A Yankee no more
With the recent passing of the July 31st trade deadline, we have a new name to add to our bi-weekly updates. Mark Melancon reported to the Astros AAA Round Rock Express, where he earned his first save on Friday. He was also interviewed by Alyson Footer and had some interesting things to say about what was going on with him this season. Apparently, the Yanks wanted him to keep the ball down, so they changed his arm slot from over the top to a more 3/4 delivery and the results weren’t pretty.
In other ex-Yankee news, Brian Bruney was placed on the DL retroactive to August 3rd by the Mets AAA Buffalo Bisons affiliate, where he was working as a starter. Xavier Nady narrowly avoided being traded to the Giants at the trade deadline. Johnny Damon, Austin Jackson and Phil Coke return to the Bronx on Tuesday. Johnny had some kind words of support for ex-teammate Alex Rodriguez after #600. He has been dropped to 6th in the lineup, in an effort to get the struggling Brennan Boesch going by replacing him as the No. 2 hitter. Ian Kennedy has been struggling of late, posting a 6.39 ERA in his past 9 starts, which has ballooned his ERA for the season to 4.40. He’s on an innings limit, so even when he’s pitching well he tends to get pulled early and the stellar AZ bullpen goes to work for him.
Year Age Tm Lg Lev Aff W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB 2010 25 2 Teams 2 Lgs AAA NYYHOU 7 1 .875 3.41 43 0 19 0 0 7 60.2 68 24 23 5 32 0 60 3 0 7 277 1.648 10.1 0.7 4.7 8.9 1.88 2010 25 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre IL AAA NYY 6 1 .857 3.67 40 0 17 0 0 6 56.1 63 24 23 5 31 0 58 3 0 7 258 1.669 10.1 0.8 5.0 9.3 1.87 2010 25 RoundRock PCL AAA HOU 1 0 1.000 0.00 3 0 2 0 0 1 4.1 5 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 19 1.385 10.4 0.0 2.1 4.2 2.00
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 25 ATL NL 106 365 327 35 87 18 3 4 29 5 1 30 43 .266 .328 .376 .704 90 123 5 1 5 2 7 *789
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 36 LAA AL 101 399 354 32 87 15 0 14 55 0 0 41 79 .246 .323 .407 .730 96 144 5 1 0 3 3 *D7
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 36 DET AL 98 414 360 63 99 27 2 7 34 7 1 50 56 .275 .364 .419 .784 109 151 3 1 2 1 1 D7/8
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards 2010 25 ARI NL 6 9 .400 4.40 22 22 0 0 0 0 133.0 118 69 65 23 51 2 113 6 0 11 565 102 1.271 8.0 1.6 3.5 7.6 2.22 4 Seasons 4 Seasons 4 Seasons 4 Seasons 7 13 .350 4.90 36 34 1 0 0 0 192.2 181 112 105 29 88 2 156 8 0 14 842 92 1.396 8.5 1.4 4.1 7.3 1.77
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 23 DET AL 99 438 406 63 124 26 7 1 24 16 4 28 113 .305 .355 .411 .766 105 167 5 3 1 0 0 *8 1 Season 1 Season 1 Season 1 Season 99 438 406 63 124 26 7 1 24 16 4 28 113 .305 .355 .411 .766 105 167 5 3 1 0 0
Year Age Tm Lg Lev Aff W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB 2010 19 2 Teams 2 Lgs A-A+ ATL 9 3 .750 2.71 15 15 0 0 0 0 83.0 76 33 25 2 12 0 77 4 3 7 344 1.060 8.2 0.2 1.3 8.3 6.42 2010 19 Rome SALL A ATL 9 3 .750 2.34 12 12 0 0 0 0 69.1 60 24 18 1 9 0 66 3 2 6 283 0.995 7.8 0.1 1.2 8.6 7.33 2010 19 MyrtleBeach CARL A+ ATL 0 0 4.61 3 3 0 0 0 0 13.2 16 9 7 1 3 0 11 1 1 1 61 1.390 10.5 0.7 2.0 7.2 3.67
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 31 CHC NL 71 168 149 12 33 5 0 4 19 0 0 10 40 .221 .292 .336 .627 63 50 8 6 0 3 0 9/37D
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards 2010 28 WSN NL 1 2 .333 7.64 19 0 6 0 0 0 17.2 21 18 15 1 20 1 16 0 0 1 93 55 2.321 10.7 0.5 10.2 8.2 0.80
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards 2010 27 DET AL 6 2 .750 2.60 52 0 10 0 0 1 45.0 42 15 13 1 17 3 38 2 0 1 188 167 1.311 8.4 0.2 3.4 7.6 2.24
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards 2010 25 ATL NL 1 0 1.000 0.00 8 0 2 0 0 0 6.0 3 0 0 0 9 0 5 0 0 0 29 2.000 4.5 0.0 13.5 7.5 0.56
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 21 PIT NL 49 217 199 30 60 12 0 2 16 11 5 16 26 .302 .353 .392 .745 103 78 4 0 2 0 0 78
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards 2010 25 WSN NL 8 6 .571 3.38 54 0 12 0 0 1 64.0 49 26 24 5 31 4 73 2 0 1 267 122 1.250 6.9 0.7 4.4 10.3 2.35
Time to dust this baby off after a few weeks and a long All Star break. In recent news, Mike Dunn was called up by the Braves. The 25 year old has been dominating for their AAA Gwinnett farm team. But of course, if you’re a regular TYU reader then you knew that already. Since our last report the Mets signed Brian Bruney to a minor league deal. In other news, Mike Scioscia expects the slumping Hideki Matsui to hit better in the 2nd half, Johnny Damon reflected on the passing of George Steinbrenner. Austin Jackson still leads all of Baseball with his .417 BABIP, has the 17th highest K%, is in the bottom fifth with his walk rate and is hitting for no power (.107 ISOP). He’s just having one of those years.
Here’s the full recap:
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 25 ATL NL 87 304 274 29 72 13 1 3 24 4 1 23 37 .263 .321 .350 .671 82 96 5 1 5 1 3 *789
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 36 LAA AL 87 343 302 24 76 14 0 10 47 0 0 37 69 .252 .332 .397 .730 96 120 4 1 0 3 3 *D7
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 36 DET AL 79 340 296 54 81 21 2 6 28 7 1 40 47 .274 .361 .419 .780 108 124 3 1 2 1 1 D7/8
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards 2010 25 ARI NL 4 7 .364 4.12 18 18 0 0 0 0 111.1 97 55 51 19 42 2 100 6 0 7 470 109 1.249 7.8 1.5 3.4 8.1 2.38
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 23 DET AL 79 344 317 53 96 21 5 1 20 15 3 23 88 .303 .356 .410 .766 104 130 4 3 1 0 0 *8
Year Age Tm Lg Lev Aff W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB 2010 19 2 Teams 2 Lgs A-A+ ATL 9 3 .750 2.71 15 15 0 0 0 0 83.0 76 33 25 2 12 0 77 4 3 7 344 1.060 8.2 0.2 1.3 8.3 6.42 2010 19 Rome SALL A ATL 9 3 .750 2.34 12 12 0 0 0 0 69.1 60 24 18 1 9 0 66 3 2 6 283 0.995 7.8 0.1 1.2 8.6 7.33 2010 19 MyrtleBeach CARL A+ ATL 0 0 4.61 3 3 0 0 0 0 13.2 16 9 7 1 3 0 11 1 1 1 61 1.390 10.5 0.7 2.0 7.2 3.67
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 31 CHC NL 62 156 138 12 31 5 0 4 19 0 0 9 37 .225 .295 .348 .643 67 48 6 6 0 3 0 9/37D
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards 2010 28 WSN NL 1 2 .333 7.64 19 0 6 0 0 0 17.2 21 18 15 1 20 1 16 0 0 1 93 55 2.321 10.7 0.5 10.2 8.2 0.80
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards 2010 27 DET AL 5 0 1.000 2.48 42 0 8 0 0 1 36.1 34 12 10 1 14 1 30 2 0 1 154 177 1.321 8.4 0.2 3.5 7.4 2.14
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards 2010 25 ATL NL 0 0 0.00 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 5 2.000 9.0 0.0 9.0 18.0 2.00
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2010 21 PIT NL 30 134 120 12 30 7 0 1 6 8 4 14 18 .250 .328 .333 .662 81 40 1 0 0 0 0 7/8
Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Awards 2010 25 WSN NL 8 6 .571 3.31 44 0 10 0 0 1 51.2 43 21 19 4 24 4 58 2 0 1 218 125 1.297 7.5 0.7 4.2 10.1 2.42
It’s been 2 weeks since my last update, so it’s time to take this baby out for another spin. At this point of the year (mid-season) most of the numbers are a big enough sample that we should have a good idea of where these guys are and what they’ll produce. Arodys Vizcaino has earned himself a promotion to the Braves High-A affiliate, but has been getting knocked around in his first 3 appearances. While the Diamondbacks are looking at a fire sale, don’t expect Ian Kennedy to go anywhere. He and Justin Upton are the only two players on the team who are considered “untouchable” by GM Josh Byrnes. Looking up and down the list, there’s very little to complain about, especially with the free agents who left the team in Damon and Matsui. The only guy who the Yanks really miss right now is Mike Dunn, as they find themselves looking for a 2nd Lefty out of the bullpen.
Here’s the full recap:
G-71 PA-245 H-59 BB-19 HR-1 SO-29 BA-.267 OBP-.325 SLG-.339 OPS-.664
G-71 PA-282 H-65 BB-28 HR-9 SO-59 BA-.259 OBP-.333 SLG-.418 OPS-.752
G-67 PA-288 H-67 BB-37 HR-3 SO-39 BA-.270 OBP-.366 SLG-.395 OPS-.761
W-L 3-5 G-13 ERA-3.60 IP-95.0 H-81 ER-38 BB-31 SO-82 WHIP-1.179
G-58 PA-262 H-75 BB-16 HR-1 SO-67 BA-.306 OBP-.351 SLG-.412 OPS-.763
W-L 9-3 G-15 ERA-2.71 IP-83.0 H-76 ER-25 BB-12 SO-77 WHIP-1.060
G-44 PA-102 H-22 BB-8 HR-4 SO-20 BA-.250 OBP-.333 SLG-.432 OPS-.765
W-L 1-2 G-19 ERA-7.64 IP-17.2 H-21 ER-15 BB-20 SO-16 WHIP-2.321
W-L 5-0 G-34 ERA-3.00 IP-30.0 H-28 ER-10 BB-11 SO-23 WHIP-1.300
W-L 2-0 G-25 ERA-0.79 IP-34.1 H-24 ER-3 BB-14 SO-46 WHIP-1.114
(AAA) G-53 PA-224 H-69 BB-23 HR-3 SO-35 BA-.308 OBP-.373 SLG-.424 OPS-.797
(MLB) G-15 PA-67 H-15 BB-5 HR-1 SO-10 BA-.242 OBP-.299 SLG-.339 OPS-.637
W-L 8-4 G-38 ERA-2.11 IP-47.0 H-32 ER-11 BB-20 SO-53 WHIP-1.106
It’s been 2 weeks since my last update, so it’s time for another edition. In recent news, Brian Bruney has been released by the Nats. Mike Scioscia has dropped Hideki Matsui from the clean up spot and is considering platooning the Japanese slugger, who’s done little after his hot start. Austin Jackson and Tyler Clippard are coming back down to Earth after their extremely hot starts. Ian Kennedy has continued to pitch well for Arizona and Mike Dunn is earning himself an MLB call up from the Braves.
Here’s the full list:
G-43 PA-142 H-27 BB-15 HR-1 SO-17 BA-.220 OBP-.304 SLG-.276 OPS-.581
G-45 PA-176 H-36 BB-17 HR-5 SO-34 BA-.231 OBP-.307 SLG-.372 OPS-.679
G-44 PA-187 H-45 BB-26 HR-3 SO-27 BA-.283 OBP-.385 SLG-.428 OPS-.813
W-L 3-3 G-10 ERA-3.41 IP-63.1 H-53 ER-24 BB-20 SO-51 WHIP-1.153
G-43 PA-196 H-60 BB-15 HR-1 SO-52 BA-.333 OBP-.388 SLG-.450 OPS-.838
W-L 6-3 G-9 ERA-3.16 IP-51.1 H-50 ER-18 BB-9 SO-49 WHIP-1.154
G-33 PA-76 H-15 BB-5 HR-1 SO-14 BA-.227 OBP-.316 SLG-.318 OPS-.634
W-L 1-2 G-19 ERA-7.64 IP-17.2 H-21 ER-15 BB-20 SO-16 WHIP-2.321
W-L 3-3 G-15 ERA-1.80 IP-15.0 H-15 ER-3 BB-8 SO-412 WHIP-1.533
W-L 1-0 G-15 ERA-0.83 IP-21.2 H-15 ER-2 BB-9 SO-27 WHIP-1.132
G-42 PA-178 H-58 BB-16 HR-2 SO-27 BA-.326 OBP-.382 SLG-.433 OPS-.814
W-L 7-3 G-23 ERA-2.12 IP-29.2 H-18 ER-7 BB-16 SO-33 WHIP-1.146
It’s been 2 weeks since my last update, so it’s time for another edition. Ian Kennedy has been a pleasant surprise for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and his full season numbers are starting to catch up with his recent performances. As Stephen R. detailed yesterday, Matsui has been slumping and Johnny Damon has been rolling. Here’s the full list:
G-28 PA-110 H-18 BB-12 HR-0 SO-13 BA-.189 OBP-.280 SLG-.221 OPS-.501
G-32 PA-132 H-28 BB-13 HR-4 SO-25 BA-.237 OBP-.311 SLG-.390 OPS-.700
G-308 PA-127 H-32 BB-19 HR-1 SO-19 BA-.302 OBP-.409 SLG-.443 OPS-.853
G-6 ERA-3.65 IP-37.0 H-32 ER-15 BB-10 SO-30 WHIP-1.135
G-29 PA-138 H-47 BB-11 HR-1 SO-36 BA-.370 OBP-.420 SLG-.512 OPS-.932
G-6 ERA-4.35 IP-31 H-32 ER-15 BB-9 SO-34 WHIP-1.322
G-22 PA-48 H-7 BB-5 HR-1 SO-9 BA-.179 OBP-.333 SLG-.282 OPS-.615
G-15 ERA-6.00 IP-15.0 H-17 ER-10 BB-18 SO-13 WHIP-2.333
G-15 ERA-1.80 IP-15.0 H-15 ER-3 BB-8 SO-412 WHIP-1.533
G-9 ERA-0.69 IP-13.0 H-10 ER-1 BB-5 SO-15 WHIP-1.15
G-27 PA-119 H-41 BB-12 HR-2 SO-19 BA-.345 OBP-.414 SLG-.454 OPS-.867
..and since he’s been making such a splash as the Washington National’s closer, I’m going to start tracking the progress of a player we affectionately once knew as ‘The Yankee Clippard’
G-5 ERA-0.79 IP-22.2 H-11 ER-2 BB-11 SO-15 WHIP-0.971
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
Here’s another installment on how the former Yanks from the 2009 championship team have been faring this year. Ian Kennedy had a tremendous outing facing the tough Phillies lineup yesterday, by far his best of the year. He went 8 innings and gave up just 4 hits, 1 BB and 2 runs (both solo HRs). You may have also been able to see Melky go 1-4 yesterday and have trouble with the sun catching a fly ball if you’re in the NY or ATL area, since the Mets played the Braves yesterday.
Note-Due to popular demand, I’m adding Jose Tabata since I received so many requests to include him last time.
G-16 PA-65 H-8 BB-8 HR-0 BA-.143 OBP-.250 SLG-.179 OPS-.429
G-19 PA-79 H-22 BB-8 HR-4 BA-.310 OBP-.380 SLG-.563 OPS-.943
G-18 PA-75 H-20 BB-13 HR-0 BA-.328 OBP-.453 SLG-.426 OPS-.880
G-4 ERA-4.43 IP-22.1 H-18 ER-11 BB-7 SO-21 WHIP-1.12
G-17 PA-82 H-23 BB-7 HR-0 BA-.307 OBP-.366 SLG-.413 OPS-.779
G-3 ERA-4.24 IP-17 H-19 ER-8 BB-5 SO-13 WHIP-1.41
G-13 PA-32 H-6 BB-2 HR-1 BA-.222 OBP-.344 SLG-.333 OPS-.677
G-9 ERA-5.40 IP-8.1 H-5 ER-5 BB-9 SO-6 WHIP-1.680
G-9 ERA-2.16 IP-8.1 H-10 ER-2 BB-6 SO-4 WHIP-1.92
G-5 ERA-1.29 IP-7 H-5 ER-1 BB-2 SO-9 WHIP-1.00
G-14 PA-67 H-20 BB-5 HR-1 BA-.323 OBP-.373 SLG-.403 OPS-.776
Via Bill Ladson of MLB.com:
With a day off Tuesday, Nationals reliever Brian Bruney decided not to go to the World Series championship ring ceremony held at Yankee Stadium.Bruney helped the Yankees win their 27th championship last year by going 5-0 with a 3.92 ERA in 44 games. Bruney said he preferred to stay with the Nationals in Philadelphia.
“I’m with the Nationals now,” Bruney said. “My focus is here with these guys. Not being a member of the Yankees, I wouldn’t want to be there. It’s nothing against them or anything. It’s an off-day, I didn’t want to travel and do anything like that. I figure I will get [the ring] at some point. I waited long enough. I can wait a few more days.”
Did anyone shed a tear because Bruney wasn’t at the ceremony? No?
I think a more appropriate question is—did anyone even notice his absence?
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
With last night’s all-too-forgettable loss to the Rays, I thought it would be a good time to get this going. This is a series I plan to run throughout the 2010 season, updating the results every few weeks. There was a lot of turnover this year with some beloved Yanks, some intriguing prospects and some other players who many fans won’t miss. I’m sure many Yankee fans will be wondering how these guys are doing. Now you’ll know where to go to find out. Sorry, unlike your other ex’s, these friends come without benefits. Unless you consider schadenfreude to be a benefit.
G-3 PA-15 H-1 BB-2 HR-0 BA-.077 OBP-.200 SLG-.077 OPS-.277
G-4 PA-16 H-6 BB-1 HR-1 BA-.400 OBP-.438 SLG-.667 OPS-.1104
G-3 PA-15 H-2 BB-1 HR-0 BA-.143 OBP-.200 SLG-.214 OPS-.414
G-1 ERA-5.40 IP-5 H-6 ER-3 BB-0 SO-8 WHIP-1.20
G-3 PA-15 H-5 BB-1 HR-0 BA-.333 OBP-.333 SLG-.667 OPS-1.000
N/A
G-2 PA-5 H-1 BB-1 HR-0 BA-.500 OBP-.800 SLG-.500 OPS-1.300
G-2 ERA-0.00 IP-2.0 H-2 ER-0 BB-3 SO-2 WHIP-2.50
G-2 ERA-0.00 IP-2.2 H-3 ER-0 BB-1 SO-0 WHIP-1.50
G-1 ERA-0.00 IP-2 H-1 ER-0 BB-0 SO-2
We’ve been here a few times before. In at least two different seasons in recent memory, we’ve seen a young relief pitcher get hot in a short period of time and we’ve gotten delusions of grandeur. The recent examples are Brian Bruney, Jose Veras, and Edwar Ramirez; neither one of these pitchers is still on the Yankees.
With David Robertson, whose earned his stripes according to pitching coach Dave Eiland, we hope there is no repetition of history.
In 2008, Jose Veras pitched to a 3.59 ERA despite having a 1.405 WHIP and walking 4.5 men per nine. He got by on a rock solid 9.8 K/9, but it all fell apart in 2009. Edwar Ramirez had a 3.90 ERA in ‘08 with a good 1.229 WHIP, 10.2 K/9, and an acceptable 3.9 BB/9. Like Veras, he couldn’t keep it up in 2009. In 2006 and 2008, Bruney wowed us in two short stints (20.2 IP and 34.1 IP respectively), but was unimpressive in 2007 and was injured and inconsistent in 2009.
Now, after a very impressive 43.2 innings in 2009 (3.30 ERA, 1.351 WHIP, 13.0 K/9, 3.05 FIP), it appears that David Robertson is ready to fill a bigger role in the 2010 Yankee bullpen. Might he turn out like Veras, Ramirez, and Bruney? Yes, it’s possible. However, I don’t think it’s likely.
There is one mountain Robertson does need to climb, though. His career 4.6 BB/9 is too high. He combats it nicely with a career 12.0 K/9 (2.61 K/BB), but it still needs to come down. In the minors, his BB/9 was lower by one full walk (3.6). The difference could be the batters Robertson is facing. Despite his incredible curveball, he is still facing major leaguers who are more likely to be able to lay off of a breaking pitch than minor leaguers. If the walks don’t decrease, Robertson could face trouble.
What makes Robertson different than those other enigmatic relievers, then? First, there’s the strikeouts. While Veras, Ramirez, and Bruney all had good stuff that struck batters out, the only one who comes close to Robertson’s strikeout numbers is Ramirez (10.6 K/9), and even he misses by almost two strikeouts. The other is that Robertson has, thus far, kept the ball in the park. His HR/9 sits at 0.9, the same as Brian Bruney. It is, however, a mark lower than Veras’s (1.2) and it dwarfs Ramirez’s (1.7). I’ll take this as the opportunity to say something: it is a bit unfair of me to lump Bruney in with Ramirez and Veras. Those two were just ineffective in ‘09 and were likely flashes in the pan; Bruney, on the other hand, was injured and inconsistent and may have something left in the tank. He’s still got a chance to make something of himself. I’m only using him as an example in this post because, like Edwar and Jose, he had brief flashes of success and is no longer with the Yankees.
While Robertson walks a few (maybe one) too many guys per nine innings, his strikeout numbers are essentially epic thus far and he does a good job of keeping the ball in the park. Those two things should make him a successful reliever going forward. So, what do the projection systems say for D-Rob in 2010?
The systems project him for a season with 52 games, 56.75 innings pitched, a 3.49 ERA, a 1.304 WHIP, an 11.10 K/9, a 4.12 BB/9, a 2.69 K/BB, and a 3.25 FIP. For a late inning bullpen guy, that would be awesome.
This projection is very favorable for Robertson. Obviously, it doesn’t guarantee success and as I’ve said in the past, D-Rob’s got a good amount to prove in the majors. Hopefully, he won’t become like Ramirez, Bruney, and Veras. I don’t think he will.
Yesterday in the comments of Chris’s article on Brian Cashman and Kei Igawa, a discussion about whom the Yankees have traded in the past two seasons started. I’m of the opinion that with a few exceptions, the players Brian Cashman has traded have been nothing incredibly special and losing them will not hurt the team in the long term. So, let’s take a look at the last year and a half or so of Brian Cashman’s trades to see what the Yankees gave up.
Let’s start with the “deadline” deal of Ross Ohlendorf, Jose Tabata, Jeff Karstens, and Daniel McCutchen for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. What did the Yankees give up here? With the exception of Tabata, nothing special. Though Ohlendorf pitched well for the Pirates in 2009, he would not have played a big role for the 2009 Yankees and likely would have had just as small a role for the 2010 Yankees. Karstens did poorly in 39 games–13 starts–with the Bucs. McCutchen held his own (98 ERA+) and showed decent control (2.97 BB/9) in ‘09, but like the other two pitchers in this deal, he’d have no real place on the Yankees moving forward. There are plenty of guys ahead of him.
Jose Tabata was really the only player of consequence the Yankees forfeited in this deal with the Pirates. At the time of the trade, his OPS in the Eastern League was a meager .630. He raked once joining Altoona (.964), but 2009 was less spectacular (.763 OPS between AA and AAA). In a system that’s hurting for position player prospects, losing Tabata hurt, but Jose’s production had dropped year to year and level to level with the Yankees and there were apparently character issues. Perhaps all he needed was a change of scenery. It’s worth noting that Tabata’s star has taken a bit of a hit in recent years; he was rated the 27th best prospect in baseball pre-2007, the #37 pre-2008, and the #75 pre-2009.
The next trade of any importance was the December 2008 trade fleecing of Kenny Williams in the Nick Swisher deal. Cashman traded away Jeff Marquez–who’d seemingly stalled in his development and subsequently bombed with the Sox AAA team in 2009–Wilson Betemit–who was eventually DFA’d–and Jhonny Nunez who did poorly in a 5.2 inning stint with the Sox, but performed very well in the minors. This deal was absolutely great for the Yankees. They bought low on a very good cost controlled player and payed an incredibly small price.
In February of last year, Cashman traded Chase Wright to the Brewers for Eric Fryer; Fryer was eventually included with Casey Erickson in a deal for Eric Hinske. While Hinske didn’t have a huge impact on the Yankees, he added much more than either player would have now, or in the future. It’s also worth noting that the Pirates paid for Hinske’s time with the Yankees.
In other relatively minor trades, Cashman traded Chase Weems to the Reds for Jerry Hairston, Jr., who proved useful off the bench down the stretch and in the playoffs. Again, what Hairston added last year was more than Weems would likely add in the future. Weems would have been stuck behind any number of Yankee catching prospects and it’s likely that he’d never even make the Major League team.
For literally nothing but money, Brian acquired Chad Gaudin, who could be useful as a swingman out of the bullpen in 2010.
A brief review: so far out of these trades, the only remotely useful piece given up was Jose Tabata, and he was likely still at least a year and a half away from being in the Majors at the time of his trade.
The trades of which we’re unsure are the ones made in this offseason. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t judge them now.
The first trade made in 2010 was trading Brian Bruney to the Nationals for a player to be named later, Jamie Hoffmann. It appears that the Yankees grew tired of giving the oft-injured and inconsistent Bruney second chances and tried to turn him into a useful bench piece. If Hoffmann doesn’t make the team and must be returned to the Dodgers, as he’s a Rule V pick, then this trade looks a little worse. If he does stick with the team, this trade looks about equal: marginal piece for marginal piece.
This post is running a bit long and the other, more “major” players traded early in 2010 require a separate post that I’ll put up tomorrow. That one will feature my thoughts on Phil Coke, Mike Dunn, Melky Cabrera, Arodys Vizcaino, Ian Kennedy, and Austin Jackson.
