Kyle F---ing Farnsworth
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This article originally appeared on The Fung Wah Sports Connection
When Tom Gordon left the Yankees for the newly available Phillies closer job after the 2005 season, the Yankees scrambled to find a set-up man that could do the job that Gordon did for two years.
In 2005 with Detroit and Atlanta, Kyle Farnsworth combined to go 1-1 with 16 saves, 19 holds and a 2.19 ERA. And so, the Yankees invested $17 million over three years for the hard-throwing righty.
A year and a half into the deal, Farnsy, hardly the nickname-deserving caliber player, has been nothing but a disappointment. He lost six games and blew four saves while compiling a 4.36 ERA in his first season in pinstripes last year.
It wasn’t pretty. And this year is even worse. Let’s take a look at some of his stats this season.
He’s appeared in 40 games, throwing 37.1 innings. He’s given up 42 hits, walked 18 batters and struck out 24. He has a 1.61 WHIP, 4.58 ERA, 1.33 K/BB ratio and his BAA is .282.
And that’s the good news.
The bad news is that in 40 appearances, he has just 10 hitless innings, four (four!) 1-2-3 innings and he’s never pitched more than one inning in any outing. His job is to get the ball to Mariano Rivera. He has 11 holds, adequate for halfway through the season, but in five of those holds he gave up a run. That means he turned a comfortable two or three-run lead into an agonizing one or two-run lead.
But none of those stats really show what Farnsworth does to the Yankees. One of the most important stats for a reliever is inherited runners that scored. Farnsworth hasn’t allowed an inherited runner to score all season. And that’s fantastic.
But what’s just down right embarrassing is that he hasn’t even had the chance to allow an inherited runner to score. Joe Torre doesn’t trust him to pick up the slack for a struggling reliever mid-inning.
This guy is making more than $5 million this year, more than a lot of closers in the league, and he’s not even good enough to give Torre the comfort of calling on him mid-inning when he needs a big strikeout. I guess you can’t blame Torre when Farnsworth has struck out just 24 in 37.1 innings.
The Yankees have two other hard-throwing righties sitting in the bullpen in Brian Bruney and Scott Proctor. While the two of them have had their share of struggles this season, there’s not a Yankee fan out there that would rather see Farnsworth in a 2-1 game in the eighth than Bruney or Proctor.
So why is this guy still given the ball in the eighth inning of a close game? In fact, why is he even on the Yankees anymore? Whatever the reason is, the bottom line is that he shouldn’t be.
The Yankees are trying to climb back into the playoff picture and shouldn’t be sellers at the trading deadline. But there is a more gaping hole in the Yankees roster and they could use Farnsworth to fill it.
In case you hadn’t noticed, the Yankee bench currently consists of M.L. bench-warmer Miguel Cairo, AAAA bench-warmer Kevin Thompson and AAA bench-warmer Wil Nieves. That’s not how you rack up enough wins to make the playoffs, and certainly not how you win games if you’re lucky enough to get there.
The Yankees need someone on their bench, a real fourth outfielder that can actually give you some pop in a pinch-hitting spot. Or someone that can spell one of the corner outfielders and not be an automatic out.
Now, GM Brian Cashman is unlikely, if he were to actually deal Farnsworth, to deal him to an American League opponent, even though the Tigers, Angels and Indians all need help in the pen.
But there are two National League teams that are in dire need of some help: the Phillies and the Cubs.
They are two teams making the playoff push and would happily part with a fourth outfielder to pick up a guy that, despite the ugly numbers this year, can still hit 100 on the gun and has struck out 653 in 652 career innings.
The trade that makes the most sense for each team is Farnsworth to the Cubs for Daryle Ward. Ward has been a backup first baseman in the last few years (which certainly doesn’t hurt the Yankees), but he can also play outfield.
And that’s what the Yankees need, a guy that can spot start in one of the corner outfield positions (and even at first) and have it not be like adding a pitcher to the lineup. I’m sure Torre would love a bench that actually had a major leaguer on it.
Farnsworth was a mistake from the get-go; he’s just not the kind of player that can thrive in New York. It’s time Cashman realizes that. And if the Yankees have any hope of making the playoffs, does so sooner rather than later.
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