Perennially in the playoffs (except for 2008), making it back to the top of the heap in 2009 with a fresh crop of big budget free-agents, the Yankees just seemed to be getting older and producing less talent from the inside. Granted, to trade for the big-game players they were forced to plunder their farm system, but that system did produce Robinson Cano, one of the Yankees two current actual superstars (the other is CC Sabathia). Also, though, catcher Jesus Montero (now with Seattle, traded for pitcher Michael Pineda, who should be good if he's recovered from the injury that kept him out of the entire season last year); pitcher Tyler Clippard (closer for the Nationals...eh, he was given up on by the Yanks a few years back); and outfield sensation A-Jax, Austin Jackson (the jewel that Detroit got in the Curtis Granderson trade, a trade that also netted Arizona former Yankee phenom pitcher Ian Kennedy, a guy who couldn't get it done in the Bronx but came in second to Clayton Kershaw in the Cy Young voting in 2011).
(Sigh) I haven't even got to what I wanted to write about. This off-season has been an odd one for me, one where I've sat here and watched the AL East go from the two North-Atlantic teams and their foil in St. Petersburg to one in which everyone but the Yankees improved.
The Red Sox got out from under the Beckett/Gonzales/Crawford mess last season (thanks Dodgers!), still have to rely on John Lackey (that had the stink of a bad Yankees deal on it from the get-go), but did upgrade to Mike Napoli at catcher. If they get back to what they do well, or at least what they did well when Theo was running the show, they'll compete.
There's bound to be some regression with the historic winning percentage in one-run victories for the Orioles, but Manny Machado is maybe 20, and he's a star, and they've got some young arms that can take them places. Maybe the playoffs again, maybe not, but the point is this is an exciting time for Baltimore.
The Rays keep losing star players to free agency, and keep coming back with stars from their farm system. I like to think of them as the Twins of Florida, or, maybe more accurately, the "New Twins", seeing as how they're run on a shoestring and have a knack for drafting and developing players well. Their ten best starting pitchers could start on any team in the majors, and three or four could start this year in the minors.
The Blue Jays! They finally made some shrewd moves and decided to take advantage of a possible BoSox/Yankee transition period and went all-in. How exciting for the cleanest city in North America. In any other division in baseball, the past few Jays teams could have maybe been playoff teams, but with the Yanks/Sox/Rays hogging everything, and the Orioles last year snaking a playoff spot, there have been few happy times in Toronto's baseball world.
And then there're our boys. The spendthrift Bombers of the Bronx? Money conscious? Now I know that the drunken-sailor style of spending is mostly unsuccessful, if you gauge success by World Series victories (welcome to an ugly truth Angels and Dodgers), but when it does work out (ahem, '09 Yankees), it's due mostly to pitching. But this past off-season we had Jeter getting his 38 year old ankle rebuilt and A-
No longer in pinstripes this season: Andruw Jones, maybe old and fat but not a bad OF platoon and good for maybe 10-15 homers in 200 PA, which is decent power; Russel Martin, starting catcher; Raul Ibanez, aging outfielder and DH who showed late-career power (hmm?); Nick Swisher, charismatic RF who added a goofy element to their '09 run to the Ring; Eric Chavez, former A's 3B and last year's backup who got plenty of playing time and who still has some ball left in his tank...
Those aren't five players who were lucky to be getting coffee in the show, they played significant time with the Yankees last year. Swish and Russel were starters, as was Chavez for most of the year, and Ibanez got plenty of starts at DH.
Well, they're gone. A-Rod's out until either late July or early August (maybe earlier is his "conditioning" allows it, right?). Curtis Granderson, the slugging starting CF, was hit in the forearm during his first at-bat in Spirng Training and broke something, and he's out until May. Mark Teixeria typically sucks until the end of May or early June, when he finally finds his stroke, but he just came up lame, and will be out until May just like Grandy.
Derek Jeter's back; Big Mo's back; even Brett Gardner is back. Ichiro's still here. And Cano remains an MVP caliber player.
One issue with a team filled with superstars (and their contracts) is that depth is sacrificed--the backups tend to be of less value than great backups because there's too much invested in the star starter playing.
Of course, like always it's about pitching, and CC is still good, and Hiroki isn't washed up yet, and Phil Hughes is serviceable, and Pineda may be healthy yet. Pettitte's not too old, right? These guys may hold the fort until everyone gets well enough to carry the team.
This may well prove to be my most pessimistic off-season. It just seems like it could be a collapse year. Jeter's old and returning from a broken ankle (like ma); A-Rod's body's breaking down, maybe for good, and he's out until after the All-Star break; Grandy's arm is broken; Teixeria's out lame; Swish and Chavez and Ibanez and Martin and Jones are all gone; and I'm supposed to be excited that Brett Gardner's back?
I like Gardner, sure, but while we lived in NY the battle for him was always, "Sure, his speed is great, but can he hit enough to lead off?" So far he's killing the ball this spring, which is great. Maybe I am excited, but he's a .270 hitter with great speed...and Grandy's a .250 hitter who pops 40+ homers...
(Sigh)(#2)
Excuse me for my rambling misgivings on this upcoming baseball season.
One more thing: I'm a fan of the WBC, the World Baseball Classic, but there are two things I would change. The first is the name. The NAME! Holy cow, what a stupid name. At least call it the Baseball World Cup, or something, jeeze. The second is the timing. If they want it to become a thing players want desperately to participate in, if they want it to organically become a quadrennial showcase event, they have to put it in the middle of the playing season, in the middle of the summer. During BWC seasons players would get maybe two weeks off during the All-Star break, except players who participate. Something like that, anyway...
Hi, Pat. This is a very serviceable recap of the Yankee off-season. I too was feeling less optimistic than I usually do, but then I remembered: pitching is 90% of the game. The Yanks have a chance to have the best rotation in the A.L., really. I'm not up on the staff down in Tampa - they always throw a guy out there who seems like he can toss a shutout at you, but I don't worry about the Red Sox or the Orioles, just because, well, they suck. And I've turned against Buck Showalter. I used to like him, but am now convinced he's a dick.
ReplyDeleteWhen I say the Yanks could have the best pitching, it's not outlandish. Early returns on CC are good, Andy will win with guile and a modicum of stuff, Hiroki the same. Hughes will have a big year, I have a feeling, heading into free agency. How many teams have a 5th-starter competition with pitchers as good as Nova and Phelps, huh?
Then the bullpen, a real strength in recent years, may even be better than the rotation. Mo will have his farewell tour, and I don't see an implosion there. Robertson and Joba - buttah. The only fly in the ointment is the left-handed relief. Both Logan and Rapada are looking like they're going to spend some shelf-time, so remember these two names: Vidal Nuno and Francisco Rondon. Nuno is an easy-throwing lefty who spots and mixes superbly, and has had success at every level. Rondon is slightly more of a project, but if he learns to set it up with his FB, his slider is lights-out. I think of Sparky Lyle when I see that pitch, and I'm not kidding.
Be of good cheer, my man! Fans have always over-valued the offensive lineup and ignored what matters, the pitching staff.
The Yanks always spent so much on outside talent, trying to make themselves into the Yankee All Stars, and when the clubs won, some people felt more relief than joy. So now, they're behaving like the other 29 (or 27 or so), having to watch for bargains, having to put Youk at third, try Juan Rivera at first. It reminds me of the pre-crazed-Steinbrenner time, when it was so much fun just to watch them compete. I may be a minority of one, but I think it'll be a cool year. And I think they will make the playoffs.
That's the kind of optimism I needed to hear. I didn't really know enough about their pitching (it's easier when you live there, and I guess I don't really go out of my way to follow it), and I regularly forget about the underrated Nova, which is kind of embarrassing, since I've always liked him.
ReplyDeleteNothing would surprise me this year: winning the East or last in the East...