The fact remains, he is a shell of his former self

[Jayhawk Bill]

Over in the TalkSox forum, a Yankees fan posted this:

 

The fact remains' date=' he is a shell of his former self and will likely see his "legendary" ass on his way out of town. The fact that the players voted a .218 hitting catcher into the AS game is nothing more than assinine[/quote']

 

Well, certainly a drop of 37 points in batting average from the previous season to this season is significant. It occurred to me to check if any Yankees players met that standard.

 

There were a few:

 

Jorge Posada (-58 points): Jorge Posada is essentially unable to catch, and he's lost over 150 points of OPS points from 2007-2008. He's on the first year of a four-year, $52 million contract.

 

Robinson Cano (-54 points): Many of Cano's best comparables peaked very young. It appears that Cano may be on that same career trajectory. The Yankees locked Cano into a deal through 2011 for $30 million.

 

Derek Jeter (-39 points): While some still think of Jeter as a superstar, with an OPS+ of 97 he's almost exactly--not quite--a league-average hitter now. Jeter is owed $61 million for 2008-2010.

 

Shelley Duncan (-82 points): It's hard to remember that this guy was actually projected to contribute to his team this year.

 

OK, that's three starters and a significant bench player who have declined faster than Jason Varitek. Are there any pitchers in the same boat?

 

Carl Pavano (DNP): Pavano will be paid $11 million this year

 

Kei Igawa (+7.25 ERA): Igawa posted a 6.25 ERA last year, and he's sucked over twice as badly this year. Igawa cost over $46 million for five years, counting his signing fee.

 

Ian Kennedy (+5.52 ERA): Kennedy sucks for minimum wage...

 

Phil Hughes (+4.54 ERA): ...as does Hughes.

 

***

 

At times, it is good to count one's blessings and to be thankful for the good things in life. Tek and a few other guys are struggling, but things could certainly be worse.

[Mr Crunchy]

i feel like throwing a f***ing party after this post

[ksushi]

JHB, you've out done yourself, sir.

[a700hitter]

No one can shut up the Yankee fans like JHB.

[VA Sox Fan]

You ROCK JHB! :thumbsup:

[Soxfan1]

I laughed.