Back in November of 2017 - reeling from the ALCS loss to cheatin' Houston and in need of roster space - Cashman obtained the then-22-year-old King from Miami for 1B Garrett Cooper and P Caleb Smith, neither of whom moved the Yankee needle, though both have achieved serviceable careers. (Last year, Cooper hit .284 with 9 HR for Miami; Smith threw 113 innings for Arizona.)
Meanwhile, King has showed occasional glory bursts - none more than last night, when he fanned seven straight Indians Guardians. Today, he ranks third in the AL in strikeouts, with 18, and sits on leaderboards in several junk stats, each as clear as hieroglyphics. King is:
Third in the AL WAR for Pitchers (0.8)
First in Base-Out Runs Saved (6.48)
Fourth in Win Probability Added (0.8)
Fourth in Championship WPA (0.5)
Second in Base-Out Wins Saved (0.8.)
I'm reminded of a line in the 1956 boxing melodrama The Harder They Fall, where cynical journalist Humphrey Bogart barks at the conniving Rod Steiger, "Don't give me your numbers! You can make those numbers jump through hoops!" And to be sure, an avalanche of ginned-up algorithms lately claims to show Joey Gallo is hitting well. Florida math, eh?
But last night, King resembled the Second Coming of Houdini Robertson, if not Delin Betances. He left the Guardians at their gates. It's rare for an opposing dugout to cheer the sight of Aroldis Chapman, but that's what happened - and will likely see it more often, as Chapman's final (?) Yankee season unfolds.
Today, there is talk of moving King to the rotation. WTF? Who would he replace? Boone won't ditch Gerrit Cole or Luis Severino - too much investment - and the rest have pitched well. If tomorrow an opening develops, I suspect they'd go with Clarke Schmidt and call up Manny Banuelos, age 31, for the feel-good story. For another month, no matter what he says, Aaron Boone will stick to pitch counts like Biden to a teleprompter. That means pulling starters in the fifth and sixth. The Yankees will need middle inning burners like King, as much as anyone. And damn, how about that incredible Championship WPA thus far! Could he be the 2022 Championship WPA champion?
Final note: Last night I tested positive for Covid. Stuffy nose, scratchy throat, minor headache, not much sleep. Will keep you posted.
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48 comments:
...as Chapman's final (?) Yankee season unfolds...
A question mark? Please, God, let it be his final season with the Yankees.
More importantly: Feel better, Duque.
Duque, I had it around New Years. Because I was fully vaccinated, the symptoms were very mild. The biggest concern is your sense of taste, or lack thereof. It's 90 % there but sometimes it lacks a sharpness of taste. Certain foods taste a bit off. Usually, over time, it reverts back to normal. Watch out for that. Now Doug K. might have it. I'm sure he will get tested.
Wishing you well el duque!
elD - I hope that you feel more aboveaverage today.
A friend told me that the worse thing you can do with Covid is to binge on chocolate donuts and cheap bourbon.
So if you convalesce along the top shelf you should be fine in no time.
Feel better, and thank you for this blog, helping to keep me sane.
That goes for the rest of youse muggs as well.
Feel better boss!
*YS
Get well soon, el Duque-san. If you start thinking this team realistically has got a chance in hell of winning a WS, get to a hospital. That's the first sign it may be serious.
Carl,
Thank you.
Triple vaccinated and twice infected.
Negative so far.
AA,
Yes, both times when I had it I had cravings for sugar and alcohol - Well more than normal anyway.
Duque, feel better!
Hey Duque, very alarmed to hear that. Fingers crossed, but please be careful and take care of yourself.
And Donaldson gunned down trying to steal. Well, at least we're trying to push the action.
Ton o' Value Gallo caught looking on a 3-2 pitch.
"Look at strikes hard!"
Also, yet another DP by the Three True Outcomes Crew.
Arrgh! One mistake spoiling another good outing by Nasty Nestor. This team has zero margin for error.
Gallo gets a hit…
A hit! Joey Whiffs with an opposite-field hit!
Be still, my heart.
Another opposite-field hit! By Falafel! To score a run!
Am I really watching this, or have I gone back in time to the halcyon days of 1998?
Now Higgy, who just got back on the Interstate last at-bat...
An actual manager might put on a play here...
At least they picked up Nasty…
And get the damn Paxlovid.
Eat the pills with pizza ( I had no appetitite, but I am not you). I'll check in today during Yankee game.
Feel better today.
Love Falafel applauding himself for running into an out JUST before the tying run scored.
Josh!!!
Following Donaldson's home run, John noted that "there is activity in the Indians' bullpen."
I am proud of him.
And get the damn Paxlovid.
Really? I heard from a reliable source that Ivermectin is the way to go.
(cough)
Joey Whiffs now has a two outcome day…
Good for Donaldson. But when you hit a ball anywhere to center in Yankee Stadium you should never, ever be walking and watching it. You just can't know it won't bounce off the wall instead.
—The Old Baseball Codger
Green not the pitcher he was a few years ago. He should be moved off any high leverage spots and made available in trade
It's nice that the broadcasters are rooting for Gallo. But they even called his not swinging at a ball that nearly hit his elbow, "a good take." O-kay.
Agree on Green.
Also...how the hell did Joey G. ever win a GG anywhere? That single looked like yet another ball he should have got to in left.
Also agree about Green. That HR made me Blue
Also, the boys in the booth continue to toe the party line. Which I guess they have to do to keep their jobs but c'mon.
We were just told that, based on how well the Yankees have been hitting the ball today, they should be batting .446 for the game.
This is runaway nonsense. No team hits in bad luck every game, and there have always been deep flies and line drives that were caught.
Forget .446. This is a team that struggles constantly to reach 4 runs and 10 hits in a game—and usually fails. Obviously, their approach at the plate sucks.
Stanton fanning on a pitch half-a-foot out of the strike zone. More bad luck!
Stanton put a great swing on that third strike. If he’d hit it, it would have been a tape measure shot with high exit velo
Imagine all the little kids out there who are Joey Whiff fans. Imagine their JOY when he hits a walk-off during the bottom of the ninth. Imagine the ticks and eye bulges of unbridled happiness as Gallowz crosses the plate. How sweet would that be . . .
Stanton, man…takes a pitch down the middle then whiffs on a pitch a foot outside. He looks like he is either guessing or simply swinging at the pitchers arm action. Bad for any MLBer but unacceptable from a “superstar” making 27M a year.
Bench him.
Falafel!!!
HA
Clase is blasé
Yankees Win!!!
Getting nasty in RF…
Falafel exhorting the Yankees to climb on his back like Kirby Puckett for a Great Yankee Win!
Good for Gleyber! Nice comeback win.
And Cleveland's outfield deciding to get into it with the attendance. Not smart.
Yanks going for the sweep tomorrow. Yanks pitching Cole tomorrow…sorry, never mind…
Torres game winner ! I’m sure we all had our prop bets on that one
Big hit by IKF, our best hitter. Well lately, anyway.
Speaking of well, feel well El_D.
The highlight of the game for me came in the 8th, when Cone pointed out that based on exit velo, the projected Yankees batting average for the game was .446.
Talk about useless stats. Bloop singles and weak rollers that stay fair put more men on base. Slap hitting is more productive. But sure, swing as hard as you can every single time.
Yeah, I caught that, too, JM. Truly crapulous. It's as if nobody ever caught a line drive before.
Fearless leader, get well soon.
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