Feb
23

Girardi: Coke’s a reliever

By Mike Axisa

Even though the team told him to prepare for the season as a starter, Joe Girardi told PeteAbe today that the Yanks plan to use Phil Coke out of the bullpen. “He’s a guy we see being able to pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen. That’s how we’re going to try and develop him,” said the manager. Unlike Joba Chamberlain, who can legitimately go after hitters with four pitches, Coke’s bread-and-butter is a fastball-slider combo that plays up significantly out of the pen. His changeup is decent, but he doesn’t project to be anything more than a back-end starter, something the Yanks have plenty of in Triple-A. It’s good to see that the Yanks realizes he’s more than just a LOOGY.

Posted on Monday, February 23rd, 2009 at 1:30 pm in Asides.

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53 Comments »

J.R. says:

Completely the right move. He only has two pitches and they are better out of the pen. As for multiple inning appearances, we’ll have to see about that.

That is how they blow out Albie’s arm.

Heh, I was looking across the internets for information/speculation that it was the multiple innings that caused Albie’s stress fracture (since who really knows what causes one pitcher to get a stress fracture from doing the same thing that other, healthy pitchers do just fine)… and I came across this gem where our ol’ pal Steve Lombardi tries to gloat over Albie’s injury somehow justifying his inane fatalistic comments and he summarily gets taken to task by half of the RAB regulars (particularly Ben and Rafi).

http://waswatching.com/2008/06/13/albaladejo-done/

I laughed at that.

J.R. says:

Ok, it is speculation that it was multi-inning appearances that contributed to the stress fracture.

But you have to admit, pitching multiple innings out of the pen couldn’t have helped.

Mike A. says:

Didn’t he get rushed into a game or something like that? I could have sworn I remember hearing/reading something about Albaladejo not having enough time to warm up before he came into the game in which he got hurt…

 
 
Jamal G. says:

All I want is for people to agree that it’s OK to disagree with each other. I’m down with that. But, I don’t always feel that from some posters here…very often it’s “I disagree with Steve…therefore he’s wrong and he’s an idiot.”

Wish is was not so…but, I get that a lot. And, that’s not being very fair.

Hmm, I think that sentence in bold should read:

Steve is wrong and he’s an idiot… therefore I disagree with him.

LostOurHeads says:

Maybe we should all agree Steve’s an idiot.

 
 
 
 
Bryan V says:

I think Coke can be an effective reliever, and could be a good starter. But looking at team needs, this makes total sense. If it weren’t for Phil Hughes then I may be able to see them trying out Phil Coke as a starter. But with Phil around, and there to take a rotation spot with the big club if necessary (which I’m guessing an injury or two will happen), then having Coke as a starter could be a major waste.

Yup. Coke is easily a top-ten reliever for this organization. He’s not a top-ten starter (on the long-term depth chart, at least). Moving him to the pen gives him a much better chance of contributing.

He’d have to sit behind CC, AJ, Wang, Joba, Andy, Hughes, IPK, and Aceves; and at some point he’s bound to get passed by Betances, Brackman, Z-Mac, etc.

Chris C. says:

I wasn’t aware that this was something they were debating internally. I mean, they went and tossed 400 mill at their starting rotation, so I certainly wasn’t thinking that Phil Coke was going to be any part of it.
In fact, it would be kind of stupid if Coke spent the entire season starting games in triple A, after the kind of service he gave the pen last season.

Bo says:

Using the same logic, Joba should be in the pen too.

No, not at all it doesn’t. Please explain this statement, it doesn’t make sense.

steve (different one) says:

Joba is spending the entire season in AAA, didn’t you hear?

 
 
 
 
 
 
Jake H says:

I believe that this is a very good move. Makes the BP stronger. Plus the guy can go more then 1 inning so he isn’t just there to get lefties out.

 
pat says:

Teams are gonna dread facing us because like everybody on the pitching staff besides andy, geise and edwar brings the stinky cheese.
Colgate for the juggernaut? Aint that a biiiitch.

J.R. says:

I liked last year when they would pitch Edwar and then Chamberlin in succession. (I’m not saying put Joba in the pen though)

I mean talk about two completely different pitchers.

Mike Pop says:

Bruney/Vera and Edwar in succession fits your description.

J.R. says:

Yeah thats true. It was just awesome to see a guy floating in 70-80 mph changeups and then mid inning have Joba come in and flame in a 99 mph fastball.

And I don’t think you’d argue that Bruney or Vera have the same electric stuff that Joba did.

 
 
 
 
Januz says:

Having a 2nd lefty out there is huge (Particularly in the divison, Ortiz, Pena etc). What I really like about his team is the amount of depth on this team (Except center of course). One move I would really like would be Mark Grudzielanek, instead of Cody Ransom, but that is nit picking.

I’d like Grudz AND Cody Ransom, personally.

Mike Pop says:

Why both, who would you DFA to make room for Grudz?

Meh, perhaps Melky looks good enough in the spring to nail down the CF job and we can stash Gardner in AAA for a while. Or perhaps Gardner looks great and we find a trade partner for the Melk Man.

Mike Pop says:

Mhhmm, you see Chone’s projections for Melky? I’m not saying take them seriously but none of us are expecting him to put up those numbers at all.

 
Joseph P. says:

Stashing Brett in AAA doesn’t open up room on the 40-man for Grudz.

My bad, I was reading “How do we find room for Grudz on the 40-man?” and thinking “How does Grudz break camp with the active 25-man?”

I’d DFA Giese for Grudz. Aceves duplicates Giese, IMO.

 
Mike Pop says:

That’s what I thought.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Jacob says:

Makes me even more glad the Pirates decided they didn’t want him in the Tabata trade.

 
ryan says:

Mo
Bruney
veras
Coke
Marte
Melancon
Giese

Looks pretty nice

Mike Pop says:

I want to see Robertson in the pen.

ryan says:

yeah i like Robertson too.

Mike Pop says:

Ka-Blamo sucks. Not enough ironic satire.

I watch “I’m on a Boat” and laugh instantly at how smartly and effectively they make fun of rap video culture. I watch “Ka-Blamo” and think “These dumbasses might actually think they’re making real music.”

Mike Pop says:

I enjoyed it. I like Stork Patrol alot. They are doing it Wu-Tang style.

Mike Pop says:

I’m not saying “Ka-Blamo!” is better than “I’m on a Boat” because it definitely is not. I showed my brother “I’m on a Boat” and he didn’t think it was too funny. I was really dissapointed, I guess he didn’t understand the parody of all the rap videos now-a-days.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mike says:

Excuse me ignorance. LOOGIE = ….

Mike says:
Tom Zig says:
 
 
Mike A. says:

LOOGY = Lefty One Out GuY

Mike says:

It’s one of the two most important roles on the team, the other role being the more important ROOGY (Righty One-Out Guy), the role Joba will be taking. The only role that matters.

 
 
 
Jeremy says:

Heh, Wiki lists Damaso Marte as a LOOGY.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L.....pecialists

* Juan Agosto
* Rheal Cormier
* Tony Fossas
* Rick Honeycutt
* Ray King
* Craig Lefferts
* Dámaso Marté
* Mike Myers
* Jesse Orosco
* Scott Radinsky
* Dennys Reyes
* Arthur Rhodes
* Dan Schatzeder
* Brian Shouse
* Ed Vande Berg
* Jamie Walker
* Kelly Wunsch
* Steve Kline

Andy In Sunny Daytona says:

If Wiki says, so it must come to pass. No more righthanders for Damaso.

Mike Pop says:

Wiki has spoken, and so it shall be.

Andy, you should make a Melvin Croussett page on Wikipedia.

Andy In Sunny Daytona says:

Melvin “Asesino de Sueños” Croussett

or another nickname I have for him is
“Nueve Parcelas”

 
 
 
btour99 says:

What about Graham Lloyde(sp)??

Yeah, I thought that was a pretty glaring oversight at first, but then I looked up some B-R splits:

52.6% of Mike Myers career plate appearances against were against lefty batters. For Graeme Lloyd, the percentage is only 37.3% While we may have used him more like a LOOGY in his brief tenure here, the big Aussie pitched to (and retired) a good number of righties as well.

 
 
 
Chris says:

I thought he was the Love Guru… and Austin Powers

Bo says:

Good mention of the movie that just won Worst of the Year.

Heh.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBI.....index.html

But perhaps the biggest “winner” of the night was Uwe Boll. Recipient of the worst director award, the foundation also recognized his lifetime work with the worst career achievement award. Boll is the “worst living director on Earth,” Wilson told CNN.

Ouch, babe.

Mike Pop says:

I remember my girl wanted to go see The Love Guru but I was like no way, we seeing Zohan. Zohan was funny as hell, I don’t care if it was stupid. It was really hilarious.

 
 
 

I think it’s nice that in this decade the Yankees have employed both the voice of Shrek and a former Attorney General.

Mike A. says:

Don’t forget Billy Crystal.

 
 
 
 
 
Mike Pop says:

Speaking of managing teams, Rangers fired Renney.

 
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