TwitterMy Bad
25 Jun 2012
With almost half of the season in the books and Johnny Damon arriving in town tonight, it is time for me to admit to a big mistake. I thought Damon or Matsui would be a much better DH for the Yankees than Raul Ibanez. All I can say is that I blew that call. Damon or Matsui would have been disasters while Ibanez has been pretty good for the Yankees.
But, Ibanez still worries me. There are some good things about him and some bad things. His power has been good and his line drive rate has rebounded to where it used to be in his salad days. Conversely, he doesn’t walk anymore and despite a recent surge, he has hit .189/.259/.321 in June. Then again, his BABIP is only .226, which means he has had very poor luck.
A lot can happen between now and the trade deadline. Right now, there is no obvious need that the Yankees need to fill. But, I keep thinking that a bat could become an important addition. Ibanez’s trajectory from here will be a big part of determining if that is true.
Jun 26, 2012 @ 23:27:14
I thought we’d be talking starting pitching at the All star break but check out these numbers: Hughes last 10 starts, 3.88 ERA, 1.26 Whip, 1k per inning. Nova last 6 starts, 2.40 ERA, 1.07 WHIP (~45 innings) and Yanks won all 6 starts. Remarkable numbers. Throw in the steady Kuruda and workhorse Sabathia, we look to have the luxury of being able to look for a bat which is in much greater supply come the all star break.
Jun 27, 2012 @ 08:22:51
Tim
You’re right, they have been really good. Here’s another number for you. The Yankee bullpen has thrown the second-FEWEST innings of any bullpen in the AL. Who would have believed that was possible after watching this team play the first six weeks of the year?
My one concern is if they get an injury to the rotation, who steps in? Betances has lost the plate in AAA and Banuelos is hurt. Mitchell is regressing while Phelps is in A ball trying to get stretched out again. I guess that leaves Adam Warren by default, but the AAA pitching depth most of us thought they would have this year isn’t there.