MVN - Most Valuable Network

Internal Options to Replace Wang?

In the past few days, I have been vehemently opposing each and every proposed trade of prospects for a starting pitcher to replace injured Chien Ming Wang in the rotation. I don’t think there is a perfect fit out there, and I have voiced protestations regarding each deal as being too expensive, or being at the wrong time, or not offering enough of an upgrade over the internal options. To me, this makes perfect sense, though to others I may seem like Daffy Duck in Ali Baba Bunny [pushing Bugs down into the burrow] shouting, “It’s mine, you understand? Mine! All mine! Get back in there! Down, down, down! Go, go, go! Mine, mine, mine! Mwa-ha-ha-ha!” See, in this simile, the Yankee prospects are the treasure that Daffy covets, and…. well, never mind. To the 99.5 percent of you that never saw that episode, that was frigging funny. Some quote Shakespeare, I quote Daffy Duck. That about shows you where I’m coming from.

Anyway, dispensing with the Warner Brothers analogies, I admit that I’m rather fond of our current crop of prospects and I don’t want to just give them away for anyone. “So, Gaffney,” you ask, “what are these great options from within that you’re touting? You can’t just say, ‘don’t make a trade,’ without providing viable options!” No, I don’t suppose I can. Well, actually, I could. This is a blog, not the N.Y. Times. I could probably write about a torrid, lustful affair between Daffy and Bugs without losing my gig. But enough of my sordid fantasies, let’s talk some Yankee baseball. Without further ado, I present the Yankee internal options for replacing Wang in the rotation. Keep in mind that none of these guys can “replace” Wang’s production, but I promised no further ado and here I am adoing the blank out of this paragraph, so here goes.

Dan Giese: Has looked great so far in his audition as Joba’s personal reliever with a 1.23 ERA in 7 innings. He dominated AAA this year, posting league leading ERA and WHIP totals. This guy is 31, so we don’t have to baby him and watch his innings. I have read that there are concerns that he only really has two pitches which would limit his effectiveness for the third time around the lineup. He will get the first crack. Who knows, he could be this year’s Aaron Small.

Dan McCutchen: Averaging more than 6 innings per start in his professional career, McCutchen could be a nice fit for his ability to go deep in games, which is a vital part of what Wang gave the Yankees. He is already 25, having missed a period of time for a drug suspension, there will be few worries about him blowing his arm out. Pitching to contact, he boasts low ERA, low walk, and low strikeout totals (not sure if he’s actually BOASTING about that last one). He dominated AA this year with a Fastball, Split, Curveball arsenal and has only 5 starts in AAA under his belt, with an ERA in the threes. He seems to get better each start and should be a viable option if Giese implodes during his first two or three starts. It’s earlier than the Yanks would like to expose him to ML competition, but, heck, they brought Clippard and DeSalvo up, pretty much straight from AA last year. His big flaw is apparently the lack of a true “out pitch” but pitching to contact might be a better bet right now, anyway.

Kei Igawa: He will probably get the second shot if Giese fails. God help us all. If nothing else, it will be a good chance to get a seat in the upper deck and catch your first home run ball.

Ian Kennedy: Still at least a couple weeks away. He’s throwing in the bullpen but no word on rehab games, yet. He has nibbled a lot in his starts this year which does not bode well for his ability to go deep in games. He’s only 23, so the Yankees are not going to stretch him out. It might be too hard on the bullpen to deal with Moose and Kennedy each going 5-6 innings per week. I love this guy and he should get some spot starts here and there but we’ll see how deep he can go. He lacked the pinpoint control this year that he’s showed in the past. If he can regain that, he could be our guy.

Phil Hughes: He’s out until at least August, so he’s a long shot right there. I’d also love to see him in a low stress environment where he can work on the changeup that will make him a dominant #1 type ace in two or three years.

Jeff Marquez: Former 1st round pick and top 10 Yankee prospect, Marquez is a low 90s turbo-sinker type guy with average secondary pitches. He’s been a little wild in his AAA debut, and has only recently begun to put things together on that level, with his last outing being stellar. Like Wang, he tends to be a little up and down, dominating when the sinker is on and struggling when it’s not sinking. He could be a nice guy to bring up as a catch lightning in a bottle guy when his sinker is really working. The double plays and ground balls will get him deep into the game.

Alan Horne: This guy reportedly has great stuff. I even read a scout compare his stuff to Beckett’s. His fastball lives 92-95 and he also boasts a plus curve and at least an average slider and change. He has struggled in the past with command and injuries. He’s 25, but the Yankees are treating him with kid gloves b/c of his high ceiling and injury history. He’s only had one start since coming back from his latest problem, so he’s a couple weeks away at best. He’s another lightning in the bottle type.

Jeff Karstens: This guy’s still on the roster? Wily type who has put up good AAA numbers in the past but has battled injuries and inconsistency this year. He’s often billed as a AAAA pitcher who can’t get big league hitters out.

Alfredo Aceves: The wildcard. A 25 year old signee from the Mexican League (so he’s really 32) who has cruised through A and AA this year, allowing only 8 earned runs in 6 AA starts. He’s a Rasner type who doesn’t have special stuff but mixes it up and throws at least 3 pitches for strikes. Who knows, he may get his shot at some point, though without AAA experience, he may be down on the pecking order.

My pick: McCutchen. With his age, experience and ability to eat innings, I think he might be the most likely guy though I’m rooting for Kennedy to get healthy and rediscover the command that made him so dominant last year.

What do you guys think?  If we don’t make a deal, who do you think will wind up holding down that role for the Bombers?

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 1:45 am and is filed under Jeff Marquez, Ian Kennedy, Dan McCutchen, Dan Giese, Alfredo Aceves, 1 - Analysis, Alan Horne, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes, Kei Igawa, Jeff Karstens, 2 - Current Yankees. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.