11/27: YanksBlog.com 2006 Regular Season Grades: The Pitchers
Posted by: YB Bloggers
With the hitters done, here are our 2006 regular season grades for the pitchers.
SP - Chien-Ming Wang: A
Patrick: In a rotation full of veterans, it was the second year Wang who stood out the most. His 19 wins led the team and the AL (tied with Cy Young winner, Johan Santana). He pitched in 34 games (he pitched one in relief, giving him a save), had 2 complete games, 1 shutout, threw 218 innings (5th best in the AL) and allowed just 12 home runs with an ERA of 3.63 (T7th AL), a WHIP of 1.31 and a BAA of .277. Statistically, Wang was the ace of this staff.
SP - Randy Johnson: B-
Seamus: The Big Unit struggled a bit as his age seemed to be catching up with him. His fastball isn't what it used to be and he was a bit more wild than in the past (most likely a result of him throwing too hard to compensate for what he's lost in his arm). He did start to show some signs, though, towards the second half of the season and he did seem to be adapting better to becoming a pitcher rather than a thrower as the season went on. However, although he's still (in my opinion, anyway) better than the average pitcher, this season was the first season that Johnson has had an ERA of 5 or higher since his 6.67 mark in 1989 when he pitched only 29 and 2/3 innings.
SP - Mike Mussina: A-
P: Some would say it's the walk year. Whatever it was, Moose bounced back big from his 2005 numbers, going 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and .241 BAA in 197.1 IP over 32 starts. Definitely his best year since 2003. His 172 strikeouts placed him in a tie for 8th in the AL and his ERA was the 4th best while his WHIP and BAA were both the 3rd best.
SP - Jaret Wright: B-
Jason O.: He tantalized us with a promising middle third of the season, highlighted by a dominant performance in Tampa Bay (10 Ks) before the all-star break. Unfortunately, Jaret regressed to his post-arm injury mean as an average (and occasionally above average) pitcher.
SP - Cory Lidle: C
James V.: Unlike Chris Russo, I was happy when Lidle was announced as part of the Abreu deal. At the very least, I figured that the man could provide a upgrade to the Yankees' starting rotation and would provide more stability than Jaret Wright. Unfortunately, Lidle wasn't exactly a stable addition to the rotation. All told, he made 9 starts, 5 of them good, as a Yankee and ended up with an ERA of over 5. There's really not much more to say about his performance in pinstripes. He provided innings for the team, some good and that was that. We all know what happened to the man in the off season, so I feel somewhat foolish commenting on his feats in baseball and at this point, all I can say is RIP Cory.
SP - Jeff Karstens: B-
P: From August 22 (at which point he was 23 years old) through September 30, Karstens made 6 starts with 2 appearances in relief, pitching a total of 42.2 innings. In this little bit of work, his first at the major league level, he was quite good, going 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and .242 BAA.
SP - Carl Pavano: F
S: Hmm, I wonder how I should grade a player with an infinity to 1 ratio of dollars/innings pitched.
RP - Scott Proctor: A-
P: After his first two years in the Bronx, Scott Proctor was not exactly a beloved member of the squad. The small minority that is the Yankees blogosphere was not a fan. And, to be fair, he had put up poor numbers.
But, 2006 was different for Proctor. In it, he became a rock in the pen, pitching in more games (83) than any other pitcher on the staff or in the American League, for that matter. He threw 102.1 IP without starting a game, making himself the first Yankees pitcher to do so since Mariano Rivera in 1996. He was 6-4 with 1 save and a 3.52 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and .232 BAA.
RP - Kyle Farnsworth: C+
JO: The Yankees Universe had high hopes for this hard throwing righty. Two major factors caused Farnsworth to under perform: 1. His tricky back led to a one inning only and never two days in a row appearance schedule. 2. Pitch selection. It seems that Kyle's blend of fastball/slider/curve became predictable and in the last third of the season, he was hit hard. In his defense, he struck out David Ortiz in an early season pressure situation to give the Yankees the edge.
RP - Ron Villone: C+
JV: Wow – it's amazing how quick a season can go bad (and how quickly overuse can destroy a pitcher's effectiveness). The stark differences between the pre- and post-all-star break stats is really something to see. In the first couple of months of the year, Villone was fantastic and he was getting lefties and righties out with ease. Then Farnsworth completely lost Torre's trust, Proctor hit a rough patch and all of a sudden, Torre found Villone in the back of the bullpen. For a while, fans were ecstatic that Torre was using one of his better non Rivera relievers in high leverage innings but after he started trotting Villone out in seemingly every game (see Proctor, Scott), even the most casual observer started mentioning that Ron was being overused. That work caught up with Villone in August and September (10.48 ERA and 8 BBs per 9 over 28.1 IPs along with 7 HR, 38 hits and 33 ER given up) and turned what had been a great season into Ron's highest season ERA since 2002. Ron's a free agent now and if you combine what happened in the last couple of months with his age (37 at the beginning of next season), I think it might be one and done for Villone with the Yanks.
RP - Mike Myers: B
P: Oddly enough, the lefty specialist was better against righties in 2006. He held righties to a .224 BAA with a 1.34 WHIP while he allowed lefties to hit .257 with a 1.22 WHIP against them. Not that those are terrible numbers, but they are certainly below his career average of .210 and 1.16.
RP - T.J. Beam D+
S: Not great numbers, but he did show every once in a while that the stuff is there and there is room in his game for improvement, meaning I don't think he's maxed out his game yet. Hopefully he's got a bright future in baseball.
RP - Brian Bruney A-
Bruney was released by the Diamondbacks on May 20 of this year. It took him nearly 2 months to find work, but on July 19, the Yankees signed him. On August 17, he saw his first action with the Yankees at the Major League level. To say he took advantage of the opportunity would be an understatement.
Between August 17 and the end of the year, he pitched 20.2 innings in 19 games, allowing just 2 earned runs. To finish the season, this gave him an ERA of 0.87 with a WHIP of 1.40 and a BAA of .189 to go with a 1-1 record.
RP - Tanyon Sturtze: D
JO: Threw batting practice early in the season, until a shoulder injury was discovered and season ending surgery followed. He was Torre's late inning go to guy for most of the last 2 seasons, but with Proctor now firmly established in that role, his Yankees future is in doubt.
RP - Octavio Dotel: D
JV: There's really nothing much to say about Dotel this season. It seemed as if Yankees fans were waiting for Godot, I mean, Dotel, the entire season. Unfortunately, when Dotel finally got back to the Show after several setbacks and delayed timetables, he simply was not ready. He failed to be the Dotel of old in his first couple of appearances so Joe Torre seemed to dismiss him completely (I'm not saying that this was a bad move, mind you). All told, he was ineffective (all, right – atrocious) and I only state these numbers because they are that bad; 10 innings, 18 hits, 12 ER, 11 walks which works to a 10.80 ERA, 2.90 WHIP and a line against him of .383/.492/.638. Cashman didn't make a bad gamble on Dotel for $2 million but it just didn't work out this year.
CL - Mariano Rivera: A
P: In September, Mo dealt with an injury that kept him sidelined for 3 weeks. Even so, you can chalk up another amazing season for the Sandman. In 63 games and 75 innings, he was 5-5 with 34 saves, 11 walks, 55 K's, a 1.80 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and .223 BAA.
SP - Chien-Ming Wang: A
Patrick: In a rotation full of veterans, it was the second year Wang who stood out the most. His 19 wins led the team and the AL (tied with Cy Young winner, Johan Santana). He pitched in 34 games (he pitched one in relief, giving him a save), had 2 complete games, 1 shutout, threw 218 innings (5th best in the AL) and allowed just 12 home runs with an ERA of 3.63 (T7th AL), a WHIP of 1.31 and a BAA of .277. Statistically, Wang was the ace of this staff.
SP - Randy Johnson: B-
Seamus: The Big Unit struggled a bit as his age seemed to be catching up with him. His fastball isn't what it used to be and he was a bit more wild than in the past (most likely a result of him throwing too hard to compensate for what he's lost in his arm). He did start to show some signs, though, towards the second half of the season and he did seem to be adapting better to becoming a pitcher rather than a thrower as the season went on. However, although he's still (in my opinion, anyway) better than the average pitcher, this season was the first season that Johnson has had an ERA of 5 or higher since his 6.67 mark in 1989 when he pitched only 29 and 2/3 innings.
SP - Mike Mussina: A-
P: Some would say it's the walk year. Whatever it was, Moose bounced back big from his 2005 numbers, going 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and .241 BAA in 197.1 IP over 32 starts. Definitely his best year since 2003. His 172 strikeouts placed him in a tie for 8th in the AL and his ERA was the 4th best while his WHIP and BAA were both the 3rd best.
SP - Jaret Wright: B-
Jason O.: He tantalized us with a promising middle third of the season, highlighted by a dominant performance in Tampa Bay (10 Ks) before the all-star break. Unfortunately, Jaret regressed to his post-arm injury mean as an average (and occasionally above average) pitcher.
SP - Cory Lidle: C
James V.: Unlike Chris Russo, I was happy when Lidle was announced as part of the Abreu deal. At the very least, I figured that the man could provide a upgrade to the Yankees' starting rotation and would provide more stability than Jaret Wright. Unfortunately, Lidle wasn't exactly a stable addition to the rotation. All told, he made 9 starts, 5 of them good, as a Yankee and ended up with an ERA of over 5. There's really not much more to say about his performance in pinstripes. He provided innings for the team, some good and that was that. We all know what happened to the man in the off season, so I feel somewhat foolish commenting on his feats in baseball and at this point, all I can say is RIP Cory.
SP - Jeff Karstens: B-
P: From August 22 (at which point he was 23 years old) through September 30, Karstens made 6 starts with 2 appearances in relief, pitching a total of 42.2 innings. In this little bit of work, his first at the major league level, he was quite good, going 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and .242 BAA.
SP - Carl Pavano: F
S: Hmm, I wonder how I should grade a player with an infinity to 1 ratio of dollars/innings pitched.
RP - Scott Proctor: A-
P: After his first two years in the Bronx, Scott Proctor was not exactly a beloved member of the squad. The small minority that is the Yankees blogosphere was not a fan. And, to be fair, he had put up poor numbers.
But, 2006 was different for Proctor. In it, he became a rock in the pen, pitching in more games (83) than any other pitcher on the staff or in the American League, for that matter. He threw 102.1 IP without starting a game, making himself the first Yankees pitcher to do so since Mariano Rivera in 1996. He was 6-4 with 1 save and a 3.52 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and .232 BAA.
RP - Kyle Farnsworth: C+
JO: The Yankees Universe had high hopes for this hard throwing righty. Two major factors caused Farnsworth to under perform: 1. His tricky back led to a one inning only and never two days in a row appearance schedule. 2. Pitch selection. It seems that Kyle's blend of fastball/slider/curve became predictable and in the last third of the season, he was hit hard. In his defense, he struck out David Ortiz in an early season pressure situation to give the Yankees the edge.
RP - Ron Villone: C+
JV: Wow – it's amazing how quick a season can go bad (and how quickly overuse can destroy a pitcher's effectiveness). The stark differences between the pre- and post-all-star break stats is really something to see. In the first couple of months of the year, Villone was fantastic and he was getting lefties and righties out with ease. Then Farnsworth completely lost Torre's trust, Proctor hit a rough patch and all of a sudden, Torre found Villone in the back of the bullpen. For a while, fans were ecstatic that Torre was using one of his better non Rivera relievers in high leverage innings but after he started trotting Villone out in seemingly every game (see Proctor, Scott), even the most casual observer started mentioning that Ron was being overused. That work caught up with Villone in August and September (10.48 ERA and 8 BBs per 9 over 28.1 IPs along with 7 HR, 38 hits and 33 ER given up) and turned what had been a great season into Ron's highest season ERA since 2002. Ron's a free agent now and if you combine what happened in the last couple of months with his age (37 at the beginning of next season), I think it might be one and done for Villone with the Yanks.
RP - Mike Myers: B
P: Oddly enough, the lefty specialist was better against righties in 2006. He held righties to a .224 BAA with a 1.34 WHIP while he allowed lefties to hit .257 with a 1.22 WHIP against them. Not that those are terrible numbers, but they are certainly below his career average of .210 and 1.16.
RP - T.J. Beam D+
S: Not great numbers, but he did show every once in a while that the stuff is there and there is room in his game for improvement, meaning I don't think he's maxed out his game yet. Hopefully he's got a bright future in baseball.
RP - Brian Bruney A-
Bruney was released by the Diamondbacks on May 20 of this year. It took him nearly 2 months to find work, but on July 19, the Yankees signed him. On August 17, he saw his first action with the Yankees at the Major League level. To say he took advantage of the opportunity would be an understatement.
Between August 17 and the end of the year, he pitched 20.2 innings in 19 games, allowing just 2 earned runs. To finish the season, this gave him an ERA of 0.87 with a WHIP of 1.40 and a BAA of .189 to go with a 1-1 record.
RP - Tanyon Sturtze: D
JO: Threw batting practice early in the season, until a shoulder injury was discovered and season ending surgery followed. He was Torre's late inning go to guy for most of the last 2 seasons, but with Proctor now firmly established in that role, his Yankees future is in doubt.
RP - Octavio Dotel: D
JV: There's really nothing much to say about Dotel this season. It seemed as if Yankees fans were waiting for Godot, I mean, Dotel, the entire season. Unfortunately, when Dotel finally got back to the Show after several setbacks and delayed timetables, he simply was not ready. He failed to be the Dotel of old in his first couple of appearances so Joe Torre seemed to dismiss him completely (I'm not saying that this was a bad move, mind you). All told, he was ineffective (all, right – atrocious) and I only state these numbers because they are that bad; 10 innings, 18 hits, 12 ER, 11 walks which works to a 10.80 ERA, 2.90 WHIP and a line against him of .383/.492/.638. Cashman didn't make a bad gamble on Dotel for $2 million but it just didn't work out this year.
CL - Mariano Rivera: A
P: In September, Mo dealt with an injury that kept him sidelined for 3 weeks. Even so, you can chalk up another amazing season for the Sandman. In 63 games and 75 innings, he was 5-5 with 34 saves, 11 walks, 55 K's, a 1.80 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and .223 BAA.
