Are The Yankees Really This Good?
- Thread starter Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat
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It's amazing how in denial people here are about how good this Yankee team is, and it will only get better.
They're good, but they ain't better than the 'Stros or the Tribe. They've just had the good fortune of two starters with a combined 4.27 ERA in the regular season pitching their ass off in the postseason. One run prevented them from being swept in the ALDS. That's the beauty of October baseball, the best team doesn't always win.
Sadly, yes. Ellsbury got 409 plate appearances this year. Those will be going to Clint Frazier soon. Another 635 PA this year went to Chris Carter and the man formerly known as Matt Holliday. Greg Bird presumably will have a full season next year.
And as Chase Headley enters his last year, Gleyber Torres is almost ready to make the majors.
Yeah, I think the question mark was related to those facts being "worse" from the point of view of a Sox fan. Theres nothing "better" for us about the MFYs improving. But maybe P91 is an embedded Yankee
This thread is officially stupid. I really hope the Sox hire a manager soon so he can start planning for how to take a game or two next season from this '27 Yankees team.
I think it's amusing that you are insisting that Hanley is an elite hitter because of what he's been throughout his career, but you're implying Tanaka pitching lights out is an abnormality because he struggled for a couple of months this season.
This Yankees team is very good and I'd say they are better than the Astros. I picked the Astros ast he start of the series, but said I wouldn't be surprise if the Yankees took it because they were that close. But the lineups are much closer than I thought and the Yankees have a slightly better rotation with a far superior bullpen. I was (still) underestimating them when the series started.
I'd argue that the Indians are a better team this year, but again, it was probably closer than I'd like to admit, and this article made a good case for the Yankees maybe being the second best team in the sport (and a team very well constructed for a post season run) back on September 19th.
The denial about how good this Yankees team actually is and is going to continue to be is understandable, but we should probably pull out heads our of the sand on this. The Red Sox will have some work to do in the off season if they want to remain the favorites to win the division, IMO. (And yes, the Sox are due for some positive regression. I'm factoring that in.)
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The Yankees are Judge, Sanchez, and an otherwise averageish offense. Tanaka and Gray are good pitchers, Severino and Montgomery are good bets to do well going forward, but may drop off with exposure to the league, Pineda and CC are question marks. They have SP depth, but can be out-aced. Their bullpen is good to excellent. They're legitimate, but nothing like their earlier juggernaut teams. If everything breaks correctly for all their players they'll be a monster. But with even luck/regression (and their depth) they'll likely be in the (very good/contenting for the division) category. Contemporary rivals, not unreachable elites.
Broke this out of the manager thread. We'll leave it on the main board so it will get more traffic.
The bullpen and best lineup pieces are back next season, so that kind of sucks. Aaron Judge figured it out after a lengthy slump and then some, so while there may be some regression, I'm not sure that can be counted on.
Their holes will be in the rotation with Sabathia and potentially Tanaka gone if he opts out. Sabathia was no schlub this season, so they will need to find those innings.
What scares me is that they have money and Darvish is out there, as well as Arrieta and Lynn.
If they don't get Darvish, then I don't think their starting pitching quite matches up, but if they do, then a front three of him, Severino and Gray is not going to be fun times for the foreseeable future.
I hope they blow their load on Arrieta instead of Darvish, because there is at least a chance he falls apart . I kind of doubt they do that, though.
I still think the Sox talent matches up if the lineup can get back to 2016 form, but they need the starting pitching to be elite to stack up completely.
Their holes will be in the rotation with Sabathia and potentially Tanaka gone if he opts out. Sabathia was no schlub this season, so they will need to find those innings.
What scares me is that they have money and Darvish is out there, as well as Arrieta and Lynn.
If they don't get Darvish, then I don't think their starting pitching quite matches up, but if they do, then a front three of him, Severino and Gray is not going to be fun times for the foreseeable future.
I hope they blow their load on Arrieta instead of Darvish, because there is at least a chance he falls apart . I kind of doubt they do that, though.
I still think the Sox talent matches up if the lineup can get back to 2016 form, but they need the starting pitching to be elite to stack up completely.
Arrieta already has sort of fallen apart. His K% has declined the last two seasons and his 2015 walk and home run rates were unsustainably low. I doubt the Yankees target him as a Tanaka replacement if he opts out and signs elsewhere (I'm guessing he'll re-sign in NY if he does exercise the opt out, though). And even if they manage to get him re-signed, they could go after Darvish anyway. Or Otani. Or, gulp, both.
Sounds silly, but they have the money to re-sign Tanaka and sign Darvish if they want to go nuts and buy into their newly opened window hard. And they have to be considered to be one of the front runners for Otani even if we believe that there is absolutely no concern for money on his part. The Yankees have one of the biggest bonus pools left if the difference between 1 and 2.5 million matters, though. So no matter what, they stand at least as good a shot as anyone else of landing him.
I'm hoping Darvish is dead set on returning to Texas and that the Rangers are ready to pony up to make that happen.
Sounds silly, but they have the money to re-sign Tanaka and sign Darvish if they want to go nuts and buy into their newly opened window hard. And they have to be considered to be one of the front runners for Otani even if we believe that there is absolutely no concern for money on his part. The Yankees have one of the biggest bonus pools left if the difference between 1 and 2.5 million matters, though. So no matter what, they stand at least as good a shot as anyone else of landing him.
I'm hoping Darvish is dead set on returning to Texas and that the Rangers are ready to pony up to make that happen.
After your insistence that we should give up on Hanley due to his advanced age of 33, you're seriously trying to give me the "I told you so" about a 37-year-old 300+ pound pitcher with a bad knee who hadn't pitched in a postseason game in 5 years? For real?
And yes, it is indeed an abnormality when a guy with a 4.74 ERA on the year who gave up the 3rd-most HR in the league and finished the regular season with a 4.99 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in September suddenly turns into Koufax in the postseason by giving up just 2 ER in 20 innings with a 0.61 WHIP against two of the best lineups in baseball (and we'll never know if Encarnacion's injury was the deciding factor in Game 3). Tanaka had one decent month, August, that's it. Every other month his ERA was between 3.8 & 8.4 so to say he simply "struggled for a couple months" is beyond apologetic.
You now say the Yankees are a better team than the Astros, yet prior to the series you and virtually everyone else outside of Yankee Universe expected Houston to win? Does not compute.
I have no doubt the Yankees lineup next year will be a strong one if they can avoid injuries. But predictions of any kind at this point in time are silly, because we haven't a clue what kind of starting rotation NY will have next season or who will be in the Sox lineup. Sabathia is a free agent, Tanaka will likely opt out, and who knows what kind of changes are in store for the Sox. There is no denial, just a rational wait-and-see approach. I think people are far too reactionary and far too what-have-you-done-lately. Think back to when the Sox won in '07 and all the talk about how they were so young and talented that they'll be dominant for years to come. How did that work out? How about all the people who thought the Nats and Tribe were a lock for the World Series this year? Games and championships are won on the field, nowhere else.
Unless the Yankees have a team-wide offensive regression few teams in history... they will almost certainly be even stronger next season. I suppose we might expect some decline in their pitching but that requires some unreasonable assumptions about what they are positioned to do in free agency.
Where did I insist this? Go find it and quote it. I'll wait.
And I'm talking about Tanaka, not Sabathia here. You can tell because I used the name "Tanaka." Not "Sabathia."
And yet, his playoff performance looks a whole lot more like his previous two years in MLB. Walk rate is 1.4 (1.58 and 1.62 in 2015 and 2016 as opposed to 2.07 this year) and he's keeping his pitches down and away from the middle of the zone:
But sure, just chalk his success up to luck.
I'm capable of adjusting my opinions as I gain more information. I'm watching Yankees games in their entirety now where as I spent the season mostly watching highlights and reading box scores (unless they played the Sox). I'm adapting my position as I make more observations. You should try it some time.
Unless we're talking about Tanaka. Then "what-have-you-done-lately" is the right approach.
The big question is whether guys like Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks are really this good, or whether it was just a career year for either of them. If they can maintain their current levels, alongside Judge, Sanchez, Gardner...yikes.
Their 6 year window opened two years earlier than anyone expected. It sucks but they’re legitimately good already and all projections show them getting better next year, and they will be favourites for the Manny and Bryce bingo. They have cost controlled hitters and loads of payroll room.
The reason people keep saying they are doing this a year or two ahead of schedule is how much of their rebuilding plan is still in the minors. Every prospect they got last summer in their selloff is not yet on the current roster:
Gleyber Torres from the Cubs in the Chapman deal, should take over at 3B or 2B sometime in 2018, currently ranked by mlb.com as the #1 overall prospect in baseball.
Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield from the Indians in the Miller deal, Frazier got a lot of playing time this year with OF injuries and is slated for LF. Sheffield is a top 100 prospect, a LHP who is pitching very well in Arizona currently.
Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman from the Astros in the McCann deal, both high-ceiling hard throwing SPs who are a few years away, Abreu is also really impressing people in Arizona currently.
Dillon Tate from the Rangers in the Beltran deal, the top pitcher drafted in 2015 who got back on track this year in the minors and is probably on track for 2019 impact.
Plus Chance Adams, Miguel Andujar, Estevan Florial, Domingo Acevedo, etc. NY supposedly still has a top 3 farm system now, after everyone on the current team plus Frazier have graduated, plus increasing financial flexibility as contracts expire for Cashman to plug holes if he needs to.
Gleyber Torres from the Cubs in the Chapman deal, should take over at 3B or 2B sometime in 2018, currently ranked by mlb.com as the #1 overall prospect in baseball.
Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield from the Indians in the Miller deal, Frazier got a lot of playing time this year with OF injuries and is slated for LF. Sheffield is a top 100 prospect, a LHP who is pitching very well in Arizona currently.
Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman from the Astros in the McCann deal, both high-ceiling hard throwing SPs who are a few years away, Abreu is also really impressing people in Arizona currently.
Dillon Tate from the Rangers in the Beltran deal, the top pitcher drafted in 2015 who got back on track this year in the minors and is probably on track for 2019 impact.
Plus Chance Adams, Miguel Andujar, Estevan Florial, Domingo Acevedo, etc. NY supposedly still has a top 3 farm system now, after everyone on the current team plus Frazier have graduated, plus increasing financial flexibility as contracts expire for Cashman to plug holes if he needs to.
I challenge the assertion that the rest of the Yankees offense is 'averageish,' or at least the underlying criticism there. If it were Judge/Sanchez, and then a bunch of guys normally distributed around a 100 wRC+ I could buy it, but really, they were solidly above average even when you discount their two big bats (which I wouldn't, that's like saying that the mid-2000s Red Sox teams were average offenses, if you didn't count Manny and Ortiz). Hicks, Frazier, Castro, Gardener, Headly, Ellsbury, and Gregarious all had wRC+ of over 100, with Holliday at 98. The only below average hitters were part timers, fill-ins, bench guys, and rookies, most of whom won't get as much playing time next year. Honestly, the scariest thing might be that Bird had an 86 wRC+ despite an absurd .191 BABIP that is way below what you would expect looking at his batted ball data (hard hitting, not a ton of grounders). Also, they scored the second most runs in the majors last year, despite missing a month + of Sanchez and having a month+ where Judge was a drag on the lineup, so it's hard to see how they are an average offense.
Just commenting on the Darvish stuff. Cashman will do everything he can to stay under the luxury tax in 2018. Don’t think he’s made that a secret. There are no immediate needs and nobody out there worth blowing the long-term plan over.
But if Tanaka opts out and Cashman prefers Darvish to Tanaka, that becomes a lot more possible with Tanaka's money off the books.
Absolutely. Which definitely adds something to the argument that Tanaka won't opt out.
The Mets were deemed to be a year ahead of schedule when they made the World Series a couple of years ago too. Players get injured. Players regress. Prospects fail.
The Yankees are formidable, are stocked in the minors, and, obviously have deep pockets. But it seems that too many people are making the assumption that everything keeps going great for the Yankees, when it just rarely happens that way. Shit happens. It will happen to them too.
The Yankees are formidable, are stocked in the minors, and, obviously have deep pockets. But it seems that too many people are making the assumption that everything keeps going great for the Yankees, when it just rarely happens that way. Shit happens. It will happen to them too.
Teams that make that ahead-of-schedule leap can often step back the next season. The problem is, the Yankees have not been run in that manner under Cashman. I think we're looking at another 5-6 years of the Yankees always being a playoff team
Let's play the position game. Yankee fans - feel free to correct me if I'm leaving guys out.
Catcher - Sanchez is way better than Vazquez and Leon, warts and all. Vazquez really took a step forward, but he'll never be in Sanchez' offensive stratosphere. It's not changing any time soon either.
1b/DH - Both teams have bottom tier guys here, but Bird has more potential than Travis. If Hanley is 2016 Hanley, then the Sox probably have the edge. I'm not holding my breath. The Yankees have more quality bats overall, so they have the option to move Sanchez to DH if his defense remains a problem or go and sign a solid back up catcher to split time. The Sox just don't have the bat depth (unless Chavis forces the issue by mid season) and would need to sign someone to match up at DH.
Edit: Forgot Clint Frazier. That's kind of a big one.
2b - Castro bounced back to be an average regular this year, while Pedey struggled to stay on the field but was solid when he did. I think a diminished Pedroia is about the same as Castro but there isn't a major advantage either way. If Pedey is somewhat healthy, then he's better. Quite a bit better if Castro turns back to his suck.
SS - Two guys going in different directions. Despite the home runs, Gregorius still managed just a wRC+ of 107, but his defense blows Xander's away. I haven't given up on X yet because of the occasional mammoth home run, but I hope he sells out contact for power and welcomes himself to the flyball revolution. Didi has probably reached his ceiling and I'm holding out hope that X can still grow into his. Didi is the better player right now.
3b - A position the Sox can make up a lot of ground in if Devers sticks here. At least until Torres is ready. I would guess the Yanks punt here until that is the case. When both are regulars at the same time it'll be fun to watch. Shades of Jetes/Nomar
LF - I thought it was the beginning of the end for Gardner last year but red asses have weird bounce back powers. Beni has youth and upside on his side, but Gardner is better. . . for now. I think that changes next year.
CF - Hicks played out of his mind last year, and didn't play the whole season, so its hard to see if he's really this good, or if he will regress. This year's version is what he flashed in the minors - particularly in AA with the Twins, so it could be that he has finally made the adjustment. Still - I'm giving the slight edge to JBJ since Hicks only had 361 PA and was an even worse hitter than JBJ before this year.
RF - Betts vs Judge. Both are really freaking good. The end.
Catcher - Sanchez is way better than Vazquez and Leon, warts and all. Vazquez really took a step forward, but he'll never be in Sanchez' offensive stratosphere. It's not changing any time soon either.
1b/DH - Both teams have bottom tier guys here, but Bird has more potential than Travis. If Hanley is 2016 Hanley, then the Sox probably have the edge. I'm not holding my breath. The Yankees have more quality bats overall, so they have the option to move Sanchez to DH if his defense remains a problem or go and sign a solid back up catcher to split time. The Sox just don't have the bat depth (unless Chavis forces the issue by mid season) and would need to sign someone to match up at DH.
Edit: Forgot Clint Frazier. That's kind of a big one.
2b - Castro bounced back to be an average regular this year, while Pedey struggled to stay on the field but was solid when he did. I think a diminished Pedroia is about the same as Castro but there isn't a major advantage either way. If Pedey is somewhat healthy, then he's better. Quite a bit better if Castro turns back to his suck.
SS - Two guys going in different directions. Despite the home runs, Gregorius still managed just a wRC+ of 107, but his defense blows Xander's away. I haven't given up on X yet because of the occasional mammoth home run, but I hope he sells out contact for power and welcomes himself to the flyball revolution. Didi has probably reached his ceiling and I'm holding out hope that X can still grow into his. Didi is the better player right now.
3b - A position the Sox can make up a lot of ground in if Devers sticks here. At least until Torres is ready. I would guess the Yanks punt here until that is the case. When both are regulars at the same time it'll be fun to watch. Shades of Jetes/Nomar
LF - I thought it was the beginning of the end for Gardner last year but red asses have weird bounce back powers. Beni has youth and upside on his side, but Gardner is better. . . for now. I think that changes next year.
CF - Hicks played out of his mind last year, and didn't play the whole season, so its hard to see if he's really this good, or if he will regress. This year's version is what he flashed in the minors - particularly in AA with the Twins, so it could be that he has finally made the adjustment. Still - I'm giving the slight edge to JBJ since Hicks only had 361 PA and was an even worse hitter than JBJ before this year.
RF - Betts vs Judge. Both are really freaking good. The end.
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I think it's worth pointing out that his shift toward being more of a LD/GB hitter was intentional and may have been a response to what looked like a fatal flaw against breaking pitches down and a way (especially sliders). Selling out for power may open that hole up again which could mitigate or even outstrip any gain he might see from hitting more dingers.
Eno Sarris has mentioned Bogaerts' swing in a few chats and has spoken to X about it and claims it is intentional and he has no interest in making a change. Still - I don't know how he improves unless he tinkers with it.
The Mets were built on fragile young pitching. This has been discussed in the Yankee forum and talked about by some beat writers but the Yankees are loaded depth-wise in the minors to supplement the offense and the pitching. Looking back at the Mets, they never really had any sort of depth beyond what was on the ML roster and a couple top prospects.
Edit: Repost of an article from the subforum.
http://nypost.com/2017/10/19/yankees-have-barely-scratched-the-surface-of-what-they-can-be/
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1. Their pythag was 100-62. So they SHOULD have had a much better record than they did, and then the Red Sox did.
2. I thought Sabathia was a dead duck a few years ago but he's reinvented himself as a crafty lefty with a slightly-better-than-average-for-a-crafty-lefty fastball. The past two years he's put up solid numbers (110, 122 era+). Tanaka was down this year but has been good in the playoffs obviously.
3. Severino absolutely has ace-type stuff. He could be a beast for years to come.
4. Gray is certainly a nice piece for them in the rotation.
5. Their offense is HARDLY just Judge/Sanchez. Gregorius didn't walk, but had a terrific season otherwise. Gardner is a totally pain in the ass. Castro is solid. Hicks was way better than I thought he'd be. The Yankees have a bunch of guys who were better than almost everyone on the Sox this past year, offensively.
6. Their bullpen is stellar and it will be again, as they have huge arms coming up through the system.
7. They will have many cost-controlled players and so a guy like Harper is absolutely in play for them. Imagine a 2-3-4-5-6 of Judge, Harper, Sanchez, Gregorius, Bird. That's a TON of major major major power.
8. I don't know if Judge will hit 50+ again next year, but why not? He adjusted after the league found some holes in his swing (high fastball, mainly) and he's an absolute monster. No reason why he won't be a 45+ homer guy for years to come, as long as he stays healthy.
But the Red Sox, IMO, will absolutely be competitive with them. Lots of talent in the Sox' core group, with excellent starting pitching. If they can add one major bat, this team should be a 96+ win team as well. I fully expect their offense to improve simply because it was a crazy statistical oddity that every one of their guys got worse from 2016 to 2017. Even if they don't revert back to 2016 numbers, but just find a midpoint between their 2016 and 2017 numbers, this offense alone should improve the Sox by a few wins.
It's a great, great time to be a baseball fan - the Sox and Yanks both with tremendously bright futures, slugging it out for years to come. This is what baseball is about.
2. I thought Sabathia was a dead duck a few years ago but he's reinvented himself as a crafty lefty with a slightly-better-than-average-for-a-crafty-lefty fastball. The past two years he's put up solid numbers (110, 122 era+). Tanaka was down this year but has been good in the playoffs obviously.
3. Severino absolutely has ace-type stuff. He could be a beast for years to come.
4. Gray is certainly a nice piece for them in the rotation.
5. Their offense is HARDLY just Judge/Sanchez. Gregorius didn't walk, but had a terrific season otherwise. Gardner is a totally pain in the ass. Castro is solid. Hicks was way better than I thought he'd be. The Yankees have a bunch of guys who were better than almost everyone on the Sox this past year, offensively.
6. Their bullpen is stellar and it will be again, as they have huge arms coming up through the system.
7. They will have many cost-controlled players and so a guy like Harper is absolutely in play for them. Imagine a 2-3-4-5-6 of Judge, Harper, Sanchez, Gregorius, Bird. That's a TON of major major major power.
8. I don't know if Judge will hit 50+ again next year, but why not? He adjusted after the league found some holes in his swing (high fastball, mainly) and he's an absolute monster. No reason why he won't be a 45+ homer guy for years to come, as long as he stays healthy.
But the Red Sox, IMO, will absolutely be competitive with them. Lots of talent in the Sox' core group, with excellent starting pitching. If they can add one major bat, this team should be a 96+ win team as well. I fully expect their offense to improve simply because it was a crazy statistical oddity that every one of their guys got worse from 2016 to 2017. Even if they don't revert back to 2016 numbers, but just find a midpoint between their 2016 and 2017 numbers, this offense alone should improve the Sox by a few wins.
It's a great, great time to be a baseball fan - the Sox and Yanks both with tremendously bright futures, slugging it out for years to come. This is what baseball is about.
Yes, baseball is about the same teams dominating year after year because their finances allow them to work the system in their favor.
Years of Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers dominating does not make it a "great, great time" to be a baseball fan at all. A fan of those franchises, sure; but of baseball, not so much
Yes, Nationals and Orioles fans cant wait to see their marquee players sign with key rivals! If Frazier is the player he can be, I dont see the need for Harper. Castro can be a utility guy, Torres can play 2B, and Machado can play 3B. I still see Machado as the more likely marquee guy for them.
I mean, I take your point but the Astros, Twins, Diamondbacks and maybe even the Rockies will also all be good for quite a while. Maybe the Nats can re-sign Harper and stay atop the NL East as well.
My guess would be that people are over-estimating the potential "lack of alternative options" market that would actually exist (somewhat similar to what basically went on here last winter with Buchholz), and that he needs to count towards any NYY LT figure being calculated.
$67m over 3 isn't chump change to be walking away from there. Too bright a red flag factor working against him and not enough of a dependability track record to fall back on given the recent overall market trends.
This. Also stop this crap about the Yankees success being a good thing. It stinks and it sucks.
The Yankees have won the same number of World Series as the Marlins in the last 16 years. There’s been a good amount of parity since revenue sharing.
I am biased because I am a Red Sox fan of course. But I think baseball is better when both of the Red Sox and Yankees are good.
Of the 20 teams to play in the past 10 World Series, the four franchises you mention fielded just four--two for the Sox, one for the Yankees, one for the Cubs. The Dodgers haven't been in the WS for almost 30 years. There are only two teams in the AL, and only four in the NL, that haven't made the playoffs in the past five years, and only once over that stretch has a team made it to the WS two years in a row.
Whether it continues, who knows, but the past several years have hardly been a time of boring hegemony by the big-money clubs.
Not the best example unless you think winning the WS every time you make the playoffs (the Marlins are 1 for 1 since 2001) is a workable strategy.
No no no no. These are utterly irreconcilable positions. Where's reggiecleveland when you need him? His old signature spoke for itself.
Here's a few quotes from you in the ILBBAICLAAH thread:
Or even "Players who cannot stay healthy are not guaranteed an every day job and by platooning him, we hope to keep him healthy enough to have a season more in line with his true talent level which will help him the next time he hits the free agent market."
"And no, health doesn't excuse away the lack of production in two of his three years in Boston because there is no reason to assume he will be healthy going forward."
He can't stay on the field, and his bat hasn't been elite for quite a few years, even when he's healthy.
No matter how you slice it, he's an above average, not elite hitter, and he's hugely injury prone.
The guy hurt his shoulder in 2015 slamming into a wall while playing a position he shouldn't have been playing. If he had been DH'ing or playing 1B to start that season, he would likely have played 45-50 more games. That was anything but an age-related injury.
Last year he ranked 43rd in PA's among all players in the league, hardly the sign of somebody who "can't stay on the field". And again, big difference when we are talking DH as opposed to position player.
I made the comment that the Yankees have gotten this far because BOTH Sabathia and Tanaka have pitched their asses off, something that nobody had good reason to expect after watching their performances throughout the season. I brought up Tanaka's September to prove it wasn't just an early-season funk, he was mediocre to horrible throughout the season except August. If he had done in September what he's doing now, his dominating the two best teams in the league obviously would have been less of a surprise. But that's simply not the case. I never said it was due to luck, those are your words not mine.
You adjust your opinion and adapt your position? So basically you always go with the current frontrunner? So did you adjust your opinion of the Yankee offense way down after they batted .201/.289/.356 in the ALDS? Did you adjust your opinion of Judge way down after he went 1-for-20 with 16K's in the ALDS? I'm guessing you did on both counts, until around 3 days ago.
But I do agree with you on one thing, the Yankees and every other team in the ALDS had a chance to go to the World Series. That's why they play the games.
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Yes they have silenced the Astros bats and their bullpen is beyond great. Can the Astros come back and win two straight? Possibly, but I think the Yankees have their number now. Believe me I hope I'm wrong. I know I'm being negative but in many ways the Yanks winning is worse then the Red Sox losing. GO ASTROS! You're bats need to come alive!!!
To me pro sports is great when the Yanks, Lakers, Habs, Cowboys, Dolphins(I'm old school) stink!!!
None of those things means "After your insistence that we should give up on Hanley due to his advanced age of 33," but I'm not the least bit surprised you're still arguing against something that wasn't said. It seems to be the only page in your playbook.
I didn't say he was injury prone because he was old, I said he was injury prone, period. He is. That is not an opinion. It is an objective assessment based on the fact that he can't stay on the field. Again, about 121 games per season. That's not a healthy player. That's not someone you count on to avoid injury and play to his full potential.
But again, that's fine. You can platoon him if you want to mitigate that risk, which, again, is not the same as giving up on him.
He averages about 121 games per season. How many games he played last year (while hurt enough to be a mediocre hitter, by the way... he shouldn't have been on the field all year) does not trump the last 7 years.
So Tanaka's a crappy pitcher because he struggled outside of August, but his performance in the post season is... what?
My point is that his post season performance isn't really the outlier. It's the struggles he had this year. He's been a very good pitcher in the previous two years, and was downright nasty his rookie year. What ever caused his struggles (lost his mechanics, injury, tipping pitches, etc) doesn't appear to be bothering him now, so his success shouldn't be all that surprising. And I'd currently take him over every pitcher on the Astros except for Verlander.
Yes, because that's the same thing. You've established that you aren't worth the effort of replying to at this point, so I'm not just done with this conversation. I'm done with you.
Have fun continuing to vomit all over the board.