Sabathia & Burnett To Make Up For Cashman’s Past Failures?
Via John Harper -
In fact, while Joe Torre’s book, “The Yankee Years,” made headlines mostly for its criticism of Alex Rodriguez, perhaps the central theme is how those pitching decisions by Cashman were the most important reason the Yankees stopped going to the World Series after 2003.
Noting that Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and David Wells left after that season, the book sums up Yankee pitching acquisitions this way:
“Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, Jaret Wright, Jeff Weaver, Steve Karsay, Esteban Loaiza, Kyle Farnsworth, Jose Contreras, Javier Vazquez, Kei Igawa, Carl Pavano, Roger Clemens (the 44-year-old version) … none of those 12 pitchers, all brought in from outside the organization, pitched three consecutive seasons with the Yankees. None. It was a losing pattern that defied enormous odds.”
The book then broke down those 12 pitching investments. Record: 125-105 (including 3-7 in the postseason). Cost (not including prospects surrendered in trades): $255 million. Cost per win: $2.04 million.
Such failure was in part an indictment of a farm system that failed to produce homegrown pitching. But when Cashman finally became determined to go with young pitching last season, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy flopped, and Joba Chamberlain missed time with an arm injury.
So now here come Sabathia and Burnett, a 1-2 punch that could combine with Chien-Ming Wang, Pettitte and Chamberlain to fix all the mistakes and give the Yankees the best starting rotation in the majors.
The only issue here is the one that I pointed out two weeks ago: When you look at some “major” off-season starting pitcher acquisitions made by the Yankees since Brian Cashman became their G.M. (where the pitcher acquired was coming to play home games in New York for the first time) and see how these pitchers with major league experience did did during their first season in New York, you’ll note that Clemens, Mussina, Brown, Vazquez, Pavano and Johnson all pitched like an “ace” in their season prior coming to New York. Yet, only Mussina was able to duplicate that during his first year with the Yankees.
Bottom line, even if you’re great and/or have a ton of talent, that first season of being “the man” on the hill for the Yankees is often no cakewalk.
So, when Harper writes that CC and A.J. “could combine with Chien-Ming Wang, Pettitte and Chamberlain to fix all the mistakes and give the Yankees the best starting rotation in the majors” you really have to accentuate the word “could.” That’s a biggie…at least for 2009.
Good points here Steve. I think every team deals with COULDS though. David Price COULD be their top ace of the future. Smoltz and Penny COULD be effective. CC and AJ COULD struggle. Or the opposite of all these could happen. Should be an interesting season to say the least.
AJ will flop in NYC. Burnit is a million dollar pitcher with a ten cent brain. He claims he became more for a pitcher rather than a thrower under the tutelage of Doc Halladay… yeah right. He stayed off the DL because he was playing for a contract , pure and simple. I listen to Fan 590 in Toronto and the stuff that came out of these peopel’s mouths(Canadians are polite,mind you) was highly reminiscient of WFAN/ESPN calls on Aclod or the American Idle, Pavano BUT worse!That signing was yet another sign of Brainless Cash Man’s bad evaluation of pitchers in the past few years. They outbid themselves for a guy that was only coveted by another team AND for good reason.
I have more faith in CC, though he pitched tons of complete games last year and probably pitched a record number of innings as well. He might struggle at first, but he is a better bet than Burnit.He doesn’t have the prickly personailty issues that the new Number 2 has either.
Keep making your claims butchie, but you better fess up and admit you’re wrong if AJ continues off of what he put together last year.
Also, the Yankees didn’t outbid themselves for Burnett (they were in a bid against the Braves), and he’s not our new #2, he’s our #3. Once again, your biased hatred for Cashman and Burnett has caused you to make up facts in your head that just aren’t true.
butchie, to add to that, why don’t you just wait and see how AJ does? Give him a chance…whether you like it or not he’s a Yankee for the next five years. Can he fall apart and be terrible? Sure, but why label him a waste before he’s even taken the mound as a Yankee? You are a Yankee fan, aren’t you? Pull for your own players and save your hatred for a couple of the Red Sox or Rays.
Pavano has been a nominal member of big league rotations for the last 11 seasons. He’s made a total of 175 starts, or roughly 16 a year. Only 4 times in 11 seasons has he managed more than 20 starts in a season.
Butnett has been a nominal member of big league rotations for the last 9 seasons (He was brought up late in the 1999 season, and made 7 starts for the Marlins). He’s averaged 23 starts a season, and has made 20 starts in 6 of the 9, and at least 20 in each of the last 4 seasons. He averaged 27 starts and 175 innings in his 3 seasons with the Jays.
Pavano with the Yanks? 36 innings and 6 starts per year, over the 4 seasons.
AJ is not the dictionary definition of durability, but comparing him to Pavano is stretch to put it mildly.
butchie, to add to that, why don’t you just wait and see how AJ does? Give him a chance…whether you like it or not he’s a Yankee for the next five years. Can he fall apart and be terrible? Sure, but why label him a waste before he’s even taken the mound as a Yankee? You are a Yankee fan, aren’t you? Pull for your own players and save your hatred for a couple of the Red Sox or Rays.Quote
Crank, I’m not a mindless homer like some people are. I’m been a Yankee fan since 1973 so I have followed this team through thick and thin. When the frontrunners were booing Arod, who was not great in clutch BUT was damn productive, I defended him. NOw that was insane! Fans reserve the right to criticize and boo,but at your best player who would go on in 2007 to get them to the playoffs. I might be hyper critical but not unfair. I’m criticizing the team because I give a rat’s ass about them. When they make such a stupid mistake of a signing like Burnit , I have to tell the truth. I listened to a lot of Jays games on 590 the Fan and the broadcasters would always get on Burnit’s case. He had a scandal up there involving his wife and another woman and the police was involved. He also didn’t get along with the press. How in heaven’s name could you not get along with the press in Toronto? It’s a frigging hockey town!??!!He was also fired from the Marlins at the end of his last season with the them! How the hell does a player manage that? Please, spare me with this guy………. Mate, you have to stop being such a homer. Try being a little cynical since they came in third last year. Cash Man added a few pieces and two of them look good to me BUT Burnit doesn’t. And Cash Man is King Midas in Reverse when it comes to pitching. He seems to have a knack to picking the wrong pitcher at the wrong time. I’ve seen a lot of things in my short life and Cash Man’s inability to rebuild and retool to win a World Series with the most money(by tens of millions of dollars)and the most resources are glaringly obvious. One must be a complete homer or have their head in the sand not to realize Brainless’ relatively weak skills as a GM.
Evan, I have to elaborate on Pavano. Just give Burnit time. He is supposed to be here for five years! Come back to me at the end of those five years then see if the comparison is apt or not……
They outbid themselves for a guy that was only coveted by another team AND for good reason.Quote from Butch
Crank next time read my posts before you criticize. I say right here that he was only coveted by one other team (that would be the Braves). Next time read what I have said before you misquote me. Thanks….. He’s the Yanks Number 3(Burnit), really? Who told you that Girardi? Wang should the Number 2, since he is not a bonafide 1a, 2a like CC and Burnit is. As much as I like Wang and hate Burnit, Burnit can be more dominant and also more inconsistent!
When they make such a stupid mistake of a signing like Burnit , I have to tell the truth. I listened to a lot of Jays games on 590 the Fan and the broadcasters would always get on Burnit’s case
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If it came down to choosing between broadcasters, and those who have analyzed Burnett’s career, I’m going to have to side with the statistical analysis.
It may not be possible, but I hope AJ has learned from the crap in Toronto and sees NY as a great place to reverse it, pitch well, and compete consistently for a championship. Im willing to give him a chance..pessimism wont do anybody any good.
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Thanks.