Austin Jackson, Ian Kennedy and the Other Ex-Yankees

Every once in a while it's good to look back at the ex-Yankees and check in on how they are doing. Last off-season featured a lot of movement and turnover, especially for a team that had won the World Series the previous year. Let's start with the Curtis Granderson trade and work our way through and after each player I'll add if the Yankees miss him or not.

Austin Jackson - Jackson may be the best prospect the Yankees have traded in a while. Although he's come back down to earth since his early-season breakout, he's still hitting .308/.352/.412 with a .347 wOBA and 10 steals. His .418 BABIP suggests that average could continue to come down (and his past month has been pretty atrocious at the bat), but even if he does, Jackson is backing it up with Gold Glove defense. His catch in the 9th inning of the Armando Gallaraga near-perfect game stands out, but John Dewan just came out with his top defenders in 2010 and it shows that Austin Jackson has been the best defensive outfielder in baseball*. The Yankees have had the benefit of not regretting many trades in the past 15 years but this one may turn out to be on they regret. Definitely miss. Picture from MLive.com

*Side Note: A lot of us have seen an improved defensive effort from Robinson Cano, but his inclusion on this list  (#8 in all of baseball) shows that his defense has actually been excellent so far in 2010.

Ian Kennedy - IPK is one of those classics of "would he actually have succeeded pitching in the AL East?" I don't think so. But Kennedy has come back from aneurysm surgery and has proven to be a valuable addition to the Diamondbacks team. His 14 game started is tops in the majors and although he's 3-4, he's put up a 3.57 ERA and a solid 2.48 SO:BB ratio. ESPN's Buster Olney wrote this morning that other than Justin Upton, Kennedy is the only untouchable player on the Diamondbacks team. That's pretty lofty status. Alas, some of the stats may be inflated by good luck and an unattainable pace. Kennedy is on pace to throw 219 innings after never throwing more than 39.2 innings in the Majors before and only reaching his previous high of 165 in 2007 (combined between every single level of baseball). The larger problem is that Kennedy's FIP (4.78), xFIP (4.28) and unusually low BABIP (.259) suggests that there is a correction in ERA coming at some point as well. And in his one American League start (against Boston yesterday) Kennedy got charged with 6 runs in 6 innings. Miss only because of lack of depth. Picture from AZCentral

Phil Coke - The third part of the Granderson deal, Coke has enjoyed a good deal of success in the Tigers bullpen. He's 4-0 so far on the season with a 3.18 ERA and turned around his home run issue from last season (he gave up 10 last year, 1 so far this year). Coke's FIP (3.41) seems to make it possible that his ERA could continue at this point, but when you factor in the home run decrease, his xFIP of 4.15 puts him more in line with last year's ERA. Even if his ERA jumps up a bit, Coke has still been a valuable piece to the Tigers bullpen and a missing piece for the Yankees. Miss in the 'pen.

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Wrapping Up the Yankees Win, the Parade, and Matsui Thoughts

I know I wrote a whole post about what a giant disappointment the Giants were, but the whole NFL day was shot yesterday for me. I won maybe three games in my spread pick-em league. My suicide team (the Packers) busted. My two best bets for the week (San Fran and Baltimore) couldn't cover. And the Sunday night game was a match-up of the two teams in the NFL I dislike the most (Philly and Dallas). So what did I do on Sunday night? Sulk? Cry? Nope, I watched an incredible season finale for Mad Men (more on that in a future post) and just smiled knowing that they Yankees were still the 2009 World Series champions.

A title can do that to a fan.

So can going to the parade. When the Yankees won the World Series in 1996, I was a few months shy of my Bar Mitzvah. I can't say I really knew what losing was although I had been a huge fan for half a dozen years. This nine year drought made me appreciate it more, made me want to soak it all in a little bit more, and, most of all, made me try to slow it down and savor the moment. Who knows when it will be back.

I read through Jack Curry's great column about the parade for the New York Times (where the picture to the right came from), and then read through Tyler Kepner's even better column of the parade for the New York Times. I found myself agreeing with Mike Lupica (it doesn't happen often) that this is a beautiful thing and was glad I was among the throng of people showering the Yankees with love. I was happy to hear about how Brian Cashman treated his scouts from Peter Gammons and heard some more great things about that from Buster Olney (as well as one more great "27 facts about World Series 27 list" in the same column). I agreed with Steve Politi when he said that the celebration was definitely missing something: The Boss.

Despite all those good feelings, all that nostalgia of a magical season in The Bronx, I have to agree with Ken Davidoff: It's time to say "sayonara" to Hideki Matsui. I know, that's pretty harsh. The guy did just win the World Series MVP award. His final postseason and regular season stat lines are below and they're impressive.

Regular Season totals:

Playoff Totals:



Wow. If you prorate his postseason stats for an entire 162-game season, he's hitting .312/.391/.541 with, 75 XBH, 29 HR and 113 RBI. And that's against the best pitching in the game with the most on the line.

*Side Note: One stat I left off of there just to save room, but which amazes me, is that Hideki Matsui never had a sacrifice bunt. I know this shouldn't seem strange because he's a slugger and I rail against sac bunts. But don't you think one time in his seven regular seasons or 6 postseasons one of his managers would have stupidly had him put down a bunt? I guess not and I'm not really upset about it.

So why do I, heartlessly, want to get rid of him? Because there's no place for Hideki Matsui on an aging team. Matsui is strictly a DH at this point and with his knees, he's only a part-time DH. He can't play the field at all, which eliminates him for 9 games in the National League parks. And who knows how many times next year he'll have to get his knees drained or how much an extra month of baseball during the playoffs this season has put extra strain on his aging body.

There's also this problem: the aging regulars need to DH. Alex Rodriguez may not need another surgery to repair his hip, but he will need quite a few days off to be the designated hitter and he'll be 35 next season. Derek Jeter showed improved defense at short this season, but he'll be 36 next season and could probably use a few more days rest (as he showed at the beginning of this season when he got tired playing every day with A-Rod out). Jorge Posada turns 39 next season and each year seems to get more limited defensively. Although the Yankees probably can't make him an everyday DH, it would certainly behoove them to put him behind the plate a little less.

That doesn't even include the fact they may bring back Johnny Damon who, at 36 and pretty awful in left field, needs to DH more often that he did this season. Or Nick Swisher who while better than Damon in the field, maybe be better off getting so ABs at DH. You could DH one of your corner outfielders and give a minor leaguer like Austin Jackson a real shot in the major leagues. Or use the DH for regulars like Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira who could use a day off in the field every once in a while. It's about keeping everyone fresh during a very long regular season, a luxury that they won't have if Hideki Matsui is constantly parking himself in the DH spot.

So, in my opinion, it's time to let Matsui go and let the last Thrilla from Godzilla be his World Series. As Davidoff points out, the Yankees did so with their 1996 World Series MVP, John Wetteland, to make room for Mariano Rivera. Now it's time for the Yankees to let their 2009 World Series MVP go as well to make room on the roster. While it may seem harsh now, we may look back on it in 13 years with the same feelings we have about letting Wetteland go in '96: that it was the correct move, even for a World Series MVP.

Yanks Use Something Old and Something New Beat the Twins

"It was an odd feeling game because there was no flow. Posada looked lost at times behind the plate. But they won and a few guys who needed to do well, did well" - My dad's postgame summary

I couldn't have said it any better myself. It was an odd feeling game, especially on the defensive side. There was very little rhythm between CC Sabathia and Jorge Posada including two passed balls, one wild pitch, and a handful of mound meetings. But they both got through it, especially CC who went 6 2/3, only allowed one earned run, struck out 8 and didn't walk a batter (though he did hit one). Most importantly, he earned a big game one win.

It was also a big game for Alex Rodriguez. He had gone 0-for-29 in the postseason with runners on base dating to Game 4 of the 2004 AL Championship Series, leaving 37 men on base, before he got one of two hits with runners in scoring position, chasing Brian Duensing. This was certainly a good way to get the monkey off A-Rod's back early in the postseason (with Kate Hudson and Jay-Z looking on).

But while new guys chipped in, so did the old guard as well. Derek Jeter got the Yankees on the board after they (surprise) struggled against Duensing. His home run was classic Jeter (we saw this classically in 2000 when he hit a big lead-off home run against the Mets). Jeter was loose in the dugout (we saw him laughing it up with his teammates after Matsui's home runs), he was loose on the field (the cameras caught him joking around with A-Rod after Rodriguez caught a windy pop-up), and he just looks like he's relaxed and having fun.

Hideki Matsui also chipped in with a huge two-run home run to center off Francisco Liriano. I know that he can't play the field and that he can't run and that the Yankees are most probably going to let Matsui go after the season is over...but this guy has been a huge asset to them for 6 years now and he will be sorely missed in big situations.

Lastly, the Yankees decided to get a few people some bullpen worked and they all looked great. Phil Hughes got a big strikeout of the very pesky Yankee-killer, Orlando Cabrera. Phil Coke got out his one lefty on one pitch and Joba got an out on two pitches. They then turned the ball over to Rivera who ended it just like he has many a Yankees postseason win.

The only time that CC Sabathia faced the Twins this season, Brian Duensing pitched and the Yankees slugged their way to victory. Tonight, like July 7th, the same formula equalled a 1-0 Yankees lead in the best-of-5 series. I will be there in person on Friday night as the Yankees try to go 2-0 in an ALDS for the first time since 1999 vs. Texas. But much, much more to come on NYaT before then so stay tuned!

Why Last Night Mattered For The Yankees

In the 8th inning of last night's game vs. the Angels, the Yankees clinched a playoff spot. At the same time, they also lost a lead to the Angels in their home park where the Yankees never seem to win. So it would seem natural for the team to just pack it in and realize that it wasn't their night.

But the Phil Hughes overcame shotty defense behind him and kept the game tied, the Yankees grabbed the lead in the 9th behind Brett Gardner's wheels, Johnny Damon's bunt, and A-Rod's sac fly, and then Mariano Rivera came in to seal it up in the bottom of the 9th. So why was that important?

First, the Yankees got the [Rally] Monkey off their backs. They had very little success in Anaheim up until that point a desperately needed a win, much like their win against the Red Sox when they tattooed John Smoltz helped them get off the snide. The Angels are one of their toughest opponents and any win against them is big.

But also, the win gave the Yankees some more breathing room in the AL East and the race against the Angels for best record. Just because the Yankees won there last night (despite blowing the lead) does not mean they want to play a majority of their ALCS games there if that opportunity arises. They also decreased their magic number in the AL East to 6 which makes the upcoming weekend series against the Red Sox a little less of a sweat-fest.

Book the Yankees ticket to the playoffs, they're back. And it's nice to have a win to back that up.

Other thoughts:

• A-Rod looks really comfortable in Anaheim. Maybe it's just having Scott Boras in the front row watching him. But A-Rod needs to carry this momentum over into the playoffs, especially if they may face the Angels again.
• The 9th inning proves the difference between Brett Gardner in the lineup and Melky Cabrera. Not only is Gardner a superior defensive player, but his speed was the catalyst for that 9th inning rally. I think GGBG has to be your starter in the playoffs, especially against righties.
• Something is not right with Alfredo Aceves. I'll go into this more later, but they need to figure out if they can get him right by the playoffs or maybe go with someone else in his spot if he's not going to be healthy.
• Good job by Phil Hughes wiggling out of trouble after some terrible defense behind him
• Remember when people were worried of Jorge Posada could throw again? Remember when people were worried that Mariano Rivera couldn't strike people out anymore? I think the strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play in the bottom of the 9th proved those both aren't true.
  
• Hideki Matsui will be sorely missed next year. He's been tremendous for them.
  
• I hate the bunt, but it worked out for the Yankees in the 9th inning. I still hate the bunt, though. Johnny Damon is a good enough hitter and Brett Gardner has enough speed that if you swing away, I think you get Gardner to third anyways...
• Chad Gaudin looked great and then the wheels fell off. I feel like that is a common theme for him in starts. If they Yankees are going to start him in the playoffs, they need to make sure the bullpen is rolling at the first sign of trouble.
• I was glad to see, as Peter Abraham wrote, that the Yankees didn't celebrate getting back into the postseason. I truly don't think they should celebrate anything until they win a playoff series. This team is built for a lot more than just making the playoffs or just winning the division.
• 3:35 game today. A Yankees win would just about seal up the division and the home-field advantage. I know there's still baseball yet to be played, but I can't see the Yankees faltering that much if they can win behind the great enigma, A.J. Burnett, today.
  

Leaving Boston: Thoughts on Matsui, CC and Mariano

What a series. Three crazy games. Some thoughts:

• The Yankees will miss Hideki Matsui next year. They're not going to bring him back but he's been really great for them. With 4 HR in this series, he now has 23 for the year. He could possibly hit 30 this year. The only other time he did that was in 2004. He also hasn't slugged over .500 other than 2004 and he's at .510 this year
  

• CC Sabathia now leads the league in wins. I think he had a really good game tonight and has been very good against Boston in his last few starts this season. He won his 5th straight start. He's 20-2 in August since 2005. CC may have played himself in the Cy Young discussion.
  

• Another person in the Cy Young discussion? Mariano Rivera. He's been great. I know names like Grienke, Halladay and Verlander will also be involved in the discussion, but can you really count out Mariano? He's simply been great this season. 32 consecutive saves, highest K/9 rate since he's become a closer, only 9 walks and 1.87 ERA
  

• Jeter has also simply been great. MVP? Maybe

• The Yankees improved to 16-4 in their last 20 games and won their 10th series out of 11 since the All-Star break
  

Unrated It's Just "Embarassing"

Here's a series recap:

G version: We were awful. We lost every way possible (blown out, comeback fell just short, lead blown)

PG version: We played like crap. We are 0-8 against the Red Sox. We just can't beat this team. I feel like we're cursed.

PG-13 version: Shit. Fuck. Ass. RISP in the series: Game 3: 1-11, Game 2: 2-15, Game 1: 0-2. For those scoring at home that's 3-28. You can't win if you hit just over 10% with RISP. Cano 0-6, Jeter 0-4, Damon 0-4, Posada 0-2, Teixeira 0-2, Cervelli 0-2, Matusi 0-1. Only A-Rod 1-3, Melky 1-3, Swisher 1-1 got hits. And A-Rod was 0 for the rest of the series, and Swish made two horrible baserunning plays and one extremely bad defensive play.

R version: We sucked balls. No way around it. We came in as the best team in baseball and came out as a joke. There was not one player who had a good series besides maybe Phil Coke. We were undressed by the Red Sox. Big Papi looks steroids enhanced again when facing us (he doubled his homerun and curtain call totals this series). Aceves was not the answer to close the game. CC Sabathia tried to carry this team tonight but there's a reason why Pedroia was the MVP last year: he beat him.

This is why I drink.

Just embarassing. The Red Sox are a better team. But this is just insanity.

Today's Matchup in New York

A battle of two big, hard-throwing righties today in the Bronx. Let's see how the opposition has faired against them in the past:

                    PA  AB  H  2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG   **OPS**   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP G_miss YR_miss
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
Nick Swisher        5   4   2  1  0  1   1   1   1  .500  .600 1.500   2.100     0   0   0   0   0               
 Alex Rodriguez      9   6   2  0  0  1   2   2   0  .333  .444  .833   1.277     0   1   0   0   0               
 Jorge Posada        7   5   2  0  0  0   2   1   1  .400  .429  .400    .829     0   1   0   0   0               
 Robinson Cano      14  14   5  1  0  0   2   0   1  .357  .357  .429    .786     0   0   0   0   0               
 Derek Jeter        16  14   5  0  0  0   1   1   1  .357  .400  .357    .757     1   0   0   0   0               
 Brett Gardner       6   5   1  0  0  0   1   1   3  .200  .333  .200    .533     0   0   0   0   0               
 Johnny Damon       10  10   1  0  1  0   1   0   1  .100  .100  .300    .400     0   0   0   0   0               
 Melky Cabrera       6   6   1  0  0  0   0   0   0  .167  .167  .167    .334     0   0   0   0   1               
 Ramiro Pena         3   2   0  0  0  0   0   1   1  .000  .333  .000    .333     0   0   0   0   0               
 Mark Teixeira       7   5   0  0  0  0   1   2   2  .000  .286  .000    .286     0   0   0   0   0               
 Hideki Matsui       5   4   0  0  0  0   0   1   2  .000  .200  .000    .200     0   0   0   0   0               
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
Total              88  75  19  2  1  2  11  10  13  .253  .333  .387    .720     1   2   0   0   1               

It's a mixed bag, with some with great success (Swisher, Posada, Cano, A-Rod, and Jeter) and some without any success (Damon, Melky, Pena, Tex or Matsui). It's a small sample size, however.

And for Joba vs. the Rays:

                    PA  AB  H  2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG   **OPS**   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP G_miss YR_miss
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
Evan Longoria       1   1   1  0  0  0   0   0   0 1.000 1.000 1.000   2.000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Carlos Pena         4   2   0  0  0  0   0   1   0  .000  .500  .000    .500     0   0   0   1   0               
 Willy Aybar         3   3   0  0  0  0   0   0   1  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 B.J. Upton          3   3   0  0  0  0   0   0   2  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Carl Crawford       2   2   0  0  0  0   0   0   1  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Gabe Gross          1   1   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Matthew Joyce       1   1   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Dioner Navarro      1   1   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Ben Zobrist         1   1   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
Total              17  15   1  0  0  0   0   1   4  .067  .176  .067    .243     0   0   0   1   0               

It's a very small sample size, but only Longoria has been able to get a hit off of Joba and he's not even going to be in the lineup. Let's hope Joba can build on his last start where he went 8 innings. Yankees baseball about to start from the Bronx

Stat of the Day and Jorge as DH

Figured I'd try and get a few new segments on this blog including "Stat of the Day". This one is a scary one, from New York Post's Joel Sherman (via Twitter):

Yankees staff ERA with Posada catching: 7.71. Even without Wang's horror show it is still 6.45.

Joel Sherman wrote today in the New York Post all about how Posada should be the DH for the Yankees, especially going forward. While I don't disagree with him, the Yankees have a true problem: too many DHs and not good enough options at catcher.

This year the Yankees have Matsui (who can't play the field at all), Xavier Nady (who may be able to return but unable to play the field), Nick Swisher (who, while in no way a liability in right, would probably be better at DH), A-Rod (who needs a day off every once in a while to rest that hip), Damon (who looks absolutely lost in left field this season at times), and Jeter (who should probably be making his way to at least a part-time DH role).

That's a lot of guys for one spot. Next year, Matsui, Nady and Damon come off the books, but the Yankees still have a dilemma as to where Jeter plays. He seems like he's lost yet another step at shortstop and needs to get moved to another position. There's no way to tell if he could be a successful outfielder, so DH may be the place for him. And A-Rod will be a year older next year so he'll need a rest every once in a while there too.

I love the Teixeira signing in many ways, but they'll wish at some point they had that first base slot open. But maybe the goal next year will be to split DH 50/50 with Posada and Jeter. With both on the wrong side of 30 (at least in baseball years), they need all the time off in the field that they can get to keep their bodies from breaking down. That's if you can get those two, who are very prideful guys who feel they should always be in the field, to agree to DH, which is a whole 'nother story...

Cervelli's Infield Single Key To Game

"How many times in recent history have we seen a Yankee catcher leg out an infield single?" That's what my dad asked me right after Francisco Cervelli legged out a huge infield single in the 7th inning with two out. He knew that he was fighting to stay on this team after a poor job with Phil Hughes last night and busted his ass down the line and was called safe. Two batters later, Damon put the ball in the stands, the Yankees led 5-3 and they never looked back. But who knows what would have happened had Cervelli not raced down the baseline to avoid that third out?

There is something to be said about guys who have been here a while--like Damon and Matsui-- contributing. But I often feel like you need to light a fire under some guys' asses to get them going. Robinson Cano was the subject of offseason trade rumors and has come back with a purpose. Melky Cabrera lost his starting job and has been playing great so far this year (on offense at least). Nick Swisher came in as a bench player and played himself into the starting lineup before Xavier Nady got hurt. Phil Coke started out the year roughly but has battled his way back to be the go-to-set-up guy. And game winning rallies have been centered around hustle singles by guys like Brett Gardner and Ramiro Pena.

Part of my problem with the Yankees the past 6 years or so is that they never seem hungry. They are made up of a bunch of guys who have already gotten their payday. Most of these guys won't be here by the end of the year (if/when people get healthy and replace them), but maybe their hunger will rub off on the rest of the Yankees and this team can play with a little more heart than in recent years.

How Much Would The Yankees Pay Jason Bay?

After watching Jason Bay again come up with a clutch hit tonight and knowing what he did against the Yankees so far this season, maybe the target for the Yankees shouldn't be Matt Holliday but Jason Bay for next season. A free agent in the off-season, Jason Bay seems like he would look pretty great roaming left or right field for the Yanks next year. How much would they pay this guy to get him away from the Red Sox? Well if they're paying $13 M to both Damon and Matsui this year, it's going to be a lot of money.