The Yankee Clipper: Relief Pitching

I feel like "relief" should be in quotes to emphasize the fact that the Yankees bullpen crew hasn't exactly been "lights out". So maybe the Yankees outfield, infield and catcher/DH posts seemed easy in comparison to the starters, but the relievers--oh boy. It's praying for 6-7 innings from the starters, hold your breath for an inning or two and then TGFMR (which of course stands for Thank God For Mariano Rivera). The trade deadline is fast approaching but the the relievers available look ugly at best. Let's take a look at the guys the Yankees currently have:

1. Mariano Rivera. Where would the Yankees be without The Great Mariano? Worse, where will they be eventually without Rivera? Since Mo became the Yankees full-time closer in 1997, the Yankees have had 30 different relievers save games--Mo has 541 and there are only three guys who have more than 7 (Ramiro Mendoza at 16, Mike Stanton at 15, and Steve Karsay at 12). But while he's still here, let's appreciate the man. So far into 2010, Rivera is 3-1 with a 1.01 ERA, and 20 saves (in 22 chances). Since May 24th when Rivera gave up a run against the Mets, Mo has pitched in 21 games, gone 3-0 with 12 saves, has an ERA of 0.40 and the line against him is .122/.167/.135. Oh, and he's supposedly doing this all with multiple injuries and at age 40. His WHIP is 0.645, his H/9 is 4.3 and his ERA + is 405 which are all career bests. Alas, some correction is probably in order. He's held opposing batters to a .194 BABIP which is pretty hard to keep up even for Mariano (his career mark is .274). He's allowed 3.1% of his flyballs to leave the park which is well-below his mark of 6.4% since 2002 or his 15.2% of 2009. And so while his ERA is sitting at 1.01 , his FIP is 2.25 and his xFIP is 3.11. The correction may  not be that large, however; Rivera has outperformed his FIP every season since he's been closer except 2001 and 2007. Rivera's strikeouts are a tick down (first time he hasn't struck out a batter per inning since 2006), but everything else is right on par. One interesting development for Rivera: while everyone thinks that sending a righty up is better than a lefty, lefties are actually hitting Rivera slightly better in 2010 (it's all relative) with a .471 OPS compared to a .336 OPS vs righties. And get this: Rivera's SO:BB ratio vs. righties is 23 to 1 and he's allowed zero runs vs. righties in 2010. Let's hope Rivera--the 1999 World Series MVP and 2003 ALCS MVP--continues to play at this level for a very long time. Best Month: June 2-0, 7 saves, zero runs allowed in 11 games, 4 hits, 11.1 K/9, 0.462 WHIP, 8.00 SO/BB.
2. Joba Chamberlain. My "Joba Rules" t-shirt is slowly becoming obsolete. ESPN's Rob Neyer wrote today about Chamberlain's luck and you hope that those numbers turn around. I agree with Neyer that we won't ever see the Joba we saw in 2007. But I'll take (and most Yankees fans would agree) the Joba who pitched in 2008. The Yankees jerked around Joba for so long and wonder now why he's struggling--is it really any surprise to anyone. Some have suggested trading him (horrible idea considering his low trade value), moving him to the rotation (fine idea but he's not stretched out right now), or sending him down to the minors (a kick in the ass, sure, but what else would this accomplish except put another hole the Yankees bullpen?). This bit from Bloomberg Sports is why Yankees fans are frustrated with Joba: " The big right-hander's ERA stands at 5.77, his WHIP's at 1.51, with opponents now hitting a robust .290 against him. He has not had more than three consecutive scoreless appearances since the middle of May. Of the 11 appearances in which he has allowed a run this year, he has allowed either 3 or 4 runs in five of them, a trend that makes it all but impossible for him to consistently lower his ERA." Despite all that the article (and Neyer's as well) suggests what I suggest with the Yankees and Yankee fans when it comes to Joba: patience. He's struck out almost 10 batters per 9 and walked less than the previous two years. He's not been victim to the longball, but he's just gotten hit all around the park. Eventually, some of those balls are going to get caught. And when it does, I really think that Joba's numbers will fit perfectly in line with 2008 where all his peripherals looked exactly the same but instead of a 5.77 ERA, he had a 2.60 ERA. The road right now has been quite bumpy, but hopefully the Yankees don't panic and acquire an 8th inning guy (or trade Joba), when he may possess exactly what they need to bridge to Mo. The big thing for Joba (in my opinion): stop making the first pitch so hittable. It's important to get first pitch strikes (and hitters hit only .170 against Joba when he gets ahead of them) but batters are hitting .611 against Joba on the first pitch, a sure sign that they're just waiting on fastballs to drive. It's tough right now (as as the New York Daily News wrote, Girardi has put Joba on notice) but I have some faith Joba (2nd in the league in holds) will yet turn it around. Best Month: April 3.48 ERA in 11 games, 1.258 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, 3.33 SO/BB.
3. David Robertson / Chan Ho Park / Damaso Marte. This was supposed to be the bridge to Joba and Mo coming into the season. Robertson led the American League in K/9 last year, Park pitched the Phillies bullpen to the World Series and Marte was a shut-down lefty out of the 'pen in last year's World Series run. This year, they've all struggled to some degree. Marte has been the best of the bunch and he's got a 4.08 ERA and 5.6 BB/9. The key for Marte, though, is facing lefties who have a .146/.200/.268 line against him (his SO:BB ratio against righties is 1 to 8). If the Yankees use him (once he returns from the disabled list) as just a lefty specialist (and on the road too where his batting average against is .071), he will be fine. Park looks just awful, though if they can use Marte against just lefties, Park needs to be used against just righties. Joe Girardi inexplicably brought Park in against a lefty yesterday and he gave up a home run. Against righties Park has a.209/.264/.373 line against with 4.50 SO/BB. Against lefties it's Chan Ho...and away we go (H/T Malter) as Park has a .368/.400.684 line against with 9 XBH including 4 HR. If Park doesn't get DFA'ed when Sergio Mitre is recalled, he should strictly be used against righties from now on. Like Joba, Robertson looks to be a victon of bad luck as well. Although his strikeouts are down a bit from his league-high mark of '09, he's till struck out over 10 per 9 and the rest of his numbers are either equal to last season's or better. The big difference is that his BABIP is .381 which is the reason that despite a 5.01 ERA, his FIP is 3.86. Robertson needs to either think about improving or ditching his changeup which over the course of his short career has been a pitch opposing hitters have crushed. If Robertson can find a way to keep the changeup from being killed and stop walking so many guys, his season should improve as well (and in the 5 games since his blow up in Toronto on July 2nd, Robertson hasn't allowed a run and has a .150 average against).
4. Alfredo Aceves / Dustin Moseley / Sergio Mitre / Chad Gaudin. All four of these guys were long relief or short relief guys at some point for the Yankees. Aceves has been a key part of the Yankees bullpen the past two years and the fear is that the injury that saw him last pitch on May 8th may keep him out the rest of the season (after 7 straight games of shutout ball). Mitre (2.88 ERA and WHIP of 1.000) had done a really great job filling in for Aceves but his June 5th strained oblique and now is moving from the bullpen into the starting rotation with Andy Pettitte's injury leaving another hole. Gaudin has done very little to fill the gap of Mitre with a 5.24 ERA and 1.478 WHIP since rejoining the Yankees at the end of May. And in 3 of Gaudin's last 4 outings he's allowed 2 earned runs. Moseley pitched very well for the Yankees in Triple-A and had an out clause in his contract so the Yankees called him up, but 5 earned runs (and two home runs) in 6 innings pitched is not going to do the job.
5. Boone Logan / Mark Melancon / Romulo Sanchez / Ivan Nova / Jonathan Albaladejo. The rest of the Yankees' 2010 Yankees bullpen. Logan has been the other lefty out of the Yankee bullpen and his biggest issue has been too many walks (5.4 per 9). Melancon had so much promise for the Yankees but their hope to be their closer of the future, pitched poorly in the majors and is sporting some ugly peripherals in the minors. The Yankees have high hopes for both Sanchez (as a reliever) and Nova (as a starter) and both were unscored upon in their lone games in the Majors. Nova has looked very good for the Yankees' down at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre going 8-2 with a 3.06 ERA so far and would seem to be a starting pitching option for the Yankees if they need it. Many have said "Albie" has reinvented himself in the minors this season and dominated Triple-A (0.96 ERA, 31 saves, 11.8 K/9, 0.793 WHIP, 5.08 SO/BB) but didn't look quite as dominant in his first outing last night (though I would give him more time).     

So who out there should the Yankees have interest in? Surely the Yankees will look at Toronto and see a good (but unfortunately expensive) option in Scott Downs. They will also see Jason Frasor and Kevin Gregg who are lesser options. Other righties that they have been connected to include Michael Wuertz, Leo Nunez, and Joakim Soria. All three are probably out of their price range. I agree with River Ave Blues that the Yankees should pass on Octavio Dotel (been there, done that).

The problem with acquiring relievers via trade is that it almost never seems to work out. The Yankees history of acquiring relievers include Mark Wohlers, Jay Witasik, Armando Benitez, Jeff Nelson (II), Dan Miceli, and Gabe White--among others. The Yankees trade for Marte two seasons ago paid dividends in the World Series but he really hasn't been worth the prospects traded. If the Yankees can find a true difference maker such as Soria, Nunez, or Downs for cheap, I say go for it. If not, I think the Yankees should go with what they have. Remember, the 2009 Yankees bullpen didn't formalize until, really, the playoffs. No need to panic with what they have in the 'pen in 2010.

What are your thoughts? Who would you like the Yankees to get rid of and who would you like to see them acquire? What do you want the Yankees to do with Joba? Let us know in the comments below!

Picture from the New York Daily News