Will Edwar ever get another shot?
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Once the Yankees officially announce that they’ve signed Chan Ho Park, they’ll have to remove a player from the 40-man roster. Looking at the list, two names stand out: Christian Garcia and Edwar Ramirez. Once designated for assignment, the team has 10 days to trade the player or place him on waivers. If claimed, the player has a new team, complete with 40-man roster spot. If not, the Yankees can outright either one to AAA. Since Garcia, despite his spate of injuries, still retains significant upside, chances are the Yankees will take their chances with Edwar. With the various relievers, including Kiko Calero, still looking for jobs, I think Edwar will pass through without issue. So he’d remain a Yankee, but will not take up a 40-man spot.
(We might get a better idea once we find out what happens to Casey Fein, who was DFA’d to make room for Johnny Damon. Fein posted numbers similar to Edwar at AAA last year.)
Anyone who followed the minor leagues in 2007 has to love Edwar. He absolutely dominated, striking out nearly two Eastern League hitters per inning before a quick promotion to AAA. His strikeout rate fell at the higher level, but not by much. Of the 153 AAA batters he faced that season, he fanned 69 of them, or 45 percent. The International League hitters were so helpless against him, in fact, that they mustered just 20 hits in Edwar’s 40 IP. His performance through the end of June was so convincing that he earned a big league cal-up, but fell out of Torre’s circle of trust pretty quickly.
After starting the season in the minors in 2008, Edwar earned a quick call-up by striking out 13 of 31 batters faced, walking just one. He didn’t allow a run in his first 13 appearances, and by the All-Star break he was one of the best relievers in baseball, allowing just 10 runs over 33 innings and striking out 36 of 132 batters faced. His second half didn’t go as well, though that’s due almost exclusively to the Angels, who scored 11 runs over 1.2 innings, spanning three appearances. At the end of the season Edwar’s ERA, 3.90, nearly matched his FIP, 3.96. The Yankees thought they found their guy, though concerns about his flat fastball, a necessary compliment to his devastating changeup, still seemed a bit flat.
Something went terribly wrong at the beginning of 2009, forcing the Yankees to option Edwar in mid-May. He’d thrown just 17.1 innings and did strike out 16, but he also surrendered six home runs and walked 15 hitters. That made for a monstrous 8.45 FIP, and the Yankees really had no other choice at that point. Thankfully, Al Aceves had come up to help quell the bullpen situation. At AAA, Edwar brought his walk rate back down, though his strikeout rate didn’t reach the levels it had in 2007, or even during his short stay in 2008. Another good sign: his home run rate dropped, though it was still higher than in 2007 and 2008 — a given, really, since he allowed no AAA home runs in those seasons.
Once the Yankees DFA Edwar, chances are he won’t return to the Bronx. They’d have to make another roster move to bring him up, and considering his disaster of a 2009 I’m not sure they’d be inclined to do so. He’ll probably continue pitching well at AAA, and at some point people will call for his promotion if one of the bullpen cogs isn’t working out. But unless he really impresses not only with numbers, but with an improved fastball at AAA this season, I think we might have seen the last of the lanky kid. I’m going to miss him.
Photo credit: Pat Sullivan/AP
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The Mason Williams Watch
Will Edwar ever get another shot?
By Joseph Pawlikowski
No.
Comments »
No comments necessary.
They got about 70 good innings out of him. What more could you want from a indy league refugee? Definitely a successful signing.
They got about 70 good innings out of him. What more could you want from a indy league refugee?
Two Cy Youngs. And a Hank Aaron Award.
BTW, are you Mike? Or just a Mike impersonator, trying to rub someone the wrong way?
Who are you, and what have you done with Mike Axisa?
WTF happened there? That was me.
Oh, I went in to fix a typo. Must have erroneously hit backspace twice.
Sure, Mike.
If that’s your real name…
They got about 70 good innings out of him. What more could you want from a indy league refugee? Definitely a successful signing.
It don’t really matter to me, baby.
You believe what you want to believe.
You don’t have to live like a indy league refugee…
He was fun to watch at first, but couldn’t sustain his initial, impressive performance, unfortunately. Oh, well.
With the dearth of pitching out there, I’m sure he’ll land on a MLB team somewhere if the Yankees give up on him. Trade bait?
Once the Yankees DFA Edwar, chances are he won’t return to the Bronx. They’d have to make another roster move to bring him up, and considering his disaster of a 2009 I’m not sure they’d be inclined to do so. He’ll probably continue pitching well at AAA, and at some point people will call for his promotion if one of the bullpen cogs isn’t working out. But unless he really impresses not only with numbers, but with an improved fastball at AAA this season, I think we might have seen the last of the lanky kid.
In other words, he’s in the Kei Igawa Zone.
Edwar will eventually become a minor league free agent, go somewhere else, and probably get a callup with another org that’s not perennially in the midst of a pennant race.
natinals.
All the better for me, the biggest quasi-Natinals fan out there.
Welcome to NatsTown, Edwar.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_D-Ll.....G_7391.JPG (sade)
Saturday, July 3, 2010:
Chien Ming Wang, Tyler Clippard, Ron Villone, and Brian Bruney to throw the first combined no-hitter in Natinals history, blanking the Mets 4-0.
Pudge Rodriguez, Alberto Gonzalez, Cristian Guzman, and Wang himself all hit solo homers off of Mets starter Ollie Perez.
Mark your calendars.
Ollie Perez can’t give up solo home runs. I have never seen him throw a pitch without runners already on base.
Good point. 4-0 is too low of a score anyway for an Ollie Perez outing.
Let’s change it to 11-0. Wang hits a three run shot; Pudge, Guzman, and the Attorney General all hit grannies.
Make it 12-0 with Wil Nieves hitting a pinch hit solo shot.
I thought about that, but Nieves wouldn’t really be a defensive replacement for Pudge in the middle of a no-hitter.
Putting Nieves into this equation makes it actually implausible. It’s utterly possible as currently written, but having Nieves hit a homer would make it unbelievable.
You could have Nieves be starting that day and then Pudge would pinch hit for a pitcher when one is due up later in the game.
Do home runs count less for the Natinals?
Three grannies are 12 runs, a three-run dong by the Wanger makes it 15.
Yeah, they probably do.
it’s like the friend-zone, but worse!
Edwar for Hoffmann’s rights? Maybe the NL West helps Edwar bounceback
Not only can they have Edwar, but I’ll also throw in Sergio Mitre, Jon Albaladejo, Kei Igawa, Marcos Vechionacci, Richie Robnett, Pat Venditte, and Zack Segovia.
Wordekemper and Fortenberry are dealbreakers, though.
I was going to add in Mitre but considering have Winn (and Thames but I’ll ignore him) now, Mitre+Edwar > Hoffmann, IMO.
Though he’d be pretty good for next year if the Yanks can keep him and he still hits lefties really well this upcoming season.
Wtf? I keep messing up my grammar today (well, more than usual)
edwar and mitre!
Edwar for IPK?
Edwar for Melky + IPK
Edwar and Mitre for a “Smoak-type bat”
Edwar for Hilligoss?
(crosses fingers tightly)
ietc
Did anyone else KNOW that Edwar was going to serve up that grand slam to Tex back in ’08? That was my breaking point of the last season in the old house. I yelled so hard at the TV when Joe G. left poor little Edwar in to face Tex-master with the bags juiced on that crazy afternoon.
I left my house as he was releasing the ball and shouted to my brother (who was defending the decision) that he can shove this grand slam that Tex is about to hit up his ass with Joe’s stat book.
And I felt like a sultan as soon as I heard Sterling tell me that Tex connected. “THERE IT GOES TO DEEP RIGHT….” Little did I know that was the first of many Tex homers that made me feel like twice the under-paid, unheard, powerless copywriter that I am.
(Forget the fact that the Yanks came back and won the game… this was my moment in time)
And I felt like a sultan as soon as I heard Sterling tell me that Tex connected. “THERE IT GOES TO DEEP RIGHT….
Otter: Sultan?
Boon: Forget it, he’s rolling.
It feels so good when it hits you lips
proof fail!
This demands that a really stupid and futile gesture be done on someone’s part
And we’re just the guys to do it
I absolutely did.
I always liked Teixeira but I was like “F— that guy is gonna be a Red Sox player next year” ;_; I have never been so happy to be wrong.
Right there with you-was watching the game with my dad, and we were literally screaming at the TV to pull him, that there was no way in hell he was not going to hit a grandslam. When it happened I felt seriously sick. I have never cursed that much in my entire life. My mom told me to calm down and I almost took a swing at her. The insanity level was off the charts.
Watch enough Yankees games and you end up with a bunch of prescient moments like this a year, but I can’t recall another one where I was so absolutely certain of what would happen. I simply could not understand how what could be so obvious to the informed fan could just be unknown to or ignored by the manager. Possibly Girardi’s most inexplicable and indefensible moment as manager.
Winning that game just shows you what a ridiculous ride baseball is, and why even the fans of the most poorly run/managed teams (which the Yankees certainly are not) keep returning hoping for something better. Also, as soon as we signed Tex i thought back to that grandslam and was so elated that he would never do that to us again.
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....id=3247716 (not safe for us yankee fans)
Oh the pain…..
I originally read the title as “Will Edwar ever get shot?”, upon which I thought concurrently, “That’s an interesting synonym for DFA”, and “He’s so skinny, he’d be unshootable if he just turned sideways”, which consequently made me think of this C&H comic: http://www.gocomics.com/featur.....lvin+is+2d.
In 2008, the Dodgers traded Carlos Santana, now a Top-10 prospect, for CASEY FUCKING BLAKE and his beard.
It’s totally possible we can give them Mitre, Edwar and take Hoffmonster’s rights and Dee Gordon, their young, speedy shortstop.
Toss in $60 for some scratch tickets, and we’ve got a deal, right?
why not ask for kemp while you’re at ut
I don’t want minority players on this team.
I deal with enough of them as it is, being a teacher in the Bronx and all. They’re envious of my pine tar-gelled grit beard and good work ethic, and frankly, it sickens me!
They can keep the future Lifetime Movie of the Week Rhianna, too!
http://www.audiencesounds.com/
crowd sounds. yellow button.
Mitre + Edwar for Kershaw + Kemp? Seems fair to me.
I hear we can still get Pujols for IPK + Melky too, right?
Hah, you’re dreaming!
Mitre + Edwar gets us a three-way deal with Arizona and Atlanta for IPK and Melky.
Your mind=blown.
I’ll always remember when Edwar struckout the side in his pro debut. It’s too bad Torre never trusted rookies in the pen.
In fairness to Torre (and I’m not a Torre fan or apologist), there’s good reason not to trust Edwar.
In fairness to Torre (and I’m not a Torre fan or apologist), there’s good reason not to trust Edwar.
It’s the missing “d”.
You should never trust a man who doesn’t have enough time to spell out his first name. Who knows what Edward Ramirez is running from.
At least it allowed for Edwar to keep his arm…
I’m still an Edwar believer.
He was injured at the beginning of last year, and then horribly abused the first month. (Though May 9th, he had THREE different outings of 50+ pitches.)
He has his flaws, but he has great potential as a reliever, and if the Yankees let him go, I bet he’ll become a very good reliever somewhere else.
When the Yanks signed Park Edwar was done as a Yankee, you can put a fork in him and if you think you’re going to get something in return for him I’ve got some weapons of mass destruction for you in Iraq.
The Nationals are quietly threatening to not be the worst team in baseball this year.