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By TRic, 7/16/2009 12:27 pm

Looking at the New York Yankees at the half way point, I was wondering if the Yankees have enough right now to win the World Series?  

Their lineup is great, especially in a stadium tailor made for their lefty-packed lineup. I mean Yankee Stadium, the House that Roids Built, is a visiting right-handed pitcher’s nightmare.  The only two righties you are going to face are Derek Jeter, who can easily slap a ball over the right field fence, and A-Rod. It doesn’t get much better for lefties with three switch hitters in the lineup.

The Yankees don’t really have much of a bench to speak of. The bench players cannot really hit well and outside of Molina, aren’t particularly great fielders. But with the regulars being so good, outside of a huge injury, the bench can get by. Considering four of the starters are 35 and over, this isn’t too comforting.  

But the bench highlights the Yankees major problem, depth.

The pitching helps illustrate the Yankee’s depth problem further. Right now the Yankees don’t even have a fifth starter. They are going to be forced to use either Sergio Mitre, a career journeyman and accomplished leper, or a limited pitch count with Aceves. Using Aceves really hurts the Yankees because he has been a rock at long relief, which the Yankees have desperately needed this season. 

The Yankees have needed long relief because the middle of the rotation has just not been able to stay in games very long.   CC Sabathia has been typical CC-a complete workhorse.  Cashman must have sacrificed some animals or season ticket holders to Hygieia, Goddess of Health, because what can only be described as a miracle, A.J. Burnett has stayed healthy in a non-contract year. Beyond those two; however, the Yankees have not been getting quality starts. 

Joba Chamberlain has been nothing more than five innings per outing starter. His 1.56 WHIP leaves a lot to be desired and he spends more time shaking off Posada then actually pitching.  Andy Pettitte looks like he drank from the wrong chalice at the end of the Last Crusade.  After starting the year with four straight quality starts in April, Pettitte has only had four since then. Two of the last four starts have seen Pettitte leave before getting through five innings.  As for Chien-Ming Wang, well the best thing you can say about Wang is that he did eventually got his ERA under 10, before he hit the DL…again.

As the second half approaches, the race of the AL East has shifted to three teams: the Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees.  

At the moment, the Yankees will need to be extremely lucky the rest of the way with injuries, in order to keep up with the much deeper Rays and Red Sox. The Yankees are most likely going to need to pick up another starter too.  Right now, as is, even with the awe inspiring lineup, the Yankees look like they need Cashman to cash in and make some moves to prevent a second year of staying home in October

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By TRic, 7/14/2009 1:47 pm

The Red Sox have one of the best systems in baseball.  This is rare for a team like the Red Sox that has so much success as well as so many players that have been graduated from prospect status over the last couple of years. 

The system’s absolute strength is its pitching depth.  There is still a lack of power hitters and shortstops in the system, though there is a lot of raw talent in the lower levels. (Note: The best pitcher in the minors, Clay Buchholz, is not considered a prospect anymore because he lost his rookie status last year.)

Here is the midseason top 10:

1. Casey Kelly SP/SS – A/High A  7-5  2.08 ERA  95 IP  74 K  .85 WHIP

Casey Kelly topped off an impressive season by throwing a perfect inning in the Futures Game.  He will now transition into a shortstop role, but it is hard to see how he could be more valuable on the field then he was on the mound.  Kelly simply dominated competition in A and went to High-A and showed that he is well-advanced for his age.  Kelly has several different pitches that have plus potential and can generate groundballs.  He could be starting in Portland next year.

2. Josh Reddick CF/RF – AA  .271/.341/.542  12 HR  5 SB

Reddick is good defensive outfielder with an arm that can play in right field and enough range to be a full-time center fielder.  Reddick got injured in lat April and came back to a slow start but is starting to pick up his game again.  He can be a bit more selective at the plate and needs to improve hitting against lefties (he has 15 strikeouts in 48 at-bats against southpaws).  Reddick is looking like the heir-apparent to J.D. Drew in right.

3. Junichi Tazawa SP – AA  8-5  2.79 ERA  87 IP  79 K  1.11 WHIP

Tazawa was a major coup for Sox GM Theo Epstein.  It was like grabbing an extra first-round pick, though it looks like Tazawa is far more polished than any draft pick.  Selected as the starter for Futures All-Star Game for the World Team, Tazawa has shown himself a capable starter.  Tazawa also looked good in Spring Training.  A promotion to Triple-A should be coming soon for the talented Japanese Industrial League Import.

4. Lars Anderson 1B – AA  .272/.363/.413  8 HR  1 SB

Anointed “the chosen one” after having an unsustainable stretch in Double-A last year similar to Jacoby Ellsbury’s 2007 MLB stretch, people jumped on the talented left-handed first baseman.  This year he was hampered with an injury but tried to play through it, giving a line of .065/.147/.097 from May 3 to May 11.  Still, the power has not returned.  It looked last year that Anderson would be competing for a spot on the team this year, but it now looks like he’s a more than a year off.

5. Michael Bowden SP – AAA/MLB   3-4  3.32 ERA  81.1 IP  54 K  1.24 WHIP (in AAA)

Bowden pitched well in his cup of coffee relief stint.  He started the year off blazing hot competing with Buchholz for best starter in Triple-A.  Bowden has a rough June, giving up eight home runs in six starts.  He looks like he will be a major league starter; the question is if he is more mid-rotation starter or end-of-the-rotation guy.

6. Yamaico Navarro SS – Low A/High A  .300/.357/.507  2 HR  2 SB

The sure-handed shortstop has continued what he started in Lancaster last year.  Capable of playing a good second, third, or shortstop, Navarro has gap power and decent plate patience.  If he can continue to hit, his glove will make him web-gem staple in the big leagues.

7. Stolmy Pimentel SP – A  8-3  2.66 ERA  74.1 IP  68 K  1.39 WHIP

The 19-year-old Pimentel is tearing up Greenville with his considerable control and his biting curve.  Pimentel could stand to fill out a little more and probably will on his road to the majors but he controls his pitches already and can get by with his average fastball with his advanced changeup.

8. Tim Federowicz C – A/High A .332/.378/.539 11 HR 1 SB

Federowicz came out of college as a highly regarded defensive player.  He has more than lived up to that expectation.  What is surprising people is his ability to put bat to ball.  Now sharing time with Luis Exposito in Salem, the tandem is looking to be the catching prospects the team has lacked over the last couple of years.

9. Stephen Fife SP – A/High A   0-3  2.70 ERA  36.2 IP  35 K  .98 WHIP

Fife is an extreme groundball pitcher who is striking out his competition.  His repertoire includes his nasty sinking fastball as well as a good slider and curve.  Started the year off with shoulder weakness but is starting to come along now and has recently been promoted to Salem.

10. Ryan Kalish OF – High A/AA  .265/.352/.397  8 HR  15 SB

The newest minor league fan favorite, Kalish came back strong after a season where wrist injuries hindered him at the plate.  After initially struggling in Double-A, Kalish is starting to come around.  Kalish has great baserunning instincts and is good fielder with a decent enough arm to play right field.

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By TRic, 7/6/2009 3:49 pm

The Red Sox are suppose to have the prototypical leadoff hitter.  Fast with a high OBP in the minors, Ellsbury looked liked he would be manning the one spot in Fenway for years.  However halfway through the season the Red Sox have had absolutely no production from the spot in the order with the most plate appearances.  The .276/.321/.370 line is the worst of all the positions in the order.  The Red Sox are only getting a worst on base percentage out of the nine hole which includes the pitchers hitting during interleague play.

The year started with local dreamboat, Jacoby Ellsbury doing what he seemed destined to do, leadoff.  Ellsbury was hitting .299 but it was an extremely empty average with an OBP of .332 and SLG .370.  Eventually it got so bad Ellsbury was moved down the order.  Since moving out of the leadoff spot Ellsbury has had a line of .313/.383/.495.

What changed?  Well in the leadoff spot despite Ellsbury saying he was approaching the Abs the same, Ellsbury was trying to force the issue.  He was taking some of the worst swings I have ever seen, trying to slap the ball like Ichiro.  It was almost as painful as to watch as Carrottop trying to do impressions.  Ellsbury also was not patient with the pitches he was getting thinking since he was the leadoff hitter he had to make things happen.  He lost all his power and lowered his OBP.  Since moving down his swing has improved greatly and the results have been staggering.

When the Red Sox realized Ellsbury wasn’t the answer, they called up the reigning MVP to take the leadoff spot.  Pedroia does not have amazing speed but he runs the bases well, has a high OBP, and almost never strikes out (hardest person to strike out in the major league).  Pedroia while being the prototypical 2 hitter should have been able to handle leadoff.  Instead like Ellsbury, Pedroia failed at lead off.  The difference is staggering between lead off Mighty Mouse (.214/.264/.301) and 2 hole Pedey (.326/.413/.436).  Pedroia like Ellsbury was a little too impatient leading off swinging at pitches far earlier in the count then he usually would.

With Pedroia and Ellsbury failing, the Red Sox tried JD Drew, another good around the base paths, high OBP guy.  JD Drew, so far unlike his predecessors, has succeeded in the role of leadoff hitter.  Over the last six games at leadoff JD Drew has hit .308/.400/.615. 

But why does JD Drew succeed where others fail?  The answer comes from the fact JD Drew never changes his batting approach.  Whether he is batting 1 or 9, or Megan Fox is doing a strip tease in LF, or aliens invade decimating downtown Boston, or there is a 2 for 1 special on cases of PBR in the Seven Eleven in Revere, it does not matter to JD Drew.  JD Drew approaches each AB the same way.  This sometimes drives fans crazy watching him watch a called third strike with the bases loaded, however it is this consistency that is bringing some life to the biggest failure of the Red Sox order, the one hole.

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By TRic, 6/25/2009 1:36 am

Daisuke Matsuzaka is injured yet again.  After winning the MVP of the WBC, Daisuke has gone down twice with shoulder fatigue.  He simply continues to lose his control and has moments where his arm looks completely drained. 

Daisuke has looked bad this season.  This has led people to scream crazy things like “trade him” or “option him” which simply would not work with the contract he has.  Even worse some people have said cut him and that he is a completely bust already.  This is a man a season removed 18-3 season with 2.90 ERA getting fourth in the Cy Young voting.  Even with this terrible season Daisuke has a career 114 ERA+ and a record of 34-20 in less than three years in the AL East which is right around what Beckett did in his first two years and third here in Boston.  This is also a guy making 8 million a year (he is not getting paid the posting fee, and it really shouldn’t be looked at as a payroll expense, I will get into that later).  The guy is an absolute icon in Japan and his signing has already influenced other signings including 23 year old prospect Junichi Tazawa whose 2.92 ERA leaves him in the top ten of Eastern League starters.

So can a couple of bad starts make someone with those numbers called a bust this early in his career.  Well  Daisuke is a victim of his own hype.

Daisuke Matsuzaka is victim of several things.  First he was suppose to have a legendary pitch that would make people break out into anime induced seisures called a gyroball.   It was suppose to more unhittable than Rosie O’Donnell on a Sizzler Binge.  The “gyroball” is nothing more than when Daisuke fails to put sufficient spin on his cut fastball or sinking slider.  It is more of a shuuto than a gyroball which is a nibbling pitch which when thrown properly keeps hitters from making proper contact as it moves sort of like a reverse slider.  Effective but it requires pitching on the outside of the strike zone.

That leads in Daisuke’s biggest problem.  Even when he is rolling he is one of the most frustrating pitchers to watch.  Daisuke simply refuses to allow decent contact on the ball and much rather walk a hitter than throw a ball into the heart of the strike zone.  In turn this leads to slow games with many walks and seemingly high pitch count.  This then started the thinking that Daisuke is only a 5 IP pitcher when really he averaged closer to six last year (if you eliminate the game he got injured in 2009 and the game when he came back too soon he actually averaged more than 6 IP a start).

Finally is the issue of the 51 million dollar posting fee.  People continue to place this amount as part of his pay making him almost 17 million a year pitcher.  The fact is the posting fee is more of an investment than salary.  First of all the team doesn’t pay luxury tax on it.  Secondly the team used the posting fee to help leap the Red Sox from obscurity to the most followed MLB team in Japan.  It was a market the Red Sox were looking to get into.  The posting fee is closer to buying the Salem Single A franchise than actual payroll.  People can argue that the Red Sox don’t see the 51 million back from getting Daisuke but I have hard time believing that.  This team is simply the best at generating revenue by any means possible and I doubt they haven’t been able to exploit their new found fame in Japan.

The truth of the matter is that without hype, Daisuke is the 28 year old No. 3 pitcher who has above No. 3 numbers and a reasonable salary.  8 million is cheap for pitcher with 114 ERA+.  The team has .609 winning percentage on days Daisuke Matsuzaka starts.  Right now Daisuke is not right, however it is hard to believe he is completely done.  More likely he never properly recovered from the WBC which is frustrating.  Current frustration aside calling Daisuke a bust right now is foolish.  Almost as foolish as giving Lugo 36/4 deal…

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By TRic, 4/20/2009 5:15 pm

We were promised the Battlestar Galactica of Baseball Stadiums, a tasteful remake that would  be a vast improvement of already legendary entity.  Instead we got Psycho (1998) where Gus Van Sant singlehandedly showed us the extent of Hitchcock’s genius and forced us to endure the worst performances of half a dozen actors’ lives.  Psycho may have actually scarred the very act of making films for years to come.  The movie was so terrible Gus Van Sant went from Oscar nominated genius to directing Music Videos again.  Isn’t it weird. Isn’t it strange.  Even though we’re just two strangers on this runaway train, we’re both trying to find a place in the sun. – The Immortal Hanson
The new Yankee Stadium is an unmitigated disaster that can only bring joy to heart of any Mets or Red Sox fans.  I don’t think I could have even fathomed a day where there would huge blocks of empty seats on a nationally televised game at Yankee Stadium.  It is the kind of thing you see in Kansas City or NatsTown, not opening weekend in the Bronx.  By unrealistically pricing of seats the Yankees are making themselves look like a joke.  All you can see when watching a game on TV is the blue seats surround the field of play. Pinstripes and Pride indeed, filling your stadium less than ¾ up on a weekend game, that’s the kind of thing you see in such great baseball towns as San Diego and Washington DC.  Pricing out your fans to make yourself look like a joke on National TV, classy.

Beyond the empty seats, the new Yankee Stadium is playing like a joke.  In the old stadium during day games you would get a slight breeze going to Left Center field coming off the river.  However the New Yankee Stadium is 90 degree counter clockwise turn from old stadium.  Add the fact that you lengthened out stadium to add concourse room making a far less steep incline and that the New Yankee Stadium stands unimpeded to the Harlem River, suddenly the nice left center breeze becomes a jet stream to RF.  A wind tunnel that kills balls going into LF dragging them further into center and helping balls hit to an already smaller RF (it was a near joke before) fly out of the park.  The expression on Johnny Damon’s face after he hit his first HR in the New Yankee Stadium says it all.  Damon stared almost shocked as his ball sailed over the wall.  Even rounding second, he paused for a moment and looked out to right as if he was checking if it actually made over the wall for sure.  You could tell he thought there was no way it was going out off his bat.  I have never seen a player so confused by own home run. 

The new Yankee Stadium is going to play like a bandbox during the day.  It should dampen a bit was NYC becomes more humid but the wind whipping down the Harlem is going to drag those balls towards right field.  The stadium already built to assist left handed sluggers has become even more lefty friendly.  Ian Kennedy is probably already having nightmares about coming back up to the majors. 

You would think the only embarrassing thing about the stadium would have been the corrupt dealings to get the stadium.  However after a construction delay to find a Ortiz jersey, inability to sell luxury boxes, the delays to rebuild the parks taken away by the new stadium, the illegal devaluing the land to get bonds, and having to ask for even more money to waste in the construction you figure, hell they probably got the stadium right now.  But instead you get Coors Park East with a matching attendance record.  Sunday during the YES broadcast, Michael Kay announced the Yankee Stadium was going to have cap day.  Cap day.  No sponsor, instead the Yankees were having pretty much the most desperate ploy to get people into a stadium on a weekend game, against the Angels.  It sounded like Michael Kay had been kicked in the balls when he was reading the promo.  It was probably the most gut wrenching moment of Michael Kay’s life since Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS or the first time heard the tapes from Joba’s DUI arrest.  Somehow I don’t think Cap Day is going to lure in people to buy the $500+ seats you aren’t going to get filled.  The new Yankee Stadium:  About as hot a Vince Vaughn in drag.

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By TRic, 4/11/2009 2:59 pm

Last fall the house that held so many echos of champions past closed. The field that legends played on was summarily retired. It was called the House that Ruth Built because the stadium was built on the back of the popularity of a slugger that brought the game the forefront of America’s mind. The first true sports superstar, Ruth made records and was remembered as being one of the best. Ruth’s house is being tore down ironically enough at a time when the people who tore down his historical numbers en masse are being exposed as frauds.
In a couple days, Yankee stadium will have its opening day. This is a new Yankee stadium. A Yankee stadium built on the backs of such artificial giants as ARod, Giambi, Clemens, and Pettitte. A stadium built off the dying memory of a dynasty that ruled baseball as the practitioners of the needle brought America back to its summer pasttime. A pasttime that abandoned America over quibbles about money. A stadium built in part through a corrupt bargain made by a used car sales man turned Commissioner who allowed baseball’s greatest villain back then willfully turned a blind to the obvious. The villain rose and threatened to take the Yankees to Northern Jersey. An act that is so un-American it nearly screams for invite to Gitmo.
It was stadium built on the promise that it would see a changing of the guard as the records were to be taken back from the unclean by an unpopular yet godlike talent who represented America’s hope to walk away from this tainted era. A man who turned out to be as guilty as the people he was supposed to cleanse from the record books. Now the stadium will act as home as the man goes through the motions of creating records America will root to be broken by another. Almost as if America will stand by to see villainous acts committed in the hopes a new hero will emerge and stand even taller because he toppled the villainous acts of a National joke. For what is Superman without a Lex Luthor to fight.
The new Yankee stadium replaces the House that Ruth Built and will stand as a reminder of an era of tarnished reputations and heroes fallen. A monument to how pantheon of baseball gods can be as mortal if not more so than the people who look up to them. This Yankee Stadium stands as a monument to the modern era of baseball which is sullied by whispers of syringes and asterisks. This Yankee Stadium is The House that Roids Built.