The Fraud Sawx Have Freddy's Numbah

(Yeesh.  Courtesy of The AP)

Freddy Garcia has now made 10 starts this season.  In those 10 starts, he is 4-5 with 60 hits, 22 walks, and 9 HR allowed in 58.1 innings, equaling out to a 3.86 ERA, 4.74 FIP, 4.20 xFIP, and 1.41 WHIP.  For the most part, he has been serviceable as the 4th/5th starter, if not downright good at times.  But after last night's gong show at The Stadium, it's clear what his Achilles heel is and it really comes as no surprise.

In 2 starts against the Sawx this year, Garcia's line looks like this:

7 IP, 10 H, 5 BB, 8 ER, 3 HR, 5 K, 10.29 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, 0-2

Now when he's been on this season, Freddy has pitched effectively against most offenses.  His movement on his off-speed stuff and his pitching intelligence have been enough to allow him to get by with a heater that has about as much zip to it as your average Little Leaguer's.  But against a good hitting team, that dog just don't hunt and last night the Sawx, a very good hitting team on a very hot hot streak,  just punished Garcia and got enough off of him early before Joe pulled the plug to hold on.

You look around the AL and you don't see many teams with lineups half as good as that of Bahhston, or the Yankees for that matter.  As long as he stays healthy, we can expect to get the same marginal service from Freddy against the rest of the league with a good start thrown in here and there, and with the Yankee offense that should be enough to be successful.  But if this is the best he can do against Bahhston, then Joe might want to think about juggling the rotation to keep him out of it the next time they come to town instead of Nova.

Teix KO'd In Top Of The 1st

Jon Lester kneecapped Teix in his first at-bat a few minutes ago.  All indications are it looks pretty serious, as Teix was writhing in pain after taking a pitch right off the right kneecap, and he hardly put any weight on his right leg at all as he was helped off the field.  Surprisingly, Jorge was brought in to pinch run for him, but I don't think we'll be seeing Teix for the next couple days at least.

Update coming later when it's available.  For now I will just say that's bush by Lester.  Whether it got away or not, there's no reason for that to happen in the 1st inning of a game.  That's retaliation-worthy as far as I'm concerned and the umps better allow the Yankees to exact their pound of flesh, preferably later in the game when Joba or D-Rob or somebody with a little heat on the fastball is in the game and not Freddy and his BP fastball.

** UPDATE- 8:18PM- X-rays were negative and the official word is that Teix has a knee contusion.  He'll be re-evaluated tomorrow but it looks like our worst fears won't be realized with this one.  Still, Lester can S a D. **

Yanks-Sawx Round 3- Something Has To Give

(Calm down, Youk.  You're fine.)

Both of the Yankees-Fraud Sawx series this season have gone negatively for the Yankees.  They lost 2 out of 3 in Bahhston earlier in the year and were rudely treated to their first sweep at the New Stadium in mid-May.  Since that disastrous 3-day period, both teams have been on a tear and this time the Sawx come back into town sitting just a game behind the Bombers for the AL East lead.

Both teams have been driven by a particular part of the roster lately, one coming as no surprise for one team and one a bit of a surprise for the other.  As friend of AB4AR Larry Koestler pointed out this morning on TYA, the Sawx have been mashing the shit out of the ball for the last 2 weeks to the tune of a .367 team wOBA.  After 2 months, the lineup is finally starting to live up to the hype and there are probably still pitchers having nightmares about their most recent outing against Boston.  Now, this is not to say that I'm lightening up on my anti-Frad Sawck stance.  They still suck.  Unfortunately, their offensive performance of late has not.

On the Yankee side of things, pitching has been the name of the game of late.  In the same 2-week span, the Yankee pitching staff has put together an AL best 2.91 ERA and 3.33 FIP.  CC has been a beastly man amongst boys, Colon continues to pitch well, A.J. has been serviceable, and somehow Freddy Garcia is still getting positive results with everything but the kitchen sink.  And to top it all off, the bullpen trio of Mo-Joba-D-Rob has held up their end of the bargain by putting zeroes up on the board.  If you would have taken a poll of Yankee fans on Opening Day and asked if a rotation that included Colon and Garcia would be part of an AL-leading anything over a 2-week span, I don't think you would have had many votes in the "Yes" column, but it's the truth.  While the offense still hasn't quite found its stride, the pitching staff has carried the team through this most recent stretch of success.

So starting tonight we've got the Sawx lineup against the Yankee rotation.  Which group will continue their hot streak and which will have their momentum halted?  And more importantly, how many times will I curse myself for moving out to WI, giving up the YES Network, and not having an ISP that allows me to get MLB broadcast package on my computer?

P.S.- Truth be told, I could give a shit if the Yankee starters get shelled in all 3 games.  It'd just be nice to see the boys take 2 of 3 and win a series to increase the division lead.

Yankees Draft Dante Bichette

How does that taste, all you Yankee haters who thought the Yankees were screwed picking 51st while the rest of their division had half the picks before them?  A little Dante Bichette right in your eye!  This guy was the MAN back in the day.  I remember playing RBI Baseball '94 on my Game Gear growing up and straight dominating the world with him and Andres Galarraga on the Rockies.  Dude could rake.  40 homers, 128 RBI, and a .413 wOBA in '95, 31, 141, .380 in '96.  That's some solid production any way you cut it.  Sure, the guy is probably older than dirt now and I have no clue how he managed to re-attain his amateur status for this draft, but that's beside the point.  The Yankees added a Major League caliber power hitter with the 51st pick in the draft.  Dante Freakin' Bichette, baby!

Wait, what?  It's not him?  Kid?  What are you talking about?  Dante Bichette JR.???  He has a kid?  After all the 'roids he did?  No way.  Is his kid any good?  Is that a good pick?

People don't seem to think so.

Oh.  Well that kinda sucks.  Now I just feel like an idiot.

Uhhhhh...

...

Draft Day, Draft Day, Draft Day!!

The MLB amateur draft starts tonight, which is always big news if you're a baseball fanatic.  Admittedly, I am not as big a draft freak as others, even though I love me some Yankee prospects.  I just don't have the time or the resources to follow up on all the potential talent out there at the HS and college level, so I leave that to the professionals who do and get my love on once guys officially become Yankees.

Last year's crop of talent was a lot of high-upside, low-risk variety from what I understand, and the Yanks are already getting solid returns from the likes of Rob Segedin (3rd Rd.), Tommy Kahnle (5th), Kyle Roller (8th), and Dan Burawa (12th) in A-ball and when short-season SI starts up, we'll get another look at the Cito Culvers and Mason Williams' of the world.  And with the Yankees not picking until the 51st pick this year (thanks a lot, Randy), expect them to be aggressive on someone who drops down the board from their slot.

And that right there is the extent of my 2011 MLB Draft preview.  Like I said, I'm not exactly Mel Kiper when it comes to this and I don't try to be.  If you're looking for excellent draft coverage, check out the stuff from the boys at The Yankee Analysts and anything that Mike Axisa writes about at River Ave. Blues.  Once the draft is over and I get a chance to follow up on these guys' thoughts, I'll weigh in with my take.  Maybe.  Until then, follow them and trust what they say.

West Coast Road Trip Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(High fives all around!  Courtesy of The AP)

- Before they went out on the road, I said I would be happy with a 5-4 record from the Yankees on this 9-day tour of some of the best starting pitching the AL has to offer.  So the fact that they came in 6-3 and extended their lead in the AL East is more than fine with me.

- That being said, it is a bit frustrating to look back on the series and see just how close the Yankees were to going 9-0.  A few hits with RISP here and another fluke Mo BS there in Seattle, and just a couple hits anywhere in the first game against Anaheim and things would be looking really bright right now.  I hate to rain on the parade by saying that there's always some "yeah, but... " scenario with this year's Yankees, so I just won't say it.

- A theme for the 2011 season that continued through this trip was the solid starting pitching.  From the end of the Seattle series through the Oakland one, the Yankees got 4 straight good performances from their rotation: back-to-back lights out jobs by CC and Colon followed up by 2 solid starts from Freddy and A.J.  I don't care who you're playing against, 6 runs allowed over a 4-game span is damn good.  CC followed up his beauty with another gem Saturday against the Angels and Colon was pretty decent yesterday, so the rotation continues to at the very least exceed expectations and at the most carry the team.

- The "Get Jorge The Hell Out of the DH Spot" campaign is in full swing now.  He started the trip hitting .178/.298/.357 and he finished it hitting .178/.290/.349.  He had 2 of his 3 hits for the whole trip yesterday, and even then he managed to ruin the double by inexplicably trying to stretch it to 3rd.  I don't care if it's more ABs for Andrew Jones, more for Chris Dickerson, or more for Chavez when he comes back.  If the Yankees aren't going to call up Jesus now, they need to do something with what they've got because Jorge is D-U-N DONE.

- Robbie Cano showed some signs of breaking out on the trip, getting 10 hits (6 for XB), scoring 6 runs, and also driving in 6.  His patience and selection at the plate still leaves a lot to be desired, but he is getting back to producing for a run-production spot in the lineup.

- Similar situation for The Horse, who also gather 10 hits, 7 runs, and 7 RBI over the 9-game trip.  He looks more comfortable at the plate and his swing looks much more in tune with his body than it did a few weeks ago.  Joe just needs to keep the guy healthy and give him a day every week at DH to do so, even if it means putting people in the first-base seats at field level in danger by playing Nunez at 2rd.

- I know he's The Fireman, but "The Magician" might have been a more appropriate name for D-Rob yesterday.  He pulled a David Blaine, completely setting up his own death-defying situation by walking 2 men to load the bases before managing to escape right before our very eyes without allowing a run.  Ta-da!!!!

- If all you're doing is looking at Mark Teixeira's BA and complaining that he's not playing well, then you're an idiot.  The guy is straight raking right now, and if the 18 HR and 41 RBI don't do it for you then maybe the .914 OPS, 149 wRC+, .394 wOBA, and career high .291 ISO will.  Just a little BABIP luck (Teix's is currently .236, 32 points below his career low, which was set last year) and we're talking about Teix as the leading MVP candidate instead of C-Grand and Jose Bautista.

- Props to Joe for ditching the formula yesterday in the 6th, going to D-Rob early to preserve the lead, stretching Joba to get through the 7th and the 8th, and finishing things up with Mo.  A 6-3 trip looks and feels much better than a 5-4 one, Joe knew it, knew his horses were rested, and rode them to victory.  If only he could do that all the time.

- Now that the Yankees are coming back home, the Jeter 3,000 watch will kick into high gear.  Just one question, if his next 14 hits are all seeing-eye grounders through the hole at short, do we still applaud?

- CC is a monster.  Last 4 starts: 4-0, 33 2/3 IP, 28 H, 5 BB, 6 ER, 20 K, and he never threw more than 118 pitches in any start.  That's not just dominance, that's EFFICIENT dominance.  The power of the pants is undeniable.

- Best highlight of the trip, hands down, was the video of Torii Hunter falling into the stands on Cano's HR on Saturday as the small contingent of Yankee fans parted like the Red Sea and let him faceplant into the concrete.  Call them classless if you want (haters), but you gotta give Yankee fans credit.  They know when to get involved and when to stay out of the way.

- Off day today, then the fahckin' Sawx come into town for 3 starting on Tuesday.  The Yanks have pushed Nova back a day to line up Garcia, A.J., and CC for the series finale, while the Sawx have scratched Clay Buchholz from his Wednesday start and will instead throw Tim Wakefield.

Rotation Upgrade Options- Internal

Ivan Nova might have done just enough on Friday night to not lose his spot in the rotation the next time through, but still didn't do enough to guarantee his spot moving forward.  If he continues to not be able to keep runners off the basepaths and not generate any swings and misses, sooner or later the time is going to come where he'll be kicked to the bullpen and a new arm will be inserted into his spot, especially after Cash went public this week saying he was looking to upgrade the rotation.  With the trade market not quite heated up yet, the first place to look for a Nova replacement would be internally.  Here are the 4 top candidates.

Hector Noesi- He's always been plugged as a Nova 2.0 type, a guy with better stuff and even better command, and Noesi got called up earlier this season when the Yankees needed help in the 'pen.  He was pitching relatively well in Triple-A (3.92 ERA, 3.73 FIP), and has performed admirably in his limited innings for the Yankees (0.96 ERA, 3.15 FIP in 9.1 IP).  Noesi has already shown that the moment isn't too big for him, evidenced by his 4 shutout innings of relief in picking up the win in extras against Baltimore, and actually has a higher K/9 rate and lower BB/9 rate in the Majors than he had with SWB.  Most important, though, has been Noesi's ability to get swings and misses, Nova's biggest Achilles heal.  In his 9+ innings of work, Noesi has a 12.8% swinging strike rate, and the lack of info on him suggests that rate could stay consistent, at least for a little while before teams start to adjust to him.  If Nova got hurt tomorrow, Noesi would be my first choice as a replacement.

Carlos Silva- Silva was the last of the Yankee "Free Agent Veteran Scrap Heap" initiative earlier in the season, and has stuck around longer than Kevin Millwood after 5 starts in the Yankees' MiL system.  Looking at just his 3 starts in Triple-A, there are reasons to be hopeful that Silva could be better than Nova and reasons to be concerned that he might be a carbon copy.  In his 3 starts for SWB, Silva has pitched 18.1 innings, giving up 7 earned runs on 16 hits and 4 walks.  On the positive side, he has shown the ability to go deeper into games than Nova has been and has been much better at keeping guys off base.  On the negative side, Silva has struck out only 8 batters in these 3 outings, with his K total decreasing each time out.  His stuff sits somewhere between that of Nova and Freddy Garcia, so if he can't get guys to swing and miss in Triple-A, what's to say he would do it against better competition in the Majors? 

David Phelps- This guy (copyright: Jon Gruden) has been the best pitcher on the SWB staff so far this year, and is the most ready to come up and pitch at the Major League level.  In 11 starts so far, Phelps has put together a 3.29 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 1.27 WHIP, has increased his K/9 rate from his 12 Triple-A starts last year, and has a K/BB ratio over 3.  He throws more strikes than Nova, walks fewer guys than Nova, and provides more length than Nova.  In his last 3 starts, Phelps has gone at least 7.1 innings every time out, with 16 K to just 3 BB.  His stuff might not play up to the Major League level as well as it is right now at Triple-A, but with Phelps' makeup and approach, it's reasonable to expect that he could provide results at least slightly better than Nova's.

Phil Hughes- He of the mysterious dead arm that was still never definitively diagnosed, Hughes has been on the recovery trail since his MRI, receiving cortisone shots, throwing off flat ground, and as recently as yesterday throwing off a mound in a simulated game.  While there haven't been any velocity readings on Hughes, the general consensus is that his arm speed and ball speed are looking good through the zone, and Hughes could be on his way to some rehab starts beginning in Extended ST.  The timetable for his return is still far out (at least a month), but if Hughes has recovered from whatever ailed him early in the year, and his arm strength and velocity is back, he would be a huge addition to the rotation and a huge upgrade over what Nova has been providing.

2 Runs On 3 Hits...

That's all we got??  Three goddamn hits?!

How's That Trade Looking Now?

Austin Jackson 2011: 236 PA, .224/.288/.333, 15 XBH, 23 R, 14 RBI

Curtis Granderson 2011: 235 PA .278/.348/.612, 31 XBH, 44 R, 41 RBI

Jackson '11: 74 wRC+, .283 wOBA, -5.5 UZR/150, -0.1 WAR

Grandy '11: 165 wRC+, .415 wOBA, 1.2 UZR/150, 2.9 WAR

Anybody still bumming over trading Austin Jackson for C-Grand?  Anybody?  Frye?

Didn't think so.

The Grandy Man can indeed.

Nova Pitching For His Job Tonight?

Joe can say whatever he wants, ...

"I wouldn’t say he’s pitching for a slot… He’s had some ups and downs. I think (his youth is) part of it. I think there’s been some inconsistency. I think he’s walked more people than he’s accustomed to walking. But I think it is all part of a learning process for him and trying to get him back to using all of his pitches.” (via LoHud)

But Cash clearly thinks the rotation isn't good enough ...

“We are a championship-caliber-contending team with areas of need that I need to work on. We are going to have to continue to look for ways to improve our pitching.” (via The Post)

And the truth of the matter is that Ivan Nova has not been very good lately.  2 weeks ago he was coming off a streak of 4 solid starts out of 5, but after his last 2 outings he has looked tentative, inconsistent, and has not been able to give the Yankees length or quality stuff.  He's got a K/9 rate of just 4.50 and a BB/9 rate of 4.00 to go with it and just a 3.9% swing-and-miss percentage.  If there's a spot on the staff that could use improvement, it's his.

I like ya, Ivan.  But when you actually are pitching like Ivan The Terrible and your manager is making excuses for you while your GM publicly states that he's looking to improve the pitching, that don't add up well for you.

How Are Things Over In Flushing?

David Wright has a broken back, Fred Wilpon is a jack-jawing old fuck, Terry Collins is losing his shit, the team has no money, the players can't execute, the ballpark is half empty, and Einhorn IS Finkle.

Yep, sounds about right.

** UPDATE- 1:07PM-  The Mets are down 7-0 to the Pirates in the middle of the 3rd.  This is beyond "when it rains, it pours" if you're a Mets fan.  This is "when it pours, it downpours and your whole basement floods a week after you just converted it into your new mancave and the water damage destroys your new 3-D TV."

And it's hilarious.

Justifying The Yankees High All Star Count

By now everybody knows that the first ASG voting standings were rolled out by MLB yesterday, and in what should be no surprise to anybody, the Yankees are well represented.  And by "well represented," I mean "the entire starting infield and 1/3 of the starting outfield"-WELL represented.  On the surface this appears to be a case of the Yankee big names capitalizing on their stature and getting the ballot boxes unfairly stuffed by their fans.  But when you really break it down, a case can be made for all but one of these guys being deserving of their spots at the top of the voting.

C- Russell Martin- 1st in wOBA (.369) and OPS (.810), both by hefty margins over the other AL 5 catchers with enough ABs to qualify.  Also 1st or 2nd in traditional stats like HR (9), RBI (26), XBH (15), and with 6 SB thrown in with good measure.  With Joe Mauer on the shelf and Martin leading all AL catchers in WAR (1.8), this is a pretty easy choice.

1B- Mark Teixeira- Tops amongst AL 1B in HR (16) certainly gives him street cred with the general voting public, but being 3rd in RBI (38), R (33), OPS (.902), wOBA (.389), and WAR (1.8) behind Adrian Gonzalez and Miggy Cabrera makes Teix's battle a bit of an uphill one.  But chicks dig the long ball, fans dig the long ball, and Teix is giving the people what they want right now. 

2B- Robinson Cano- A down year for Cano still has him head and shoulders above his main competition at second.  He leads AL 2B in Hits (59), HR (11), RBI (37), and is 2nd in R (31), SLG (.514) and wOBA (.364).  His OBP and WAR numbers don't stack up against other deserving candidates like Howie Kendrick, but Cano's status as the reigning best 2B in baseball and the fact that Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia are having down years too works to Robbie's advantage.

3B- Alex Rodriguez- I already touched on this yesterday, but it warrants repeating for the All Star discussion.  The Horse is the best 3B in the AL.  period.  2nd in Hits (56), 1st in R (32), 2nd in HR (9), 3rd in RBI (31), 2nd in OPS (.845), 2nd in wOBA (.373) and 1st in WAR (2.2).  And he's playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at the hot corner.  He may not be replicating '05 or '07 but he's still the best of the bunch.

OF- Curtis Granderson- This one is a no-brainer.  C-Grand has arguably been the best player in MLB not named Jose Bautista this season.  He's 2nd amongst all OF in R (44) and HR (17), 1st in RBI (41), 3rd in OPS (.960) 3rd in wOBA (.415), and 3rd in WAR (2.9).  Need I say more?

SS- Derek Jeter- This is where the proof train stops.  If Derek Jeter were named Ray Whitson (don't know where that came from) then he probably wouldn't even be on the ballot.  Statistically, the only SS he's been better than so far are Cliff Pennington and Alcides Escobar, 2 guys who I could definitely probably outhit.  But the ASG is a popularity contest, and Jeter's track record has certainly earned him the popularity he has, so if you're going to get mad at anything, get mad at the system.

Wait, Mark Teixeira Stole Home Last Night?

If you're like me, and didn't get the chance to watch the game last night, you probably didn't believe it either when you read that in the game recaps this morning.  But sure enough, he actually did do it.  Here's visual proof:

Is that the most improbable steal of home ever?  I know it took some brain farts on the part of A-Rod and the A's to make it possible, which makes it a bit of a fugazi steal of home, but this is still Mark Teixeira we're talking about.  He of the 16 career stolen bases and 5 times caught stealing .  Dude can run the bags with the best of them but he isn't exactly Lou Brock in his prime.

Cue the "you just can't predict baseball, Suzyn" sound clip from Sterling on that one.

Overrated Yankees Are So Overrated Because They Play For The Overrated Yankees

 (Here's the poll.  Click for larger if you want a closer look at the hatred.)

 The good news it that for the second year in a row, The Horse and Joba topped an MLB players poll conducted by Sports Illustrated.  The bad news?  It's the yearly "Most Overrated Players" poll.  And not only that, but Derek Jeter came in 3rd in the poll and Nick Swisher was tied for 4th.  So the 4 most overrated players in MLB are Yankees.  Now normally I would take something like this and use it as a soapbox to stand on and proclaim that it's the latest in the MSM's never ending quest to besmirch the good name of the Yankees.  But since it was actually the players who voted, I'll just say that it's a classic case of guys drinking too much haterade.

First, let's start with Swish.  Sure he's having a down year this year, but that hardly makes him overrated.  The guy is probably still underrated after the Yankees picked him up for parts off the scrap heap in 2009 from Chicago.  All he's done since putting on the pinstripes is be above average in every way imaginable.  He hits for power and gets on base plenty and plays a pretty good right field.  An OPS+ in the 120s and a wOBA of .376 over the last 2 seasons speak for themselves.

Now Jeter is an interesting scenario.  For each of the last 3-4 seasons, the argument could have been made that the guy was overrated.  His range had deteriorated, as had his power, and yet he was still praised by the MSM for his "playing the right way" style.  But now, I would make the argument that that high praise is no longer present when looking at Jeter.  He's a weak, groundball-hitting machine with next to no range left at short, and the media presents him as such.  For a guy his age playing a premium position at a below-average level, Jeter is probably perfectly rated right now.

Joba is an interesting case.  He probably gets put into this category because of all the chaos surrounding his status as a starter or reliever, which is unfair.  And while he does have a tendency to give up home runs in bad spots (career high 16.7 HR/FB % this year), and while I do tend to bag on the guy a lot, Joba has actually been pretty damn solid his whole career, and even better this season.  His FIP and xFIP numbers have always been below his ERA, he's getting groundballs at a career high clip this season (62.3%), his walks are down, and he's recovered some of the velocity and swagger that he had back in '07-'08.  With the Fraud Sawx shelling out 9 mil to Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler to completely shit the bed the way they have this season, it's hardly fair to call Joba overrated with the numbers he's put up.

Last is The Horse, and his case is just as ridiculous as Joba's.  For all the talk about how washed up he is, the guy is still 2nd amongst all MLB third basemen in SLG, 3rd in OPS, and 3rd in wOBA.  He may not walk as much as he used to, but he doesn't strike out as much as the great Kevin Youkilis, and he plays a much better third base defensively than everybody not named Adrian Beltre.  And surprise, surprise!  Guess who leads all third basemen in WAR with 2.1?  That's right.  Alex F'ing Rodriguez.  Opinions can be whatever people want, but the numbers don't lie.  Even at 35 going on 36 and possibly with some lingering oblique/back issues, A-Rod is still the best all-around third baseman in baseball.  How is that overrated???

What this poll boils down to is the players who aren't on the Yankees being sour grapes towards them.  People see how much money guys are making and they get jealous.  It's natural.  But being properly rated isn't all about money.  Sure it's a determining factor, but you still have to look at the production, and for the most part, the production of these 4 supposedly overrated Yankees doesn't support the claim of their overratedness.  Overpaid?  Sure, I'll buy that argument.  But not overrated.  Grow up, MLB guys.  Don't be haters just because you aren't lucky enough to be on the team with the most money.

The $900,000 Man Comes Through Again

(Not gonna lie, I kinda want to hug the guy too.  Courtesy of The AP)

How's this for a stat line:

9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 103 P (71 strikes)

If you would have told me I'd be getting that line from a 38-year-old Bartolo Colon in a start on the West Coast in late May, I would have asked for the phone number of your drug dealer.  At this point, there is no debate anymore, no other way to say it.  The guy has been flat out money.  He has been worth the 900k the Yankees shelled out to get him and then some after just 8 starts!

For a change of pace this season, Joe actually made a decision about his pitching staff that worked out when he decided to flip CC and Colon's spots in the rotation after last week's off day.  And boy did it work out.  CC's outing on Sunday was a tough act to follow but Colon blew it out of the water yesterday with an extra day's rest.  He absolutely owned the outside corner with his fastball, consistently getting ahead in the count (first-pitch strikes against 23 of 30 batters faced) and then putting guys away thanks to his pinpoint command.  As has been the case in his strong outings, he never lost any velocity as the game wore on, and Joe followed up one good decision with another by letting him go out for the 9th inning and finish the game.

There's really nothing left to say about what Colon has done this year and how smart Cash was for monitoring him and then having the faith in what he saw to sign the guy.  Every time he steps on the mound, I feel like more of a jackass for all the negative ranting and raving I did back in January and February.  But with the kind of results Colon has put up, I don't mind looking like a jackass.  I mean, a 3.26/3.35/2.91 tripleslash and 1.3 WAR in just 11 outings?  For less than a mil???  That's highway robbery of the highest order.

If anybody needs me, I'll be going back through my earlier posts where I made fun of Colon's moobs and slapping myself.

The Big Man Gets It Done

After sleepwalking through 2 consecutive textbook Yankee losses, the Bombers needed Carsten to come through today to not make it a lost weekend.  In short, he did.

8 innings of 1-run ball, giving the offense plenty of chances to find itself, which it did, and the Yanks leave Seattle with 1 win.  They still have work to do to get to my previously stated acceptable 5-4 record on this road trip, but that work is a lot easier to do from 1-2 than 0-3.

P.S.- cue the opt-out talk again after tonight's outing.

Ugh, Do You Hear That Awful Sound?

"You fahckin' New Yawk quee-yahs did nawt believe in the powah of Red Sawx Nation!  Everybody doubted us and ow-uh ability to ovahcome awbstacles and make it back to the prawmised land, but we fachkin' did it so fahck you!!

And I'm nawt tawlking about the Bruins, even though they ahh the best.  I'm tawlking about the fahckin' hahht and soul of ow-uh city, the fahckin' Saaaawwwwwx, baby!  Back in first place where they fahckin' bee-lawng.  It's been a lawng, hahhd road back from the 0-6 stahht, but the scrappiness and grit of this team has ovahcome everything else to get back to the tawp.

It just goes to show what hahht and detehhmination (and $170 million dollahs) will get you.  And those fahckin' Yankee faggots ahh going down!"

When the first thing on the ESPN bottom scroll is "Sox move into first place for first time this season" over a Game 7, you know it's going to be an even bigger celebration in Boston.  It's days like today that I'm thankful I moved to the midwest.

AB4AR Pre-Memorial Day Weekend Linkapalooza

Just like last year, I'll be traveling to good old Baltimore (recently voted 8th most dangerous city in the US.  SCORE!) for the NCAA Lacrosse Championships this weekend.  That being the case, my updates on the site could be few and far between over the next 4 days.  So to tie you, dear readers, over until I make my gallant return, here's another hot lap around the Yankosphere.

- 3460kuri of Pinstipe Alley wonders why Joe continues to platoon Brett Gardner against lefties when the numbers suggest he shouldn't. As usual, you can't argue with the numbers. But you can argue with Joe's logic. What else is new?

- Larry Koestler of TYA breaks down Nick Swisher's awful start to the season from pretty much every angle. I'd say a little more luck and a little less swinging at bad pitches should help the situation, no?

- Matt Warden of TYA has a hilarious flow chart that perfectly lays out where to point the finger when the Yankees lose.  I imagine most of the typical Yankee callers into WFAN have this printed out and hanging up somewhere in their homes already.

- Jay Jaffe of Pinstriped Bible looks at how Buster Posey's unfortunate situation could affect the Yankees' plans with their horde of catchers.  My favorite part was when he mentioned trading Cervelli.

- Mike Axisa of RAB has top prospect Slade Heathcott's K and BB rates charted out for his pro career to date.  Lot to like there.

- Speaking of prospects, Tamar Chalker of IIATMS has a new prospect profile on Adam Warren.  If he keeps pitching like he did earlier this week, Warren could be next in line for a call up when a spot starter is needed.

- First of 2 from William at The Captain's Blog.  This one from Wednesday examines the recent offensive scuffles.

- And this one from yesterday is a trip down memory lane, all the way back to Mariano's first career appearance.  Way to gun that one up to 88, William.

- Last is a recommended must-read to any Yankee fan.  It's David Cone's recent interview with New York Magazine.  In it, he discusses everything from advanced stats to his take on the Jorge situation to his affinity for motorcycles.  David Cone is never not entertaining.

So that's it for today.  Maybe I'll get on a computer to follow up on the weekend series with Seattle, maybe not.  If not, everybody enjoy their Memorial Day weekend.

AB4AR Prospect Roundup

(PROSPECT!!!!)

Everybody knows I love me some Yankee prospects.  But if you read the blog enough, you also know that I don't devote as much time to following the Yankee MiL system as other sites.  Basically that's because I don't have the time or the resources to devote to that coverage, but that doesn't mean I still don't follow the comings and goings of the system.  So here's my belated quick run through of some of the standouts, both good and bad, for each team so far.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees:

Pleasant Surprise- Jorge Vazquez

Already 29, Vazquez has been a constant source of power all season.  His .960 OPS and 17 HR leads the team, and his .403 wOBA is very good.  Vazquez's big issue is his 28.9% K rate, which pretty much makes him an "all or nothing" type player.  But that doesn't take away from his monster production so far.  If only he were 24...

Not So Pleasant Surprise- Brandon Laird

After raking in Double-A last season, Laird was a dark horse candidate to make the MaL roster coming into ST in 2011.  He hasn't been able to replicate that success this year, however, hitting just .244/.281/.340 with just 10 XBH so far.  He has been better so far in May than in April, but he still has some work to do to re-establish himself as a serious prospect.

The Rest-

Adam Warren, David Phelps, and D.J. Mitchell have all pitched well in the rotation, with Warren throwing 8 1-run innings in his most recent outing.  Justin Maxwell has 21 XBH and an .885 OPS to go along with his 68 Ks.  The Jesus, while not mashing quite the way we'd all like to see, is still holding his own with a .308/.343/.417 tripleslash.  Kevin Whelan is filling J-Alba's shoes nicely as the closer.

Double-A Trenton Thunder

Pleasant Surprise- Tim Norton

Norton has picked up right where he left out last season, pitching to a 1.88 ERA and 2.37 FIP in 24 innings so far this season, striking out 36 batters.  He doesn't get a lot of ink because of the higher-profile names on the pitching staff, but at 28, Norton is making a name for himself as a potential future relief option.

Not So Pleasant Surprise- Melky Mesa

The kid is still striking out like a mofo, posting a 33.8% K rate so far this year.  Combine that with a .673 OPS and he continues to be a question mark moving forward.

The Rest-

The other 2/3 of the Killer Bs are performing well (1.30 ERA, 10.12 K/9 in 7 starts for Betances.  1.96,8.35 in 8 starts for ManBan), and with Shaeffer Hall pitching well and Graham Stoneburner rehabbing, the rotation is still the best in Double-A on paper.  At the plate, Austin Romine (.754 OPS) and Corban Joseph (.753) are leading the charge.

Fred Wilpon FINALLY Makes A Good Decision

I'd like to talk about how much of an idiot Fred Wilpon is, but that's already abundantly clear to everybody who follows baseball or anybody who is sad and pathetic enough to be a Mets fan.  So instead of wasting everybody's time and my typing effort, I'd like to take the opportunity, in honor of today's good news that the Mets are selling a minority stake in the team to a guy named Einhorn, to play this clip and laugh once again at the Mets expense.



OK.  I'm done now.  Carry on.

Looking At The Soriano-Less Bullpen

(Could we see a new face out here soon?  Do we need to see one?)

It would not be an unfair statement to say that Rafael Soriano was the hole in the Yankee bullpen before he was put on the DL last week.  But now that the results of his Dr. Andrews have come back and we know he's going to be on the shelf for a while, it's also fair to state that, as bad as he has been, there is still potentially a hole in the 'pen without him.  Heading into tomorrow's game, here's what the Yankee bullpen looks like:

- Mariano Rivera- 1.71/1.71/2.96 ERA/FIP/xFIP, 7.29 K/9
- Dave Robertson- 1.42/2.11/3.01, 14.21
- Joba Chamberlain- 3.33/3.60/2.80, 7.40
- Boone Logan- 3.75/4.07/4.51, 5.25
- Luis Ayala- 1.50/3.49/3.54, 6.75
- Hector Noesi- 1.29/3.47/5.11, 5.14
- Lance Pendleton- 0.00/2.90/5.39, 3.68

While the end of games looks to still be in good hands with Mo, D-Rob, and Joba, the middle innings are a bit of question mark right now.  Sure, the Yankees have gotten good results from Noesi and Pendleton, but those results have come from a total of just 14.1 innings pitched over 7 appearances and the higher FIP and xFIP values of those 2 combined with low K/9 results suggest that some lucky BABIP values and good defense behind them has something to do with the results.  Over the long haul, these numbers might start to look uglier as the law of averages sets in.

The lefty spots in the 'pen have also been, and could continue to be, a question mark.  Boone Logan's overall body of work might look adequate, but when you consider that he's the #1 lefty specialist out of the bullpen and has a .323/.382/.484 tripleslash against in 31 at-bats vs.lefties, it's clear that he's been far from a sure thing at his job.  And Ayala's numbers, while strong, have come in just 12 innings, and counting on him to replicate what he's already done over the rest of the season would be a risky venture.

In general, though, this group gives the Yankees plenty of flexibility for the time being.  They have their 7th, 8th, and 9th inning roles clearly defined (just the way Joe likes them), they have 2 lefties who can be used for a batter or 2 or an inning + if needed, and in Noesi and Pendleton they have 2 guys who can fill in for multiple leveraged middle-relief innings, garbage time innings, or be stretched out in extras as Noesi was in his first appearance.  Every conceivable situation is covered, and with the rotation consistently providing at least 5-7 innings and sometimes more, there is little risk of anybody getting overworked.

The decision the Yankees need to make is whether or not they are comfortable with this group moving forward for the foreseeable future.  Outside of their 3 top guys, there really isn't a lot of swing-and-miss stuff out there and if nothing else, there are guys in Triple-A who could potentially provide that.  Kevin Whelan (9.15 K/9), Ryan Pope (9.53), George Kontos (9.25), and Andy Sisco (9.42) could all bring a little more OOMPH to the Yankee 'pen, but some multiple-inning flexibility would have to be sacrificed by sending either Noesi or Pendleton down to accommodate one of these 4.

For the time being, I see the Yankees sticking with what they have and continuing to make moves to replenish a multi-inning arm as needed.  If somebody does start to fall off a cliff, however, I wouldn't be surprised to see one of the lower-leverage guys (probably Pendleton) sent down in exchange for a more powerful arm.  My money would be on either Whelan or Pope.

Another Milestone For Mo

1,000 career games is impressive in any sport.  To play in that many games is a testament to a player's talent, health, and commitment.  To play 1,000 career games for one team is even more impressive because it points to a relationship between a player and team that goes beyond just business.  It shows a mutual respect and understanding that player and organization have for each other, something that is rare in today's sports world of free agency, trades, and everything coming down to dollars and cents.

Last night, Mariano Rivera became the first pitcher in Major League history to appear in 1,000 games for one team.  For a guy who is running out of records to break and needs no more recognition of his undeniable greatness, Mo got another opportunity to be recognized last night.  And at 41, when he should be sitting at home, he didn't achieve this milestone as a fading former star hanging on by a thread who was just thrown out there to get the number.  He achieved it the same way he has achieved almost all of his career appearances, by coming into the game in the 9th inning and pitching a shutout frame to preserve a win for his team.  Congratulations, Mo.  On 1,000 jobs well done.

I've slobbered all over the guy plenty on this blog, and I will continue to do so until he retires because, with all due respect to Bret Hart, Mo is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

Shaking Up The Sh*t List

It's been almost a month since I last updated the Official AB4AR Shit List (in case you don't scroll down the page enough to see it on the sidebar), so it's time to tighten that up, set a ranking system, and issue ranks based on latest goings-on by the list members.

New List:

1) Rafael Soriano- He's a dick, he hasn't pitched well since Opening Day, he's robbing the team blind with that contract, and now he's probably going on the shelf for the rest of the season.

2) Randy Levine- A key cog in bringing Soriano to The Bronx.  Still hasn't learned that he doesn't know a thing about baseball and should leave Cash to his own devices.

3) Joe's Bunting Strategy**- Newest member of the List, Joe's mismanagement of his bullpen is succeeded only by his never-ending desire to continue to play old-school NL baseball with his lineup and sacrifice outs for the chance to score 1 friggin' run.

4) Joe's Match-Up Binder- We haven't seen it much lately, but he's still too married to situations and pre-defined roles instead of watching the game and trusting his guys.

5) Damaso Marte- Is he even still alive?

6) Kei Igawa- Getting paid MILLIONS to pitch in Double-A.  Awesome.

7) Nick Johnson- I think I'm almost over the latest Johnson fiasco.  He always got hurt, I knew he was going to get hurt, and I shouldn't have been so upset that he got hurt.

So there's the latest list.  You'll notice that a certain Mr. A.J. Burnett no longer appears anywhere.  He hasn't done anything eye popping, but in fairness to the guy, he hasn't been horrible, he's giving his team a chance to win on a consistent basis, and a 4.02/4.50/3.95 tripleslash is not worthy of my hatred.  So he's off.  For now...

Soriano To Visit Dr. Andrews, Cash's Feelings About The Signing Vindicated

Just to review, here's how Rafael Soriano's Yankee career has gone to date:

- Signed a 3-year/$35 million deal on January 13, 2011, chock full of opt out clauses.

- Reported to Spring Training in February, acts like a dick, refuses to pitch against AL East teams

- Put up a 5.40/4.96/5.94 ERA/FIP/xFIP tripleslash in 16 outings, with his only 1-2-3 inning being on Opening Day, before being shut down with elbow problems.

- Threw his teammates under the bus when asked about how it felt to not be pitching against division rivals on May 16.

- Was put on the DL, retroactive to May 14, on May 18 because of the continued elbow problems.

- Went for an MRI yesterday, got bad results, and is now scheduled to go visit Dr. James Andrews for the elbow, signifying the likelihood of a significant injury and a significant chunk of time to be missed, at the very least.

Not exactly the type of resume that would inspire YES to start putting together Raffy's "Yankeeography."  You can trace the history back to January and find that I have, admittedly gone back and forth on how I felt about the Soriano signing.  Those feelings have obviously transitioned exclusively to the negative side since the guy actually started pitching in pinstripes, and I'm not going to waste any more time talking about how awful he's been or stating the obvious point that the deal looks terrible now that he's gotten hurt and could be out for the year.  I will just refer back to Cash's comments during Soriano's introductory press conference:

"I didn't recommend it [the deal], just because I didn't think it was an efficient way to allocate the remaining resources we have... 

... It's all the other stuff wrapped around the deal, the money, allocating closer type money to an eighth-inning guy, those type of things." 

And this is why Brian Cashman should be making the baseball decisions and Hank and Randy Levine should just stay up in their offices and make stupid statements to the press.  Cash knew what the risks and downsides of this signing were, Hank and Randy ignored them.  Cash knows what he's doing, these other 2 don't.  Now the Yanks might be on the hook for a big chunk of money next year if Soriano is done for the year.

In Cash we trust.

A Little Pie For Breakfast

(Teck-SHARE-uh gets him some.  Courtesy of Getty Images.)

Why the hell not?!  Like Bruce Willis' chick from "Pulp Fiction" says, "any time of day is a good time for pie."  That theory holds doubly true on a night when the offense finally picked up CC for a change.

P.S.- Can we officially declare C-Grand the starting CF in the All-Star Game yet?