There are a few things bouncing about in Yankee land, and here’s what I think of them…

First off, after last night’s performance, how much longer does Chad Gaudin have in pinstripes? I feel like we’ve asked this question at least five times, yet Gaudin’s still survived. I’d have no problem with getting rid of Gaudin and recalling Jonathan Albaladejo. This could also free up a 40-man spot if the Yankees want to add anyone before September 1st. It also could clear roster space if the Yankees make a late waiver trade…

…because they’re apparently interested in Hiroki Kuroda. This wouldn’t be a bad move, even though his salary for the rest of the year, about $2.7M, as it could help solidify the rotation and could, as reader Jamal said last night, he could become the Yankees best right handed starter because…

…Javier Vazquez will have his next start skipped in favor of Ivan Nova. This may be a little too soon on Nova, but with the way Javy has pitched of late, it’s hard to argue with. Acquiring another SP through a waiver trade, however unlikely, would be an improvement. While Nova did pitch well and could do the same going forward, a rotation that includes both he and Dustin Moseley is a little shaky. Hurry back, Andy!

The bullpen may also be getting another boot after Alfredo Aceves did some rehab work in Trenton last night. Mike Ashmore told me last night that Ace’s curveball was looking very good and his command was solid while he sat at 88-90 MPH. If Ace can come back in September, that’ll help the Yankees tremendously. It gives them another reliever who can go multiple innings, and that could help rest the starters down the stretch.

If Aceves does return and is effective, it could lead to a roster crunch/competition come playoff time. A Damaso Marte return also complicates this, considering how well Boone Logan has pitched lately. My guess is that the guy who is pitching worst of Mitre/Moseley/Gaudin will be gone–hell, maybe both of them will be–while Aceves and Marte stay on for the playoffs.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News ran a piece today in which he graded the Yankees. I’m going to tell you which ones I agree and disagree with.

Let’s just get the ones I agree with out of the way. I agree with Mo’s, Andy’s, Gardner’s, CC’s, Marte’s, Rodriguez’s, Thames’s, Vazquez’s, Burnett’s, Tex’s, Robertson’s, and Joba’s. I agree with the first four because they’re having great seasons. With Gardner, he’s exceeding expectations. Marte’s doing his job, as is Thames; A-Rod is doing okay considering his possibly health scenario, but he could be better, the same goes for Tex even with a recent hot streak. Burnett and Javy have been up and down, as have Robertson and Joba. Lastly, I agree with Derek Jeter. I was going to knock him down a bit ’cause of his lack of hitting–it’d be nice to see more patience and power–but his fielding has stayed hot. Anyway, onto the fun part: the disagreements.

I disagree with Phil Hughes’ ranking of an A-. He started off hot, but has cooled off a bit. Plus, his general lack of mixing pitches knocks him down to a B in my eyes. He’s doing well, but we need to recognize his flaws, too.

Cano and Swisher should both get A’s. Cano hit out of his mind for most of the first half and Nick Swisher’s commitment to improving himself as a batter should get him kudos. There’s chance for both of them to drop back down a bit in the second half, but they’re both talented enough to compensate.

I’m bumping Jorge up to a B. He’s hit quite well, but he has had injuries. Maybe I should keep him at a B-. But, it’s worth noting that among catchers with at least 100 PA in the AL, Posada’s .369 wOBA ranks second in the league to uber-rookie Carlos Santana’s .428 mark.

I include Nick Johnson, Sergio Mitre, and Alfredo Aceves in the “incomplete” category. Moving on…

I think Francisco Cervelli should be busted down to a C+. I’ll give him credit for his hot streak and for playing more than he’d been expected to, but he hasn’t hit for almost two months and his defense hasn’t been as great as it was last year.

Ramiro Pena is a C at best. His fielding has been okay, but his hitting is just non existent.

Curtis Granderson’s C- is harsh, so I’ll give him a C. The results haven’t been what I’d wanted, but I think that injury really tripped him up. I’ll be an easy grader for this one.

Chad Gaudin needs a D. He’s done barely anything useful this season.

And, wrapping it up, Chan Ho Park should be the lone “F” on the team. He’s really been a sunken cost this year.

With the recent setback to Alfredo Aceves in his rehab from a back issue, we’ve learned that hard throwing Romulo Sanchez has been shifted to the bullpen, foreshadowing a recall to the Major Leagues.

I like this plan a lot. Romulo doesn’t have much of a ceiling as a starter and even if he did, there likely isn’t going to be room for him in the next year or so. Also, Sanchez just turned 26 in April, so while he’s got time, he’s not as young as other pitchers in the system and it may be time to convert him to a full time reliever so the Yankees can get some value out of him.

I think Romulo can make a successful transition to the bullpen for a few reasons. First is his arm. Everything we hear about Romulo is that he throws incredibly hard and that was proved during his appearance with the Yankees earlier in the season. His fastball averaged 95.6 MPH in his 3.2 inning stint in Boston. This obviously means he’s got strikeout stuff. Relief pitchers are most effective when they can keep runners off base and keep inherited runners from scoring. The best way to do this? Strikeouts. With a fastball that fast, and a changeup to compliment it (his CH in Boston went 84.4 MPH, a great differential), Sanchez could rack up the Ks in the Yankee pen.

The other reason he can fit well into the bullpen is that he is able to fill a dual role. Because of his impressive stuff, Sanchez can likely be just fine as a one inning-come in and blow ‘em away reliever. But, because of his past in the minors as a starter (43 MiL starts), he can also go multiple innings which is obviously very valuable. Without Aceves and Mitre, who was actually effective, the Yankees have had spotty multi-inning relief this season. If Sanchez is effective, he could plug a big hole and start the second-half bullpen resurgence that we’ve all come to expect from the Yankees in recent years.

Of course, Sanchez doesn’t come without one big question mark: control. His career BB/9 in the minors is 4.0, but in the last two seasons he’s walked 4.6 per nine and 5.2 per nine. This looks to be his weak point. If he can harness his control, the Yankees could have a very effective reliever. If not, well, he can be sent back down and perhaps Jonathan Albaladejo can get another shot.

(Yes I know my title is incredibly cliched)

So we’ve gotten word that Alfredo Aceves suffered a set back while throwing on flat ground and will see a doctor soon. If the prognosis isn’t good and Aceves must be sent do the 60-day DL, there may be a bit of a strain put on the Yankee bullpen.

As it is now, the Yankees have three guys that can give multiple innings with ease: Chan Ho Park (CHoP), Sergio Mitre, and the recently re-signed Chad Gaudin. If Aceves has to be out for a long time, there needs to be improvement from Park, steadiness from Mitre, and progression from Gaudin.

Starting with Park, he’s been downright unimpressive in his brief time with the Yankees. He’s sporting an ERA over 7, an FIP pushing 9, and an xFIP just over 5. The results, aside from one game, have been ugly. Park isn’t making a ton of money this season and his salary will be easy to eat if the Yankees become dissatisfied with him. Ivan Nova had a decent cup of coffee earlier this season and is pitching well in AAA so if CHoP continues to struggle, look for Nova to be moved up and Park to be let go.

Sergio Mitre has impressed me this year, but I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop. His 2.86 ERA is obviously nice and shiny, but the 4.88 FIP and 4.54 xFIP are scaring me a bit. I don’t think he’ll keep up a H/9 of 6.14 and his .193 (!!) BABIP is just ridiculous. His career BABIP is .325 so if the correction comes, it’s going to come hard. The Serg is also stranding 79.8% of the runners that have reached compared to a career average around 66% and a league average around 70%. I’m not going to root for Mitre to regress, but I won’t be surprised if that does happen.

As I mentioned in my post from earlier today, I’m looking forward to Chad Gaudin coming back. I doubt he’s going to pitch as poorly as his ERA suggests and, like Park, he’s cheap and easy to let go if he falls on his face again. It’s unlikely he does so, though, considering his 3.92 xFIP, 10.38 K/9, and 4.00 K/BB. Of these three non-Ace-long/swingman options, I’ve got the most faith in Gaudin because he’s the youngest and his peripherals–minus the 2.60 HR/9–suggest a positive correction rather than a negative correction (Mitre) or stagnation (CHoP).

The best option, Aceves himself, is one that the Yankees may be without for some time. Hopefully, Ace gets a clean bill of health and can return to vulturing wins in short time.

Yesterday, Chad Jennings had some injury updates. Let’s take a look and see what we’ve got.

1. Jorge Posada hopes to be back in the lineup. That’s great news, as Posada’s bat makes the lineup that much more dangerous again. His 2010 line sits at .326/.406/.618/1.024, .441 wOBA, 180 wRC+. Posada coming back could mean either a night off for Frankie Cervelli or he could DH.

2. Alfredo Aceves will play catch tomorrow. That’s good news. His return to the bullpen will help a lot as the Yankees will have someone who can actually give length.

3. Curtis Granderson is taking swings and running pain free, which is fantastic. Like Posada’s, Granderson’s eventual return to the lineup recircularizes it. It will push Randy Winn back to the bench, though he’s hit well in May.

4. Nick Swisher hopes to be in the lineup tonight. It’s always nice to see Swish.

5. With Nick Johnson out, it appears that Juan Miranda will get regular starts at DH. I’ve got no problem with this, though I’d prefer another option.

Last night’s loss to the Orioles was definitely frustrating for a number of reasons. Let’s start from the end and work our way back a bit.

–The top of the ninth was incredibly bitter sweet, as are all comebacks that fall just short. Seriously, where the hell was Julio Lugo playing on that ball Alex Rodriguez hit to end the game? If he’s playing a normal second base, the game is tied. Alex definitely needs to go sacrifice a whole chicken or give the BABIP god some rum after tonight; he hit the ball hard three times and had nothing to show for it.

–Alfredo Aceves was the sharpest of the Yankee pitchers tonight, but that’s not really saying much is it?

–Mark Teixeira also had a few hard hit balls tonight, one of which went for an RBI single in the ninth, so that’s nice to see.

–Seriously, who wasn’t expecting the walk from Nick Johnson in the ninth? That was Nick’s 19th walk of the season, moving his OBP up to .3836.

–Wally Bell’s strikezone tonight was absolutely ridiculous. There was no consistency from half inning to half inning and not once did he correct the strike zone. O’s starter Kevin Millwood was getting calls Phil Hughes wasn’t getting and vice versa. Bell’s definitely going to need to look at this game and make some improvements.

–Jorge Posada base running blunder was frustrating and inexcusable. Something tells me it’ll be a while before he takes a big turn around second again.

–Robinson Cano needs to stop trying to steal. He’s not fast and he’s not a great base runner. Just stay at firs, Robbie. Please.

– David Robertson hitting Ty Wiggington with a pitch in an 0-2 count could’ve been the most frustrating thing from last night. Is there anything in baseball more disheartening than this? That opened the door for Baltimore to add three runs in the 6th to take the lead for good. D-Rob looked really rusty tonight, as everything was either going back over the middle (fastballs) or just not breaking enough (curveballs). But, I guess it’s hard to be sharp when you’ve only thrown six pitches in the last twelve days. This brings me to another point: I’m not mad at Joe Girardi taking Hughes out when he did (more on Phil in a bit). It’s not Girardi’s fault that Boone Logan failed to retire a lefty and that Robertson just didn’t have it tonight. At the time, the moves were good. The results? Not so much. But, that’s baseball, right?

–Phil Hughes was not good last night. I know he only gave up one run on two hits, but I did not think for one second that this start was a good one for Hughes. He walked four while striking out only two and was, frankly, lucky that he was facing the Orioles. Many of his pitches were hit hard and he only induced five grounders. While Bell’s strikezone was pitiful, Hughes’ command was pretty crappy, too. He had absolutely no idea where the ball was going last night and, most troublesomely, he did an absolutely terrible job of mixing his pitches. For the second straight start, he didn’t use his changeup once. That’s just ridiculous, considering that was the pitch that supposedly won him the fifth starter’s spot over Joba Chamberlain. If he’s going to develop this pitch, he needs to throw it. The Orioles are a generally weak hitting team, so it’d be a lot easier to practice a pitch against them than it would be against the Red Sox or Rays. Also, by my count, only 13 of his 106 pitches were curveballs, rather than four seam fastballs or cutters. This is the biggest reason why Hughes was lucky he was facing Baltimore. Many other teams would have blasted the non-mixing Hughes of Tuesday night, but he was somehow able to skate by. If he doesn’t do a better job of mixing his pitches in the future, the results will be much worse than they were last night.

Truth be told though, as frustrating as the loss was, it’s a game that’s likely to repeat itself at least a few times over the course of the season. Sometimes, the team just won’t have it and they’ll come up short. On a positive note, the top of the ninth inning should remind us that the Yankees are never out of a game. CC goes tonight, looking to stop the mini-slide and that’s a comforting feeling.

Watching Alfredo Aceves throw in the bullpen would lead one to wonder how he has had moderate success as a major leaguer. He primarily throws 4 pitches, with none being particularly impressive or noteworthy. Yet, he consistently gets positive results out of the bullpen, and was an integral part of both last night’s victory and the 2009 World Championship club. So how is he doing it?

The answer is simple: Aceves effectively mixes his four pitches, and locates all of them consistently. He walked just 1.71 batters per 9 innings last season, which allowed him to post a sterling 4.31 K/BB. Let’s take a look at his outing last night to see how he attacked hitters in his 2 inning stint.

The table, coming courtesy of Brooks Baseball, shows that Aceves threw his fastball about 48 percent of the time, while using his 3 breaking pitches, cutter, curveball, and changeup 3, 4, and 5 times respectively. Other than the curveball, he was locating all of his pitches well, throwing at least 70% for strikes. As you can see, the velocity on the various pitches varied enough to keep hitters off balance. These attributes are not specific to this game, as he maintained similar ratios and velocities over the 2009 season. A look at the individual at bats shows how he used his ability to locate four pitches and change speeds to attack hitters.

Batter #1: Adrian Beltre
Beltre is a notorious first pitch fastball hitter. Aceves threw him a cutter down and away, baiting Beltre into swinging at what he thought was a fastball and Beltre lined out to Jeter.

Batter #2: JD Drew
Aceves started Drew out with a fastball on the low and outside corner, a perfect pitch. He then lowered Drew’s eye angle with a curveball down for a ball, and then came up and away with back to back changeups, with the second one inducing a groundout. This screengrab from Gameday illustrates how well Aceves locates to the edges of the zone:

Batter#3: Mike Cameron
Aceves threw Camron a cutter on the outer half that he fouled off, and then busted him inside with a FB. Cameron grounded to short, but Jeter threw it away.

Batter #4: Marco Scutaro
The scouting report on Scutaro must be to throw him fastballs, because Aceves threw him 4, to four different portions of the plate. Scutaro grounded out on a 2-1 count.

Batter #5: Jacoby Ellsbury
Aceves started Ellsbury with two curveballs down, one inside and one outside, bringing the count to 1-1. He then added some velocity with a changeup up, nipped the outside corner with a fastball that brought the velocity even higher while dropping the location a bit, and then induced a groundout by returning to the changeup at the bottom of the zone. This is another prime example of how Aceves gets outs.

Batter #6: Dustin Pedroia
Pedroia took a fastball down the middle for a called strike. Aceves then threw the same pitch but dropped it a few inches, and Dustin lifted a harmless flyout to center.

Batter #7: Victor Martinez
A curveball down and a fastball away put Aceves in a 2-0 hole, but he got a cutter over that got Martinez to foul it off. At 2-1, Aceves perfectly placed a fastball on the outside corner that evened the count. He then followed that with a changeup even further outside that Martinez chased and lofted to left for an easy out.

Aceves needed just 23 pitches to get through two innings despite Jeter’s error, and threw 16 strikes. He located well, as few of his pitches caught the middle of the plate, and he effectively mixed his pitches to keep hitters off balance. This formula served him well in his strong 2009, and continued to do so in his first outing of 2010.

Opening Night is finally here. Since the end of Game Six, we’ve waited for this moment. Our desire to see real baseball has only grown during the offseason in light of new arrivals. Now, every player will once again look to prove just how good he is and try to carry his team to a championship. Whether or not it’s true, every team gets to think “This is our year!” at some point in the next day or two. While we may know better, it’s nice to be un-jaded for a second and truly believe that each team has a shot to contend this year.

All throughout the year, we’ll be watching our favorite team and our favorite players and looking for them to dazzle us with their talents and efforts. Each player brings something different to the field and contributes in some different way.

Using the 25 man roster, I’m going to write–as I did for the other 29 teams–what to watch from from certain players.

Jorge Posada: Can he keep it up? He’s been one of the best hitting catchers in the league, but he is getting old. In the second to last year of his contract, can Jorge maintain productivity and stay healthy for the entire season?

Francisco Cervelli: Let’s see if he can maintain the backup catcher’s role for a whole season. I see no reason why he won’t be able to. All he has to do is hit and field like he did in ‘09 and the job is his.

Mark Teixeira: Another April, another slow start? Tex got off to a slow start in 2009, and has traditionally been a slow starter. Will this continue in 2010? I’m sure it will, just because that’s how Tex seems to be, but maybe the fact that A-Rod is behind him for April 2010 helps him start a little faster.

Robinson Cano: Batting fifth. The Yankees are showing a good deal of faith by putting Cano behind Alex Rodriguez to start the year, and I think it’s going to work out quite well. Cano’s a fantastic hitter and with guys like Nick Johnson, Tex, and Rodriguez on base in front of him, Cano could drive in 100 runs. If the move doesn’t work, someone else–Posada, Swisher, Granderson–would be able to easily slide in to the fifth spot and the team likely wouldn’t miss a beat.

Alex Rodriguez: In a word: milestones. Rodriguez is coming up on 600 homers, 1,800 RBI, 100 WAR, and hopefully, a 14th season of at least 30 homers and 100 RBI. Since he’ll be playing a whole season, I fully expect him to hit all of these marks in 2010.

Derek Jeter: We know the Captain can hit, he rebounded nicely in 2009 after a “meh” 2008, but now it appears he can field. His defense has been getting better each year so we’ll have to see if that trend continues. Just using the “eye test” in 2009, it seemed that Jeets’ movement to his left was much improved but going to his right was still a bit of an issue. Jeter is never satisfied with being “good enough”, though, and I’m sure he expects even more improvement out of himself.

Nick Johnson: Johnson’s return to the Yankees–and the two hole in the lineup–is something I’m quite excited for. His on base ability in front of Tex and A-Rod should lead to tons of RBI for the both of them. Of course, we’ll have to see if Nick can stay healthy. Like Hideki Matsui in 2009, maybe staying off the field is the best thing for him. No matter what, though, I’m glad to have Nick’s patience in the 2010 lineup. His power should return, too, considering his ultra-low HR/FB rate last season and his return to a lefty-friendly ballpark.

Brett Gardner: Gardner can definitely field but I’m not sure if his bat will be able to stick in the lineup for an entire year. As in 2009, Gardner’s getting a starting job out of the gate. Last year, he gave it up to Melky Cabrera rather quickly. Let’s see if he can hold down the fort in 2010. If he can, his plus defense in left could make him 2010’s Nyjer Morgan.

Curtis Granderson: There are two things to look out for with Curtis: how he handles lefties and how he’ll hit in his new home. With the former, even if Granderson improves just a little bit against the southpaws, his value will rise. He’s looked okay in Spring Training when there’s been a lefty on the hill, but let’s see him do it against the real thing first. As for the latter, Granderson should definitely see an improvement once starting to play in YSIII. He could definitely add a few homers that were lost in spacious Comerica Park this season.

Nick Swisher: Like C-Grand (100 Grand, perhaps?), we’ll have to pay attention to how Nick does at home in 2010. The raw numbers there weren’t great–.226/.384/.394/.776–but the peripherals were all there: .158 IsoD, .168 IsoP. Hopefully, the raw numbers catch up to the peripherals for Nick in 2010. If they do, he could hit 30+ homers.

Randy Winn: As the fourth outfield, all I’m looking for Winn to do is adequately replace Melky Cabrera. I’m pretty certain he can do that. What Winn must do is be league average with the bat and play steady defense on the corners while not embarrassing himself in center field. Winn isn’t likely to get much playing time, but a solid fourth outfielder is never a bad thing to have.

Marcus Thames: He made the team on a minor league deal, now let’s see how long he can stay on it. Being 100% honest, I don’t expect Thames to stick with the Yankees for all of 2010. But, if he does his job–hit lefties off of the bench–he could surprise us all. I won’t hold my breath, though.

Ramiro Pena: Like Thames, I don’t expect Pena to stick with the team for all of 2010. There’s no doubting the kid can pick it in the infield, but last year (.699 OPS) was a career year for him at the plate that he’s unlikely to repeat. I’m not saying he’s going to crash and burn, but I think the team will want to look at Kevin Russo at some point.

This is running quite long, so I’m going to do the pitchers in “bulk.”

CC: Just be CC
A.J./Andy: Stay healthy and repeat 2010.
Javy: Show us the real Javy.
Phil: Stay healthy and show us the fruits of your potential.
Mo: Just be Mo.
Joba: Make the best of a bad situation and hope you get a chance to start again.
Robertson: Keep up the k’s, kid. Chicks dig the curveball.
Marte: Stay healthy and be the real Marte.
Aceves: Repeat 2009; it was perfect for you.
Park: Can he adjust to the AL (B)East?
Mitre: Prove me wrong about you.

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.

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.

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?