The Sommer Frieze

Spring training. Nice tease, huh? Let’s take a look. We know spring training doesn’t mean anything, but we hoped some things were a good sign of things to come. Other things we hoped weren’t.

There was worry over Chien Ming Wang. It seems as if he was just working on pitches to add to his repertoire. Not good in S.T. But look, he’s started out 5-0, 3.23.

There were worries over Andy Pettitte and the HGH admission. Andy’s been fine. 3-2, 3.23.

Worries over Mo’s age? Hey, eight saves, ERA 0.00. Didn’t even have his usual April blip.

Joba has been JOBA.

Now for the bad news.

Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes had moments in spring training. For a time, Hughes was throwing the ball better than any pitcher in camp. You knew there would be growing pains. But you were hoping for a couple of games over .500, ERA 4.50 or 4.60 or so. If each went 12-10, 4.71 or so, you’d take it.

You didn’t expect 0-6, 8.78 from them. The Yanks are 14-14, and yes, blame goes to the offense, which has put up a 10 spot just once in 28 games this year. There are times when it seems they can’t squeeze out four runs. But 0-6, 8.78? That’s not growing pains. That’s sheer agony. In 22 IP, Hughes has walked 13. He’s K’d 13. 0-4, 9.00. Kennedy, 0-2, 8.53 has walked 17 in 19 IP. Just 15 K. These guys have better control than that. Stop nibbling and throw strikes.

Robbie Cano hit .467 or so this spring. The hope was that he could hit .330, 25 HR, be moved up in the lineup. Today is April 30th. 103 AB. .155-2-7. OPS+? 26. Do you know what that means? It means he has been 74% WORSE than the league average player. 74%.

Jason Giambi was hitting well in spring training and USING THE WHOLE FIELD. Now? Hitting balls into the shift. The D (or lack of) we were scared of has raised its ugly head. .171. Thank goodness he still draws walks, for his OPS+ is over 100. It says something that he leads the team in HR—with MELKY.

Now Alex and Jorge will be out for a while. As John Sterling accurately (for a change) points out, I’d throw lefties at them. Your righty bats are Jeter, Shelley, Ensberg, Melky, Molina. Ouch. In Alex and Posada, over 240 RBI from last year will be missing for a few weeks. #1 and #6 in last year’s MVP voting.

Now for the team’s impatience at the plate. Four players are doing a decent job drawing walks. Damon, Giambi, Melky (surprise!) and Matsui. Some have been pathetic. How pathetic? Consider this….Last night Shelley Duncan walked three times. That is one more walk than Jeter and Molina have COMBINED.

I’ve been harping on Jeter for a while now. Some members of the NY media treat him like DiMaggio or Mantle. He IS an icon, don’t get me wrong. He is also a SS. A # 2 hitter. Not (and I hate to make the comparison, but must here) A-Rod. Jeter’s most HR in a season is 24. He has one season of 100 RBI. I remember Sterling criticizing people last year for mentioning Jeter’s lack of power and Sterling accurately pointing out that he is not a power hitter. Fine. BUT THESE SAME PEOPLE TREAT HIM AS IF HE WAS ONE. Guess what. Only five of his 25 hits this year are for extra bases. His SA is .356. A .661 OPS. OPS + of 81. 19% WORSE THAN LEAGUE AVERAGE. If this was Alex with a OPS+ of 81, ESPN and the NY media and others would be ALL OVER HIM. But since it’s Jeter, that isn’t happening. It’s happening from me. Why? Because two walks from a #2 hitter in 28 games is simply horrible, that’s why. OPS+ 81. That’s slightly better than Miguel Cairo-like. These same people say you can’t bunt with Jeter in certain situations. Why the hell not? If he isn’t a power hitter, and is putting up the offensive stats of a Cairo, but you won’t bunt with him…THEN WHAT? Stop kissing his damned ego. His job is to set the table. 90 AB. TWO walks. His OBP is .305. Coming into this season, his lifetime BA was .317! His OBP right now is less than his career batting average—not because his average is THAT bad, (it is .278 right now…below average for him, but not terrible), but because of the lack of walks. Jeter, as you may recall, wasn’t that impressive this spring. As for Molina, he has done a fine job filling in for Jorge, but hasn’t drawn a walk yet. NONE. 49 AB. As a result, his OBP = his BA. .245. OPS+ 71.

Bobby Abreu has just 7 walks. That is a pace for 40 this year. He had AT LEAST 84 walks in EVERY SEASON from 1998-2007. A-Rod only has six. A 70 walk a year pace means that after 28 games, a player would need to have 12 right now. Here’s who is on that pace: Damon 17, Giambi 15, Matsui 13, Melky 11. Here is the pace others are at. For those injured (A-Rod and Posada) I’ll give the pace they were on. Jeter 12. Way to set the table, Captain. 12 walks all year?? Alex 35. Posada 17. Abreu 40. Cano 40 (career high). Molina ZERO. Ensberg 12. Hell, Alberto Gonzalez has three walks, Jeter!

8th in walks. 8th in OBP. 6th in BA. They are 2nd in HR. Whooptie-do. The clutch hitting isn’t there, and I’ve been decrying the “wait for the 3-run HR” philosophy of the past several years, esp. when it isn’t a 3-run HR you are getting but a solo shot. When the HRs aren’t there, they don’t know how to CREATE runs. .236 with RISP. .216 with RISP and 2 outs. Games like last night, where once they were down 5-2, you had a feeling—in the 3rd inning—that it was over, are becoming commonplace. Heck, only two players have more than one stolen base. Jeter’s had the quad problem. He has NO steals. Hm…NO HR from Derek, 5 for 25 hits for XB, NO Steals, isn’t drawing walks….and people don’t want him to bunt last Saturday. What’s left?

The OPS+ is 104. The ERA+ 93.

Offensively, not much to say. Cano and Jeter should be in the 120’s OPS+ wise. One is at 26, the other 81. Ugh. “Tough love” (Brett Gardner) has worked as Damon has woken up (OPS+ 136). Melky (.289, 5 HR, OPS+ 133, 11 walks) has been a surprise.

I don’t know what will become of Ian and Phil. SWB is off today, so I’ll put up a link to their stats later as well as show some stats for SWB players. You can then see where Rasner, Giese and UGH-Gawa stand. Others, like Cano and Jeter, simply have to wake up…and become more patient.

With the stats above, they are still 14-14, and just two back. Luckily, no one in the East is running away with things. Imagine if Boston were, say, 22-6 and the Yanks were 8 back. The “Boos for Hughes” last night would have been even more vicious. I didn’t even mention Sadie Hawkins.

Later…but before I leave…

Guess who starts rehab at SWB this week…Wilson Betemit…I guess we could compare him to Mighty Mouse…

Here I come to save the day!