One of the ridiculous notions that has been mentioned over the last few days is that the Yankees need Roy Halladay because CC Sabathia is a very good innings eater, but is not a real ace or stopper. Quite frankly, this contention is ridiculous. I have heard comments suggesting that his success in Milwaukee is all that he has under his belt in terms of ace-like performance, and that he is unlikely to replicate that in the AL. This conveniently ignores the fact that he won a Cy Young in the AL in 2007. Let us take a closer look at the numbers since 2005, as CC came into his own as an ace in the 2006 season.
An ace needs to throw plenty of innings at a very high level. 200 league average innings are nice in the middle of the rotation, but you would like more than that from your top guy. I therefore set a minimum inning level of 180 IP, and then looked at 2006, 2007, and 2008 to see where CC stood among the league leaders (these are ranks in all of baseball, not just one league).
2006
ERA: 6th
Tread: The Movie psp WHIP: 8th
K/BB: 8th
OPS: 5th
2007
ERA: 10th
WHIP: 8th
The Killing of John Lennon film
K/BB: 1st
OPS: 15th
2008
ERA: 4th
WHIP: 5th
K/BB: 7th
OPS: 3rd
It seems fairly evident that CC was among the top 5-10 pitchers in baseball in each of the last 3 seasons. Furthermore, let us look at how many pitchers were in top 15 or better in those categories in all three years, as CC was.
ERA: 2 (not including Sabathia): Johan Santana, Brandon Webb
WHIP: 2: Dan Haren, Johan Santana
K/BB: 3: Javier Vazquez, Dan Haren, Johan Santana
Drive Me Crazy dvd OPS: 3: Roy Halladay, Brandon Webb, Johan Santana
What have we learned? That CC Sabathia was among the top 5-10 pitchers in each of the last season, and was of only a handful to remain dominant throughout that entire period. If you had to make a list of established, no doubt about it type aces, your list would likely include Santana, Webb, Halladay, Sabathia, and possibly Haren, and you would supplement with aces of a more recent vintage, such as Tim Lincecum and possibly Felix Hernandez. While getting Roy Halladay would certainly help the club, the Yankees do not need an ace. They already have one.
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14 Responses to CC Sabathia Is An Ace
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TIQ IQ
Agreed. CC has been very good for the Yankees. He hasn’t even needed an adjustment period, really. The Yankees are getting what they paid for and he’ll only get better.
Exactly. He is a second half guy, and the people already writing him off as ace are ridiculously basing their opinions on one half in which he was pretty solid.
I hate the term ace as all it does is lead to high expectations. CC is a very good pitcher and Yankees fans everywhere should be glad we have him.
Moshe are you going to do a piece on what the Yankees need to do for the second half? Should they add a pitcher or a bat or not even make a move?
What happened to the piece you said you were working on about Chad Qualls? I was looking forward to reading your opinion.
Totally forgot about the Qualls thing. I am going to do a piece on the bullpen options tomorrow and will include Qualls in that one, and then follow up with a piece the following day looking at the bullpen options and starting options and suggesting a course of action. Stay tuned…
CC is everything Andy P. was in his prime. He is not the problem with the rotation. It’s Mr. 4-innings and getting AP and the Wanger back on track that will jump-start them.
I hate to say this, but Andy Pettitte has never been as good as CC has been for the last 3 seasons. Andy has two years, separated almost by a decade (1997 and 2005), that are on the caliber of CC’s last three years.
Moshe do you think the Yankees have the brass to move Pettitte to the pen? I know he will get a few more starts regardless but with an OPS against above .800 in the 3rd through 6th innings he is not looking good.
CC is an A- Ace, not a lights out #1.
I don’t think they would move him to the pen, as he has real role in the pen. However, I said the same about Moose, and they did it. I just think they would move Joba first.
I would never move Joba back to the pen. Doing this to him would likely set him back years and end his Yankees career. Pettitte I think could do well in the pen as he is still tough on the first batter he faces in a game. He still gets lefties out well.
I see no trades for a starting pitcher. I see 6 pitchers in the mix to starts games come mid August. Mitre, Aceves, Pettitte, Wang, Nova and McAllister.
I agree. I just think that the Yankees would be more likely to move Joba out of the rotation than Andy.
Lefty, then there is one shut down guy in all of baseball, because the only guy consistently better over the last 3 years is Johan.
I’d take quite a few to pitch game if my life depended on it, over C.C., quite a few.
I’m not sure who that would be, and that was not what we were discussing anyhow. The guy is ace, and has the numbers and the accolades to back it. Just because he has had a slightly lesser first half than expected does not change that.