Kuzul

To the casual observer, the Yankees appear to sit in a comfortable position atop the American League East. It is true that after taking two of three games in the Bronx over the weekend from their closest competition, the Yanks now possess a full three game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays.

As owners of the best record in baseball at 58-33 as of July 19, there is clearly no need to panic in the Bronx. That being said, this most recent series with the Rays did help to illustrate some of the concerns for the team moving forward into the dog days of summer.

If the Yankees hope to continue their first half success into the pennant stretch and earn a spot in the playoffs to defend their 2009 World Series championship title, there are certainly a few issues that must be addressed for that to occur.

Let’s take a look at three critical keys to a successful second half for the Bronx Bombers. In this installment, I will focus on the Yankees’ front five arms in their pitching staff.

No. 1: The Starting Rotation

Through this point in the season, the starting rotation has undoubtedly been a strength for the Yankees. After a slightly sluggish start, CC Sabathia has been every bit the ace that the Yankees expected when they signed him prior to the 2009 season. Andy Pettitte has pitched with poise and guile, utilizing his vast experience to continually confound hitters, enjoying one of the best first halves of his illustrious career. Phil Hughes has rewarded the team’s faith in him, smoothly transitioning back to the starting rotation after a hugely successful 2009 campaign in the bullpen.

Although the other two starters have experienced their own personal peaks and valleys, AJ Burnett and Javier Vazquez have both been valuable at times, giving the Yankees experience in their front five arms. While Burnett is still struggling to find his top form, Vazquez appears to have overcome the issues that plagued him early in the season.

While the Yankees still have a rotation that would be the envy of many teams, the weekend with the Rays served to highlight a few chinks in the armor.

Andy Pettitte’s groin injury unfortunately throws a serious curve into the Yankees’ second half plans. Amidst reports from the team that he may be sidelined four to five weeks, the Yanks must quickly decide whether they will be serious players in the trade market prior to the July 31 deadline.

It is never desirable to lose a trusted veteran pitcher who is sporting an 11-2 record and a sub-3.00 ERA, but thankfully the timing is such that the Yankees at least have the option of potentially trading for an arm to bolster the rotation in Andy’s absence.

AJ Burnett offers another concern, but for different reasons. While he got off to a scintillating start to his 2010 season, his severely uneven performances over the past two and a half months have left many wondering if he can ever harness his immense talents and perform at a level worthy of his $82.5 million contract.

Uneven performances and massive contract aside, AJ has now immaturely and selfishly jeopardized the team’s best interests by throwing a temper tantrum and injuring himself while doing so. For a pitcher with a well-established reputation for being injury prone, self-inflicted wounds may be the most difficult to accept.

As of now, AJ Burnett is expected to make his next start, but his performance and behavior leave much to be desired from a veteran pitcher whom the Yankees must now count on to fill the void left by the injury to Andy Pettitte.

Lastly, the workload of Phil Hughes leaves the Yankees with another issue to contend with down the stretch. The 24-year-old hurler, also the owner of an 11-2 record and a 3.65 ERA, has now thrown 101 innings, already surpassing his total of 86 innings in 2009.

The Yankees intend to carefully monitor Hughes’ inning total, making sure that he doesn’t drastically surpass his ’09 workload. This leaves the team with the dilemma of whether he can remain in the rotation for the duration of the year, or whether he may have to return to the bullpen down the stretch as a method of limiting the burden on his young, talented arm.

With the injury concerns to Pettitte and Burnett, along with AJ’s fragile psyche, the Yankees appear to have at least 40 percent of their rotation representing significant question marks forging ahead into the second half. Although Hughes has thus far remained healthy, while pitching very effectively, the desire to protect his arm as a core member of the Yankees’ future remains paramount and the team has shown no willingness to deviate from their stated plan.

Of course, the Yankees may decide to bolster the rotation from within, possibly seeing what they have in youngsters such as Ivan Nova or Zach McAllister, both pitching for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Nova has pitched well all season, boasting a 7-2 record with an ERA in the low 3’s, although his walk rate has been an issue at times. McAllister started the season well, but has struggled as of late, displaying a tendency to be very hittable,as opponents are hitting .298 against him to this point in the season. At this point, these options seem unlikely, as both of these pitchers are younger than Hughes and may themselves run into concerns over their pitching workload.

The Yankees being the Yankees, it is more likely that they will dip into the trade market ahead of the deadline to see if they may be able to pry a veteran starter from their current club. We saw the willingness to do this already, when they almost completed the trade for Cliff Lee, and that was before the rotation had the severe questions that it does now.

Names like Roy Oswalt, Dan Haren, Ricky Nolasco, and Ted Lilly have been discussed, as have lesser likely options like Kevin Millwood and Ben Sheets. Oswalt, as a top-tier starter might be cost prohibitive based on his big money contract and likely significant cost in prospects. Millwood is in the last year of his deal, but has pitched terribly for Baltimore this season, and is currently on the disabled list with the always worrisome forearm tightness. Sheets is pitching decently for the A’s, although he’s still on a rather expensive one-year deal worth $10 million in base salary plus potential performance clauses worked into his contract.

Both Haren and Nolasco are under their respective teams’ control for at least the next few years, making them more desirable trade targets, but also lessening the desire to part with them. This leaves me to figure that the most likely option for the Yankees might be Ted Lilly. 

Lilly, a former Yankee who was traded away in the ill-fated move for Jeff Weaver, is enjoying a solid campaign for the woeful Chicago Cubs. He still gives up the longball too frequently, but his command has been good, with a walk rate of 2.2/9 innings and a quality WHIP of 1.13. It would seem that replacing Pettitte in the short term with another lefty arm would be beneficial, considering the short porch in right field. Strangely though, lefties are slugging .506 against Lilly this year, so the benefits might not be as great as one might think. Over his career though, lefties have slugged only .396 against him, so he may just be a pitcher in need of a change of scenery to recapture his top form of the last few seasons in Chicago.

Whatever the Yankees plans for the rotation, they know the clock is ticking. With the trade deadline and Tampa Bay looming, they know they don’t have time to rest on their laurels and remain stagnant. Whether making a blockbuster trade, or possibly a lower profile supplemental move; the Yankees rotation, earlier a massive strength, has quickly become an area of concern.

Please return later for my continued analysis of the three primary concerns for the Yankees as they progress into the second half of the 2010 season.

This article and other quality New York Yankees coverage can be found at:

http://pinstripewest.com/

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To tell you the truth, I loathe to even broach this subject. It has been debated to death by every fan, writer, media pundit, and cab driver with even a modicum of interest in the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, the issue must be addressed, and the time is now.

What do the Yankees do with Joba Chamberlain?

This isn’t a re-visitation of the tired discussion of whether Joba is best suited for the starting rotation or the bullpen. Sure, plenty will still ask that question, but not me—not this time. The stakes are greater than that now.

Many are wondering if Joba Chamberlain has a future in any capacity with the Yankees or even in Major League Baseball in general. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Unfortunately, after another meltdown of epic proportions, Joba is forcing the Yankees to ask some difficult questions in the best interest of the ball club. This time in Seattle, Chamberlain’s consistent inconsistency denied a well-deserved victory for another oft-maligned Yankee hurler, Javier Vazquez.

Javy had just pitched a brilliant game, but made it through only seven innings, having to depend upon the bullpen. Joba was the first reliever called.

Joba’s case isn’t one of a struggle here and there, giving up a key base hit or walk to blow a game on occasion. Every pitcher you’ve ever heard of, even the seemingly divine Mariano Rivera, has days where the stuff just isn’t working or the command is off.

This was different, and it is becoming a disturbing trend. Joba Chamberlain has been displaying a bizarre tendency to fail spectacularly.

Javy Vazquez had just gone head-to-head with Seattle’s Felix Hernandez, besting the young ace through seven innings by shutting out the Mariners, while allowing only five base runners.

The Yankees, having been utterly dominated by King Felix just 10 days ago, were looking to exact a little revenge. Thankfully, recently elected all-star Nick Swisher had provided the lead with a second inning solo shot to deep right center.

Chamberlain, charged with protecting the fragile 1-0 lead, came in breathing fire. He was fresh off a three-game stretch in which he looked like the Joba of old, throwing heat and feeling confident. Indeed, Joba brought the flamethrower with him last night, throwing fastballs all in the 94-97 range, but sadly he spilled the fuel all over himself and was burnt to a crisp.

The first pitch, a straight 97 mph fastball, was lined into center for a single by Jack Wilson. Ichiro, the Mariners’ best hitter, traded places with him on a force out. Another first pitch fastball was laced into left by Chone Figgins, leaving runners at first and second.

Joba then tried to mix it up with a first pitch slider to Russel Branyan, but threw it in the dirt for a wild pitch, moving the runners both up a base. After finding the strike zone difficult to locate, Joba was forced to intentionally walk Branyan, loading the bases for erstwhile slugger Jose Lopez.

By this time, a slightly shaken Joba didn’t know what to throw, so he went with two sliders out of the strike zone. Forced to throw a strike, he returned to the fastball, blazing a 96 mph heater belt high, which Lopez promptly crushed into the left field seats for the eventual game-winning grand slam.

Of course, this wouldn’t be an issue if it were an isolated incident. Relievers blow games, but then bounce back to dominate the next night. Something has happened to the Joba we fell in love with in late 2007.

Remember how the kid from Nebraska burst onto the pinstriped scene in late summer of ’07?

Chest thumping and exuberant, he was nearly unhittable, dispensing blazing fastballs and filthy sliders, racking up 12 dominant appearances before finally allowing a run. I remember feeling the buzz in the stadium just seeing him begin to warm up in the bullpen.

The roaring ovations when he stepped through the gates gave goosebumps as he then proceeded to blaze his way through American League hitters, setting up flawlessly for Mo.

That earned run he gave up in his 13th appearance would be the only one he allowed during 24 innings in his stellar rookie debut. If Joba were to remain a reliever, he was the heir apparent to the incomparable Mariano Rivera. As a starter, he was the next Roger Clemens.

That all feels so long ago.

Some of Joba’s inconsistency over his four-year career can be rightly attributed to his handling by the Yankees. Pitchers thrive on a routine, and for parts of his first three seasons, it didn’t seem that anyone was sure of what his role was.

Though in 2010, Joba didn’t have this excuse anymore. During spring training, he was beaten out for the fifth rotation spot by Phil Hughes and given a definite bullpen role. Joba was assured by Yankee brass that he would remain in a relief role throughout the duration of the 2010 season.

Joba seemed to relish the stability of a clearly defined role with the Yankees. He wanted to start, but embraced the challenge of being the primary setup man for Mariano and possibly, his eventual successor.

For the first six weeks of 2010, the plan worked exquisitely. Chamberlain bridged the gap to Mariano in expert fashion, racking up 16 2/3 innings in 17 outings, only allowing 12 hits, a 2.16 ERA and a WHIP only a fraction over 1.00.

He struck out 21 in that stretch, allowing a .197 opponents batting average and only 8 percent of his inherited runners to score. The Yankees were ecstatic that their guy had reclaimed the eighth inning in such triumphant fashion.

Then something happened. On May 16, during the Twins’ first trip to New York this year, Joba faced five batters, walking one and giving up two hits, needing to be rescued by Mo. This time though, things didn’t happen according to plan and Mariano allowed a grand slam to Jason Kubel, saddling Joba with a shocking loss.

His manager showed faith in him, hoping to help him shake off the poor outing, and called on him two days later to face the Red Sox with a four-run lead in the eighth. Joba promptly melted down again, allowing four hits and four runs, giving away the lead CC had turned over to him.

With two abysmal appearances in three days, Joba allowed seven runs, six of them earned, more than doubling his earned run total for the entire season. Girardi understandably shied away from using him for a few days, using him sparingly over the next week.

Joba responded with two very good outings, slightly restoring some of his manager’s confidence in him. This lasted a few days until Joe used him again—an outing in which Joba recorded only one out, allowing four hits and four runs, helping to blow a game to the Indians that the Yankees led 10-4 in the sixth inning.

Now this is where things get strange in the twisted saga of Joba Chamberlain. After that atrocious outing, Joba established a pattern in which he has rattled off several sets of three straight solid, scoreless appearances with one meltdown performance.

Three good, one bad, three good, one bad…you get the picture. If not for two bad outings in a row on June 27 and July 2, his 16 appearances since that disaster against Cleveland would follow that exact bizarre pattern.

Like I said earlier, consistently inconsistent, an apt description if I’ve ever heard one.

Unfortunately for Joba and the Yankees, this latest episode in Seattle might have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. With a tenuous grasp on the AL East lead and the July 31 trade deadline just weeks away, Joba’s most recent failure may force the Yankees to attempt to make a move for a reliable eighth inning reliever.

There is simply no way the team can hope to duplicate last year’s success with such an erratic and unreliable pitcher manning the critical setup role. The Yankees were fortunate that in the 2009 postseason, the inconsistent setup efforts of Joba and Phil Hughes didn’t sink their ship. Robertson, Marte, and Mo stepped up to fill the void, but the Yankees cannot rely on fortune if they hope to repeat as World Series Champions in 2010.

Bringing in a new arm seems to be the obvious move for now, but that doesn’t answer the riddle that Joba has become. The Yankees thought they had figured out what to do with the former relief standout, but that hope has come crashing violently to the ground.

Trading him doesn’t seem prudent as he has recently destroyed much of his trade value. Selling low on such a once highly-touted pitcher before he is even 25 years old doesn’t make a lot of sense. He has improved his walk rate from last year and he still has a K ratio of nearly 10 per nine innings, proving that he hasn’t completely lost his stuff. The Yankees just need to find out why he has become so predictable and hittable.

If they insist on continually sending him out there like management has suggested, it could potentially shatter his confidence for good, ensuring that he never returns to prior form. Yankee Stadium is not the optimal venue for a struggling pitcher to rediscover his path to redemption.

The course of action that I find most intriguing and potentially beneficial would be to send him to the minors and start him over. Send him to Scranton or further down if necessary. We are not concerned with the immediate future, as he may very well have pitched himself out of those plans. Joba has been highly touted for a reason and the Yankees need to help him rediscover that ability.

This is hardly an unprecedented maneuver. In 2000, Roy Halladay struggled much worse than Joba is right now, and the Blue Jays sent him all the way to A ball to restructure his entire approach to pitching. He spent half of 2001 in the minors before eventually returning to Toronto halfway through the year.

Doc figured out how to pitch once again and never looked back, progressing the very next year into a standout pitcher and eventually one of the best in the game.

Interestingly, the ace pitcher involved in the trade that brought Halladay to the Phillies, Cliff Lee, also experienced a similar fate. During his first several years with the Indians, Lee began developing into a top notch left-handed starter.

After a breakout 2005, he leveled off slightly in 2006, but was still a success for Cleveland, winning 14 games. In 2007, his career took a detour as he struggled mightily and was eventually optioned to the minors to work out his issues.

He returned to the big league club in 2008 a changed man. Cliff Lee dominated the AL, winning 22 games and claiming the Cy Young award as the league’s best pitcher. Lee has continued his success over the last two years and after this season will be the most sought-after free agent available.

The fact that two of the top pitchers in the game were sent back to the minors after experiencing success at the big league level offers hope to Joba Chamberlain. We have two Cy Young winners excelling in baseball after experiencing very similar fates to what Joba may have to.

Whichever direction the Yankees head in regards to Joba, decisive action must be taken soon. He cannot be allowed to flounder in a role he is clearly not performing well in at the moment. Continuing down the current path isn’t healthy for anyone—the fans, the Yankees, and especially young Joba himself. Do the right thing—send him down, let him become the pitcher he was meant to be, and we may all reap the rewards.

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Since 1933, right around the dawn of summer, the baseball world has taken a short break from the rigors of the long season to celebrate the game and its best players in the MLB All Star Game.

Every July, hardcore fans of the game must endure an excruciating three-day lull in the action, relying on the Futures Game, Home Run Derby, and All Star Game to satiate our passionate hunger for the sport we love. Of course, I’m sure most of the players enjoy the couple days off to recuperate before embarking upon their run through the dog days of summer.

Just as we have grown accustomed to this forced recess from baseball, we have also come to expect the grousing that inevitably accompanies the announcement of the final All Star rosters. Every year, we witness egregious errors in the selection process; a specific team’s fans stuffing the ballot boxes, sentimentality overriding common sense, even players getting voted in who aren’t eligible to play.

It is not solely the fans who are to blame for this as some critics may suggest. Usually, fans displaying their homer tendencies make easy targets for complaints, as they often vote in players based simply on the uniform they wear, ignoring performance relative to other potentially more deserving players.

It is often assumed that players or coaches would make better decisions, thinking that their insider status allows them a clearer view of who might be a legitimate candidate to represent their respective league in the Midsummer Classic. Those that fault fans for All Star missteps often suggest that leaving the selection process up to those more intimately involved may help eliminate the notion that the All Star selection process is nothing more than a popularity contest.

Realistically though, players and managers are just as susceptible to falling for familiarity and hype as fans are. Yes, they are closely involved in the on field action, but due to the time consuming nature of the schedule, travel and game preparation they are often much more familiar with players that they face the most. The unbalanced schedule gives them the opportunity to see divisional foes approximately 19 times a year, with only a handful of games against teams from other divisions. Due to scheduling quirks, a team may not even face non-divisional opposition before the All Star break. Off the top of my head, I know that the Yankees and Royals have not yet faced each other during 2010. How prepared are players on those teams to vote on the 2010 All Star credentials of an as yet unseen American League foe?

This latest round of All Star selections, just like every other year, leaves us with debatable roster choices, perceived snubs and a steady stream of frustration over the entire process.

All of which lead me to wonder, what does it really mean to be selected as a Major League All Star?

Since there is no clearly defined definition or official guidance provided by the league about what to consider when making your All Star selections, people are forced to draw their own conclusions. Fans, players and managers basically watch whoever is off to a hot start, and go from there with who they know best.

The timing of the All Star Game is the basis for much of the debate. By holding the game near the symbolic midpoint of the 162 game schedule, in essence we are neglecting an entire half of the baseball season. In fact, some might argue that the All Star process basically disregards the most crucial segments of the season, the dog days of summer and the last gasp run through September.

Of course, we know that games won in April are just as critical as those won in September, but the late season drama and the relentless pennant stretch are where baseball heroes are born. Often, MVPs are crowned based upon how a player performs in the latter stages of the schedule, leading his team to the promised land of playoff baseball.

As the leaves are turning and the air begins to crisp, no one remembers who had a brilliant May or June. We remember those who persevere through the schedule’s most gruelling stretch, shaking off the accumulated aches and pains of the season to strive for October.

If the baseball season’s second half can be the proving grounds for Most Valuable Players, then why is it deemed irrelevant when considering which players are of All Star caliber?

The manner in which it currently constructed, a player can produce a scintillating first three months, be named an All Star, get injured in mid-July, and potentially not play another game for his team during that season. Of course, this scenario doesn’t often occur, but it is certainly plausible. Is that all the honor is intended to represent? The best players of the first 88 games or so of each season?

Conversely, a player could have a first half deemed less than All Star worthy by those responsible for constructing the rosters, then have an utterly dominant second half, elevating his game when his team needs him most.

This scenario has occurred as recently as 2007 in the National League when Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies had a very good, if non-All Star worthy first half, then upped his game in the second half en route to an MVP award and a truly historical season. In fact, 2007 saw Rollins accomplish a feat that no one else in baseball history has yet been able to match. Although his OBP of .344 leaves much to be desired from the leadoff spot in Philly’s order, Rollins was such a dynamic offensive force that he became the only player to ever collect at least 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, while also amassing more than 200 hits. Rollins also led the NL in runs, and even drove in 94 more while doing the majority of his damage from the leadoff spot.

The American League witnessed this occurrence in 2006, when Minnesota’s Justin Morneau was omitted from the AL All Star roster in favor of fellow first basemen David Ortiz, Paul Konerko and Jim Thome. Although he may have been All Star worthy with his 23 HR, 73 RBI and .939 OPS in the first half, he was unable to make the cut and instead was given a three-day vacation. He continued his hot hitting in the second half, leading the Twins to an AL Central title and winning a hotly contested MVP race ahead of the also stellar Derek Jeter. Morneau was voted the Most Valuable Player in the entire American League, but at All Star time, was not considered better than at least three first basemen… interesting to say the least.

Truthfully, we don’t see this occur on a regular basis, and it must be noted that while the All Stars are selected by a combination of fans, players, and the All Star manager, MVP awards are the responsibility of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Without definite clarification as to what each of these honors are meant to specifically represent, we cannot reasonably expect these disparate factions to consistently reach similar conclusions. The cases of Rollins and Morneau do help to highlight one of the fundamental issues I have with the All Star Game in general.

Logistically speaking, to allow the All Star team to accurately represent the best players in each league every season, the game would have to be held at the conclusion of the playoffs, so that voters could take the complete season into account when casting their ballot. Of course, the Midsummer Classic is a long standing tradition and the symbolic midpoint of the season offers a perfect respite from the grind of the longest schedule in sports.

Ultimately, I would like to hear some word from the league itself, possibly providing a clearer definition of what the All Star designation is intended to represent. Without any such guidance, the process shall likely remain a free for all, leaving each party to interpret it as they see fit. Are we voting simply for first half All Stars? May we consider players who had All Star worthy second halves of the season prior?

Back when the All Star Game was a meaningless exhibition, offering a break from the daily schedule and a fun diversion for the fans, none of this truly mattered. Now that Major League Baseball has insisted upon saddling the game with significantly more meaning by giving home field advantage for the World Series to the winner, “This Time It Counts”—whether we think it should or not. Considering the additional significance bestowed by the commissioner’s office, maybe one day we’ll know exactly what all of this means. Until then, the popularity contest shall endure.

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The recent retirement of Ken Griffey Jr. has left a void in the baseball world. As the owner of what many fans have long considered the sweetest swing in the game, Griffey possessed a fluid, seemingly effortless approach that was always a sight to behold.

Close your eyes, envision Junior Griffey getting a pitch to drive and unleashing that smooth stroke through the zone, then that picturesque follow through…beautiful isn’t it?

When considering what it means to have a “sweet swing”, I’m not necessarily thinking of the most effective or unique, as those may be separate discussions unto themselves. Players like Ichiro, Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols have highly productive swings that clearly help them excel against big league pitching.

Although those three future Hall of Famers can certainly hit, none of them possess what I would consider a sweet swing. The definition of a “sweet swing” is obviously subjective and open to debate.

From my perspective, it should pertain to a player with a smooth, fluid stroke, containing as few moving parts and potential mechanical flaws as possible. It should begin with a calm, balanced stance, gracefully flow through the hitting zone as the body weight shifts, then culminate in a follow through worthy of a statue out in front of the stadium.

Now that Griffey and his sweet swing have been relegated to the annals of baseball history, who is now the proud owner of the sweetest swing in Major League Baseball today?

Let’s examine a few of the potential candidates. Please feel free to add any other deserving players to the discussion.

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