Barra: Be Afraid, Yankee Fans
Via Allen Barra –
Be afraid, Yankee fans — be very afraid.
A couple of weeks ago everything seemed all sewn up — the Yankees had vanquished the Red Sox, and all everyone wanted to know was if this year’s editions was as good as the 1998 team. A couple of more games like yesterday’s, and they’re going to be wondering if this team is as good as the 2008 Yankees.
The problem, as it has been for the Yankees since 2004, is the starting pitching, and this year it manifests itself in the hefty form of Joba Chamberlain. A year ago he looked like the greatest young phenom in baseball; now he’s a weight dragging down the rest of the pitching staff.
Sunday’s outing against the punchless Seattle mariners — dead last in the American League in both batting average and runs scored — was an out and out disgrace that would have earned any other pitcher a demotion to Double-A.
Is there a team in baseball with a worse record of developing young pitchers than the Yankees? Was there any more illogical way to bring Joba along than to put him in games where he was expected to only go three or four innings? If whoever is calling the shots in the front office had conferred with Joe Girardi and pitching coach Dave “No Man Is An” Eiland and at least agreed to put Joba back in the bullpen to be worked in front of Phil Hughes, they might at least have something to show for all the absurd coddling and pampering of Joba. All they’ve got now is a big fat ugly decision as to whether or not he should be included on the postseason roster — and if the numbers mean anything, the answer to that question is an emphatic no.
A couple of weeks ago the Yankees turned down every chance to go after several pitchers who could have helped them, the very least of them Cliff Lee, who was snapped up by the Phillies. Now they head into a potentially nasty stretch, including three with the Angels in Los Angeles then three games with the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, in which they may not even be able to hold onto their five game lead. If Andy Pettitte’s shoulder doesn’t hold up tonight, it’s desperation time.
What’s the big difference between the 1998 and 2009 Yankees? Try this: In 1998, the Yanks weren’t going into the last nine games of the season wondering if they were the best team in the league.
Well, it’s that difference and the fact that the architects of the 1998 Yankees were Stick Michael and Bob Watson whereas the architect of the 21st century Yankees is Brian Cashman.
The 1998 Yankees did limp quite a bit during September, let’s not forget that.
@ Corey: But, they did just fine in October of 1998. We have to wait and see about the 2009 crew…
There is some truth there (regarding mishandling Joba) but as for predicting the future, it is very hard to do. You never know when you will get a big time start in the playoffs from one of your non-aces.
In fact, winning teams ususally get unexpected lifts from role players. It can’t be predicted just who that will be.
The Joba rules have been a certifiable flop. He’s neither durable enough to go deep nor sharp enough to pitch the 7 inning. Fortunately, Joba won’t matter if they get good work from CC, AJ and Burnett. I’d move him to the pen the rest of the way and see if he can recapture some of that one inning lightening. He’s worthless as a starter right now. Still, most teams # 4 ain’t much to talk about.
Corey wrote:
The 98 Yankees didn’t have the royal pain of possibly getting past the 2009 Angels(their Kryponite) and the 2009 Red Sox(the curse has been reversed). That’s why all the 98 talk is comical to say the least.
Cash Man vs Stick and Company? I wonder what Stick and BW would do to counter the Angels and the Red Sox…especially the sabermetric bent of the Sox. What would Stick and Bob have done in 2009?
Regarding all this talk about Stick and Watson v Cashman. You are all missing a HUGE piece of the puzzle: Big Daddy George was banned from the game which allowed the true ‘baseball people’ to build a team un-hindered by proclamations from above.
For example: “Any rookie pitcher who has one bad game in the major leagues gets traded for an over-the-hill, over-paid veteran whose best days are behind him!”
butchie22 wrote:
A true but not appreciated fact: Stick was a sabermetrician before more than 10 people in the country knew what that word meant. (Nor did he even realize it. He had a sense for that stuff but didn’t use the lingo.)
#15 wrote:
You’d trust him, in a big spot, coming out of the pen during a playoff game right now? I don’t.
I would work him out of the pen from now until the end of the year to see if he can give them anything at this point, but I doubt it will happen. And the obvious downside is that Mitre would probably start, and I think I’d rather stick a file under my nails than watch that, I don’t care how well he did yesterday.
ken wrote:
But, Big Stein has been MIA since December 2003, when he collapsed at a memorial service for Otto Graham and was hospitalized. Well, maybe not 100% MIA since 2003 – but, at least 90% MIA since the start of 2005. And, Cashman has had full control since then….
plus, do you really think Stein, with all his wits, was really 100% MIA when he was suspended in the 1990′s? I’m pretty sure he snuck in some input during the time…much like a MGR calling the game from the runway after being ejected.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Yeah. George was the guy with the Groucho Marx glasses sitting in the owner’s office.
Steve, wasn’t Cash’s start full control after the ’05 season? Wasn’t that when he last renewed his contract and demanded full authority over baseball operations?
In October 2005, Brian Cashman was given full autonomy on running the Yankees. As Cashman said at that time: “I’m the general manager, and everybody within the baseball operations department reports to me. That’s not how it has operated recently.”
Still, it wasn’t like Cashman was a figure-head from 2001 thru 2005. I’m sure he had as much input as anyone else.
This column by Barra is nonsense on stilts.
You know what the solution to the Joba problem is, as of now?
Joba needs to pitch better. That’s all.
Oh, and he’s STILL the #4 starter for the postseason. If they ever need one.
Evan3457 wrote:
Not sure if that is still true.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
The Danny Tartabull deal comes to mind