Yankees 2013 Mid-Season Grades
At the ceremonial halfway point in the 2013 MLB season, the Yankees are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008. But can you really blame them?
Francisco Cervelli, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, and Derek Jeter have only played in a combined 41 games for the Yankees in 2013.
We all know the list. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Kevin Youkilis, Francisco Cervelli – to name a few – have all spent significant time on the disabled list. Teixeira is done for the season; Granderson and Jeter have missed virtually the entire season only to have returned to re-injure themselves. The circus surrounding A-Rod is nothing short of laughable and the other aged third baseman, Youkilis, has more miles on him than a 1996 Volvo. Cervelli, who was finally given the opportunity to play full time, fractured his hand back in April and has not played since, leaving the catching duties to Chris Stewart and Austin Romine – not exactly a powerhouse duo. Couple all of those injuries with the fact that the Yanks have trotted out a Miami Marlins-esque lineup for much of the season, 6 games in back of the first place Red Sox is not an awful place to be at the All Star break. So, how have they gotten there? The grades are in:
Note: Instead of grading each player individually, this year I have decided to group players by position because I felt it was more fair considering the volatility of the roster this season.
Starting Rotation: B
According to the numbers, the Yankees starting rotation has been more than a solid ‘B.’ Their 3.96 staff ERA ranks 5th in the league and their 579.1 innings pitched (an often overlooked stat) rank 4th. So why only a ‘B’? Well, Hiroki Kuroda has really been the only consistently dominant starting pitcher the Yankees have had. If you take out his 2.65 ERA (2nd in the AL) then the rotation begins to look a lot more average.
CC Sabathia has been mediocre by most standards this year. His 4.07 ERA ranks just a notch better than league average and he has given up four or more runs in 10 of his 20 starts this season. If your ace is giving up four runs in a game in half of his starts, he is no longer considered your ace.
Phil Hughes has actually been a pleasant surprise in 2013. I personally gave up on him a year ago, but a mid-4.00 ERA in over 100+ innings pitched at the All Star break is more than I expected. However, despite the fact that the Yankees do not score for him, he is only 4-9 this season. Additionally, he has given up a whopping 18 home runs which leads me to believe this will be Phil’s last season in pinstripes.
The rest of the staff has been what you would expect it to be – good but not great. Andy Pettitte, when he pitches, has been fair. It is becoming apparent that Andy benefited from taking the 2011 season off more than we realized, and that this might also be his last season (again) – which would leave Jeter as the lone remaining core-four member.
Ivan Nova’s return from the DL has been a pleasant surprise but I will withhold judgment until I see it over a longer stretch. Phelps gave the Yankees a boost when they needed it most, and he deserves credit for that, but numbers don’t lie – and he has a 5.01 ERA and a 1.427 WHIP.
The onus is on CC to raise the Yankees starting rotation grade. Anything less than ace-like performance will not be good enough for the Yankees to make the playoffs.
Bullpen: A
Mariano Rivera has saved 30 of 32 games in his final season in Major League Baseball.
If you had to point to one area of the team that has made the difference between seven games above .500 and seven games below, it would be the bullpen. Without it, Yankees fans would be talking about Jets and Giants training camp right now (and potentially worried that the Yankees wouldn’t sign Cano). But Mariano, in his final season, has saved 30 of 32 games and looked every bit as dominating as he did in 1998, or 2008 for that matter. David Robertson has a sub-one WHIP with 22 holds, and I believe solidified his name as the successor to Mariano Rivera.
Other notables include Shawn Kelley, who has stood out with 51 strike outs in just 34.1 innings pitched. Boon Logan has been a valuable left-handed reliever – words I thought I would never utter – and Preston Claiborne has pitched well over 29.2 innings, walking just five batters and striking out 24.
It may be unfair to ask, but the Yankees will try ride their rotation and bullpen into the playoffs.
Lineup: D-
Alex Rodriguez has made more news off the field than on the field in 2013, and is in serious danger of being suspended for PED use.
When grading the Yankees lineup I felt like the sympathetic teacher who passes the student because I know they’re trying but are just not capable of anything better. Frankly, it’s annoying and totally against my cynical mentality to not fail them. I much prefer bashing a lineup full of underachieving superstars because I can at least hold out hope of them improving. But as the lineup is currently constituted, the Yankees have ZERO chance of making a playoff push. Jeter, Granderson, Youkilis, Rodriguez, Cervelli, or a combination of all five has to return to the starting lineup and produce. Otherwise, the Yankees are looking at tee times in October. Now, let’s break it down (fair warning – its ugly).
The raw numbers suggest the lineup deserves a big – and I mean BIG – ‘F’. The Yankees rank 11th in runs scored and 14th in average and OPS. They have scored 125 fewer runs than the league leading Red Sox and have scored one or zero runs in 19 games this season. (They scored one or zero runs a total of 18 times in the entire 2012 season). The last time the Yankees were this inept offensively was 1991 – yes 22 years ago when the manager was named Stump and the American League was comprised of only two divisions.
Robinson Cano has done his best considering the protection; Vernon Wells hasn’t hit since May and Travis Hafner seems to average about one hit per week. Why any opposing pitcher throws Cano a strike is beyond me, but Cano deserves all the credit in the world for his production this season (and the Yankees will pay him handsomely for it this offseason). Cano’s 21 home runs and 65 RBIs at the break (a 36 and 111 pace) are the biggest offensive reason the Yankees are still in contention.
Gardner has also returned to his pre injury form, and actually emerged as one of the better outfielders in baseball. It’s not flashy, but Gardner’s 2.8 wins above replacement ranks 6th for all center fielders in Major League Baseball. He has proved to be a valuable leadoff hitter and versatile outfielder.
Ichiro, who despite a dreadful start to the season, hit .292 in June and is batting .353 in July. Overbay has also been serviceable as a replacement to Mark Teixeira. He has emerged as the primary first baseman; provided stellar defense and 42 RBIs – good for second on the team. Unfortunately, the accolades end there…
Girardi has been forced to trot out a number of players who have been exposed with increase playing time: Vernon Wells (302 ABs, .238 BA), Travis Hafner (243 ABs, .218 BA), Jayson Nix (237 ABs, .236 BA), Chris Stewart (170 ABs, .241 BA), David Adams (116 ABs, .190 BA), Austin Romine (76 ABs, .158 BA).
Coaching & Management: B
To be honest, 51-44 is a minor miracle considering the wrath of injuries the Yankees have faced in 2013. I do believe that some of that success is attributed to the coaching and management staff the Yankees have – and yes that includes Joe Girardi.
Girardi has avoided scrutiny for the most part this season. He has done enough to put this team in playoff contention at the All Star break, which in my opinion, warrants him some credit. There does however need to be some accountability taken by Kevin Long for the ineptitude of the lineup. I don’t expect Long to turn Alberto Gonzalez into Albert Pujols, but these are supposedly ‘major league hitters.’ There has to be a point where Long takes some blame for the offense’s failures, just as he took credit for their success since he was hired in 2007. (In the five years under Long’s tutelage the Yankees have finished first, seventh, first, first, second, and second in runs scored.)
Call it blind luck or skill, but Brian Cashman has stocked the roster with enough depth to sustain injuries – even injuries for this length and magnitude. If you want to blame Cashman for counting on a number of starters in their late 30s, that is an argument I can get behind. But it is unrealistic to expect a playoff caliber team when the majority of the starting lineup is sidelined. The bottom line is Cashman has put enough players on the field to put the Yankees in a position to make a second half playoff run if their guys can return from the DL, and that is exactly what Yankees fans signed up for at the start of the season.
Note: I was going to give the Coaching/Management a ‘B-‘ but bumped them to a solid ‘B’ because Brian Cashman told A-Rod to “shut the f—k up,” and that just makes me happy.