Yankee writers are already blathering about our pitching staff for 2021. Mostly, they discuss the guys who we no longer can afford, and who are near ( or beyond ) their best days . The list typically includes , Tanaka, Happ, Paxton, Ottavio and maybe Britton. You get the idea. Clean the closets.
The excitement, trailing behind that exodus, rests in what they are calling the Yankee's " Young Guns."
Well, they aren't very young ( except one ) and they don't have guns. Every pitcher in baseball, today, throws a fastball between 95-100. A few pop the 100 level from time to time.
We have no exceptional pitchers of any kind.
Our youngest gun is not trusted by Aaron , our GM or...more importantly...the analytics people. Those sitting in the gray room with no windows. I refer to Garcia. I have already forgotten his first name. Probably the Yankees have as well. The reason? He throws in the 90-95 range and he isn't intimidating.
But everyone else: Severino ( who may not throw anything until August ); German ( who will somehow have his MLB sanction extended ) hasn't pitched in two-three years and will soon be 30; King, and Schmidt ( who may already be 30 ) are not "special " in any way. Do you know that King has basically a fastball that he moves around? That might beat my High School on a regular basis, but not the Dodgers. Ever see him get through a line-up twice?
The best pitcher in baseball, if any of you are still watching baseball, is Walker Bueller of the Dodgers. He is 26. And he doesn't walk anybody.
The Rays have a slew of guys 23-26, and they all throw harder than any Yankee, and have better command of sinkers, curve balls and changeups.
We don't even know who pitches for Baltimore or Toronto. But it isn't JJ Happ.
The point is; don't believe the oncoming blather. The Yankees may get younger and less expensive but they aren't getting any better.
If Garcia remains a Yankee, maybe there are reasons why he can succeed. But the Yankees sure don't think so. I mean pulling him, in the biggest game of his life, for Happ is like trading in your porsche for a civic, to fool the neighbors into thinking you are rich.
But " we are the Bronx Bombers," you say. We can outscore anyone.
Tampa has driven in 70% of their post season runs via the HR. And they hit more home runs than the Yankees when the Yankees were in it. Tampa's rookie ( Arozarena ) has already broken Derek Jeter's record for hits in a post season, and has more homers than Stanton and Judge combined in a post season.
And he doesn't hit .220 and strike out. He runs and plays left field. He is healthy, full of energy and reliable. My point is; they have a rookie who is better than our biggest star. They have two catchers better than either of ours. And so do the Dodgers.
I am trying to say that the Yankees have been left behind.
They have become the Joad family of baseball
And the dust clouds are gathering.
.
I still think Rice-a-Roni is a juiced-up fraud, something that may well become evident once somebody throws money his way (or the Giambi brain worm rears its ugly head).
ReplyDeleteBut you're right about the rest of it, Alphonso. Right now, there are at least 3 organizations in the AL that are ahead of the Yanks, and there are at least another 4 that are well on the way. Plus, there's no way this Yankees organization is beating this Dodgers team anytime soon, even with the choke on.
Incredibly, this dynasty in the making is already over, just three years after it started its rise.
Already over and nothing to show ... except pain and loss and the taste of ashes in our eyes ...
ReplyDeleteYanks can't build without decent first round draft choices. You get those when you tank...like the Rays did all those years...like the O's the last few years...oh, and don't forget the Cheaters...they did that too....
ReplyDeleteThe FCKNG Dodgers have never tanked, and yet, somehow, are loaded. In cities where the fans have been duped into spending money on crappy entertainment, yeah, you can tank. For those reading this who wonder why management "never takes the long view/give minor leaguers reps at the MLB level" hear this: Never forget that teams are competing for entertainment dollars. If The Brain were to pull a blowup most fans will find something more fun to do leaving the team bleeding money out of its ass. The business model was laid down long ago, and very deeply. I suspect that ownership is NOT as confident as is supposed. I AM confident that the team can shed payroll while getting better. No GM will spend wildly on players until revenue and future tax codes becomes more clear. So free agency will not allow many players to sign long-term, expensive contracts. The upshot should allow the Yankees to snap up talent cheaply. "SHOULD".
ReplyDeleteWhat's really incredible is that a true consideration for the fat cat owners is what will happen with the tax code in the next 18months. But like only truly rich people and athletes can say, you can't get too rich.
ReplyDeleteWith all this chatter about the Rays, why don't we model ourselves after the Dodgers? Hugely valuable franchise in a very taxed state, which never tanked and has been the Belgian chocolates of baseball for the last 5seasons. They also win with a very shaky manager who "relates" to the modern athlete.
Let's poach some of their coaches and front office people, or at least have Hal hire someone to spy on them.
Look West Young Man
P.S. Fire Cashew or sell the team Hal.
The Archangel
The current demise of the Yanks can be directly attached to the New Yankee Stadium. The tremendous costs and tax burden has become a huge anchor. That factor, coupled with the "moat" around the luxury boxes has reduced the charm of the Stadium to virtually nothing. Empty pricey seats abound and real fans can't afford to go. For yucks look up the price a season tickets. The Stadium virtually rocked before the remodeling, now ?, Well if you have been there you know. Nothing says "the royalty" in one spot, the serfs in another like the present Yankee Stadium. Who behind the plate isn't always on their phone during the game? The entire Stadium used to be "bleacher creatures". I don't know what to do about it now, but the re-build was like finding out that that hissing noise you heard was a gas leak.
ReplyDeleteGodot
@Kevin & @Archangel...just remember that the Dodgers haven't won a championship since 1988...so although the Dodger business model included jettisoning players over the years like Matt Kemp (good move), they still haven't won yet. And if they do, it wont be until Wednesd
ReplyDeleteNot even sure that the Dodger model will hold up any longer since revenues are drastically down. It will be interesting what the Yanks do over the winter...I think we will see payrolls shrinking over the next few years and the Yanks adopting the Rays model of doing more with less. The Red Sox are on their way to doing this already. I envision every team doing this no matter how much money an owner has. With the shrinking revenues might come hard salary caps like other sports have. Might be the only way baseball can survive the economic climate since I don't see packed stadiums for quite some time...
True, ranger—though we should remember that the Dodgers could be closing in on their third World Series title in four years if not for the cheater teams.
ReplyDeleteArchie, that's a great suggestion, save for the same reason why Cashman has so rarely hired quality people from elsewhere: they are potential replacements. For him.
There's a reason why Brain survived so long in the Mad King's court, and it's this. He gets rid of any potential rivals—or never lets them aboard.
Horace, Pure genius on you analytical self. All rivals killed at birth or sent off to exile in Miami, which now has been transformed to a premier destination. Jeter will haunt Cashew like a ghost in Hamlet.
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