10/09: Before the deluge of "Trade Chien-Ming" emails and posts
Posted by: James
I get it. Wang blew up tonight (and in game 1). Because of that, I've actually seen a lot of posts on Yankee threads calling for an immediate trade. Read this and understand why if you suggest that he be moved for scraps...you should really rethink your stance (and understanding of building a quality baseball team).
According to the pre-game press notes, Chien-Ming Wang leads the Major Leagues with 38 wins since the beginning of the 2006 season. He also leads the Major Leagues with a .745 winning percentage during that span with a 3.67 ERA.
He pitches well against good teams. He was 10-5 (the second most wins in the majors) with a 3.20 ERA this season against teams that finished the season with a winning record (107.0IP, 38ER).
He is perfect for the stadium. Obi-Wang has recorded 21 wins at Yankee Stadium (33GS) over the last two seasons, the most home victories by any Major League pitcher since the start of 2006.
And finally, he is a stopper like Pettitte and Jimmy Key (yes, I'm going far back here) before him. The Yankees won 10 of the 12 games Wang started following a Yankees loss in 2007 with a line of 9-2 with a 2.59 ERA (76.1IP, 22ER).
If you want him to be traded for a bag of balls, just stop it. He is a good young pitcher (and cheap). He is clearly not a #1 (though on most teams, he probably would be) but he is a good #2 and a fantastic #3. A #2/#3 pitcher under the age of 30 doesn't come under a team's control that often so just stop it.
According to the pre-game press notes, Chien-Ming Wang leads the Major Leagues with 38 wins since the beginning of the 2006 season. He also leads the Major Leagues with a .745 winning percentage during that span with a 3.67 ERA.
He pitches well against good teams. He was 10-5 (the second most wins in the majors) with a 3.20 ERA this season against teams that finished the season with a winning record (107.0IP, 38ER).
He is perfect for the stadium. Obi-Wang has recorded 21 wins at Yankee Stadium (33GS) over the last two seasons, the most home victories by any Major League pitcher since the start of 2006.
And finally, he is a stopper like Pettitte and Jimmy Key (yes, I'm going far back here) before him. The Yankees won 10 of the 12 games Wang started following a Yankees loss in 2007 with a line of 9-2 with a 2.59 ERA (76.1IP, 22ER).
If you want him to be traded for a bag of balls, just stop it. He is a good young pitcher (and cheap). He is clearly not a #1 (though on most teams, he probably would be) but he is a good #2 and a fantastic #3. A #2/#3 pitcher under the age of 30 doesn't come under a team's control that often so just stop it.
Patrick wrote:
He is our ace. He may or may not be AN ace, but he is OUR ace. If we were pitching game 1 tomorrow, he'd be my choice. It doesn't matter what the splits say. He is our ace and you don't hold your ace back for game 3. I'd pick him in game 1 over and over and over again. You ride with your best pitcher. If you lose with him, so be it. He played very poorly this series, over 2 games. It happens.
But, you just don't hold your best pitcher back until game 3. If you don't want Wang pitching game 1, you need to get pitchers better than him - not move weaker pitchers in front of him.
There is no doubt that tonight's a somber night, but perspective is important. I look forward to next year, even now. The fact is, our players didn't play good enough to win in these 4 games. It wasn't the manager, it was the players. Poor starting pitching (except for Pettitte, of course) and a serious lack of timely hitting. That's a bad combination and that's why we lost.