Cashman deserves a lot of credit

[jacksonianmarch]

I will tell you what, I have uttered the words "Fire Cashman" over the past 24 months more than a few times. I thought he had a very vanilla off-season. I thought his passing on the chips moving at the deadline was a mistake. Turns out, I was wrong.

 

Start with the off-season. Re-signing Chase Headley. The other 3b options on the market are at a total of -1.7WAR. Headley's WAR of 1.3 is rather pedestrian, but when you consider that his value is dropped by an uncharacteristic 18 errors and you see a guy who is proving to be the cream of that steaming shitpile of a crop.

 

Dealing Shane Green for Didi Gregorius. I wasn't the biggest fan of this move because Greene was trending up and Didi lost out on the SS spot in Arizona. As it turns out, Cashman sold the stock at its highest and bought low on Didi. Didi is at a 2.7WAR and has played defense unseen at SS in these parts for more than 20 years. The kid is starting to hit as well and is looking like a future franchise SS. Greene came out gangbusters, but sucked to the point of being the worst starter in the AL and eventually ended up on the DL for the year. Kudos.

 

Dealing Prado and Phelps for Eovaldi and German. German ended up getting TJS, so we shall see how he develops after surgery. Prado is under .700 in OPS and missed time due to injury. Phelps has a 0.0WAR and has been just as bad in the NL as he was in the AL. Eovaldi started off as a 5 inning pitcher who somehow managed to win his games. Since the ASB, he's averaging 6+IP per start, the K rate is up, the WHIP is down and his HR allowed are down. He's showcased a nasty splitter which has made his 100mph fastball much harder to hit. The guy is also only 25 and trending up. We dealt away a 31 yr old with 1 yr left on his contract who hasn't played well and a 5th starter type for a guy who looks to be a future top of the rotation starter.

 

Going to the deadline...Not dealing Severino has turned out to be a find. This kid looks like an ace. He has the stuff, the demeanor, the control. Girardi is managing him well also, making sure to keep him from imploding. He's a rook, so I know there will be bumps in the road, but he has the makings of a front line starter.

 

Not dealing Greg Bird. He has been promising and has shown an advanced approach to the dish in his short time here. But shortly after the deadline, we lost Tex. Bird single handedly won one game and has proven to be no pushover in the box against big league pitching. He looks like he should be a productive big leaguer for years to come.

 

Somehow Cash did the unthinkable. He lost the offseason. He lost the deadline. But he somehow turned over an old team, invigorated it with youth and ended up keeping us in contention. I am willing to eat my crow Brian, good work

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

No one gives a s***.

[Bellhorn04]

Sadly, I have to agree with Jacko. I think Girardi deserves some credit too. To me he seems like a Francona type who keeps the team going even when things look bleak.

[Kimmi]

I have always thought that Cashman was a good GM, and that he has too often been overruled by Levine. He's not Theo, but given the autonomy, he could be very Theo-like.

 

Notice all of the moves mentioned here. Not one of them involves signing a big named free agent to a mega contract. Not one of them involves trading away the farm for a big name. Hmmmmm.

[a700hitter]

I have always thought that Cashman was a good GM, and that he has too often been overruled by Levine. He's not Theo, but given the autonomy, he could be very Theo-like.

 

Notice all of the moves mentioned here. Not one of them involves signing a big named free agent to a mega contract. Not one of them involves trading away the farm for a big name. Hmmmmm.

 

Tanaka was a big name acquisition. It was only a year earlier.

[Bellhorn04]

Tanaka was a big name acquisition. It was only a year earlier.

 

As were Ellsbury, McCann and Beltran a year earlier.

[Kimmi]

Tanaka was a big name acquisition. It was only a year earlier.

 

I was referring to the post that Jacko made. I realize that the Yankees made several big name acquisitions two offseasons ago. Many of their players have bounced back this season. Personally, I am more impressed with the lesser name players.

[a700hitter]

I was referring to the post that Jacko made. I realize that the Yankees made several big name acquisitions two offseasons ago. Many of their players have bounced back this season. Personally, I am more impressed with the lesser name players.

 

Tanaka is their ace and McCann is probably their most consistent offensive producer.

[jacksonianmarch]

He's not our most consistent offensive producer. But what he brings defensively and in the clubhouse adds to his plus offensive production out of a spot that doesn't usually see good production.

[a700hitter]

He's not our most consistent offensive producer. But what he brings defensively and in the clubhouse adds to his plus offensive production out of a spot that doesn't usually see good production.

 

Who has been more consistent. ARod has been in a tailspin. Horseface was better, but he will end up missing more than a month of the season. Ellsbury has been injured and slumping since. McCann has been your steady Eddie.

[Kimmi]

Tanaka is their ace and McCann is probably their most consistent offensive producer.

 

I'm not saying that the lesser name players are necessarily providing more production. IMO, though, it's often the smaller name guys and the depth guys who are the difference makers on the team, not the superstars. Tanaka and McCann, along with Ellsbury and Beltran, were all on the team last year, and the team went nowhere.

[a700hitter]

I'm not saying that the lesser name players are necessarily providing more production. IMO, though, it's often the smaller name guys and the depth guys who are the difference makers on the team, not the superstars. Tanaka and McCann, along with Ellsbury and Beltran, were all on the team last year, and the team went nowhere.

 

A team without big horses goes nowhere no matter how good the depth guys are. We need horses.

[Bellhorn04]

The final verdict on Cashman's 2015 performance is yet to be rendered, of course. If the Yankees win the division he's gold. If they lose the wild card game not so much. He wasn't expecting the Jays to become the juggernaut that they currently resemble - not many were.

[jacksonianmarch]

I'm not saying that the lesser name players are necessarily providing more production. IMO, though, it's often the smaller name guys and the depth guys who are the difference makers on the team, not the superstars. Tanaka and McCann, along with Ellsbury and Beltran, were all on the team last year, and the team went nowhere.

 

There is a reason for that, and it is on both sides of the ball. On the pitching side, we got stronger as the year went on. Tanaka is going to surpass his GS total in his next start. Pineda only had 13 starts last yr, and he's at 21 and climbing right now. Eovaldi has come on and replaced, albeit to a lesser degree, the loss of Kuroda. We have had less abject disasters who have filled in as well. Last year we had 14 starts from Nuno who was abysmal (-0.7WAR). We had 17 starts from Phelps who had an exact 0.0WAR. We had 12 starts from Whitley who had a -0.4WAR. Nova's 4 starts generated a -0.7WAR before he left with TJS. Last year we had one guy start 32 games (Kuroda), one guy start 20 games (Tanaka) and then the next highest was Phelps at 17. This year, we have 4 guys who have started 20+ games and even with how bad CC has been, he has still generated a positive WAR (0.8), I don't really know how. And the fifth spot was a direct handoff from Warren to Nova totaling 27 starts. We have had continuity in the rotation if not so much durability. Also, by our rotation evening out, our pen got really strong. Adding Warren to the pen effectively have them that other righty we didn't have outside of Betances. Adding Shreve and Wilson shored up middle relief and Miller has been better than Robertson was last yr.

 

Our relievers went from 8th in the AL with a 3.70ERA down to a 3.33ERA and 6th in the AL.

Our starters have actually dropped a spot from 7th to 8th in ERA with a 0.5ERA worsening.

 

Our offense has come alive this season, which was predictable IMO, although not predicted to be this good. We had a few guys coming over in their first seasons who struggled. This yr, Beltran and McCann took significant steps forward. We've had a full yr out of Headley. Didi has been a significant upgrade at SS. With his power and defense, Drew has been an upgrade over Brian Roberts and the Drew from last yr. And ARod returning as he has and Tex having the season he was having massively improved the club.

[jacksonianmarch]

The final verdict on Cashman's 2015 performance is yet to be rendered, of course. If the Yankees win the division he's gold. If they lose the wild card game not so much. He wasn't expecting the Jays to become the juggernaut that they currently resemble - not many were.

 

I was on record as saying if Pineda and Tanaka make 30 starts apiece, we'd make the playoffs. They wont make 30, probably around 25 apiece, but they're looking like they'll make the playoffs. With the moves that had to be made to get this team ready to be a playoff contender and the in season moves and non moves Cash has made, this is a success regardless of what happens from here on out.

[Kimmi]

A team without big horses goes nowhere no matter how good the depth guys are. We need horses.

 

Believe it or not, it is usually the depth guys that make the difference between making the playoffs or not.

[Kimmi]

There is a reason for that, and it is on both sides of the ball. On the pitching side, we got stronger as the year went on. Tanaka is going to surpass his GS total in his next start. Pineda only had 13 starts last yr, and he's at 21 and climbing right now. Eovaldi has come on and replaced, albeit to a lesser degree, the loss of Kuroda. We have had less abject disasters who have filled in as well. Last year we had 14 starts from Nuno who was abysmal (-0.7WAR). We had 17 starts from Phelps who had an exact 0.0WAR. We had 12 starts from Whitley who had a -0.4WAR. Nova's 4 starts generated a -0.7WAR before he left with TJS. Last year we had one guy start 32 games (Kuroda), one guy start 20 games (Tanaka) and then the next highest was Phelps at 17. This year, we have 4 guys who have started 20+ games and even with how bad CC has been, he has still generated a positive WAR (0.8), I don't really know how. And the fifth spot was a direct handoff from Warren to Nova totaling 27 starts. We have had continuity in the rotation if not so much durability. Also, by our rotation evening out, our pen got really strong. Adding Warren to the pen effectively have them that other righty we didn't have outside of Betances. Adding Shreve and Wilson shored up middle relief and Miller has been better than Robertson was last yr.

 

Our relievers went from 8th in the AL with a 3.70ERA down to a 3.33ERA and 6th in the AL.

Our starters have actually dropped a spot from 7th to 8th in ERA with a 0.5ERA worsening.

 

Our offense has come alive this season, which was predictable IMO, although not predicted to be this good. We had a few guys coming over in their first seasons who struggled. This yr, Beltran and McCann took significant steps forward. We've had a full yr out of Headley. Didi has been a significant upgrade at SS. With his power and defense, Drew has been an upgrade over Brian Roberts and the Drew from last yr. And ARod returning as he has and Tex having the season he was having massively improved the club.

 

I expected your pitching to be very good, if healthy. My point there was that it's not Tanaka who has been the difference maker this year, but rather the "lesser known" pitchers.

 

Your offense coming alive was not predictable. McCann hitting a career high in HRs? McCann, ARod, Teixeira, and Beltran all bouncing back as well as they have? Your offense has had pretty much everything go right for them, which you need to have a strong season, but it certainly wasn't predictable.

[Thunder]

He definitely deserves a lot of credit. He's prepared himself for the time in which his vets get too old by bringing in/keeping a crop of young studs like Didi, Severino, Bird, etc...

[jacksonianmarch]

I expected your pitching to be very good, if healthy. My point there was that it's not Tanaka who has been the difference maker this year, but rather the "lesser known" pitchers.

 

Your offense coming alive was not predictable. McCann hitting a career high in HRs? McCann, ARod, Teixeira, and Beltran all bouncing back as well as they have? Your offense has had pretty much everything go right for them, which you need to have a strong season, but it certainly wasn't predictable.

 

Well, I predicted it, lol. Hence why I am going to own UN?'s sig for a month. I thought Didi would give us a spark defensively and having Headley there for a full yr would help. I expected ARod to his about .250 with 20HRs so he and Tex are definitely better than I expected. I didn't anticipate Beltran being this good. I thought Ellsbury would be better. Regardless, we had too much talent on the offensive side to suck for longer than one season and I was right.

 

In terms of our pitching, we have had less tumult than last yr. 4 guys throwing 20+ starts and the 5th spot being a transition from Warren to Nova without anyone taking the ball in their turn of the rotation. Last year we had one guy over 30, one guy at 20 and a bunch of guys in the teens. This yr has been more stable for sure.

[jacksonianmarch]

He definitely deserves a lot of credit. He's prepared himself for the time in which his vets get too old by bringing in/keeping a crop of young studs like Didi, Severino, Bird, etc...

 

And that's the thing. We have moved guys up who have succeeded and we still have more sitting in the upper levels. Judge and Sanchez are in AAA. Mateo will be in AA next yr. We are f***ing stacked with relief options. And we got younger on the big league field with Didi from day 1. I like what our future holds, especially as these big contracts come to a close. After 2016, CC, Tex, and Beltran come off the books. Huge money there

[Thunder]

And that's the thing. We have moved guys up who have succeeded and we still have more sitting in the upper levels. Judge and Sanchez are in AAA. Mateo will be in AA next yr. We are f***ing stacked with relief options. And we got younger on the big league field with Didi from day 1. I like what our future holds, especially as these big contracts come to a close. After 2016, CC, Tex, and Beltran come off the books. Huge money there

 

Did you guys call up Refsnyder on the 1st? His defense looked great from when he was up in the bigs earlier in the year. If he is given time to show he can hit, I would start him over Drew next year, in order to give Drew a breather, or less of a workload.

[jacksonianmarch]

I think they didn't want to mess with Didi's progression by changing his DP partner. Drew has given us good defense, even though his contact and average rate leave a lot to be desired. I think Refsnyder is the guy next yr. He reminds me a lot of Pedroia, albeit he isn't short. Remember, he was an OFer for most of his career, his change to 2b was basically 2 yrs ago. He has improved his D tremendously this yr, but he isn't on Drew's level with the glove. But he's a guy who will hit for average, double digit HRs, double digit steals and great OBP. I think he's the guy for next yr

[Thunder]

I think they didn't want to mess with Didi's progression by changing his DP partner. Drew has given us good defense, even though his contact and average rate leave a lot to be desired. I think Refsnyder is the guy next yr. He reminds me a lot of Pedroia, albeit he isn't short. Remember, he was an OFer for most of his career, his change to 2b was basically 2 yrs ago. He has improved his D tremendously this yr, but he isn't on Drew's level with the glove. But he's a guy who will hit for average, double digit HRs, double digit steals and great OBP. I think he's the guy for next yr

 

He's not Pedroia. He seems like the opposite of Mookie, who has obviously played great defense since changing from 2B to OF.