At the midpoint of the 2006 regular season, the New York Yankees are 46-35, four games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox. The Yankees are on track for a 92-70 season, which probably won’t be enough for a wild-card birth or a division title. Things haven’t turned out exactly the way they would have liked, but all things considered, the Yankees aren’t in the worst of shape. We’re going to give the Yankees a rating and explanation for the following categories: hitting, opening pitch, relief pitch, fielding, handling, and team chemistry. After scoring all of these areas, we’ll give the Yankees an overall rating. A Mets mid-season report card will also be released in the immediate future, so Mets fans: stay tuned! The first category we will start with is hitting.
Hit: A-
Even with the absence of Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield, the Yankees are third in all of MLB in runs scored. They rank second in the MLB in OBP (.365) and fourth in the MLB in BA (.283). Melky Cabrera and Bernie Williams have replaced Sheffield and Matsui very well, though they can’t provide the same offensive output as those two men added to the lineup. Arguably the Yankees are losing their most crucial hitter, and their most feared hitter in the lineup, and they’re still racking up runs. Derek Jeter is having a career year and Johnny Damon is hitting for more power and stealing more bases than ever. Jason Giambi ranks in the top five in home runs and has an insanely high OBP of .424. Alex Rodriguez isn’t in his MVP groove like he was last season, but he is starting to drive in runs and increase his average after a miserable June. Jorge is having something of a renaissance year, after three straight years of decline that led many to question whether or not he could still be a daily catcher for the Bombers. Posada is putting up some pretty good numbers, and so far he’s been the Yankees’ most pleasant surprise.
Initial release: C+
Let’s face it, there has been absolutely nothing consistent about Randy Johnson’s season so far, except possibly for the talk about him. The staff ace has a 5.25 ERA, which is anything but impressive, but he ranks in the top 10 in wins (9) and strikeouts (92). Randy followed with seven shutout innings and nine strikeouts, with eight runs allowed to the crosstown rival, the New York Mets. If the Yankees are going to make a playoff push, they’re going to need some kind of consistency from the Big Unit. As mentioned in previous posts on the site, Shawn Chacon has been horrible and has been demoted to the bullpen. Jaret Wright hasn’t pitched more than six innings in any start this season, but he has at least shown some glimmers of promise in his limited job. If the grade were based entirely on the performance of these three underperforming students, I don’t even think an F would do their performance justice, until now. The only thing that has rescued this staff has been the pitching of All-Star snub Mike Mussina and young sensation Chien-Ming Wang. Wang has been burning up innings for the Yankees and leads innings in double plays. Mike Mussina is having a Cy Young-caliber year for the Yankees, posting a 10-3 record and a 3.24 ERA. The Moose ranks in the top five of the American League in eight different pitching categories: Wins (10), SO (108), WHIP (1.08), CG (1), IP (122.1), ERA (3.24), Win % (.769), and BAA (.225). It will be tough to make a pennant race with a two-man pitching rotation, so the Yankees will need to make a deal for a pitcher or some sort of production from the Chacon/Wright/Johnson trio.
Relay pitch: B-
Reliable old pitcher Mariano Rivera (18 S, 1.80 ERA, 0.93 WHIP) and newcomers Mike Myers (1.65 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) and Ron Villone (1.99 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) have made the bullpen somewhat reliable. The highly touted and highly paid Kyle Farnsworth has been a huge disappointment, as has Tanyon Sturtze, before he was injured. Scott Proctor is off to a great start for the Yankees, but aside from April, he’s been horrible; his ERA is a staggering 4.58 and he’s already allowed nine home runs. However, Proctor is young and his future is bright for the Yankees; on the other hand, Kyle Farnsworth has been the real stinker of the Bombers this season. His 4.62 ERA and 1.59 WHIP are of immediate concern, as Farnsworth would serve as setup man for The Sandman. Farnsworth’s reputation has always been that he excels in the regular season, but he can never pitch in a big spot; For me, forget pitching well in an important spot, how about pitching decently ANYWHERE, Mr. Farnsworth? At this point, the only thing Farnsworth is good at is getting David Ortiz out, which is something none of the other Yankees pitchers seem to be able to do. I’d really like to see Torre make use of Villone more frequently in later innings, and not just in cleanup roles; Also, I would like to see Mike Myers get more action against righties as well as lefties, as Myers has shown that he is capable of taking out most hitters. It’s the middle of the season and Rivera already has 45 innings on his account; Rivera has never pitched more than 80 innings as a closer, and the fact that he’s on pace for 90 scares me a little, especially with Mo at the age of 36. He’s as good as ever, but he’s important to the other relievers. , especially Farnsworth, to step up and give Mariano a break during the summer months; we’re going to need Mo at this best moment down the stretch.
Field: C-
The Yankees rank 23rd in the MLB in fielding percentage, which is not an impressive stat to brag about. Johnny Damon has played very well in center field, covering ground the Yankees haven’t covered in several years, but his arm is well below average. Bernie Williams was forced into the everyday role of the Yankees’ starting right fielder, and there are plenty of times when he seems completely lost. Bernie frequently drops balls, misplays wall balls, and is slowed down by his speed to reach fly balls, resulting in base hits. All this on top of an arm that could possibly be the weakest in all of baseball, at a position where having a strong arm is a prerequisite. Melky Cabrera has provided solid defense in left field for the Bombers after a shaky start; his catch against the Red Sox makes up for some of his bad plays, because he was such a phenomenal catch, at such a crucial point in the game. A-Rod has already made 13 errors, one more than he made all of last year. A-Rod went through a rough patch there, both fielding and hitting, but I think he’s out of that phase of the season. He would take it over a lot of third basemen in MLB, any day of the week. The rest of the infield has played as expected, with Andy Phillips showing off his defensive prowess and Robinson Cano playing surprisingly well at second base. Every once in a while, he slips up, but he’s still a young man. The Yankees have been making a lot of mistakes, but this wasn’t built to be a strong defensive team to begin with.
Manager: B.
I’m usually a big critic of Joe Torre, but I think he’s doing a pretty decent job this year, balancing the lineup and keeping the Yankees in the thick of things. He really doesn’t have to do much, but one thing he has done is keep the team from getting out of the race. Rook doesn’t let the team get too low, nor does he let the team get too high after big wins. One thing I think Torre needs to handle better is letting his starters dig deeper into the game; Joe Torre’s quick hook will burn through our old bullpen once again, and there are times when you need to let your pitchers go over 100 pitches. Joe also needs to stop overworking Mariano Rivera and put some faith in other parts of the bullpen, even if they’re not performing. I know we need all the wins we can get, but if you’re going to get pitchers out this early, then you need to find other relievers to do the job. Joe Torre has been and has always been a very good player manager; he knows how to treat his players with respect and brings out the best in his players. Another of Torre’s main qualities has been the way he handles things off the field and the way he deals with Steinbrenner in one of the most pressure-filled environments. Torre will always be an above-average baseball manager, but he excels in the way he manages his players, media and property, which are arguably just as important as baseball skills.
Team Chemistry: B+
Derek Jeter and Joe Torre have continued to keep the other players happy and have led by example. There have been no disputes between the players yet, even with one of the most volatile players in the league on the roster. All the players play hard and seem to have genuine respect for each other. The younger players are not criticized by their superstar counterparts and they all seem to get along. Johnny Damon adds a breath of fresh air to the team, as his constant smile and joking nature are something the Yankees desperately need. Randy Johnson’s constant frown detracts from the team, and I’m surprised he hasn’t already been called out for his poor pitching, or even his worst attitude. Players seem to tolerate the hiss attacks he brings to the table, which I guess gives them more credit.
Overall: B-
All things considered, I don’t think the Yankees have had such a bad start to the regular season. It’s true that RJ, Chacon and Wright have been absolutely awful, but their poor efforts have been slightly obscured by the success of Wang and Mussina. Damon has been everything the Yankees could have asked for; Pulling has been Pulling; Giambi is hitting for power; and Posada is having a year that far exceeds what most people thought he would have. Alex Rodriguez definitely needs to continue to hit well for the Yankees, and I’d like to see Giambi raise his average a little bit. For years, people have said the Yankees don’t have a farm system, but with the rise of Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Andy Phillips and Chien-Ming Wang, all critics have been proven wrong. When Matsui and Sheffield return to the lineup, it will be a little wrong to bench Cabrera and Bernie, but it’s something that has to be done. I expect these guys to be back in late August or early September as the Yankees make a frantic push for a ninth straight AL East title.
