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Savers and Drainers, Pitcher Edition

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 11:00 am 4 Responses »
Oct 272010

We looked at the Yankee savers and drainers on the offensive side of things yesterday, so today, let’s look at the pitching side of things. Again, we’ll go top 9 guys in fWAR order.

1. CC Sabathia, 5.1 fWAR worth $20.4MM. Salary: $23MM. Value: -$2.6MM
2. Phil Hughes, 2.4 fWAR worth $9.5MM. Salary: $0.447MM. Value: +$9.053MM
3. Andy Pettitte, 2.3 fWAR worth $9.2MM. Salary: $11.75MM. Value: -$2.55MM
4. Mariano Rivera, 1.7 fWAR worth $6.8MM. Salary: $15MM. Value: -$8.2MM
5. Joba Chamberlain, 1.4 fWAR worth $5.6MM. Salary: $0.487795MM. Value: +$5.1122MM
6. A.J. Burnett, 1.3 fWAR worth $5.2MM. Salary: $16.5MM. Value: -$11.3MM
7. David Robertson, 0.7 fWAR worth $2.9MM. Salary: $0.462650MM. Value: +$2.437MM
8. Ivan Nova, 0.5 fWAR worth $1.8MM. Salary: N/A. Value: N/A
9. Kerry Wood, 0.4 fWAR worth $1.5MM. Salary (Yankees only): $8.3279MM. Value: -$6.8279 $2.0279MM. Value: -$0.5279MM.

Ivan Nova’s salary wasn’t listed on Cot’s, but we can assume he gave the Yankees at least decent value because there’s no way he made anything close to $1MM this season. Kerry Wood’s value looks a lot worse than it is because the Yankees picked up most some of his salary from Cleveland and with just 26 innings for the Yankees, there’s no way he could’ve come close to matching his value he came close to matching his salary with them, but couldn’t quite get there.

CC Sabathia’s high salary makes him look less valuable, but the fact that he came so close to matching it just goes to show how awesome a pitcher he is.

Phil Hughes was essentially the pitching version of Brett Gardner: cost controlled talent producing at a relatively high level and giving the Yankees a ton of value. Hughes hits arbitration for the first time this year, so it will be interesting to see what his salary is going forward.

Joba Chamberlain, also arbitration eligible for the first time, provided a good deal of value for the Yankees, too–the second most on the team after Hughes. It’s worth noting that fWAR likes Joba a lot more than bWAR which had him at 0.4 WAR.

A.J. Burnett…well, yeah. The numbers speak for themselves there.

Mariano Rivera’s numbers look odd because he’s so highly paid, yet as a closer, he doesn’t pitch enough innings to rack up a very high WAR. Rivera did have the fourth highest fWAR among AL relievers, behind Matt Thornton (2.2), Joakim Soria (2.1), and Neftali Feliz (1.8).

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Bad night for Closers

Posted by Steve S. at 7:56 am 19 Responses »
Sep 272010

Last night was a game that was tightly contested for 8 innings on both sides, featuring a well pitched game by Phil Hughes and an even better showing by Dice-K. Hughes was outstanding before allowing 2 leadoff walks in the 7th (more on that later), giving up just 1 run on a double that was poorly played by Nick Swisher and a legit single to Victor Martinez. Diasuke Matsuzaka was even better than Hughes, dazzling the Yanks all night long and giving up 2 Runs on a bloop single by Tex and a 2-Run HR to Alex that just cleared the auxiliary scoreboard in right field. It wasn’t even a bad pitch, in on the hands about belt high. That’s one where you just tip your cap to Alex, who’s been sizzling hot the past few days.

But by the time the two Closers entered the game, it looked like neither side wanted the win. Mariano Rivera was asleep at the wheel, allowing 4 stolen bases without once throwing a ball to 1B/2B or checking a runner. Posada’s throws weren’t good, twice he didn’t even attempt a throw. But those steals were clearly on Mariano, and even Joe Girardi pinned the blame on Mo in the post game. When asked what happened with all the steals in the 9th, he said  “They got good jumps on Mo”. It’ll be interesting to watch his next few outings to see if he pays more attention out there. As troubling as it was to see this gaping flaw, it’s better to have this exposed now than in the 9th inning of a decisive game in the ALDS. In an odd way, the Sox actually did us a favor.

Buster Onley tried to pin Mo’s recent struggles on his usage, Tweeting this after yesterday’s game:

Big win for the Yankees Sunday, but there is this concern for the NYY: Since Mariano Rivera was asked to pitch on back-to-back days on Sept. 11, after throwing two innings Sept. 10, his numbers (and performances) have been ugly: 5.2 IP, 9 hits, 6 ER, three blown saves.

I’m not buying it. He hadn’t been used in almost a week prior to those back to back outings, and he’s worked back to back 10 times previously this year. 3 innings spread out over two days after 6 days off isn’t exactly abuse by Girardi, even for a 40 year old. It’s part of a Closer’s job description to work back to back games if there are wins to be preserved. Mo’s just in a slump, it happens every year and this year it just happened to come in September.

From the Red Sox side, Closer Jonathan Papelbon had some choice words for Home Plate Umpire Phil Cuzzi last night:

“Really rough tonight, considering the fact that I’m not only pitching against the hitter, I’m pitching against the umpire,’’ Papelbon said. “When you’ve got to do that against this lineup, you’ll never be successful.’’

…Cuzzi’s strike zone forced Papelbon to give in to the hitter and throw pitches more on the plate than he was comfortable doing.

“When you’ve got to do that, you’re in a lose-lose situation,’’ Papelbon said. “Just call the game. There’s 27 outs. Call the game. Don’t let the crowd influence you, don’t let the hitter influence you, don’t call the pitch where the catcher catches it. Stay focused for 27 outs and call the game.

“I’m not blaming the umpire. I could have definitely battled a little bit more out of that situation. I’m not one to complain about pitches, no, I’m not one to do that at all. But when you’re pitching against an umpire and their lineup, nobody can win in that situation. It’s impossible.’’

He happens to be right, watching the K-Zone on the ESPN broadcast last night he had numerous hitters struck out multiple times, most notably A-Rod. But you can’t win these arguments with umpire without coming across as a whiner. Even when you’re right, you’re better off keeping your mouth shut.

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The Process of Letting Go

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 3:00 pm 3 Responses »
Aug 232010

You: Don’t tell me this is another post about Derek Jeter.
Me: It’s not another post about Derek Jeter.
You: Really?
Me: Nah, it’s another post about Derek Jeter.
You: Sonofa…

Steve’s post yesterday delved into the numbers, so I won’t re-hash them. However, it’s very likely that we’re finally seeing the beginning of the end of the career of Derek Jeter. In fact, we probably started seeing that in 2008 when he had a down year. Granted, he had a bad hand that he didn’t admit to and hit very well in 2009, but going forward, I think Derek Jeter’s seasons will look a lot more like the 2008/2010 versions than they will the 2009 version.

And while I’m not okay with that in one way–it makes the Yankees worse off–there’s nothing I, or anyone save for Jeter himself, can do about it. Decline is a natural part of the career of any player and we can’t do anything but sit back and accept it. This obviously doesn’t mean Derek Jeter can never be productive or valuable again. As long as he stays at SS, he’ll at least be a little bit valuable. It appears that even the worst of Jeter’s seasons are ones in which he puts up league average production at the plate, which is better than the average shortstop’s offense.

We’re into the falling action part of the novel that is Derek Jeter’s career. Soon, we’ll come to the denouement that ends when Derek gets a plaque in Cooperstown. Until we get there, though, we’ll probably just have to hold on for the ride downward. At that point, it’ll be hard to get through as we remember how great he once was. Those are the times, then, that we should obviously cherish. Looking back on Derek’s fantastic offense will be one of my fondest-old grandpa moments.

This doesn’t just apply to Derek Jeter, though. His partner on the left side of the infield may also be entering his decline phase. Epic power at the plate may help mask that, but that doesn’t last forever either. 2010 has seen a decline happen for Alex Rodriguez and we could see him slip farther if he doesn’t get fully healthy or rebound offensively.

The same will apply to Jorge Posada, though his exit is likely to be much more swift than that of Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez. His contract is up next year and it’s doubtful he gets another one after that.

Andy Pettitte has seemingly defied age but at the same time, in the back of my head, I’m still waiting for that other shoe to drop.

Mariano Rivera…well, let’s not even walk down that road. The Man hasn’t just seemed to defy age, but he actually has done so. With one pitch, he’s stayed almost exactly the same since the beginning of his career. Out of all the players in baseball, a steep–or even steady–decline for Mariano Rivera is the only thing that would shock me. Mo is the exception to the exception.

Leaving Rivera aside (for now), each and every player we root for and against will experience some sort of decline at the end of his playing career. As fans, there’s nothing we can do about it to help the players. Here’s what we can do, though. We can remember the best of times. We can remember what was fun about those players. We can also get along with each other. That means not jumping down the throat of any player who points out the decline phase of your favorite player. It means not pronouncing players dead after a bad month. We’re all guilty of both of these things, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change that.

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Link Roundup

Posted by Stephen R. at 1:00 pm No Responses »
Aug 172010

Here are a few interesting things to read that I found on the World Wide Web.

CC’s Scorched Earth Policy

Over at Fangraphs, David Golebiewski reviews the change in Sabathia’s strikeout rate this season.  After noting that Sabathia is getting less whiffs on his secondary pitches, Golebiewski demonstrates that Sabathia is getting more groundballs and double plays this season than before.  This could be a harbinger of things to come as Sabathia ages, so it’s good to see him be able to adjust and get good results despite an apparent change in the way he approaches hitters.

Time to give Javy Vazquez a breather

At RiverAveBlues Mike Axisa argues Javy Vazquez needs to sit the next few plays out.  He recommends DLing Vazquez and bringing up Ian Nova from AAA.  Nova would make the next start against the Seattle Mariners and either be skipped the second time through the rotation (thanks to an off-day) or keep his spot in the rotation to give the starters and extra day of rest.  This seems like a capital idea to me.  I’d be in favor of bringing Nova up and having him make two starts.  I wouldn’t mind Sabathia, Burnett and Hughes having a little extra time off.  Last year, the starters seemed to point to extra rest down the stretch as a reason why they were able to stay effective deep into October.

Minor League Baseball: Investing in the Future

I’m linking this in the minuscule chance that you haven’t read it.  Mike Ashmore of Trenton Thoughts put together an incredibly detailed look inside the life of a minor league baseball player and it’s definitely worth the time it will take to read it.  One of the more bizarre things to me was reading about nutrition .  If I was in charge of a professional baseball organization, ensuring that players had access to healthy food would be one of my first goals.

The Bullpen Usage Chart

Joe Girardi’s birthday is coming up in October.  What do you get for the man who probably has everything he could want or need?  Just in time for the playoffs, you can create a bullpen usage chart for him to file inside his binder.  Via Hardball Times, Daily Baseball Data has created a tool to help you quickly evaluate which relievers are the best-rested and best-suited for coming into the game.  Click through and read all about it, and get your copy ready in October.

Expanded Horizons: Mariano Rivera, Outlier

Finally, from Baseball Prospectus (subscriber only, sorry) comes a piece by Tommy Bennett seeking to answer the following question: “who is the best relief pitcher in baseball?”  Bennett starts by looking at the WXRL and SIERA for all relievers in 2010, and then calcualting the how many standard deviations each reliever is away from the mean in each category and then adds the two scores together.  This is a simple enough methodology, and it yields a top 10 list of the following relievers: Wilson, Bell, Marmol, Soria, Kuo, Thornton, Benoit, Bard, Adams and Gregerson.  There’s nothing wrong with that per se, but it leaves out an obvious contender for the top spot.  As Bennett puts it:

The problem with this list, and with any list like it created in the last 10 years really, is that you could just throw it out. Who needs a list like this when the answer to the question “who is the best relief pitcher in baseball?” is so simple? You could just give the same answer—Mariano Rivera—every year and be right in a very real sense every year. It’s not that Rivera does especially bad by this metric. He actually comes in 13th out of nearly 200 qualified pitchers. It’s that by not putting him closer to the top, the list fails to pass the smell test—it appears wrong on its face. Instead of a definitive ranking, we get a neat-o list with little meaningful difference between the individual rankings. That’s disappointing.

However, Bennett goes on to demonstrate that Rivera has tremendous skill in certain areas that probably causes him to “break” the system.  For one, Rivera is able to prevent hits and sustain a consistently lower BABIP.  As Bennett puts it, “These pitchers—who basically only pitch with maximum effort in higher than average leverage situations—can in fact show the ability to limit hits more than starting pitchers”.  However, this skill isn’t unique to Rivera : other talented relievers like Billy Wagner have the same tendencies.  What is unique to Rivera is his ability to prevent home runs.  Bennett labels Rivera is “a rate environment extremophile”, which is an awesome phrase.  The upshot of this is that good estimators can do a great job with mostly every player in baseball except guys like Mariano Rivera.  ”A pitcher like Rivera, who is extreme in almost every way possible, simply doesn’t rate properly if you use the same metrics used to measure other guys.”  It’s a great read, and it will be interesting to see if future research bears this concept out further.

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Discussion: Who Is The Yankees' MVP?

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 3:00 pm 6 Responses »
Aug 092010

As I did at this time last season, I wanted to get a feel for who Yankees fans see as the most important players on the team. I will briefly list the names I believe people will raise with a brief blurb as to their case, and will then turn the discussion over to you in the comments. The names listed are people that I have heard mentioned in the same sentence as the word MVP. Chime in with your rankings in the comments.

1) Robinson Cano: Depending on the source of your data, he is either first or second (to Josh Hamilton) in the AL in WAR. He has been fantastic at the plate all year, with few slumps sullying his record. His defense has been impressive as well, and I would not be surprised if he won a Gold Glove. I suspect Cano will top most of these lists, as he deserves consideration for AL MVP.

2) CC Sabathia: CC has been a rock in the rotation for the Yankees, giving them quality length every time he touches the hill. He has pitched into the 6th inning in all but one start, and had 14 wins and a 3.14 ERA to show for his efforts.

3) Nick Swisher: According to Fangraphs, Swisher is 12th among all AL position players in WAR. Much like Cano, he has been remarkably consistent this season, and has been a stabilizing force in a lineup that has had some key members struggle for much of the year.

4) Mariano Rivera: The man is simply absurd. .88 ERA, .61 WHIP, 6.0 SO/BB make for another transcendent season. I am starting to believe that he will never age.

5) Brett Gardner: Brett has slowed down of late, but is still among the top 20 AL position players in terms of WAR. He has been excellent defensively while showing an ability to reach base regularly.

Others: Andy Pettitte’s injury kept him off my list for now…..Mark Teixeira is the most likely player to find himself shooting up these ranking over the next few months…..Phil Hughes shows well in many of the advanced statistical categories, but his struggles over the last few months caused me to cut him from consideration.

What does your list look like?

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Remaking the Yankee bullpen

Posted by Steve S. at 6:00 am 20 Responses »
Jul 192010

Can Robertson emerge from the darkness to save the bullpen?

If there’s one area of concern on the 2010 Yankees it’s been the bullpen, despite yesterday’s fine effort. More specifically, the problem has been the bridge to Mariano Rivera, who at age 40 is remarkably having one of his best seasons. I’ll go through the issues one by one and then propose some changes, all internal and none of which involve a trade. I’m not big on giving up talent for relievers due to their volatile nature and the learning curve involved with how to use them. Might as well just go with internal options that you are more familiar with and see if they can do the job.

-Joba Chamberlain has been put on notice by Joe Girardi, but unless he starts dominating (ala  Joba 07) it’s hard to imagine him being able to doing anything to regain the trust of fans and his manager. We all know his peripherals have been good, but he’s been far too combustible in his current role. You can’t bring Mo in for 6 out Saves on nights when Joba doesn’t have it, so it’s best to either bury him in the bullpen or send him to AAA. I prefer the latter. There has long been whispers about Joba needing a wake up call, riding the buses in Scranton would certainly be that.

-Damaso Marte was placed on DL with a shoulder strain on Saturday, and Boone Logan was called up. Does that injury sound familiar? Yep, he had what was described as a mild shoulder strain in his first year with the Yankees, then again last year when he spent m0st of the season on the DL. It’s anyone’s guess how serious it is this time, but all we can say for certain that it is a recurring issue for him. Yanks are saying 2-3 weeks, don’t hold your breath.

-David Robertson is being discussed taking over Joba’s role as the primary setup man. While his overall numbers don’t look great, he’s been reliable since his ERA peaked at an ugly 14.21 early in the season. Since May 5th, over his last 22 outings he’s had a 2.70 ERA and has  SO 27 batters in 24.1 IP. Walks have been high, with 15 BB over that same time frame. But he’s always walked batters, it’s part of who he is. That doesn’t preclude him from being effective.

-Sergio Mitre is due to be activated from the DL, and is expected to join the team on Tuesday for the Angels series. I have to assume he takes Pettitte’s place and slots into his spot in the rotation with Andy on the shelf for 2-3 weeks minimum.

-Andy’s injury probably saved Chad Gaudin’s spot on the roster, who was one of the most likely candidates to be released when Mitre was activated. Chad has done little in his second go round with the Yanks, posting a 6.52 ERA this year. But looking at Gaudin’s game log he’s been better of late,  giving up just 4 ER over his last 13.1 IP. Despite this, I think the Yanks will want to give Dustin Moseley more of a chance and Gaudin remains the one on thin ice. Moseley has only pitched 6.0 innings for the team this year and could be useful as a Ramiro Mendoza-type who can either get you a ground ball or give you a few innings.

Now that we’ve laid it all out, I would do the following to remake the current bullpen:

-Release Chad Gaudin when Pettitte returns

-Release Chan Ho Park, call up Jon Albaladejo to take his place.

-Demote Joba to AAA call up Ivan Nova

The beauty of this is that the guys you’re calling up can’t be much worse than Park, Gaudin, or (in all honesty) Joba have been this year. If any of them pitches to an ERA below 6.00, it’s an upgrade. Of these 3 items, I fully expect the first two to happen. Demoting Joba would take some guts, and the Yanks may be swayed by his peripherals enough to stick with him. Assuming Joba pitches well in Scranton, he would be recalled when their season ends in early September (if not sooner) and could still contribute to the MLB club this year.

The Yankee bullpen would then be as follows:

Mariano Rivera (Closer)

David Robertson (Set up)

Damaso Marte/Boone Logan (LOOGY)

Sergio Mitre

Jon Albaladejo

Ivan Nova

Dustin Moseley (long man)

What do you think? What moves would you like to see the Yanks make?

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Grading the Yankees

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 3:00 pm 2 Responses »
Jul 162010

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.

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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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Swish, Cano, Mo and the All Star Game

Posted by Steve S. at 6:50 am 4 Responses »
Jul 082010

Any Yankee fan with an internet connection has been inundated with pleas to Send Swish to the All Star game. The Yankees official website is decorated with like a Christmas tree with Swisher icons, and just about every fan site or blog has done a post recently imploring its readers to vote Nick a ticket to Anaheim, including ours.

Meanwhile, the Yankee coaching staff seems to be doing everything possible to make a mockery of the event that the PR department seems so committed to with Nick. Batting Coach Kevin Long voiced his displeasure with Robinson Cano’s decision to participate in the Home Run Derby, fearing it would get him “fatigued”. Lo and behold, Robbie comes up with a “lower back injury” yesterday and pulls out of the event. This comes on the heels of Mariano Rivera pulling out of the ASG altogether, citing a rib cage injury among other various aches and pains. Curiously enough, the Yanks aren’t overly concerned with injuries to the only consistent reliever they have on their staff, and arguably the most important Yankee over the past 15 years. Injuries that are apparently so severe they’re preventing him from getting on a plane from Seattle to Anaheim (shorter flight than to New York) and pitching a single inning over a 4 day span.

This is certainly not unique to the Yanks. Aging stars have been pulling out of the All Star Game for years. Sluggers have been pulling out of the Home Run Derby on an annual basis. Of course, Bud Selig doesn’t like this, the ASG is a worldwide showcase of the sport and MLB wants it to have as much credibility as possible. That’s why Bud added the World Series home field advantage carrot to the festivities, to encourage the participants to take it more seriously, or at the very least show up. Bud has also been known to give an earful to teams that have encouraged players to pull out of the event. So now we have teams inventing injuries, as a way to avoid getting in trouble with Bud and keep their players out of events they don’t want them to participate in.

Can you make a mockery out of an exhibition? Baseball certainly seems to try its best.

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Matt's Halfway Point Reflection

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 3:00 pm 3 Responses »
Jul 072010

Yesterday, Steve posted his thoughts on the Yankee first half, so I thought I’d follow suit.

In general, the team has done very well. They’ve got the best record in baseball as of now and this comes despite some injuries and general inconsistency. Despite injuries to their Opening Day DH, Nick Johnson, and CF, Curtis Granderson (not to mention a 15 day DL stint by Jorge Posada), the Yankees feature one of the best offenses in all of baseball. This also comes with under performance from sluggers Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez (who’ve been hot of late). Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, and Brett Gardner have all hit very well, though, to make up for the slack from other players. Derek Jeter has struggled with consistency as well, but has also been hitting better lately. In terms of grading, I’d give the offense a A-. They’ve been inconsistent at times, but considering how many times they’ve had to miss player, they’ve done fantastically.

The starting rotation has been the most pleasant thing about this team. Though Javier Vazquez and A.J. Burnett struggled at different times, the other pitchers have been relatively consistent and when one has fallen, the others have picked him up. Phil Hughes has scuffled lately, but that’s to be expected from a young starter. Burnett had a solid start his last time out; Pettitte is pitching incredibly; CC is CC. All is right with the Yankee rotation. I give them a solid A.

The bullpen has been iffy at best, with only Mariano Rivera pitching well consistently. Damaso Marte has done well against lefties, too, but everyone else has been up and down. Like I mentioned in my post this morning, the Yankees could have help on the way in the person of Romulo Sanchez. Joba Chamberlain has been streaky, as has David Robertson. Sergio Mitre was pitching well before injury. Chad Gaudin has been ineffective and Chan Ho Park has been awful. I don’t think we’ll see those last two in pinstripes much longer. Bullpen grade? C.

Going forward, I think the Yankees could be scary good. If all the pitchers start clicking at the same time and the guys who can hit do the same, and the Yankees pull their usual second-half bullpen magic, this team could just steamroll others. With a team this good, I think we can be optimistic and say it’s more a matter if “when” they get rolling rather than “if” they get rolling. It’s been a fun 83 games thus far and I can’t wait for it to continue.

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