Igawa Won't Stop Yanks From Going After Darvish

From Mark Feinsand:

After wasting $46 million on Kei Igawa over the past five years, would the Yankees be willing to roll the dice on another Japanese pitcher if Yu Darvish becomes available?

It’s very possible.

Hal Steinbrenner said Wednesday that the Igawa disaster wouldn’t stop the Yankees from signing another Japanese pitcher if that’s the move they believe makes the most sense.

“Every person is different; every player is different,” Steinbrenner said. “We’re going to look at every single one. We’re going to look at every single option, and we’re going to analyze it. It will be a go or no-go, but we look at each person as an individual.”

...

“It’s difficult when you don’t have as much film on a player to watch, and you don’t have as many scouts who have laid eyes on that player before,” Steinbrenner said of the risk associated with signing players from places such as Japan or Cuba. “There’s no doubt it’s difficult, but I had never heard of El Duque until he came here.

“There have certainly been players that came out of those countries that have been great. But there’s less intel and there’s less to go on, so you’ve really got to rely on the guys that have seen him down there, and the scouts that are down there on a full-time basis. But there’s no doubt it’s a more difficult decision.”

Glad to see the Yankees aren't going to let the Igawa mistake stop them from taking a real look at Darvish. From everything I've seen and read, he looks like the best pitcher to come out of Japan, and at least appears to have the biggest upside.

Igawa Looking For A Restart To His Yankee Career

(Update: Of course I post this on the same day he gives up 5 runs on 4 hits and a walk in an inning.)

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.”

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.

If I were Igawa I'd be begging for a trade to the NL.

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.)

Igawa To Work Out Of The Pen In 2010

From Joel Sherman:

In last-ditch try to get something for $46M Yankees plan to have Kei Igawa work exclusively as LH reliever in camp and probably minors

Uhhh.... yea, good luck with that.

In his career in the majors, lefties are hitting .316/.402/.500 against Igawa in 87 plate appearances. However, he was very successful against lefties last season down in Scranton, where he held them to just a .189 batting average compared to righties, who hit .320 against him. Then again, the minors are certainly not the majors.

A Few Moves For Scranton

With the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees beginning the playoffs tonight against Gwinett, they made some roster moves. Here's the details from Chad Jennings:

Called up from Trenton...

• RHP Grant Duff
• RHP Zach McAllister
• RHP Jose Valdez
• C P.J. Pilittere

Removed from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre...

• RHP Cory Arbiso to Charleston
• RHP Jeff Williams to Charleston
• RHP Jason Hirsh to the DL
• C Brian Peterson to the DL

Hirsh and Peterson could be back by the Governor's Cup championship round. Here's the pitching matchups for the five-game series:

Game 1: SWB RHP Romulo Sanchez (6-5, 4.09) vs. Gwinett LHP John Halama (4-7, 4.48)

Game 2: SWB RHP Ivan Nova (1-4, 5.10) vs. Gwinett LHP Jo-Jo Reyes (4-2, 2.86)

Game 3: SWB LHP Kei Igawa (10-8, 4.15) vs. Gwinett RHP Bobby Brownlie (5-2, 4.13)

Game 4: SWB RHP Zach McAllister (NR) vs. Gwinett LHP Jonny Venters (4-7, 5.62)

Game 5: SWB RHP Anthony Claggett (7-7, 3.07) vs. Gwinett TBA

For a detailed look at the pitching matchups for the upcoming series plus a player-by-player breakdown check out Chad Jennings blog.

Who's Next In Line? The Minor Leagues

Although his DIPS numbers look pretty good, Sergio Mitre has been giving up runs and if he gets hammered in his next start, he may not get another chance. Even though their depth is extremely thin right now and the trade deadline is past, they still have a few options. I'll make three different posts like this. One for their options in the minor leagues, one for options in the bullpen, and one for options outside of the organization to finish it up. First comes their AAA options.

1. Josh Towers - Already the ML veteran has been with three different AAA teams this year. He's spent most of his time in the Yankees and Rockies minor league systems. He was disastrous for the Rockies and, although his ERA looks good, he really hasn't been all that great for the Yankees either. The last time he had a good season was 2005. Obviously not the ideal option. Not on the 40 man roster so I'd be very surprised if they went to him.

2. Ivan Nova - A very legitimate pitching prospect. After two dissapointing years in 2007 and 2008, he has finally broken out this year. He dominated AA and earned a promotion to Scranton. Nova got off to a great start there but has cooled off since then. Now his ERA is up to 4.93, his K/BB is only 1.50, and his FIP is 4.21. I'm happy they got him back from San Diego but I doubt he'll have an impact in the ML rotation this year. Also not on the 40 man roster, maybe he'll be an option in the bullpen this year.

3. Kei Igawa - We all know the Kei Igawa story. He has been completely incapable of handling the ML's but has dominated the lower levels of AAA and Japanese baseball. This year though, his dominance for Scranton has actually slipped. His ERA is up to 3.91 and his FIP is up to 4.43. He's been good there but not dominant anymore. They've invested a lot of money in him so he may get a shot. I don't have very high hopes for him though.


4. George Kontos - Kontos is having another very nice year in the minor leagues. He's been in the Yankees system for a while now, since 2006 and has slowly marched up prospect lists. He's a controversial prospect but has overall been very succesful. He made AA hitters look silly early on in the year and got a promotion to Scranton after only 20.1 innings with an ERA of 3.66 and an FIP of 2.46. In Scranton he has fallen off a bit but still looks good. The biggest difference is that he is striking out less. He's probably not ready for the ML's yet but he's an option.


5. Zach Kroenke - Probably a longshot here. He started out his career as a starter but was moved to the bullpen early on. The lefty has been nothing short of incredible in AAA this year. He has a sub 1.00 ERA and an FIP of 3.64. So why do I mention a possible future setup man in this post? The Yankees have been stretching him out lately and he's made a couple of spot starts with impressive results. Just yesterday he threw five innings, giving up only 1 run, 2 hits, and a walk while striking out three. Something to consider.

One other thing to note is that the long forgotton Ian Kennedy is making his way back from his aneurysm. He could be back in September and I imagine he'd bypass all these guys if they still need a starter then. That's a longer shot than even Kroenke though.

EDIT: Kontos is on the DL so scratch him.

Game thread below

Who should start in place of Wang?

Here's what Girardi said before yesterday's game:

"We're just going to continue to discuss it because our bullpen has been a strength for us the way it's been constructed lately. Do you upset that for one time through, two times, three times, how many times through? Or do you actually go down and possibly do something there. It will get clearer as time goes on."

It appears that the Yanks don't plan to rush to a decision, so I guess we can debate this one for a few days.

I'm going with Sergio Mitre, not because I think he's that great, but he's done nothing but throw strikes down in the minors plus I don't think the Yanks should mess with their bullpen right now. It's finally become a strength of this team.

The other options are Alfredo Aceves, Kei Igawa, yes that Kei Igawa, and maybe even a guy like Ivan Nova has a chance, although he was just moved up to Triple-A.

So I post the question to you - yes I am sort of copying the YES network poll from yesterday's game, so uhhh, sorry for that - who would you chose to start in place of the injured Chien-Ming Wang?

Melky For Cameron Talks Resume... uhh, nevermind

UPDATE 9:45 p.m.: Tyler Kepner says he's getting the feeling that "the Yankees are backing away" from the deal.

UPDATE 8:05 p.m.: OK, apparently they did not resume today. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy has a source who told him that the talks between the Yankees and Brewers are at a stalemate, and that the two sides haven't spoken since the end of the winter meetings.

The talks were put on hold last week because the Yankees were more focused on wrapping up the A.J. Burnett signing but according to the Journal Sentinel Brewers GM Doug Melvin expects the talks to start up again today. And guess what, the Brewers actually want Kei Igawa.

Because the Yankees refused to put one of their top pitching prospects in the deal, the Brewers might settle for disappointing left-hander Kei Igawa, who spent most of the 2008 season at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Igawa, 29, is owed $4 million in each of the next three seasons.

I can't believe anyone wants Igawa. Have they seen him pitch?

Matsui to the DL, Igawa Called Up

As if getting shellacked by the Mets 15-6 at home wasn't bad enough, now Hideki Matsui is headed to the DL because of his knee, his roster spot will be filled by Sidney Ponson. Also after the game Ross Ohlendorf was optioned to Scranton, but instead of calling up David Robertson, J.B. Cox, Jeff Karstens, or anybody else for that matter, it's Kei Igawa of all people who was called up.

Sometimes this team confuses the hell out of me. It's as if the fans are the only people who know Kei Igawa is awful.

With Kennedy Being Sent Down Igawa Gets A Shot

From Anthony Rieber:

Kennedy's descent means the ascent of lefthander Kei Igawa, the $46-million "investment" who likely will start in Kennedy's place Friday or Saturday in Detroit. Igawa has been pitching relatively well for Scranton; he's 3-3, 3.86 after allowing four runs in seven innings against Durham yesterday.

"He's doing OK and obviously, for Kei, it's important that he attacks the strike zone," manager Joe Girardi said.

Then there are these quotes from George King's article:

“He is the leading candidate,” Joe Girardi said before the lefty went seven innings, allowed five hits, four earned runs, walked four and fanned eight against Durham yesterday. . . .

“That’s the way we are leaning right now,” said GM Brian Cashman.

This should be interesting, in 14 major league games (12 starts) Igawa is 2-3 with a 6.25 ERA. He's never faced the Tigers.

The most important thing for Igawa is to keep the ball down, which he had trouble with last year. Hopefully he can give them a decent start, and just keep the Yanks in the game.

What do you guys think about Igawa getting another shot?

Now Pitching for the Yankees, Kei Igawa!?!?!

Apparently this bum guy actually has a chance to make the team.

From Mark Feinsand:

IGAWA IN? Kei Igawa will start Thursday against the Pirates, making his final pitch for the long-relief spot in the bullpen. Although Jeff Karstens and Darrell Rasner were considered the two top candidates, Igawa has moved into the race, with one Yankees official saying he would be considered the front-runner with a strong effort today.

I don't know about you, but I don't have much faith in the guy.

The Media Actually Found Something Hank Doesn't Want to Talk About: Kei Igawa

From George A. King III:

March 1, 2008 -- TAMPA - Hank Steinbrenner was done talking about the wonderful pitching performance turned in by Generation Trey against USF yesterday at Legends Field when he was asked about Kei Igawa's miserable outing against the Big East school.

"Let's not bring that up," Steinbrenner said. "Hopefully we can straighten him out."

Igawa had this to say:

"My control was pretty good," said Igawa, oblivious to the walks and hit batter.

"What I would like to do is to get more control when I am throwing harder. Today, I felt like I was throwing too low."

Too low?!? Isn't that what everyone wanted Igawa to do: to keep the ball down? Maybe he meant his arm was too low in his delivery, who knows.