05/12: Weathering the Storm
Posted by: James
Patrick made a comment on the earlier post that "any assemblance of players on the roster is not really going to cause me to bat an eyelash, with near certainty" and I tend to agree with him, to a certain extent. I believe that there is enough on the Yankees 40-man to weather a short-term (month or so) lull in outfield production from two outfielders. If Sheff comes back and plays to his ability, then this becomes less of an issue because nearly all the options (save for Bernie) could probably provide good defense and some could added adequate performances with the bat.
Keep in mind that to this point in the season, Hideki Matsui has only put up an .261/.353/.454/.807 and the Yankees have still won at a .600 clip (they have played better than that recently if you discount the initial 1-4 start) so hopefully, his bat won't be missed as much as most of the the main-stream seem to be insinuating. Also, there are quite a few names on the Yankees staff (Mussina, Proctor, Chacon, Farnsworth, Villone, etc.) who have been flyball pitchers this season and a better, faster outfield defense would certainly help them (I was tempted to throw stronger in there just for the $6 Million Dollar Man reference).
However, it is when you combine the Matsui loss with the Randy Johnson issues, the continued (and absurd) use of Tanyon Sturtze in high-leverage situations (or any situations for that matter) and other questions about the pitching staff that the real problems appear. With Matsui in the lineup, there is always a chance that the Yankees can simply bludgeon their opponents with offense. With him out, the chances of that (as well as 1,000 runs) diminish and the Yankees are forced to rely a little more on their pitching to stay strong and win some games outright. Will that happen? I'm not sure but I think that this will be much more important than the question of how to and who will replace Hideki. Mussina has to remain as good as he's been, Randy Johnson has to revert back to form (or at the very least, be an above average pitcher), Wang has to get some defensive help behind him, etc. etc. In addition, the Yankees can no longer waste roster spots on pitchers who give them negative returns because night after night, the offense simply won't be there to bail them out (I'm looking at you Tanyon - Small and Wright are next on the list).
Winning ballgames will be harder but is certainly doable for a team with the sheer amount of talent that the Yankees have. It will just take a somewhat different approach and hopefully some shrewd maneuvering of the roster by both Torre and Cashman.
Keep in mind that to this point in the season, Hideki Matsui has only put up an .261/.353/.454/.807 and the Yankees have still won at a .600 clip (they have played better than that recently if you discount the initial 1-4 start) so hopefully, his bat won't be missed as much as most of the the main-stream seem to be insinuating. Also, there are quite a few names on the Yankees staff (Mussina, Proctor, Chacon, Farnsworth, Villone, etc.) who have been flyball pitchers this season and a better, faster outfield defense would certainly help them (I was tempted to throw stronger in there just for the $6 Million Dollar Man reference).
However, it is when you combine the Matsui loss with the Randy Johnson issues, the continued (and absurd) use of Tanyon Sturtze in high-leverage situations (or any situations for that matter) and other questions about the pitching staff that the real problems appear. With Matsui in the lineup, there is always a chance that the Yankees can simply bludgeon their opponents with offense. With him out, the chances of that (as well as 1,000 runs) diminish and the Yankees are forced to rely a little more on their pitching to stay strong and win some games outright. Will that happen? I'm not sure but I think that this will be much more important than the question of how to and who will replace Hideki. Mussina has to remain as good as he's been, Randy Johnson has to revert back to form (or at the very least, be an above average pitcher), Wang has to get some defensive help behind him, etc. etc. In addition, the Yankees can no longer waste roster spots on pitchers who give them negative returns because night after night, the offense simply won't be there to bail them out (I'm looking at you Tanyon - Small and Wright are next on the list).
Winning ballgames will be harder but is certainly doable for a team with the sheer amount of talent that the Yankees have. It will just take a somewhat different approach and hopefully some shrewd maneuvering of the roster by both Torre and Cashman.
MTQ wrote:
Bernie starts in RF tonight and bats 7th v a lefty Zito. Phillips at 1B. Melky in LF and bats 9th. I prefer Crosby over Bernie.
The question of Rivera looms. Is he just off to slow start or are we seeing the beginnings of something we've dreaded for a decade.