Archive for June, 2009
Foley’s tabs O’Neill for Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame
Posted by: | CommentsAt the beginning of May, Foley’s, the excellent baseball-themed Irish pub, announced fan voting for its Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame, and I asked RAB readers to vote for Yankee Warrior™ Paul O’Neill. Earlier this week, Foley’s announced the winner, and O’Neill it is. The longtime Yankee right fielder and current announcer will be inducted into the Hall on Tuesday, July 7. Good stuff. Hopefully, we’ll do a RAB meet-up at Foley’s some time this summer.
Catcher ERA is a horrible stat
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to Ben’s breakdown of Jorge Posada’s CERA, the long-time Yankees backstop has completely forgotten how to handle a pitching staff. After residing in the mid-4s for most of his career, Posada’s CERA has jumped to 6.31 this season. This, of course, means that pitchers don’t like throwing to him and that the Yankees should DH Posada a lot more, because Posada and Cervelli is better than Posada and Matsui.
I’ll knock off the sarcasm there, though I still hold contempt for the idea that Jorge is suddenly a lot worse at handling a pitching staff than he has been in the past. Still think Jorge’s not a good catcher, based on his CERA? Give this BtB article by R.J. Anderson a quick read. He’s not even talking about Posada in this instance. Rather, he’s talking about the league-wide obsession with backup catchers.
Fans seem to fall in with reserve catchers. I don’t know why. I suspect it has to do with the mystique of being a defensive stalwart, one immeasurable by metrics known to man. Perhaps having to sit in the bullpen and warm pitchers up is something worthwhile. These guys are usually horrible hitters, the worst bats on the team that actually get paid to hit. Why? Because if they hit well, they would be playing.
So, you have a player on each team who has writers, fans, and television folk talking up his game calling abilities and whatnot because saying that his entire value comes from squatting for four hours a week isn’t something you take pride in. Eventually it melts in. People start looking for things that feed this confirmation bias of Johnny McBackstop being a human computer. It becomes mainstay knowledge, and now every team in the league needs one of these veteran catchers, good at absolutely nothing outside of history lessons.
He goes on to throw an enormous monkey wrench in the case of CERA, starting with the abstract — there are other factors like ballpark, the pitcher himself, and the defense behind him — and concluding with the concrete — Michael Barrett and Jason Varitek have comparable CERA numbers over their careers.
Jorge might not be the best game-caller. He might not handle a pitching staff the way other catchers do. Those points are up for debate. However, to use CERA in the argument does it no service. The stat simply doesn’t reflect what happens on the field.
Yankees not interested in Pedro
Posted by: | CommentsI think we can wrap up the ongoing saga of Pedro Martinez. According to GAKIII’s sources, the Yankees will be passing on Pedro. As previously reported, the Yankees were interested in using Pedro for depth if he would take a Minor League contract. Martinez though has stressed his desire for a Major League deal and a spot in a team’s rotation. These were clearly incongruous demands. Meanwhile, if no teams are interested in hiring the one-time flamethrower who now sits at 86-90 with his fastball, he says he will become a swimsuit model. That I would not love to see.
Ask Carmen Angelini a question
Posted by: | CommentsRobert Pimpsner at Baby Bombers is going to hold a little Q&A with Yankees’ prospect Carmen Angelini, and the fans will get a chance to get in on the action. If you want to submit a question, email it to Robert at rpimpsner (at) baby-bombers (dot) com. He’ll pick the ten best then sit down with Carmen, so make it count.
Finding a way to manage injuries
Posted by: | CommentsBaseball players are seemingly a stubborn lot. They like to play, and most of them outside of Carl Pavano will play through just about anything. Sore ankles, sore knees, sore arms, sore backs. If it ain’t broken, pencil ‘em in.
That’s great for a team’s character. After all, no one wants to see a bunch of multi-millionaires begging out of baseball games because they stubbed a toe or just flat-out don’t feel like playing. We’ll leave to the Stephon Marburys of the world. Meanwhile, as players recover from injuries — as they bring their bodies back from surgery and from rehab stints — they tend to push themselves hard. They want to be on the field; they want to be playing the games they love.
When Alex Rodriguez came off the DL in May, the Yankees had a plan. They would play A-Rod five or six days a week and rest him the other day. Maybe he would DH for some games; maybe he would get a full nine innings off, coming up only if the situation warranted pinch hitting with a player who owns 562 career home runs.
Somewhere along the line though the Yankees strayed from that plan. A-Rod hit a home run in his first at-bat, announcing his return in resounding fashion. He then blasted his wall through a stellar May before hitting a wall in June. Through it all, the Yankees never really rested Alex Rodriguez. Prior to last night, Alex Rodriguez started 38 straight Yankee games. He played third 36 times and DHed twice. The Yankees went 24-14.
In a way, the Yankees couldn’t bench A-Rod. Despite their recent slide, the team with A-Rod seemed as though they could maintain that 102-win pace over more than just 38 games. A-Rod and his surgically repaired labrum could not. Over his last 21 games, Alex has hit just .176/.337/.297 with two home runs and three doubles. In a key moment on Wednesday night, in fact, Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi didn’t feel comfortable sending Rodriguez in what I thought was an obvious steal situation.
Yesterday, citing fatigue, the Yankees finally mercifully rested a man they need to keep healthy for the better part of the next 8.5 seasons. While I take issue with Mark Feinsand’s charge that the Yanks “yanked” A-Rod from the lineup as though he was being punished, the quotes the Daily News scribe heard are telling.
“We just feel that he’s fatigued and that he could use a little blow,” Girardi said to Feinsand. “We talked about giving him one day off and we were thinking about doing it tomorrow, but after we slept on it, talked about it and discussed it, we’re going to give him two days off.”
“Overall, any time you’re tired, it may affect your game. But that’s definitely not an excuse,” A-Rod added. “The most important thing in this process of having surgery is that I have to maintain good communication and be very honest with Joe so we can have a plan in place. It’s a long season.”
I don’t know what goes on behind the closed doors of the Yankee clubhouse and training room, but to me, these days off were long overdue. In early March, A-Rod underwent a pretty major surgical procedure. Two months later, he was playing nine-inning games in the field everyday for nearly seven weeks. That makes me raise an eyebrow.
Earlier this week, Brian Cashman expressed his displeasure with his players’ unwillingness to come forward with injury concerns. Most notable has been Damaso Marte‘s extended absence. He may even need to undergo an exploratory procedure just to find out what the main problem is. Yet, this is a path that runs both ways. The Yankees should make sure they’re doing all they can to keep their players who aren’t 100 percent functioning well. No more fatigue-related benchings.
Staten Island starts season with a loss
Posted by: | CommentsWilkins DeLaRosa has been placed on the DL, not sure why.
Pat Venditte is picking up some helium on this week’s Prospect Hot Sheet.
Triple-A Scranton (4-3 win over Indianapolis)
Kevin Russo: 2 for 4, 1 R, 1 2B
Austin Jackson & Shelley Duncan: both 0 for 4, 2 K
Cody Ransom, Eric Duncan & John Rodriguez: all 1 for 3 – Ransom drew a walk, drove in a run, cross the plate & committed a fielding error … J-Rod doubled, drove in three & walked
Juan Miranda & Justin Leone: both 0 for 3 – Miranda drew a walk & scored a run … Leone K’ed twice
Kevin Cash: 0 for 2, 1 R, 1 BB
Sergio Mitre: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HB, 12-4 GB/FB – 52 of 83 pitches were strikes (62.7%) … the GB/FB ratio is a good sign for the sinkerballer
Edwar Ramirez: 2 IP, zeroes, 4 K, 0-2 GB/FB – 19 of 30 pitches were strikes (63.3%) … vintage Edwar
Jon Albaladejo: 1 IP, zeroes, 1 K, 2-0 GB/FB - 8 of 14 pitches were strikes (57.1%)
Game 67: No A-Rod and no DH
Posted by: | CommentsBecause the Yankees play at Dolphin Stadium tonight, they will have no designated hitter, which takes Hideki Matsui out of the lineup. Ok, that’s manageable. However, when word came down that Alex Rodriguez would get the next two days off (presumably to play Sunday and then get another day off on Monday), the lineup didn’t seem as manageable. Seem is the key word here, though.
Despite A-Rod‘s absence, the lineup is still an imposing one. Sure, a number of the guys are slumping, but that happens in baseball. These guys could break out of it any time, and if they do tonight they’ll be just fine. A few characteristic hits tonight could bring the Yanks to a W.
They’ll try to do it against lefty Sean West. I always check out Baseball-Reference to get a gauge of the starters the Yanks face each night. In this case I was met with a surprise before I even got to West’s stats. He’s listed as 6’8″, 200 pounds. Duuude. That’s one lanky kid. Checking some images of him he neither looks that tall nor that thin. I guess we’ll get a better look tonight.
West has made five starts in his rookie season, registering 30 innings, so a round six innings per outing. He was a strikeout guy in the minors, though that was in the lower levels. Surprisingly, West has made only eight starts above A-ball, and those came this year in AA. He struck out 50 in 42.2 innings there, though has notched just 15 in his 30 MLB innings. His problem, both in the minors and at the major league level this year, is that he walks way too many guys. This problem became more pronounced after he missed the 2007 season with a torn labrum.
Of his five starts, two have been brilliant. These include a seven-inning, one-run performance against the Mets on May 29, and an eight-inning, no-run outing (with six strikeouts) against the Giants on June 8. In his last outing the Blue Jays pasted him for four runs in 5.2 innings. He threw just 51 of his 98 pitches for strikes. The Yanks could sure use some of that tonight. We’ve seen enough of their faltering in the past few games against pitchers they’ve yet to see.
Andy Pettitte has another go at it after a few suspect outings. Thankfully for him he’ll be facing a Marlins lineup which features only two guys with an OPS over .800 — Hanley Ramirez and Ronny Paulino, the latter of which is on quite the tear to open the season. His .480 SLG is roughly .100 better than any of his full seasons.
For those who don’t like Joe Girardi, thank the baseball gods that you’re not a Marlins fan. Fredi Gonzalez is batting Wes Helms second. Wes Helms has a .603 OPS. Meanwhile, Cody Ross, who is tearing the cover off the ball with 10 homers and 18 doubles, both second on the team to Hanley Ramirez, is hitting eighth. Jeremy Hermida, who is second on the team in OBP (again, to Hanley), is hitting seventh. Paulino, the guy on a tear, is hitting sixth.
Lineup:
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Johnny Damon, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Jorge Posada, C
5. Robinson Cano, 2B
6. Nick Swisher, RF
7. Melky Cabrera, CF
8. Angel Berroa, 3B
9. Andy Pettitte, P
The economy, the new Stadium and the 161st St. businesses
Posted by: | CommentsWhen the new Yankee Stadium opened, two aspects of it had an immediate economic impact on the surrounding neighborhood. First, the stadium’s smaller capacity meant that fewer fans, and thus fewer shoppers, would be hanging around the area surrounding the stadium. Second, the move across the street and subsequent reworking of subway entrance patterns would shift foot traffic from meanderings along the commercial strip on River Ave. to a funnel to the new stadium. Meanwhile, with the economy doing poorly and stadium ticket prices up, the Yankees, while still leading the league in home attendance, are averaging 9000 fewer fans per game this year than last.
Today, WNYC’s Elaine Rivera interviewed some of the 161st St. merchants. As expected, they aren’t, for the most part, doing as well as they had been in the past. Some resent the new stadium with its improved amenities and more attractive dining options. Others feel that they’ll be fine once the economy picks up. Others are concerned about the impact of new zoning laws. It’s an interesting story about the impact a new stadium can have on a neighborhood fans often overlook on the way to and from the games.
Offense letting down Yanks, too
Posted by: | CommentsAs discussed earlier, the Yanks’ starting pitching hasn’t been as good in June as they were in May. Unfortunately, the offense has been similarly disappointing. They’ve seen sizable drops in batting average and slugging percentage, predictably leading to a drop in runs per game. With the pitching malfunctioning, the Yanks have been in a tough spot all month.
(The actual drop in runs scored per game isn’t all that pronounced — about a quarter run per game. However, that’s propped up by the killing they laid on the Mets last Sunday. If they had scored five runs instead of 15 that game their runs/game would be below five in June. This is why we need to look deeper than runs per game.)
As is usually the culprit in a case of an underperforming offense, the Yanks’ team BABIP has taken a dive in June. After posting BABIPs of .302 and .298 in April and May, resulting in batting averages of .281 and .282, the Yanks have stumbled to .246 in June. The team batting average has gone along with it, settling at .245 after Thursday’s embarrassment. That explains a lot. The Yankees, it appears, have hit one of those stretches where almost no one is hitting the ball hard.
What the Yankees have done well despite it all is to continue to get on base, and continue to hit the ball hard. Their team OBP stands at .344, just .005 lower than May. They’ve also seen 4 pitches per plate appearance, higher than their marks in April and May. So while they’re not hitting the ball as well, they’re still making outs at about the same rate. They’re not scoring runs, of course, because while walks will avoid outs, it takes hits to get guys home. The Yankees just haven’t done that in June. Given the low BABIP, though, we can expect that to correct itself soon enough.
One might see the Yanks’ slugging percentage in June, .435, and note that it’s far lower than April, .473, and May, .497. However, it’s not as bad as it looks. Slugging percentage is based on batting average, so if a team is getting fewer hits in general they’re going to see a drop in SLG. It appears, though, that the Yankees are simply hitting fewer singles in June. The team’s isolated power — subtracting out the singles to get a hold of true power numbers — is .190 in June. It was .215 in May and .192 in April (and the .215 ISO is in part because A-Rod and Tex went nuts with the homers that month, and that wasn’t likely to continue). So they’re still hitting the ball hard. They’re just not getting hits as frequently.
If all this doesn’t spell s-l-u-m-p, I don’t know what does. These kinds of things happen over the course of a baseball season. It can’t continue much longer and it’s not something to get too worked up over. The worst part of it is the timing. The hitters seemingly went in the tank during the Sox series, and that carried a bit, (hopefully) peaking during a series against the worst team in the league. It’ll get better, and soon (as in, sometime during the nine game road trip). That much I guarantee. The hits will come more frequently, and once they do everything else is in place. They’re still patient, and they’re still hitting the ball hard when they do hit it. They’re just not hitting it hard as frequently. Again, these types of things have a way of working themselves out.
While the conclusion is that the offense will soon be back to normal, that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a good share of goats. Let’s look at some of the underperformers.
Jorge Posada: .227/.320/.455
Yeah, that’s a horrible BA, but it’s almost all due to a — get this — .212 BABIP. Seriously. Jorge’s ISO-D is still at .093, and his ISO-P is .228. Once those singles start dropping, he’ll be back on a roll.
Johnny Damon: .214/.302/.455
Johnny’s BABIP is even worse at .195. He did have that eye issue, though that might not be as big a part of this as a mere slump. His ISO-D is .088, which is around where it was in April and better than it was in May, and ISO-P is .286, which is by far his best. Again, once the singles start dropping…
Melky Cabrera: .192/.271/.308
Batting average dropped from .327 in April and .321 in May to .192 in June. Is it the Melky slide? Nah. His BABIP dropped from .356 in May to .209 in June. I suspect the real Melky is somewhere in the middle. Hopefully that’s what we’ll see going forward.
Hideki Matsui: .200/.333/.422
Matsui’s BABIP has fallen consistently since April: .315, .246, .182. Unsurprisingly, his BA has fallen along with it. Will Matsui be that .290/.370/.450 guy we’d hoped for? Probably not. However, indications are that he can do a bit better than he has in June.
Alex Rodriguez: .145/.309/.291
This is the toughest case, because there’s always the lingering concern about his hip injury. His power has been greatly sapped, too, as he has just four extra base hits in 55 AB this month. He does only have seven hits total, though, so when he does hit it he hits it hard. He’s a much, much bigger concern than the above four guys.
Just 21 days 'til pitchers and catchers report.
