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Bartolo Colon: CY Young Zero To New York Yankees Hero? Who Knew

Posted by on 28 April 2011, 4:35 am

After winning the 2005 CY Young Award (MVP for pitching), Bartolo Colon went from pitching hero to CY Young zero pretty quickly.

Physically, Colon was never the poster boy for anything athletic. Standing at 5’11 and hovering around 250 lbs. certainly explained the numerous injuries, which understandably exhibited a poor and lazy attitude.

In 2005, the 32-year-old Colon made 33 starts and posted a 21-8 record, with a 3.48 ERA, 157 strikeouts, over 223 innings for the Los Angeles Angels.

Even though 2005 earned Colon the coveted CY Young Award, this was not his best season on record but it would prove what seemed to be his last.

Following being the best pitcher in baseball, the next four seasons were atrocious, as Colon’s downfall compares best to that of the 2007 New York Mets. It was that bad.

From 2006-2009, Colon played for the Angels, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox. In total he made 47 starts, posting a 14-21 record, with an ERA just shy of 5.00, while striking out 172 batters, over 256 innings in total.

So, anybody saying that Yankee fans had no foundation to be apprehensive is just a hater because Colon’s history did not spell anything but possible problem.

Rightfully the Brian Cashman criticism followed, as confusion over the definition of a GM’s job was being questioned. Wasn’t a GM supposed to sign players to help the team win?

Well, Colon is making Cashman look like a certified genius.

Look, I am not forgetting that this was a HUGE gamble for Cashman and even though it is working out BIG time, it could have easily gone south too but it didn’t.

Fact is at 38-years-old and still way over-weight, Colon can still pitch and completely control a baseball game. Colon throws the ball sharply, with enough velocity (clocking a mid-90’s fastball) and movement to be game winning effective starter.

In 2011, Colon has made two starts and three appearances in long-relief, posting a 2-1 record, with a 2.77 ERA, with 26 strikeouts over a total of 26 innings. Opposing bats are averaging .237 when Colon is on the hump.

I witnessed Colon throw eight brilliant innings against the White Sox at the Stadium on Wednesday night, leading the Yankees to a much-needed win following two losses in a row.

Point is, what potentially could have been a mess with the unfortunate Phil Hughes situation; has actually become an unexpected shock.

At this point, even if Colon fell on his face, he has delivered well beyond any Yankee fans expectations and it has been an absolute pleasure thus far.

To be honest, I am still in complete shock at what Colon and the rest of the tattered veterans are doing in the Bronx thus far in 2011.

 

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2011 MLB Season: Cashman A Genius? Best Pitching Not In Philly? Red Sox Suck?

Posted by on 23 April 2011, 2:12 pm

Yes…you read the title right, as 2011 is proving to be the craziest season in years.

Everything that is NOT suppose to happen is already happening.

Not that everything can’t change because the season is still in its baby stages and trust me nothing will stay as is. Still, the first three weeks are mind-boggling with dramatic walk-offs, sensational pitching and home-runs galore.

It seems as if EVERY team has come to win this season. Teams that are supposed October locks and players that are not supposed to good anymore are proving all of us baseball nuts to be fools.

Here are the 5 biggest shocks that are now baseball realities (the order is for number not ranking purposes):

  1. The Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation does not feature the best one-two punch in baseball. Phillies Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are no slouches but they don’t compare to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim aces Jered Weaver and Dan Haren. The Halos tandem have a combined 9-0 record in nine starts and have 66 strikeouts. While the Phillies duo have a combined 53 innings pitched, with 52 strikeouts and a win-loss record of 4-2 in eight starts. The Halos #1 and #2 cost around $20 million combined; compared to the Phillies paying $31 million, with $20 million for Halladay alone, who is worth every penny. That is a lot more money to not be on top.
  2. The competition in the AL Central is no doubt about as good as it gets, but who thought that it would be the Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals fighting it out for the first place? As the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins are barely keeping their head above water. Can everyone agree now that Twins Joe Mauer is the biggest overpaid bust in baseball? Mauer is on the DL for the millionth time in his career and his 2009 MVP season sure seems more and more like a fluke.
  3. Picked by every expert, except my favorite ESPN Skip Baylor, to run away with the AL East the Boston Red Sox are proving that buying players doesn’t guarantee anything. You think GM Theo Epstein would have learned this by watching their rival Yankees fail at this many times. Boston didn’t win two World Series in the past decade with this formula. Still, don’t complete write them off the Red Sox cause they will get better.
  4. New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman’s off-season was considered a disaster after missing out on ace Cliff Lee. In an attempt to make up for Lee, Cashman inked every over-the-mound veteran, with an injury history, bad attitude or all three. To put it mildly, Yankee fans were not happy, but now they are in awe of their genius GM who has put together an All-Star back-up plan to come in for the already aging starting All-Stars. You forget how much baseball experience is now in that Yankee locker room, as the amount of awards won on this roaster alone could fill an entire stadium. Don’t think the Yankees are going anywhere just yet because champions know how to win championships.
  5. The Mets have hit rock bottom…NOT! You wonder what else could go wrong at this point, but it is almost a guarantee now that the Mets will find it. The team is at the bottom of not only the NL West but is the worst team in baseball with a 5-13 record. The explanation that “The Mets have all the talent and they are not this bad” is getting old because it is about time they start to prove it. This team needs to do figure itself out or the players need to start to play for all nine innings, not seven or eight. Also, respecting David Wright might do wonders as he is the franchise’s player and deserves better. No one thought that things could really get any worse and the fans are starting to hate the game of baseball now.

 

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Lady Knows Best: Predicting 2011 MLB Season Winners And Losers

Posted by on 30 March 2011, 4:02 am

With baseball fans counting down the hours till Opening Day, it is time to predict how the 2011 MLB Season will look when it’s all said and done.

Predictions divided per the six divisions, listed in order of finish and the eight postseason teams (including the wildcards) will be highlighted.

If only I were a psychic….here is this lady’s prognosis:

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

East:

*New York Yankees 97-65
*Boston Red Sox 97-65
Tampa Bay Rays 89-73
Baltimore Orioles 84-78
Toronto Blue Jays 83-79

Central:

Chicago White Sox 90-72
Detroit Tigers 89-73
Minnesota Twins 87-75
Kansas City Royals 74-88
Cleveland Indians 64-98

West:

Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim 87-75
Oakland A’s 82-80
Texas Rangers 80-82
Seattle Mariners 64-98

*NYY wins tiebreaker in Boston 5-3

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

East:

Philadelphia Phillies 95-67
Atlanta Braves 90-72
Washington Nationals 80-82
Florida Marlins 79-83
New York Mets 78-84 Continue reading ‘Lady Knows Best: Predicting 2011 MLB Season Winners And Losers’ »

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2011 MLB Team Preview: Chicago White Sox

Posted by on 7 March 2011, 1:41 pm

Don’t underestimate the Chicago White Sox heading into 2011, because this team is well-rounded enough to win ballgames.

The White Sox lack the star power names that their division rival Twins and Tigers have with Joe Mauer and Miguel Tejada respectively, but they make up for this in depth.

Led by one of my personal favorite personalities in baseball, Manager Ozzie Guillen makes this one wild group. Tough as nails and never short of drama with Guillen’s no-hold-bard remarks, the White Sox look better than they did heading into 2010.

Whether the White Sox can utilize all their skills is another thing. They have the pieces, but it will take an concerted team effort to have seasonal success.

The Positives:

White Sox fans should be ready to witness home-run mania in 2011.

Acquiring powerhouse hitter Adam Dunn from the Nationals brings a monster bat to an already powerful line-up.

Just how serious?

Well, Dunn had back-to-back seasons hitting 38 home-runs at Nationals Park, which is not a hitting friendly venue. Prior to that Dunn had four seasons of 40 home-runs between 2005-2008. This guy is just 31-years-old and he can flat out hit, expect 45+ from his bat at welcoming US Cellular Field.

Than add the bat of 1B Paul Konerko, who led the team in 2010 with a .312 batting average, 39 home-runs and 111 RBIs. Konerko is 35-years-old, so repeating those numbers is unlikely but he will still produce close to them. Dunn also takes pressure of Konerko.

Round off the line-up wit Alex Rios, Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin A forgettable factor is if Quentin can stay off the DL for the whole season, it could be the silent difference maker. Rios can pop up 25+ homers and he is a threat on the bases stealing 34 in 2010, while Ramirez had 29 doubles, 18 home-runs and 70 RBIs making him one of the strongest bats at the shortstop position.

Outfielder Juan Pierre stole 68 bases last season, which makes him a pain for any pitcher on the mound but he has to stay base. Pierre was early to Spring Training, as he wants to improve so this could be an asset. That is if Guillen really works on bunting with Pierre.

The White Sox pitching is made up of innings eaters. Not one stands out from the next and don’t expect too much out of Jake Peavy who is returning from serious shoulder surgery. The good thing for Peavy is he doesn’t have to be the team’s ace because with a staff of Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks and with Edwin Jackson’s newfound form, Peavy doesn’t have to be anymore.

Some might think that they lost Bobby Jenks to the Red Sox, but the White Sox didn’t need him with Chris Sale and Matt Thornton. Guillen has yet to name the closer of the two, but regardless that is a nice one-two combo coming out of the bullpen. My bet is Sale will be the starting closer.

Catcher AJ Pierzynski who is a solid defender and is familiar with the staff. He has been a stud behind the plate for Chicago since arriving in 2005, the year they won a World Series. His production with the bat has not been great, but at 35-years-old he is a team leader in the clubhouse.

Finally, how can you not love Ozzie, Ozzie, Ozzie, I absolutely adore him the way he does Derek Jeter. Colorful, doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and just oozes emotions that he must be a trip to play would be my guess.

The Negatives:

Between injuries, wasted money on former high draft picks and slumps the White Sox have a tendency to wildly inconsistent. Last season’s ups and downs were so severe that it had to be emotionally draining for the players.

The White Sox still have no clear ace in their rotation, which means there is never that semi-guaranteed win every five games.  It just can’t be Buehrle, though he will probably pitch Opening Day, as he easily had the play the year when he launched the 2010 season. Continue reading ‘2011 MLB Team Preview: Chicago White Sox’ »

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Who Said New York Has Pitching Problems? Projecting Yankees Starting Rotation

Posted by on 4 March 2011, 6:12 am

The critics have spoken, actually they haven’t shut-up about potential troubles facing the New York Yankees pitching heading into 2011.

There are viable reasons behind the endless debating about the Yankees rotation following this off-season’s reality check.

Does it justify such a dramatic stance that the Yankees might not contend in 2011?

Absolutely not, but things got a little scary before Spring Training with the moves GM Brian Cashman was making. Like the day Cashman signed Bartolo Colon and the now fact he made an offer to Carl Pavano just shy of $10 million to bring his talents back to the Bronx, again. It was embarrassing and New York does not wear desperate well or ever.

So, what will the Yankees starting rotation be at the start of 2011 on March 31st? Well, let’s take a look:

  1. CC Sabathia
  2. AJ Burnett
  3. Phil Hughes
  4. Ivan Nova
  5. Freddie Garcia

The Obvious:

Opening Day, CC Sabathia will be on the mound without question. Sabathia is the team’s ace and one of the top 10 pitchers in all of baseball.

Following Sabathia will undoubtedly be AJ Burnett and Phil Hughes. Knowing Skipper Joe Girardi’s typical way of thinking is the reason Burnett is listed as the team’s #2.

It displays confidence and respect towards a pitcher who posted a 10-15 record last season. Look, Burnett needs all the support he can get, and hope Yankees fans are listening.

A HUGE positive is Burnett seems to be in a great place since arriving in Tampa. My bet is Burnett will have a big year, as the stuff is there that is for sure.

Reality is Hughes probably deserves to follow Sabathia based on last season’s results, but the mild manner 25-year-old is just happy to help out in anyway he can.

The Initial Mess:

Where to begin?

Anyone hearing his or her team had no fourth or fifth starter to solidify the back-end of the starting rotation would be rather troubled, but in New York it was as if the sky fallen down.

Following an off-season where Yankee fans egos got trampled on not once, but twice (not getting into Pettitte and Lee again) caused complete panic. When in actuality it was a very needed reality check for an over privileged fan-base, me included.

The New Reality:

Just 17 days into Spring Training and this presumed mess has turned promising.

As the Dalai Lama once said: Continue reading ‘Who Said New York Has Pitching Problems? Projecting Yankees Starting Rotation’ »

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Yankees Dilemma: If You Were CC Sabathia What Would You Do?

Posted by on 25 February 2011, 3:06 pm

The New York Yankees are never short of drama, and at the start of spring training, ace CC Sabathia became the latest headline.

After finishing the 2008 season without making the playoffs, the Yankees went on an offseason spending spree. The team’s biggest purchase was ace Sabathia, who inked a monster contract worth $152 million to keep him in pinstripes for seven seasons.

Sabathia, being from the West Coast, was reluctant to call the Bronx home. So, along with the cash came an opt-out clause that allowed for Sabathia to say adios at his discretion after three seasons.

The added reassurance might have been the reason Sabathia finally signed but now could cost the Yankees their ace or dollars, and Yankee fans are concerned.

From the moment Sabathia stepped on the mound at Yankee Stadium, he has been worth every penny.

To say he is the Yankees’ ace is an understatement, as Sabathia has been a CY Young-caliber pitcher, posting a 40-15 record, a 3.27 ERA, with 394 strikeouts. He is an absolute workhorse and innings-eater, throwing for 468 total.

The Yankees won the 2009 World Series and made it to the 2010 ALCS on Sabathia’s shoulders. He was named the 2009 ALCS MVP, made the 2010 All-Star team and came in fourth and second in the CY Young voting respectively.

Not only is this 6’7″ athlete a giant player but an absolutely delightful teammate, who was embraced by Yankee fans like he had been here his whole career.

So, when Sabathia answered the question of why he wouldn’t opt out during a TV interview at a Knicks game on December 8, 2010, fans thought the ace said he was here to stay.

Sabathia’s exact words were:

“I signed up for seven years, and this is a good organization. You get a chance to win a championship every year, so it was an easy decision.”

Well, now this tune has changed, as Sabathia didn’t reiterate the same sentiments the first day of spring training. It is what he didn’t say that is making Yankee fans anxious, as Sabathia didn’t utter the same words and left the door open that anything can happen regarding his contract. Continue reading ‘Yankees Dilemma: If You Were CC Sabathia What Would You Do?’ »

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Yankees Hot Stove: 4 Reasons Not To Trade For White Sox Edwin Jackson

Posted by on 17 February 2011, 3:19 pm

With the New York Yankees state of mind fully focused on pitching, or lack there of, it is likely that GM Brian Cashman orchestrates a trade in the first half of the season.

This all depends what substantial pitchers are available and at what it will cost the Yankees.

Some things Cashman will look for is a teams that have an surplus of starters, a need for a young catcher or one that by July is already out of contention for 2011.

One team with a plethora of arms is the Chicago White Sox. With ace Jake Peavy slated to return in May or June, they need to make room on their overcrowded roster.

The Yankees have been rumored to be interested in right-hander Edwin Jackson, but after researching this trade possibility, it is risky.

Why? Here are 4 No’s (+a bonus) about trading for Jackson:

1. Nor Gardner, No Way….

Rumors are the Yankees are willing to package Brett Gardner in a deal—but then who is going to take his place?

The outfield is not even the main issue, but Gardner’s speed is irreplaceable and is way to vital to even contemplate trading him anywhere.

There is no way GM Brian Cashman and the Steins are this stupid. Ideally, Montero for Danks would work out for both teams, at least as a Yankee fan this I could handle.

Imagine if the Yankees were to offer Derek Jeter to Ozzie, he would give us Danks, Sales, Bherele and Floyd…. kidding about Jeter cause I want him never to leave. Regarding Ozzie, for the Captain he might throw in some bats too.

1. AJ Burnett and his twin….

The Yankees have their hands filled with AJ Burnett mechanics this season, so acquiring his pitching twin is way too much chaos for one team to handle.

By no means am I undervaluing new pitching coach Larry Rothschild because he is one of the best, but it’s his first year with this team.

Remember that Burnett might not get fixed right away, but I have faith he will get there. Still, it could be just too much for on rotation to deal with Burnett squared.

2. Walk-A-Thon….

When Jackson is on the mound it can resemble a walk-a-thon. Even with his recent drop in walks, which was staggering, it was the first time in Jackson’s career opposing teams didn’t looked as if they hosting a track meet on the base pads. From 2007-2009 Jackson walked 235 batters, which is so overwhelming that he has to prove himself unreliable, which can be decided in the first half of 2011.

Jackson’s career number of walks per innings is four per nine, sounds a little too Burnett-esque…YIKES!

3. Home Sweet Home….

Jackson debuted in September 2003 at age 19, and was one of the Los Angeles Dodgers most coveted prospects. He spent the next two seasons in Los Angeles, going back and forth between the minors and the majors.

Now 27, the White Sox is Jackson’s fifth team in eight seasons. He spent three seasons with the Rays, one with the Tigers and a half-season with the D-backs. That is a lot of moving around for such a youngster. Chicago seems to be a perfect fit and trading Jackson anywhere might be too much. Jackson has finally pitched like he can, but it was only for 11 starts and it would confuse anyone as to why no one wants to keep him, good or bad.

4. What About Gavin Floyd? Continue reading ‘Yankees Hot Stove: 4 Reasons Not To Trade For White Sox Edwin Jackson’ »

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