My Take on Wang: Send Him to the Bullpen

We are 12 games into the seasons Yankee fans. We are 6-6. With our new improved rotation we all expected better. However we start off slowly every season. Pettitte and Sabathia are second half pitchers, and we don't yet have A-Rod. It can't surprise us this much. However, one thing does surprise me. Chien-Ming Wang has 3 of our 6 losses.

Wang has been one word. Awful. Call him whatever you want, but they will all be synonyms of that word. Through 3 starts, he hasn't finished the second inning twice, given up at least 7 runs in each start (8 in his last two), and is 0-3 with a 34.50 ERA. Something isn't right.

This is supposed to be the same pitcher that won 19 games two years in a row. The same pitcher that started last season 8-2. Before this season he has lost two starts in a row just once (beginning of 2007). And now we come into this season, he had a nice spring, and we feel that we have a potential ace on most teams as our number 3 pitcher. Then he comes out and gets bombed for 3 straight starts. The crowd at Yankee Stadium really let him hear it yesterday as he walked off the mound with the Yankees already essentially out of the game. Almost 50,000 fans booed him off the mound as he came out of the game with his ERA somehow higher than when he came in.

Something is going wrong with him. I don't know what it is. The Yankees need to figure that out. He's leaving pitches up in the middle of the plate. His sinker isn't sinking. Whatever "adjustment" the Yankees made between this start and his last one did nothing. They need to figure out what is wrong. However, they can't afford to keep sending him out to get destroyed while he's trying to figure it out. That will cost the Yankees games. They are .500 now because of him. 

He can't be sent down to the minors. He is out of options, so he would have to pass through waivers where he would almost certainly be claimed. Whatever work he has to go through, it has to be here.

So, they can't send him down, and they can't keep sending him out there. That leaves one option. Bench him. Demote him to the bullpen to figure it out. Send him up against real hitters like before, but more than just one time. I don't know how they are going to solve his struggles, but they need to. He's a big part of this rotation. The Yankees are counting on him for 15-20 wins. They can't afford him to pull an Ian Kennedy of last year, or an August Mike Mussina of 2007 for an extended period of time. 

Now that I come to think of it, Mussina was demoted to the bullpen. He figured out his problems there, had one relief appearance, got some confidence back, and came back to be the Yankees best pitcher in September of that year. I think that is what needs to be done with Wang (despite the fact that his ERA is almost twice as bad as Mussina's in August of 2007). Bring up Hughes or Kennedy from the minors (both are pitching great!), and put Wang in the bullpen. Have him figure it out there.

I know that he's capable of turing it around. He's a two time 19 game winner and only 29 years old. Last years injury can hardly be considered as a "career threatening injury." However, the way the Yankees have to do it isn't to keep sending him out there. His next scheduled start is against the Red Sox. Don't let him make it. There is an off day in between the end of the Oakland series and the beginning of the Red Sox series. You can skip Wang and go right to Burnett. Use the bullpen time to figure him out. Use Hughes and Kennedy if you have to. Do whatever it takes. Just don't send him out there unless you feel confident he has his problems solved.

Also, like I said in my last article, I'm visiting Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. I'm sitting in Field Infield seats. Anything on what the experience is like or how the seats are would be appreciated. Thanks!

A-Rod: Get Surgery

Once again, the headline in Yankee camp is Alex Rodriguez. Nobody cares that CC Sabathia pitched well in his first start during spring training, or that the Yankees won yesterday. People care about Alex Rodriguez. But guess what? A-Rod may not be here for a while. Personally, I think he should get surgery.

You would know that Alex Rodriguez has a torn labrum in his right hip. Since then we have heard 2 different sides of the story. We have heard A-Rod's brother say that he is getting surgery, and we have heard the Yankees saying they want to take a "conservative" approach to A-Rod. Basically, what they are saying is that they want their third baseman to play through the season, hurt, for 7 months including postseason, and get surgery in the offseason directly after that, take 4 offseason months to recover, and be ready, completely healthy, for opening day in 2010. I have one thing to say to that. Big Mistake. I have many reasons, and if you hear them, it should be an easy decision.

First of all, remember, this isn't the 2008 Yankees. This is the 2009 Yankees. We've added a lot of great guys. Sabathia, Burnett, Teixiera, are all healthy and all be productive in 2009. Yea, Alex is really important, and the lineup really suffers without him. However, We have one of the best rotations in baseball. We don't need a great lineup to win ballgames. Does it help? Of course it does! But is it required? No. The Yankees of 2004-2008 really needed a strong lineup to win because they really had no reliable pitchers. 2004 they had nobody. 2005, they had Mussina, but nobody after that. 2006, they had nobody after Wang and Mussina. 2007, they had Wang and Pettitte, nobody after that. 2008, Mussina, nobody after that. We have had no more than 2 reliable starting pitchers in a season since 2003. Now, we have CC, Burnett (if healthy, which I expect he will), Wang, Joba (if he stays healthy), and Pettitte if he can have a comeback season. That is 4, possibly 5 reliable starting pitchers. Now that we have a powerful rotation, we don't need as much a powerful offense. Basically, my point is that this team is stacked and could swallow the loss of A-Rod for half a season.

Secondly, I think it will be good for A-Rod to get away for a little bit. Selena Roberts book on A-Rod comes out in April. The thought of his steroid use is fresh in everyones mind. Remember, no matter how much Rodriguez just wants to "get back to baseball," fans won't think that way. He will be booed everywhere, and it will be bad. Also, remember that he isn't the most emotionally stable guy in the world. He doesn't handle these things really well. I believe that it might be good for Alex to get away from the game of baseball a little bit. Let the stories die down. Let the thought of steroids go away from everyones mind. I think it would be good for him emotionally to miss a little bit.

Thirdly, remember at the end of 2007 he signed a 10 year, 275 million dollar contract. Thats a lot of time, and a lot of money. If he tries to play through this injury, and his hip blows up, it could end up being a lot worse. He would miss the end of the season rather than the beginning. He would miss postseason. And his future in baseball may start to be questioned. Will he ever be healthy enough to play again? We wouldn't know. I don't think it's worth the risk. This is a big investment. The Yankees shouldn't risk it. Remember, A-Rod is trying to prove himself again. It wouldn't be good if his career ended a year after his steroid episode, would it? All Hall of Fame chances would be destroyed, and 275 million dollars from the Yankees would be wasted.

I also need to say that Mike Lowell, the Red Sox third baseman, also had a torn labrum. He tried to play through it last year. What happened? His production decreased. Also, the pain got to be so much that he missed the postseason! So Lowell played worse than he otherwise would, and missed the playoffs. What if that happened to A-Rod? I would rather have a productive Rodriguez for the second half of the season and postseason, than a less productive Rodriguez for 5-6 months, with no postseason, and a possible chance of permanent injury. Mike Lowell is evidence that something bad is very possible. We wouldn't want that to happen.

Well, when you look at all this, it is an easy decision. We won't fall out of the AL East race without him, and it is too big of a risk. He should have surgery. Will it hurt our team without him? Of course it will! Any time you lose a player like A-Rod for an extended period of time it will hurt your team. But the Yankees have to look at the big picture. Keep him healthy in the long run. It may hurt the Yankees even more if he decides to play. Get surgery, come back in July, have a strong second half, and help the Yankees win a World Series!

Joe Torre's Legacy Should Not Be Tarnished By His Book

For the last couple of days, we have been hearing a lot of things about "The Yankee Years," Joe Torre's new book which covers his 12 successful years as manager of the New York Yankees. I have been reading and hearing many things that have said that Torre's legacy has been destroyed by his new book because of the insults that he shot at players that are, and were, on the Yankees. Personally, I don't believe a word of it. It's the New York Post people! They are trying to make money, so they put the things that people will be most interested in the paper. I have quite a few reasons why this book shouldn't be made too big a deal of.

It has been reported that in Torre's book, he says that A-Rod was called A-Fraud by teammates. It has been reported that David Wells went out of his way  to make people frustrated with him, and Kevin Brown was just naturally good at making people frustrated. It was reported that Brian Cashman betrayed him on several occasions, particularly the final meeting last year when he was essentially fired. He killed Carl Pavano, and had a number of insults toward Randy Johnson, Kenny Lofton, Gary Sheffield, and more, as it was reported. See a pattern here? Nobody has read the book yet! It has all been reported by New York Post. Am I saying that none of it is true? No. Am I saying that the newspaper blew it out of proportion? Absolutely.

Lets go through the reported insults for a little bit. He said that A-Rod was called A-Fraud during his tenure with the Yankees. Well, we know it wasn't in the last 2 years, because Andy Pettitte said he has never heard it once. Mike Mussina reported that it is possible that he heard it, but that it didn't necessarily mean that he heard it in a bad way, as it might have been a joke. We haven't even seen it in context yet. I don't think this one is a big deal.

He said Brian Cashman never "betrayed" him, and that they had disagreed, but that is normal for 2 different people. This one isn't anything.

He killed Pavano. This one doesn't surprise anyone. Everybody killed Pavano. It's not like he didn't deserve it.

He had insults for Kenny Lofton, Gary Sheffield, David Wells, and Randy Johnson. Well, Sheffield and Lofton insulted him for "treating white players better," which we all know isn't true. He said Kevin Brown just was naturally frustrating, and had insults for Randy Johnson too. Maybe these weren't called for, but what do they expect. They didn't live up to what they were expected to do. He also insulted Cashman for becoming increaingly obsessed with numbers, and didn't like "the feel" of players. I think he is right here, because none of his signings since 2004 have worked out. 

Well, I think the Post makes it a lot worse than it really is. If we wait until we get the book, and see it in context, and listen to what Torre has to say about it when he addresses the media, I think that our opinion of him won't change. Maybe some of the stuff in the book is a little harsh, but once we read it, we will still look at him as a legend, and one of the best managers the Yankees have ever had.

Yankees Could Get Garcia

The New York Yankees have emerged as top candidates, along with the New York Mets, as favorites to land RHP Freddy Garcia, according to FOXsports.com. The Mets probably need him much more, as after Santana the Mets have nothing but question marks. The Yankees, however, need someone too.

The Yankees need a number 5 starter. The Yankees would like Andy Pettitte back, but as you already know I am against that. They also could use the kids, and have some competition from Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Alfredo Aceves, and even Phil Coke. They could pursue the trade market, and see if teams are fielding offers. They also could go, once again, back into the free agent and pursue guys still available, like Ben Sheets, and, Freddy Garcia.

I, for one, do not believe that he should be a Yankee. I have no problem with him as a person, but his health is a question. He hasn't pitched a full season in 2 years, and the last time he posted a good ERA was 3 years ago. The Yankees are already going to take a chance with AJ Burnett, hope Mariano Rivera has no lasting effects from surgery, and hope Joba Chamberlain can stay healthy as a starter. The Yankees need to start developing these young kids, the sooner they do it, the sooner they will develop. Getting Freddy Garcia will mean another year without the kids having a full year in the majors. Sacrificing young, cheap talent for another injury prone pitcher could wind up being a disaster. If they get him, and he gets hurt, it's another 5-10 million dollars wasted. I think they've wasted enough money the last bunch of years. In the last 10 years or so, every single free agent pitcher they have gotten, with the acception of Mike Mussina, has not lived up to expectations. I did not agree with the signing of AJ Burnett (if I had this blog when they got him, I would have written about it. I would have preferred Derek Lowe. I hope I'm wrong about Burnett), and I don't agree with the possible signing of Freddy Garcia. Go with the kids. Let them develop. They will regret it if they don't.

What do you think they should do?

Mike Mussina's HOF Career

As you know, Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina announced his retirement almost 2 months ago. Since then, there has been debate on his Hall of Fame chances. I thought that I should go into that discussion a little bit. Here we go.

Good

• 270 Wins
• 117 Games over 500
• Reasonable ERA of 3.68
• 7 Gold Gloves
• 17 Consecutive Seasons of 11 or more wins
• 3.42 ERA in the postseason
• Appeared in 2 World Series
• Pitched in the Steroid Era
• 5 All-Star Appearances
• 3 Time MVP award nominee
• Pitched in the AL East his entire career
• Won 20 games once, 19 twice, 18 three times
• Reinvented Himself after diminished fastball

Bad

• No World Championships
• No Cy Young Award
• Only one 20 win season
• Never been regarded as a dominant pitcher

Mike Mussina was my favorite pitcher of all time. I might be being a little generous to him because of that, but I honestly believe he is a Hall of Fame pitcher. First of all, I can think of a lot more cases for him than against him. Secondly, the luck factor, I believe, was never on his side. For example, only 5 All-Star Appearances, but with a little luck and generosity, that could have been 8-10 appearances. He should have been on the team in 2001, 2003, 2006 (I believe they asked him in 2006 a few days before the game, but he turned it down), and 2008. I also don't think people would have complained if he was on the team in 2002. As far as no Cy Young Awards, I think most people agree that he should have won it in 2001, but they looked at Roger Clemens brilliant record and didn't look at more important things, like ERA, walks per 9 innings, Batting Average against, or Strikeouts. I also thing that if he won in 1992, people wouldn't have complained. He pitched in the steroid era, where many of the top pitchers, like Roger Clemens, were all enhanced, and he played clean baseball. He pitched in the toughest division in baseball for 18 straight seasons, and pitched against 8 World Championship teams (1992-1993 Blue Jays, 1996, 98, 98, 2000 Yankees, and 2004 and 2007 Boston Red Sox). He pitched in Camden Yards, one of the best hitters parks of the game, and played for the Yankees when they had some of the worst defensive outfields I have ever seen. I think that when you look at the numbers alone, he is a great pitcher, but not a HOF pitcher. However, if you add everything I mentioned. Look at the luck against him, what he should have had but doesn't. He was an out away from a perfect game. Two outs away from a World Championship in 2001, two wins away in 2003, and one win from going to the 2004 World Series. Many of the stats against him were not his fault, and I believe that it should be taken into account. As for what cap he should wear, I would say a Yankee cap, because I think that is what he is remembered for. The Yankees are where his best season was (2008), his best pitched game was (Near Perfect-Game), and his most clutch postseason performances were (Game 3 2001 ALDS, Game 5 2001 World Series, Game 7 2003 ALCS, etc). Again, when you look at his numbers, he isn't a HOF, but when you look at other factors, I think those push him in. Maybe not on the first ballet, but he will eventually get in.

What do you think?