High and Tight.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Gaudin Should Be Starting Game 5

Fact: AJ Burnett is much better at home.
Fact: Cliff Lee is pitching tonight and if the Yankkees can't muster anything against him, you waste Burnett.
Fact: Burnett would be on regular rest in Game 6.
Fact: This forces Pettitte to pitch on short rest.

I think Girardi is overplaying his hand here. We'll see.

Labels: 2009 world series, a.j. burnett, andy pettitte, joe girardi, pitching rotation

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 12:17 PM 0 comments

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Where is the Uproar for "Price to the 'Pen"?

The constant yammering of talking heads on TV and sports talk radio about how Joba Chamberlain needs to be moved back to the bullpen brings up a question: why is everyone just focused on Joba? I have made it clear in this space a number of times that Chamberlain is best utilized as a starter. His numbers are great for a 22 year old in his second season in the rotation. He's not an ace yet, but if nobody had ever seen him pitch from the bullpen, the locals would be ecstatic about his progress. Unfortunately, idiots like Mike Francesa like to point out how "his ERA is better as a reliever." Well of course it is. When a pitcher only has to throw 20 pitches instead of 80-100, they can let it fly without fear of tiring. Look at Phil Hughes' splits between the rotation and the bullpen this year, and you'll see what I mean. Imagine Roy Halladay's numbers in the 8th inning! Bridge!

Aside from rehashing that old argument, one has to wonder why nobody seems to be making the same (flawed) rationale for David Price of the Rays.

Price was a phenom last season. He was brought up at the very end of 2008 and was used from the bullpen, eventually becoming the closer that brought the Rays to their first World Series. He had a .929 WHIP, a 1.93 ERA, and a 230 ERA+ in the regular season, lowering that to a 0.00 ERA and .857 WHIP in the post season. He was a stud, an unhittable Roy Hobbs type striking out every Whammer he saw.

Of course, the long-term plan for Price (as it should be with any good young pitcher with 3+ quality pitches) was for him to be a starter, so that's where the Rays had him slotted this season. He hasn't done well.

Price is 2-3 with a 5.21 ERA in 38 innings this year and is averaging less than 5 innings per start. Yet there is no outrage from pundits, nobody on Baseball Tonight is screaming about moving him to the bullpen. Steve Phillips, of all people, is advocating patience (Phillips, by the way, was firmly in the "Joba in the 'pen" camp).

Maybe it's just that Chamberlain plays in New York that he gets this kind of scrutiny. Maybe it's the "win now at all costs" mentality. However this is the same mentality that gutted the Yankees' farm system in the 1980s and early 90s, and again in the early 2000s.

Price needs time to develop. He's a huge talent and should be a star in the years to come. Maybe he will be sent down to the minors to work on his pitches and control, maybe not.

I'm just curious why there's no uproar to move a guy who is failing spectacularly as a starter back to the 'pen where he dominated, and there is for a guy who is doing a better than league average job in his role as a starter.

Labels: bullpen, david price, joba chamberlain, pitching rotation, steve phillips, they're still the devil rays

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 10:45 AM 5 comments

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Do I Really Need To Make Another "DFA Ponson" Post?

I make one of these every five days, he keeps getting worse, and yet the Yankees keep him. It makes no sense. I'm not even going to bother posting stats again, just scroll back trhoughthe blog and add another level of awfulness to the previous ones.

Labels: lupe's bf, pitching rotation, pitching woes

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 4:03 PM 1 comments

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Thanks For Nothing, Andy

While the crowd was busy booing one player on the offense last night, they seem to have forgotten that Pettitte's pitching was the real reason that game was lost yesterday.

People still want to resign Andy for next year?

He's got a 4.24 ERA and an ERA+ of 97. Not awful, but below league average. Wouldn't that money be better spent (because you know he'd want at least $11M or so) to throw into a free agent like, say, CC Sabathia?

Mussina's been more effective, and he'd most likely be cheaper. I think he'd take less because he's hungry to win a ring before he retires.

Wang, Chamberlain, Mussina, Sabathia and Hughes? Could be the best five in the AL.

Labels: andy pettitte, cc sabathia, dumbass fans, moose, pitching rotation, pitching woes

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 10:57 AM 1 comments

Friday, August 22, 2008

Does Ponson Have Naked Photos of Cash or Girardi?

They were willing to pull Rasner from the rotation, but the Yankee brass still hasn't seen fit to send Sir Sid a-packin'. There has to be some kind of reason for this. Instead we get Brian Cashman saying things like "Sidney's pitched very well for us." No, Brian, he hasn't. He has pitched very, very poorly.

Even the Sportswriters are giving him a pass. Instead of "release Ponson" we get puff pieces like how Sidney is setting up a crab dinner in Baltimore, full of skewed comments like these:

"People like Sidney," Derek Jeter said. "He's a good guy."
The journeyman has become reliable.
"His sinker has been a big pitch," manager Joe Girardi said. "He's thrown the ball really well for us. I love the way he attacks the (strike) zone. I love the way he goes after hitters. He works fast and keeps everyone involved."

Reliable? Yes. Reliably awful.

Ponson has pitched 56 innings with the Yankees this year. He's averaging a little over 5 innings per start, has a WHIP of 1.607, a 5.46 ERA, a K/BB ratio of 0.95, and an ERA+ of 78.

For anyone who doesn't know what each of these stats mean, allow me to summarize: he's been awful. Really, incredibly awful. He has been awful this season, he's been awful since 2004 and there's no logical conclusion that he will ever cease to be awful.

Why is he stioll getting innings at the expense of Phil Hughes? At least if Hughes was putting up those terrible numbers, one could see the reasoning: Hughes is a part of the Yankees future. Giving him major-league innings is a step toward his development. Same thing for Ian Kennedy.

When Joba comes back (and I suspect he will soon, judging by the reports) my guess is the Yankees choose not to remove Ponson from the rotation and instead send Rasner back to the bullpen.

I'm going to attempt to be as clear and concise as my currently seething mind can possibly be at this very moment: Release. Ponson. Now.

He. Is. Not. Good.

Labels: ian kennedy, joba chamberlain, lupe's bf, phil phranchise, pitching rotation, pitching woes, roster moves

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 9:58 AM 1 comments