Yankees Midseason Report Card
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by user Thefeed
Could 2006 be a Subway Series Redux? The Mets are the chalk pick in the National League at the All-Star Break, but the Yankees aren’t holding up their end of the bargain thus far. Three games isn’t exactly an overwhelming deficit but the Bombers seem to have exhausted the in-house options for improving the roster and will have to make a choice in the second half about just how much they value a 12th straight postseason appearance. It says here they shouldn’t value it as much as they do Phillip Hughes or Jose Tabata but Big Stein can’t be thrilled with how his investment has fared to date. In the past that’s led to Raul Mondesi and Esteban Loaiza and has cost the Yankees players that might look good in pinstripes today. Forthwith, the grades for the Yankee players at the All-Star Break:
Jason Giambi, 1B/DH – What a turnaround for Giambi who serves as poster boy for both profligate Yankee spending and the steroid era in baseball. Since last year’s All-Star Game Giambi has hit 49 homers, driven in 127 runs and gone from jeered to cheered and for that the Yankees are beyond grateful. With injuries depleting other power bats the team has grown reliant on their slugging savior; the batting average may never reach .300 but Giambi draws so many walks that it’s an indifferent indicator. His defense is dreadful but that’s opened a door for Andy Phillips who has done a nice enough job. A-
Andy Phillips, 1B – At the league minimum it is tough to get too riled up about Phillips’s miniscule OPS, especially since he’s shown occasional power to go with his steady glove work. Giambi is a DH at this point and if the Yankee lineup were whole Phillips would look even better because of that glove. B-
Robinson Cano, 2B – It’s a shame the tweaked hammie will cost Cano his chance to play in the All-Star Game because he’s clearly worthy of inclusion in just his second season. His .325 average obscures his trouble with identifying pitches but so long as the number stays north of .300 that shouldn’t be too big a problem. It’s troubling for the long-term that Robby hasn’t shown more patience at the plate but his glove has been better this year so perhaps he will put an end to that alarming walk rate at some point in the not too distant future. A-
Derek Jeter, SS – If the Yankees pass the Red Sox in the second half and earn another division title Jeter may well walk away with his first MVP award. He could win the batting title if Joe Mauer can’t go the distance, has played through a series of nagging aches and pains and absolutely destroyed lefthanders so far this year. His history says it will be more of the same and he could challenge his career high of 102 RBI now that he’s batting out of the leadoff spot and is on pace to notch his best OPS since 2000. A
Alex Rodriguez, 3B – Here’s the thing about all the debate about A-Rod: Both sides are right. The detractors are right to say that he hasn’t been worth the exorbitant sum he’s being paid to this point in 2006. His numbers aren’t markedly better than those of lesser lights like Joe Crede and Mike Lowell and his lengthy slumps in the first half have given him the only slightly unfair label of a player who fails in the clutch with his team relying on him. And he’s been atrocious in the field which is both unusual and damning. But those who point to A-Rod as overly maligned have a point too. He’s still got the best OPS of AL third basemen, has often found himself without a hitter more dangerous than Jorge Posada behind him this year and is judged more by his salary than his on-field production. You can’t really separate the two, though, and that’s why A-Rod gets a bum rap. No one will remember the boos if he spends July and August terrorizing AL pitchers but he needs to do more and always will until he gets a ring. B-
Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield, OF – Both men get incompletes although it bears saying that neither one was setting the world on fire before they got hurt. Their value can probably be best reflected in how much the Yankees have missed them, i.e. Terrance Long drew a major league paycheck this season.
Melky Cabrera, LF – Bounced back from a dismal debut in 2005 to provide a stable answer to Matsui and Sheffield’s absence. Cabrera’s defense is still an adventure, and not one the Yankees can really afford with their pitching staff, but he’s shown a major league ready bat. He doesn’t hit with enough power to be a regular in the corner outfield but neither did I at 21. Mine never developed but Melky’s will have to if he wants to stay in the Bronx. B
Johnny Damon, CF – Damon’s been a very refreshing addition to the Yankee lineup in his first year in pinstripes. He smiles all the time, unusual for the grim warriors that have marked Joe Torre’s tenure and plays with a similar brio that’s made it very easy to accept him in spite of his past sins with Boston. He’s earned extra points for playing through a broken bone in his foot and has flashed some power thanks to a stadium better suited for his swing. If he avoids the second half slides of his past he’ll rank right at the top of 2006 free agent acquisitions. A-
Bernie Williams, RF – Shouldn’t be in the lineup as much as he is but even without the injuries to Matsui and Sheffield it seems unlikely that Joe Torre wouldn’t ride his old warhorse a bit further from the stable than he should go. It’s funny to watch how Williams is received by the Stadium crowds this year – standing ovations daily – against the jeering he was getting this time last year. He’s playing better, sure, but is still an imperfect answer at this point in his career. B
Jorge Posada, C – A nice bounceback for the veteran catcher this season. His OPS is 70 points up from 2005, his power has remained nicely and, all in all, it’s been an impressive campaign for the soon to be 35-year-old. A little more production from the backup slot would be nice as Kelly Stinnett hasn’t done enough to make Torre confident in writing his name in the lineup more than the bare minimum. Posada surely has to get some credit for Chien-Ming Wang and Jaret Wright’s recent performances as well, especially since he took so much grief for his difficulties on defense in years past. B+
Randy Johnson, P – It’s not a big news flash to say that the Big Unit hasn’t been very good this year. He mixes the occasional good start among several mediocre ones and has even come up with some real schnauzers to make the whole thing an unsavory mess. His K’s are down, his location is spotty, at best, and he just basically looks like a lost soul on the mound three out of every four starts. That he has 10 wins says more about the Yankee lineup than Johnson’s effectiveness. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, Johnson’s future is a case study of that maxim. D
Mike Mussina, P – Unlike his fellow graybeard the Moose has shown a newfound adaptability to the realities of his arm in 2006. He’s striking out eight per 9IP and his 3.24 ERA is a big reason for his 10 wins. His walk rate is nice and low and he’s thrown just four non-quality starts. Mussina should probably be in Pittsburgh for the All-Star Game but a little rest couldn’t hurt too much. A-
Chien-Ming Wang, P – Year Two of Wang’s career hasn’t been too different from his rookie campaign. He still doesn’t get enough outs on his own but hasn’t let that limit the effectiveness of his sinker. His 3-1 groundball to flyball ratio is the secret to his success and so long as that sinker stays down he should remain successful. He’s gained Torre’s trust and has pitched longer into games this season which also bodes well for the second half. B
Jaret Wright, P – Wright has been trending upward over the last month and a half which obscures some of his early-season struggles and his battling nature on the mound should serve as more of a boost to the Randy Johnsons than it does. Injuries and ineffectiveness haven’t chipped away at too much of his confidence and if the top of the rotation did a better job his six inning stamina wouldn’t be as much of a problem. Wright is a very likable pitcher and easy to root for, hopefully the second half will bear fruit for his hard work. B
Shawn Chacon, P – One of the two 2005 staff heroes who have found 2006 an unwelcome return to the struggles of years past. Chacon hasn’t pitched regularly and hasn’t pitched well since coming back from a DL stint but neither one excuses the putrid performances that were his month of May. The Yankees will likely make a move and as needy as the Matsui-Sheffield-less lineup is, Chacon has made the need for a pitching upgrade a more glaring one. D
Kyle Farnsworth, P – If Johnny Damon is one of the best free agent signings of the year then Farnsworth is one of the worst. At more than $5 million per the Yankees were expecting more than a 4.31 ERA and 2-1 K/BB ratio. Farnsworth’s biggest problem seems to be overreliance on his power and not enough confidence in his other pitches but he’s hung more than one slider too, so who really knows what the cause of his troubles might be. C-
Scott Proctor, P – Proctor is pitching way too much, the catch-22 of gaining Joe Torre’s trust. He had a strong start to the season but has spent much of the last month struggling to get outs, a trend that doesn’t figure to get any better if he’s still pitching every other night. No player would benefit more from Octavio Dotel’s appearance in pinstripes than Proctor. C
Ron Villone, P – One of two lefties brought in over the offseason to deepen the relief corps, Villone has done a solid job in the first half. Dominates left-handed batters, a tune that’s pleasing to the ears in a league featuring David Ortiz and Jim Thome but could also use a little less frequent work if he’s going to keep up the good work for the remainder of the season. B+
Mike Myers, P – The other lefty has a more limited profile than Villone – lefties only, please – but has been just as effective at the task that is his charge. Myers is a classic LOOGY (left-handed one out guy) and that leaves him as the only underworked member of the bullpen. He’s here to get big outs against southsiders in big games so the Yankees need to make an October run to get the most from him. B+
Mariano Rivera, P – The proud warrior remains as good a closer as there is in baseball. A diminished strikeout rate is the only indication that Rivera ages at the same rate as other human beings, otherwise he remains the indomitable pitcher he’s always been. It’s been a pleasure watching him for a decade now and the thought of ninth innings without him isn’t one any Yankee fan is ready to contemplate. A
Date
Tue 07/11/06, 8:54 am EST
