Faithful reader(s), I have finally had the ::cringe:: pleasure of watching the Yankees newest Japanese import, Kei Igawa, pitch in a game against the Phillies yesterday.
First impressions? Eh.
His line, 5IP 3H 1ER 2BB 4K, looks excellent, and his spring ERA, 2.65, is also stellar. What scares the shit out of me is how he is going about compiling this ERA. I will only speak of yesterday, since not much data is available on spring training games for me to research. This needs to be changed, btw.
Anyway, yesterday, Igawa was 2-0 and 3-1 on more people than I care to think about. At one point, he got Chase Utley 0-2 only to throw a ball almost to the backstop in the process of getting the count to 3-2. The GOOD news is that Utley struck out in that at-bat. Further BAD news, though, is that the K was rang up on a defensive swing at a slider about shoulder-high.
Height appears to be Igawa's problem. Possessing an above average array of offspeed stuff, including a plus slider and change, Igawa had trouble yesterday (and in starts before that, if other blogs and game summaries are to be believed) getting the ball DOWN. For someone that only throws 88-90 mph at his hardest, anyone will tell you that it will be a problem.
On the plus side, he really has not been beaten up too badly at all this spring. In fact, yesterday, he was extraordinarily clutch, getting several key strikeouts when he needed them, including the aforementioned Utley and big Ryan Howard, on a similarly high slider. I don't know if there is a sabermetric stat for blind luck, but Igawa seems to be the league leader thus far.
In other news, how is Joe Torre going to justify keeping Brian Bruney, the official "Husky Yankee" (and subsequent Rough Justice favorite) off the team? While giving up no hits and no walks in his inning of work yesterday, Bruney struck out the side with an interesting combination of his power fastball, slider and something that looked like a change, or maybe a two-seam fastball. ERA stands at 1.50 on the spring. Come on, Joe, on those days where Farnsworth can't go, you're telling me you don't want to see the bald-headed beast that is Brian Bruney (hello, alliteration) trot in and blow some people away?
I have a theory on the whole Farnsworth last minute back problems. I believe, and I freely admit I have nothing but my own experience watching Yankee games to back this up, but it would SEEM that he comes down with these mysterious back problems when he is due to face the opposing lineup's big bats. Personally, I think he's gunshy.
Editor's Note: Igawa has walked 12 men in 17 innings this spring. Not fucking good. -RJ
-RJ
Showing posts with label Torre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Torre. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Doogie Howdoeshehaveajob-ser
Ladies and gentlemen,
I believe Brian Cashman is an above-average General Manager. I think even without the Yankees John Goodman-sized payroll, he would have a winning team on the field. That being said, the handling of the Yankees first base situation this offseason spring has been nothing short of sickening.
The plan is to have Jason Giambi manning the pine for the defensive innings, where he is definitively not comfortable (check his career splits between DH and 1B, and yes yes, I know that generally, he DH'ed alot early when his legs were shot, so that skews the stats, but fuck you, I'm writing here), and have Doug Mientkiewicz (I swear I didn't have to look the spelling up) and either Andy "Happy to Be Here" Phillips and Josh "Rule 5" Phelps platoon at first. Please let me explain, from the perspective of a rational Yankee fan, why this is a terrible idea. Alot of this has been said, but my therapist says it helps.
Doug Mientkiewicz has never hit like a first baseman should. Career line: .270 .359 .405. Not bad for a middle infielder or catcher, but for a first-bagger he is well below the average. OOH OOH, you might say, ROUGH JUSTICE, HE'LL SAVE AS MANY RUNS A GAME WITH HIS GLOVE AS HE MIGHT NOT SCORE! I'd say, your drinking the fucking Kool-Aid on that. One of the reasons why Doogie hasn't really hit well, or even to his career average, the past few years, is because of major back problems which, as a fellow, albeit non-athletic sufferer, I sympathize with. I don't care if you are George Sisler over there, as a first baseman, unless you drop the routine throws from second, third and short, your fielding does not significantly alter the game. I mean, fuck, Frank Thomas played there in PLAYOFF games. And don't give me the bullshit that he can be somehow "hidden" in the deep Yankee lineup. He'll knock into double play after double play and ruin rallies until Cashman/Torre do something about it. Oh, and his spring training average is sub-.062. One hit. ONE HIT.
Andy Phillips sucks. Next question.
Josh Phelps is a very interesting name. Well not an interesting name, but an interesting player. He hits the shit out of lefties, and as one of those righties (there are alot of them) that does so, he deserves a double and triple look at a platoon position. He's also having a torrid (good word, brah) spring. Here's what the Yanks should do. Platoon Phelps and Giambi at first, playing Phelps or Giambi there based on who is feeling fresh (they are both atrocious enough with the glove to make this a wash, fielding-wise) but sitting Phelps against most righties and DH'ing Matsui or Abreu (both getting creaky) and playing my personal boy, Melky Cabrera, at LEAST four times a week. This way, against lefties, we get to see the Giambino rest his legs and Phelps swing for the moon. The majority of the time, however, give Melky his 350-400 ABs. I submit that this is ultimately what is going to happen. If it doesn't, expect Sexson in pinstripes by July.
-RJ
I believe Brian Cashman is an above-average General Manager. I think even without the Yankees John Goodman-sized payroll, he would have a winning team on the field. That being said, the handling of the Yankees first base situation this offseason spring has been nothing short of sickening.
The plan is to have Jason Giambi manning the pine for the defensive innings, where he is definitively not comfortable (check his career splits between DH and 1B, and yes yes, I know that generally, he DH'ed alot early when his legs were shot, so that skews the stats, but fuck you, I'm writing here), and have Doug Mientkiewicz (I swear I didn't have to look the spelling up) and either Andy "Happy to Be Here" Phillips and Josh "Rule 5" Phelps platoon at first. Please let me explain, from the perspective of a rational Yankee fan, why this is a terrible idea. Alot of this has been said, but my therapist says it helps.
Doug Mientkiewicz has never hit like a first baseman should. Career line: .270 .359 .405. Not bad for a middle infielder or catcher, but for a first-bagger he is well below the average. OOH OOH, you might say, ROUGH JUSTICE, HE'LL SAVE AS MANY RUNS A GAME WITH HIS GLOVE AS HE MIGHT NOT SCORE! I'd say, your drinking the fucking Kool-Aid on that. One of the reasons why Doogie hasn't really hit well, or even to his career average, the past few years, is because of major back problems which, as a fellow, albeit non-athletic sufferer, I sympathize with. I don't care if you are George Sisler over there, as a first baseman, unless you drop the routine throws from second, third and short, your fielding does not significantly alter the game. I mean, fuck, Frank Thomas played there in PLAYOFF games. And don't give me the bullshit that he can be somehow "hidden" in the deep Yankee lineup. He'll knock into double play after double play and ruin rallies until Cashman/Torre do something about it. Oh, and his spring training average is sub-.062. One hit. ONE HIT.
Andy Phillips sucks. Next question.
Josh Phelps is a very interesting name. Well not an interesting name, but an interesting player. He hits the shit out of lefties, and as one of those righties (there are alot of them) that does so, he deserves a double and triple look at a platoon position. He's also having a torrid (good word, brah) spring. Here's what the Yanks should do. Platoon Phelps and Giambi at first, playing Phelps or Giambi there based on who is feeling fresh (they are both atrocious enough with the glove to make this a wash, fielding-wise) but sitting Phelps against most righties and DH'ing Matsui or Abreu (both getting creaky) and playing my personal boy, Melky Cabrera, at LEAST four times a week. This way, against lefties, we get to see the Giambino rest his legs and Phelps swing for the moon. The majority of the time, however, give Melky his 350-400 ABs. I submit that this is ultimately what is going to happen. If it doesn't, expect Sexson in pinstripes by July.
-RJ
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