2007 New York Yankees Thread

[Skipaway]

So Taguchi's line in Japan was .277/.333/.387, actually worse than his MLB numbers.

[CMH]

Originally Posted by darkhorse

A great player in MLB, but he was quite a bit better in the J League.

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...24&postcount=8

Good post. I thought Ichiro was a .330 hitter in Japan. I was .20 off which is a huge difference.

[thomamon]

Michael Kay just made the point I was trying to make earlier...

Here is the exact quote from the post game show.

"And whats funny is that we're saying he is finally having that great season with the Yankees, and when by the way he happened to have won an MVP with the Yankees in 2005 and even that seemed less then what his potential promise is."

[darkhorse]

Originally Posted by YankeePride

Good post. I thought Ichiro was a .330 hitter in Japan. I was .20 off which is a huge difference.

And, his power numbers were a lot better in Japan, which is true for pretty much all their hitters.

[darkhorse]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

I would play good ball in Colorado (batwise, at least), baseball humidors notwithstanding!

His numbers are good normalized for playing half his games in that park. The humidor has certainly been effective in turning Coors Field into a more normal offensive environment.

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by darkhorse

His numbers are good normalized for playing half his games in that park. The humidor has certainly been effective in turning Coors Field into a more normal offensive environment.

Well, they must have turned the humidity dial way up when the Yankees were in town.

[1998 Yankees]

Posted a month ago:

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

One of the announcers that I am listening to wondered if A-Rod might have 100 RBI's by the All-Star break.

He didn't miss by much: 86

[CommishJoe]

Nice way to head into the all-star break. Win 2 of 3 from a great team scoring 26 runs in 2 games (unfortunately we needed almost every 1 in the first game). Yeah, it was a bummer to waste Clemens' outing on Saturday, but the bats bounced back nicely yesterday.

There is promise for this team if they can continue to play at this level. They have a long road to travel, but it's not quite impossible just yet.

[CMH]

I was just talking about this with remangiii yesterday and I just don't see how the Yankees could make it to the playoffs.

To even win 95 games they'd have to play .675 baseball. No one played like that in the first half and as good as the Yankee bats can be they still have question marks all over the field and pitching staff.

I'm not even trying to say I'm giving up. I'm just being realistic.

[Zoso1515]

If any team can blow a lead to the Yankees, its the Red Sox.

[edrooney]

Originally Posted by YankeePride

I was just talking about this with remangiii yesterday and I just don't see how the Yankees could make it to the playoffs.

To even win 95 games they'd have to play .675 baseball. No one played like that in the first half and as good as the Yankee bats can be they still have question marks all over the field and pitching staff.

I'm not even trying to say I'm giving up. I'm just being realistic.

Yeah. The Red Sox have the best record in baseball, and they've just gone .609 to this point. For any team, particularly a current sub-500 team to go .675 the rest of the way would be the very definition of mental.

Not impossible, but I'd give it a 100/1 possibility, which is nearly as.

[CommishJoe]

Originally Posted by YankeePride

I was just talking about this with remangiii yesterday and I just don't see how the Yankees could make it to the playoffs.

To even win 95 games they'd have to play .675 baseball. No one played like that in the first half and as good as the Yankee bats can be they still have question marks all over the field and pitching staff.

I'm not even trying to say I'm giving up. I'm just being realistic.

Yeah, I know. That's why I am hoping they turn to youth down the stretch instead of making a trade or two (especially if it's an expensive trade). I'm looking forward to Hughes coming back, and I'm hoping Sanchez gets more opportunities to show what he's got.

[Tony M]

Originally Posted by YankeePride

To even win 95 games they'd have to play .675 baseball. No one played like that in the first half and as good as the Yankee bats can be they still have question marks all over the field and pitching staff.

I'm not even trying to say I'm giving up. I'm just being realistic.

If we stay at 0.609, then the Yankees will need to play 0.740 ball to beat us.

If we run out the rest of the season at 0.500, the Yankees will need to play 0.636 ball to come top.

I'll rest easy on my laurels when it's virtually impossible to be caught (and the wild card is secured)

[thomamon]

Originally Posted by redsoxford

If we stay at 0.609, then the Yankees will need to play 0.740 ball to beat us.

If we run out the rest of the season at 0.500, the Yankees will need to play 0.636 ball to come top.

I'll rest easy on my laurels when it's virtually impossible to be caught (and the wild card is secured)

It was 30 years ago... Nuff said

[1998 Yankees]

A couple of you fellows were briefly talking about this a while back (redsoxford brought it up IIRC) and I forget if you resolved it or not. Also, I'm too lazy to look for it now and check, so I will just post it here:

Among the notes to AP's story on yesterday's game: "Wang has not given up an unearned run in his last 39 starts. That's the longest such string by a Yankees pitcher since the AL began charting unearned runs in 1913, the Elias Sports Bureau said." Of course, everybody has to do well in the field for this to happen but the Yankees playing good infield defense behind a ground ball pitcher like Wang accounts for much of his success.

By the way, are you guys going to watch "The Bronx is Burning" tonight on ESPN?

[edrooney]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

Among the notes to AP's story on yesterday's game: "Wang has not given up an unearned run in his last 39 starts. That's the longest such string by a Yankees pitcher since the AL began charting unearned runs in 1913, the Elias Sports Bureau said." Of course, everybody has to do well in the field for this to happen but the Yankees playing good infield defense behind a ground ball pitcher like Wang accounts for much of his success.

Unearned runs are based on the hugely flawed statistic of errors, that is they are runs produced after an error has occurred.

It's still an impressive run, though. I remember reading an article after Curt Shilling recently broke some sort of record of a streak. Talked about what such a run shows. What it perhaps does show is a pitcher who doesn't meltdown after an error happens behind him, and who is able to quickly refocus and get the following hitters out.

[1998 Yankees]

Newsday's First Half Yankees Report Card:

Brian Cashman: C-
The Yankees' general manager should have known better than to count on Carl Pavano, made a costly mistake with Kei Igawa and could have shored up the bullpen better. He couldn't have expected the heap of injuries or the abrupt dropoff of Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano, among others.

Joe Torre: C
Torre can't hit for Damon, can't pitch for Pavano and can't take Kyle Farnsworth's spot in the bullpen. At times the team seems to lack fire, though, and the manager can have an impact in that area. He doesn't need to throw chairs, but players must know their level of play has been unacceptable.

Alex Rodriguez: A
A player who could finish his career in the conversation about best baseball player in history is having his best season yet. Rodriguez's first-half numbers (30 homers, 86 RBIs in 86 games, including the suspended game against Baltimore) are off the charts. Without him, the Yankees already would be done.

Derek Jeter: A
Just another stellar year for the captain. His numbers look a lot like those of last year, when he was the runner-up for the MVP.

Jorge Posada: A
Has taken his offense to a new level and has been the most consistent Yankees hitter. Yes, even more so than A-Rod.

Chien-Ming Wang: A
He began the season on the disabled list with a hamstring injury but has nine wins and an ERA lower than last season, when he was the runner-up for the Cy Young Award.

Andy Pettitte: B
This would have been an "A" a few weeks ago, but Pettitte had two horrific starts to end the first half.

Roger Clemens: B
There were some doubts early, and there still might be, if only because signing him was a waste with the Yankees below .500. His last two starts were phenomenal, though.

Andy Phillips: B
He hasn't been here long, but he's been impressive.

Ron Villone: B
Small body of work yet a good one.

Mariano Rivera: B-
His April was terrible. Rivera has been terrific since, though his save opportunities have been limited.

Melky Cabrera: B-
Without Cabrera, the Yankees' outfield would really be weak. Offense warmed up with weather and more regular work. Jury still out on his future as Yankees' centerfielder.

Hideki Matsui: C+
Has not been as consistent as usual, but went on a tear just before the break.

Brian Bruney: C+
Way too many walks, especially since the beginning of June.

Mike Mussina: C
Much-improved in his last seven starts compared to his first seven.

Miguel Cairo: C
Has mostly been a capable sub.

Robinson Cano: C-
Not the offensive stud he was last year, but productive of late. Needs to show more power and consistency.

Jason Giambi: C-
Showed big-time offense in April and nearly none in May; has been on the disabled list since.

Scott Proctor: C-
Finished on a high note. Remains an always-ready reliever.

Mike Myers: D
Has allowed 40 percent of inherited runners to score and has not been able to get lefthanded hitters out.

Luis Vizcaino: D
Terrible in April and May. Excellent in June and to begin July.

Doug Mientkiewicz: D
Finally came out of a month-long slump, then broke his wrist.

Bobby Abreu: D
Has performed well -- really well -- for a couple of streaks. Has performed badly -- really badly -- for most of the year.

Kyle Farnsworth: D
He's given up more than a hit per inning and has pitched only four 1-2-3 innings.

Johnny Damon: F
Age and injuries have caught up to Damon. He looks like a DH without any power.

Wil Nieves: F
An offensive void, and 17 of 22 would-be base-stealers have been successful against him.

Kei Igawa: F
A huge disappointment and apparent wasted investment.

Carl Pavano: F
This is a final failing grade for the Yankees' biggest contract mistake in recent years.

A bit harsh in some cases (Cashman, Torre, Damon, Mientkiewicz) and weighted by most recent performance, but overall fairly accurate IMO.

[CMH]

Way too nice to Clemens and Phillips. A bit too nice to Rivera.

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by YankeePride

Way too nice to Clemens and Phillips. A bit too nice to Rivera.

Clemens: Agreed. Again, this seemed weighted for "what have you done recently?" IMO.

Phillips: Earned by a good BA in only 38 bats, I guess. Everybody had to get a grade because there were no "incompletes" for this report card.

[mlyons]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

Clemens: Agreed. Again, this seemed weighted for "what have you done recently?" IMO.

Phillips: Earned by a good BA in only 38 bats, I guess. Everybody had to get a grade because there were no "incompletes" for this report card.

It left off a lot of pitchers who've had more of an impact than Phillips has, though. Where are the grades for Clippard, Rasner, or Henn?