Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Phil Hughes was seven years old the last time the Yankees were eliminated during the regular season. Tonight he'll be the first pitcher to start a game for an eliminated Yankee team since Sterling Hitchcock took the Camden Yards mound on September 28, 1993. Like Hughes, Hitchock was a well-regarded 22-year-old pitching prospect at the time, but he never fulfilled his potential due to a combination of injuries and ineffectiveness. Here's hoping Hughes, who pitched well though inefficiently in his last start, won't meet the same fate.
Fittingly, tonight's matchup of Hughes and Yankee killer A.J. Burnett should conjure up a fair bit of hot-stove conversation. Burnett is all but certain to opt out of his contract this fall as he's set career highs in games, starts, innings, strikeouts and wins this season and could finish with 19 victories by beating the Yankees tonight. His 1.78 ERA in four previous starts against New York has certainly piqued the Yankees' interest, but they'd do well to notice that Burnett's season ERA is barely above average and dips below average when you take away his dominance of the Bombers. He's also going to be 32 on Opening Day next year and has a very sketchy injury history. In fact, all of those career highs this year are the result of the fact of that, at age 31, Burnett has been healthy enough to start 30 games for just the second time in his career this year. Burnett has better stuff than former Marlins teammate Carl Pavano, but the Yankees would do well to remind themselves of the similarities between the two pitchers when contemplating the free agent Burnett.
Phil Hughes' one quality start in the majors this season came back on April 3 against the Blue Jays. Another one in this, his last start of the season, would go a long way toward building both his confidence and the team's confidence in him heading into next year, and would reduce the chances of the Yankees making a desperation move for an expensive injury-prone veteran like Burnett or Ben Sheets. In that way, Hughes beating Burnett tonight would be a tremendous victory for the future of the franchise. But, hey, no pressure.
Just putting this out preemptively, because I know its coming.
Remember, Brett: there's a difference between hustle and bad baserunning.
6 True, but it is nice to see him swinging down on the ball and getting some more base hits. If he can do that with some consistency he might have some value.
Man, meaningless games just feel weird.
But I never expected to be looking up at the Rays. I gotta say, now that we're out of it, I'm kinda hoping they win it all.
So, the Yankees' pitching has been relatively close to the Sox. The pitching overall was not the problem, it was the Yankees hitting (to the tune of 200 fewer runs scored).
As for the playoffs, Go Cubbies. Though I hope Soriano k's about 18 times.
Nady was a good acquisition by Cash.
Regardless, I like the Yanks' chances up 3-0 with Duque, Moose, Lieber and Brown in the pipeline...
And to show how wacky the postseason can be, Esteban Loaiza, who didn't do much of anything after being traded here for Contreras, had an outstanding ALCS.
Sigh, what could have been this season. Oh well, good to see my fanboy crush back to his old ways. Gives me some hope for next year.
Its almost as bad as when he puts in a pinch runner and then just won't put on any play at all.
Anyway, split squad didn't score and Hughes is out, so I'm done with this game.
Was Phil as good tonight as his numbers look?
Miranda has terrible splits and I hear is a HORID fielder. Does he look like he can contribute something to this team?
And how DO we replace Bobby's production? It's too bad he SOOOOOOO bad in the field, because otherwise he is a very solid, if unspectacular player.
And do we really give up Giambi's production to sign a Casey Kotchman for 4 years? I don't think Cashman will bit/overpay/blackmailed into getting Tex.
I don't think this is the year to clean house. After next year Matsui and JD are gone, Giambi's option is up, and we will have a much better fell for which kid pitchers are keepers. I wonder if the 2009 team will look a lot like the 2008 team (with Matsui traded somewhere in there).
Hughes looked damn good. Fantastic hook.
How about a full season from Matsui? Or Nady, for that matter?
Abreu is going to be 35, his walk rate has been trending down - which is a huge red flag to me - and his power numbers are likely to continue their downward trend (this year is probably a fluke in that regard). Add in the worst defense of any RF in MLB, and a poor CS rate for a guy who's been a wonderful base stealer.
I love Abreu, he's been wonderful for the Yanks and underrated most of his career. But I will not be sorry to see him go. Preferably to a team that does not have a protected 1st round draft pick.
nice to see the franchise did well tonight.
i sure hope we stay away from burnett...
BOTH Matsui and Bobby are horrid fielders. Maybe after surgery Mats will be better, but right NOW (or before the injury became bad) Matsui scares me more in the field then Bobby. Mats has less range, and at least Bobby's arm has held a number of runners, and he has thrown out a number of runners.
Bobby's CSs are up... but he is still a far, far better runner then (robotic) Matsui. How manys DPs did Bobby hit into that... WOW... safe at first!... great hussle. Bobby can still run. While Jetes was Mr. BP, Bobby beat out a number of potential DPs.
Bobby is all of 3 months older then Matsui. Matsui has gone from Iron man to injured every year. You think Physically, Matsui is 'younger' then Bobby?
Bobby's career OPS is still 50 pts better then Mats, but still, I consider them both .850ish OPS guys. Is Booby in decline? Maybe. But Bobby was better this year then last, OPS and HR wise. Is this year a fluke... or was last year then fluke.
Side Note: Decline....
Remember 2005, when Posada had an off year? As a 35 year old Catcher, Jorge was obviously in decline. Catchers wear out younger and faster. Go back to 2005 posts/comments and there were a number of call to trade Jorge while he still had value. Then he had a fine year in 2006. Then there was Jorge in 2007.
Now we have 2008 Jeter. In decline? We all think so. But man, he has been really good Derek for 5 weeks now. (Aug/Sept- .789/.934).
Obviously, as players hit their mid 30's, they are probably trending downwards. To some extent they are all 'in decline'. But to me, decline in a steady, obvious pattern of 2 or 3 years of decreasing numbers. So over the next 3 years, is Jorge a .782(2005) guy, .866(2006) guy or a .969(2007) guy? What about 2009 Jeter? Or Bobby? Or Mats? Or JD? And then, of course, we have the MOST obviously guy in decline. Old, injured, used up, uselass Jason Giambi (.890 OPS, 32 HRs, most games played in the field in 7 years). They are all mid 30's or older. But it's still guess work. And remember, with Bernie, or GOB, I think it was shoulder injuries as much as age that had him drop of a cliff.
There are variables we can only guess at, but for me, between injury, O, D, and running, I think Bobby has the edge over Mats everywhere except maybe D (who knows, the both stink going back and coming in). I don't think it's a huge difference, but I can't consider Mats an OFer anymore. He is pure DH.
Nady's career line: .280 .335 .458 .793. In 200 ABs with the Yanks, he has a very similar line. Averge D in the OF, slow of foot. Better then Bobby? TTTC.
I guess my point is what to do with Bobby, and even Jason, and even Pudge, are NOT no brainers. Replacing them with better players in 2009 might not be easy. In 2010, Matsui, JD and Giambi are 99.9% gone. But 2009 is a tougher call.
Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.