IMPORTANT BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT

PLEASE CHANGE YOUR BOOKMARKS AND FEEDS TO THE NEW URL, YANKEEANALYSTS.COM. TYU IS IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH THE NEW YORK YANKEES OR YANKEES UNIVERSE.

Thames must earn it all season

Posted by Chris H. at 5:29 pm 1 Response »
Mar 302010

This spring, over 42 at-bats, Marcus Thames, the right-handed, power-hitting outfielder the Yankees signed to a minor-league deal for a base salary of $900k, is hitting a mere .143/.200/.286, while leading the club with 17 strikeouts. Now, spring statistics are generally hollow numbers, however, in some instances, particularly when a player is signed to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training, the numbers can be poor enough to cause concern. Thames might actually be one of those cases. And, though a roster spot has always seemed within his reach despite the numbers – the Yankees seem to believe that they need a right-handed bench option, which Thames is – yesterday, GM Brian Cashman indicated that the Yankees could pursue another player if one becomes available.

“Right now, he’s the last man standing,” stated Cashman in relation to Thames after the 33-year old went 1-for-4 with a home run against the Orioles in a 11-7 Yankee victory. “But I still need him to compete for the job because I don’t know who might become available. I know this is where he wants to be.” Note Cashman’s comment about the potential availability of other players. Given that the season is starting shortly, this is mainly just motivational language, put forth to push Thames as he will likely face the left-handed Marc Rzepczynski of Toronto tonight. Yet, Cashman’s comment is interesting in that it confirms the Yankee roster is always open to interpretation. If another player “becomes available” that can possibly do a better job than Thames, the Yankees might be willing to give that person a look. Thames may not be doing much this spring and will probably make the team regardless of that fact, but, once spring training is in the rearview and the regular season is underway, he will have to fight to keep his spot as Cashman is certainly willing to adjust accordingly. The Yankees want a right-handed bench bat and if Thames won’t do the job, someone else will.

Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Tagged with: ,

A Quick Look at the Revised SP Depth

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 3:00 pm No Responses »
Mar 302010

Last week was rather eventful for the Yankees’ pitching staff. It gained Phil Hughes as its fifth starting pitcher and lost Chad Gaudin as a long man/reliever/whatever he was going to be. Both of these moves obviously affected the Yankees’ depth at starting pitcher, so let’s look at how it’s going to shake out.

Alfredo Aceves

No matter who won the fifth starter’s competition, Joba or Phil, the pitching depth was likely to be hurt. While Brian Cashman hasn’t ruled out sending Chamberlain to AAA, I still think it’s unlikely (I hope this is what happens, but I’m not holding my breath). Because the loser, now Joba, will likely be relegated to the bullpen, the Yankees lose a starting pitcher and their depth takes a bit of a hit.

This leaves Alfredo Aceves and Sergio Mitre as the 6th and 7th starters as swingmen out of the bullpen. While this isn’t necessarily bad–either one would likely be in the starting rotation of many, many teams–I’d prefer it if these guys were the 7th/8th starters behind Joba.

After Aceves and Mitre, it gets kind of dicey. The next candidates are guys like Jason Hirsh, Ivan Nova, and Zach McAllister. Hirsh isn’t young, he just turned 27, but he’s not over the hill yet and he’s pitched very well since joining the Yankee organization. Nova had a solid season last year, but still has a way to go; the same goes for Z-Mac, whom I like a lot. It’s doubtful that these guys see any meaningful Major League time, but they’re there just in case. The fact of the matter is, after the 7th starter, most teams don’t have anything too great. If the Yankees have to count on these guys for meaningful innings, something as gone terribly wrong (see: Ponson, Sidney and Rasner, Darrell in 2008).

With Joba likely heading to the bullpen, the Yankees’ SP depth has gotten a little more shallow. It’s not bad by any means and with a starting five as strong as the Yankees’, it’s quite possible that no one past the sixth starter really matters this year. For the second straight year, I’m very confident in the Yankees’ pitching staff going into the season, no matter who’s taking the mound.

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Players to Watch, AL Central

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 1:00 pm 3 Responses »
Mar 302010

With the start of the regular season less than one week away, I’m starting to wrap up my series on players to watch outside of Yankee-land. Today, we’ll swing into the NL Central:

At Target Field, it’s time to put up or shut up for Delmon Young. After lot’s of minor league hype and a respectable showing in 131 ABs in ’06 (.343 wOBA, 4.4 UZR), Young’s fallen off a bit. His wOBAs from ’07-’09 were .315, .324, and .312. This is not what Minnesota expected when they traded Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett to the (Devil) Rays for Young. His batting averages have been good–.288, .290, .284–but his awful walk rates–3.8, 5.6, 2.9–and anemic bat–IsoPs of .119, .114, and .142–has held him back. If Young doesn’t get some patience and power (and improve on the field…back to back UZR marks of -16.8), he’ll be considered a big time bust.

For the Tigers, we’ll all have to keep an eye on a familiar face: Austin Jackson. We all know Jackson from his time in the Yankee farm system and we’ll definitely miss him. Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland has said Ajax will play CF and leadoff for Detroit from day one. This is a big assignment for a young guy who could probably stand to get some more seasoning in AAA. While part of me likes the aggressive move, this could be setting Jackson up to fail. I wish him luck, though.

Jake Peavy, presumably healthy, will pitch his first full season in the AL in ’10. After being one of baseball’s best for the last few years, we’ll have to see how he adapts to the big boy league (and a relatively small park in Chicago). Peavy’s a great pitcher and shouldn’t have much trouble adjusting to life in the American League. No matter what, the White Sox do have a pretty strong rotation and could make a run at the division title.

That Grady Sizemore’s 111 OPS+ was a disappointment last year shows us just how good he’s really been. The Indians won’t have a lot to celebrate in 2010, but Sizemore should be just fine. I think he’ll rebound just fine from an injury filled ’09 (not to mention some bad BABIP luck) and return to his ’05-’08 (128 OPS+) form.

Oh Kansas City. What can we say about you, Royals? I’d say “Well, at least you’re not the Astros” but you’re worse off than they are. There are three guys worth watching here, though: Zach Greinke (obvious), David DeJesus (slightly less obvious), and Alex Gordon. I’m not going to waste words on why we should pay attention to ZG, but DeJesus is a fairly solid player and more attention should be paid to him. As for Gordon, he’s in a similar boat to Delmon Young. However, Gordon’s had much more Major League success and has clearly been the better player. It’s unlikely that Gordon ever becomes the star we thought he’d be, but he can still be an above-average player. Let’s hope he takes a step in that direction this season.

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

Two-inning appearances for Joba?

Posted by Chris H. at 11:23 am 2 Responses »
Mar 302010


Could Joba Chamberlain pitch multiple innings – two at the most, the seventh and the eighth – out of the bullpen this season? According to Joe Girardi, it remains a possibility. “I think it’s something that you can look at,” noted Girardi on Saturday, after Joba’s first “official” appearance as a reliever, in which he tossed a single scoreless inning against Detroit. “A lot of that would depend on the group as a whole, and how they’re doing,” Girardi added. “Mo did it very well in ’96–probably as good as it’s ever been done. Because [Joba] is stretched out, he has the ability to do that.”

If the Yankees actually view Joba as a future starter, allowing the young righty to throw two innings in certain outings – not all, but some – would provide valuable opportunities to work on his secondary pitches. However, as Girardi outlined, that decision will depend on how the bullpen, which Joba is again a part of, is performing collectively.

Photo by Reuters Images

Tagged with: , , , , ,

Aceves' back may open door for Logan

Posted by Steve S. at 6:45 am 9 Responses »
Mar 302010

In his latest post, Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave discusses something that been quietly bubbling under the surface this spring. Alfredo Aceves has been having back trouble for his past few starts, and he may begin the season on the DL. That would open the door for a 2nd Lefty, either Boone Logan or Royce Ring. He writes:

All spring long Joe Girardi has expressed a desire to carry two lefties in the bullpen. Given the team’s construction, however, that didn’t seem realistic. Seven pitchers lay claim to the seven bullpen spots, only three of whom have options. With David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, and Aceves ready for significant roles, there is no way the Yankees would option any of them. It seemed for a while that Girardi would have to settle for a bunch of righties who fare well against both same and opposite handed batters. The Aceves injury, however, now appears to open a spot for either Boone Logan or Royce Ring, both of whom have fared well this spring.

Logan would be the most likely choice since he’s already on the 40-man roster. While a 2nd Lefty is always nice, it’s not something essential. You’re generally better off going with your 12 best pitchers than taking a lesser one based on handedness. Many of the Yankee relievers get batters out on both sides of the plate, and Mariano Rivera has always been better facing Lefty batters throughout his career. Dave Robertson actually has a reverse platoon split going all the way back to his days in the minor leagues. Robertson is for all intents and purposes your 2nd lefty specialist. The biggest concern is the ability of  to Damaso Marte to stay healthy, which is something we’ve yet to see in his time with the Yanks. But you’ll simply cross that bridge when you come to it. Personally, I’d rather get another look at Mark Melancon, whose upside is far greater than that of Boone Logan or Royce Ring.

Who would you take?

Tagged with: , ,
© 2011 TYU Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha