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It's Mid-term report card time for the Yankee pitchers. The biggest surprise on the positive side is Mike Mussina's resurgence. On the negative side, of course, Kennedy and Hughes have pitched like Thelma and Louise. Joba's transition to a starter is going splendidly, as planned, and Jose Veras is showing signs that he can be a reliable bullpen arm. Also, I think this guy Rivera might work out. Without further ado, here are the mid-term grades for the Yankee hurlers:
 The Starters
Joba Chamberlain A
Remember a month ago when the Joba starter/reliever angst was at its peak? No more. The burly Nebraskan seems well on his way to a dominant career as a starter. Now that he is commanding four pitches, he is quickly becoming the staff ace. Last three starts: 18.1 IP, 2 ER. His next outings against Texas and Boston will be tougher measurements.
Mike Mussina B +
Mike is one of the main reasons the Yanks are still in the hunt. What the brainy Stanford man has done to re-invent himself is truly amazing. By pitching inside more, achieving excellent command of the breaking ball, and finally realizing that he can't overpower anyone, he is having one of his finest first halves since his glory days. However, don't expect him to keep up his All-Star level, 10-5, 3.99, pace in the 2nd half. That ERA + of 103 is not too fair from league average. Still, 15-17 wins is more than anyone expected out of Moose this year.
Andy Pettitte B +
Roger's Ex is showing signs of shaking off his usual slow start. Since his abysmal 10 ER outing against Kansas City, he has gone 27 innings in 4 starts and given up just three earned runs. He's also riding a 5 game winning streak. With the season on the line, this is the guy you want on the mound. As with Moose, he is winning despite declining "stuff." And you can ask Jose Reyes, he'll tell you that Andy's pick-up move is still lethal.
Chien-Ming Wang B
It goes without saying that Wang's injury was a crucial blow to the Yanks playoff chances. You can't replace a guy who won 19 games the last two years and was 8-2 this year. He hasn't pitched quite as well as his record indicates, but he showed signs up straightening out in his last two starts before he got hurt running the bases. He may be back in September, but the Yanks aren't counting on it.
Darrell Rasner C -
After an initial flurry of competence, Rasner has regressed to his mean. He has now gone 1-6 with an ERA over 6 in his last 8 starts. He is ideally suited as a long man in the bullpen and a spot starter. He just doesn't have consistent enough major league stuff to fool hitters with any regularity.
Dan Giese D
Don't bother memorizing his name. He won't be here that long. In fairness, he did a decent job as Joba's caddy, but his dismal outing against the Mets is more indicative of what you can expect from him.
Ian Kennedy/Phil Hughes F
I'm combining these two simply to avoid repetition. Sure, the pre-season hype surrounding them was a bit much, but no one expected them to be this incredibly horrific. Combined: 59 2/3 IP, 75 H, 38 BB, 39 K. Kennedy ERA + 55; Hughes ERA + 45. Yikes. Now Yankee fans must also worry about whether Hughes will end up being one of those injury prone types. Adding insult to injury for many Yankee fans is that Boston's young pitchers seem to be working out just fine. I'd be very surprised if either kid is back in the Bronx this year.
Kei Igawa F
You're killing me on this one, Cash.
 The Bullpen
Mariano Rivera A+
Where to begin? It seems as if Mariano will be able to pitch forever. How sick is 42 Ks and 3 BBs in 36 innings? Or a 0.74 ERA? Or an ERA + of 543? Any way you look at it, the best reliever in baseball history is having perhaps his finest year.
Jose Veras B
The fire balling righty has finally arrived. He's proving to be a capable set-up man with a 3-1 K/BB ratio and an average of a K per inning. In the past he's had control issues, so Dave Eiland and Joe Girardi are watching him closely. With the injuries to Bruney and Albaladejo, and the ineffectiveness of some of the others, Veras has a real chance to make his mark-he has an earned run average of 0.73 in his last 11 games.
Kyle Farnsworth C -
Farnsworth is the reason the world hates the United States. It's bad enough that Yankee fans have to watch the angina-producing righty give up home runs at a spellbinding pace (10 in 36 innings), but does he really need to grab his crotch and put his fingers to his tongue after every pitch? His woeful opponent OPS of 1.032 since he assumed the 8th inning from Joba says it all. In his 20 years of doing New York Sports Radio, the only time Chris Russo has been right about anything was when he warned Yankee fans about this guy. Thankfully, it's Kyle's last year in pinstripes.
Edwar Ramirez C -
Pedro himself has taken an interest in the slender change-up artist with the high K rate. Edwar has slowly worked his way into assuming more high-leverage innings. However, it's very rare for a pitcher to be continually successful with a change-up without having a decent fastball to offset it. Edwar continues to be a work in progress, and his ceiling isn't extremely high. After not allowing a run in 13 appearances, he has now allowed 10 earned runs in his last 11 innings. He probably won't get much better than what you see right now.
Ross Ohlendorf D -
He's performed horribly, and his confidence seems shot right now, funny how a 6.53 ERA does that to a hurler. However, the youngster has been misused in the first half. He's been filling the role of long man until very recently, but his true worth is as a late inning, one inning guy. When used properly his fastball hits 96-98 mph. He needs to work on his command to be successful, and a trip to Scranton is clearly the best thing for him right now. There is still a lot of upside to Ohlendorf, and now the Yanks are going to turn him back into a starter in the minors.
LaTroy Hawkins F
Now regulated to mop-up duty, Hawkins has been serving up batting practice in the first half, as his 6.03 ERA suggests. It's a good thing Cashman only gave him a one year contract, as he will likely be designated for assignment soon. As an aside, it's worth noting that Hawkins is a stand-up guy who never makes excuses. He also does more for society and those less fortunate than you can possibly imagine. So wish him well; I sure do.
Billy Traber F
He gave it a try, but he stunk up the joint, and the Yanks' elusive search for a LOOGY continues. Why in the name of salty pretzels a team with a $200 million + payroll can't find a lefty for the pen -- when other teams normally have two -- is one of those unanswered questions that might make a great TV documentary on the Discover station.
Chris Britton INC
They mystery man seldom gets a chance to pitch. When he does occasionally pitch, he is usually impressive. Now he is "injured" and on the DL with a "pulled right ribcage." I'd love to know what's he's done to not get a fair shake.
Brian Bruney INC
He was really pitching well before his injury. The Yanks miss his early season stat line: 11.3 IP, 7 hits, 2 ER, 12K, (they don't miss the 6 BB), 1.59 ERA, 256 ERA+. With luck, he may be back in late July/earlyAugust.
Below is where the Yankee pitchers stand in the all-important Runs Saved Above Average Category.
(Courtesy of Lee Sinins' Complete Baseball Encyclopedia)
YANKEES
Mariano Rivera 15
Joba Chamberlain 13
Andy Pettitte 5
Mike Mussina 5
Brian Bruney 4
Jose Veras 4
Chien-Ming Wang 3
Sidney Ponson 3
Kyle Farnsworth 2
Dan Giese 2
Edwar Ramirez 2
Chris Britton 2
Jonathan Albaladejo 1
Scott Patterson 0
Billy Traber -1
Darrell Rasner -1
Kei Igawa -4
LaTroy Hawkins -6
Ross Ohlendorf -9
Phil Hughes -11
Ian Kennedy -13 |
