Yankee Mid-Term Report Cards by Phil Allard (NYYFans.com )

[yyhong68 (come every now and then)]

Oh No, Yankee Mid-Term Report Cards Are In
By Phil Allard
NYYFans.com Staff Writer
July 9, 2007

Having gone to Catholic School and surviving the vicious onslaughts of
several really mean nuns, nothing used to strike fear in my heart more
than report card time. Just this once, I'd like to summon Sister Helena
back from the afterlife to personally deliver this year's mid-term report
cards to the Yankee players.

The Infield:

Alex Rodriguez:
The Best player in baseball is having one of his finest seasons. Without
him, the Yanks could actually be in last place. With runners in scoring
position and 2 out, he's hitting .350/.447/.900, based on 14 for 40. He also
leads he team with 42 Runs Created Above Average. The next highest Yankee is
Jeter with 14. A +

Derek Jeter:
The captain continues to amaze offensively. His .336 average at the break
is 3rd highest in the league. He is comfortable hitting anyplace in the
order and his numbers with RISP and 2 outs is an incredible .543/.540/.686,
based on 19 for 35. As long as he is at shortstop, however, he can not
receive an A grade. His .763 Zone Rating is dead last among American League
Shortstops. As poetic as that patented Jeter pirouette move is on balls to
his right, those are plays that other shortstops often make without the
flair. His range to his left on grounders is Balboni-esque. Move the
Captain to first and he gets an A. Until then: B +


Robinson Cano:
Is he better than he has shown in the first half? Or will he go the way of
Angel Berroa and disappear because he lacks the desire and concentration
necessary to build a competent major league career? There is no way to
answer that right now. But one thing is certain: If he doesn’t develop
more plate discipline, he will need to hit consistently at .320 or
higher just to sport an average OBP. His -10 RCAA is the worst on the
team. His occasional attention-deficit disorder belies his defensive
talent. C -

Doug Mientkiewicz:
Pretty much what we thought. Good field, no hit. He was actually getting
somewhat hot at the plate when he was injured. Should be back by August. C -

Miguel Cairo:
A team with this payroll is playing Miguel Cairo at 1st base. No further
discussion necessary. D +

AAAAndy Philips:
One of the nicest guys in the world is getting a chance. He’s easy to
root for, but most likely is not the long-term answer. Still, that small
sample size BA at .316 looks pretty. INC

The Outfield:

Hideki Matsui:
Steady as they come. He is on pace for about 20 HR and 100RBIs. He has
slowed in left and should really be the DH. But Matsui is not one of the
problems on this team. B

Melky Cabrera:
He has recovered nicely after a slow start, despite his horrific 5 K
performance last Saturday. His outfield defense is above average. His rifle
arm is not as apparent in center as it would be in right, but he covers
twice as much ground as Damon. He is learning plate discipline and he
would make a fine 4th outfielder for a contender: B- / C+

Bobby Abreu:
So, the Philly fans weren’t wrong after all. Abreu has had a lot of stops
and starts this year. But the bottom line is that his .264 batting average
is coming with very little power. A .370 slugging percentage doesn’t get
it done for right field. Defensively, he is comical when he gets within
10 feet of the wall. You won’t see him in pinstripes next year. C-

Johnny Damon:
One of Cashman’s many follies. The litany of injuries that he has suffered
this year suggests his body is simply breaking down under the stress of
all those years in centerfield. His leg cramps prevent him from playing
the outfield on a regular basis, so he is a sometimes DH with no power.
What’s more, the Yanks are stuck with him for two more years after
this. D

Catching:

Jorge Posada:
Keeps getting better with age. 14 RCAA. .330/.399/.511 at the break.
A ridiculous .643/.563/.857 with the bases loaded based on 9 for 14.
He been a true bright spot for the Yanks in the clubhouse too as he
has been the most vocal about challenging teammates. Only downside: he
is not throwing out runners as much as in previous years. A

Wil Nieves:
One of the worst hitting catchers in baseball history. This is the best
the Yanks can do? Below is a list of the worst hitting catchers by batting
average since 1900. (At least 125 plate appearances): And I really don't
want to hear about "small sample size." Would you really want the Nieves
sample size to get any larger? F

CAREER*

MODERN (1900-)

BATTING AVG
1 Al Pardo .132
2 John Butler .134
3 Wil Nieves .144
4 Tom Doran .145
5 Frank Crossin .147
6 Jim Campanis .147
7 Charlie Armbruster .149
8 Billy Holm .156
9 Steve Korcheck .159
10 Dick Gossett .159

Here is where the Yanks stand for RCAA（註1） at the break:*

YANKEES
Alex Rodriguez 42
Derek Jeter 14
Jorge Posada 14
Jason Giambi 5
Hideki Matsui 3
Chris Basak 0
Kevin Thompson 0
Andy Phillips -1
Johnny Damon -3
Josh Phelps -5
Miguel Cairo -6
Melky Cabrera -7
Doug Mientkiewicz -8
Wil Nieves -8
Bobby Abreu -9
Robinson Cano -10

*Courtesy of Lee Sinins’ Complete Baseball Encyclopedia


Starting Pitching:

Chien-Ming Wang:
The Ace of the Staff. His one bugaboo, lack of strikeouts, has improved
from 3.14K/9 last year to 4.14K/9 in 2007. He shows tremendous presence
on the mound and batters seldom hit the ball hard off of him. A double-play
machine. Leads the Yanks with 13 Runs Saved Above Average. A

Roger Clemens:
The Rocket has pitched far better than his 2-3 record suggests. His last
two games have been gems. His K/BB ratio is 3:1. He is poised for a good
second half. B

Andy Pettitte:
Had a fantastic start and could have had three or four more wins if it
weren’t for poor run support and a shotty bullpen. However, he’s been
horrible in his last two starts going into the break with 16ERs in his last
6.2 innings. Rumors persists that Andy is tipping his pitches, but it’s
hard to believe the Yanks wouldn’t figure that out. With the return to
the A.L, Andy’s K/9 ratio has fallen from 7.47 to 4.97. C +

Mike Mussina:
Fussy Mike’s velocity is gone. His K/9 ratio had dropped from 7.85 to
5.65 per 9, but he smart enough to keep the hitters guessing with his
wide assortment of pitches. Still, he’s really only an average pitcher
at this point. C

Kei Igawa:
(See Cashman, Folly.) F

Phil Hughes:
The real deal is due back in August. His return will be a 2nd half highlight.
Will be a cornerstone of a strong starting staff by 2009, along with
Wang, Chamberlain, Kennedy and perhaps Smith. INC

The Relievers:

Mariano Rivera:
Has been nearly flawless since he’s been getting more regular work. ERA
has come steadily down since first month woes. Primed for a solid second
half. B

Scott Proctor:
Ever since he set his equipment ablaze, this fireman has been scorching
with 6 IPs 7Ks, 2 BB, 1 H and 0ER since the “incident.” Has appeared
in 45 games so far, as Torre continues to burn him out. B –

Luis Vizcaino:
Starting to settle down after a horrible start. Has entered Torre’s
circle of trust with solid outings over his last ten games. Still has
more walks that strikeouts, a real problem in general for the Yankee
bullpen. C –

Mike Myers:
The 2.61 ERA is very good, but misleading. Myers’ primary purpose on
this team is to get out lefties. This year lefties are 15 for 53 against
him, for .321/.397/.453. Here comes Sister Helena with a ruler, Mike. C -

Brain Bruney:
Throws hard, but walks too many, (9 BB in last 8 IPs; 25 in 38 IPs for
season) Has fallen out of Torre’s circle of trust. Maybe the Yanks’
are figuring out why Arizona released him? D +

Kyle Farnsworth:
Can’t pitch back-to-back days. Can’t go more than one inning. Can’t
retire the side in order. Can’t control his speed. Throws teammates and
manager under the bus. May not be a Yankee by July 31. F

Edwar Rameriz:
The youngster has been dubbed “El Cambio” by Steve Lombardi over at
www.waswatching.com. That’s Spanish for “The Change.” He put up insane
minor league numbers after perfecting that change and electrified the crowd
in his Major League Debut by striking out the side. May be very fun to
watch in the 2nd half. INC.

Ron Villone:
Has pitched well in mop-up duty since being called up. INC

Here is where the Yanks stand for RSAA(註2) at the break:*


YANKEES
Chien-Ming Wang 13
Brian Bruney 9
Mike Myers 7
Andy Pettitte 6
Scott Proctor 6
Roger Clemens 5
Mariano Rivera 4
Ron Villone 3
Chris Britton 2
Phil Hughes 2
Darrell Rasner 2
Kyle Farnsworth 1
Mike Mussina 1
Sean Henn 0
Carl Pavano 0
Edwar Ramirez 0
Luis Vizcaino -1
Colter Bean -2
Matt DeSalvo -3
Chase Wright -3
Tyler Clippard -5
Jeff Karstens -5
Kei Igawa -12

*Courtesy of Lee Sinins’ Complete Baseball Encyclopedia


Phil is a staff writer for NYYFans.com, and he writes a weekly column
for the website of WCBS News Radio 88, the home of the Yankees. You can
reach him at PhilAllard27(at)hotmail.com.

http://www.nyyfans.com/article/8663/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

註1：RCAA:
Runs Created Above Average. A stat invented and tracked by Lee Sinins,
the author of the Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia. Lee calculates each
player’s Runs Created, and then compares it to the league average,
given that player’s number of plate appearances. Lee uses a different
version of RC than we do, though the two are very similar.


註2：RSAA :
Runs Saved Above Average. This stat, which is also tracked and reported
by Lee Sinins, is a measure of a pitcher’s effectiveness and contribution.
The formula is RA/IP minus league-average RA/IP, times total innings pitched.


--
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◆ From: 140.109.23.211
推 djcc:XD Igawa F是共識而且不想多說 囧 阿宅加油啦 還有4年半捏
推 parabird:Igawa又被當了!
推 vnra:這篇還比較中肯
推 unknowday:倒是小王拿個A
推 peterwu4:最後兩場加了不少分吧^^
推 opie:看ACE就一整個沸騰
推 NAMESTANLY:佩佩 好可憐
推 xsonic:這篇實在有點狠
推 GodKen:a double-play machine
推 KeiIgawa:慘!!
推 youngstory:推  中肯啦
推 DK2s:The Ace of the Staff
推 patoo:阿宅又被當了~
推 opie:跟喬治王比起來,這篇對阿宅明明就比較好,至少他還願意給個分
→ opie:數
推 Yeeeha:整體來說是個放牛班的成績，勝率不到五成無可厚非
推 finhard:老派有點低，這二場爆掉的關係嗎QQ
推 siliver:沒辦法,連托瑞都很驚訝派派會爆,還爆的那麼慘....
推 CCLu:This one is much better than George King's.
推 DK2s:現金人如果做惡夢　八成是夢到阿宅
推 patoo:樓上的可以當井川君的題材~
推 a111156987:阿宅變成過街老鼠了= =
推 jiunde:為什麼Mo有B
推 webberhan:痛痛的惡夢才告個段落, 宅宅的惡夢又起
推 Nilthoron:Andy怎麼會只有C+...
推 a111156987:佩佩大概是因為最後那兩場從A被扣到C+........
推 KITAMACHI:The Ace of the Staff
推 arsia:阿宅連續兩篇都被狠批......
推 newnewnew1:阿尼打擊率  F ....XD
推 digodi:那兩個註解要怎麼翻譯?
推 JKCCF:Pettitte如果最近幾場不算 應該也有A orz
推 voglish:bugaboo= =    是要翻成妖怪吧XD
推 makyqoo123:請問inc 是什麼評價阿????
推 eternia:請問什麼是INC？
推 tulas:RSAA怎麼跟Steven Goldman算的差很多...
推 tulas:喔,SG把sp跟rp分開算...
推 XDORZ:   Igawa F 是搞笑嗎＝ ＝
推 cardfat:Incomplete
推 runwild:這篇是在搞笑吧   只看帳面不看內容的  = =
推 Annrod:佩佩好像是後二場的狀況影響到評比的分數嗎？QQ
推 FortuneX:Andy怎麼會只有C+........
推 kenro:井川怎麼又拿死當的分數..真的要加油阿! 老方也要小心了
推 KeiIgawa:冏rz
推 kenro:井川這樣其實蠻慘的  人家都是連評論都不想評就直接當掉...
推 clenny:同jiunde:為什麼Mo有B
推 milie:bugaboo XD