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DownloadWith Andy Pettitte “officially” retiring the Yankees are down to a three man starting rotation. So how do they complete their pitching staff?
Obviously spring training will bring some answers, likely along with even more questions. But I don’t know any Yankee fan who thinks that Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon are really the answers, and there wouldn’t be the need to look that far back in the pasture if the Yankee management had enough confidence in Sergio Mitre or Ivan Nova.
Pettitte will be hard to replace. Not just because he is the all-time leader in post season wins, but he was a stabilizing presence for the Yankees and their fans. And in all honesty, while Pettitte says his days of taking the mound every five days are over, one has to wonder in the back of our minds whether or not Andy picks up the hotline to Brian Cashman once the Clemens/McNamee trials are over and the season underway.
Of course by that time the Yankees could have traded Jesus Montero for a front line starter. Trading within the same division is generally avoided, but Tampa Bay with a stable full of pitching would seem a likely partner right away, while losses during the season will flush out several pretenders who would like to acquire the power-hitting young catcher.
Freddy Garcia was more effective last year with the White Sox than I would have thought and with a really good bullpen in the Bronx, anyone who can give them five or six quality innings could start for a team with that much offense. So Garcia is certainly worth the spring training look and I think Nova can pitch – at least well enough to get the ball every five days.
And if all those wouldbees were just vying for the fifth spot in the rotation, that would be fine, which brings me to my answer for the Yankees – just give Joba Chamberlain the real chance to start that he deserves. True his early career numbers say he has been much better as a relief pitcher. But he really hasn’t been given the chance to fully develop as a starter.
Well, there is no time like the present.{jcomments on}
What is YOUR objective?
We all do a lot of drafts, some of us too many perhaps. And two recent drafts and a message board question encouraged me to try and put a question in front of you.
What is your objective?
In this draft?
With this pick?
Now the reality is that once you are actually in a draft it would be hard to sit back and ask yourself these questions every time it was your pick. So the time to think about them is now.
I see a lot of “industry drafts” – sorry I just can’t call them expert drafts when some of the drafters wouldn’t qualify in local leagues. At times I just wonder what the heck they are thinking about when they make a pick. Well some of them are trying to prove they are smarter than the rest of the league; that they picked a guy before anyone else; that their insight (as in site?) was better.
But we ALL need to look at why we make certain picks.
Yes YOU may really like that player. Does that make him the right pick for your team in that specific league? Are you really trying to win the league if you are making picks for any reason other than that was the player you thought would give your specific team the most value at that pick or was a player you had to have even if you knew you might be jumping the draft to get him?
Hey if it is a yahoo league (note lower case) or a free league (someone explain why regular roto players play in leagues with no entry fee and nothing to win? Bad enough that some of us have to do them for information and analysis) or a mock draft and you want to try a different way to draft something that is a different case.
I am talking about leagues where you pay money to win money or maybe are freerolled to have a chance at winning something of value. Once you have analyzed the rules of the league and formulated a draft plan, make the best pick you can. Put together the best roster you can. If you really love a certain player but you don’t need him why are you going to pick him there? Don’t pick with your heart when your head says there is a better pick for your roster.
Be true to your objectives in league drafts. Use your mock drafts to satisfy your whims.
Your teams and your leagues deserve your best effort…….unless of course you don’t care about winning or whining.{jcomments on}
Amongst the beautiful remake of the Red Sox and worrying about who the Yankees might grab, we tend to forget how well the Rays franchise really is run.
It seemed like the only move was to trade Matt Garza and a few prospects to the Cubs for five better prospects. I am sure they would have rather moved James Shield and his past few years decline but his salary and lack of control prevented him being the one moved to make room for Jeremy Hellickson to move into the rotation in March.
But how would the offense continue to compete with Boston and New York?
Enter a very nice move by Friedman and the Rays. Sign Johnny Damon who can still hit and who had no clear place to go, then sign a HOF hitter who, even if he has succumbed to his thirty nine years and some nagging injuries, is still the dangerous right hand DH the club needed in Manny Ramirez. And sign both for less than eight million dollars, which their rivals would give to questionable set-up relievers.
Winner – Tampa Bay offense and fans. Make no mistake Damon and ManRam will get hits, drive in runs and sell tickets. Can you imagine the newspapers from Boston the first time the former Red Sox teammates return to Fenway?
Winner – the Tampa Bay pitchers who need some runs behind them.
Winner – manager Joe Maddon, because he will have a lot more flexibility to fix the rest of the Rays lineup.
Winner – the Rays management who won’t have to push Desmond Jennings into the opening day lineup if he is not ready in the spring.
Loser – Desmond Jennings if he really thinks he should be in that lineup and can’t prove it in spring training, but he could still win at least a share of right field if he hits well enough.
Winner – Joe Maddon again. The extra bats mean he can platoon Dan Johnson at 1B with Ben Zobrist and then platoon Zobrist with Sean Rodriguez at 2B if necessary.
Winner/Loser – there won’t be as many total at bats for RF Matt Joyce but he would be better off platooned with either Zobrist if he doesn’t have to play the infield or with Jennings.
WINNER – The Tampa Bay Rays have an unbelievable 12 draft picks in the first two rounds in the June draft to restock the pond and once again have one of the best minor league systems in MLB.{jcomments on}