I'm sure at this point some of you are saying to yourself, "Really Greg, a Kei Igawa post!?!??!?!?"
That's understandable. In fact, I'm asking myself the same question as I write it. But, it's a Sunday--a generally slow blog day--and it's spring training. This is the time for the underdogs to get a little press. Joe Lapointe of the NY Times wrote a piece this morning about Igawa's third camp in pinstripes and how he's trying to latch on to the big club in any role. Here's more from Lapointe:
Despite having two seasons left on a five-year, $20 million contract and despite retiring all five hitters in his spring debut Friday, Igawa is mostly out of sight and pretty much out of mind. He is rarely mentioned in conversations about the fifth slot in the starting rotation, a competition that involves as many as five candidates.
“That’s as it should be,” General Manager Brian Cashman said of Igawa’s diminished status. “He’s got to try to reinvent himself. He hasn’t lived up to what our scouting assessments were. Maybe that’s not his fault.”
...
“I’m willing to pitch as a starter or reliever, regardless, as long as I am able to pitch in the big leagues,” Igawa said Saturday through an interpreter.
Igawa said Saturday he was trying to add a cutter to his changeup to mix with a fastball that ranks below the elite level. “I want to improve,” he said.
Different ball, different mound size, different pitching rotation, a lot of differences,” Cashman said. “Sometimes, you miss. Right now, Igawa is in that ‘miss’ category.”If I were Igawa I'd be begging for a trade to the NL.Cashman said he had had a few trade inquiries about Igawa over the years. Might he be better suited to pitching in the National League, where hitters have less power?
“Certainly the National League is a lot easier than the American League, especially the American League East,” Cashman said.
Igawa said: “I don’t really have any regrets about coming over here. I’ve been treated fairly.”Had he not become rich off this deal I would feel a little bad for Igawa and the situation he was thrown in. He was never a major league pitcher and to expect that from him was a little unfair, and a big mistake on the part of the Yankees. Based on Cashman's quote above I think even he's ready to admit that. Remember, around the the time of his signing, many people were questioning whether he actually had the stuff to get out MLB hitters? Well, the answer was no and the critics were right.
The Yankees will likely go with two lefties heading out of camp, it's something Joe Girardi prefers and can be a very useful weapon if both lefties can actually get lefties out. One spot will go to Damaso Marte, while the other is up for grabs. Early on this spring Boone Logan has impressed, throwing 3.1 perfect innings this spring, so I have to assume he's in the lead for that spot. But he hasn't won the job yet, and maybe utilizing that cutter and turning in a great spring is just what Igawa needs for one more chance. I wouldn't count on it, but I've seen crazier things happen in this game. (This may be my last Kei Igawa post, so savor it.)
