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Current Yankees' Perfomances in All-Star Games

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 3:00 pm 3 Responses »
Jul 132010

In advance of tonight’s All-Star Game, I thought I’d take a look at how the Yankee representatives–Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Andy Pettitte, Nick Swisher, CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez, and Phil Hughes–have done in their All-Star Game performances.

Of course, this is the first game for Hughes and Swisher, so they don’t have any numbers to contribute. I wish them well and for many more All-Star appearances in the future.

Alex Rodriguez: In 27 ASPAs across 12 games, Rodriguez has hit an “meh” .269/.296/.462 with one home run (back in 1998) and just two RBI (one on that homer and one in 2004). He’s also got a 1/10 BB/K.

Derek Jeter: Jeter was the ASG MVP in 2000 and has generally had a strong All-Star “career.” In 22 plate appearances in 10 games, Jeter has raked to the tune of .429/.455/.619/1.074.

Robinson Cano: Didn’t play in the 2006 All-Star Game–he missed all of July with an injury–so when he starts for the A.L. tonight (batting eighth–the 7-8-9 for the AL is Mauer/Cano/Crawford…wow).

Andy Pettitte: This is Andy’s third All-Star team–1996 and 2001–and he only pitched in the 2001 game. He faced four batters, giving up one hit and striking out one.

CC Sabathia: CC made the team in ’03, ’04, and ’07. 2004 was a disaster: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER. Yikes. 2007 was better as CC pitched one inning, giving up just one hit.

Mariano Rivera: Honestly, what are you expecting here? In ten games (eight pitched), he hasn’t surrendered a run and he’s given up just five hits, hasn’t walked a batter, and has struck out five. This just in: Mo’s really good at pitching.

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Final Prediction Check In

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 11:00 am No Responses »
Jul 132010

Let’s wrap this series of awful predictions I made with the NL Players to Watch:

NL East:
Jayson Werth: Again, Werth is having a fine season. His wOBA is at .377, just five points of the .382 mark he put in ’08 and ’09. He was kind of semi-close to being a Yankee during the whole Cliff Lee saga, and I’ve mentioned him as a possible free agent addition before.

Ricky Nolasco: Some of his peripherals are worse than last year, but he’s lowered his ERA quite a bit. He’s still having a solid season for the Fish with a 3.84 xFIP.

Melky Cabrera: I thought Melky could really blossom in the National League, but it’s not to be. He’s actually regressed with a .297 wOBA and an 82 wRC+. His walk rate is slightly down, his strikeout rate is slightly up, and his IsoP (.082) is way down from last year (.142). Wither Melky, eh Ben?

David Wright: Remember a few months ago when everyone was bitching and moaning about Wright’s strikeouts. Guess they’ve got egg on their faces now, huh? Right now, he’s got a .396 wOBA and has been worth 4.1 WAR. Let haters hate, Dave.

Ryan Zimmerman: Zimmerman is having a career year. He’s on pace for career highs in AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS/wOBA/wRC+. Note to everyone: this dude’s really good at baseball.

NL Central:
Colby Rasmus: Rasmus is building off of an okay rookie showing with a .390 wOBA and an impressive .261 IsoP. The youngster from the Cardinals should be turning some heads. In a few years, he could be one of the best CFs in the game.

Xavier Nady: Coming off of his second Tommy John Surgery, Nady’s played in 62 games this year and has not impressed. His wOBA sits at only .288 and a 5.8% walk rate is unacceptable, especially with a strikeout rate of 26.8%.

Alcides Escobar: Escobar’s been average in the field (0.3 UZR/150) and bad at the plate (.280 wOBA) and despite his speed, he’s got only seven steals.

Joey Votto: MVP of the NL with a 4.2 WAR, he’s got a .433 wOBA and has played a great first base thus far. Don’t I look smart?

Lance Berkman: Meh. Not having a Berkman-like-year, but anything looks great in that lineup hi Houston.

Andrew McCutchen: McCutchen (.357 wOBA) isn’t quite matching what he did last year (.360), but he’s still having a fine year in one of baseball’s purgatory.

NL West:
Clayton Kershaw: Strikeouts are up. Walks are down. xFIP is down. Way to make me look smart, Clayton.

Troy Tulowitzki: Injured, but good numbers anyway. He hasn’t played since mid-June, but up to that point, he was wOBAing .385 and flashing the trademark leather. Get better soon, Troy. You’re real fun to watch.

IPK! IPK!: Scuffling of late, Kennedy’s still got good numbers. He’s got a 4.12 ERA and 4.31 xFIP. If he brings down the homers (1.54/9), he could look even better with a K/9 of over eight.

Mat Latos: Though he spells “Matt” wrong, he’s still having a great year for the surprising Padres: 8.35 K/9, 2.36 BB/9, 0.76 HR/9, 2.45 ERA/3.20 FIP/3.52 xFIP/2.1 WAR. Another one making me look smart.

Jonathan Sanchez: Sanchez is again pitching well while going under the radar. The 4.30 xFIP isn’t fantastic, but he’s still got a good 3.47 ERA and is striking out 9.03 per nine.

Steinbrenner Hospitalized

Posted by Stephen R. at 9:26 am 3 Responses »
Jul 132010

According to multiple sources, George Steinbrenner has been transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa.  The report is that he has suffered a massive heart attack and is believed to be in serious condition.  More info as it comes in…

UPDATE, 9:30 AM

Bay News 9 had reported that Steinbrenner had passed away, but deleted that tweet and is just reporting that he’s hospitalized now.

UPDATE, 9:50 AM

According to a NY Daily News report, George Steinbrenner passed away around 6:30 AM this morning in Tampa, Florida.

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TYU on WFAN

Posted by Steve S. at 6:56 am 24 Responses »
Jul 132010

Mo broke the news on his TYU Twitter last night. I’ve been invited by Evan Roberts to appear on WFAN’s Joe and Evan show to discuss and debate advanced stats and sabermetrics with host Joe Benigno, who is a staunch disbeliever. They’re filling in this week for Mike Francesa, so I’ll be on the air from 5:00 to around 5:40 this Wednesday. Topics will be the basic stuff like WHIP, WAR, BABIP, FIP and rate stats in general. For those unfamiliar with the show, Joe Benigno is very, very old school. He isn’t completely sold on ERA, much less these stats. He also thinks anyone who understands these basic SABR concepts must be a geek. I’m going to try to explain to him that many of these stats are simply ways of sorting out what’s luck and what’s skill, and ways of separating the average performers from the exceptional. SABR stats aren’t at odds with old school axioms and principles of Baseball, most of the time they provide evidence for their validity. Advanced stats can also help solve some of Baseball’s age-old arguments, and sorting through the opinions and seeing who’s actually right in some provable way.

That’s where you come in. I’m like Joe Girardi in that I’m big on preparation, and hate being caught off guard. I’d like to solicit our readers to help me bolster my arguments. Tell what are some of the most common rebuttals you’ve come up against when explaining these stats to people who are completely unfamiliar with them, and how you counter their arguments. It’s radio, so short and succinct answers work best. Any argument you’ve encountered, no matter how irrational, would give me a chance to prepare and have an answer in my back pocket. I doubt they’ll want me to credit you on air, but I will make sure to thank you in the follow up thread where I link the audio.

I’m hoping most of our readers will tune in, but don’t expect an NPR-style breakdown on sabermetrics. WFAN is first and foremost and entertainment station. One that’s in the business of attracting as large an audience as possible, and they do it better than anyone. It’s going to be a light hearted and fun conversation, all I’m hoping to get out of this is to have a good time, and maybe get a few points in that change a few minds out there. This is afternoon drive, in New York City on it’s most popular sports station. One that’s not known being heavy on advanced stats and why they matter. If you’re a SABR devotee, this could be an opportunity to open some eyes and move the ball a bit further among mainstream and older fans. Help me make the case in a way that the average listener will easily understand. Thanks in advance for your replies and thanks as always for reading TYU.

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