Mid-season performance thread

[mycroft]

The 2008 1st half has come and gone and in its wake the Yankees have, well, been mediocre at best. Again the best team in baseball has found every way to lose a game and there are many reasons, but saying that there is reason for optimism, specifically being 5.5 games off the pace instead of the 10.5 games this time last year.

Damon~Despite his age and declining skills Damon has managed to stay healthy and has done a good job in left and at the top of the order. With Matsui out he will have to play more and this may hurt his long term health and we can't afford him getting hurt.

Cano~Last time I remarked he was the best second basemen and all I heard about was this one year wonder from Philly. Well it is a long season and look who has been red hot.

Giambi~I am surprised and impressed. I wrote him off but I underestimated the power of the stache...

Cabrera~Great defense but still waiting on the offense. Terrible from the right side and all we see are lefties.

Matsui~Jeez, on the dl. Surgery would be a killer.

ARod~A few clutch hits now and then would be nice.

Jete~Solid

Posada~Please stay healthy.

Joba~Last time I lambasted Hank pretty good for forcing Girardi to change Joba into a starter and I am still not thrilled. His absense from the pen significantly weakens the pen and getting the ball to Rivera is not as sure as it was. But it is clear that they knew Wang was injured and kept Wang pitching until the transistion was complete.

Mussina and Pettitte have really stepped up. Will Ponson get another start and was his first outing a fluke or has Ponson found the stuff that he had early in his career with the Orioles. Great outing and a game we needed after that pounding.

Needs~

I believe we need to go after a starting pitcher and CC Sabathia I believe is worth the risk. I do have my reservations on how a kid like Sabathia will fare in a city like NY but at this point I don't think we have any choice. If we can't reel in Sabathia then a top reliever. But as much as we need help with our pitching we need to figure out how to hit a left hander...jeez.

I don't believe the sawks are the same team they were last year and injuries as well as age are taking their toll. Tampa is the team du jour but I believe they are one key injury away from falling apart. Saying that there is nothing more I want to see than Tampa sweeping the sawks in their upcoming series that starts tonight.

And Michael Kay, you are still the biggest putz ever!

GO ANSKY

[Chacon]

There are so many silly one-liners and ill-thought out rationals in this post but this one in particular caught my eye. That would be the Joba "evaluation"

Joba~Last time I lambasted Hank pretty good for forcing Girardi to change Joba into a starter and I am still not thrilled. His absense from the pen significantly weakens the pen and getting the ball to Rivera is not as sure as it was. But it is clear that they knew Wang was injured and kept Wang pitching until the transistion was complete.

Hank forced nothing on Joe Girardi. Joe has little to do with that decision and neither does Hank Steinbrenner. We can argue all day about why Joba is in the rotation but at this point if you can't see why it was done then I can't help you there. And Wang was injured the whole time and didn't go down until the transition was complete?! This thread sucks.

[buntsalot2]

The 2008 1st half has come and gone and in its wake the Yankees have, well, been mediocre at best. Again the best team in baseball has found every way to lose a game and there are many reasons, but saying that there is reason for optimism, specifically being 5.5 games off the pace instead of the 10.5 games this time last year.

Yanks are far from the "best team in baseball"...
their record and performance say otherwise. What is true is they are the most expensive mediocre team in baseball. Ca$hman has gone totally flat. If Ponson is his only move, then 2008 Yanks edition's fate is already sealed. You forgot to appraise him and Joe.... any comments?

[R.V.47]

With all of the problems this team has had they are still somehow over 500. Still though they cant play this way and make the playoffs.

[montrealer]

Not Surprised.

[TheJobaRules]

No way are the Yankees the best team in baseball. The Red Sox are the best team in the game.

[bigwampum]

No way are the Yankees the best team in baseball. The Red Sox are the best team in the game.

They're not even the best team in the division.

[bannusvdk]

They're not even the best team in the division.

Maybe not even second best...sheesh.

That's right, sheesh.

[YanksFan1992]

Been a shaky few months, but I am still confident we'll make the playoffs.

[dougj1]

On May 15, Yanks were 41/2 games out. They are now 6 1/2 out. What is Cashmans solution to this problem; he brings up Christian and Gardner and Ponson....This proves Yanks have no farm system worth speaking about....Most of you don't seem to care, since you are only concerned about making the playoffs, since this seems to be some sort of benchmark of excellence. You guys should root for the Braves, since Cashman has turned this once great franchise into the A.L. version of the Atlanta Braves, another also ran club.

[mycroft]

With all of the problems this team has had they are still somehow over 500. Still though they cant play this way and make the playoffs.

The only way the Yankees will have any shot at all this year is if they bump up there pitching. Last night' s 2-1 loss to the Rangers was pathetic and the only word I can use to describe what I saw was lithargic. This is the same way they played under Torre the last several years and it seems Girardi isn't having much more luck trying to fire these guys up. It is true injuries have killed us but common, 1 stinking run against one of the worst pitching staffs?

[Toaderly]

Based upon the amount of talent the team has, and taking into consideration the various injuries, I'd give the yankees a C thus far through the season. If they want to make it to the PS, they're going to need to win each series (2 out of 3, etc.), if not sweep them, from here on out. With Wang and Hughes out for the next two to three months, their SP needs some major help. The offense also has to step up their game big time.

[mycroft]

There are so many silly one-liners and ill-thought out rationals in this post but this one in particular caught my eye. That would be the Joba "evaluation"



Hank forced nothing on Joe Girardi. Joe has little to do with that decision and neither does Hank Steinbrenner. We can argue all day about why Joba is in the rotation but at this point if you can't see why it was done then I can't help you there. And Wang was injured the whole time and didn't go down until the transition was complete?! This thread sucks.

You don' find it curios that the talk of Joba to the rotation began right around the same time Wang got hurt running to first. I think Joba will be our next ace but I was hoping to do it next year. It turns out that they had to start Joba and hoefully tonight he will pitch as good a game moose did last night.

And thank you for the nice review

[hardrain]

Jeter Is solid? He's been below league average offensively and defensively.

[yankeebot]

I thought Chase Utley was the Phillies 2B. Who is the "one year wonder" you're referencing?

Oh, and I'm also a bit confused on how you remember the Joba transition/Wang injury relationship. The Yankees announced that Joba was beginning the transition to the rotation on May 22. Wang was injured on June 15. Help me out here.

[effdamets]

There are a number of issues with what has been said/typed in this thread.

1- The Yankees are not playing like the best team in MLB, therefore cannot be considered the best team.

2- Wang did not get hurt running to first, he was scoring on a hit by Jeter.

3- While I am a pretty big Jeter supporter, he has been a disappointment so far - offensively. To say his defense has been poor is incorrect as it actually has been a nice surprise this season, so far.

The problem with this team is not the pitching right now. It is the TERRIBLE inconsistency of the offense. That is not to say that the Yankees should look to improve their pitching staff, but, they really need to start scoring runs with hits.....

There is a lot of time left. To say that the Yankees cannot play 6 games better than the Rays from this point on would be a falicy. However, the offense will have to kick it up a notch to go along with the pitching staying where it is right now.

[Abe Frohman]

Its really sad too cause with every game that passes this year, the rest of this team

make themselves look like if A-ROD had walked, theyd be in last place. We're gonna

need another * QUALITY * arm down the stretch. How long can we really expect

Rasner and Geise to pitch semi - effectively ? No one is gonna do us any favors in

trades, and Cashman has come out and said that he wont make any big trades that

will hamper this teams future. Why cant this team get lucky like the Cards in 06 ?

[BRNXBMRS]

Everyone gets a C-

[teknetic]

Cano~Last time I remarked he was the best second basemen and all I heard about was this one year wonder from Philly. Well it is a long season and look who has been red hot.

Joba~Last time I lambasted Hank pretty good for forcing Girardi to change Joba into a starter and I am still not thrilled. His absense from the pen significantly weakens the pen and getting the ball to Rivera is not as sure as it was. But it is clear that they knew Wang was injured and kept Wang pitching until the transistion was complete.

So you consider Utley an one year wonder, aren't satisfied with the numbers Joba has put up as a starter and the pen pitching rather well after his transition..and still think Hank was the one calling the shots regarding his move into the rotation.

Right.

[hardrain]

1) wow. If Utley is a one-year wonder, Cano doesn't belong in the Major Leagues.
2)The Yanks are far from the best team in baseball.
3) Jeter has improved defensively, for him, but that does not make him even league average when compared to more competent shortstops. Offensively, he has been very poor.
4) When you see Jeter myopia, can A-Rod bashing be far behind?

[webassign]

Jeter has been solid? Do you mean solidly bad?

[THEBOSS84]

You don' find it curios that the talk of Joba to the rotation began right around the same time Wang got hurt running to first. I think Joba will be our next ace but I was hoping to do it next year. It turns out that they had to start Joba and hoefully tonight he will pitch as good a game moose did last night.

And thank you for the nice review

Your timeline (among many other things) is inaccurate. Joba started and went 6 IP, 2 games BEFORE Wang hurt his foot.

[hardrain]

Your timeline (among many other things) is inaccurate. Joba started and went 6 IP, 2 games BEFORE Wang hurt his foot.

Yes. Another issue is that you can't keep Joba in the pen all year and then make him a starter at the beginning of next year, because he'd be in the same boat with the innings pitched issue.

[BroadwayBomber55]

The 2008 1st half has come and gone and in its wake the Yankees have, well, been mediocre at best. Again the best team in baseball has found every way to lose a game and there are many reasons, but saying that there is reason for optimism, specifically being 5.5 games off the pace instead of the 10.5 games this time last year.

The Yankees are the best team in baseball when they play to their full, ultimate maximum efforts in everything seriously.

I don't care who the Yankees face, take every game seriously, make effective changes on the fly, and make all the plays.

[groovitude]

What is Cashmans solution to this problem; he brings up Christian and Gardner and Ponson....This proves Yanks have no farm system worth speaking about....Most of you don't seem to care, since you are only concerned about making the playoffs, since this seems to be some sort of benchmark of excellence. You guys should root for the Braves, since Cashman has turned this once great franchise into the A.L. version of the Atlanta Braves, another also ran club.

Saying that we have no farm system because the players we brought up to the Majors aren't game-changers is ill-informed. The major-league ready ballplayers we have in the minors is a tiny slice of our farm. We've got some great talent, but they need refinement and time to develop. Basing your opinion on the major league call-ups is like telling me that clearly Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band sucks, because "Within You Without You" isn't that great of a song.

That said, according to Baseball America's 2008 farm rankings, the Yankees have the fifth-best farm system in all of baseball out of thirty.

The only way the Yankees will have any shot at all this year is if they bump up there pitching. Last night' s 2-1 loss to the Rangers was pathetic and the only word I can use to describe what I saw was lithargic. This is the same way they played under Torre the last several years and it seems Girardi isn't having much more luck trying to fire these guys up. It is true injuries have killed us but common, 1 stinking run against one of the worst pitching staffs?

... what? How does 'bumping up our pitching' help? Our pitching allowed only two runs against the highest-scoring offense in the game. You're not going to get a whole lot better than that. The rest of your post deals with the offense -- but you're not going to be able to make up for offensive deficits with pitching unless you can get a staff that throws to a 0.00 ERA.

No way are the Yankees the best team in baseball. The Red Sox are the best team in the game.

Tampa has the highest win percentage in MLB right now. The Cubs and the Angels also have better win percentages than Boston. Maybe they're the best team on paper, but as of right now, they're not in the standings.

You don' find it curios that the talk of Joba to the rotation began right around the same time Wang got hurt running to first. I think Joba will be our next ace but I was hoping to do it next year. It turns out that they had to start Joba and hoefully tonight he will pitch as good a game moose did last night.

And thank you for the nice review

As other folks have said -- not only did Wang injure his foot while rounding third, but that happened two days after Chamberlain's third start. (And, of course, they started to stretch him out before he began starting.)

[dont_ya_know24]

my plan:

Sign Freddy Garcia, drop ponson.

Trade for D-marte/ fuentes.

sign bonds to league minimum

[PinstripeDynasty]

The only way the Yankees will have any shot at all this year is if they bump up there pitching. Last night' s 2-1 loss to the Rangers was pathetic...

Pitching is problem...2-1 loss...cannot compute...systems overload.

[nyyfanatic85]

We just need Barry Bonds and everything will be gravy!!

[BonusCantos]

The only way the Yankees will have any shot at all this year is if they bump up there pitching. Last night' s 2-1 loss to the Rangers was pathetic and the only word I can use to describe what I saw was lithargic. This is the same way they played under Torre the last several years and it seems Girardi isn't having much more luck trying to fire these guys up. It is true injuries have killed us but common, 1 stinking run against one of the worst pitching staffs?

They gave up 2 runs in 9 innings against one of baseball's best offenses and the pitching is the problem?

This team either wins 10-0 or goes 0-10 with RISP in a bitter loss. The problem is, and continues to be, the complete lack of offensive consistency. Jeter has had a down half, Cano has been dreadful for the most part, Melky is an auto out now, etc. If they could get a situational hit once in a while, they'd be in a horserace for 1st place right now.

[bxbomber328]

By the way, someone pleeeeeease answer this question for me..

When the heck will Roy Halladay be available. He's the absolute person I would love on this team right now.

[yankeebot]

By the way, someone pleeeeeease answer this question for me..

When the heck will Roy Halladay be available. He's the absolute person I would love on this team right now.

Signed through 2010.

[dont_ya_know24]

where have you gone to squirrel??