Wait, you didn't think you were getting off that easy, did you? Bullpen grades!

 

This post is made possible mainly by Doug K., who stuck with it even when my internet—and all other connections, phone, TV, etc.—were rendered dumb for a while last evening, due to what a Spectrum operator told me was "trouble with one of the nodes."

Right. Love how the Dept. of Homeland Security is trying out these various excuses, no doubt seeing how they each go over.

"Chief, we got a 37% believed the 'node' excuse. Should we go with the next one on the list, 'Alligators in the sewers are real'?"

Here is the great Doug to lead it off. Management gets its grades between games.

Well, we’ve reached the bullpen and, even though we’ve thrown over 100 concepts at you, there are no other writers warming up so let’s get to it… 

Clay Holmes

Doug K. 

Remember when the Yankees would get reclamation projects or good pitchers from other teams and Larry Rothschild would somehow make them worse?  Isn’t it great that Matt Blake  took Holmes and turned him into the best reliever in the league? 

My only concern is that Holmes becomes both the standard and the reason for acquiring more guys who are marginal because “Matt Blake can fix him”. 

Grade: A++

HoraceClarke66

Holmes has been the feel-good story of the year for your New York Yankees. Well, that and Food Stamps HAL keeping the budget in line, of course. 

Really, he's been terrific. I worry about that blow-up against the Reds. Hell, I even worry about the hit he gave up in the All-Star Game, to the hitless wonders of the National League. But yeah, hard to complain. Even for me.

A+

Wandy Peralta

Doug K.

This guy is so much better than his face. Seriously, just before every pitch he looks like he just gave up back-to-back to back-to-back homeruns. The word that comes to mind is distraught. But he truth is the only person who is distraught is the batter he’s facing. 

Grade: A 

HoraceClarke66

It's true, Doug! He DOES look like a hunted animal. And his name is "Wandy." But Wandy has curves that dive/ And keeps our team alive/ Above the skies...above the skies...

Ahem. Despite a couple bad outings, he's been another revelation.

A-

Johnny Lasagna 

Doug K.

He was hurt so it’s hard to grade him on his performance before he was shut down. He’s rusty now, so it’s hard to rate him on his recent outings.  Before the arrival of Holmes, he was our hope to replace El Chappo as the closer.  Hopefully he will reclaim his place as the 8^th inning guy. 

Grade: INC

HoraceClarke66

Loaisiga could, really, be the key to not only our second half, but October. So far, that key looks like it could use a few cans of WD-40 (sorry), but with the injury, yes, it's only fair to go with:

INC

Ron Marinaccio 

Doug K. 

After Lasagna and Marinaccio I feel like we should have a pitcher named  Fernet-Branca, (A great digestif  BTW, despite the fact that it tastes like you are drinking Vicks Formula 44 – I highly recommend it.) 

The kid is good, if non-descript. If you think about it, that’s what you want in a middle relief guy. Gets the outs and moves it along. Generally, we only notice middle relievers if they suck. 

He doesn’t. 

Grade: A 

HoraceClarke66

It's true, another pleasant surprise. But who knows what he'll have coming off the DL—which he took fewer than 20 innings to get to.

A-

Wait, you didn't think we'd forgotten, did you?

Michael King 

Doug K.

Hoss has been touting this guy for years and it looks like he was totally correct. He features a 2.19 ERA and 0.95 WHIP but that doesn’t even begin to tell the story of how valuable he’s been. 

Grade A++

HoraceClarke66

Okay, okay, it's true. I'm a genius. Or as they also say, "Even a blind pig—"

Glad to see this guy break out. But he's rapidly approaching the most innings he's ever thrown in the bigs. Even a bullpen this big that gets used this much, will start to give way. 

But if King can keep it up, we can finish with him, Johnny Lasagna, Holmes, Peralta, and take my hand and we're halfway there!...Or all the way—to 1996.

A+

Lucas Luetge 

Doug K.

Like Marinaccio, Luetge has a name I have trouble spelling.  That’s my only complaint because, like Marinaccio, he’s a perfect middle inning guy. 

Grade: A 

HoraceClarke66

In the days of the pure loogy, Luetge—whose name almost says, "loogy"—would've been more valuable. As it is, a few cracks are appearing. Despite some nice outings, 12 hits in his last 10 innings. Hey, I worry, I worry...

A-

Miguel Castro

Doug K.

This “lefty” shows promise. A real leader in the clubhouse. I do take issue with his idea of pooling all of the salaries earned by the team and distributing them equally or “according to need”.

Also, he has control issues.  They should trade him. I suspect he’d look better with a beard. 

Grade:  C

HoraceClarke66

I dunno, I keep thinking we should have traded him for Carlos Guevara a few years back, or maybe Dave Engle. And yes, I object to how he forced all the bat boys and clubhouse attendants onto a boat lift in the Harlem River last month, but...

All right, all right. Hey, even if he were the real Fidel—a mediocre hurler in his day, who the Washington Senators supposedly scouted—I'd say it was a good deal getting him for Joey Rodriguez. Suck it, Mets!

B

Aroldis Chapman

Doug K.

Saved him for last because this closes the post and, hopefully, it’s the last time he closes anything. (Except maybe the door on the way out).  What can be said about him that hasn’t been said already. That he’s a pitcher of water? That bringing him into a big game is foolish at best?  That the letters in his name can be rearranged to spell Rolaids? 

At least he’s accepted his new role.  

Grade:  His real grade is a C- because he does get it done a lot of the time but I’ m giving him a D because he makes us suffer. 

HoraceClarke66

Doug, you are, as usual, too kind. If this yutz is used for anything besides mop-up for the rest of his Yankees career, Ma Boone and Kid Cashman ought to have their heads examined. 

Even in his best days as a closer in the Bronx, this guy blew more big games than, I think, any Yankees closer in franchise history. The only good thing about him? His physical/mental/emotional breakdown will keep us from feeling tinges of guilt, should we somehow win the World Series with him on the mound ("Tinges," I say, which is sad.)

But he needs to go. Drainage at the Stadium is limited. So is my blood pressure medication/

F

And just to wrap up: J.P. Sears, Clarke Schmidt, Ken Waldichuk (if they're not needed as starters); Albert Abreu (if he can do it). One or more of these guys will probably be needed before the end of the year. Let's hope they can do it!