Off-Season Blather

[Sam56]

"NY Yankees GM Brian Cashman: For Chan Ho Park as a reliever, 'his stuff was different'

By Marc Carig/The Star-Ledger
 
March 01, 2010, 8:15AM

TAMPA, Fla. -- Something curious happened when Chan Ho Park moved from back-end starter to reluctant reliever, and it caught the Yankees' attention.

"We've noticed a change in his abilities, so we stayed in the loop," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said on Sunday. "Out of the bullpen, his stuff was different."

Three years ago, the perceived change landed Park on a watchlist of players kept by the Yankees' pro scouting department. Their opportunity to land him came when Park's contract talks with the Phillies stalled. The Yankees pounced, signing the veteran to a one-year, $1.2 million contract that includes $300,000 in incentives.

"I thought that there was some real value there," said Cashman, who hopes Park can recapture the magic he showed with the NL Champion Phillies.

Park had dabbled in relief before his successful stint last season, though the results were never nearly as good as the ones he got with the Phillies.

In the bullpen, Park's strikeout-out-to-walks ratio jumped from 1.24 to 3.25. His strikeout rate spiked as well, going from 5.7 strikeouts per nine innings to 9.4 strikeouts per nine. His batting average against fell from .311 as a starter to .231 as a reliever.

"It plays up," Cashman said of Park as a reliever. "He throws harder. We saw it in the postseason here. We saw it in the Dodger-Phillies postseason the previous year, where he just comes out of the 'pen with a plus fastball and a snap-dragon breaking ball. He just goes right after hitters, too, His personality, and his tool set, seem to play up a little bit out of the pen. He'll just have to do it without a beard."

Perhaps most impressive, in 38 appearances (50 innings) as a reliever, Park did not allow a home run. By the time the Phillies reached the postseason, Park has established himself as a bullpen stalwart, posting a relief ERA of 2.52.

He appeared in eight postseason games, including four World Series games against the Yankees.

"Great movement," Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez said. "Velocity was up in the mid 90s. He looked good. I thought he was a weapon for the Phillies. Hopefully he can do the same thing for us."

Regardless of the pitcher's own perception of where he stands, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he will treat Park as if he's 10 to 12 days behind the rest of the pitchers in camp. That means a highly managed workload. Park will throw a bullpen on Monday, the start of a process to ease him into games.

But once Park is ready, the Yankees must figure out what role he'll play in a bullpen stuffed with options. In Philadelphia, Park worked in long relief but also pitched effectively in a one-inning capacity.

Girardi said he can envision Park filling both roles with the Yankees, either working in the seventh-inning as part of the bridge to closer Mariano Rivera, or as a long reliever capable of going multiple innings.

"He can do a lot of things," Girardi said. "He's a guy who gives me a lot of versatility out there."

[Gmo11]

I may be of the younger generation, but I've seen a lot of baseball and seen enough to know this guy isn't good.  Now, in the PED era, maybe he's talking to some of Bonds' doctors to give his fastball a little more life.  AT this point, i'm not sure I would even care if that were the case, but short of that he's just not good.  Ask Brad Penny and John Smoltz how different pitching in the AL, specifically the AL East, is to pitching in AAAA baseball.  Bringing a guy who has had many miserable seasons and 1 relatively good one over to the big leagues just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.  I wasn't a big fan of the Gaudin move but that ended up being a good one and he proved himself against some of the best players in the game playing in the AL East and playing well.  I'd hate to think we'd drop him after he more than exceeded anybody's reasonable expectations of him because we just had to have a guy who has sucked everywhere he's been for 16 years, minus the couple of successful months he had at the end of last year.

[Sam56]

Gmo,

I'll forward this to Cashman and Girardi, maybe they can still get their money back.   

[ps11yat14]

Sam;

I heard on the radio the other day that the Phils offered him 2.1 mil but Scott Boras turned it down because he felt he could get more.  Boras needs to learn the the economics of baseball has changed. 

Bill

Go Red Sox!!!

[Sam56]

"Sam;

I heard on the radio the other day that the Phils offered him 2.1 mil but Scott Boras turned it down because he felt he could get more.  Boras needs to learn the the economics of baseball has changed. 

Bill"

"The Yankees pounced, signing the veteran to a one-year, $1.2 million contract that includes $300,000 in incentives.'

So potentially a very good financial deal for the Yanks.

[Sam56]

"Javier Vazquez gives NY Yankees first glimpse of 'a different Javy'

By Marc Carig/The Star-Ledger
 
March 08, 2010, 5:13PM

TAMPA, Fla. -- Yankees pitcher Javier Vazquez was well aware of the possibility that Phillies leadoff man Jimmy Rollins would swing at the first pitch he saw on Monday afternoon. Nevertheless, Vazquez fired a fastball and Rollins connected, sending the first pitch of Vazquez's second term with the Yankees over the right field fence.

Vazquez laughed about the homer later, an expected reaction, considering what happened the rest of the way in the Yankees' 7-5 split squad victory.

Featuring a repertoire that he's refined since his disappointing departure from the Bronx following the 2004 season, Vazquez struck out four of the last six batters he faced to wrap up his two-inning spring training debut.

"The important thing is that I got my work in," said Vazquez, who breezed through his outing so efficiently that after leaving the game, he had to throw in the bullpen to reach his pitch count. "I'm throwing all my pitches. I threw the ball good."

In going 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA with the Braves last season, Vazquez used his offspeed pitches more than at any point in his career. And on Monday, facing a familiar NL-foe in the Phillies, he showed off the confidence he has grown in those pitches.

Vazquez's aggressiveness on the mound and the sharpness of his slider, curve and changeup prompted catcher Jorge Posada -- who worked with the pitcher back in 2004 -- to rave about "a different Javy."

A look at Vazquez's pitch-type percentages (courtesy FanGraphs) illustrates the change in Vazquez's approach. The following is a list of Vazquez's fastball percentages by season:

2002: 60.0 percent
2003: 57.6 percent
2004: 56.9 percent
2005: 55.9 percent
2006: 55.8 percent
2007: 53.0 percent
2008: 53.2 percent
2009: 49.9 percent

At various points in his career, Vazquez's curveball, changeup and slider (20.2 percent last season) have each been his favored secondary pitch. And as we've covered here before, Vazquez's curveball was key in 2009.

But for the first time in his career, he threw each of all three of his offpseed pitches at least 13 percent of the time. Said Vazquez: "I'm mixing it up a little bit better than I used to."

And it was that mix that stood out in Vazquez's return, showcasing his nasty curveball and a deceptive changeup that remains a key part of his arsenal.

"I liked what I saw," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He's got outstanding offspeed stuff and a moving fastball. He's just adding to what he had."

***

While Vazquez displayed his improved arsenal in Tampa, Yankees right-hander Alfredo Aceves became the latest under-the-radar candidate to offer proof that he merits consideration for the final open spot in the rotation.

Aceves threw four perfect innings as the Yankees' split squad blanked the Pirates 6-0 in Bradenton. In spring training innings, Aceves has been perfect, facing the minimum 18 batters. He has four strikeouts.

[nosebleed_section]

Geez, so far Joba is pitching like Yoda........ Got rocked again. I actually kind of like it, because I think he should be pitching the 8th inning all year or alternate doing it with Hughes.

[Gmo11]

You shouldn't have both Joba and Hughes in the bullpen.  It's gotta be one or the other.  BUT one or the other HAS to be the 8th inning guy.  I'll leave that decision up to Girardi.  As to the other one, who isn't the 8th inning guy, he should hopefully win the 5th starter spot but if Aceves keeps this up it'll be hard not to give the spot to him.  In that case, I'd send the other one of Joba/Hughes down to the minors.  Let them have a full season as a starter.  In the case of Joba, its very likely the Yankees screwing around with him for 3 years is the very reason he's not effective anymore.  Let him have a full season to get accustomed to being a starter again.  He has the pitches and he has the mental makeup of a starter, he just needs to figure out how to harness it.  So let him.  Or throw him in the bullpen and leave him alone there.  Either way give him a role and let him know thats where he will be for the duration of his Yankee career.

[Sam56]

Potential Yankee starting line-up:

Here's the lineup the Yankees will likely use on Tuesday against the Astros, which Girardi said will closely resemble the one he wants to use April 4 in Boston.

Derek Jeter
Nick Johnson
Mark Teixeira
Alex Rodriguez
Robinson Cano
Jorge Posada
Curtis Granderson
Nick Swisher
Brett Gardner

[Gmo11]

Makes sense to me.  Gardner/Thames/Winn will all be rotating but basically any of the 3 would be batting 9th with this lineup anyway.