[新聞] Notes: Pettitte watch begins

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11/20/2007 5:43 PM ET
Notes: Pettitte watch begins
Following holiday break, Girardi looks to talk to lefty about '08
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- If Joe Girardi's reasoning is correct, Andy Pettitte may be
getting to a point where the baseball bug is biting, where thoughts of
retirement can be put off for one more World Series pursuit.

If that's true, the Yankees could hear from the 35-year-old left-hander
sometime in the near future. Just to be sure, the Yankees manager plans
to check in on Pettitte after the Thanksgiving holiday, just to find out
where his hopes and feelings are.

"I think it's very important that he comes back," Girardi said on Tuesday.
"I think that he knows the Yankee way, and he was a big plus in the
clubhouse, as well as on the field. I know what Andy Pettitte's all about,
and I would love to have him back."

Pettitte was 15-9 with a 4.05 ERA in 36 games (34 starts) for the Yankees
in 2007, serving as one of the key workhorses of the club's rotation.
Though he is currently a free agent, there appears to be no danger of
Pettitte pitching elsewhere.

When Pettitte declined his $16 million player option earlier this offseason,
it was with the understanding that he would not play for another club in
2008 -- Pettitte plans to either pitch for the Yankees or retire.

Girardi, who has already spoken to Pettitte once since being named as the
Yankees' 32nd field manager on Oct. 30, said that he does not yet have a
sense on which way the lefty might be leaning.

"I think it's too early to tell," Girardi said. "I think you can ask any
player right after the season how they're feeling, and everyone's ready
for a short break. To me, it's about when you get away from the game for
a month and a half -- all of a sudden you start missing it. We're getting
to that point in time."

In a late-season interview with MLB.com, Pettitte said that he would need
to return home in Houston and figure out what would be right for him to
do "as a husband and as a father."

Pettitte was talked out of retirement by several Yankees at Joe Torre's
charity dinner before the 2007 season, and agent Randy Hendricks has said
that he does not expect Pettitte to make a decision anytime soon.

"I think it's a family situation," Girardi said. "I think Andy needs to
decide what he feels is best for his family. None of us can make that
decision for him."

Even without Pettitte back in the fold, the Yankees have accomplished
plenty in the weeks since the American League Division Series ended New
York's postseason hopes. The club appears to have retained free agents
Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, while also picking up
a $16 million option on Bobby Abreu.

"I think everyone feels better," Girardi said. "When you talk about
losing your starting catcher, your starting third baseman and your
closer, that's a big concern. It's not like we were losing average
players -- we were losing players that were at the top of their
profession. Whenever you have a chance to bring them back, it's very
exciting."

Rotation station: If the Yankees' offseason progresses according to plans,
Joba Chamberlain will report to Spring Training as a starter, picking
back up where he left his progression in July, when an S.O.S. call came
out from the Major League club for a reliever.

The 22-year-old Chamberlain was a dominant force in relief for the Yankees,
going 2-0 with one save and a 0.38 ERA in 19 relief appearances, before his
season came unhinged by a swarm of Lake Erie midges during Game 2 of the
ALDS.

As effective as Chamberlain was in relief, doing so largely on the strength
of his high-90s fastball and biting slider, new pitching coach Dave Eiland
believes the organization is in agreement that Chamberlain should be in the
rotation going forward.

"He's a four-pitch guy," Eiland said. "Right now, three of those four
pitches are above-average Major League pitches -- his fastball, his slider,
his curveball. His changeup was in the development process when he got
converted to the bullpen late in the summer, but it was coming along very
quickly and very nicely. I'd say it's an average Major League changeup
right now, and it's going to be above average."

While saying that Chamberlain as a member of the rotation is not etched in
stone, Eiland said that members of the organization are "all leaning that
way."

"It's going to be an adjustment, more mental than anything," Eiland said.
"I think Joba's not that far removed from starting. There was an adjustment
for him going from starting to relieving, but as we all know, that was a
very smooth adjustment.

"I think starting is going to be the same way, because he's very familiar
with that. It'll be another thing to get him back and stretched out again.
He's been coming in and letting it fly for one inning or two at the most,
but Joba is a very smart kid and talented."

Speaking about potential pitchers who could fill roles similar to
Chamberlain's setup presence, Eiland had positive words about prospect
Steven White, who pitched in the Arizona Fall League and spent most of
2007 at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going 6-4 with a 3.34 ERA in
16 games (15 starts).

"His arm is very resilient," Eiland said. "I think he can fit that role as
a middle guy, long reliever, spot starter. I think he's somebody you're
going to see and hear some things from in '08 at some point."

Five alive: If the Yankees' season started today, Girardi speculated,
the club's starting rotation would feature -- in some order --
Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.

At this early point in the offseason, players can be subtracted and
added from that arrangement, and certainly, the Yankees hope Pettitte
will be in the mix, as well. But if there are questions about what
Mussina -- to turn 39 by Opening Day, coming off an 11-10, 5.15 ERA
season that saw him shuttled to long relief in August -- may be able
to offer, they are not being posed by Girardi.

"Mike Mussina had a bunch of good months last year," Girardi said. "Yeah,
he went through a month period where he really struggled, but that's not
unusual for players. ... I think Mike Mussina has a lot to offer."

Girardi also ran down the club's arrangement at first base, saying that he
feels comfortable with figuring out playing time amongst his current roster
contenders of Jason Giambi, Shelley Duncan and Andy Phillips. How much
playing time Giambi receives in the field will depend on his health and
on discussions as Spring Training nears, but Girardi did not rule out
Giambi seeing time at first base.

"I think we will work that spot out very well," Girardi said. "I think
we have plenty there."

Roster additions: The Yankees signed right-hander Scott Patterson to a
Major League contract on Tuesday, while adding catcher Francisco Cervelli
and right-handed pitchers Jeffrey Marquez and White to the 40-man roster.

Patterson, 28, was 4-2 with two saves and a 1.05 ERA in 44 combined
games (three starts) at Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
in 2007. The Yankees' roster now stands at 39 players.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://tinyurl.com/2dwyvm

--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) 
◆ From: 140.109.23.211
推 kauw:Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Chamberlain, Phil Hughes
→ kauw: and Ian Kennedy..@@賭真大 有三個菜鳥
推 a02637:才35歲.... 派派繼續投阿!!!!
推 GBoys:好弱的SP@@
推 dracla:弱不若名字才會知道,不過是很年輕的
推 OoyaoO:樓上其實想打明年吧＠＠？
推 appshjkli:年輕跟弱不成正比,給他們完整的一年去證明自己的價值
推 gerkk:如果真的靠這五個拿到冠軍  也算是奇蹟了
→ jackselina:感覺薪資總額提高 卻有弱化的感覺 XD
推 appshjkli:基本上我期待Phil Hughes能證明No.1 prospects的價值
推 tsming:阿宅明年應該會有機會吧:P
推 kauw:MOOSE都可以排第二了 這..還不夠弱嗎?應該是十年來最弱的SP吧
推 appshjkli:把2005年放到哪去了:P
推 birdy590:後三號有機會演出大驚奇, 下面也有足夠的人手可以頂
推 kauw:2005一開使帳面上可是很嚇人..
推 daimou:阿宅~~不期不待沒有傷害!!!太過期待一堆傷害~~囧
推 webberhan:....
推 iluy:其實345號先發問題不大 少一個Ace是真的
推 ohoho1208:還是希望有一個左投先發......
→ godblesssam:http://tinyurl.com/2jjasn
推 siliver:我到不覺得這樣的先發陣容會弱到哪去,反正每年的陣容都
→ siliver:強到嚇死人然後一開打就慘兮兮,那還不如排個看起來不起眼
→ siliver:的陣容,打的好是意外之喜打的差是情理之中~~~~
推 JessicaA1ba:最好是明年能看到Santana, Bedard的名字在裡面 XD
推 kimkim:期待王明年變完全體比去搶別隊Ace可能還比較容易
推 dracla:SORRY~~XD~~那時候迷迷糊糊把明年打成名字了
推 hergan:小王每年拿下19+ 就不用怕沒ACE了
→ kauw:要是年年季賽19勝 但季後賽不能贏 兩難阿..@2
推 dracla:王會像AROD這幾年季後賽一樣? 基本上看下去就知道了!
推 onemen:小王季後賽也贏過阿
推 doa3ps2:王只有今年季後賽大爆炸...
推 Nilthoron:不覺得這樣的陣容很弱 反正明年就知道了
推 iluy:一定會補SP的 因為局數根本吃不下來......