Say Hello to The New Guy
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by Nejoshi
Yankee fans, it’s time to meet Ian Kennedy. The highly touted prospect was just recently called up from Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is now set to replace the ulra-successful Mike Mussina in the Yankees rotation. Talk about a promotion. New York has had to insert two rookies into the starting rotation, but still remain only one game out of a playoff spot that just can’t seem to escape from their grasp.
Joe Torre’s difficult decision to demote a 247-win pitcher from his starting staff during the middle of a trying pennant race speaks volumes to the struggles of the 38-year old righty. Mussina is locked in a slump where he has posted a diabolical 17.69 ERA over his past three starts. It’s not like his totals for the year, 8-10, 5.53 ERA, have been all that impressive either though.
Despite those hitter friendly totals, Torre was shy to make a radical move and take Mussina out of the rotation. But, after Monday’s terrible 16-0 loss to Detroit where the Tigers torched Mussina for six runs in three innings, there was no choice. Mussina even admitted in an interview that he felt there was a need to make a change.
The Yankees have built their AL East division-winning dynasty – the one that looks certain to end at nine this season – with an eclectic blend of battle-tested veterans since the streak started in 1996. George Steinbrenner has been a master of making the trade deadline a baseball holiday with his noteworthy midseason additions in the past. He has been ruthless in his search of proven talent, no matter the cost.
Meanwhile, it has been rare to see New York ever have to resort to its farm system. In the past, many of their prospects in minor league ball were used as fodder to acquire the kind of established talent that The Boss was in search of. New York has finally reached a point where their well of established talent has finally run out. Joe Torre, Brian Cashman, and George Steinbrenner may finally be resorting to a youth movement. Putting the onus on youngsters in the middle of a pennant race may not be ideal, but it is certain to help out in the long run. And when the Yankees have resorted to its homegrown players in the past, it has worked like gold.
Derek Jeter was a rookie in 1996 and that worked out pretty well, didn’t it? Four championships in five seasons and a place in Yankee lore forever. Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera joined Jeter as rookies on that 1996 team, and their importance in New York’s dominating dynasty goes without saying.
That was 11 years ago. The Yankees are now finally starting to go back to their reserve in the minors and look toward their youngsters for help. Nothing will ever change their $190 payroll, but their rookies can help rejuvenate the veterans during the dog days of summer.
We have already seen what Phil Hughes is capable of, and Joba Chamberlain has proven to be quite a sensation as well so expecting Kennedy to succeed isn’t a strech. Kennedy may have zero career victories, but number one looks imminent with his first start against the Devil Rays on Saturday, a start that may go a long way toward boosting this kid’s confidence as well as the team’s when September hits.
This article was first seen on The Sports Lounge, a blog of my impossible dream of becoming a sports journalist.
