The banged-up Yankee roster had to resort to using Javier Vazquez as a long reliever last night. I actually give Joe Girardi a lot of credit for foresight – he skipped Javier in the rotation in part to take a start away from his worst starting pitcher, but also in part to allow the team to use their 5th starter as a long man while Sergio Mitre recovered from his spot start. However, he appeared only after the Yankee bullpen blew yet another lead. After Mariano Rivera, Joba Chamberlain, Alfredo Aceves, and Sergio Mitre, the Yankee bullpen has been a disaster this season.
I definitely expected the group of David Robertson, Alfredo Aceves, Chan Ho Park, Damaso Marte, and Joba Chamberlain to be an effective bridge to Mariano Rivera. Instead, they have been a glaring weakness on an overall strong team. With injuries to key players, including the effective Aceves, the Yankees can’t afford to let their bullpen plod along all season in the middle innings. They have replacement options, and would be stupid not to use them.
Boone Logan has been a complete and utter failure this season. Joe Girardi’s desire to have a second left-handed pitcher for strategic purposes has led him to hold on to a player that should never have been, and should never be, a part of a major league contending team’s bullpen. He has proven time and again to be a terrible pitcher who is incapable of getting hitters out. Left-handed batters are getting on base 50% of the time this season against him. Boone Logan should be immediately optioned down, or outright released, and replaced by a member of the Yankee Triple-A bullpen.
Who should replace Logan? Mark Melancon. Melancon has never been given any kind of extended shot at a regular major league role, despite great stuff and plenty of Triple-A success. Melancon’s line this season? 15 appearances, 23 innings, 12.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 2.74 ERA. He no longer belongs at that level, and should already be in the majors. The Yankees have been reluctant to promote Melancon permanently for whatever reason, and it has cost them.
Furthermore, the Yankees should temporarily start changing the roles of Sergio Mitre and Chan Ho Park. I’m willing to give CHoP a pass for tonight after coming off the DL, but overall he has yet to prove he can consistently pitch at a high level. He has however proven that he can provide the Yankees innings, which sets him up perfectly for the long relief role. Sergio Mitre is one of the few Yankee relievers actually getting hitters out right now, and should be used in shorter, higher-leverage situations until Alfredo Aceves returns, he starts to pitch poorly, or CHoP proves himself able to pitch well.
Sergio Mitre needs to be pushed into a short relief role because David Robertson can’t seem to handle it this season. He seems to have lost some of his magic, and has proven easily hittable. His walk rate has skyrocketed, and his pitch counts have gone up with it. Something is seriously wrong with Robertson, but he keeps being pushed into important situations out of necessity. Robertson needs to get himself straightened out, but right now the Yankee roster situation doesn’t allow the team to carry a project. If one of Melancon, CHoP, or Robertson himself doesn’t settle in to an effective setup role in the next week or two, the Yankees need to let Robertson get straightened out where he is supposed to get straightened out: Scranton.
Who should replace Robertson? Jon Albaladejo. Albaladejo has the quietest 1.49 career ERA at Triple-A ever. He has absolutely dominated the level, and continues to do so this year. In 18 1/3 innings, he has 21 strikeouts and 7 walks. This is after posting a year after posting a 0.8 BB/9 for Scranton. I’ve always been a huge Robertson fan, and continue to be confident in his future, but it is ridiculous to allow one guy to blow games in the majors while you have a young prospect dominating Triple-A like Albaladejo is. All it costs is an option.
Joe Girardi is so much better than Joe Torre that I almost feel guilty complaining about the decisions he makes with his bullpen. I really hate to think about how beat up Alfredo Aceves’ arm would be if Torre was still manager. But his use of Boone Logan and David Robertson this season in key situations has been borderline inexcusable. With the Yankees chasing what seems like an unbeatable Rays team, he can’t afford to keep making the same dumb decisions. The Yankees need to use the options that they have.
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15 Responses to Its Time To Make Those Tough Bullpen Decisions
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TIQ IQ
logan and robertson need scranton time
One step at a time, please. Logan must go; Melancon is the logical replacement. Park seems to lack arm strength, so making him a long reliever serves little purpose at the moment. Mitre is doing just fine where he is. When Aceves is ready to return, we can discuss whether Robertson should be sent to Scranton. For now, he should be given the lower leverage inings to work out the kinks. You should not make wholesale changes on a team that is, after, all, 25-13.
Good thoughts.
“Sergio Mitre is one of the few Yankee relievers actually getting hitters out right now, and should be used in shorter, higher-leverage situations until Alfredo Aceves returns, he starts to pitch poorly, or CHoP proves himself able to pitch well.”
Yeesh. I don’t know about that, I’d much rather give CHoP a longer leash to straighten himself out. At least he has some track record of doing well.
I pretty much believe that in the long run, CHoP will line up in the depth charts right behind Joba Chamberlain. But after a reduced spring training and some DL time, I’m not convinced that CHoP is there yet. Unlike Robertson, he can’t be sent to the minors, so long relief is the low-leverage alternative. I’ve never been a big Mitre fan, but at least Girardi would be playing the hot hand.
Would it be facetious to complain about the tiered bullpen in general?
Oh, don’t get me started.
Winning a championship last year temporarily made me forget how much I can’t stand Girardi’s bullpen moves (not that Torre was necessarily better)
Girardi is a control freak with his bullpen, and hell never admit when he makes a mistake. Look at Boone Logan’s minor league numbers with the Braves, the guy has never proven he can even throw strikes in AAA and now Girardi has him holding down a lead against the Sox in the latter innings?
Robertson has been bad, but I agree with the Scout, Girardi hasn’t provided him with the opportunities to get himself back on track. We know what he’s capable of from last year, its only May give the kid the ball.
I agree that Torre probably would have ruined Aceves arm by now, but when it comes to Joba, I don’t understand keeping him off limits when he’s probably only going to throw max 100 IP on the year anyway.
promote jon a??? sort of stepped on the whole point of the article. we’ve seen this guy before, we know what he can’t do. let him share a triple a career with igawa.
i agree with logan for melancon, however, if another pitcher is to be promoted, i’m very intrigued by r. sanchez and his plus-plus stuff. i don’t think he’ll ever be a starter, but he could be a killer reliever, if he can maintain command and control. let’s give him a shot!
If we stopped giving players opportunities after struggling a little bit as a rookie, David Robertson would be sharing Triple-A with Kei Igawa.
Girardi stinks as a manager. He created this mess with his piss poor managing. Please fire him asap!
I’d like to fire this comment.
lol
A lot of good ideas in both post and comments. I’d just like to add these….(1)-Park can’t go long, at the moment. I’d keep him to single inning situations for awhile.
(2)– Girardi has earned my trust, over the last 2 yrs, with his pen management. Some characteristics I have noticed are that he stays with someone who is not pitching well, and the majority of time, the guy turns around. He also gets decent early and mid season results from guys who subsequently show they are not that good. He uses guys to get thru the mass of innings of the season, then fine tunes the pen with the best and hottest for the playoffs. It’s a process with different guys at the end, than at the beginning. I’d give him leeway to do the same this yr.
(3)-Aceves has a Bulging disc in his back? Does anyone really know if or when he comes back this year? Backs are a hurtful, non-healing, long term thing.
I agree about Melancon-what’s the deal with him, anyway? He was supposed to be our top RP prospect, and we keep using everybody but him.
I also agree about giving Alby another shot.
I definitely agree about sending Robertson down to work out the kinks. Doing the 2-inning every 3-4 days routine the Yanks use in the minors would allow him to fix whatever is wrong.
Another ‘what’s the deal’ thing is Logan. We seem to always have somebody like him around-somebody who looks great warming up and then can’t get guys out.