Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News ran a piece today in which he graded the Yankees. I’m going to tell you which ones I agree and disagree with.
Let’s just get the ones I agree with out of the way. I agree with Mo’s, Andy’s, Gardner’s, CC’s, Marte’s, Rodriguez’s, Thames’s, Vazquez’s, Burnett’s, Tex’s, Robertson’s, and Joba’s. I agree with the first four because they’re having great seasons. With Gardner, he’s exceeding expectations. Marte’s doing his job, as is Thames; A-Rod is doing okay considering his possibly health scenario, but he could be better, the same goes for Tex even with a recent hot streak. Burnett and Javy have been up and down, as have Robertson and Joba. Lastly, I agree with Derek Jeter. I was going to knock him down a bit ’cause of his lack of hitting–it’d be nice to see more patience and power–but his fielding has stayed hot. Anyway, onto the fun part: the disagreements.
I disagree with Phil Hughes’ ranking of an A-. He started off hot, but has cooled off a bit. Plus, his general lack of mixing pitches knocks him down to a B in my eyes. He’s doing well, but we need to recognize his flaws, too.
Cano and Swisher should both get A’s. Cano hit out of his mind for most of the first half and Nick Swisher’s commitment to improving himself as a batter should get him kudos. There’s chance for both of them to drop back down a bit in the second half, but they’re both talented enough to compensate.
I’m bumping Jorge up to a B. He’s hit quite well, but he has had injuries. Maybe I should keep him at a B-. But, it’s worth noting that among catchers with at least 100 PA in the AL, Posada’s .369 wOBA ranks second in the league to uber-rookie Carlos Santana’s .428 mark.
I include Nick Johnson, Sergio Mitre, and Alfredo Aceves in the “incomplete” category. Moving on…
I think Francisco Cervelli should be busted down to a C+. I’ll give him credit for his hot streak and for playing more than he’d been expected to, but he hasn’t hit for almost two months and his defense hasn’t been as great as it was last year.
Ramiro Pena is a C at best. His fielding has been okay, but his hitting is just non existent.
Curtis Granderson’s C- is harsh, so I’ll give him a C. The results haven’t been what I’d wanted, but I think that injury really tripped him up. I’ll be an easy grader for this one.
Chad Gaudin needs a D. He’s done barely anything useful this season.
And, wrapping it up, Chan Ho Park should be the lone “F” on the team. He’s really been a sunken cost this year.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
2 Responses to Grading the Yankees
Leave a Reply
TIQ IQ
B for Phil is rough – he’s still 11-2 with a 3.65 ERA. I would have signed up for that out of ST in a heartbeat; he’s done much better this year than I ever thought he would and I’ve been on board for years that he’d be an eventual ace. Sure he has his flaws – but who hasn’t? Expecting him to pitch like a veteran is asking a lot. I hope he mixes up his pitches better – I think he should use his curve more (when it’s on, it’s fantastic, but it’s inconsistent because he doesn’t use it enough) and hopefully he’ll use his change (doesn’t have to uses it a lot, just enough to make a difference), but overall Phil has been terrific. He’s gone deep into games also…I agree with Feinsand’s grade.
think we need to grade the front office, too. Park’s F is well-deserved, and the only BP move I’ve seen recently is Mosely-yet another scrap heap pick-up-added to the BP. How many Gaudin/Mitre/Park/Etc does Cashman have to go through before Alby (etc) gets the call?