Category: Whimsy Page 2 of 4

To wrap up what I started last week, today we build a pitching staff of one-and-done Yankees pitchers. I’ll put together my five man rotation, seven arm bullpen, and a bunch of honorable mentions. Oh, and as I forgot to mention last week: I’m only considering players from my lifetime (I was born in 1990). With that, away we go:

Starting Rotation (5): Bartolo Colón, Jon Lieber, Brandon McCarthy, Lance Lynn, Jake Westbrook

Bartolo Colón’s career sputtered after he won the 2005 AL Cy Young Award. A myriad of health issues resulted in Big Sexy making just 47 starts from 2006 through 2009. After that, he didn’t make a single start in 2010. Fortunately, that wasn’t the end of the righty’s career. He made a triumphant return with the 2011 Yankees, winning a bullpen job out of camp before joining the rotation in late April. Overall, Colón threw 164 1/3 innings and recorded an impressive 4.00 ERA (95 ERA-) and 3.83 FIP (91 FIP-). That season with the Bombers was the jumpoff for his late career resurgence.

Jon Lieber underwent Tommy John surgery in late-2002, and although he was set to miss all of 2003, the Yankees signed him to a two-year contract. The bet paid off, as Lieber’s one season in pinstripes — 2004 — was solid. Though he got off to a rough start, he settled in during the second half. After a 4.77 ERA in the first half, Lieber closed out the year with a 3.94 ERA the rest of the way. The righty also pitched well in the playoffs: in three starts (21 innings), he had a 3.43 ERA, though he took the loss in Game 6 against the Red Sox in the ALCS.

The Yankees acquired Brandon McCarthy in early-July 2014. The tall and lanky right-hander was great down the stretch: he posted a 2.89 ERA and 3.22 FIP in 14 starts (90 1/3 innings), though unfortunately it wasn’t enough to get the Yankees back into the playoffs that year. It did land McCarthy a nice contract with the Dodgers after the season, at least.

I’m still mad that the Yankees didn’t bring back Lance Lynn (only half-kidding). Lynn was terrific for the Rangers last year after pitching decently for the Bombers in late-2018. The Yankees picked up Lynn from the Twins for Tyler Austin at the deadline that year and the burly right-hander pitched 11 games (9 starts) and had a 4.14 ERA (2.17 FIP!). He did get wrecked in relief of Luis Severino in Game 4 of the ALDS vs. Boston, although now we (still) wait to find out the extent of Boston’s cheating that season.

Lastly, what could have been for Jake Westbrook had he not been traded? He was part of the David Justice trade, so I’m sure the Yankees don’t have too many regrets. After all, Justice was a big part of that 2000 World Champion team. Still, Westbrook went on to have a nice career with Cleveland and St. Louis after pitching just three games for the Yankees. Honestly, I have no recollection of Westbrook actually debuting with the Yankees. I had assumed they dealt him while he was still a prospect in the minors.

Honorable Mentions: Esteban Loaiza, Denny Neagle, Jaime Garcia, Cory Lidle

Bullpen (7): Kerry Wood, Chris Hammond, Jesse Orosco, LaTroy Hawkins, Luis Ayala, Octavio Dotel, Armando Benitez

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One-time Cubs wunderkind Kerry Wood pitched in the Yankees’ bullpen in 2010. He began that season in Cleveland’s bullpen, but struggled to the tune of a 6.30 ERA. However, following a deadline day trade to the Bronx, Wood was dominant. He allowed only two runs in 26 innings with the Yankees and struck out 31 opponents.

Before I knew anything about regression to the mean, I was absolutely ecstatic when the Yankees signed Chris Hammond following his 0.95 ERA season in Atlanta. The lefty pitched well in his one season with the Yankees (2.86 ERA and 3.25 FIP), but was traded after the 2003 season to Oakland.

I’m throwing Jesse Orosco into the mix because I find it hilarious that he was 46 (!!!) when he made a cameo in pinstripes. He came aboard as a lefty specialist in a midseason trade, appeared in 15 games, and was traded away before the season ended. Orosco was best known for his time with the Mets in the mid-80s, but by virtue of being left-handed, he stuck around for 24 seasons including part of his final one with the Yankees.

LaTroy Hawkins got an absolute raw deal in New York. Yes, he pitched poorly (5.71 ERA in 41 innings), but certain segments of the fanbase were unnecessarily harsh on him. All he did “wrong” was wear number 21 for part of the year (For some reason the Yankees still won’t circulate it. It’s been almost 20 years since Paul O’Neill retired. Come on.). Hawkins was very good after they traded him to Houston mid-season and went on to continue his strong career in the bullpen through 2015.

Luis Ayala surprisingly emerged as a key fixture in the Yankees’ 2011 bullpen. The righty recorded a 2.09 ERA in 52 games. That, after signing a minor league deal, was an unexpected boon to the club’s ‘pen.

I remember wanting Octavio Dotel on the Yankees for years. That wish eventually came true, but unfortunately well past Dotel’s prime. The Yankees signed him for the 2006 season knowing he still had a few months left of Tommy John rehab. He pitched 14 games (10 innings) upon return, but allowed 13 runs and 11 walks while striking out just 7.

The Yankees had Armando Benítez for a hot minute in 2003. Formely a strongly disliked rival with Baltimore and later Mets’ closer, the Yankees traded for Benítez mid-2003. The Mets got Jason Anderson in return. The Yankees only kept Benítez for a few weeks as they dealt him to Seattle for old friend Jeff Nelson.

Honorable Mentions: Chan Ho Park, Chad Qualls, Matt Thornton, Mark Wohlers, Buddy Groom, Alan Embree, Kirby Yates, Felix Rodriguez, Andrew Bailey, Luis Ayala, Brett Tomko, Jay Witasick, Anthony Swarzak, Sergio Santos, Chaz Roe, David Carpenter, Rich Hill, Derek Lowe, Luis Vizcaíno

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Times are tough right now and there’s not much baseball to write about or discuss (our podcast has you covered if you’re looking for that). So, why not go for a little twist on an All-Time Yankees roster? Today, I’m starting a two part series on players who spent no more than one year with the Yankees. I’m building a 25-man roster with 13 position players (covered today) and 12 pitchers (coming sometime in the future). With that, let’s get right to it.

Catcher (2): Iván Rodríguez and Sal Fasano

Pudge in pinstripes is one of the weirder images in the Yankees’ history. The Hall of Fame backstop was a longtime rival, whether with the Rangers in the late 90s, that pesky 2003 Marlins squad, or those annoying mid-aughts Detroit clubs.

The Yankees brought in Pudge at the trade deadline in 2008 in exchange for Kyle Farnsworth. Jorge Posada, who hit the disabled list for the first time in his career that month, was out for the rest of the season. At the time, Rodríguez wasn’t much of a (power) hitter anymore, but his bat was still respectable and his glove remained top notch. Unfortunately, Pudge sputtered in pinstripes: in 101 plate appearances, the catcher hit .219/.257/.323 (51 OPS+). His OPS+ had hovered right around league before his acquisition and the previous couple of seasons, but the Yankees weren’t so fortunate to get that kind of production in Posada’s absence.

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Considering that Posada was a bastion of health for most of his career, and that the Yankees were pretty stable behind the plate even after he retired (Russell Martin, Brian McCann, Gary Sánchez), it’s hard to find a backup catcher for this squad. So, just for fun, we’ll go with Sal Fasano. Because why not? He fits the criteria and was fun. Just look at this bundle of joy:

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Honorable Mentions: Kelly Stinnett, Dioner Navarro, Chris Widger, and Kevin Cash

First Base (1): John Olerud

For a franchise that’s seamlessly gone from Don Mattingly to Tino Martinez to Jason Giambi to Mark Teixeira, the Yankees sure have had a ton of random first baseman throughout the last three decades. Best laid plans and all, am I right?

Giambi and Teixeira had a few seasons mired by injuries which resulted in a number of replacements. A lot of fun names as you’ll see in the honorable mentions below, but I took Olerud here.

The Yankees brought in Johnny O mid-2004 after Seattle released him. Then 35, he had hit .245/.354/.360 (90 OPS+) with the Mariners before the Yankees grabbed him. He closed with a better .280/.367/.396 (101 OPS+) triple-slash in pinstripes.

In the playoffs, an injury kept Olerud out of games four, five, and six of the ALCS before he pinch hit in Game seven. You may remember this homer against Pedro Martínez before Things We Will Not Discuss happened in that series:

Honorable Mentions: Doug Mientkiewicz, Tony Clark, Richie Sexson, Lyle Overbay, Mark Reynolds, Steve Pearce, Travis Lee, Craig Wilson, Ike Davis, Chris Carter, Ji-Man Choi

Second Base (1): Martín Prado

I have to say: it caught me by surprise that Prado was eligible. I really thought he was around for at least a couple of years. Then again, those mid-2010 teams weren’t clubs to remember. Prado only played 37 games in pinstripes and was great: he batted .316/.336/.541 (144 OPS+) for the Bombers in 2014.

The Yanks brought Prado aboard at the deadline that year in exchange for power-hitting prospect Peter O’Brien. He played all over the field for the final two months of the season — the first year in which the Yankees were without Robinson Cano.

In the offseason, the Yankees packaged Prado with David Phelps to the Marlins in return for Nathan Eovaldi, Domingo Germán, and Garrett Jones.

Honorable Mentions: Neil Walker, Tony Womack, Brian Roberts, Mark Bellhorn

Third Base (2): Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lowell

The Greek God of Walks had an illustrious career in pinstripes, did he not? Oh, those 2013 Yankees were a treat. With Alex Rodriguez out for the start of the season, the Yankees brought in Youkilis for a cool $12 million to handle the hot corner. It did not go well. The then 34 year-old lasted just 28 games with the Yankees and hit a putrid .219/.305/.343 (80 OPS+).

Back injuries ruined any chance of Youkilis having any success with the Yankees. He hit the injured list twice, with the second time being the last straw: he underwent season-ending surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back.

Performance aside, Youkilis in pinstripes has to be one of the most bizarre marriages in recent memory. He was a longtime loathsome foe up in Boston that I can’t imagine any Yankees had a fondness for.

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Then comes Lowell, who like Youkilis, had a successful run in Boston. Before that though, Lowell emerged as one of the sport’s better third basemen with the Marlins. Even further back: Lowell was once a Yankees prospect who got a cup of coffee with the ’98 squad. Instead of becoming the Bombers’ third baseman of the future, he was blocked by Scott Brosius. Thus, the Yankees dealt him to the Marlins for Todd Noel, Mark Johnson, and Ed Yarnall. Whoops!

Honorable Mentions: Aaron Boone, Todd Zeile, Morgan Ensberg, Todd Frazier, Casey McGehee, Kelly Johnson

Shortstop (2): Troy Tulowitzki, Jerry Hairston Jr.

Tulo has the most star power of the one-and-done shortstops here, and there aren’t many choices nonetheless. That’ll happen as a result of Derek Jeter and Didi Gregorius dominating the position since 1996.

Tulo was the product of the Yankees’ peculiar plan to make him the starting shortstop as Gregorius recovered from Tommy John surgery last year. It only took five games for the oft-injured Tulowitzki to go down for good, but at least he tallied one homer with the Bombers. Remember, Tulowitzki idolized Jeter and seemingly longed to play for the Yankees for years, so that was a cool moment for him.

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I have to say, I was surprised to see Hairston actually play far more shortstop in 2009 than second base. It was his second most played position that year to third base, though I always remember him at the keystone for the Orioles early in his career. With that, Hairston’s my utility infielder on this roster.

Anyway, Hairston was a nice trade deadline pickup for the World Champion 2009 Yankees. He’ll perhaps be best remembered for racing around to score on Melky Cabera’s grounder in the 13th inning to win Game 2 of the 2009 ALCS.

Honorable mentions: Erick Almonte, Tony Fernández, Ángel Berroa, Adeiny Hechavarría, Pete Kozma, Reid Brignac

Left Field (2): Rondell White, Vernon Wells

Even in the dynasty years, the one position the Yankees struggled to fill was left field. Not that it really mattered, of course. The Bombers were a juggernaut. Come 2002 though, I remember being really excited about Rondell White coming aboard.

To that point, White had a lifetime .295/.351/.484 (115 OPS+) batting line and was entering his age-30 campaign. No one could have anticipated the drop off he exhibited in pinstripes, particularly after he had just finished 2001 with a career high 134 OPS+ with the Cubs. White recorded an ugly .240/.288/.378 (76 OPS+) with the Yankees and was subsequently traded in the winter. White bounced back with the Padres in 2003, but the Yankees were unquestionably happy to have Hideki Matsui roaming left field.

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Vernon Wells is my fourth outfielder. He was one of the many random players to grace that 2013 squad. You may recall that he was terrific in April: Wells hit .300/.366/.544 with six dingers in 101 plate appearances, seemingly out of nowhere. Of course, things weren’t so hot the rest of the way. Whenever each mark in your triple-slash starts with a 2, it’s not good folks. Wells finished with a .216/.258/.296 line the rest of the way. Yikes. But at least his heyday with Toronto and name recognition make him viable on this fake roster’s bench.

Honorable Mentions: Randy Winn, Austin Kearns, Glenallen Hill

Center Field (1): Kenny Lofton

2004 was a little bit awkward. Bernie Williams, the longtime Yankees center fielder, had a challenger in another longtime (but aging) great: Kenny Lofton. Though Bernie got the majority of reps in center, Lofton received his fair share and recorded 539 innings at the position in 2004.

It’s pretty well documented that Lofton wasn’t happy during his time in pinstripes because of sporadic playing time. Unfortunately for Lofton, the then 37 year-old was stuck in a crowded outfield situation with Bernie, Matsui, and Gary Sheffield. Nonetheless, Lofton was solid in limited time: he posted a a 95 OPS+ and 1.5 WAR in 83 games. Years later, when the Yankees were courting CC Sabathia in free agency, Lofton reportedly tried to steer CC away from the Bronx.

Honorable Mentions: Dewayne Wise, Shane Robinson, Slade Heathcott

Right Field (1): Andrew McCutchen

Cutch was with the Yanks for basically one month, but feels like an easy choice for one of these outfield spots. Acquired at the August 31st waiver trade dealine in 2018, the former NL MVP raked as a Yankee. In 114 plate appearances, McCutchen belted 5 homers, a .421 OBP, and a 145 OPS+.

Honorable Mentions: Aaron Guiel, Matt Lawton, Terrence Long, Brennan Boesch, David Delucci

Designated Hitter (1): Raúl Ibañez

Need I explain my choice any further?

Honorable Mentions: Lance Berkman, Travis Hafner, Ben Francisco, Matt Holliday, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Canseco, Billy Butler, Garrett Jones

Last week, I took a look at the Yankees’ best players by position for the last decade (2010-2019). Now, as the back-end of this series, I’m going to look at the Bombers’ best individual seasons by position in that same span.
While there are many of the same players on this list, this is highlighting the best of the best. MVP-worthy seasons for some, career-years for others. Starting with catcher, we get some familiar faces.

Catcher: 2017 Gary Sánchez

If you prorate Sánchez’s two-month torching of the American League in 2016, it’s not only the best catching season for the Yankees this decade but perhaps ever. Even with passed balls aplenty, Sánchez’s unbelievable hitting stretch (170 wRC+ in 53 games) was unrepeatable.

The next year, he was still damn good. In his first full Major League season, he set a Yankees single-season record for home runs by a catcher (33) and batted .278/.345/.531 (131 wRC+). He was an asset behind the plate with his skillful framing and had his best health in the Majors to date (122 games).

A 38-year-old Jorge Posada bashed 18 home runs in 2010, and both Russell Martin and Brian McCann had fine seasons behind the dish. Still, the 2016-17 Sánchez runs were unmatched by pinstriped catchers in the 2010s.

First Base: 2019 DJ LeMahieu

I’m clearly fudging this as LeMahieu played more games at both second and third base. However, there’s no room to supplant Robinson Canó at the keystone, and LeMahieu’s 2019 season was too good to leave out.

Leading the Next Man Up Yankees with 145 games played, he came up just shy of a batting title (.327 avg.) with a career-high 26 homers and 102 RBI. The free-agent signing catalyzed the Yankees through a trying season and onto the brink of a World Series berth.

The runner up for me was 2015 Mark Teixeira. While he hit more home runs in both 2010 and 2011 while playing full seasons, Teixeira’s 2015 season was an electric campaign cut short by a fluky injury. Over 111 games, he jumpstarted the Bombers’ wild-card efforts with a .255/.357/.548 (143 wRC+) line and mashed 31 homers in that time. Once he went down with injury, the Yankees’ division hopes were mostly sunk.

Second Base: 2012 Robinson Canó

As mentioned in the previous piece, Canó broke out at the turn of the decade and didn’t let up for his four remaining seasons with the Yankees. You could pick any of his seasons from 2010 to 2013 and you wouldn’t be wrong.

So why 2012? Not only did he establish a (since eclipsed) career-high in home runs with 33, he had a career-best .929 OPS and 149 wRC+, all while earning his second and final Gold Glove. It was the third in a five-year stretch where he finished between third and sixth in MVP voting. While the Yankees’ aging core outside of Derek Jeter needed significant time off in ’12, Canó led the way with 161 games while playing a smooth and superb brand of ball.

Honorable Mention: 2019 Gleyber Torres/DJ LeMahieu

Shortstop: 2018 Didi Gregorius

Gregorius’ career with the Yankees resembled a rising stock before a crash. He was a below-average hitter for two years while getting by on defense, then he broke out as a power-hitting all-around force hitting the in the middle of the order for a championship-caliber team.

In 2018, Didi established a Yankee record with 27 home runs by a shortstop and posted a 124 OPS+ in 134 games. For the second straight year, he earned a 20th-place finish in MVP balloting. His 2017 postseason surpassed his 2018 effort, but he played through the 2018 ALDS with a torn UCL, showing the tenacity the Bronx faithful loved from their shortstop.

Honorable Mention: 2012 Derek Jeter

Third Base: 2010 Álex Rodríguez/2019 Gio Urshela

Rodríguez settled third base for the Yankees for about a decade before succumbing to injuries (with a DH interlude). In 2010 and ’11, he was past his prime but still very good, posting 4.2 and 4.0 WAR seasons. In 2010, he continued a 30-homer, 100-RBI streak that dated back to 1998 while his bat took a step back at age-34.

Meanwhile, Urshela did something that no player post-Rodríguez could do: Combine impressive hitting and standout defense at third base. He matched Miguel Andújar’s success at the plate without the pitfalls at the hot corner. His 3.1 WAR is behind Rodríguez, but the defensive metrics underrate his steady glove.

Left Field: 2010/2017 Brett Gardner

We saw two distinctly different Brett Gardners this decade: A slap hitter who relied on speed, or a power hitter who sacrificed contact for dingers. They were both tremendous, and each had Gold Glove-worthy defense to back it up.

Funny enough, Gardy’s All-Star season was 2015 and his Gold Glove came in 2016. However, his remarkable defense in 2010 was robbed by an aging Ichiro for the award, though his 47 steals presaged his MLB-leading total a year later. In 2017, he smahed 21 home runs and played 151 games for the second time since 2011.

Center Field: 2011 Curtis Granderson

The groundwork for Grandy’s 2011 was laid in August 2010, when the struggling outfielder retooled his approach with the help of hitting coach Kevin Long. For the final 1.5 months of that season, he finally started to hit same-sided pitchers.

In 2011, Granderson’s offense went from good to lineup-carrying great. He hit 41 home runs with 26 doubles and 10 triples in putting together a career-high .916 OPS and 146 wRC+. He still had some flaws — he should have been flipped to left field with Gardner, and he struck out at a decent clip — but he was grand for the entire year. He hit 43 homers in 2012 before an injury undid his final year in the Bronx.

Right Field: 2017 Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge had the best season of any Yankee since MVP A-Rod in 2017. The numbers do all the talking. He led the AL with 52 homers, 128 runs, 127 walks and 208 strikeouts. He batted .284/.422/.627 (174 wRC+) and likely should have won MVP, all after striking out in 44.2 percent of his at-bats in 2016. No offense to Pete Alonso, but it was the best rookie season of all-time.

Judge hasn’t quite reached 2017 heights offensively in subsequent years, but his improved defense might make him a better all-around player when healthy.

Designated Hitter: 2018 Giancarlo Stanton/2015 Álex Rodríguez

The Yankees have had an eclectic group of DH seasons in the 2010s, many of which have been highly successful. 2010 Marcus Thames. 2011 Jorge Posada. 2012 Raúl Ibañez, though he played far too many games in the field.

Two seasons stand above the rest: Stanton and A-Rod. A-Rod’s last gaps in 2015 featured 30 home runs and an All-Star first half before he cratered late in his age-40 season. Stanton, meanwhile, carried the Yankees while Judge was hurt and boasted 38 homers in his Bronx debut.

Starting Pitching

1. 2011 CC Sabathia
2. 2017 Luis Severino
3. 2012 Hiroki Kuroda
4. 2016 Masahiro Tanaka
5. 2013 Ivan Nova
6. 2010 Andy Pettitte

The Yankees have had two pitchers pitch to an ace level for a season in this decade: Sabathia and Severino. Sabathia was at the tail-end of his prime in the early 2010s and had back-to-back top-four finishes in the Cy Young in 2010 and ’11. Sevy, meanwhile, was third in Cy Young voting in 2017 and could very well surpass that if he overcomes 2019’s health issues.

Kuroda and Tanaka mirror Sabathia and Severino in the very good category. Kuroda pitched the end of his stateside career in the Bronx and his first year with the Yankees, 2012, was the strongest of those, capped with a strong start to clinch the division and two good playoff outings. Tanaka has been consistently good, especially in big games. His abbreviated 2014 and his full 2016 seasons were the closest he came to being a regular-season ace.

I extended it to a six-man rotation because, well, why not? Nova fizzled out by the end of his time in the Bronx, but he mastered his sinker and curveball before Tommy John surgery in the early 2010s with a fine run from 2011-13, earning him Rookie of the Year consideration in 2011. The culmination of that progression was 2013, when he had health, consistency and confidence. Pettitte was superb in 2010 but in just 21 starts.

Honorable Mention: 2010 Phil Hughes, 2011 Freddy Garcia, 2015 Nathan Eovaldi, 2019 James Paxton

Bullpen

Closer: 2010 Mariano Rivera
The Rest: 2011 David Robertson, 2014 Dellin Betances, 2015 Andrew Miller, 2017 Chad Green, 2019 Ottavino/Kahnle/Britton/Chapman

I don’t know how you whittle down this bullpen. I nearly forgot Miller, and I had to exclude standout seasons from Rafael Soriano, Cory Wade, Luis Ayala and Adam Warren. The Yankees have been stacked in relief year-after-year.

Rivera is the closer every decade until my mind goes mush, and he had a 1.80 ERA in 2010. Robertson’s breakout (and only All-Star) year was 2011, when he struck out 100 with a 1.08 ERA in 66 2/3 innings. Betances struck out an absurd 135 batters in 2014 while often going multiple innings a la ’96 Rivera.

With Miller, his 2016 season was better, but he was traded at the deadline. Same with Chapman, but I included the entire 2019 top-four as a cop-out to having to choose between those seasons. Britton, though, was the best of the four. Finally, 2017 Chad Green rivals 2011 Robertson and 2014 Betances for the best relief seasons of the decade as he mowed down hitters with his high-spin fastball for 103 strikeouts and a 1.83 ERA in 69 innings.