NY rotation 2014

[jon abbey]

Going into Opening Day, this is where we stand:
 
Sabathia
Kuroda
Nova
Tanaka
Pineda
 
(Phelps, Warren, Nuno all in major league bullpen)
 
AAA rotation: 
 
Aceves
Chase Whitley
Brian Gordon
Shane Greene
Bruce Billings
 
If the top 5 stay healthy, I think they have a chance to be very good (obviously with a ton of question marks up and down). But they are thin as hell with those three guys in the major league bullpen, won't be easy to stretch any of them out after a month or so if needed. I think they're going to regret not keeping Nuno in AAA for rotation insurance.

 

[Sampo Gida]

40% of SP'ers go on the DL each year and every Yankees team since 1975 has needed at least 8 starters, and the average team needs 6 starts from their 8th starter.
 
I don't think stretching out guys in the bullpen is all that hard.  Joe will certainly be smart enough to have at least one or two of them throw multiple innings in long relief to stretch them out.  
 
If they need an emergency starter for 1 start, I guess they could call up Aceves, assuming he can be added to the 40 man, or just go with a couple of guys from the pen to get them past the first 5 innings.  It probably takes 10 days to stretch a long man to be able to throw 5-6 innings.
 
Their biggest problem having most of their SP depth in the pen is multiple injuries at the same time.  That happens, but probably not often enough to worry about.

 

[Brickowski]

Nuno is the second coming of Eddie Lopat and Phelps has been a starter in the past.  I don't see a problem with either one of those guys going 6 innings in a pinch.

 

[Brickowski]

Well, Phelps and Nuno have both been starters.  Phelps lost out to Pineda for the 5th spot.
I'm really not worried about the Yankees' pitching, and the loss of Hughes and Chamberlain (both of whom were atrocious last year) is addition by subtraction.
 
The Yankees won 85 games last year with guys like Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay and Chris Stewart as regulars. I expect them to win 90+ this year. 

 

[terrynever]

Pineda threw 6 innings in a ML game today, 1 run, 8 Ks. Aceves followed and was clocked between 91-95, according to beat writer Eric Boland.

 

[Sampo Gida]

Pineda threw 6 innings in a ML game today, 1 run, 8 Ks. Aceves followed and was clocked between 91-95, according to beat writer Eric Boland.

 
I am probably one of the few who liked Aceves.  I mean, he is nuts but I want him on my side when the benches clear.  He was pretty good before Bobby V's abuse wrecked him, and hating Bobby V is not a sin in my world .

 

[jon abbey]

BBs allowed by the starting pitchers in the first seven games:
 
1, 1, 5 (Nova), 0, 0, 0, 0

 

[jon abbey]

After a few weeks of regular season play, it's pretty clear that Adam Warren is no longer a rotation option for this season. Nuno is presumably the 6th guy currently, Phelps could probably still stretch out over a few weeks, but they need Warren in the back of the pen. Aceves should be an option before too long but he has yet to pitch in AAA and would need to be added to the 40 man roster also. 
 
So stay healthy, rotation. Thx in advance. 

 

[MakMan44]

https://twitter.com/eboland11/status/460072295185530880

 

[jon abbey]

Brutal, he is a stud if he could stay healthy. He is still young at least, turning 22 in July.

 

[Sampo Gida]

Brutal, he is a stud if he could stay healthy. He is still young at least, turning 22 in July.

 
That's the problem with pitching prospects.  Injuries are just so common you can't count on them until they pass the injury nexus and hit 24-25, and even then the number of pitchers who go down due to injury is high.  Fortunately its the elbow and not a shoulder.

 

[jon abbey]

So with Nova out for the year and Pineda out for at least a month or so, this is where NY stands:
 
Tanaka
Sabathia
Kuroda
Nuno
Phelps
 
After that? I doubt they'd try to stretch out Warren, but that is possible. They like Shane Greene (and he is on the 40 man roster already), they have Aceves for emergencies, and Banuelos is lurking at the fringes, up to AA this week but still only pitching 3 innings at a time. 

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Alfredo Aceves has to be in the discussion somewhere.  3 appearances in SWB of 4-5 innings.  2 were clean, the third (4/28), not so good.  But certainly the kind of guy you can bring up for a game or to and then DFA.
 
 
From a distance, of course.

 

[orphan]

So with Nova out for the year and Pineda out for at least a month or so, this is where NY stands:
 
Tanaka
Sabathia
Kuroda
Nuno
Phelps
 
After that? I doubt they'd try to stretch out Warren, but that is possible. They like Shane Greene (and he is on the 40 man roster already), they have Aceves for emergencies, and Banuelos is lurking at the fringes, up to AA this week but still only pitching 3 innings at a time. 

 
I feel sorry for the bullpen with that rotation. Pineda hasn't been missed more. I know people are down on Kuroda, but you take out his last start and he's actually solid. I'm not too big with including last years stats with the present. After all there was a several month break, new season and all, and his 2nd half decline last year was attributed to being worn out.  

 

[jon abbey]

Alfredo Aceves has to be in the discussion somewhere.  3 appearances in SWB of 4-5 innings.  2 were clean, the third (4/28), not so good.  But certainly the kind of guy you can bring up for a game or to and then DFA.
 
 
From a distance, of course.

 
Yeah, he is on my list there. 

 

[jon abbey]

 
 his 2nd half decline last year was attributed to being worn out.  

 
It was attributed to that really belatedly, like in spring training after they'd resigned him, and to me it is perfectly fair to believe a guy is cooked (especially when he is 39) until he clearly shows he isn't. 

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

 
Yeah, he is on my list there. 

 
I know, I just want everyone (especially Cashman) to think of him as a solution

 

[TomRicardo]

Sabathia and Nova are out for the year.  Pineda and Tanaka are out for the near future.  That leaves a 39 YO Kuroda left from their opening day rotation.
 
Right now:
 
Kuroda
Phelps
McCarthy
Whitley
Greene
 
So you have 39 YO who looks out of gas after completely running out of gas the second half last year, a swingman who has looked decent, a former topp prospect who looked great in his debut, a AAA swing man, and a guy who average ~1.5 WHIP in the minors.
 
I suppose they could trade Severino and Judge for something.

 

[jon abbey]

Actually while it looks ridiculous on paper, four of these guys look pretty good currently:
 
Not sure what you're talking about with Kuroda, he has a 3.71 ERA since May 1 and a 3.51 since June 1. He's not an ace but he has been keeping NY in games.
 
Phelps may hit an innings wall but has been very solid so far.
 
McCarthy looked OK in his first start and dominant yesterday, NY's first game with 10+ Ks and no walks by anyone since a CC start in 2010.
 
Whitley is totally oooked as a starter and needs to be replaced, by Pineda in a few weeks hopefully but ideally he won't start again (maybe Huff on Tuesday?).
 
Greene has looked great in his first two starts, taking a no-hitter into the 5th both times. His minor league stats aren't anything special, but he seems to have turned a corner starting a few weeks before he was called up. 
 
So if Cashman can figure out another McCarthy like deal to bump Whitley back to the pen, NY should be in surprisingly good shape here barring more injuries. The biggest mistake they have made all season (since Opening Day) is to never transition Adam Warren back to a starter, they desperately could use him in that Whitley spot now.

 

[jon abbey]

Also keep in mind that NY's shitty infield D (mostly Jeter) makes most SPs look a bit worse than they are. Phelps had to get six outs in one inning on Friday (Jeter and Roberts errors, one would have been an easy DP), and still only gave up one run that inning. 

 

[jon abbey]

NY's starters gave up 3 total ERs in the 3 games against CIN this weekend. 

 

[LondonSox]

Yankee temporary magic aside, that's not going to get it done surely.
 
You guys don't have a ton of prospects could you actually see one or two moved to try and compete this year? That would seem a really bad idea.

 

[terrynever]

You're right. Jim Bowden actually suggested trading Severino and Judge in a deal for Cliff Lee, who is old and has a cranky elbow. That's why he's writing for ESPN these days instead of working as a GM.
 
Severino could be a starter in NY by next summer unless he breaks down physically. He just had a good first start in AA Trenton. It's crazy but if he pitches well there for a month, he could pitch for Scranton once or twice in August. That would be four levels of minor league ball in one season.

 

[AlNipper49]

NY's starters gave up 3 total ERs in the 3 games against CIN this weekend. 

You sound like Yankee Eric Van

 

[EvilEmpire]

You sound like Yankee Eric Van

 
 
No, no, no.  He just acknowledged something good that happened.  He didn't then take that SSS and say good things will happen later too.

 

[LondonSox]

 
 
No, no, no.  He just acknowledged something good that happened.  He didn't then take that SSS and say good things will happen later too.

 
Implied it though?
I do think the YEV title needs to be handed out to someone though
 
edit I can't type.

 

[AlNipper49]

Yes, you Yankees fans need to bestow the title of YEV onto someone lest it be bestowed upon you by force.

 

[terrynever]

Rembrat.

 

[jon abbey]

I think I'm pretty realistic in general about NY and their pros and cons. Tom Ricardo has traditionally started threads in the Yankee section at the worst time possible, he is a fantastic contrarian indicator when it comes to the Yankees, that was my main point in posting the weekend numbers. Look for Shane Greene to make a late ROY run, McCarthy to have his number retired in pinstripes, etc., etc.
 
But more seriously, obviously it could all blow up at any time, but that's always the case. Kuroda could hit the same wall he hit last year, Phelps is close to an innings high, etc, etc. But Greene has looked dominant (admittedly only two starts) and has very good stuff, and McCarthy the same. McCarthy also started pitching well a couple of starts before getting to NY, also I read that McCann thought that he reminded him of Tim Hudson and gave him a tip via Hudson about varying the break on his slider which McCarthy has instantly utlizied to great effect, I will find the reference now. 
 
So, my point was I feel more confident about this rotation 1-4 than I maybe have all year, since Nova was terrible before getting hurt and CC was also pretty uniformly awful. They desperately need a new #5, but 1-4 look good (to me anyway) currently. 

 

[jon abbey]

"During Brandon McCarthy's short time as a Yankee, Brian McCann has been in his ear. To McCann, McCarthy's sinker/cutter/curveball combination makes him like a much-taller Tim Hudson.
 
"I've been able to catch some guys with very similar stuff," McCann said. "Like Tim Hudson. He changes eye levels really well so guys can't hunt for a certain pitch. I talked to him about that. He was able to execute it right out the shoot."
 
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/77633/mccann-brings-out-best-in-mccarthy

 

[jon abbey]

Also, ludicrous Jim Bowden ideas inside (how does he still have a job?), I will be pretty upset if Cashman trades quality prospects for anyone who's not a long-term, young, solution. But he's done a great job finding three stopgaps in the rotation (and Whitley for a while too, before he hit a wall). 

 

[EvilEmpire]

Oh dear.

 

[ronlt40]

Yes, you Yankees fans need to bestow the title of YEV onto someone lest it be bestowed upon you by force.

Does YEV have to carry around a huge sword Ned Stark style??

 

[bankshot1]

Give Cashman credit, in 2005 it was Small and Chacon, this year its Smoke and Mirrors.

 

[rembrat]

Rembrat.

 
I've mellowed with age. Give it to one of the fiery kids.

 

[Murderer's Crow]

Also, ludicrous Jim Bowden ideas inside (how does he still have a job?), I will be pretty upset if Cashman trades quality prospects for anyone who's not a long-term, young, solution. But he's done a great job finding three stopgaps in the rotation (and Whitley for a while too, before he hit a wall). 

 
I agree with this. I don't think Cashman usually goes nuts at the trade deadline anyway so I would be surprised if he allowed teams to capitalize on the team's desperation by emptying the farm for one player.

 

[TSC]

 
I've mellowed with age. Give it to one of the fiery kids.

EV certainly did.

 

[jon abbey]

Phelps left today with right elbow inflammation, but Pineda threw 58 pitches in a AAA game (3 1/3 scoreless, he got up to 94) and Esmil Rogers looked very good in three scoreless in relief, he was starting in AAA up until a couple of weeks ago. 

 

[jon abbey]

https://twitter.com/BryanHoch/status/496143479698100225

 

[glennhoffmania]

I'm watching the game right now and they showed a preview of the matchups for the upcoming series with Baltimore.  Probables for NY are Capuano, Greene and Rogers.  Not quite the rotation one would expect of a $200m+ payroll team.  It's pretty amazing that they're still in the hunt for not only a playoff spot but for a division title.

 

[jon abbey]

Pineda will likely start that Wed game, but the point is basically the same. They've lost 5 SPs so far this year (Nova, CC, Pineda, Tanaka, Phelps), and none of them have come back after their injury so far (hopefully Pineda will change this very shortly).