalued international signing.  He's been a low-ceiling starter prospect, better than advertised Major Leaguer, Game 1 postseason starter, back end rotation fodder, human batting cage pitching machine, Minor League reclamation project, extra pitching staff depth, and injury question mark all in the span of 2 years.  Currently he's the second best starter in the 2013 rotation and has gotten his career back on track with the transition to an exclusive fastball/curveball approach.

Phil Hughes was a can't miss, #1, mega-hyped American prospect, expected to be the future ace of the staff once the Core Four era was over.  He's pitched brilliantly at times, he's pitched inconceivably bad at times, and his career has been defined by his inability to consistently do the most basic things on a pitching mound that a pitcher needs to do to be successful.  He's been the worst starter in the rotation by far this season and as he heads towards the possible final weeks of his Yankee career he's watching his free agent value deteriorate with every bad pitch.

These are the best the Yankee system has generated in the last 5-7 years, and that's not saying much.  Things look brighter for Nova now than Hughes, but based on his track record there's no way to know how long this stretch of effectiveness will last and if it will carry over into next year.  We'll get another look at both of them today and another look at what could have been and what may still be.

Phelps' Early Results Solidifying His Rotation Legitimacy

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

It's been just short of 3 weeks since David Phelps re-entered the starting rotation as Ivan Nova's replacement.  He's pitched better in each of the 4 starts he's made in that time period, the best outing coming this past Saturday in the form of a 7-inning, 1-run, 8-K shutdown of the hapless Blue Jays.  That start marked Phelps' 15th of his professional career, by no means enough to definitively predict what he'll do going forward but enough to make some reasonable observations.  Phelps is the latest homegrown pitcher to break into the rotation semi-full time, after Ivan Nova in 2010/2011 and Phil Hughes in 2007/2008, and he's all but earned the right to stay there with the way he's pitched.  Without getting back into the "the Yankees suck at developing starting pitching" argument, let's just see how Phelps' first 15 career starts stack up against Nova's and Phil's.

Kuroda The 1A To CC's 1

Since Hiroki Kuroda joined the Yankees before last season (regular season and postseason):

CC Sabathia- 40 GS, 280.2 IP, 104 ER, 64 BB, 270 K

Kuroda- 44 GS, 294.1 IP, 99 ER, 66 BB, 220 K

I'm not saying Kuroda is a better pitcher than CC.  In a one-game situation, I'd still probably want the big fella on the mound (think Game 5 of last year's ALDS).  But I will say that Kuroda has been the most reliable Yankee starting pitcher since the beginning of last season.  He's been healthy, he's been consistent, and he's assumed the role that both CC and Andy Pettitte have held down at different times since '09 as the rotation's stopper. Every big game like the one Kuroda pitched last night seems to come when the team needs one.  He's been an absolutely fantastic signing 2 years in a row and I really hope he wants to come back again in 2014.  As with Andy, the Yankees should keep offering Kuroda 1-year deals as long as he wants to keep playing.