Tuesday, August 20, 2024

The Yankiverse wants Clay Holmes impeached; could he emulate Biden and step down?

If only politics were hardball... 

Let's face it:  The best thing that could happen right now would be for Clay Holmes to call a news conference, say his arm feels tired, that he needs a few days rest, and he is stepping down from his role as Yankee Closer. The Bronx would immediately explode into cheers of "Thank You, Clay," as hope rained down on Yankee Stadium, and the Baltimore Orioles cursed the last-minute switch. 

Holmes would clear the path for his bullpen replacement  - we'd hold a primary - following his disastrous outing in, of all places, Williamsport, Pa.

Aaron Boone's job would be simplified, and Holmes' announcement staved off Yankee Closer impeachment movements that were expanding nationwide. 

Wouldn't it be nice?  

Obviously, in his current state, Holmes must not be subjected to another one-run lead in the 9th. He needs a week off, then a string of solid outings in the middle innings, when he can be yanked after the first sign of trouble. Right now, Holmes has become a Defcon 4 Aroldis, and there is no point in torturing him. He doesn't need to be booed at home. The guy could still can be an effective bullpen asset. At the beginning of 2024, he pitched 20 scoreless outings; he could get back his command in time for October. 

But right now, really... the guy just cannot close.

So, who can take over?

Well, that's a problem. 

Tommy Kahnle comes to mind. But there is probably a reason why, over his 10-year career, he has only 7 saves. 

I was ready to suggest Marcus Stroman - he's a fiery type, who seems to have the  mentality of a closer - but then he pitched well in Williamsport, and let's face it, we desperately need starters. 

Nestor, maybe? Again, if he's pitching well in the rotation, it's probably a bad idea to move him. 

Luis Gil gets mentioned, but that's a lot to heap on a rookie who has already exceeded his innings ceiling for the year. 

Closer by committee? There's always that. But guys like Michael Tonkin and Luke Weaver increasingly look shaky. 

Lou Trevino is throwing in minor league rehab. Ian Hamiton might return. Scott Effross remains the Babadook. Clarke Schmidt is pitching batting practice. There was that guy, Brubaker, but I think he's gone undercover in a prison movie. 

Mark Leiter Jr. has been getting pounded. That guy, De La Whatever, was terrible.  (Considering Jazz Chisholm's injury, Cashman rolled a perfect nothing at the recent trade deadline.)

Nobody will trade us anything. If they tried, no closer would make it through waivers. There's nobody at Scranton. 

Holmes needs to face the reality: He's lost command, and he needs a rest and a resent. Hey, it worked for the Democrats, didn't it? (And the O's are stuck with KidRock and Lee Hazelwood.) 

10 comments:

  1. Read that the Rangers might put Nathan Eovaldi, on waivers to save money as they are out of the playoff bubble. Get Eovaldi a proven playoff starter. Send Gil to the pen with a month to learn how to close.

    All it would take is money and balls. And a new GM. Never mind.

    ReplyDelete
  2. But Boooooone has reassured me that Holmes is pitching okay. His pitches look good.

    So there’s that.

    But no matter how this plays out in the middle act, we all know how this shitshow is going to end.

    ReplyDelete
  3. He’s not a closer
    He likes to give away runs
    He’s an opener

    ReplyDelete
  4. After years of making fun of and really disliking Craig Kimble, I wish we had him right now. Or someone like him. Maybe without the vulture wings before every pitch.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A real Yankee manager, cast from the old mold, would have no problem telling Holmes to hit the fucking road. A real Yankee GM would find a way to get somebody else in there. A real owner would demand it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Guess then that we needs us some REALaliTEA

    ReplyDelete
  7. Problem I see with Holmes, even if he's "on" his game, is that he throws ground balls. And we keep this Gleyber guy around. With Holmes n the mound, Gleyber faces a decent chance of booting a grounder in the clutch, or throwing a double-play pivot into the stands.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Cubs are releasing Hector Neris, our new closer

    ReplyDelete
  9. Me, I’ve has it with Holmes, he is beyond redemption. Looking forward to waving bye-bye to him after he blows a few saves for us in the postseason. An astute GM would’ve dealt him at the deadline for a young arm or two.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I posted this a few days ago but late so not many saw it:

    Here is Holmes' problem this year (and 2023) compared to when he first arrived in NY: His sinkerball is worse than horrible. Batters are hitting close to .350 on the pitch he throws more than 50% of the time. Here's a comparison to other MLB closers in regards to their out pitch, the % of times they use it, and what batters are hitting against that pitch:

    Clay Holmes most frequent pitch is his Sinker, which he throws 55% of the time and batters are hitting .348 against this year.

    Meanwhile, here are other Closers most frequent pitch which they throw, with how often it's thrown and what hitters are batting off of it this year.

    Emmanuel Closer - Cutter- 81% of the time, batters are .160 against it

    Tanner Scott - Fastball - 60% of the time, batters are .103 against it

    Mason Miller - Fastball - 62% of the time, batters are .133 against it

    Ryan Helsley - Slider - 48% of the time, batters are .173 against it

    Josh Hader - Sinker - 72% of the time, batters are .185 against it

    Robert Suarez - Fastball - 74% of the time, batters are .199 against it

    Alexis Diaz - Fastball - 56% of the time, batters are .185 against it

    Kenley Jansen - Cutter - 82% of the time, batters are .221 against it

    Craig Kimbrel - Fastball - 68% of the time, batters are .179 against it

    Raisel Iglesias - Changeup (32%, .153), Fastball (28%, .122), Sinker (20%, .120), Slider (20%, .172)

    ReplyDelete

Members of the blog can comment. To receive an e-mailed invitation, write to johnandsuzyn@gmail.com. And check spam if it doesn't show up. (Google account required.)

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.