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New York Yankees: MVP To Granderson, Honorable Mention To Verlander

Posted by on 21 November 2011, 4:57 am
Granderson Batting In 2011 ALDS Game 5 Vs. Tigers

2011 ALDS Game 5.

With the announcement of the 2011 AL MVP Award just hours away, the endless debate still continues about who is the rightful winner.

The  reason for all the hoopla is that Detroit Tiger, and recent crowned CY Young winner Justin Verlander has a good chance of taking the coveted annual award home later today.

So, everyone from baseball experts, MLB Players, and fans are weighing in with their own answer/opinion about pitchers winning the MVP Award over positon players…is it fair or not to give it to Verlander?

At this point, I have read a million answers from both sides of this argument, which at times have made me indecisive about my opinion in the matter.

Than after milling over pages and pages of stats and articles, here is why Justin Verlander is not the 2011 AL MVP and how New York Yankees Curtis Granderson is:

1999 Pedro Martinez vs. 2011 Justin Verlander

In 1999, Boston Red Sox’s ace Pedro Martinez was named the CY Young Award winner, just like Verlander was for this past season.

Both finished the regular season with impressive records, with Martinez going 23-4 in 29 starts; and Verlander going 24-5 in 34 starts.

The fact is the aces did not have comparable wins-losses; Martinez had an edge over Verlander due to making five less starts in 1999.

That is just one example of how Martinez edged out Verlander.

Now look at the two tables below to see that Martinez had a better 1999 season almost across the board in comparison to Verlander’s 2011:

All stats are courtesy of baseballreference.com

Martinez did not win the AL MVP in 1999; he came in second place behind Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: MVP To Granderson, Honorable Mention To Verlander’ »

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The Yankees Dive Off A Cliff In Game One

Posted by on 29 October 2009, 4:28 am

Game one was all Cliff Lee.

The Cy Young hero has his best stuff against the Yankees heavy line-up throwing 10 strikeouts and allowing zero walks. It was a tough loss for the Bombers and Lee’s former teammate CC Sabathia.

Sabathia pitched well but not lights out. Without the bats helping out it was Lee’s game in the bag. After handing the ball to the Yankees bullpen, who successfully, once again cemented it into history for Yankees.

Derek Jeter got on base three times and each time leaving the captain hanging out to dry. Damon was successful once, but Tex and Arod, not as successful. Lee dominated by mixing up pitchers and speeds keeping the Yankees on their toes for nine complete innings.

This game was difficult to watch, and it sure sent a reality throughout Yankee Universe.

Game two features Pedro Martinez against AJ Burnett on the mound.

Pedro being Pedro, in his press 45 minute q &a yesterday, whined about how badly the fans and media in New York has treated him. Pedro should not be in the same sentence as Mariano Rivera but that’s what kept coming out of his mouth. Rivera and Pedro may experience the same religious beliefs, does mean they attend the same church.

Burnett needs to throw as well as he has but cannot have one struggling inning. AJ gets so much slack and criticisms, which are not, always fair. FIawed on occasions, Burnett never allows it to last long. AJ can be unhittable, this gets overlooked way too often.

Bottom line is Burnett needs to take his A-game and so do the Yankees hitters. Let’s go back to being the team that wins 103 games during the season.

The Yankees need to take game two in the Bronx, for the fans, for the team but also for the Boss.

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Pitching Will Predict The Phillies Verdict

Posted by on 27 October 2009, 12:22 pm

The Phillies are a terrific team, no doubt about it. Consistently performing at this high level to have another opportunity to win the championship says enough.The defending champions have everyone watching, learning and hopefully incorporating some of that swagger.

When looking at the Phillies the players are the first a sense of teamwork and I thought this last season too. Their line-up is dangerous when it works but as it is loaded with lefties. Their pitching is Cliff Lee and without that pick-up at the trade deadline, the Phillies would not be playing in the World Series.

The question is the teams grey areas include the possibility of turning to black hole and somehow the team figures itself out.

Cole Hamels is nowhere near MVP caliber he was last season, as batters are hitting him now. Hamels is not a deep innings pitcher anymore. He did not give up hits in 2008 and he does now.

Pedro Martinez is not a reliable starter anymore. He has the history and he has pitched well thus far, but Pedro is a child when he starts to allow runs score on him.Remember that ‘Pedro being Pedro’ is very familiar in the Bronx and the record is not found at all. The Yankee fans will make sure he remembers, and if any of the old Red Sox left in him it could get ugly. Continue reading ‘Pitching Will Predict The Phillies Verdict’ »

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Mirror, mirror on the wall who can beat the Yanks in post-season baseball?

Posted by on 10 September 2009, 4:09 am

Mirror, mirror on the wall who can beat the Yanks in post-season baseball?

Within the AL East Division, I think the Yankees have a significant lead that will be hard to catch. In the American League the first team that pose a threat in the race to the World Series is the Boston Red Sox.

If this team wins the Wild Card it could be trouble. The rivalry alone brings an added hype for the players and the fans alike. Boston can beat New York and they know it. Most other teams don’t have that added bonus.

Also, Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield are Yankees killers in the past but the consistency of Papelbaum is in major question. Billy Wagner has been added from the Mets to the Red Sox roaster. He is older and off an injury but the frustrations of having to be a Met in the same city that is Yankee-town might give him a mental game that could be scary.

The other team plays hard and plays dirty. The dreaded LA Angels have caused more problems for the Yankees over the years in the post season.

The Angels tend to get overlooked because of the ruckus that the Red Sox rivalry brings. This team has no problem reminding both the Red Sox and the Yankees that the AL consists of more teams then just the media hogging, favorites.

Watch out for the Angels because they hate being left out and even with all their glory, the shadow seems to still be there.

The National League is known as the lesser side of baseball. It is mind boggling as last years champs are still proving to be the team to beat, as the Phillies look like their headed back to the same road as last year.

Even with the recent slump and loses of late, the Phillies will not go down without a fight.
The addition of Cliff Lee, last year’s CY Young winner is a clear sign that this team wants to repeat. Lee joins the rotation of the World Series MVP Cole Hamels, the young arm of JA Happ and the veteran late pick-up of Pedro Martinez.

Hamels has had a mediocre season till recently. He looks back to the MVP form of last season and if Pedro stays of the DL his experience in the post season will help.

The biggest question of the complete decline of closer Brad Lidge has been answered by Brett Meyers who will come off the DL on Friday. Lidge has been so off this season he cannot be trusted in the post season again. Meyers can fill that hole but three months since his last time on the mound will be a true test of the situation. This is a situation that will play a major factor for the champs.

Overall, the most successful NL team regarding wins is the St. Louis Cardinals, with 84.

The Cards have an 11.5 lead in the NL Central. In front of the pathetic once again team of the Chicago Cubs, which makes them look, like a lock for the post-season.

Albert Pujols, the clear MVP of the NL just hit his 47th homer of the season is a force by himself but not for a team to win. The Cards acquired Matt Holiday in July from the A’s and the tandem have been dominant consistently. Holliday’s recent bruised knee looks to be just that so nothing for concern for the Cards.

Since the all-star break St. Louis has had an easy schedule playing fallen teams such as the Mets and the Nationals. Starting now the teams schedule gets a lot harder so that will be the message of how tough this team actually is.

Not trying to take away from the Cardinals recent success because a win is a win no matter what team you beat.

The biggest concern for any team in the majors is pitching. This plays the most critical role in the post-season.

Why?

Any team that is playing baseball in October has to be a winning and talented team. Inevitably, each will consist of the most gifted hitters, which mean the starting, middle, and closing pitchers have to have their best performances.

With the first round in the playoffs being best of five games that gives absolutely no room for error at all. Each team will have an ace on the mound, if not two arms that will make the hitters jobs almost impossible. This makes the pitchers jobs the most crucial as if a hitter catches on to a mistake it could mean the game.

This post season, as with any other is a fresh start for the eight teams. The Yankees seem to be the favorites as of now but that is not a guarantee for the outcome at all.

Each game has to be treated with the ultimate goal in mind and that is to win.

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The Yankees: Not The Headlines At The Trade Deadline, Finally!

Posted by on 1 August 2009, 5:32 pm


Should Cashman Have Gotten Halloday? Is it true that Cliff Lee or Jarod Washburn are not in pinstripes?

Guess time will tell if Cashman will still have a job next year….but it was time for the Yankees to try something different and in the perfect position to take a back seat.

The Yankees were the quietest team as the trade line past today. This is a new and very un-Yankee like type behavior. Not being the team hogging all the front-page headlines or main story on Sports Center is definitely a change.

The Yankees made a nice pick-up by adding Cincinnati Reds utility Jerry Hairston Jr. who has been in the majors for a decade. An experienced player who can be put anywhere, except behind the plate.

Cashman made a minor addition in Hairston that will be useful to the team but his smartest move was not trading Joba or Hughes. Roy Holladay is the most talented pitcher in baseball and the temptations must have been tough for the Yankees to fight off by not making the biggest storm. Hughes and Chamberlin are just looking to good to trade for another all-star, big name player.

For the Yankees it is a whole different set of possibilities that have to be taken into account that other teams do not have to deal with. While a talented all-star player might be the jolt for most clubs to become better as a team, this is not the same for the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers have the all-stars and the talent that comes along with the overwhelming hype of playing in NYC; the pressure to make the World Series annually and the most loyal fans who show up no matter what.

Cashman did plenty of spending in the off-season but it paid off. The Yankees don’t need the hype of bringing a Holliday to New York. This is because how talented and famous Roy Holliday is and it is just an example of the bigger picture of the situation.

Should Cashman gone and grabbed Cliff Lee, Jake Peavy or Jacob Washburn? Should we have gotten in the way of the Red Sox a little more so our dominant rivals don’t get better again? I would answer both questions with a NO.

Here are the most noteworthy swaps (no specific order):

 Cliff Lee was the best trade made overall. The Philadelphia Phillies are the World Series champs and continue to be the winners by adding Lee to their starting pitching staff. The Phillies needed a pitcher and if anyone thought that Pedro Martinez was going to be their answer must be mindless. Fact is that this does guarantee the National League is the Phillies to have but the post season is a different story. For now, Lee gives Philadelphia the best tools for an attainable chance to repeat.

 The decision by the Detroit Tigers was solid and just shy with the Phillies getting Lee. Losing the bat of Matt Holliday to St. Louis will hurt but the addition of Jarrod Washburn makes the Tigers rotation one of the toughest in baseball. Washburn is a solid, reliable pitcher who the Mariners must have hated to part with. I think this trade will be more significant than the Red Sox and the Tigers are a shoe-inn in the AL Central.

 Oh how much do I hate the fact the Red Sox got better? Very much. Good job done by Theo Epstein for not just the trades but in getting the Ortiz headlines pushed aside, for now at least. Boston was falling apart, while the Yankees were as hot as ever and these rivals never let that happen for very long. Boston added the switch hitting bat of Victor Martinez who plays 1B as well as catcher in the field. This allows Varitek to get more rest from behind the plate and Youkilis can go to third more often. Theo ‘the whiz’ Epstein got this exceedingly, very good player for a bargain price.

 Minnesota Twins upgraded their middle infield by getting Orlando Cabera from the Oakland A’s. I think this addition could get the team more excited because the front-office finally made a move which might spark some of the players up, like Punto and Castilla who have toiled at the plate. The Tigers look like the team to beat with that ridiculous rotation but don’t count out the Twins just yet.

 The White Sox have wanted Jake Peavy for a long time now and finally nailed him. Peavy is a first-rate addition if he is not on the DL that is. He claims that by end of August he should be back on the mound but until it happens not much speculation about the future of that relationship.

 St. Louis got Matt Holliday from Detroit helps their struggling offense and in the NL Central it reinforces them as a huge contender.

 Seattle Mariners did establish themselves with some under the radar moves that will help them in the years to come. Trading Washburn in the hopes of getting him back for next year for the two young arms of Luke French and Mauricio Robles. Mariners also nailing down a shortstop for five years in Jack Wilson will make more of an impact then realized. Ian Snell from the Pirates will join the rotation and his once promising arm could resurge again.

There were other trades of course. In my humble opinion these are the ones that we will see the biggest differences on.

First time, in a long time the Yankees are not on this list. Changes are hard even from negative patterns or just consistently not getting the outcome at hand. As a fan, to be the Yankees of today that are neither the spectacles, nor the top story is refreshingly different.

For sure, something that this team didn’t need, nor wanted.

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