Alright. First off, I am a huge Yankees fan. I mean huge. Diehard. Live and die with every game. I am not that kind of fan who bashes the team. I'm not the waste of life drunks at the Stadium who booed ARod relentlessly night after night. I'm the guy who refuses to get down and refuses to think negatively. Basically, I'm an optimist when it comes to the Bombers. However, I never thought that this particular 2007 Yankees team would struggle to this horrendous of an extent.
On paper, they are as good as anyone. I mean look at them. Jeter, Damon, Rodriguez, Abreu, Matsui, Posada on and on. The pitching staff? Sure, it had questions to begin the year, but most would like the Yankees chances with that lineup hitting for Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, Pavano, and Igawa. However, that rotation took quite a blow. Some for the worst and some for the better (Hughes).
Let's deal with Pavano first shall we? I sincerely believed he was going to be the AL comeback player of the year to begin the 2007 season. It wasn't me being a homer, I truly believed he was going to comeback in a big way. Well, I was wrong and he's a completely gutless piece of junk who is making 40 million dollars by sitting on the bench and having the occasional surgery to pass the time.
Ahh, Kei Igawa. This is a good one. One of Brian Cashman's more questionable moves. The Red Sox lobby for and sign the most heralded player to perhaps ever come over from Japan in Daisuke Matsuzaka and Cashman counters with the much less sought after Kei Igawa. Igawa reels in a 5 year deal worth 20 million dollars. Let's move to the other side. The Red Sox win the rights to negotiate with the WBC star, Daisuke Matsuzaka, also of Japan. The Sox sign him to a 6 year, 52 million dollar deal. Now, Matsuzaka may not end up being worth the 52 million the Sox paid him or the 103 million the team invested in him for his services, but he certainly is astronomically better than the disappointing Igawa. The Red Sox saw talent along with the chance for media attention. The Yankees saw a counter move to Dice-K, and a bad one at that.
To date we're left with three mainstays in the Yanks rotation: Wang, Pettitte, Mussina. Wang and Pettitte have both done their jobs and have came as advertised. Mussina was un-Mussina like for the first two months, but has come around nicely as of late to post a 2.87 ERA in his last 6 starts.
With all this in mind, one would wonder why the Yankees are 12 out of the division and 8.5 out of a wild card spot. The bottom line is, the team has underperformed. It's not that they don't have to team or the talent to win, but rather because those players are flat out not doing the job they're expected too.
Aside from Jeter, Posada, and ARod, every single starter in that lineup has underperformed. Robbie Cano is a great hitter having an okay year, but he sure isn't swinging to the tune of that .342 mark he soared to last season in only his first full season in the bigs. Abreu is hardly the player he was in the second half with the Yanks during the 2006 campaign. Don't get me wrong I am a huge fan of both Abreu and Cano and love having them on the team. I support them all the way, but that is a big chunk of why the Yankees are underperforming. Damon and Giambi's injuries have loomed large as well. Not having that consistent leadoff hitter you can put in that one slot every night hurts the entire lineup and his lack of presence in it is felt all the way down. Plus, fans may not think Jason Giambi is a huge loss, but ask Josh Beckett, go ahead and ask guys like Curt Schilling who they hate to face the most on the Yankees. They'll tell you Jason Giambi every time.
However, as much as I have rambled on about it, hitting is hardly the reason this team is so disappointing. It falls on the pitching. The Yankees have thrown the likes of Tyler Clippard, Darrell Rasner, Jeff Karstens, and Chase Wright out there on given nights. Sure a lot of it is injury, but a lot of it is lack of personnel. Pavano was basically replaced by Clemens, but for April and May the Yanks had no four starter. Igawa's struggles which sent him packing for Tampa and the Yankees Single A squad left the team with yet another empty spot in the rotation.
Basically, for the first two months of the year, the Yankees were favored for two games (Wang and Pettitte), a push for one game (Mussina), and underdogs for two games (Karstens, Wright, Clippard, etc.). That equates to a .500 record which is basically where the Yanks were at during that point.
Lastly and most importantly, the one reason more than any other for the Yanks struggles is the bullpen. It is terrible, the end. Past Rivera, everyone in that bullpen shouldn't even be in the majors. Really, Farnsworth has been labeled Farnsworthless by many. Proctor's season highlight to Yankee fans was when he brushed back Kevin Youkilis. Vizcaino, umm...next. Myers is horrible. Why is he still on this team? Release him already. There are better lefty relievers in the minors and on the FA list. Bruney is a nice reliever and his ERA is impressive but one can't help but notice that nearly 1:1 BB to K ratio and his lack of ability to throw the ball over the plate for strikes in close and late situations.
Again, the Yankee bullpen is absolutely horrible other than Rivera. I mean, Mo can't even get on the mound because the team can't hand him a lead in the 9th. Rivera isn't even getting save opportunities this season. The bullpen has brought this team down from day one. If the Yankees had the bullpen that the Angels do, they'd be leading the wild card if not the division.
All of the reasons I listed are why the Yankees are still below .500 here on our Independence Day and is why they are playing to save their playoffs lives by the day. For all you Yankee haters that read this (and I know there are plenty of you), I'm not going have every entry concern the Yankees. Many will be on other issues or players in sports. However, I'm sure I'll have to throw in a little entry on Phil Hughes. This guy actually COULD have been the Yankees savior.
