Archive for November, 2009
Open Thread: A night with Joba
Posted by: | CommentsNo, not like that you pervs. This is actually for a good cause.
Camp Acorn is a summer/winter social and recreational program for children and young adults with multiple disabilities. They offer a therapeutic and instructional program that develops fine motor, gross motor and transitional skills, all while building confidence and self esteem skills. All activities are adapted to the individual needs of each camper. You can find out more about the program at it’s website.
Next Monday, Camp Acorn is hosting a kickoff dinner to begin the camp’s capital fundraising effort and raise awareness about the camp’s programs and the population it serves. Those who attend will get a chance to meet Joba Chamberlain, as well as other athletes. Here’s the details:
- Date: November 16, 2009
- Time: 6:30 – 9:30 PM
- Location: The Venetian, 546 River Dr., Garfield, NJ 07026
- Ticket Price: $175/ticket, $1,400/table (table of ten)
- Attire: Business Casual
Yeah, it’s a little pricey, but it’s for a great cause. If you’re interested, head on over to the website to register for a spot. Seats are limited.
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Here’s your open thread for the evening. We’ve actually got a pretty decent MNF game, as the Steelers are in Denver to take on one-loss Broncos. The Knicks are in action too, and there’s also a new episode of House. Talk about whatever you want, just be cool to each other.
After the World Series, mixing baseball with politics
Posted by: | CommentsRarely do we mix baseball with politics around here. We all have varying opinions on the political landscape, and we use River Ave. Blues to argue over Joba Chamberlain and his role on the pitching staff, not health care and the debate over a public option. Trust me; it’s just better that way.
Sometimes, though, the political stories involve baseball, and winning the World Series certainly brings out some amusing baseball stories from the political realm. So as your work day draws to a close, we’ll just jump right in with one the more amusing pieces The Times has run in a while. Yesterday’s Week in Review section featured a Yankee-related Op-Ed from former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.
Fleischer has been a long-time George W. Bush confidante and is close friends with the former president. Still, he knows who’s responsible for the Yanks’ World Series drought:
It is hard to find a bigger admirer of President George W. Bush than me. I support his policies; I believe in him; he’s a really good guy to be around; and he throws a mean fastball. As his press secretary, I stood by him through thick and thin. But recent events require me to speak out about my former boss: For eight long years, President Bush put a curse on my New York Yankees.
It’s not lost on me, as a lifelong Yankee fan, that the Bronx Bombers won the World Series four times during Bill Clinton’s presidency, the last time in 2000. On Wednesday, they won it again — in the first year of Barack Obama’s administration. Yankee success bookended the Bush presidency and that presents a problem for fans like me.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was standing in the Oval Office when the president secretly put his curse on my team. The 2000 champions paid a celebratory visit to the White House in May 2001. President Bush gathered the players in the Oval Office and was telling them what role models they were when George Steinbrenner, the team owner, suddenly tried to talk over him. “George,” Mr. Bush interjected, “not even the Boss gets to interrupt the president.”
The Boss tried to talk over the President, and the Baseball Gods did not smile upon the Yankees. Or maybe the Baseball Gods didn’t look kindly upon President Bush’s silencing of the Boss. Either way, as Fleischer wrote, “For eight straight years — all of which perfectly coincided with his time in office — the Yankees didn’t win.”
Fleischer notes that the previous eight Yankee World Series wins have come under Democratic presidents and wonders what a G.O.P. Yankee fans is to do. “If you’re a Democrat who wants the Yankees to lose — like the Boston Red Sox president, Larry Lucchino — you need to start voting Republican,” he said. “And if you’re a Yankee fan like me, well, I just can’t bear to say it … ”
Fleischer’s Op-Ed comes on the heels of a House vote on H.Res. 893, congratulating the Yankees on winning the World Series. Usually, these ceremonial bills pass the House with little debate and most are unanimous. Not this one though for baseball brings out the partisan debates like no other.
As you can see from the above map and this roll call list, not everyone in the House voted to congratulate the Yankees. It passed with a vote of 386 for, 17 against, 11 present and 19 non-votes. The nays were a nice mix of Democrats and Republicans from anti-Yankee districts. A few Phillies fans objected; a few Red Sox fans voted no; some Yankee haters couldn’t stomach the bill; and one guy voted against it because the Yankees, well, “just they’re not the Padres.”
“I’m usually rational but when it comes to the Yankees, I take a hard-line position. For those of us in Red Sox nation, it was a sad, sad day,” Bill Delanhunt, a Massachusetts rep, said. “It tells you something about the corrosive nature of money in sports and politics.”
Even Mets fans from the New York delegation to the House who supported the bill heard from their colleagues while 2013 mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner voted for the resolution but did not support it. All in a day’s work for the House.
Just a friendly reminder to play nice in the comments…
Matsui noticeably absent from Elias Rankings
Posted by: | CommentsElias Sports Bureau’s free agent rankings were released earlier this afternoon, and they contain a few surprises. Despite numerous projections placing him firmly in the Type B bracket, Yanks’ DH Hideki Matsui is an unranked free agent. Although Matsui missed much of 2008 with injuries, he rebounded to have a stellar 2009 regular season campaign, and over the last two years — the period considered by the rankings — he hit .282/.368/.473 with 37 home runs and 135 RBI. Meanwhile, Xavier Nady, who played in just seven games this year, is a Type B free agent.
In unsurprising news, Johnny Damon is a Type A free agent, and Pettitte is a Type B. As Joe wrote earlier, the Yanks will most likely resign Pettitte for 2010. The remaining Yankee free agents — Eric Hinske, Jerry Hairston and Jose Molina — are also unranked.
What Went Right: The seventh inning on
Posted by: | CommentsOver the next week or so, we’ll again break down what went wrong and what went right for the Yankees. The series this year will be much more enjoyable than last.
Swisher celebrates one of the Yankees’ 15 walk-off wins. Photo: David Pokress
Against the 2009 Yankees, no lead was safe. Teams with four or five run leads heading into the seventh inning still had to beware. The slightest slip-up could lead to yet another Yankee comeback. Many teams fell victim to the Yankees late-innings machine, notably the 11 teams that lost to the Yankees in their final at-bat (with apologies to the Twins and Jays, who ran into the walk-off buzzsaw three times each). Those 15 wins made a huge difference in the Yankees season.
The Yankees led the AL in runs scored, OBP, SLG, and were just .002 behind the Angels in BA. From the seventh inning on, they led all these categories by a wide margin. Their 336 runs topped the next closest team, the Angels, by 48. They also led in all of the triple slash categories: .009 in BA, .020 in OBP, and .079 in SLG. That last stat owes much to home runs, which the Yanks led with 92. The next closest team, the Rays, had just 63.
Offensively, there was no team better than the Yankees from the seventh inning on. Yet for the team to enjoy those come from behind victories they also needed some key pitching performances. Without a shutdown bullpen to hold the other team in place, not even the Yankees’ late-innings offense can win that many games. To that end, the Yankees pitchers did their job, holding opponents to a .303 OBP from inning seven on, second to only the A’s at .302. They were also second best in slugging, .368, and tops in batting average against, .225. Unsurprisingly, they also struck out more batters than any other teams from innings seven on.
Let’s take a look at the individuals who were part of this incredibly run and how they contributed to wins with late-inning performances.
Derek Jeter: .341/.426/.512
Jeter had a stellar season at the plate, thriving in the leadoff slot. One of the highlights of the summer was watching Jeter slap the first pitch of the game into the shallow outfield for a base hit (or, in the case of Josh Beckett, over the fence for a homer). Yet Jeter saved his best performances for late in the game. Of his 18 home runs, eight came after the sixth inning. He also walked 24 times to 27 strikeouts, and stole five bases without being caught. When a comeback was in the works, Jeter was leading the charge.
Robinson Cano: .335/.371/.510
The knock on Cano in 2009 was his dearth of production with runners in scoring position. This naturally led to a narrative that painted Cano as a poor clutch performer. Yet in the later innings, when the Yanks mounted comebacks, Cano was at his best. His 105 total bases from the seventh inning on were second best on the team to Mark Teixeira. He also had two walk-off hits. While none of this erases Cano’s struggles with runners in scoring position, it helps dispel the idea that he can’t hit in the clutch. When the Yanks needed production late in the game, Cano was right there.
Brett Gardner: .330/.408/.527
Gardner hit just three home runs in 2009, and two came after the sixth inning. One of them was integral in a comeback against the Twins, an inside-the-park home run that got a quiet crowd on its feet. Gardner didn’t come to the plate as frequently as others on the team, but when he did, he produced.
Johnny Damon: .304/.401/.553
Early in the season, it seemed like Damon was coming up big all the time. Even when the Yanks eventually lost he provided some late-innings heroics. Ten of his 24 homers came in late innings situations, including his walk-off shot against the Twins. Damon also displayed excellent patience in the late innings, striking out just 26 times to 25 walks.
Hideki Matsui: .302/.403/.597
Early in the season Hideki struggled, but when the games moved into the later innings he thrived. He was one of three Yankees with an OPS over 1.000 from the seventh inning on. Nearly half of his 28 home runs came in that span as well (13 of 28). When we think of late-inning performances, it’s easy to think of A-Rod and his walk-off homers or Melky and his heroics, but Matsui was a huge part of the team’s success in that regard. His performance in the late innings might have been underrated.
Melky Cabrera: .298/.370/.427
If Melky could hit in innings one through six like he did from inning seven on, he’d be a major asset for the Yankees. I do think, after watching him improve in the 2009 season, that he can be that, though that’s a topic for another post. Melky had his share of walk-off moments, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. He hit his best in the late innings, and that helped the Yankees achieve a number of come from behind victories.
Alex Rodriguez: .297/.428/.633
I can’t count how many times I sarcastically yelled “unclutch!” when A-Rod came up with a big hit in 2009. His two walk-off home runs only begin to tell the story of how he came up big in the late innings. Two of his biggest hits of the year, in fact, don’t show up on the walk-off highlight reels. His game-tying home run off Brad Lidge set up a Melky Cabrera walk-off. My favorite A-Rod hit, though, came in June against the Red Sox. Down 2-1 in the eighth, A-Rod smacked a double to put the Yankees ahead. They eventually lost the game, but that hit was just huge.
Mark Teixeira: .282/.376/.630
The 3-4-5 combination of Tex, A-Rod, and Matsui dominated the late innings. They all had OPSs above 1.000, and each hit at least 13 home runs in those situations. Teixeira led the way with 16, and also smacked 13 late-innings doubles. His 114 total bases led the team.
Jorge Posada: .254/.364/.468
Jorge didn’t put up the best numbers in the late innings, but that’s only compared to his teammates. In isolation, his hitting from the seventh inning on was pretty good, and he had two walk-off hits to show for it. His walk-off single against the Blue Jays on July 4th weekend prompted one of my favorite questions to Girardi this season, courtesy of Kim Jones. “So Joe, how’d you like the single by Jorge?” I only wish Girardi had answered, “Hated it, Kim. I wanted this one to go at least 16.”
Nick Swisher: .240/.358/.485
Thinking back on the Yankees late-innings dramatics, I don’t remember much of Swisher. His walk-off homer against Tampa was memorable because it was his first walk-off win of the year. But he also had a big homer to tie the game against the White Sox. Swish hit better earlier in the game, though he still had 83 total bases in innings seven on, more than Jorge, A-Rod, and Melky, and just behind Damon and Jeter.
In celebration of the Yankees late-innings performances, we have this:
Pettitte could be back for 2010
Posted by: | CommentsLet’s hope Jon Heyman isn’t teasing us with this update. He says that Andy Pettitte has told teammates that he’d like to come back for another year. Given the old saying that you can never have enough starting pitching, the Yanks should be amicable to a reunion. That gives the Yankees some depth and flexibility, allowing them to set their starting five right away (CC, Burnett, Pettitte, Hughes, Chamberlain). They can then attempt to bring back Chien-Ming Wang, knowing that by July there will likely be a rotation opening. There were questions about bringing back Pettitte after last season, but after 2009 I think it’s a pretty easy decision. Bring back Pettitte.
Rotation depth and Joba’s 2010 role
Posted by: | CommentsFor Joba Chamberlain‘s future development, his 2009 postseason work out of the bullpen — after staying healthy making 31 starts during the regular season — may just have been one of his biggest steps yet. Despite this October success though and despite his season-long presence in the rotation this year, nothing is guaranteed for Joba in 2010.
Joba Chamberlain had two distinct segments to his 2009 campaign. For the first three months — and not coincidentally, through his first 110.2 innings — he was masterful. After 20 starts, Joba was 7-2 with a 3.58 ERA. Although he was walking around 4.1 per 9 innings, his strike out rate was hovering around 7.88 per 9 IP.
After reaching his career innings high, though, Chamberlain’s effectiveness fell off the table. As the Yankees tried to manage Joba’s innings, they tried skipping his start just once and then put him through a limited form of Spring Training during which they attempted to build up his innings per start in preparation for the postseason. By the time Joba was back at 100 pitches, though, the Yankees had decided to stick with a three-man October rotation.
The numbers are ugly. Through August and September, Joba went 2-4 with a 7.52 ERA in 46.2 innings. He walked 26 and struck out 36 while opponents hit .316/.397/.515 against him. In July, before Joba struggled, we wondered if the Yanks should have allowed him more time in the minors, and later on, we learned that the Yankee braintrust wanted to send him down. They didn’t feel as though they had the pitching depth to do so.
Heading into 2010, though, as Joel Sherman writes today, the Yankees are preparing for more Major League-level pitching depth. The team will have CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett fronting the rotation and expects to sign Andy Pettitte for at least one more season. Sherman adds more:
The Yankees? current intentions are to have Chamberlain and Hughes show up in spring training ready to start. They also may ask [Alfredo] Aceves to come prepared to be stretched out. [Ian] Kennedy also is expected to be ready in full, and the Yankees think farmhands Ivan Nova and Zach McAllister are close to major league ready.
In addition, I have been told the Yankees almost certainly will pick up the $1.25 million option on Sergio Mitre and tender a contract to Gaudin, who is not a free agent until after the 2011 season.
None of this news is too ground-breaking, but it gives the Yankees options. More starting pitchers will give the Yanks the flexibility to work with Joba as he matures and grows into a starting pitcher who will throw in the upper 90s as he did out of the pen in the playoffs while attacking the zone. More starters will allow the team to develop Phil Hughes into a confident hurler who can use that great curveball and mid-to-upper 90s fastball to keep hitters guessing.
Right now, Mitre and Gaudin are hardly going to calm the nerves of Yankee fans. The two of them are back-end starters at best, and even though the Yanks, as Sherman reports, believe they have helped Gaudin improve his delivery to generate more downward motion, the team knows what to expect. Perhaps the Yanks will look at John Lackey; perhaps they’ll kick the tires on a Randy Wolf type.
For now, though, the team is content with what they have. After all, this rotation just delivered a World Series championship, and Joba and Phil will only get better. If they don’t, we know the two can excel in the bullpen. But until they fail, they’ll get every opportunity to succeed, and pitching depth simply gives the Yanks a chance to develop them properly without being held hostage at the Major League level. If Joba needs to get sent down next year, if the Yanks’ coaches need to have another sit-down with him next season to refocus him, that depth will allow them to do so. As Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay show, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to the young starter.
Transitioning to the off-season is a bit tougher this time
Posted by: | CommentsAt this time last year, we were in full hot stove mode. The Yankees had been home for over a month, and we’d already looked at what went wrong and what went right in the 2008 season. October was a time of reflection instead of excitement, so by the time the GM meetings rolled around we were ready to discuss all topics hot stove, from CC Sabathia to Jake Peavy, from Mark Teixeira to Nick Swisher.
This time around it’s a bit different. We’re still going to reflect on the 2009 season, but it’s coming a bit later than last year. That makes it tough to move on to the hot stove issues that face the Yankees. Yet baseball is moving on. The 30 general managers and their staffs are in Chicago this week for the GM Meetings, the first step in a long off-season. Then we’ll move on to the free agent signing period and eventually the Winter Meetings in December. Before we know it, we’ll be caught in the vortex of the hot stove.
Mike noted the important off-season dates yesterday, but nowhere on there is there a dedicated slot for memorializing the World Series champs. That’s an important part of this process. We went through a lot with the 2009 Yankees, and before we get into what the 2010 Yankees will look like, I’d like to take some time to look back on the season. So while at this time last year we were talking about Matt Holliday’s trade chances and the Peavy/Santana parallels, this year I want to talk about leadoff hits and whipped cream pies.
That’s not to say that we’re not going to talk about the fates of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, Andy Pettitte and Jose Molina. We’ll get to those topics, and we’ll tackle them with veracity. Hell, we’ll probably get to some of those off-season topics today (hint hint). It’s just going to be a bit different than last year. Before we get to the fates of Damon and Matsui, let’s remember what they meant to this championship team.
Fan Confidence Poll: November 9th, 2009
Posted by: | CommentsRecord Last Week: 1-1 (13 RS, 11 RA)
Season Record: 103-59 (915 RS, 753 RA), won AL East by 8 games, finished with the best record in MLB by 6 games, won 27th World Series
Top stories from last week:
- With a chance to wrap up the Fall Classic, the Yanks lost Game Five after AJ Burnett imploded even though his track record on short rest was good. Despite the fact that their gameplan backfired, fans remained optimistic.
- Prior to Game Six, it was officially announced (to no one’s surprise) that Andy Pettitte would get the ball on short rest. The team also announced that Burnett would be available out of the bullpen if need be. Ramiro Pena replaced the injured Melky Cabrera on the roster.
- Despite all the concerns about Pettitte starting on three days’ rest, the Yankees took Game Six thanks to the amazing Hideki Matsui. The win gave them the franchise’s 27th World Championship, the first time a team won the World Series with a 35-yr old shortstop in over 50 years.
- It turns out that Mariano Rivera was nursing an injury the whole time. Brian Cashman also made sure to thank everyone behind the scenes. The parade was amazing, as you’d expect.
- World Series ratings jumped 42% from last year.
- We had some very light rumors at the end of the week, and most expect to see Pettitte back in pinstripes next year. Hideki Matsui, on the other hand, ruled out a return to Japan. Bobby Abreu re-signed with the Angels, setting the market for Johnny Damon. Jon Heyman mentioned that the Yanks may be willing to go two years for Johnny.
- Chien-Ming Wang will visit Dr. Andrews today to see how his surgically repaired right shoulder is progressing.
- RAB readers voted Damon’s double steal in Game Four their favorite moment of the postseason, aside from winning the whole thing, of course.
- Derek Jeter might be getting a bridge named after him, which is cool.
Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.
Fall ballin’
Posted by: | CommentsNow that the playoffs are over, we can get back on a regular DotF schedule. Here’s a recap of everything we’ve missed.
AzFL Surprise (11-1 loss to Mesa on Friday)
Colin Curtis: 0 for 4, 2 K – he had more walks than strikeouts prior to this game
Zach Kroenke: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 3-2 GB/FB – 21 of 36 pitches were strikes (58.3%) … PitchFX had him at 89.84-91.5 with the fastball, which is a good mile or two an hour faster than we’d seen him lately
Grant Duff: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1-1 GB/FB – 9 of 13 pitches were strikes (69.2%) … PFX had him at 93.3-96.3 with the heat
AzFL Rising Stars Showcase (West beat the East 8-7 on Saturday) the east squad had a 7-0 lead with two outs in the first, and they blew it
Mike Dunn: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1-0 GB/FB – 11 of 14 pitches were strikes (78.6%) … he actually picked up the win in this game … PFX clocked him at 95.27-95.8, so he was bringing the heat
And now for your weekly winter ball updates…
Dominican Winter League
Abe Almonte: 4 G, 0 for 3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB
Juan Miranda: 1 G, 2 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K – maybe he takes Hinske’s spot next year
Wilkins Arias: 10 G, 8 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Ivan Nova: 4 G, 3 GS, 18 IP, 12 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 13 K – he’ll be among the first callups next year
Jon Ortiz: 5 IP, 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Jose Valdez: 7 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Mexican Pacific League
Walt Ibarra: 15 G, 10 for 29 (.345), 7 R, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K, 1 SB
Humberto Sanchez: 3 G, 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Venezuelan Winter League
Reegie Corona: 13 G, 9 for 29 (.310), 7 R, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Edwar Gonzalez: 17 G, 14 for 52 (.269), 7 R, 2 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 10 K, 3 SB, 1 CS
Carlos Mendoza: 3 G, 0 for 3, 3 K – well, that’s not very good, now is it?
Jesus Montero: 9 G, 3 for 26 (.115), 2 R, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Luis Nunez: 10 G, 8 for 31 (.258), 1 2B, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
Marcos Vechionacci: 9 G, 6 for 16 (.375), 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 CS
Romulo Sanchez: 11 G, 12.1 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 8 BB, 5 K – too many walks
Josh Schmidt: 7 G, 5 GS, 23.1 IP, 22 H, 17 R, 12 ER, 8 BB, 20 K – after a great start, things went south for him in a hurry
Pat Venditte: 7 G, 9.1 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
Eric Wordekemper: 1 GS, 3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
The Puerto Rican League season starts on Thursday, though the rosters still haven’t been posted yet.
Open Thread: Important Offseason Dates
Posted by: | CommentsNow that we’ve all recovered from the madness of the last five days (somewhat), let’s take a second to look ahead to the offseason. Here’s a roundup of the important dates you need to know about for the winter.
- November 9th-11th: GM Meetings in Chicago. Definitely not as exciting as the Winter Meetings, though you may see a deal or two get done.
- November 20th: Players who filed for free agency officially hit the open market. Prior to this date, they are only able to negotiate with their current team.
- December 1st: Last day for teams to offer their free agents arbitration. Any Type-A or Type-B free agents that sign with a new team before their old team offered arbitration do bring back compensation draft picks.
- December 7th-10th: Winter Meetings in Indianapolis. Total chaos.
- December 10th: Rule 5 Draft. Last year, players had to be added to the 40-man roster on November 20th to avoid being eligible, but I’m not sure what that date is this season.
- December 12th: Last day for teams to tender contracts to unsigned players, a.k.a. no-tender day. Could easily be Brian Bruney’s last day as a Yankee.
- January 5th-15th: Salary arbitration filing period.
- January 19th: Teams and players exchange salary figures for arbitration.
- February 1st-21st: Arbitration hearings.
- March 2nd-11th: Teams can renew the contracts of pre-arbitration eligible players (0-3 years of service time) if they have not yet accepted an offer. Teams can renew players for pretty much any salary they want, though most teams (Yankees included) have a scale they use that bases a player’s salary on service time.
- March 17th: Last day to put a player on unconditional release waivers and pay only 30 days of termination pay. After this date, teams must pay 45 days worth of termination pay.
- March 31st: Last day to put a player on unconditional release waivers and pay only 45 days of termination pay. After this date, teams must pay the player their full 2010 salary.
- April 4th: Opening Day, rosters must be cut down to 25 players.
So that’s that. Now if you have any questions about when a team has to offer a player arbitration or anything like that, you can always refer back to this post.
Anyway, use this as your open thread for the night. The Cowboys and Eagles are your late game, and there’s also some new episodes of Family Guy and American Dad on as well. Some say Seth MacFarlane is a one trick pony, but I still enjoy it. Anything goes, just be nice.
Just 21 days 'til pitchers and catchers report.
