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Tim Lincecum and the 2014 Yankees bullpen

June 4, 2013 by Mike 86 Comments

Like it or not, the Yankees will have to figure out a way to replace their all-world closer in six months or so. Not many players walk away from the game in the prime of their career like Mariano Rivera, but he announced his plans to retire during Spring Training and I would be floored if he didn’t follow through. Mo doesn’t strike me as someone who would go back on something like that.

There will be internal options and external options to replace Rivera. David Robertson is as fine a future closer as you’ll find, but with Joba Chamberlain set to become a free agent and Mark Montgomery doing his best Kevin Whelan impersonation, the current backup closer plans are Preston Claiborne and Shawn Kelley. It’s pretty clear at this very moment the Yankees will need to import a veteran reliever just to replace Rivera in the bullpen chain, not necessarily as closer. They’re losing depth.

That’s where two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum comes into the play. The 28-year-old was one of baseball’s most electric starters as recently as two years ago, but since the start of 2012 he has pitched to a 5.16 ERA (4.08 FIP) in 251 innings across 44 starts. His velocity has tailed off and the effectiveness of his offspeed pitches has suffered. He went from being unhittable to rather ordinary in a heartbeat. Lincecum will become a free agent this winter and the Giants haven’t been shy about their readiness to walk away. They already got his best years, no need to pay for the decline.

Interestingly enough, Lincecum seems completely aware of this reality and is willing to admit he is no longer the pitcher he once was. Many players refuse to accept it and think they can maintain high level of performance even when their body says no. While talking with Andy Baggarly this weekend, Timmy said he would be completely open to pitching out of the bullpen in the future (while acknowledging he wants to continue starting this year).

“I’m always open. It’s just, right now I don’t want to be open to it,” he said. “I’m sure if my career takes that turn, I’m definitely open to changes, especially if it’s beneficial to the team I’m playing for … It’s not like I don’t think ahead.I think ahead about a lot of things in my life. I just don’t think ahead in that way. … I’ll play this season to its end and try to see what happens.”

Although he’s made just one regular season relief appearance in his career — that was part of some rain-related shenanigans back in 2008, when the Giants started a reliever in case there was a delay — Lincecum did pitch out of the bullpen in college. He used to start on Friday and close on Sunday for Washington, and he also spent a summer in the Cape Cod League as a reliever. It’s not foreign to him.

More relevant is his bullpen experience last fall, when Lincecum was used as a multi-inning setup man during San Francisco’s run to the World Series. He made five relief appearances in the postseason and threw at least two innings each time, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out 17 in 13 innings. His fastball, which averaged 90.4 mph during the regular season, jumped to … 90.7 mph in the postseason. There was no velocity spike despite the change in roles.

“Last year, you’re down there and you’re running on adrenaline,” said Lincecum to Baggarly. “The situation is a little different getting the call in the Major Leagues, in the playoffs, than in a Cape League dugout … Out of the bullpen, your focus is different. You’re not thinking about lasting. It’s, ‘Go until they tell you to stop.’ When you’re starting, when you see your pitch count go up in a bad inning, that can be at the forefront of your brain. You know it’s going to (limit how deep you can go). So I guess you could say it’s a lack of pressing, when you’re relieving.”

I guess it was just a mindset thing rather than an improved stuff thing. He focused more on getting people out than being efficient and pitching deep into the game, emptying the tank rather than pleasing the pitch count gods. That mindset can change everything — pitch selection, willingness to pound the zone, willingness to waste pitches, all sorts of stuff. The sample size wasn’t big obviously, but performances like this are tough to ignore. It’s exciting to think about having that guy in the bullpen down the road.

Anyway, the Yankees are going to need to add a veteran reliever to replace Rivera, and Lincecum seems like someone every team would want to see in a bullpen. He’s shown he can be a 1996 Mo-esque multi-inning setup man and bounce back well the following days, and I’m guessing he can be a one-inning closer just as easily. The Yankees value intangibles like postseason experience and dealing with the attention that comes with being a high-profile player, which is certainly the kind of stuff Lincecum brings to the table. He’s been a rock star for years, he’s used to both the praise and scrutiny.

Obviously there is a lot more in play here than just his effectiveness in relief. First, Lincecum would have to be willing to pitch out of the bullpen for an older team with few players his age. He might not be comfortable around so many veterans. I’m guessing he’ll still a few offers to start as well, so he’d have to turn them down. As for the contract … who knows? There are no real comparables. That’s the kind of stuff we can worry about after the season anyway. Lincecum’s willingness to become a modern day Dennis Eckersley is definitely fascinating though, especially since the Yankees will be tasked with replacing their iconic closer.

Michael Pineda will begin minor league rehab assignment on Saturday

June 4, 2013 by Mike 88 Comments

5:39pm: Cashman confirmed Pineda was sitting 93 and touching 94 yesterday, according to Andy McCullough. Just in case you were wondering.

12:00pm: Via Dan Martin & Brian Lewis: Right-hander Michael Pineda will begin an official 30-day minor league rehab assignment with High-A Tampa on Saturday. He came through yesterday’s 65-pitch Extended Spring Training outing just fine after cracking a fingernail last week. There have been no issues with his surgically repaired shoulder.

Brian Cashman has indicated the team will use all 30 days of the rehab assignment — so five or six starts, basically — before deciding whether the 24-year-old Pineda will be put into the big league rotation or sent to Triple-A for further fine-tuning. That decision will depend as much on the state of the rotation as it will his readiness, I think. It’s worth noting that if the Yankees send Pineda for Triple-A for roughly two weeks — after the rehab is over, it has to be an official optional assignment — they will delay his free agency by a year. That will essentially “buy back” the 2012 season they lost to injury.

Keeping Pettitte healthy a must for rest of 2013

June 4, 2013 by Mike 34 Comments

The Yankees welcomed Andy Pettitte back to the rotation last night after he missed 18 days with a strained trap muscle. It was the first time he had to be placed on the DL this year but the second time he had to miss starts — a stiff lower back sidelined him for more than a week back in April. Rainouts and off-days allowed the Yankees to skip his turn without much of a problem early in the season.

Less than two weeks away from his 41st birthday, Pettitte is the oldest regular starter in the big leagues by almost one full year — former Yankee Bartolo Colon won’t turn 41 until next May. With age comes injury concerns, and not just the increased risk of getting hurt. It takes older players a longer time to recover as well. In an effort to stay healthier, Andy has considered modifying his between-starts routine a bit.

“He’s talked about backing off a little bit,” said Joe Girardi to Dan Martin over the weekend. “But it’s hard when you’re a creature of habit. When you’ve had as much success as he’s had, it’s hard to change what you do, but I think it’s important that he does it.”

Pettitte usually throws two bullpen sessions between starts, which is something he would look to change. That said, he is concerned about how it would affect him on the mound every five days. He might feel stronger physically, but it could come at the expense of losing rhythm and feel for pitches. That would be very bad since he’s a finesse pitcher.

“Truthfully, I don’t know,” said Andy when asked how he would react to changing his routine. “I’m used to doing two bullpens. We’ll just how it goes … I know what I’ve got to do mentally to prepare for this game and I understand where they’re coming from, of course, because of my age and how much time it takes and the adjustments you have to make as you get older.”

Regardless of how they do it, one of the Yankees’ top priorities for the rest of the season should be keeping Pettitte healthy and in the rotation. If that means cutting back to one bullpen between starts or even limiting him to 90-100 pitches per start instead of 100-110, so be it. The team lives and dies with its pitching, and Andy is one of their three best at worst. Obviously keeping him on the field is much easier said than done regardless of his age.

Hiroki Kuroda, the third oldest starter in the big leagues at 38, modified his offseason routine in an effort to stay fresh deeper into the season after hitting a wall last September. I don’t know if Pettitte did anything differently this winter, but he’s clearly thinking about doing something differently during the season. As good as Vidal Nuno looked in his three spot starts, Andy is the guy the Yankees want in their rotation right now and they need him to stop missing starts every month. He’s too vital to the team’s success to be a 20-22 start guy than a 30-32 start guy.

Bats break out as Yankees top Tribe 7-4

June 3, 2013 by Mike 57 Comments

For the first time in their last ten games and the second time in their last 13 games, the Yankees scored more than four runs on Monday night. In fact, they nearly doubled that number and scored seven runs. New York got a sorely needed 7-4 win in the series opener against the Indians.

No Review?
The Bombers really needed a strong start, and Mark Teixeira did the honors with a third inning grand slam off Justin Masterson. It was the first homer Masterson has allowed to the Yankees in 53.1 career innings, which is nuts. Needless to say, the homer felt like a huge relief at the time. The Yankees have been struggling to score runs in a big way, so getting four on one swing against a really good pitcher is a definite confidence builder.

Now, make no mistake, the grand slam was a total Yankee Stadium cheapie. Some little kid caught it (in his hat!) in the very first row, and it looked like he might have reached over the fence a bit to snag the souvenir. Indians manager Terry Francona never asked for a review though, so the grand slam stood. Of course, that rocket was (at worst) a bases-clearing double in a normal-sized park, so we’re talking about one run here. But considering how much they’ve been struggling, one run is big. Thanks, Tito.

Out Of Gas
In his first start in more than two weeks, Andy Pettitte looked like vintage Andy Pettitte … until he ran out of gas at 70 pitches or so. With a man on second and two outs in the fifth, Pettitte threw ten straight balls to walk Nick Swisher and Mark Reynolds and put Carlos Santana in a hitter-friendly 2-0 count with the bases loaded. A few pitches later Santana tied the game with a hard-hand ground ball that ate up David Adams at third and hopped into the stands for a two-run ground-rule double.

Andy looked perfectly fine up until that fourth inning. His cutter was cutting and his curveball was catching the outside corner to righties, plus the Indians weren’t hitting a ton of balls in the air — nine of his 12 outs and 11 of his 17 balls in play were on the ground. Pettitte threw only one 75-pitch simulated while on the DL (no minor league rehab games), so I guess his stamina just wasn’t there following the layoff. Hopefully this isn’t an issue in five days.

The Cutoff That Turned The Season Around?
The Yankees got not one, but two offensive breaks in this game. Francona didn’t ask for a review on the Teixeira grand slam, and in the sixth inning Masterson inexplicably cut off Michael Bourn’s throw from center field.

Brett Gardner slapped a single to center with men on second and third with two outs, but Austin Romine was the trail runner. As per baseball rules, the catcher must be slow as hell, and it was obvious from the various replays Bourn’s thrown would have had him at the plate (assuming catcher Yan Gomes held on) had it not been cut off. Best of all, Gardner managed to make it to second base anyway. Maybe Masterson learned from his former teammate Manny Ramirez?

It was a lucky break for sure — legitimately the difference between a one-run lead and two-run lead in the final third of the game — but the most important thing here is that Gardner picked up the runners with a solid two-out, two-strike base hit back up the middle off a really good pitcher. The dumb cutoff will get all of the attention, but Brett came through in a real big spot there. He came into this game hitting .290/.351/.464 (118 wRC+) with men on-base this year, so he’s getting things done.

Leftovers
It was only seven innings, but Lyle Overbay looked playable in right field. He was only tested three times, though. He had to retrieve a double into the gap (barehanded the ball cleanly off the wall and hit the cutoff man), scoop up a single hit in front of him, and come in to catch a routine can of corn in shallow right. That was just a little adventurous, but nothing crazy. As expected, he was lifted for defense in the late innings. For a guy who had never played the position at the big league level, Overbay was fine.

Heads up play by Adams to tag Mike Aviles as he went to third on Swisher’s run-scoring fielder’s choice in the third. The easy play was to take the out at first, but he made a heady play to get the lead runner. Oddly, Joe Girardi lifted Adams for defense in the eighth inning. He’s been up for more than two weeks now, but that was the first time that happened. I know the Santana ground-rule double was botched, but it was hardly a routine play. I guess Joe just wanted to make sure they nailed down the much-needed win.

The only Yankees with multiple hits were … Reid Brignac and Romine. Naturally. In fact, Adams was the only player to go hitless, and six of the nine starters reached base at least twice. Travis Hafner hit a solo homer in the seventh, his first dinger in exactly two weeks. Vernon Wells has stunk of late, but Pronk has been pretty terrible recently as well. Hopefully he starts to turn it around.

I can’t ever remember seeing a sacrifice fly on a ball hit to an infielder, but that’s how the Tribe scored their second run. Robinson Cano ranged out into medium center field to snag an Aviles pop-up in the fifth, and he was unable to throw out the speedy Drew Stubbs flat-footed. In retrospect, Gardner has to catch that ball coming in from center so he can use his momentum towards the plate on the throw.

Shawn Kelley bailed Pettitte out of the fifth inning and followed with a scoreless inning of his own. He struck out two of the five batters he faced and dropped his strikeout rate to 15.31 K/9 (41.3 K%). Joba Chamberlain struck out two and walked one in his scoreless inning, David Robertson struck out zero in his perfect inning, and Mariano Rivera pitched around a bloop single to record the save with a perfect inning. Textbook.

The Yankees have scored seven or more runs ten times this year, and four of those ten times have come against the Indians. They did it twice against the Blue Jays and no other team more than once.

Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings
MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs some other stats, and ESPN the updated standings. None of the other AL East teams played Monday, so the standings remain unchanged. The Red Sox are two up in the loss column while the Yankees, Rays, and Orioles are all tied for second.

Source: FanGraphs

Up Next
Same two teams on Tuesday night, when the Yankees and Indians play game two of this three-game set. David Phelps and Scott Kazmir is your pitching matchup. Check out RAB Tickets if you want to catch the game live.

Mesa & Mustelier homer in SWB blowout loss

June 3, 2013 by Mike 24 Comments

RHP Corey Black has been placed on the High-A Tampa DL for an unknown reason. RHP Diego Moreno, who came over in the A.J. Burnett trade and missed last year due to Tommy John surgery, took his spot on the roster. Meanwhile, RHP Chien-Ming Wang was named the Triple-A International League Pitcher of the Week.

Triple-A Scranton (15-2 beatdown by Durham)

RF Thomas Neal: 0-5, 2 K
CF Melky Mesa: 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K — his 87 strikeouts are the most in the organization … by 23!
LF Zoilo Almonte: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
3B Ronnie Mustelier: 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI — second homer in five games and third in ten games
RHP Kelvin Perez: 1.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 2/1 GB/FB — 26 of 48 pitches were strikes (54%) … this should be his last spot start with LHP Vidal Nuno and RHP Ivan Nova being sent down
RHP Chase Whitley: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 2/0 GB/FB — 11 of 20 pitches were strikes
RHP Mark Montgomery: 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 2/1 GB/FB — 20 of 35 pitches were strikes (57%) … has now allowed 12 runs in 29 innings this year after allowing 11 in 64.1 innings last year
RHP Cody Eppley: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 1/0 GB/FB — 14 of 29 pitches were strikes (48%) … he’s allowed 22 runs in 20.2 innings this year after allowing 19 runs in 55.1 total innings last year

[Read more…]

2013 Draft: Jonathan Gray & Aaron Blair test positive for stimulant

June 3, 2013 by Mike 18 Comments

8:58pm: Conor Glassey reports Marshall RHP Aaron Blair also tested positive for Adderall. He was more of a late-first round/early-second round prospect. Regardless, not a big deal.

8:30pm: Via Keith Law: Oklahoma RHP Jonathan Gray has tested positive for a banned stimulant in a pre-draft screening. Specifically, he tested positive for Adderall. He won’t be suspended or anything, but he will be subject to additional follow-up screenings once he turns pro.

Gray, 21, is a candidate to go first overall when the draft begins Thursday night. The Yankees drafted him in the tenth round of the 2011 draft and offered him $500k to turn pro, but he declined. I’ve heard through the grapevine the two sides agreed to a deal before Gray decided to return to school. Either way, a college kid taking Adderall is no big deal and I doubt he drops in the draft, at least not far enough to the Yankees. I wouldn’t call it the wisest move on his part, but it’s not the end of the world.

Game 57: Just Win

June 3, 2013 by Mike 332 Comments

The Yankees need a win in the worst way. An ugly win, a blowout win, a nail-biter win … just a win. There are no bonus points for style right now.

They’ve lost seven of their last eight and nine of their last 12 games. They’ve scored one or fewer runs five times in the last seven games, and they haven’t scored more than four runs in nine games now. They’ve hit two homers in their last seven games and have gone 20 innings since their last extra-base hit. The last time someone on the active roster had a three-hit game was May 12th (!!!). The pitching staff, as good as it’s been this year, has a 5.05 ERA in the last eight games. It’s ugly. Just scratch out a win however you can and go from there. Here’s the lineup that will face right-hander Justin Masterson…

CF Brett Gardner
2B Robinson Cano
1B Mark Teixeira
DH Travis Hafner
RF Lyle Overbay — desperate times, desperate measures, etc.
LF Ichiro Suzuki
3B David Adams
SS Reid Brignac
C Austin Romine

And on a big league mound for the first time in 18 days, left-hander Andy Pettitte.

It’s been raining on-and-off all day in New York and it’s supposed to do that for another few hours, but nothing really heavy like last night. I guess there could be a delay at some point, but it doesn’t appear they will have trouble playing all nine innings … eventually. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm ET and can be seen on YES locally and ESPN nationally. Enjoy.

Injury Update: Michael Pineda (shoulder) pitched in an Extended Spring Training game today, his first since suffering a cracked fingernail last week. The Yankees have indicated this will be his final tune-up appearance before beginning an official 30-day minor league rehab assignment, but nothing has been finalized yet.

All-Star Voting Update: MLB released the first update of All-Star fan voting results, and Robinson Cano has received the second most votes in the AL behind Miguel Cabrera. He is in line to start at second base, and no other Yankees ranks among the top four at their position. #VoteJaysonNix2013