• Putting A Number On Ivan Nova

    Posted by on June 21st, 2011 · Comments (5)

    I was thinking this AM that Ivan Nova is doing pretty good this season for a pitcher his age.  So, I decided to look at pitchers age 25 or younger this year in the majors.  Here’s that list:

    Rk Player WAR IP Year Age Tm G ERA+
    1 Clayton Kershaw 3.2 107.2 2011 23 LAD 16 120
    2 Jair Jurrjens 3.0 89.2 2011 25 ATL 13 182
    3 Jhoulys Chacin 2.8 93.0 2011 23 COL 14 161
    4 Michael Pineda 2.7 88.2 2011 22 SEA 14 140
    5 Trevor Cahill 2.6 100.0 2011 23 OAK 16 121
    6 Gio Gonzalez 2.4 87.0 2011 25 OAK 14 146
    7 Felix Hernandez 2.3 113.1 2011 25 SEA 16 111
    8 Zach Britton 2.2 87.0 2011 23 BAL 14 129
    9 Tommy Hanson 2.1 83.1 2011 24 ATL 14 154
    10 Aaron Crow 1.9 33.2 2011 24 KCR 29 291
    11 Johnny Cueto 1.9 53.2 2011 25 CIN 8 234
    12 Dillon Gee 1.7 66.0 2011 25 NYM 13 131
    13 Matt Harrison 1.7 77.0 2011 25 TEX 13 131
    14 Joshua Collmenter 1.6 60.1 2011 25 ARI 15 191
    15 Daniel Hudson 1.6 101.0 2011 24 ARI 15 112
    16 Madison Bumgarner 1.5 84.0 2011 21 SFG 14 116
    17 Jake Arrieta 1.5 88.0 2011 25 BAL 16 89
    18 Jaime Garcia 1.4 93.0 2011 24 STL 15 113
    19 Jeremy Hellickson 1.3 84.1 2011 24 TBR 13 116
    20 Brett Anderson 1.3 83.1 2011 23 OAK 13 98
    21 David Price 1.2 102.1 2011 25 TBR 15 99
    22 Jonathon Niese 1.2 92.1 2011 24 NYM 15 101
    23 Jordan Zimmermann 1.2 87.2 2011 25 WSN 14 124
    24 Jordan Walden 1.2 31.1 2011 23 LAA 32 144
    25 Tyson Ross 1.1 36.0 2011 24 OAK 9 144
    26 Mike Leake 1.0 71.1 2011 23 CIN 14 97
    27 Carlos Carrasco 1.0 79.0 2011 24 CLE 13 98
    28 Drew Storen 0.9 37.1 2011 23 WSN 35 160
    29 Derek Holland 0.9 94.0 2011 24 TEX 15 88
    30 Brandon Beachy 0.9 44.1 2011 24 ATL 8 112
    31 Craig Kimbrel 0.9 37.0 2011 23 ATL 38 132
    32 Yovani Gallardo 0.9 96.1 2011 25 MIL 16 95
    33 Blake Wood 0.8 31.2 2011 25 KCR 25 152
    34 Tyler Chatwood 0.7 82.0 2011 21 LAA 14 96
    35 Ivan Nova 0.7 80.2 2011 24 NYY 15 99
    36 Chris Tillman 0.6 48.0 2011 23 BAL 10 86
    37 Homer Bailey 0.6 30.0 2011 25 CIN 5 131
    38 Rick Porcello 0.5 75.1 2011 22 DET 13 90
    39 Ryan Webb 0.4 33.2 2011 25 FLA 34 106
    40 Tim Collins 0.4 37.0 2011 21 KCR 35 100
    41 Ernesto Frieri 0.3 35.2 2011 25 SDP 32 107
    42 Danny Duffy 0.3 34.0 2011 22 KCR 7 77
    43 Mat Latos 0.3 75.1 2011 23 SDP 13 86
    44 Travis Wood 0.3 93.1 2011 24 CIN 16 76
    45 Brad Bergesen 0.2 52.1 2011 25 BAL 11 78
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 6/21/2011.

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    O.K, so, he’s not one of the best in his age group.  But, he’s still on the positive side – and that’s good.

    Is it just me, or, do more than a few teams have four pitchers on this list? How come the Yankees can’t do that?

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    Posada Not Dead Yet?

    Posted by on June 14th, 2011 · Comments (5)

    Yes, it’s a very small sample size. But, over his last 35 PA, Jorge Posada’s BA/OBA/SLG line is .469/.486/.531 – and his BA is .302 over his last 111 PA.

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    Still The “One Step Forward, One Step Back” Yankees

    Posted by on June 13th, 2011 · Comments (7)

    With their loss this evening, the Yankees are now:

    • 3-4 in their last 7 games
    • 9-7 in their last 15 games
    • 16-15 in their last 31 games
    • 19-19 in their last 38 games
    • 24-22 in their last 46 games

    No matter how you slice it – long, medium, or short – the Yankees are basically a “win one, lose one” team, no?  Pretty soon, they better start winning closer to 60% of their games rather than closer to 50% of their games.  This treading water thing is getting old in a hurry.

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    Brett Gardner & His .379 SLG%

    Posted by on June 10th, 2011 · Comments (4)

    Here are Brett Gardner’s career big league stats, to date:

    Year Age G PA AB R 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG
    2008 24 42 141 127 18 5 2 0 16 13 1 8 30 .228 .283 .299
    2009 25 108 284 248 48 6 6 3 23 26 5 26 40 .270 .345 .379
    2010 26 150 569 477 97 20 7 5 47 47 9 79 101 .277 .383 .379
    2011 27 59 197 169 27 6 3 3 14 11 7 21 37 .254 .339 .379
    4 Seasons 359 1191 1021 190 37 18 11 100 97 22 134 208 .265 .355 .369
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 6/10/2011.

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    Note his Slugging Percentage the last three seasons. Pretty consistent, huh?

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    Swisha-not-as-licious As You Want From RF?

    Posted by on June 10th, 2011 · Comments (5)

    Since July 1, 2010, in his last 127 games, Nick Swisher has a BA/OBA/SLG line of .261/.348/.448 (in 487 AB). In addition, he has 21 HR and 68 RBI during this span.

    Now, that’s not terrible. But, it’s not the “thump” that you would expect from a right fielder in the American League.

    But, maybe that’s just me?  What do you think?  Are you happy with the production the Yankees are getting from Swisher?  Or, if they had a chance to upgrade in right, should they go for it?

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    Robbie Cano, Where’d Ya Go?

    Posted by on June 10th, 2011 · Comments (8)

    Since July 1, 2010, in his last 142 games, Robinson Cano has a BA/OBA/SLG line of .282/.342/.495 (in 554 AB).

    Those are still very good numbers for a second baseman.  Put those up, year after year, for a dozen years or so, and maybe people will talk about you joining the rest of the second-sackers in Cooperstown.

    But, in Yankeeland this season, many think that Cano is having a down year and they want to know where the Cano of last year went.  How about you?  What do you think of Cano’s performance this season and over the last 140 games that he has played?  Happy with it, or, want to see more?

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    A.L. Standings Ranked By W-L Vs. ≥.500

    Posted by on June 8th, 2011 · Comments (21)

    Here they are, as of this morning:

    Rk Tm W L W-L% pythWL Luck ≥.500 6 <.500
    1 CLE 34 25 .576 32-27 2 18-11 16-14
    2 TEX 34 28 .548 35-27 -1 18-16 16-12
    3  CHW 30 33 .476 31-32 -1 21-19 9-14
    4 BOS 34 26 .567 33-27 1 17-16 17-10
    5  SEA 31 30 .508 30-31 1 15-14 16-16
    6  TBR 32 29 .525 32-29 0 15-15 17-14
    7  DET 33 27 .550 31-29 2 16-18 17-9
    8  LAA 30 33 .476 31-32 -1 18-20 12-13
    9 NYY 33 25 .569 36-22 -3 15-18 18-7
    10  TOR 31 30 .508 33-28 -2 16-21 15-9
    11  BAL 28 31 .475 25-34 3 15-22 13-9
    12  KCR 26 35 .426 26-35 0 13-21 13-14
    13  OAK 27 35 .435 29-33 -2 12-22 15-13
    14  MIN 22 38 .367 22-38 0 9-28 13-10
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 6/8/2011.

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    O.K., I’ll just hang up now and listen to your reaction…

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    A-Rod Least “Clutch” 3B In Majors This Year?

    Posted by on May 31st, 2011 · Comments (8)

    See the numbers below – which are this season to date:

    Rk Player Clutch Year Age Tm Lg G PA
    1 Daniel Descalso 1.5 2011 24 STL NL 49 156
    2 Brandon Inge 0.6 2011 34 DET AL 50 174
    3 Chris Johnson 0.3 2011 26 HOU NL 46 184
    4 Adrian Beltre 0.2 2011 32 TEX AL 54 225
    5 Casey McGehee 0.2 2011 28 MIL NL 53 223
    6 Chipper Jones 0.2 2011 39 ATL NL 50 212
    7 Aramis Ramirez 0.1 2011 33 CHC NL 48 201
    8 Jack Hannahan -0.1 2011 31 CLE AL 44 169
    9 Danny Valencia -0.1 2011 26 MIN AL 52 208
    10 Kevin Youkilis -0.2 2011 32 BOS AL 50 212
    11 Chase Headley -0.2 2011 27 SDP NL 53 201
    12 Chone Figgins -0.3 2011 33 SEA AL 48 209
    13 Kevin Kouzmanoff -0.3 2011 29 OAK AL 41 133
    14 Mark Reynolds -0.3 2011 27 BAL AL 51 203
    15 Alberto Callaspo -0.3 2011 28 LAA AL 52 216
    16 Placido Polanco -0.8 2011 35 PHI NL 53 232
    17 Alex Rodriguez -0.9 2011 35 NYY AL 48 208
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 5/31/2011.

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    What is “Clutch” above? It’s WPA divided by aLI – WPA/LI. The context dependent WPA is divided by the average leverage minus context-neutral situational wins. You can read more about it here. But, in everyday speak, it tells you who is stat padding with garbage time production – if I understand it correctly.

    If you want a point of comparison, A-Rod was best in the A.L., at his position, in 2007 in this stat during his opt-out year:

    Rk Player Clutch Year Age Tm Lg G PA
    1 Alex Rodriguez 0.9 2007 31 NYY AL 158 708
    2 Nick Punto 0.5 2007 29 MIN AL 150 536
    3 Troy Glaus 0.4 2007 30 TOR AL 115 456
    4 Adrian Beltre 0.3 2007 28 SEA AL 149 639
    5 Melvin Mora -0.2 2007 35 BAL AL 126 527
    6 Brandon Inge -0.5 2007 30 DET AL 151 577
    7 Mike Lowell -0.5 2007 33 BOS AL 154 653
    8 Akinori Iwamura -0.6 2007 28 TBD AL 123 559
    9 Casey Blake -0.7 2007 33 CLE AL 156 662
    10 Alex Gordon -1.0 2007 23 KCR AL 151 600
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 5/31/2011.

    Of course, this season is still young and Alex can improve on his mark here – and hopefully he will.

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    Players With 16+ HR In Yankees First 45 Games Of A Season

    Posted by on May 23rd, 2011 · Comments (18)

    Curtis Granderson hit his 16th HR of the year yesterday – in the Yankees 45th game of the season.  Prior to this, how many other Yankees have hit 16+ HR within the team’s first 45 games of the year?  Here’s the list:

    Rk Player Year #Matching   PA HR 6
    1 Mickey Mantle 1956 17 Ind. Games 77 20
    2 Babe Ruth 1930 16 Ind. Games 81 19
    3 Babe Ruth 1928 15 Ind. Games 67 19
    4 Alex Rodriguez 2007 15 Ind. Games 74 18
    5 Tino Martinez 1997 14 Ind. Games 70 17
    6 Babe Ruth 1921 16 Ind. Games 73 16
    7 Babe Ruth 1927 15 Ind. Games 75 16
    8 Babe Ruth 1926 14 Ind. Games 62 16
    9 Roger Maris 1960 13 Ind. Games 57 16
    10 Alex Rodriguez 2005 12 Ind. Games 55 16
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 5/23/2011.

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    That’s pretty crazy company for the Grandy Man, ain’t it. So, is he the next Roger Maris?

    I don’t know the answer.  But, to be candid, if Granderson had been traded to the Red Sox instead of the Yankees and, all of a sudden, starting blasting homeruns at a Ruthian pace, I’d probably be on the front of the line of those demanding that someone gets him to pee in a cup.

    Maybe Curtis’ 2011 is a lot like Ryne Sandberg’s 1990 – just one of those HR spike years at age 30?  In any event, it will be interesting to see if Granderson keeps up his pace this season.  Can he hit 50 HR this year?  If he keeps cranking them out at his current rate, he’ll clear that with no problem.

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    The Last Month In Yankeeland

    Posted by on May 20th, 2011 · Comments (8)

    From April 19th through May 18th, the Yankees went 14-14.

    Their team ERA during this time was an outstanding 3.21 in 257.6 IP.

    Meanwhile, during this time, their hitters had a BA/OBA/SLG line of .253/.342/.425 and averaged 5 runs scored per game.

    So, why the 14-14 mark?

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    The Jeter Meter

    Posted by on May 20th, 2011 · Comments (8)

    Derek Jeter’s BA/OBA/SLG in his last 112 PA: .282/.321/.388

    Not great. But, not terrible either.

    In any event, still not what you want from someone in the top of your line-up. More like a solid #8 hitter.

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    Is Kevin Long Getting A Buddy Pass Here?

    Posted by on May 15th, 2011 · Comments (6)

    Look at the stats below. The Yankees score a lot of runs because they hit a lot of homeruns. But, in terms of batting average, New York is just league average. And, it does seem like Jeter, Teixeira, Swisher, A-Rod and others are not hitting for average like they should be this season. So, why do we only talk about how great Kevin Long is when Curtis Granderson hits a homerun or doesn’t whiff against a lefty; but, we never talk about how he’s doing nothing with all these Yankees stars under-performing?

    Tm R/G G PA HR RBI SO BA 6 OBP SLG
    LAA 4.08 40 1573 33 151 303 .269 .327 .405
    CLE 4.89 37 1429 41 174 265 .264 .334 .420
    TEX 4.69 39 1436 44 176 219 .260 .325 .430
    KCR 4.79 39 1529 32 178 254 .259 .330 .412
    BOS 4.26 39 1517 37 161 287 .257 .334 .401
    DET 4.67 40 1547 34 174 296 .257 .327 .399
    TOR 4.46 39 1517 41 163 270 .252 .326 .405
    NYY 5.00 37 1407 58 181 252 .250 .335 .446
    LgAvg 4.23 39 1477 35 156 261 .250 .319 .391
    TBR 4.33 39 1452 36 163 283 .247 .310 .402
    CHW 3.90 40 1524 38 150 233 .246 .313 .378
    BAL 3.87 38 1434 37 142 254 .242 .309 .374
    OAK 3.54 39 1463 23 131 230 .235 .302 .353
    MIN 3.14 37 1376 18 103 224 .231 .295 .323
    SEA 3.54 39 1472 21 133 280 .228 .302 .326
      4.23 542 20676 493 2180 3650 .250 .319 .391
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 5/15/2011.

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    A-Rodless

    Posted by on May 12th, 2011 · Comments (5)

    In his last 19 games, Alex Rodriguez has 3 extra base hits – two doubles and a homer – over his last 81 Plate Appearances.  His BA/OBA/SLG line over this period is: .183/.272/.254

    Now, personally, I know that A-Rod is going to hit 15 homeruns during the month of September and that will offset his power being MIA at this time.

    But, what about you? Are you concerned that A-Rod’s pop has gone south – way down south – over the last month or so?

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    Yankees Batters With Bad Starts To The Season

    Posted by on May 11th, 2011 · Comments (0)

    Since 1919, how many Yankees batters had 15+ games within the team’s first 35 games of the season where they had at least 3 PA in the contest with no hits?

    Here’s the list -

    Rk Player Year #Matching   PA H BB SO OBP
    1 Clete Boyer 1966 20 Ind. Games 75 0 6 8 .081
    2 Jorge Posada 2011 19 Ind. Games 71 0 10 20 .155
    3 Mark Teixeira 2010 18 Ind. Games 78 0 16 18 .218
    4 Bob Meacham 1985 18 Ind. Games 70 0 12 17 .191
    5 Charlie Keller 1947 18 Ind. Games 74 0 19 9 .270
    6 Tom Tresh 1966 17 Ind. Games 66 0 12 12 .197
    7 Mike Pagliarulo 1987 17 Ind. Games 62 0 11 12 .194
    8 Graig Nettles 1973 17 Ind. Games 67 0 13 5 .209
    9 Bobby Murcer 1970 17 Ind. Games 74 0 13 12 .181
    10 Jason Giambi 2006 17 Ind. Games 71 0 21 14 .338
    11 Bucky Dent 1981 17 Ind. Games 57 0 3 5 .057
    12 Bobby Bonds 1975 17 Ind. Games 72 0 11 18 .153
    13 Roy White 1972 16 Ind. Games 64 0 13 5 .203
    14 Tom Tresh 1968 16 Ind. Games 63 0 10 11 .175
    15 Danny Tartabull 1993 16 Ind. Games 71 0 15 22 .211
    16 Jerry Kenney 1970 16 Ind. Games 66 0 5 11 .076
    17 Jason Giambi 2008 16 Ind. Games 65 0 10 11 .200
    18 Mike Gallego 1994 16 Ind. Games 65 0 13 12 .222
    19 Nick Etten 1946 16 Ind. Games 63 0 6 9 .113
    20 Bucky Dent 1978 16 Ind. Games 56 0 4 4 .073
    21 Babe Dahlgren 1940 16 Ind. Games 58 0 3 12 .086
    22 Frankie Crosetti 1935 16 Ind. Games 60 0 11 4 .183
    23 Rick Cerone 1980 16 Ind. Games 64 0 4 11 .078
    24 Robinson Cano 2007 16 Ind. Games 64 0 2 16 .047
    25 Home Run Baker 1919 16 Ind. Games 68 0 8 2 .119
    26 Aaron Ward 1923 15 Ind. Games 61 0 6 10 .133
    27 Tom Tresh 1967 15 Ind. Games 60 0 10 16 .183
    28 Nick Swisher 2011 15 Ind. Games 62 0 7 15 .129
    29 Wally Schang 1923 15 Ind. Games 60 0 8 4 .200
    30 Wally Schang 1921 15 Ind. Games 55 0 9 6 .164
    31 Phil Rizzuto 1947 15 Ind. Games 60 0 7 0 .153
    32 Bobby Richardson 1960 15 Ind. Games 58 0 3 5 .053
    33 Bobby Richardson 1961 15 Ind. Games 61 0 3 1 .068
    34 Wally Pipp 1925 15 Ind. Games 60 0 2 4 .035
    35 Joe Pepitone 1966 15 Ind. Games 61 0 2 3 .033
    36 Paul O’Neill 1999 15 Ind. Games 62 0 14 7 .226
    37 Bob Meacham 1986 15 Ind. Games 55 0 6 19 .113
    38 Tony Lazzeri 1933 15 Ind. Games 61 0 6 10 .100
    39 Tony Kubek 1963 15 Ind. Games 60 0 4 13 .067
    40 Joe Gordon 1940 15 Ind. Games 57 0 3 9 .071
    41 Bill Dickey 1946 15 Ind. Games 50 0 7 3 .140
    42 Frankie Crosetti 1933 15 Ind. Games 57 0 12 5 .214
    43 Robinson Cano 2008 15 Ind. Games 61 0 7 7 .131
    44 Clete Boyer 1965 15 Ind. Games 60 0 7 11 .117
    45 Clete Boyer 1964 15 Ind. Games 57 0 5 9 .089
    46 Jesse Barfield 1992 15 Ind. Games 55 0 6 17 .109
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 5/11/2011.

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    Jorge Posada still has a shot at setting “the record” here.  The Yankees have only played 33 games so far this season.

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    The Last 13 Games For #13

    Posted by on May 5th, 2011 · Comments (4)

    In his last 13 games, from April 16th through May 4th, Alex Rodriguez’s BA/OBA/SLG line is .143/.232/.245 (in 56 PA). He has also whiffed in 13 of his last 49 ABs.

    You can’t get much colder than that. Seems like it was just yesterday that A-Rod was tearing it up in Spring Training.

    Hopefully #13 will see better days ahead – and soon.

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    2011 Yankees Pitching To Date

    Posted by on May 2nd, 2011 · Comments (3)

    Here are the numbers to date for the Yankees Starting Pitching in terms of how often they have a “Quality Start”:

    Tm R/G GS CG SHO QS QS% 6 GmScA Best Wrst
    CLE 3.67 27 0 0 20 74% 53 75 1
    LAA 3.46 28 3 2 20 71% 57 91 19
    DET 4.96 28 1 0 18 64% 51 78 16
    BAL 4.58 26 0 0 16 62% 51 81 14
    OAK 3.43 28 2 0 17 61% 57 81 14
    SEA 4.31 29 2 0 17 59% 52 76 15
    TBR 3.75 28 2 1 16 57% 54 84 22
    LgAvg 4.34 28 1 0 16 56% 52 91 1
    TEX 4.32 28 0 0 15 54% 52 76 13
    NYY 4.08 25 0 0 13 52% 51 78 16
    KCR 4.89 28 1 0 14 50% 46 73 13
    BOS 4.26 27 0 0 13 48% 54 87 6
    CHW 5.14 29 0 0 14 48% 51 82 14
    TOR 4.39 28 1 0 13 46% 49 75 23
    MIN 5.52 27 0 0 12 44% 46 79 16
      4.34 386 12 3 218 56% 52 91 1
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 5/2/2011.

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    So, about half of the time, the Yankees get 6+ innings out of their starter where he allows 3 ER or less.  And, that’s below league average.  And, that’s not good.  How about their bullpen?  How often, to date, are they allowing inherited runners to score?  Here are those numbers:

    Tm R/G G SVOpp BSv IR IS IS%
    LAA 3.46 28 11 4 31 4 13%
    TEX 4.32 28 11 3 23 3 13%
    NYY 4.08 25 16 5 35 7 20%
    CLE 3.67 27 9 2 41 9 22%
    TOR 4.39 28 7 2 52 12 23%
    BOS 4.26 27 8 3 34 8 24%
    KCR 4.89 28 10 3 47 13 28%
    LgAvg 4.34 28 10 3 40 12 30%
    CHW 5.14 29 9 6 41 14 34%
    MIN 5.52 27 11 4 59 20 34%
    OAK 3.43 28 12 4 43 15 35%
    TBR 3.75 28 7 2 52 19 37%
    BAL 4.58 26 7 2 33 13 39%
    SEA 4.31 29 9 2 30 13 43%
    DET 4.96 28 8 3 37 17 46%
      4.34 386 135 45 558 167 30%
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 5/2/2011.

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    Now, that’s much better!  Clearly, the Yankees pitching success, this season – again, to date – has been all about their bullpen and less about their starting pitching.  It will be nice if the ‘pen can keep this up.  But, it will be even better if the starters do better than we’ve seen, so far.

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    For Swisher 2011 Starts Out Like 2008

    Posted by on April 28th, 2011 · Comments (11)

    Nick Swisher’s first 21 games of 2008: BA/OBA/SLG line of .232/.393/.333 in 89 PA.
    Nick Swisher’s first 21 games of 2011: BA/OBA/SLG line of .208/.326/.236 in 89 PA.

    By most accounts, 2008 was the worst season of Swisher’s career. Is he going to repeat that and have a bad year in 2011? What do you think?

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    Yankees: Thank You O’s

    Posted by on April 27th, 2011 · Comments (25)

    Good news – the Yankees are 12-8 and in first place in the A.L. East.

    Bad news – the Yankees are 4-0 this season against Baltimore and 8-8 when they play someone other than the O’s.

    Now, at that rate, the Yankees will still be a 90-win team in 2011. But, anyone who thinks the Yankees are going to win 95-100 games this season, based on their 12-8 record to date, is fooling themselves.

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    The Grandbimo

    Posted by on April 25th, 2011 · Comments (4)

    Most HR in baseball since Auust 12, 2010:

    Player			G	AB	HR
    Jose	Bautista	 	67	236	26
    Troy	Tulowitzki	67	257	24
    Albert	Pujols		68	252	21
    Curtis	Granderson	59	230	21
    Jay	Bruce		47	182	17
    David	Wright		67	254	17
    Alex	Rodriguez		44	164	17
    Miguel	Cabrera		61	221	17
    Paul	Konerko		62	237	16
    Ryan	Braun		66	253	16
    Matt	Kemp		65	253	15
    Pat	Burrell		63	202	15
    Jayson	Werth		63	241	14
    Ryan	Raburn		56	247	14
    Adrian	Beltre		64	243	14
    Buster	Posey		63	245	14
    Mike	Napoli		45	155	13
    Mike	Stanton		59	219	13
    Joey	Votto		63	228	13
    Hunter	Pence		70	278	13
    Mark	Teixeira		64	238	13
    Jim	Thome		42	134	12
    Drew	Stubbs		62	239	12
    Dan	Uggla		70	266	12
    Russell	Branyan		38	149	12
    Pablo	Sandoval		55	206	12
    Nelson	Cruz		52	200	12
    Jorge	Posada		49	179	12
    Carlos	Lee		71	274	12
    Robbien	Cano		66	268	12
    Jed	Lowrie		44	177	12
    Kelly	Johnson		61	248	12
    Victor	Martinez		61	242	12

    Is Curtis Granderson the best slugging Yankees CF since Bobby Murcer?

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    Most Quality Starts For The Yankees Since 1919

    Posted by on April 23rd, 2011 · Comments (2)

    It’s an interesting list. Here’s the Top 50:

    Rk Player #Matching   W L W-L% GS
    1 Whitey Ford 282 Ind. Games 201 39 .838 282
    2 Mel Stottlemyre 247 Ind. Games 151 64 .702 247
    3 Andy Pettitte 225 Ind. Games 161 27 .856 225
    4 Red Ruffing 210 Ind. Games 171 30 .851 210
    5 Ron Guidry 195 Ind. Games 136 23 .855 195
    6 Lefty Gomez 193 Ind. Games 148 33 .818 193
    7 Fritz Peterson 169 Ind. Games 90 49 .647 169
    8 Waite Hoyt 150 Ind. Games 113 26 .813 150
    9 Mike Mussina 147 Ind. Games 100 19 .840 147
    10 Herb Pennock 143 Ind. Games 105 34 .755 143
    11 Eddie Lopat 125 Ind. Games 95 18 .841 125
    12 Tommy John 125 Ind. Games 86 20 .811 125
    13 Spud Chandler 123 Ind. Games 87 19 .821 123
    14 Bob Shawkey 122 Ind. Games 85 28 .752 122
    15 Vic Raschi 122 Ind. Games 93 18 .838 122
    16 Allie Reynolds 118 Ind. Games 95 14 .872 118
    17 Roger Clemens 105 Ind. Games 70 8 .897 105
    18 Al Downing 104 Ind. Games 60 19 .759 104
    19 Bob Turley 98 Ind. Games 68 15 .819 98
    20 Ralph Terry 94 Ind. Games 57 24 .704 94
    21 Tiny Bonham 92 Ind. Games 64 18 .780 92
    22 Stan Bahnsen 91 Ind. Games 49 25 .662 91
    23 George Pipgras 87 Ind. Games 69 12 .852 87
    24 David Cone 83 Ind. Games 53 12 .815 83
    25 Catfish Hunter 78 Ind. Games 53 20 .726 78
    26 Orlando Hernandez 78 Ind. Games 53 9 .855 78
    27 Carl Mays 76 Ind. Games 57 18 .760 76
    28 Jim Bouton 73 Ind. Games 37 22 .627 73
    29 Ed Figueroa 72 Ind. Games 51 14 .785 72
    30 David Wells 70 Ind. Games 55 5 .917 70
    31 Atley Donald 66 Ind. Games 52 7 .881 66
    32 Hank Borowy 65 Ind. Games 49 13 .790 65
    33 Sad Sam Jones 63 Ind. Games 47 10 .825 63
    34 Doc Medich 62 Ind. Games 42 12 .778 62
    35 Rudy May 62 Ind. Games 38 17 .691 62
    36 Monte Pearson 60 Ind. Games 48 7 .873 60
    37 Chien-Ming Wang 59 Ind. Games 46 5 .902 59
    38 Steve Kline 58 Ind. Games 35 13 .729 58
    39 Jimmy Key 58 Ind. Games 39 4 .907 58
    40 Tommy Byrne 58 Ind. Games 46 7 .868 58
    41 Bill Stafford 57 Ind. Games 30 11 .732 57
    42 Urban Shocker 56 Ind. Games 38 13 .745 56
    43 Marius Russo 55 Ind. Games 38 14 .731 55
    44 Melido Perez 54 Ind. Games 26 14 .650 54
    45 Art Ditmar 53 Ind. Games 32 11 .744 53
    46 Bullet Joe Bush 51 Ind. Games 42 9 .824 51
    47 Bill Bevens 51 Ind. Games 36 13 .735 51
    48 Dave Righetti 50 Ind. Games 30 9 .769 50
    49 CC Sabathia 49 Ind. Games 38 3 .927 49
    50 Pat Dobson 48 Ind. Games 32 11 .744 48
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 4/23/2011.

    .
    Note what happens when you take the Top 50 and sort them by Winning Percentage in those games where they had a Quality Start:

    Rk Player #Matching   W L W-L% 6 GS
    1 CC Sabathia 49 Ind. Games 38 3 .927 49
    2 David Wells 70 Ind. Games 55 5 .917 70
    3 Jimmy Key 58 Ind. Games 39 4 .907 58
    4 Chien-Ming Wang 59 Ind. Games 46 5 .902 59
    5 Roger Clemens 105 Ind. Games 70 8 .897 105
    6 Atley Donald 66 Ind. Games 52 7 .881 66
    7 Monte Pearson 60 Ind. Games 48 7 .873 60
    8 Allie Reynolds 118 Ind. Games 95 14 .872 118
    9 Tommy Byrne 58 Ind. Games 46 7 .868 58
    10 Andy Pettitte 225 Ind. Games 161 27 .856 225
    11 Ron Guidry 195 Ind. Games 136 23 .855 195
    12 Orlando Hernandez 78 Ind. Games 53 9 .855 78
    13 George Pipgras 87 Ind. Games 69 12 .852 87
    14 Red Ruffing 210 Ind. Games 171 30 .851 210
    15 Eddie Lopat 125 Ind. Games 95 18 .841 125
    16 Mike Mussina 147 Ind. Games 100 19 .840 147
    17 Whitey Ford 282 Ind. Games 201 39 .838 282
    18 Vic Raschi 122 Ind. Games 93 18 .838 122
    19 Sad Sam Jones 63 Ind. Games 47 10 .825 63
    20 Bullet Joe Bush 51 Ind. Games 42 9 .824 51
    21 Spud Chandler 123 Ind. Games 87 19 .821 123
    22 Bob Turley 98 Ind. Games 68 15 .819 98
    23 Lefty Gomez 193 Ind. Games 148 33 .818 193
    24 David Cone 83 Ind. Games 53 12 .815 83
    25 Waite Hoyt 150 Ind. Games 113 26 .813 150
    26 Tommy John 125 Ind. Games 86 20 .811 125
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 4/23/2011.

    .

    CC Sabathia almost always gets a win when he throws a Quality Start for the Yankees. And, he’s only been tagged with an “L” in a “QS” three times as a Yankee. Amazing.

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    Mariano Rivera’s Blown Save

    Posted by on April 20th, 2011 · Comments (22)

    Well, you don’t see that everyday.

    (more…)

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    Is Curtis Granderson Just A .240 Hitter?

    Posted by on April 13th, 2011 · Comments (29)

    If you combine his last 188 AB from 2010 to his first 29 AB of 2011, then Curtis Granderson is batting .235 in his last 217 AB.

    Then again, in his last 1,126 AB since 2009, Granderson is batting .246 over that span.

    If you ask me, Granderson is just a .240 hitter. And, this goes back even more than “Since 2009.” Over his last 213 AB in 2008, Granderson hit just .235.

    So, over his last 1,339 regular season ABs, Granderson’s BA has been a .244 hitter. (No pun intended on the “has been” part.) Therefore, why should we expect anything else from him at this point?

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    2011 A.L. Out Of The Gate

    Posted by on April 7th, 2011 · Comments (11)

    Crazy, huh?

    Rk Tm W L W-L% R RA SRS 6 pythWL
    1 TEX 6 0 1.000 7.0 3.3 3.5 5-1
    2 TOR 4 1 .800 6.8 3.4 3.0 4-1
    3  CHW 3 2 .600 8.0 6.8 1.5 3-2
    4  OAK 1 4 .200 4.0 4.8 1.4 3-2
    5  SEA 2 4 .333 3.5 4.5 1.1 3-3
    6  CLE 3 2 .600 6.2 5.8 0.8 3-2
    7 KCR 4 2 .667 5.8 5.7 0.4 4-2
      Avg 2 2 .500 5.0 5.0   3-2
    8  LAA 3 3 .500 4.7 4.2 -0.9 4-2
    9  NYY 3 2 .600 6.2 5.4 -1.0 3-2
    10  MIN 2 3 .400 3.2 6.0 -1.1 2-3
    11 BAL 4 1 .800 4.0 2.2 -1.6 4-1
    12  DET 2 3 .400 5.4 6.2 -1.7 3-2
    13  BOS 0 5 .000 3.2 7.4 -2.1 1-4
    14  TBR 0 5 .000 1.4 4.4 -4.0 1-4
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 4/7/2011.

    .

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    2011 Yankees Spring Training Stats

    Posted by on March 30th, 2011 · Comments (11)

    Here they are:

    Player		AB	HR	RBI	SO	SB	OBP	SLG	AVG
    Vazquez		34	3	8	11	0	.444	.765	.412
    Chavez		43	1	4	6	0	.422	.558	.395
    Rodriguez	49	6	15	7	0	.444	.898	.388
    Granderson	39	3	7	7	2	.442	.795	.385
    Krum		17	0	2	1	2	.429	.412	.353
    Jeter		56	0	0	3	2	.328	.375	.304
    Teixeira	51	1	7	10	0	.410	.569	.294
    Martin		42	1	5	5	1	.373	.381	.262
    Gardner		50	1	5	8	4	.373	.460	.260
    Swisher		59	1	8	12	0	.274	.339	.254
    Montero		40	0	2	8	0	.286	.300	.250
    Nunez		57	1	7	5	6	.290	.333	.246
    Cano		55	2	8	6	0	.276	.382	.236
    Maxwell		36	0	3	12	2	.349	.250	.222
    Pena		41	0	2	4	1	.214	.220	.220
    Posada		46	1	7	11	0	.357	.326	.217
    Romine		23	2	2	3	0	.280	.522	.217
    Parraz		19	0	2	3	0	.286	.211	.211
    Mesa		27	0	2	6	1	.313	.259	.185
    Jones		44	1	5	10	0	.265	.318	.182
    Russo		21	0	3	6	0	.208	.143	.143
    Belliard	22	0	1	6	0	.136	.182	.136
    Laird		26	0	2	7	0	.143	.154	.115
    Bernier		17	0	1	10	0	.238	.059	.059
    Molina		18	0	2	10	0	.217	.056	.056
    Player		W	ERA	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO
    Rivera		0	0.00	5.0	3	0	0	0	6
    Ayala		0	0.79	11.1	9	1	0	0	9
    Prior		0	1.04	8.2	4	1	0	5	12
    Warren		0	1.59	5.2	4	1	0	3	5
    Nova		2	1.80	20.0	11	4	1	4	9
    Sisco		0	2.08	4.1	1	1	0	4	2
    Banuelos	1	2.13	12.2	10	3	1	8	14
    Colon		1	2.25	16.0	10	4	1	1	17
    Feliciano	0	2.25	4.0	5	1	0	0	6
    Wordekemper	0	2.70	6.2	7	2	1	2	4
    Burnett		1	2.77	13.0	9	4	2	0	11
    Soriano		1	3.18	5.2	6	2	0	0	7
    Sabathia	1	3.31	16.1	17	6	2	3	10
    Chamberlain	0	3.38	8.0	10	3	1	2	7
    Mitchell	0	3.60	5.0	5	2	1	0	5
    Pope		0	3.60	5.0	5	2	0	0	2
    Robertson	0	3.68	7.1	4	3	0	3	14
    Sanchez		0	3.86	7.0	9	3	0	7	4
    Noesi		1	4.00	9.0	10	4	3	1	7
    Hughes		1	4.09	22.0	24	10	4	3	14
    Garcia		1	4.91	18.1	17	10	2	4	15
    Garrison	0	5.23	10.1	14	6	1	2	5
    Logan		1	5.40	6.2	10	4	0	1	12
    Betances	0	6.00	6.0	6	4	0	7	8
    Phelps		1	10.50	6.0	16	7	1	4	8

    OK, now…throw them out the window. The real stuff starts tomorrow – and that’s what counts!

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    Derek Jeter, Mr. Lucky

    Posted by on March 28th, 2011 · Comments (10)

    Mark Simon offers lots of good numbers on Derek Jeter – including this one:

    Lastly, Jeter has had a remarkable knack at hitting ‘em where they ain’t, as evidenced by his Batting Average on Balls in Play.

    When Jeter puts the ball in play, he’s among the game’s most accurate batsmen. Depending on which formula you use to calculate BABIP (one includes sacrifice flies, one doesn’t), Jeter’s BABIP of .358 (or .356) ranks among the very best in the sport.

    Entering 2011, Jeter’s .314 batting average ranks 56th best since 1913 (we use that year because it’s the first year for which strikeout totals exist).

    Strip away the home runs and strikeouts and Jeter’s BABIP is fifth-best in that span, a near match for Ichiro Suzuki and Rod Carew, two players best known for being able to guide the baseball into spots where they were most likely to get hits. Jeter’s prowess in that regard is one of the rare things about him that seems to go unrecognized.

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    A-Rod’s 2010 In Perspective

    Posted by on January 4th, 2011 · Comments (32)

    How many players in big league history had a season like A-Rod’s season last year, when they were the same age as Alex was in that year?

    To get the answer, I ran some numbers on the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia. And, this is what I got:

    Batter                        YEAR     RCAA      PA      RCAA      OWP      OPS
    1    Jermaine Dye             2008       19      645       19     .591     .128
    T2   Bob Johnson              1941       18      653       18     .586     .105
    T2   Tilly Walker             1922       18      645       18     .579     .136
    4    Alex Rodriguez           2010       17      595       17     .590     .111
    5    Vladimir Guerrero        2010       15      643       15     .577     .105
    T6   Magglio Ordonez          2008       13      623       13     .570     .112
    T6   Baby Doll Jacobson       1925       13      602       13     .560     .115
    8    Cy Williams              1922       11      676       11     .543     .127
    Filter used: SEASON where AGE = 34, PLATE APPEARANCES >= 580, RCAA BETWEEN 10 AND 20, OWP < .6 and OPS > .1 vs. the league average

    So, there you have it. A-Rod’s season last year was right on par with Jermaine Dye and Magglio Ordonez’ 2008, and, with Vladimir Guerrero’s season last year.

    As a Yankees fan, how do you feel about seeing this level of production from Rodriguez? And, how excited or worried are you about his production in 2011 and the years to come?

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    The Best & Worst Yankees Of The Last 5 Years

    Posted by on January 3rd, 2011 · Comments (25)

    Stats via the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia. From A-Rod to Melky, and from Mo to Ponson, here’s all the boys Brian Cashman has carried on the Yankees roster over the last 5 years and how they’ve done, overall.

    (more…)

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    The Worst Yankees Starting Staffs Since 2001

    Posted by on December 20th, 2010 · Comments (9)

    Here’s one way to slice it:

    Rk Year Lg Tm #Matching  
    1 2010 AL New York Yankees 3 A.J. Burnett / Dustin Moseley / Javier Vazquez
    2 2008 AL New York Yankees 3 Andy Pettitte / Sidney Ponson / Darrell Rasner
    3 2005 AL New York Yankees 3 Al Leiter / Mike Mussina / Carl Pavano
    4 2004 AL New York Yankees 3 Jose Contreras / Mike Mussina / Javier Vazquez
    5 2006 AL New York Yankees 2 Shawn Chacon / Randy Johnson
    6 2001 AL New York Yankees 2 Orlando Hernandez / Ted Lilly
    7 2009 AL New York Yankees 1 Joba Chamberlain
    8 2007 AL New York Yankees 1 Mike Mussina
    9 2003 AL New York Yankees 1 Jeff Weaver
    10 2002 AL New York Yankees 0  
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 12/20/2010.
    .
    The slice: Yankees teams from 2001 to 2010 – show pitchers with ERA+ <=99 with at least 15 games & at least 50% GS

    Think 2011 will match the high mark here with 3+ pitchers making the list?  Probably.  Shoot, this might just be the year we see 4 such pitchers on a Yankees team.  When was the last time that happened? That would be 1991. A long, long time ago…

    Rk Year Lg Tm #Matching  
    1 1990 AL New York Yankees 5 Chuck Cary / Andy Hawkins / Dave LaPoint / Tim Leary / Mike Witt
    2 1991 AL New York Yankees 4 Dave Eiland / Jeff Johnson / Tim Leary / Wade Taylor
    3 2010 AL New York Yankees 3 A.J. Burnett / Dustin Moseley / Javier Vazquez
    4 2008 AL New York Yankees 3 Andy Pettitte / Sidney Ponson / Darrell Rasner
    5 2005 AL New York Yankees 3 Al Leiter / Mike Mussina / Carl Pavano
    6 2004 AL New York Yankees 3 Jose Contreras / Mike Mussina / Javier Vazquez
    7 1992 AL New York Yankees 3 Scott Kamieniecki / Tim Leary / Scott Sanderson
    8 1989 AL New York Yankees 3 Greg Cadaret / Andy Hawkins / Dave LaPoint
    9 1988 AL New York Yankees 3 Richard Dotson / Tommy John / Rick Rhoden
    10 1982 AL New York Yankees 3 Doyle Alexander / Roger Erickson / Mike Morgan
    11 1979 AL New York Yankees 3 Jim Beattie / Ed Figueroa / Catfish Hunter
    12 1973 AL New York Yankees 3 Pat Dobson / Sam McDowell / Fritz Peterson
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 12/20/2010.

    .

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    A-Rod’s Remarkable 2009 Post-Season

    Posted by on December 18th, 2010 · Comments (24)

    I’ve written in the past about the singular greatness of Alex Rodriguez’ 2009 post-season.

    And, if my narrative on that was not enough. How about some stats that support just how great it was? Click here to see how A-Rod was a machine during that run. And, click here to see how clutch he was during that post-season.

    Bottom line, there is an extremely strong case to be made that A-Rod’s 2009 post-season was one of the best overall offensive performances by a single player on a team who won a World Championship in the last 30 years of baseball history – if not the best “such season” ever.

    Sure, we all know about Barry Bonds’ 2002 post-season - but, the Giants didn’t win it all that year.  And, David Ortiz was super for the Red Sox post-season of 2004.  But, he didn’t do it day-in and day-out, consistently, for Boston in that run like Rodriquez did for the Yankees in ’09.  Another player to consider would be Troy Glaus in 2002.   He was a monster who carried the Angels that post-season to their ring - but,  he was not quite at the level of A-Rod in ’09.  (It is interesting that Bonds, Ortiz, Glaus and A-Rod are in the team picture here – since they all have been linked to PED-usage in the past.)

    Seeing all this, what would you say?  Was Alex Rodriguez’ 2009 the best overall post-season by a player on a World Series winner ever?  If not, how about over the last 30 years?  And, if not, why?

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    And, The 2010 A.L. Cy Young Award Goes To…

    Posted by on November 17th, 2010 · Comments (4)

    …well, how can it not be “King Felix”?

    See the numbers:

    Pitcher                          RSAA      IP       N_W      N_L    BR/9 IP vs Lge Avg
    1    Felix Hernandez              41    249.2       18        7     2.63
    2    C.C. Sabathia                35    237.2       18       10     1.46
    3    Jon Lester                   25    208         18       10     1.19
    4    David Price                  23    208.2       16        9     1.48
    5    C.J. Wilson                  22    204         14        9     0.79
    6    Jered Weaver                 21    224.1       15       10     2.77
    7    Cliff Lee                    20    212.1       13        8     3.37
    T8   Gio Gonzalez                 18    200.2       14       10     0.46
    T8   Justin Verlander             18    224.1       16       11     1.73
    10   John Danks                   17    213         15       11     1.33
    

    Source: Complete Baseball Encyclopedia

    But, if it goes to CC Sabathia, it’s not as huge a crime as if the award went to…say…A.J. Burnett…

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