Into the Woods

First, The Yankees did some amazing things this season, and it was a pleasure watching and listening to 100+ games this summer. I don’t regret a minute of it. Among other feats, the Yanks produced

- A string AL MVP candidate

- A 19 game winner and A 17 game winner (Wang and Johnson)

- Two AL Batting Title Contenders (Cano .342 and Jeter .343)

- 5 Game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway, and dominant record against the Sox overall.

- A winning record against the league leaders

- Near 950 runs scored as a team

- Best record in AL and MLB (tied with Mets)

- Career performances by veterans Jeter and Posada

- Winning consistently in the face of injury

Nevertheless, three days of Tigers pitching ended the Yankee’s post-season in October faster than three days of rain ends a Killington ski season in April. the ALCS will now be played between the Detroit Tigers and the Oakland Athletics. Where did the A’s come from? Between the penant race in the AL Central and the Red Sox meltdown, nobody noticed the A’s. Well, here they are.

As for the Bombers, It would be all too easy and perhaps pre-mature to react quickly and cry out for new pitching. Nevertheless that is certainly the gaping hole the Yankee organization must fill. The discussion on ESPN thus far has been surrounding Joe Torre whose job is clearly on the line. For that, and the rest I have about a 24 hour window to make my own predictions and recommendations before things actually start to happen. I probably won’t say anything too profound, but here we go.

Joe Torre

As a long-time Yankee fan, I obviously love Joe Torre and respect the way he manages the game. I admire how he kept the team together this season despite long-term injuries, numerous short-term injuries, weak middle relief and inconsistent starting pitching. I really believe it would a be a huge mistake to fire Torre. However, I’m forced to ask whether or not his managing style is effective with the more recently acquired players: Arod, Sheff, Randy, and Abreu to name a few. The first three have had slumps, injuries and emotional issues that Torre’s hands-off apporach to managing just doesn’t seem to solve. In a full season, I don’t doubt we will see some of the problems that led Abreu to be traded from Philly. Will Torre be able to deal with those? Jeter, Posada, et al. react well to Torre’s management style because they have already won championships with him. The others have not. This aspect of his managing style must be addressed if the Yankees are to receive a valuable return on their monster investment.

Arod

I like Alex. He’s a hard working and talented player. Before this post-season and especially now, everbody keeps harping on how Arod will not be a real Yankee until he shines in the post-season. Nobody seems to remember the 2004 ALDS (probably for good reason) when the Yankees were down 2 games to 1 to the Twins, down by 2 runs, down to their final outs on the road. With runners on base, Arod delivered a double off the wall that tied the game, enabling the Yankees to eventually advance to the ALCS. Even the Yankees radio announcer said “Oh boy, is he a Yankee now!!!” Keep Arod. Most people don’t realize that even though he is the highest paid player in baseball, he is not nearly the highest paid player on the Yankee payroll as Texas continues to pay 5 million a year of his salary. If Arod hits .290, 35 homers and 121 RBIs in a slump year, God help the rest of the league when he goes off. (Despite going 1-12 this post-season, he actually hit the ball well in several at bats. )

Outfield and Pitching

I’m saving this for last because I think herein lies the real issue. The Yankees have 6 outfielders that any team would be happy to start: Matsui, Damon, Sheffield, Abreu, Melky Cabrera and Bernie. Unfortunately, you can play only 3 of them at a time. (And even if the Yankees moved to BSSC Coed Softball, they could still play only 4.) Cashman and his outfielders is like me and my skis. I have too many pairs, but can’t decide which to get rid off of because each one is still excellent. Sure, some of the guys are old and it’s good to have guys that can spell to provide rest days. However, I believe the Yankees are carrying too much in the outfield at the expense of a weak pitching staff. So who goes and who stays? Damon is a terrific leadoff hitter and a great center fielder so he certainly stays. Melky Cabrera is a great young future all-star with a fantastic arm and good speed. I believe he should stay, though perhaps not as the regular starter. I believe that only two of Sheff, Abreu and Matsui and should remain on the team. Sheff is attractive because he can play 1st base with Giambi as DH. Abreu has played amazing as a Yankee and Matsui is Matsui. One of those three could land a good pitcher. Giambi’s upcoming surgery could open up the DH spot for Abreu or Matsui, but we still need pitching. Melky and Bernie can fill in the holes, letting Cashman deal for a pitcher.

Wang and Mussina are currently the only solid starters for next season. Randy is questionable with his back, and it remains to be seen how Phillip Hughes, the young superstar in AA Trenton, will pitch in the majors. Jarret Wright and Corey Lidle are not reliable enough for post-season ball. Thus, the Yankees better go out and grab at least one fantastic starter, probably by trading an outfielder (though they will probably settle for an OK starter from the free agent list). The Yankees have acquired their last several starters from the NL: Kevin Brown, Javier Vasquez, Randy Johnson, Correy Lidle, and Carl Pavano. These were supposed to be the replacement for the likes of Clemens and Pettite and they have been anything but. You could argue that Randy turned out OK, but in general, the plan of grabbing starters from the National League has been an all out failure. The Yankees need to trade for a *young* AL superstar pitcher like Liriano, Lackey or Hernandez. Let’s see if Cashman has the negotiating skills to wrestle for one of those.

In between the starters and Rivera, the Yankees have had serious problems. Certainly Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth have delievered some solid outings, but not with the consistency of the Twins, Angels or Tigers. A superstar outfielder could certainly land one or more strong middle relievers.

In conclusion, I hope the Yankees make some good moves for new pitching which was the glaring problem in the last three playoff series the Yanks have lost, and that they don’t hang Torre or Arod out to dry. In the meantime… Go Mets..grumble, grumble…

This entry was posted on Monday, October 9th, 2006 at 12:57 am and is filed under Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.