This is the second guest post in the brief history of Sliding
Into Home, hopefully there are many more as time goes
on. This comes from a friend of mine, James Miller.
Into Home, hopefully there are many more as time goes
on. This comes from a friend of mine, James Miller.
One Friday night game on September 10th, 1999 at Yankee stadium Pedro Martinez struck out 17 Yankees and picked up the win in a 3-1 victory for the Red Sox. That game is approaching it's 10 year anniversary and Pedro might be a relic of his old-self at best but this doesn't mean he wouldn't help the Yankee bullpen.
Over the past 4 seasons Pedro made 79 starts for the Mets, posted an overall record of 32-23, with an ERA of 3.87, pitched 486 innings in which he struck out 464 batters and walked only 137. he also stayed away from the long ball allowing only 57 home runs during that time. If that doesn't mean anything to you, Andy Pettitte who has been solid over the years for both the Yankees and Astros, has given up 70 home runs in his last 79 starts (30 as a member of the Astros and 40 as a Yankee)
What does all this mean? There is no question that Pedro would fit in on this team as a reliever. More than any of the numbers he put up during his Met's tenure, it was his experience and leadership that benefited the team the most. I agree that pitching in the NL is not the same as the AL, let alone the Al East, but as we all see almost every night as Yankee fans, knowing how to pitch is an art in itself and this guy is one of the best pitching minds ever. When I analyze his numbers over the decline of his career, I see a perfect bullpen guy. He knows how to get outs, he stays away from the long ball, pitches with accute control, and we all know his ability to get the big strike out. While he has lost severe velocity and has had shoulder problems, he's almost banned from being a starter ever again but a bullpen role would suit him perfectly. It really boggles my mind why this guy doesnt have a job yet period, beit as a starter or a reliver. David Wells could win 11 games in the NL this season, so not all starting jobs are out of the question for Pedro.
So just a little shout out to Brian Cashman, hell, you've made worse decisions before, give it a shot.
By James Miller
p.s. I hope to be guest blogging some more in the near future, Go Yanks!
29 Comments:
You know, that not a bad idea at all. And why not? It's not like anything else is working.
My point exactly...
It seems to be a win win.
That would be awesome if anyone on the team is reading this. I agree with Anonymous that nothing else ie really working so might as well try it. If we slide Joba back, Pedro (6th and 7th inning), Chamberlain (8th inning) and Mo closing it out looks pretty imposing and helpful since all we have are 5-6 inning starting pitchers. Good work man.
He couldn't pitch more than 5 innings every 5 days when he was healthy. What makes you think an old Pedro can pitch every other day and be effective. I'm all for helping the pen, but enough with going after big names that are old or have nothing left at all.
The Yanks need to be more efficient in using their roster spots. Our scouts need to do a better job of finding an effective bullpen either through the draft or off the scrap heap.
Why would any Yankee fan want Pedro on the yankees?
Also Pedro is washed up, did you not see him pitch for the mets the last couple of years. Big deal he pitched well in WBC. He will get injured after 3 appearances out of the bullpen.
Screw him. I would never want that piece of crap on the Yankees.
"The Yanks need to be more efficient in using their roster spots. Our scouts need to do a better job of finding an effective bullpen either through the draft or off the scrap heap."
Pedro is in the "scrap heap."
I hated Pedro when he was on Boston, but I do think he could be an effective reliever if he stays healthy. That might be a big if, but it also might be worth the risk. He's not going to cost much money, and like James and Anon said, what else is working?
The biggest hurdle would probably be convincing Pedro to take a bullpen role.
Joba shuold be working middle relief/set-up man should have been doing so from begining of the season
why change what works when its THAT effective the guy can go in get 3-6 outs and throw gas for those 2 innings
U gotta figure at some point the team goes on a winning steak but im starting to get the feeling this is a throw away season the yankee front office is to pushy always trying to enforce their will on the league & fans rather than trying to glide good vibes and approach situations with flexability
u want ride a wave get on it and ride it
the yankees just want to do what they want they way they want 2
there no effort to do things seamlessly naturally
they just have a huge ego
Girardi is annoying me with every move he makes
cash why was cash playing at all?
why send AJ back out in the 8th?
he going to wear out the starters keeping them in when there is nothing to gain becasue we have ZERO bullpen
cant win games
if u cant get 27 outs
we've got nothing
nothing after the starters
no wonder the team doesnt really have great hitting
they should be like oh
any1 of our starters gives us a shot 2 win play confidently and score some runs
its totally negated when know
even if u get 7 good innings our of your starter or even 6
most likely your still going to lose
because teams just dont fear the pitching staff especially the relievers mo rarely comes in save situations
if Torre was still managing we would have barely seen Mo this year
people need get off thier high horse
they need joba to be a great starter
or we just gonna out hit everyone
the defense bites
Tiexera is tanking and melting under the spotlight
Joe looks like hes hiding panic
Pena goes out there for one night
and Im the biggest Jeter fan out there got his cleats jersey
we all love him
but he cant play short effectively
You need defense
how can u expect to win in this league
when you dont have a strong defense
SS or CF
i mean those 2 positions gotta have your best defensive players
Pena saved a run last night getting an out at 2nd
those ball been going through the hole for years now
the odds arent favorable
we need stay 100% healthy all year
and hit the crap out of the ball
to get in the playoff
this is tall tall order
let alone the playoff they cant get out of the 1st round cuz they cant keep runs scored against down
no defense
everything drops in or goes through the hole
no hits are ever taken away
the only we had was the Joba Mo connection we dont even have that anymore...
that wasnt a very coherent post i just made but it all looks bad right now they are 2 good to keep losing but where is this going whats the best case scenario for a team that ignores every aspect of the game besides pitching and hitting
everyone is working those angles
its the little things like middle relief and defense that separate the good teams from the exceptional teams
and thats exactly what we are seeing
i guess its really on cashman
dont even get me started about the moat
that guy
toss tosh whatever his name
the statements about
"u dont want somebody walking through your house do you"
this is guy is a buffoon
the glass tower anaology its so true
they really have no idea what its like on the streets in the real world how actual poeople think and how ridiculous they sound saying stuff like that
can this guy right now
they literally think all $
u pay cc a billion dollars=hes gotta win every game
no contingency plans
its not that simple u cant buy a championship or try to aviod having any talent in the front office just because u out spend every1
wheres the baseball IQ where the respect for the game the fanbase
spending is not going to get u a championship if thats all you do
the great thing about Torre was he like made up for all the deficiencies Giradi maybe hes got ideas but in this organization u have win like 2 titles b4 anybody cares what u have 2 say about personnel
the organization looks like shit right now
its all over the brasses faces but they keep smiling
clearly im frustrated
what kind of yankee fan?
Anon, stop trying to act like the Yankee front office gives a shit about what it's nostalgic fan base wants. You don't complain about Damon, do you? Did you complain about Wade Boggs?
The move makes sense, his Boston days are long gone. Get over it.
As far as the injuries are concerned, if he makes 3 appearances and gets hurt he'd probably fit right in with this group of rickety old men.
In fairness to the rickety old men, some of the younger guys have gotten hurt too. Bruney is 27, Wang is 29, Nady is 30, and Coke, who now has a stiff back, is 26.
But you still have a good point, James. His Red Sox days should have nothing to do with this. Like you said, it didn't with Boggs and Damon, and it didn't matter with Clemens either.
when I say rickety old men, i also refer to the decline in performance, not just trips to the DL.
Ahhh, fair enough.
In fact i think the only (position) player we have who is actually in their prime is Tex...and so far he has made me miss Andy Phillips, production wise.
Correct me if I'm wrong....
Nady and Swisher, while not superstars are in their prime years 27-32. Swisher is 28, Nady is 30. And Cano is 26 which is just about prime years territory.
Nady and Swisher who?
LOL
I had different feelings about different players who played on the sox before the Yankees. Obviously the Babe did so it is ok to like a player who comes from one team to the other. But there are certain players that I never accepted as true Yankees.
I never wanted Clemens to be a Yankee, I hated the son of a bitch. But when he came, I rooted for him because he was on the Yanks and I still don't like him.
Pedro is another piece of crap. He was a head-hunter that threw at the Yanks many times. So screw him. I hope he never pitches again.
As for Damon, he was always a pretty likable guy. Plus I thought he was addition (to the Yanks) by subtraction (to the sox).
I understand the point that he may be a good addition to the bullpen but I for one can't stand him and never want him in the Yankee uniform.
Just my humble opinion.
Anyone else notice Latroy Hawkins is good again...?
Its the national league, not AL east
Pedro wants 5 million. That's a lot in this market, especially for a gamble, and that's what this is, a big gamble. You don't know what our going to get.
Hey - nowadays you could probably have Clemens come back and pitch from the pen for that much too..
Pedro is garbage shame on any yankee fan wanting that tool. I rather have the yankees lose 162 games than win a world series with that scumbag Pedro on the yankees.
I would not give him $5 million, the most I'd want to see the Yanks give him would be $1.5-$2. Especially when you consider a quarter of the season is already over.
"I rather have the yankees lose 162 games than win a world series with that scumbag Pedro on the yankees."
That is a ridiculous statement, and it's hard for me to believe any Yankees fan would feel that way. What exactly did he do that he's that hated?? I understand he hit Yankees, but so did Clemens (a lot) and he had some good years here. You wanna give up the rings from '99 and 2000?
Although I disagree with Anon's sentiment about losing, I do agree with his distaste for Pedro.
I never liked Clemen's while he was a Yankee. Like Pedro, he purposely threw at batters without regard for personal injury. That made him a scumbag. I reluctantly rooted for him. I did the same for Sheffield too. I couldn't stand him either. But I do respect talent and they both had it.
I always respected Pedro's talent, but like Clemens, I had no respect for him as a person because he threw at batters with intent to injure.
So yeah, I would root for him if he was a Yankee but I would be rooting for the uniform, not the player.
Crossfire,
Joba throws at people intentionally. Do you have respect for him?
Excellent point Greg.
I don't mind a pitcher throwing at a batter with intention. In fact, I don't think pitchers pitch inside enough.
But I do have an issue with a pitcher throwing at a player with intent to hurt.
I would assume that nobody condones throwing at another players head ever.
So yeah, I did have a problem with Joba throwing at Youkilis' head.
Had he drilled the bastard in the numbers, I would have laughed my ass off. But a shot to the head could kill someone.
But I will make this point, though admittedly, this may be a bit of Yankee bias...
Joba is still young and has a lot to learn. Both Pedro and Clemens did it their entire careers.
Both had great control and both threw with intent to injure throughout their careers. Including throwing at players heads.
That's classless.
I sure hope Joba doesn't do the same.
Crossfire,
I know what you mean, Clemens and Pedro were mean SOBs, but I think Joba is too. I don't think it's just because he's young. Remember the person who had his ear when he was first called up was Roger Clemens.
I don't think pitchers are ever trying to hit someone in the head, but they throw at your head to make you fall down. I would hope that when a pitcher wants to hit a batter they would throw at their back or ribs.
Greg I would love to throw at your back or ribs, maybe even your neck.
You may well be right about Joba Greg. Time will tell. I for one hope that he doesn't get (or should I say keep?) the label of a head hunter. It's not a moniker to be proud of.
But I do disagree with you about Pedro and Clemens.
Pedro most certainly threw at Garcia's head and Clemens threw at Piazza's.
They may not have actually intended to hit them in the head but both intended to throw at it. Granted, Pedro's missed but his intent was indisputable in my opinion.
Clemens may not have intended to hit Piazza in the head but he threw at it and did.
Crossfire, yes I totally agree that these pitchers do aim for a players' head, I just don't think they're hoping the batter gets out of the way.
Post a Comment