500 ball

[mjrennie]

someone posted that they would take .500 by the end of april. given that we have played more road games in april than any team in the history of baseball (got that from the official site), are we pretty pleased with the fraction over .500 as of today?

and that the sox have slipped and kept the games back to be neither here nor there must raise a smile too. 5 straight they dropped, i think.

our rotation is not going to win anything this year, perhaps, so things are ok in the universe for now all things considered. what do you say?

michael.

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

What do I say?

Well, IF, the Yankees are not going to reach the play offs, it is not the end of the world. Many Yankee fans think it is. But then I say: Does it make you stop breathing? Will you lose your job because of it? C'mon. Yankee fans must leave the thought that they have to win every year. Contend? OK. But winning every year is not possible. They really have to come down to earth.

I think we must give the big three a bit more time to settle down (if necessary send them down to SWB). A couple of guys with big salaries (but fortunately in the last year of their contracts) are underachieving. They should look to Manny Ramirez. He is in the last year of his contract and so far he is having an MVP year.

It is always good to hear that the Red Sox lose. But even with a five game losing streak, I think that they are the team to beat in the AL.

[Pinstripes]

Considering that they just got done with a stretch of 18 out of 20 games on the road, playing in what must be record breakingly bad weather for that long of a stretch, and had ONE off day over a 28 day, 27 game span, I'd say they've fared pretty well, wouldn't you?

Sure, .500 isn't anything to write home about, but when you consider the injuries we've had, losing Joba for a while while he was with his dad, playing with two injured catchers, two injured quad infielders and an injured groin 1B, two starters who have astronomical ERAs, etc, I'll take it.

What's nice is that there are still plenty of areas where I can see us improving, and we're right on the heels of 1st place and the Wild Card spot (even though it's much too early to look at that kind of thing).

The Yankee team pitching is 4th in OPS against (I tend to like to look at OPS against as opposed to ERA this early on, as luck plays a part in smaller sample sizes moreso than in larger ones). The offense has yet to really click, we've had several guys struggling, nobody in the entire lineup is really performing up to their fullest potential except perhaps Matsui and Melky, (PLUS all of the "junk" above about being on the road, etc) and the Yankees are still 6th in the AL in runs scored and 6th in OPS. Not bad.

Despite the "near .500" record, the Yankees might be one of the most balanced teams thus far in terms of all elements of the game - offense, starting pitching, bullpen. There's no one glaring element of those three things that's been flat out bad, even if the starting pitching has been just slightly below average. Almost every other team in the AL has one of those three things being "poor" so far.

I'm very happy with the team's outlook.

[Pinstripes]

It is always good to hear that the Red Sox lose. But even with a five game losing streak, I think that they are the team to beat in the AL.

That seems to be the general concensus, but for me, it's not so clear. The Red Sox, since last year's all star break, have been a somewhat mediocre team. If they hadn't come back from the 3-1 defecit to Cleveland, I think people would have much lower expectations for them. Of course, they did come back, so all was well, but I think that little stretch of 8 or so games against Cleveland and the Rockies made the Red Sox look a bit better than they really are.

They have serious bullpen questions, aside from Papelbon. (I'm still waiting for Okajima's return to "where he should be." It's coming... hang in there )

Their starting rotation is fairly solid, especially at the front end, but they have questions just like any AL team. If Buchholz and Wakefield can pitch well, that may be the key to that team.

The offense, in my mind, has questions that people don't raise. I think they were carried early on by an incredibly hot Pedroia, Drew, Youkilis, Casey, and Manny. Some of those guys have started to cool off considerably, and their offense is suffering. Ortiz getting healthy and getting back on track will be a boost, but aren't any power threats in that lineup outside of Manny and Ortiz. That is starting to evidence itself a bit over the last week or so. Some of their extremely hot hitters are settling back down towards career norms and/or normal trends, and the offense overall has suffered.

Of course, it's an extremely small sample - it could just be a bad week, and obviously they'll bounce back a bit, but there are a few age questions in that lineup - even Youkilis who's thought of as a "young guy" just turned 29 years old and historically speaking is unlikely to better his previous 2 or 3 seasons, as players these days tend to peak around 27-28. I'm not saying Youkilis will be in decline any time soon, simply that despite is torrid first couple weeks, I think it's more likely he'll be roughly in the same territory he was last season - good OBP, 280 or so avg, etc (the kinds of numbers he's been normalizing towards the past week).

Manny is off to a great start, but this past week he's cooled off just a bit (he hasn't driven in a run in his last 8 games). Let's not forget he had an .881 OPS last year, his worst number since 1994. He turns 36 next month, and you never know when a guy is going to start declining, and how steep that decline will be.

The big keys for Boston offensively will be getting Ortiz and Lowell healthy, and then seeing if they can bounce back. If they both come back strong and play up to the numbers they've had the past few years, they'll be in great shape. If not, it might be a shakier situation.

The Red Sox are a great team, but their success is going to hinge on Lowell and Ortiz from the offensive side, and Buchholz, Matsuzaka, and Wakefield from the pitching side. in addition to their bullpen, which could be a significant issue most of the season.

Flukey, cherry picked stat of this short season? Mussina has a 1.27 WHIP this season so far. The Boston starting pitching staff has a combined 1.36 WHIP.

[mjrennie]

interesting. i am not knocking the yanks, i am just interested to see what you reckon. given the factors talked about, 500 seems fair to me. like i know anything!

if we can get that paving machine (lol) offence going to back the young lads pitching, surely this will ease the pressure and allow them to express themselves more.

i would also imagine that when a few mega salaries go at the end of the season, we could splash for an ace pitcher...i was going to say cc.

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

That seems to be the general concensus, but for me, it's not so clear. The Red Sox, since last year's all star break, have been a somewhat mediocre team. If they hadn't come back from the 3-1 defecit to Cleveland, I think people would have much lower expectations for them. Of course, they did come back, so all was well, but I think that little stretch of 8 or so games against Cleveland and the Rockies made the Red Sox look a bit better than they really are.

They have serious bullpen questions, aside from Papelbon. (I'm still waiting for Okajima's return to "where he should be." It's coming... hang in there )

Their starting rotation is fairly solid, especially at the front end, but they have questions just like any AL team. If Buchholz and Wakefield can pitch well, that may be the key to that team.

The offense, in my mind, has questions that people don't raise. I think they were carried early on by an incredibly hot Pedroia, Drew, Youkilis, Casey, and Manny. Some of those guys have started to cool off considerably, and their offense is suffering. Ortiz getting healthy and getting back on track will be a boost, but aren't any power threats in that lineup outside of Manny and Ortiz. That is starting to evidence itself a bit over the last week or so. Some of their extremely hot hitters are settling back down towards career norms and/or normal trends, and the offense overall has suffered.

Of course, it's an extremely small sample - it could just be a bad week, and obviously they'll bounce back a bit, but there are a few age questions in that lineup - even Youkilis who's thought of as a "young guy" just turned 29 years old and historically speaking is unlikely to better his previous 2 or 3 seasons, as players these days tend to peak around 27-28. I'm not saying Youkilis will be in decline any time soon, simply that despite is torrid first couple weeks, I think it's more likely he'll be roughly in the same territory he was last season - good OBP, 280 or so avg, etc (the kinds of numbers he's been normalizing towards the past week).

Manny is off to a great start, but this past week he's cooled off just a bit (he hasn't driven in a run in his last 8 games). Let's not forget he had an .881 OPS last year, his worst number since 1994. He turns 36 next month, and you never know when a guy is going to start declining, and how steep that decline will be.

The big keys for Boston offensively will be getting Ortiz and Lowell healthy, and then seeing if they can bounce back. If they both come back strong and play up to the numbers they've had the past few years, they'll be in great shape. If not, it might be a shakier situation.

The Red Sox are a great team, but their success is going to hinge on Lowell and Ortiz from the offensive side, and Buchholz, Matsuzaka, and Wakefield from the pitching side. in addition to their bullpen, which could be a significant issue most of the season.

Flukey, cherry picked stat of this short season? Mussina has a 1.27 WHIP this season so far. The Boston starting pitching staff has a combined 1.36 WHIP.

True, but in general all that you are telling, can be said about the Yankees too. Offense, relief pitching. It isn't all that great either.

[dougj1]

It's incredible how you people keep analyzing the Res Sox....I get the feeling you wouldn't mind it if Yanks wound up next to last place, as long as the "dreaded" Sox came in last....The excuses regarding Yanks poor performance is really sad..These kid pitchers are killing the team, the offense won't score anywhere near the 900 + runs of last year, the defense never improves, the bench makes you cringe, and your concerned about the Sox?

[Pinstripes]

It's incredible how you people keep analyzing the Res Sox....I get the feeling you wouldn't mind it if Yanks wound up next to last place, as long as the "dreaded" Sox came in last....The excuses regarding Yanks poor performance is really sad..These kid pitchers are killing the team, the offense won't score anywhere near the 900 + runs of last year, the defense never improves, the bench makes you cringe, and your concerned about the Sox?

Huh? The reason the Red Sox keep being brought up is because everyone in the history of the media says they're the team to beat this season in the AL East. And becuase I believe they're the team we'll compete with to win the East. And becuase I honestly don't see any other team in the AL that has as balanced a lineup and pitching staff as the Yankees and/or the Red Sox.

This has nothing to do with them being a long time rival or me hating the Red Sox or me wringing my hands and wishing they lose, and has everything to do with the fact that the Red Sox are going to be the team the Yankees compete with down the stretch if they are in it.

You're going a little overboard with the hyperbole there. But you know what? When everything works out and the Yankees make the playoffs in October, I won't be telling you "I told you so".

And if you think for one minute that I care more about the Red Sox losing than the Yankees winning, you're wayyyy out there. To be honest, I don't care what happens to the Red Sox as long as the Yankees win. I celebrate Red Sox losses becuase it puts the Yankees one game closer to a pennant.

You simply can't analyse a team out of context... you MUST compare it to your stiffest competition, becuase that's what baseball is all about! Baseball IS a competition, to see who's better and who wins the most games. You can't isolate your team and compare it to some mythological "super perfert happy team" that doesn't exist. The fact of the matter is that every team has issues, and when discussing your team, you absolutely NEED to compare it to your closest competition to see just where you stand.

If I invent a sport called "funball" and I tell you I hit 15 bangledibs, you have no clue if that's good. But if I tell you it's 4th in the league and there are 500 players, then that's pretty good, isn't it? If you don't have a relevant frame of context to compare it to, what's the point? Yes, we can say the Yankees suck at this and they haven't done that, and yadda yadda, but they're only 2 games out of first (which is much better off than they were last season) despite the giant myriad of misfortunes that have befallen the team thus far. Relax. Once everyone gets healthy, once the young guys settle in (and they will eventually settle in, believe me, it just might take a while), everything will be very good.

For as "awful" as we've apparently been in every aspect of the game according to you, we're just 2 games back. It's all about relativity.

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

It's incredible how you people keep analyzing the Res Sox....I get the feeling you wouldn't mind it if Yanks wound up next to last place, as long as the "dreaded" Sox came in last....The excuses regarding Yanks poor performance is really sad..These kid pitchers are killing the team, the offense won't score anywhere near the 900 + runs of last year, the defense never improves, the bench makes you cringe, and your concerned about the Sox?

They remain our big rivals. But that does not matter to me.

What matters me is that every time when the Yankees are doing bad, the majority of the Empire is acting like it is the end of the world. Get down to earth. You have to give these kids a break. People are expecting way too much from them right now.

And (I keep repeating myself) you can not win every season. If they won't reach the play offs, the sun will rise again the next day.

[Old Sweater]

What do I say?

Well, IF, the Yankees are not going to reach the play offs, it is not the end of the world. Many Yankee fans think it is. But then I say: Does it make you stop breathing? Will you lose your job because of it? C'mon. Yankee fans must leave the thought that they have to win every year. Contend? OK. But winning every year is not possible. They really have to come down to earth.

I think we must give the big three a bit more time to settle down (if necessary send them down to SWB). A couple of guys with big salaries (but fortunately in the last year of their contracts) are underachieving. They should look to Manny Ramirez. He is in the last year of his contract and so far he is having an MVP year.

It is always good to hear that the Red Sox lose. But even with a five game losing streak, I think that they are the team to beat in the AL.

I agree Biscuit. There is some 7-20 year old Yankees fans that are some spoiled puppies because the Yankees have been in the playoffs every year that they could read about it. 4 teams from the AL making the playoffs and just 1 team out of 30 being the Champions just isn't very good odds. I'm quite happy after living through a 10 and 12 year playoff drought.

[bigtime39]

A couple of things: yeah, you were on the road a lot, but went west of the Mississippi once. Look at what the Orioles are in the middle of right now:
From Baltimore to Seattle (3) to Chicago (4) to Baltimore (3) to Anaheim (3) to Oakland (3) to Kansas City (4). Now, that's one stupid road schedule. And the long road trip means you'll have an extra long home stand somewhere in the schedule.
Also, we appreciate the fact that you guys continue to obsess over the Red $ox. Please continue to ignore the other two teams ahead of you in the standings. The Orioles are realistically a season or two away, but the Rays appear to be the real deal...and they play you guys very well.
Finally, if I were a fan of your team, I'd be very concerned about the defense. It looks to be a major Achilles' heel for you.

[Urbanshocker13]

A couple of things: yeah, you were on the road a lot, but went west of the Mississippi once. Look at what the Orioles are in the middle of right now:
From Baltimore to Seattle (3) to Chicago (4) to Baltimore (3) to Anaheim (3) to Oakland (3) to Kansas City (4). Now, that's one stupid road schedule. And the long road trip means you'll have an extra long home stand somewhere in the schedule.
Also, we appreciate the fact that you guys continue to obsess over the Red $ox. Please continue to ignore the other two teams ahead of you in the standings. The Orioles are realistically a season or two away, but the Rays appear to be the real deal...and they play you guys very well.
Finally, if I were a fan of your team, I'd be very concerned about the defense. It looks to be a major Achilles' heel for you.

To be fair mjrennie is a Brit and is new to the sport so that's why he mentioned the Sox, th rest of us aren't as obsessed with them. I honastly still think it's a couple of years for both the Rays & O's. The /rays have played the Yanks and Sox good even when they really sucked.

[bigtime39]

To be fair mjrennie is a Brit and is new to the sport so that's why he mentioned the Sox, th rest of us aren't as obsessed with them. I honastly still think it's a couple of years for both the Rays & O's. The /rays have played the Yanks and Sox good even when they really sucked.

Agree that the Orioles are probably two years out, but I'm not sure that the Rays aren't for real right now. They've got some impressive bats, and their pitching is much improved, especially the bullpen.

[DoubleX]

Agree that the Orioles are probably two years out, but I'm not sure that the Rays aren't for real right now. They've got some impressive bats, and their pitching is much improved, especially the bullpen.

The Rays are much improved and I think they've a fun team to watch, and even secretly root for given their miserable history. I think they're probably at least a year away though. There have been a number of teams in recent years that struggled for years, but then featured a young and definitely improved team and made big strides, but faded down the stretch that first year. The Brewers last year come to mind. The Royals when Tony Pena was there, and the Twins as they became competitive again. Even the Indians a couple of years back. The Tigers of 2006 are notable exception as they made the leap all at once.

[Pinstripes]

Unless the Orioles EVER plan to pay to keep some talent, they're 1,000 years away.

Just because they're off to a good start doesn't make them contenders - now or in the future. Same goes for the Rays.

I remember in 2003 the Royals got off to some amazing start, and everyone thought they had talent and maybe "in a few years" they'd make some noise. But if you don't spend the money to keep the talent, it will never materialize. The O's trading away Bedard is a perfect example.

Since starting out 6-1, the O's are 10-12; two games under .500. They are virtually no threat to contend this season, and will likely not do so any time soon unless they change their philosophy.