Tagged: A.J. Burnett
The 411 from Steinbrenner Field
By Joe Auriemma
Joe Girardi spoke to the media and talked openly about the center-field job and who has the edge on winning it — Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera. Girardi seems to feel that both Gardner and Cabrera could split time at the position when the season begins. He likes how both players are very good defensively, and with the bolstered rotation, these two players would add a spark to the team.
It’s just been announced that Nick Swisher is day-to-day with a bruised lower left calf.
I’ll be blogging again in a little bit.
How one Yankee spent his day off
By Jon Lane
Something pretty cool courtesy of Busch Gardens in Tampa:
Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett tosses a few treats to Karnaubi, a 7,300-pound Asian elephant at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on Thursday (photo by Matt Marriott/Busch Gardens Tampa Bay). After 34 starts as a Toronto Blue Jay and leading the American League with 231 strikeouts in 2008, Burnett used his day off from Spring Training to enjoy time with his family at Busch Gardens.
Asian elephants are highly endangered, and Karnaubi is one of five Asian elephants living in the park’s Nairobi area.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is the ultimate family adventure park, featuring an unparalleled combination of animal encounters, live entertainment and world-class thrill rides. As one of the top zoos in North America, Busch Gardens brings you face-to-face with more exotic and endangered animals than any destination outside of Africa.
The heat will be on Teixeira
By Jon Lane
Courtesy of Peter Abraham, the state of the 2009 Yankees, taken from the point of view of what awaits Mark Teixeira.
All this for $400 million. What you have looks like a big mess, but it’s not even spring yet! Let’s see how this latest Alex Rodriguez tale plays out. A-Rod had additional tests done on his injured hip today, Hal Steinbrenner told reporters, but the Yankees’ co-chairman wasn’t revealing any details.
“Everybody is concerned, of course,” Steinbrenner said after meeting with general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi for about 15 minutes. “No decisions being made. Just being cautious. We’re going to take it slow.”
Which brings up the importance of Teixeira to this team. Buster Olney writes that Teixeira is the only sure thing the Yankees have going at the moment. Right now you cannot argue with this. A-Rod as the No. 4 hitter that’s the glue to a machine that when operating at 100 percent has Teixeira batting third and a healthy Hideki Matsui fifth. Now with A-Rod’s season possibly on the brink, Teixeira will have to waste no time in earning the $180 million he’ll be making over the next eight years – perhaps without the benefit of A-Rod’s protection in the lineup.
If history is any indication, however, Teixeira will not get untracked immediately. As Olney writes, “Any hiccup on his part will be devastating for the Yankees. A slow transition to New York, which has been typical for most of the big-name players acquired by the team in the past decade, might crush the Yankees’ playoff hopes. They need him to hit early and hit late; they need him to hit all season.”
Problem is, Teixeira has annually been a slow starter (see the chart six paragraphs down in Onley’s blog). But as Sweeny Murti indicates, A-Rod’s injury turns the heat up on Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett. Even the most knowledgeable fans and astute sabermetricians won’t cut Teixeira any slack should he post some of the paltry numbers listed in Olney’s chart.
Tonight’s lineup
Johnny Damon LF
Brett Gardner CF
Nick Swisher 1B
Jorge Posada DH
Shelly Duncan RF
Cody Ransom 3B
Jose Molina C
Angel Berroa 2B
Ramiro Pena SS
Your starting rotation (yes it includes Joba Chamberlain)
By Jon Lane
One story that received attention in the middle of the A-Rod melodrama was Chien-Ming Wang, a two-time 19-game winner recovering from a torn Lisfranc ligament now flying under the radar. Wang broke into the Majors at age 25 and made such an impact, erstwhile manager Joe Torre had to remind us – and himself – that he was still a youngster and a rookie not expected to carry a rotation. Yet he was the horse of the staff whose lone weakness remains his 1-3, 7.58 ERA record in four postseason starts. With CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett here, Wang is a No. 2 or 3 starter teams would kill for to be their ace.
Barring an injury or a near-perfect Grapefruit season, Phil Hughes and
Ian Kennedy will begin the season in Triple-A. The worst-case scenario
is the duo pitches full and healthy seasons for Scranton and move into
the Major League rotation in 2010 a year older and wiser. Not too
shabby.
The Yankees’ projected starting rotation:
CC Sabathia
A.J. Burnett
Chien-Ming Wang
Andy Pettitte
Joba Chamberlain
If this holds form, Sabathia would start the Yankees’ home opener on April 16 and the rotation for the first series April 24-26 at Fenway Park would be Wang, Pettitte and Sabathia. Remember that the Yankees want to retain an innings limit on Chamberlain, whose health will be guarded more closely than Fort Knox. As the projected fifth starter, Chamberlain will be skipped whenever the Yankees encounter an off day.
New York Daily News columnist John Harper is cautiously optimistic, but provides plenty of reasons to get excited about A.J. Burnett.
Tyler Kepner of the New York Times wrote this in January and I agree wholeheartedly:
To me — and to the Yankees, from what I can tell — there’s really no debate anymore about Joba Chamberlain’s role. Look, the Yankees already have a lights-out setup man: Brian Bruney. In 31 games from the bullpen last season, Bruney’s earned run average was 1.95, and opponents hit .153. In 30 games from the bullpen last season, Chamberlain’s E.R.A. was 2.31, and opponents hit .211. So, Bruney was actually better. Besides, if the Yankees make the playoffs, Chamberlain will probably have thrown so many innings as a starter that he’ll have to be a reliever in October, anyway. Chamberlain has the stuff to be an elite starter, and Bruney has the stuff to be an elite setup man — with the top prospect Mark Melancon poised to contribute as well. To me, it’s really pretty simple.
Joba is a future ace and you don’t put that big of a talent in an eighth-inning role. Many people don’t want to accept it, but Chamberlain is a starter today and tomorrow. Case closed.
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