We've been down this road before. Every other year or so since 2003, the bullpen blows up. Gone are the days of Nelson-Stanton-Rivera with a little Graeme Lloyd mixed in. Now, the Yankees have Jose Veras, who either can't throw a strike to save his life or floats a fastball down Broadway; David Robertson, who seems so nervous sometimes I'm afraid he'll slip on his flop sweat; and Damaso Marte, he of the perpetually sore left shoulder (and who is, incidentally, signed for three years). In years past, the Yankees have elected to find bullpen help internally before looking to trade, and this year seems no different. Let's look at the options to rescue this sad little bullpen. (Note: I really believe that Melancon is a good option to stay in MLB, despite his rough outing Friday night, and I think part of Albaladejo's problem has been a combination of overuse/underuse. Remember, he's still a young pitcher):
Brett Tomko After impressing in spring training, Tomko has gone on to dominate in his short time with the AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees, allowing one earned run in 10 innings, while striking out 12. Tomko has major league experience, and will ,presumably, be able to pitch without a fit of nerves.
Casey Fossum The 31-year old left-hander has bounced around the majors, with varying degrees of success. He was released by the Mets last week and the Yankees signed him before the Angels series. Again, like Tomko, he has major league experience, and it can't hurt to give him a look.
Alfredo Aceves Aceves pitched a bit for the Yankees back in September, and looked impressive. He can be a solid long-inning reliever for the big club. Currently, though his ERA is almost 4.00, he boasts a sick WHIP of 0.97. His home run rate may explain that, so he wouldn't be a good choice for a mid-inning reliever, but with the number of quality pitches he throws, why would you use him that way, anyway?
JB Cox Cox showed a lot of promise but has been a bit of a disappointment after AA due to injuries (He had Tommy John surgery in 2007). He was once projected to be a future big-league setup man. He has a reliable fastball with a complementary hard slider. Don't sleep on this kid just yet. He's young enough to rebound.
Zach Kroenke The Yankees' fifth-round draft pick in 2005 has been solid at every level and appears to be continuing that trend in AAA this year with a 0.84 ERA through 10 IP. Pinstripes Plus named his slider one of the best in the Yankees' system.
Look for the Yankees to keep an eye on solid relievers on non-contending teams as May continues.
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Hitting Streak Watch
Hideki Matsui: 12 games
Melky Cabrera: 7 games
Jorge Posada: 4 games (I'm being generous)
RIP Robinson Cano's 18-game hitting streak.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
"Oh Bullpen, My Bullpen" or "What $200 Million Can't Buy"
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5 comments:
Like the Tomko and Fossum idea - defintely agree they wouldn't be phased by the 'bright lights'. Never quite sure about Aceves, but I trust your knowledge on such things, so I'll go with that. I just want them to sort it out, cos we can't waste all that starter talent!
Ps what's your take on Dave Eiland?
I like Eiland a lot, and what I like best about him is his ability to make in-game adjustments with his starters--a quality not all pitching coaches possess.
I'm not so quick to give up on Robertson. I think he'll adapt.
I hope Cox returns to form. I had really high hopes for him.
And what about Nick Swisher? He may be our best bullpen option!
Just kiiding on the last part.
You probably don't want Casey Fossum.
I want some bullpen help. Fossum can't be any worse than Veras.
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