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Should Yankees worry about Andy Pettitte?

Posted by on 1 May 2012, 3:26 am
Andy Pettitte pitching at Shea Stadium.

Andy Pettitte pitching at Shea Stadium. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With all the hoopla around the New York Yankees pitching, the one bright light fans are awaiting is the return of Andy Pettitte.

Pettitte is one of the original ‘Core Four’ who decided to un-retire after leaving baseball and New York at the end of the 2010 season.

Now with Michael Pineda out for the season, Freddy Garcia being demoted to the bullpen, and a floundering Phil Hughes, everyone is counting on Pettitte to be the consistently dominant starter from the past.

There is no doubt that Pettitte will be an asset in the clubhouse but whether that translates on the mound is yet to be seen.

Yesterday, Pettitte made another minor league start and the results were not exactly comforting.

The southpaw allowed 10 hits, five earned, throwing 96 pitches in just under six innings. Continue reading ‘Should Yankees worry about Andy Pettitte?’ »

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New York Yankees got some bad news

Posted by on 25 April 2012, 9:51 pm
Michael Pineda

Michael Pineda (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Yankees biggest off-season news was trading top prospects Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Mariners for phenom pitcher Michael Pineda.

Pineda has yet to pitch for the Yankees, as he showed up to Spring Training overweight and out-of-shape.

The Yankees thought that starting on the 15-day DL would give Pineda time to build up his arm strength but he had to stop during first rehab because of pain.

Now, it has been confirmed via tweet by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch that Pineda has a right shoulder anterior labral tear, which requires surgery and he will miss the entire 2012 season. The surgery is scheduled for May 1.

Well, this does not come as a surprise because Pineda had two DL stints in the minors both relating to arm discomfort.

Something seems awfully suspicious here, not sure what yet but when I figure it out I will let you know. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees got some bad news’ »

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New York Yankees: Bullpen might be without Boone

Posted by on 4 April 2012, 1:04 pm
Boone Logan

Just as Spring Training is about to close, Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News tweeted that New York Yankees lefty specialist Boone

Logan showed up at the ballpark today with back problems and was heading to the doctor.

Shortly after, Mark Craig at the Star Ledger confirmed that Logan was sent to get an MRI exam.

Well, this is not great news as Logan was the Yankees best and most experienced option out of the bullpen against left-handed bats.

In his two seasons in pinstripes, the 27-year old Logan has pitched 81 innings, posting a 3.20 ERA, giving up seven homers, while striking out 84 hitters.

The Yankees had one bullpen spot to fill with a righty arm long-man but if Logan’s back is an issue they will need a lefty too and both have to be decided by 5pm today. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Bullpen might be without Boone’ »

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New York Yankees: My never read theory about Michael Pineda

Posted by on 1 April 2012, 3:56 pm
Michael Pineda

Michael Pineda (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I wrote this post almost two weeks ago and never published it because when I read it to a friend and my father they both said I was being oversensitive about my theory of what could happen to Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda.

So, I wimped out.

And now look what happened…last time I don’t listen to my gut because I totally regret it now.

So here it is the theory I did NOT publish, just a day late and a dollar short.

Everyone in Yankee Universe remembers the disasters of 2008.

Not making the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons was not exactly the ideal sendoff for the historic old Stadium that the franchise had called home since 1923 but that is not what I am talking about.

I am referring to the Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain fiasco.

In 2008 the ‘Big 3’ was deemed the “future of the franchise” and the New York media had a field day with them, especially Chamberlain after throwing the infamous “bug game” in the 2007 ALDS in Cleveland.

The problem came when dealing with the pressure and relentless attention paid by the New York media vultures. The press hounded these kids and made everything that much harder, as there was no room to fail.

If you don’t think that the media wasn’t one of the major culprits that hindered the trios development you are crazy.

Yes, everyone is well aware of the media that comes with playing in New York but it should have been more controlled by the Yankees front office, or some veteran players could have stepped in.

Regardless, what happened to Hughes, Kennedy and Chamberlain seems to be getting repeated with the Yankees new young pitcher Michael Pineda.

It is only the second week of Spring Training and Pineda has already stated a few times that he is very uncomfortable with the 20 or more media that surround his locker.

The 23-year old hails from the Dominican Republic; English is his second language and like most who are bi-lingual, it doesn’t flow out as easily. Add that to the fact the Pineda is already shy by nature and you have a recipe for trouble.

I get that the media hounds come out in droves for anything and everything Yankees related, but there has to be a better solution to protect guys like Pineda; at least for Spring Training so they can get adjusted.

There is no fine line drawn between reasonable and merciless regarding young, imports like Pineda. Having five reporters is reasonable, but having 30 is not and considering the detrimental effects that added anxiety can have on someone’s psyche it has to be fixed.  Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: My never read theory about Michael Pineda’ »

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The New York Yankees infatuation with Phil Hughes

Posted by on 29 March 2012, 12:26 pm

Two days ago, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News claimed that New York Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes has captured a spot in the rotation and I have pondered over this ever since.

Phil Hughes pitching on April 18, 2008 against...

Phil Hughes pitching on April 18, 2008 against the Baltimore Orioles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At the start of Spring Training the impression was that CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda were the only two with confirmed spots in the starting rotation and the rest were up for grabs between Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia and Michael Pineda.

Right from the start it felt like a rigged competition.

It just seemed that the Yankees were determined to give Phil Hughes a starting spot as long as he pitched somewhat decently.

GM Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi cannot seem to shake the 18 games he won in 2010, which I could understand more if 14 of Hughes wins were not in games when the bats scored 6+ runs. And he only pitched a total of 176 innings and that is very low for a pitcher who made 31 starts and went 18-8.

And some reason, I still don’t trust Hughes as a starter as the only time I truly felt confident watching him on the mound was when he pitched in relief in 2009.

The main question I have is if this real competition is based on Spring Training stats, because if it is than Hughes securing a spot is not really justified. Continue reading ‘The New York Yankees infatuation with Phil Hughes’ »

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New York Yankees: 3 pitching scenarios maybe 4

Posted by on 25 March 2012, 12:13 am

The New York Yankees have some pitching situations to solve.

I have narrowed it down to three or four possibilities based on what I believe the 2012 Opening Day rotation should be, which in order is Sabathia, Kuroda, Pineda, Nova and Hughes.

My crazy pitching diagram.

First being the plethora of starting pitching.

That leaves Freddy Garcia hanging out to dry, and initially I thought Garcia should go the bullpen but now since he is willing to hear any trade ideas that GM Brian Cashman should send Garcia hiking.

Second up is Andy Pettitte’s return, and what to do when the southpaw decides to grace us with his presence again.

Someone has to go either the bullpen, or more likely Triple-A Scranton as it allows the cast-off to keep his arm fresh by pitching every five days.

This should not be decided until Pettitte and the Yankees set a date. And the odd-man should not be told he is out until the day before Pettitte arrives. Determining ‘who’ should be performance based, so the biggest loser goes.

Thirdly, with the devastating news about Joba Chamberlain’s trampoline injury, which will sideline him indefinitely, the Yankees cannot just keep him on the payroll because they like him. It is not going to be easy but they need to cut Joba. I know it is harsh considering all the crap Joba has been put through but reality is the Yankees owe him $1.6 million for 2012 and reality is players are paid to play. Joba can be resigned next season, which I feel is the Yankees are almost obligated  to do if he can pitch. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: 3 pitching scenarios maybe 4’ »

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New York Yankees: What would you do if you were Girardi and Rothschild

Posted by on 23 March 2012, 3:32 am
Joe Girardi, manager of the New York Yankees.

Joe Girardi, manager of the New York Yankees. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The New York Yankees have CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia and now Andy Pettitte, which leaves them with the same problem that trading AJ Burnett was supposed to solve, seven starters for five rotation spots.

It is tough to complain about being overloaded with starting pitching especially after the Yankees had the opposite issue last spring, but it will be a tough decision for skipper Joe Girardi and pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

THE LOCKS:

1) Obviously Sabathia, who Girardi confirmed would be opening the season at the dumpy Trop vs. the Rays.

2) Kuroda was named the team’s #2 from the get-go.

3) Pettitte has a rotation spot waiting for him, and that makes complete sense. It was nice to hear that Pettitte hit 94 mph in a bullpen session, but not that surprising. Before he hung up his mitt, the first time, the Southpaw was having a career year in 2010, finishing 11-3 in 21 starts, posting a 3.28 ERA and holding opposing bats to a .256 average.

And fans might even get to see Pettitte in a spring game, as ESPN reported that Girardi has not ruled it out as a possibility yet. Rothschild has already had Pettitte throw live BP so things are moving right along in his comeback. And after speaking to many Yankee fans, Pettitte will be welcomed in the Bronx with open arms.

FOUR FOR TWO:

So, this leaves Hughes, Nova, Pineda and Garcia.

Pettitte’s un-retirement does give the Yankees about a month to give the remaining four a real test run, as the veteran Southpaw said he is aiming for May 1st but knowing Girardi’s usual paranoia that means more like mid-May.

Regardless, in my opinion Spring Training stats don’t mean that much for two reasons. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: What would you do if you were Girardi and Rothschild’ »

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