Memorial Day has come and gone, summer is underway. The baseball season is moving in on 50 games played, a nice size sample that can be fairly assessed.
With that said, it's time for a Yankees update. The Yanks are seven games over .500 and a single game out of first place in the overcrowded American League East.
Yet the season to this point has not exactly been a joy ride. There have been plenty of ups and downs.
ROTATION:
The most obvious disappointment being Chien-Ming Wang, although not a great pitcher – his numbers against quality teams and in the postseason prove that – he was consistent in the regular season, someone who can go out there every fifth day and, usually, get the job done. The team concocted an injury to give him time to straighten it all out. It will be something to watch as the season goes on.
CC Sabathia has been what we SHOULD have expected, just because an athlete gets overpaid doesn’t mean he will live up to it. Sabathia got Santana and Halladay money, well guess what, he’s not Johan or “Doc”. He is a very good pitcher who gets better as the weather warms-up; he should start being more reliable from here on. But he will not be on the level of the two best pitchers in the majors today.
The other free agent import in the rotation, A.J. Burnett, has been sliding downhill lately. The positive is that he has avoided the DL thus far. Now, if only he can get back to pitching the way he was earlier in the season.
The veteran of the rotation, Andy Pettitte, has been fairly reliable, doing what it takes to put the team in a position to win. Joba Chamberlain has shown from time to time why management insists on keeping him as a starter. The righty is still learning to be more economical with his pitches so that he is not hitting the showers by the fifth inning every time out.
Staying in the Bronx will be a challenge for Phil Hughes. Young pitchers need time to develop, and what better place to grow up than in the majors. Eight innings and no runs against a good hitting team in the bandbox in Arlington will make it difficult to send the youngster back to the minors. Keep in mind he will not turn 23 for another month, baseball has few joys like watching homegrown talent mature before your eyes.
If Wang can work his way back into the rotation, Joe Girardi and Co. will have an interesting decision to make with six starters on their hands. Joba to the bullpen is still the best answer.
LINEUP:
The lineup has been a roller coaster ride. As an example, Robinson Cano began the season scorching the ball, hitting well above .350 for April. May has not been as kind as Robbie slumped and briefly fell below .300 before recently getting it back up to .315.
After an awful start Mark Teixeira has really turned it around, the protection of A-Rod batting clean-up has helped. However, to say the reason Tex has been hitting is Rodriguez’s return is absurd, that would imply that without A-Rod, Teixeira is a .215 hitter.
A-Rod’s healing has stabilized the top four spots in the order. Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Teixeira and Alex will be there on just about every night, barring a major injury, a scary thought if you’re an opposing pitcher. A-Rod’s comeback has also gotten rid of the outs the other third basemen have been contributing.
Jeter has not gone on a tear to this point, and has been stuck below his usual average of .300. The Captain is on the downside of his career and it’s noticeable with his bat and range. At some point he will have to move from shortstop. As sad as that is, it is nice to see a player’s career progress normally, getting older and slower as he ages. Not getting bigger and stronger while his head explodes.
At the corners of the outfield, Damon has taken advantage of the balls flying out to right in a big way. Defense and throwing arm are always the things to watch with Johnny, along with the health of those aging knees. Nick Swisher is not an everyday player and that has shown with Xavier Nady injured. Swish is great to have in the clubhouse and will be fine so long as he doesn’t have to get out there on a everyday basis.
Centerfield has been juggled all season by Girardi. At the end of Spring Training, Brett Gardner was said to be the starter, and the speedster has had his share of playing time, especially lately when he has started to hit a little. It was unclear where exactly Melky Cabrera would be playing when the club headed north at the end of spring, but he has hit well including several big hits late in games. The platoon has been working and if it’s not broken don’t fix.
The injuries to Jorge Posada and backup Jose Molina have put a big dent at catcher. Francisco Cervelli has come up and played well but he has played just over 100 innings, not quite time to call him an everyday backstop. Kevin Cash is not a starter but will have to do until one of the regulars is ready to go.
BULLPEN:
Hysteria hit the Yanks when Mariano Rivera appeared shaky for a couple of games earlier in season, but has calmed over the last couple of weeks as Mo has returned to form. Eventually The Greatest Reliever of All Time will become hittable. The only way it goes down well for the Yankees is if he hangs up the cleats while still pitching fairly well. There is no backup plan if Mariano starts getting rocked in middle of a season, nor should there be, if it happens that is something the team and the fans will have to deal with.
The eighth inning spot has been a problem all year. Brian Bruney showed some promise before going on the DL, briefly returning and now going back on the shelf. It’s possible, if not likely, he’s done for the season.
Phil Coke has been decent at times; however the lefty is not the long term answer. Alfredo Aceves has been good lately, but with only 14 innings pitched there is not enough to call him consistent just yet.
Going to anybody else out of the pen is what keeps Girardi up at night. Jonathan Albaladejo, Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez all have ERA’s over five, certainly not what you want in relief.
CONCLUSION:
Although the club got off to a rough start, they have been playing well since four straight losses to Boston and Tampa Bay. The way the Red Sox have knocked around the Bombers in the five games they’ve played this season is reason for concern. The Yanks and Bosox are going to be in the battle for the division in September. If Boston continues its dominance in the head to head matchups that may very well be the difference in making the playoffs and Joe Girardi looking for a job.
The walk-off hits and Nick Swisher have brought some excitement to the new stadium -- where homers are flying out at a record pace.
Consistency is the biggest issue facing the team. The talent is there at every position, outside of the bridge to Mariano. The only question is if the ability will show itself on a regular basis.
If Hughes and Wang push their way into the rotation, Joba may be pressed into the set-up role.
Outside of the Dodgers, who are a completely different team without Manny Ramirez, no team in either league has gotten off to a great start. Every good team has run into some problems that make you question how good they really are. The title of Best in Baseball is out there to be had, if the Yankees start playing up to their ability the title is well within grasp in the Bronx.
NOTE ON THE METS: Has anyone seen a team that is four games over .500 and a half game out of first place and yet its fans are so upset.
Sure there have been some ugly moments, including: Not knowing when to slide, the inability to catch routine fly balls and missing third base while on the way home for what would have been the go-ahead run in the eleventh. And sure the handling of certain injuries would leave you scratching your head.
However, considering losing Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes to injuries, the Oliver Perez disaster and Daniel Murphy batting .246 the Mets are still in good position to contend for the division. David Wright, who seemed like he was going to be driven out of town in April, and Carlos Beltran have carried the club offensively. Johan Santana has been brilliant, same for Francisco Rodriguez. The Phillies have had struggles of their own, specifically with their pitching staff.
Omar Minaya will be on the lookout for a bat, and if he comes through with something decent the Mets will be in fine shape. Why Mets fans are so down on this team seems very strange.
