jacksonianmarch

JimEd is quickly becoming the forum pariah. I expect a ban in about a month.

All I am saying is that Tek's catching skills are overblown and most data you try to gather basing his effectiveness by pitcher ERA is flawed or not in his favor. His offense is terrible, his blocking skills have diminished, his arm is gone. All he has left that is making him money are the intangibles and how he calls a game.

That is an interesting stat lax.

join the club. A lot of teams will be looking to pay ridiculous amounts for Mauer. The question is, whether one of our kids can stick well enough in that time frame to cause either team to hold back.

A month later and the yankees are still shopping one of the OFers. Looks like Swisher is getting the most attention, but I'd hang onto him. In terms of Nady, I'd hang onto him, platoon him with Matsui and have him spell Damon, Swisher and Tex when needed. He'll get the 400AB or so he needs to stay sharp AND he'll keep his Type A FA status. Offer him arb off a part time season, let him decline it and reap the 2 picks that come our way. It's better that way

its what should happen regardless. I think the lockerroom is a sacred space and violating that after fact should only be done when the players whose confidence you'd be violating are done. Making comments on ARod while he's still a yankee are uncalled for and unprofessional

I think a pertinent question for sox fans is whether you are content with this offseason. Especially since the prices are down and the players on the market are the best you are gonna see in about a decade.

I think you run into the question of whether the offensive improvement is worth the decline in "intangibles" and gamecalling. Thats really the only area that Tek is considered to be good in. His O sucks and his defense isnt that great considering he isnt the best at blocking balls and has a noodle for an arm. But you do run into the concern of the pitchers not trusting the decision making of the rookie catchers. And example, I highly doubt that the sox would go with an all rookie platoon. Highly doubt it to a massive degree. You typically dont just toss a rookie into the fire like that. I would fully expect Bard and Kottaras to platoon but Bard would play in at least 90 games.

I agree that OBP is the best stat to follow. That being said, AVG in the context of OBP separates players as well. For example. If your OBP was .380 but your AVG was .230 like Adam Dunn, a very large percentage of your OBP is a walk, which gets you to first base, but doesnt move runners unless there is already someone at 1st and wont drive in runs unless the bases are loaded. If your OBP is .380 but your AVG was .300 then you have a lot more of your "win percentage" vs the pitcher in the hit category which moves runners further and has the opportunity to drive a runner home. That being said, Adam Dunn is a freak of nature and of baseball stats. Mostly because when he hits the ball, it usually isnt a single and he walks so much that his OBP is sky high. I hope he goes for a one yr deal and waits for the market to ride its way back up. Cause I wouldnt mind him next yr after Godzilla or Damon or Nady or 2 or 3 of the previous go their separate ways. Especially if the sox manage to resign Bay or Oakland deals off Holliday to a place that signs an extension

Exactly, but I dont expect him to write a tell all book about how theo betrayed him and his players and how David Ortiz is a prima donna.

and I will be disappointed if we do not win a WS.

With the signing of Andy Pettitte, the yankees have now rounded out their rotation and have sent a serious message to the rest of the MLB. This yankee team is finally built the appropriate way. In 2008, yankee starters were mediocre in performance and putrid in durability. They were 19th in ERA, last in CG, 25th in IP, 19th in K's and 27th in BAA. That is all about to change. Instead of starting the yr with 2 rookies in the rotation, the yankees turn to 4 proven veterans and a second yr player with immense upside to take the reigns of a rotation that was both fragile and ineffective. The two rookies from a yr ago are now AAA depth, gaining valuable innings and experience for when they are needed to step up, whether that be for injury purposes in 09 or into the spot vacated by Pettitte in 2010. Out goes Mike Mussina. 20 win season in his finale, a great way to walk off into the sunset. But with Mussina it was a hit or miss activity over the past 5 yrs with him. Once a durable and dominant pitcher (9 consecutive 200+IP seasons) he hadnt reached that plateau in 5 yrs. He surpassed that by 1/3 of an inning in 2008. While they will miss his performance from 2008 immensely, the growing sentiment among baseball people was that he likely wouldnt be able to repeat his effectiveness and his durability had he decided to return. Out go Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner. Together they combined for 193IP 234H 120ER 71BB and 100K. Thats a line of 5.60ERA 1.58WHIP 4.7K/9IP 1.41K/BB. Thats just flat out terrible. To AAA go Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, two guys who were granted rotation slots before they were ready both physically and mentally. In comes CC Sabathia. The 2007 AL Cy Young award winner and a guy who probably would have won a Cy Young had he stayed in one league in 2008. He brings both dominance and durability to a club lacking both. His 30+ starts in 7 of his 8 seasons will be a welcome addition to the team. Then consider the level to which he has performed over the past 3 yrs, mostly spent in the AL and it is enough to make yankee fans salivate. Serially decreasing WHIPs (1.17, 1.14, 1.11) and improving K rates have him primed for a dominant, durable start to his yankee career. Back somes Chien Ming Wang. He was on his way to having another CMW type of yr. 1.32WHIP, 6.1IP per start, 8 wins in 10 decisions when he broke his foot running the bases. He is completely healed from this injury and is throwing pain free right now, back at full speed for this time of the winter. I think the addition of CC will take some pressure off CMW as he no longer needs to be the guy to carry the load for the rest of the rotation. He was the guy who the team would count on to give the pen a rest if they were spent. Now, he can be counted on for a bit less innings in that instance and potentially a bit more effectiveness. In comes AJ Burnett. An intriguing fellow who has had multiple DL stints but has only had one major injury. A guy who has had 3 200+ IP seasons to his credit and is coming off a season where he was both durable and dominant in the ALE. If he remains as durable as he was last yr, then he would be an absolutely devastating addition to this team. If he reverts to his prior form, then he'll make a significant contribution, but likely need about 5-8 starts skipped due to various minor injuries that he cannot pitch through. Regardless, this is why the depth with Wang, Pettitte and CC is so important. It makes AJ's durability less of a concern and as long as he takes the bump 25 times, then he'll be worth it. If he takes the bump 30 times, along with CC, CMW, and Pettitte, then this rotation will be lights out Back comes Andy Pettitte. The guy who was his typical durable self in 2008, but with a different turn of events. Typically a slow starter, he started out well decreasing his WHIP and ERA pre-ASB only to see himself get injured and fall apart post ASB. If he is healthy and can give us those pre ASB numbers then this is an awesome signing and well worth the incentives (which do not count against the salary cap since they are incentives). He's a durability signing, though. A guy who is known to be able to pitch with pain and since this will likely be his last season in the big leagues, I expect him to be able to take the bump 30 times barring an uncharacteristically significant injury Then you have Joba. The guy who has been yanked around more than Mr. Crunchy yanks around those southy prostitutes. A guy whose stuff is amongst the best in the game, yet nobody seems to know how to train the guy. He's had two mirror opposite seasons since signing with NY. Starter to relief, relief to starter. Well, now he's healthy and he's gonna start. He'll be babied significantly. He'll likely be skipped multiple times. And I truly only expect him to start about 25 times this yr. But if those SP numbers he put up last yr correlate, he will be a find and someone well worth the time to develop. He had massive K numbers, improving control and lights out dominance once he got his pitch count up. If he continues that, even in a short burst, it will be worth it. Now what does all this offseason pitching spending do? It allows the yankees to do something that they havent been able to do since they dissolved the pitching powers after 2003. It allows us to take the rest of the system slowly. This allows Phil Hughes and the rest to get their innings and confidences up while working on rounding out their arsenals. It will give Hughes et al a chance to have a cup of coffee when Joba needs a break due to rising IP or due to injury when AJ has a hangnail. This allows us to groom Coke as a starter for now without having to thrust him into the rotation. This allows us to groom Aceves as a Mendoza type spot starter/reliever, something I think he is best suited for. And it also allows the other guys time to mature their arsenals as well. Guys like Kontos, Kennedy, McCallister, Brackman, Bleich, etc. Guys who over the past 2 yrs would probably have been moved through the system more vigorously. Regardless ladies and gents, the yankees are getting back to basics. A rotation that is capable of being both durable and dominant. A rotation that has no weak links in it. And a system capable of filling the holes as needed without being leaned on too heavily to start. I can't wait for the opening bell to toll. Cause, IMO, the Yankees have a rotation that is equal to the best in the game and superior to most, if not all. And this is gonna be fun

I lost a ton of respect for Torre on the field once it became obvious that anything but cruise control was too much for him to handle. I lost a lot of respect for him as a person for this book. I agree with most sentiments above. I'll probably read it. But he's selling out the privacy and sanctity of the lockerroom which will completely destroy any credibility he had or ever will gain with his players. Its too bad too. He'll probably be booed or shunned by his former players when his number gets retired and when he goes into the HOF with a yankee cap on.

having to resort to wishing for injury. Thats when we know we have you

Hughes, or we can skip his start based upon off days

I think his arm will be fine if we treat it properly. You cannot monkey around with his role mid season yr in and yr out like we had been. I honestly think that we'll limit the innings this yr and see him stay healthy. We also have the luxury to skip him at a moments notice if there is even a twinge.

Perfect. This offseason has been absolutely perfect. We now have the rotation that we needed. You have the durability of Wang, Pettitte and Sabathia. You have the #1 starter potential in Sabathia, Joba and Burnett. You allow Joba to sit in the 5 hole and be skipped on a regular basis to keep his IP down. You allow Hughes to mature in AAA with the pressure off for a yr and with a chance to gain valuable innings. I am loving this rotation right now. Power, depth, durability. I'd put this rotation against anyone's.

26, we had the second best bullpen in baseball last yr. That was with only having Marte in it for half the yr and having Ohlendorf in there for the first half. Also, we have Melancon and Robertson, two guys who I think will have a significant impact in the pen this yr. We have the reinforcements for the pen.

Meh, who cares. Once the games start, the money will be old hat. All that matters is the performance. And if the sox fail, I have a feeling there will be quite a resounding thud heard over here

last season's tigers were billed as an offensive juggernaut. Teams built around solid pitching are the only ones to consistently make the playoffs. The Tigers lost Bonderman and Rogers to injury. Verlander started off terribly. Robertson completely crashed and burned. And Willis lost everything. Not to mention their best reliever went down for most of the season, Todd Jones lost any semblance of being useful and Rodney was hit or miss. Their pitching got decimated and they were awful. That can happen to anyone, and if it happens to us, we will crash and burn. But it will just as likely, if not more likely could happen to you guys (depending on if we get Pettitte).

I agree. Sheets upside is way higher than Pettitte's. But we arent looking for an ace. We're looking for a guy we can reliably expect to hand the ball to a reliever after the 6th on an every 5 day basis. We have that with CC and with a healthy Wang. But when looking at most of the successful teams, they have both successful and durable rotations. Right now, I cannot say that. Add Pettitte and you have 3 guys who should make it past 200IP before you even get to Burnett (who did it last yr) or Joba

Ah and Ed, the sox were better in 2008, no question. They handled injuries better than we did, mostly because their MLB ready farm products were well, ready. Lester steps in as an ace with Schill being out. Lowrie outperforms Lugo. Pedroia and Youk step up their game. But, healthy, I think we would have given you a run for your money. And I am of the belief that we are better in 2009 than the sox are. But this is all a game of speculation since injuries likely will be a real problem.