The Curse of Jerry Hairston, Jr./Eric Hinske:
 

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Looking Ahead to 2008 - The Rest of the Pen

I've pretty much hit the key pitchers on the Yankees individually, so now it's time to close out the Looking Ahead to 2008 series with the guys in the back of the bullpen. THere's quite a few candidates for just a few slots, so I'll just give the projections and a little summary about each guy.

Jonathan Albaladejo
Jonathan Albaladejo G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 37 2 59 64 33 31 7 23 45 4.73 4.39 -2 4 0 5
marcel 17 10 32 30 15 14 3 11 25 3.94 3.89 2 5 2 4
pecota 49 4 58 59 31 28 7 23 40 4.36 4.57 1 6 -1 4
zips 42 2 75 79 46 42 15 25 56 5.04 5.31 -5 3 -8 -2
cairo 18 0 29 27 14 14 4 9 21 4.34 4.48 0 3 0 2
average 33 3 51 52 28 26 7 18 37 4.59 4.65 -1 4 -2 3
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 18 0 29 22 10 10 2 6 26 3.18 2.95 4 7 5 7
65% 18 0 29 24 12 12 3 8 23 3.76 3.71 2 5 2 5
Baseline 18 0 29 27 14 14 4 9 21 4.34 4.48 0 3 0 2
35% 18 0 29 30 16 16 5 11 19 4.93 5.24 -1 1 -3 0
20% 18 0 29 32 18 18 6 12 16 5.51 6.00 -3 0 -5 -3


RSAA: Runs saved above average
RSAR: Runs saved above replacement
FRSAA: FIP runs saved above average
FRSAR: FIP runs saved above replacement

Albaladejo came over from the Washington Nationals for Tyler Clippard in the offseason. According to his scouting report here his fastball has been clocked as high as 95 mph at times but varies a lot. His projections aren't particulary impressive, but he's relatively young and his stuff supposedly grades well. My guess is he won't break camp with the team but will see some time over the course of the season.

Chris Britton
Chris Britton G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 53 0 66 67 33 31 7 23 53 4.23 4.02 2 8 2 8
marcel 22 12 37 35 18 16 4 13 27 3.89 4.20 2 6 1 4
pecota 51 2 56 55 29 27 7 22 42 4.26 4.60 1 7 -2 3
zips 56 0 78 74 35 32 9 22 67 3.69 3.83 7 14 5 11
cairo 35 0 51 52 23 22 5 14 37 3.88 3.85 3 8 3 7
average 44 3 58 57 28 26 6 19 45 3.99 4.07 3 9 2 7
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 35 0 51 45 18 17 3 10 43 3.05 2.82 8 13 9 13
65% 35 0 51 48 21 20 4 12 40 3.47 3.33 6 11 6 10
Baseline 35 0 51 52 23 22 5 14 37 3.88 3.85 3 8 3 7
35% 35 0 51 56 25 24 6 16 34 4.30 4.36 1 6 0 4
20% 35 0 51 59 28 27 7 18 31 4.71 4.88 -1 4 -3 1


There must be something about Britton that the Yankees don't like. He's done nothing but get batters out in the minors (2.90 ERA) and majors (3.39 ERA) but he only got 12.2 innings with the Yanks in 2007 and has been assigned to Scranton to start the season. He's in a similar situation as Albaladejo I"d guess, competing for the role of first callup.

Brian Bruney
Brian Bruney G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 51 0 50 50 28 26 6 27 43 4.68 4.66 -1 4 -2 3
marcel 43 18 52 50 28 26 5 28 44 4.50 4.37 0 5 0 4
pecota 27 0 30 27 16 15 4 19 27 4.60 4.86 0 3 -2 1
zips 62 0 61 62 39 36 8 37 48 5.31 5.15 -6 0 -5 0
cairo 41 0 42 40 25 24 5 27 34 5.14 5.06 -3 1 -3 0
average 45 4 47 46 27 25 6 28 39 4.88 4.82 -2 3 -2 2
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 41 0 42 34 20 19 3 22 40 4.09 3.72 2 6 3 7
65% 41 0 42 37 23 22 4 24 37 4.62 4.39 -1 3 0 3
Baseline 41 0 42 40 25 24 5 27 34 5.14 5.06 -3 1 -3 0
35% 41 0 42 43 28 26 6 30 31 5.67 5.73 -6 -1 -6 -3
20% 41 0 42 46 30 29 7 32 28 6.19 6.40 -8 -4 -10 -6


Great fastball, awful command. Bruney lost about 20 lbs this offseason AND grew a mullet. If Bruney can throw with better control he could be great in the pen, but to this point there's nothing in his track record that suggests he will. If he does what he's projected, he's a below average reliever, but he has the talent to be better than that and he's young enough that improvement is a very real possibility.

Sean Henn
Sean Henn G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 33 9 70 79 44 41 9 33 49 5.27 4.89 -6 1 -4 2
marcel 20 13 47 51 30 28 6 23 35 5.36 4.84 -5 0 -3 1
pecota 39 1 43 43 25 23 5 21 31 4.72 4.73 -1 3 -2 2
zips 32 12 90 101 58 53 11 43 55 5.30 5.00 -8 1 -7 1
cairo 20 3 38 45 25 23 4 20 25 5.45 4.83 -4 0 -2 1
average 29 8 58 64 36 34 7 28 39 5.24 4.88 -5 1 -3 2
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 20 3 38 38 20 18 2 16 30 4.31 3.53 1 4 3 7
65% 20 3 38 42 23 21 3 18 28 4.88 4.18 -2 2 1 4
Baseline 20 3 38 45 25 23 4 20 25 5.45 4.83 -4 0 -2 1
35% 20 3 38 48 28 25 5 22 23 6.02 5.48 -7 -3 -5 -2
20% 20 3 38 52 30 28 6 24 20 6.58 6.13 -9 -5 -8 -4


I'm only listing him here because he's still in the organization. He is expected to start the season on the DL, but I don't see a spot for him when he comes off. Unfortunately for Henn, Tommy John surgery robbed him of some of his velocity and he hasn't been able to compensate by improving his secondary pitches or throwing more strikes. Those projections are decidedly ugly.

Kei Igawa
Kei Igawa G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 26 26 155 174 95 88 24 60 121 5.11 4.81 -11 4 -8 5
marcel 16 15 89 96 54 52 14 40 67 5.26 5.09 -8 1 -7 0
pecota 33 13 90 98 56 52 14 38 67 5.16 4.92 -7 2 -6 2
zips 27 26 168 188 108 97 29 53 114 5.20 5.03 -14 3 -13 2
cairo 21 20 132 151 83 82 28 38 93 5.59 5.41 -16 -3 -16 -4
average 25 20 127 141 79 74 22 46 92 5.26 5.05 -11 1 -10 1
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 21 20 132 139 74 73 23 32 103 4.97 4.60 -7 6 -4 8
65% 21 20 132 145 78 77 25 35 98 5.28 5.01 -12 1 -10 2
Baseline 21 20 132 151 83 82 28 38 93 5.59 5.41 -16 -3 -16 -4
35% 21 20 132 157 88 87 31 41 88 5.90 5.82 -21 -8 -21 -10
20% 21 20 132 163 92 91 33 44 83 6.21 6.22 -25 -12 -27 -16


Not sure what to say about Igawa except that the more he pitches in the bigs this year, the more trouble the Yankees will obviously be in. Unless he can consistently keep the ball down he'll keep giving up too many HRs.

Jeff Karstens
Jeff Karstens G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 23 20 110 129 71 66 17 43 66 5.40 5.18 -11 0 -10 -1
marcel 13 11 56 61 34 31 7 21 35 4.98 4.70 -3 2 -2 3
pecota 31 10 82 96 59 55 15 36 48 6.01 5.72 -14 -6 -12 -5
zips 28 26 160 190 111 101 30 49 91 5.68 5.42 -22 -6 -19 -5
cairo 10 8 50 58 31 30 8 17 30 5.40 5.10 -5 0 -4 0
average 21 15 92 107 61 57 15 33 54 5.56 5.29 -11 -2 -10 -2
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 10 8 50 50 25 25 5 13 35 4.41 3.90 0 5 3 7
65% 10 8 50 54 28 27 7 15 33 4.91 4.50 -2 3 -1 3
Baseline 10 8 50 58 31 30 8 17 30 5.40 5.10 -5 0 -4 0
35% 10 8 50 62 34 33 9 19 27 5.89 5.70 -8 -3 -8 -3
20% 10 8 50 66 37 35 11 21 25 6.39 6.30 -11 -6 -11 -7


Karstens is kind of in the same boat as Henn Igawa. He's on the team and he'll probably get some time this year, but it won't be good if he does.

Ross Ohlendorf
Ross Ohlendorf G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 26 17 109 135 74 68 16 42 66 5.61 5.05 -14 -3 -9 1
marcel 7 6 28 28 14 13 3 10 22 4.18 4.09 1 4 1 3
pecota 26 7 63 79 45 42 9 24 37 5.94 5.08 -10 -4 -5 0
zips 27 23 162 198 105 96 24 42 81 5.33 4.90 -16 1 -10 4
cairo 23 16 109 141 68 67 17 29 60 5.53 4.92 -13 -2 -7 2
average 22 14 94 116 61 57 14 29 53 5.46 4.92 -10 -1 -6 2
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 23 16 109 129 60 59 13 24 68 4.86 4.14 -5 6 3 12
65% 23 16 109 135 64 63 15 26 64 5.19 4.53 -9 2 -2 7
Baseline 23 16 109 141 68 67 17 29 60 5.53 4.92 -13 -2 -7 2
35% 23 16 109 147 72 71 19 32 56 5.87 5.32 -17 -6 -12 -2
20% 23 16 109 153 76 75 21 34 52 6.21 5.71 -21 -10 -16 -7
Relief Projection G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
65 0 71 78 37 34 10 24 47 4.37 4.79 -8 -1 -4 2


Ohlendorf's projections are pretty bad, but if we convert them to relief they're not that bad. He doesn't have much experience coming of the pen yet but I think with some work in AAA he could possibly be a big contributor in the second half. He has very good stuff coming out of the pen.

Scott Patterson
Scott Patterson G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 35 2 48 51 27 25 5 20 41 4.69 4.10 -1 4 1 5
zips 41 0 52 52 26 24 7 14 43 4.15 4.10 2 7 1 6
cairo 39 2 64 63 29 28 8 17 51 3.94 4.03 4 10 2 8
average 23 1 33 33 16 15 4 10 27 4.23 4.07 1 4 1 4
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 39 2 64 55 24 23 5 13 58 3.19 3.04 9 15 9 15
65% 39 2 64 59 26 25 7 15 55 3.57 3.53 6 13 6 11
Baseline 39 2 64 63 29 28 8 17 51 3.94 4.03 4 10 2 8
35% 39 2 64 67 32 31 9 19 47 4.31 4.52 1 7 -1 4
20% 39 2 64 71 34 33 11 21 44 4.68 5.02 -2 5 -5 1


Patterson came out of the independent leagues and put up a very good year in Trenton last year. His stuff isn't overwhelming, but he has very good deception with his delivery and frame and has excelled this spring. While spring training status are too small of a sample to make any definitive assessment of a player's ability, Patterson has looked really good.

Edwar Ramirez
Edwar Ramirez G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 40 0 53 46 23 21 5 23 64 3.57 3.31 5 11 6 11
marcel 24 13 35 37 21 20 5 15 31 5.14 4.57 -3 1 -1 2
pecota 58 1 61 48 26 24 7 31 76 3.61 3.65 6 12 5 10
zips 49 0 64 64 37 34 11 27 65 4.78 4.67 -2 4 -2 3
cairo 21 0 33 29 14 13 4 13 37 3.55 3.72 3 7 2 5
average 38 3 49 45 24 22 6 22 55 4.12 3.98 2 7 2 6
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 21 0 33 24 10 9 2 9 43 2.56 2.23 7 10 8 11
65% 21 0 33 26 12 11 3 11 40 3.05 2.97 5 8 5 8
Baseline 21 0 33 29 14 13 4 13 37 3.55 3.72 3 7 2 5
35% 21 0 33 32 16 15 5 15 34 4.04 4.46 2 5 0 2
20% 21 0 33 34 18 17 6 17 31 4.53 5.20 0 3 -3 0


Another Indy league signing, Edwar has an outstanding changeup which he used to good effect to tear up the minors last year. At the major league level Edwar struggled last year and will likely continue to struggle until he is able to better set up the changeup by getting ahead in the count with his fastball and slider. His fastball is about 88-90, which is fine if he can put it where he wants. Hell, it's worked for Trevor Hoffman for a long time. His projections aren't too bad, but I think his MLEs probably overstate his ability against major leaguers and he needs some more time in the minors to get his fastball command where it needs to be.

Darrell Rasner
Darrell Rasner G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 17 14 73 87 45 42 10 23 41 5.18 4.80 -6 2 -4 3
marcel 21 14 64 66 34 31 7 22 43 4.36 4.31 1 7 0 6
pecota 22 8 60 71 38 35 8 21 30 5.24 5.01 -5 1 -4 1
zips 23 19 114 135 71 65 15 27 54 5.13 4.67 -8 3 -4 6
cairo 8 7 38 44 22 21 5 11 22 4.97 4.62 -2 2 -1 2
average 18 12 70 81 42 39 9 21 38 5.00 4.69 -4 3 -3 3
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 8 7 38 37 17 16 3 8 27 3.89 3.35 2 6 4 7
65% 8 7 38 41 20 19 4 9 24 4.43 3.98 0 4 2 5
Baseline 8 7 38 44 22 21 5 11 22 4.97 4.62 -2 2 -1 2
35% 8 7 38 47 24 23 6 13 20 5.52 5.26 -4 -1 -4 -1
20% 8 7 38 51 27 26 7 14 17 6.06 5.89 -7 -3 -7 -3


Rasner's a guy who probably deserves a role in the majors somewhere as a swingman. He doesn't have much upside but he's above replacement level. If the Yankees are insistent on taking a long man, he's a better choice than Karstens or Igawa IMO.

Billy Traber
Billy Traber G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 34 15 107 117 57 53 12 33 71 4.46 4.26 0 11 1 10
marcel 16 11 56 63 32 30 6 20 39 4.82 4.27 -2 3 0 5
pecota 28 3 40 45 23 21 5 14 26 4.65 4.54 -1 3 -1 3
zips 35 19 133 150 82 75 19 40 64 5.08 5.00 -9 4 -10 2
cairo 22 10 77 87 41 40 8 22 51 4.68 4.08 -2 6 2 9
average 27 12 83 92 47 44 10 26 50 4.77 4.49 -3 5 -1 6
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 22 10 77 78 35 34 5 17 58 3.94 3.24 5 12 10 16
65% 22 10 77 82 38 37 7 20 55 4.31 3.66 1 9 6 12
Baseline 22 10 77 87 41 40 8 22 51 4.68 4.08 -2 6 2 9
35% 22 10 77 92 44 43 9 24 47 5.04 4.51 -5 3 -1 5
20% 22 10 77 96 47 46 11 27 44 5.41 4.93 -8 0 -5 2
Career Splits AVG OBP SLG PA AB H 2B 3B HR BB K HR/BF BB/BF K/BF
Overall .299 .361 .461 887 786 235 53 1 24 67 140 0.03 0.08 0.16
Vs RHB .329 .382 .512 655 586 193 45 1 20 44 87 0.03 0.07 0.13
Vs LHB .210 .303 .310 232 200 42 8 0 4 23 53 0.02 0.10 0.23
Platoon Differential 157% 126% 165% 177% 68% 172%
Projected Splits AVG OBP SLG PA AB H 2B 3B HR BB K HR/BF BB/BF K/BF
Overall .292 .343 .442 391 355 104 20 1 11 26 56 0.03 0.07 0.14
Vs RHB .321 .366 .491 289 265 85 17 1 9 17 35 0.03 0.06 0.12
Vs LHB .205 .280 .298 102 90 19 3 0 2 9 21 0.02 0.09 0.21
Platoon Differential 157% 130% 165% 177% 68% 172%


Billy Traber is a failed starter who's always done pretty well against lefties. He's been added to the 40 man roster and it looks like he has a very good chance to make the team. I added his projected lines against LHB and RHB, which I calculated by using his projected overall line against and then applying his career platoon ratios to it. If he really can hold lefties to a .205/.280/.298 then he's a very good tactical option in a role where he has to get a key lefty out. What's scary is righties hit him like 2006 Robinson Cano.

Jose Veras
Jose Veras G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
chone 40 0 44 45 24 22 5 20 37 4.50 4.36 0 4 0 4
marcel 26 12 31 30 17 16 3 12 22 4.65 4.20 -1 2 1 3
pecota 41 2 47 48 27 25 5 24 39 4.66 4.41 -1 4 0 4
zips 54 0 61 67 38 35 9 25 41 5.16 5.00 -5 1 -4 1
cairo 24 0 33 36 17 17 4 13 26 4.64 4.38 -1 3 0 3
average 37 3 43 45 25 23 5 19 33 4.76 4.53 -1 3 -1 3
CAIRO % G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA FIP RSAA RSAR FRSAA FRSAR
80% 24 0 33 30 13 13 2 9 31 3.51 2.96 4 7 5 8
65% 24 0 33 33 15 15 3 11 29 4.07 3.67 1 5 2 5
Baseline 24 0 33 36 17 17 4 13 26 4.64 4.38 -1 3 0 3
35% 24 0 33 39 19 19 5 15 23 5.20 5.09 -3 1 -3 0
20% 24 0 33 42 21 21 6 17 21 5.76 5.81 -5 -1 -5 -3


Veras is basically the same story as Bruney, with maybe a little less velocity and a little bit better breaking pitch. He's another guy who can't seem to put the ball where he wants and unless he can learn to do that he's not much more than a back-end of the pen guy.

The Yankees are likely going with 12 man pitching staff this year. Here are the guys who seemingly have spots locked up:

SP - Wang
SP - Pettitte
SP - Mussina
SP - Hughes
SP - Kennedy
CL - Mo
SU - Joba
MR - Farnsworth
MR - Hawkins

That's nine, which leaves 3 more slots open. WIth Hughes and Kennedy's workload being closely monitored one slot should go to a longman, which is probably Rasner. They may not take Traber, but I can't see why they wouldn't, so that leaves one more slot to one of Albaladejo, Britton, Bruney, Ohlendorf, Patterson, Ramirez or Veras. I am fairly certain that all but Bruney have options so that may end up keeping Bruney on the team, although injuries and/or ineffectiveness will surely lead to some shuffling along the way. Based on the projections the best of the group is Britton, although the difference between him, Patterson and Ramriez is negligble.

Conclusion
There's some intriguing talent in some of the names listed above, but a lot of uncertainty about how good they may be in 2008. My WAG is they go with Bruney, Traber, and Rasner. One thing the Yankees should have is the flexibility to mix and match with people until they find a combination that works, and hopefully with Joe Girardi they have a manager who's willing to be flexibile with his bullpen.

Tomorrow I wrap up the pitching staff and look at how the Yankees as a team project.

--Posted at 8:45 am by SG / 24 Comments | - (751)

Comments

Page 1 of 1 pages:
1. Posted at 8:24:05 am on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by yup

SG, i thought i read that the yankees recently found out that Bruney has one more option, similar to what happened with Henn last year. 

either way, good write-up. 

i expect the yankees to be shuffling these guys back and forth for the first few months until they hit on 4-5 solid relievers.  i don’t like the idea of taking Rasner or Igawa for the sake of having a long man, but then i look at their schedule for the first month of the season and i can kindof see the rationale.  there is exactly one off day from April 1 - May 5.

2. Posted at 8:29:41 am on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by SG

i thought i read that the yankees recently found out that Bruney has one more option, similar to what happened with Henn last year.

Really?  It looks like he split the last 4 years between the majors and minors so I figured he was out of options. If not, they may go with Patterson instead.

3. Posted at 8:34:14 am on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by Mike K.

i don’t like the idea of taking Rasner or Igawa for the sake of having a long man

I read somewhere yesterday that Igawa will likely start the season in AAA as a starter.  So if it is keep Rasner as a long man, or Ohlendorf who probably still has the arm-strength to go 3-4 innings (since he was still a starter last year), which one should it be?  Rasner can probably still go 6 innings if needed, Ohlendorf probably not, but Ohlendorf may have more uses right now.  Not sure.  I like the idea of having a long man, but agree it isn’t ideal that the ONLY reason the pitcher is there is to throw 4+ innings in case of injury/blowout.

4. Posted at 8:36:35 am on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by Ivy

Bruney lost about 20 lbs this offseason AND grew a mullet.

Which do you find more impressive?  I find losing 20 lb to be very hard, but then I have 70 lb less to lose it from…

5. Posted at 8:36:37 am on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by SG

I think they may want Ohlendorf to get regular work in the minors since relieving is still pretty new to him.

6. Posted at 8:37:36 am on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by SG

Which do you find more impressive?

I’ve always been impressed by mullets since I can only grow an afro.

7. Posted at 9:00:40 am on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by IE

I don’t understand why people are so annoyed at the prospect of carrying Rasner.  As SG said, he’s not great but he’s above replacement level.  If Rasner were Roy Halladay in the making, he wouldn’t be a long man after all.  Moreover, the guy has actually had a decent ERA and kept the Yanks in games on the occasions when he’s had to spot start.  I don’t believe the Yanks would ask Ohlendorf to be the long man because they’re focused on having him go 1-2 innings and max out his velocity.  Rasner is the perfect candidate, in my opinion, to come in and throw 3-4 innings if a starter gets knocked out early.  Joba could probably perform that function as well, but he’s pegged for the 8th until a better option comes along.

8. Posted at 9:44:42 am on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by Cowboy Popup

“One thing the Yankees should have is the flexibility to mix and match with people until they find a combination that works, and hopefully with Joe Girardi they have a manager who’s willing to be flexibile with his bullpen.”

I think this is the big thing here SG. There’s a decent frontline of talent, but none of it is guaranteed. What the Yanks do have is a ton of depth to cycle through if someone craps out or gets injured. That’s a huge difference between this year and last year. I want to see Patterson and Britton make it to the club this year. How has Edwar looked this spring?

9. Posted at 10:39:20 am on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by IE

Edwar has been wildly inconsistent.  His K rate is still quite high but he’s been smacked around on a regular basis as well.  In any case, I agree with you Cowboy regarding the bullpen depth and wanting to see guys like Patterson.  I also believe Albaladejo can be useful - although groundball pitchers have no guarantees with the Yanks infield defense.

10. Posted at 11:12:23 am on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by Cowboy Popup

“Edwar has been wildly inconsistent.  His K rate is still quite high but he’s been smacked around on a regular basis as well.”

Shucks. Sounds like last year in the bigs. How can a guy who can teach himself an insane changeup not be able to spot his fastball and/or learn another freakin pitch? Thanks for the scouting report IE.

11. Posted at 11:19:38 am on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by Mike K.

I’m personally not against keeping Rasner; I’m just for having the best bullpen.  Would that be (this year) having Rasner or Ohlendorf?  I don’t know.  I agree that Rasner would be better as a long man.  Ohlendorf may be better for shorter stints.  I suppose it comes down to this; how often in the first 6 weeks would you expect to use the long-man?  If you think you’re going to use him 5 or 6 or more times for 4+ innings, he’s worth having.  But only once or twice?  Are you then better having the 1-2 inning person who *could* throw 4 innings?  Which I agree may no longer be Ohlendorf, though I think he still could do it.

I do certainly feel this; if in the first 6 weeks our biggest worry is who the 7th man out of the pen is, we’ll probably be happy Yankee fans!

12. Posted at 1:23:19 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by Ed

Picking up on SG’s comment, has anyone read or heard anything as to the cause of Chris Britton’s unpopularity with management?  He’s 25, has a ML OPS+ of 134 in 66.3 innings.  He posted minor league ERA’s of under 3 four times, and under 2 once, and hasn’t been over 3.75 since he was 19.  He’s also had significantly fewer hits than innings pitched, and good or better K/BB nearly everywhere he’s been.  ST so far: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 K, 1 ER, 0 BB.  Best of all, we got him for a sack of used lugnuts, aka Jaret Wright.  Who did he sleep with—or not sleep with—to be ignored like this?  Is it the fat thing?  That would be crazy, because fat pitchers have kicked ass in baseball since it started.

13. Posted at 1:34:14 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by IE

I believe Britton is rated lower than many of the Yanks other relief pitchers because a) he throws 90-91 rather than 95-96 like Bruney or Ohlendorf and b) even though his ERA was low in his brief stint in the majors last season, he allowed a fair amount of inherited runners to score.  I don’t have any exact numbers but this is my impression.  In any event, Britton is almost sure to get more of a chance this year than he did last season.

14. Posted at 2:03:29 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by Mike K.

I think last year Torre didn’t like Britton, for whatever reason.  I think this year it will be partly due to attrition - a lot of relievers in camp, and Britton is one of the ones with options.  As IE said, he will get his chances.

15. Posted at 2:23:57 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by the Frog

I suspect that Torre saw that Britton didn’t have the right look in his eye (which would indicate he didn’t have a bellyfull of guts) and hadn’t been through the wars.

Torre saw the same thing in Edwar, which lead him to let Edwar rot on the bench for 2 weeks, which, I am convinced, was the final straw in Cash’s mind, leading to Cash’s standing by while ownership made Torre an offer they figured he’d refuse.

16. Posted at 2:31:41 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by DaPuj

According to ESPN Britton only allowed 1 of 11 inherited runners to score in 2007.  Looking at his game logs, he seemed to be relegated to mostly mop-up, and in one of the only instances he was placed in a higher leverage situation, he lost the game, therefore forever tarnishing anything he could ever hope to accomplish as a pitcher.  I’m sure he’ll get his chance this year.

17. Posted at 2:45:30 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by eelz212

well if there’s gonna be a long man it looks like rasner’s the guy for the time being as it appears that karstens just busted a nut.

patterson really does APPEAR to be the man. super fun to watch up there.

18. Posted at 3:39:26 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by IE

Patterson really has earned a spot on the team but Bruney has also looked good and guys with his stuff will almost always get the benefit of the doubt.  By the way, thanks for the clarification, DaPuj, regarding Britton.  My clearest memory of him from 2007 was when he pitched the bottom of the 10th inning against the Blue Jays in game where Ian Kennedy totally dominated - matching AJ Burnett frame for scoreless frame.  In any case, Britton promptly lost the game, which is probably the high leverage situation you are referring to.  Originally, I believe Torre didn’t like him because he showed up at camp weighing close to 300 pounds.  Perhaps more importantly, he also had a poor spring.

19. Posted at 7:11:26 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by Ivy

I’m busy being really confused about Matsui’s secrecy about his new wife, not disclosing her identity or anything.  It makes me wonder if Godzilla has gone and married Hello Kitty or something.  Now that’s an awesome wedding photo op.

20. Posted at 8:02:29 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by IE

Matsui probably just wanted to win his bet with Jeter and Abreu.

21. Posted at 8:11:56 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by j

I don’t understand why people are so annoyed at the prospect of carrying Rasner.

IE, I believe this may be from being a little handshy from Torre’s bullpen management.

Personally, I’d like to see them just take the 3 best pitchers, and forget this whole “roles” nonsense, but thats certainly not going to happen.

What’s nice to see is those 65% and up projections with ERA’s in the 3’s attached to guys who’ve been on this planet since the 80s and not the 70s. It means we’ve actually got a chance to see one of them turn out to be something special.

Another point about the bullpen is that there may be things we are overlooking with regards to having Girardi and Eiland vice Torre and Guidry. I’m glad the Yankee coaching staff is no longer an extension of old timer’s day, and perhaps Eiland can get the Albaladejo’s and Ramirez’s to realize their potential.  Also, we’ve seen Torre make good relievers into bad relievers by overuse and by underuse.

22. Posted at 8:40:05 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by IE

The Yanks are going to need a guy like Rasner because Mussina and probably Kennedy are going to have days when they need to be removed after 2 or 3 innings.  At that point, Rasner can pitch 3-4 frames and hopefully keep the score close but if not, at least the team’s short relievers won’t have to be burned as they were when Torre would let everyone in the pen sans Mariano throw an inning when the team was down 11-0 in the second.

23. Posted at 9:43:40 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by RollingWave

I’ve always been a little mixed on the lefty matchup thing… let’s say…

if you have a good left at the plate that also hits lefty… do you bring in the lefty specialist?

or…

if you have a lefty at the plate who doesn’t hit lefty but you only have a lefty that doesn’t get lefty out. .... is it worth it?

for what it’s worth. Traber and Patterson both made starts last year . so they could theorically be stretched. and neither are kids anymore anyway.

Ohlendorf really should get a little more time under him in the minors. right now I can’t trust him in big roles and it’s stupid to stash him in the back of the pen if your not going to use him much.

I guess going with Rasner / Traber / Patterson right now kinda make sense. Patterson as fireman #2 (after Joba) Traber as the LOOGY and Rasner as long /mop up sounds alright.

24. Posted at 10:35:05 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by IE

According to Pete Abraham, Bruney will get the nod over Patterson - probably, as I mentioned earlier, because he’s had a good spring (although not as good as Patterson) and his stuff is just too good to ignore.  On the other hand, we know what Bruney is more or less.  He’s basically Farnsworth Jr.  I’d rather see what Patterson can do.  If he fails, by all means let Bruney take his place.

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