Archive for New York Yankees

UPDATE: It appears that MLB agrees.

Every so often, like most baseball writers, I look at myself in the mirror and ask myself an important question: Why am I not writing about Alex Rodriguez? Thankfully, the richest Yankee provided me with ample opportunity this week, as Major League Baseball announced that they were once again investigating Rodriguez for his alleged participation in illegal high-stakes poker games. This isn’t the first time that the league has considered Rodriguez’s poker habits: back in 2005, the Yankees and MLB cautioned him about his involvement, informing him that it could be negative for his image and worrying about the propriety of his gambling large sums of money with people who may also wager on baseball.

While the games may have been illegal, it’s not clear that Rodriguez himself broke any laws by merely playing. (The relevant laws depend on where the games took place; Alex is alleged to have played a couple games in California, but RadarOnline.com has also published allegations that Rodriguez attempted to organize his own game in Miami in 2009.) The trouble is that, of all the potential illegal activities Rodriguez could have been connected to, there are few so troubling to baseball as gambling, which has a 90-year history of being baseball’s cardinal sin, inspiring baseball commissioners to overpunish those suspected of gambling for nearly a century.
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There was something oddly fitting about both a statue of Bud Selig being unveiled and the final set of leaked MLB financial documents becoming public on Tuesday. Selig has said on more than one occasion that we’re witnessing the “Golden Era” of baseball, citing the economic windfall that has come to the league over the last decade. Revenue-sharing, a pride and joy of Selig’s, is at the center of the largest public release of club financial documents – leaked to Deadspin – that include the Pirates, Rays, Mariners, Marlins, Angels, and Rangers (see them all here).

In July of 2000, with the league claiming projected losses of $232 million for the 2001 season, Selig came before Congress with his Blue Ribbon Panel on Baseball Economics report, which at its heart states, “Proper competitive balance will not exist until every well-run club has a regularly recurring reasonable hope of reaching postseason play.” The report then went on to say that, “The limited revenue sharing and payroll tax that were approved as part of MLB’s 1996 Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association have produced neither the intended moderating of payroll disparities nor improved competitive balance. Some low-revenue clubs, believing the amount of their proceeds from revenue sharing insufficient to enable them to become competitive, used those proceeds to become modestly profitable.”

So, with each Collective Bargaining Agreement since, revenue-sharing has been increased, funneling money from the haves to the have-nots of the league in order to gain competitive balance. In 2009, $433 million in revenue-sharing moved from high-revenue clubs to those in need of assistance.

Along the way, sizable increases in the amount of “central revenue” has found its way into club coffers. The growth of national television money from ESPN, FOX Sports, and TBS which total approx. $660 million a year in rights fees funnel back to each of the 30 clubs. Add in annual dividend checks from MLB Advanced Media of $2 million, revenues from MLB Properties, international broadcast agreements, etc.,  and all clubs, large revenue-making, or not, have found extra money that can be used to help produce a winning product on the diamond.

Still, the field would remain unlevel without revenue-sharing tied to net local revenues, so with the leaked Deadspin docs having three clubs (the Pirates, Marlins, and Rays) that have received considerable amounts via the revenue-sharing system, the documents provide ammunition for clubs such as the Yankees and Red Sox when collective bargaining begins in earnest shortly after the World Series ends.

Parsing the documents, here’s how much revenue-sharing was either received or paid out for a given year:

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They got it right. Hideki Matsui was unequivocally the right choice for World Series MVP. His raw numbers were incredible. In 15 plate appearances, the Phillies only managed to get Matsui out 5 times. His 8 hits, 2 doubles, and 2 HRs add up to a .761 wOBA.

Of course, context neutral numbers don’t tell the whole story. in the clinching game 6, Matsui’s grand night tallied a .339 WPA, effectively single-handedly winning the game for New York. Matsui also led Yankee hitters in game 2, where Matsui’s go-ahead home run led to a .223 WPA and a 3-1 Yankee victory. Overall, Matsui totalled .639 WPA, good for the best in the series.

As such, he was a no-brainer. The more interesting discussion, in my mind, stems from discussions from Wednesday afternoon, prior to game 6, regarding Chase Utley‘s validity as an MVP candidate. As everybody knows, Utley had an impressive series, tying Reggie Jackson’s record with 5 home runs in a World Series. Thanks to an 0-3 dud in game 6, Utley’s line fell to 6-21 with 3 walks, but all 6 of hits went for extra bases, resulting in a .555 wOBA.

Again, we need to give these numbers context. Utley’s two home run games in games 1 and 5 combined for a .455 WPA and his game 4 (2-4, 2B) was worth another .131. Unfortunately for Utley and the Phillies, that accounts for all of his hits in this World Series. His hitless games in games 2, 3, and 6 (all won by the Yankees) combined for a -.377 WPA, essentially cancelling out games 1 and 4.

Utley’s power performance was impressive. Still, we can’t forget about the bad games. Although Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon didn’t have any games, in terms of raw hitting, that compared to Utley. A-Rod, however, put up .269 WPA in game 4 with his game winning double, and Johnny Damon put up .250 in the same game with an RBI single, a hit in the 9th inning, and the legendary double steal that led to the game winning run. Both A-Rod (.330 WPA) and Damon (.421 WPA) had better overall series than Utley, by this measure.

For the Phillies, the best candidate is Cliff Lee. No Phillies hitter consistently put up solid games. Lee more than singlehandedly won game 1 with his memorable complete game (.519 WPA), and pitched well enough in game 5 to lead Philadelphia to their only other series win (.085 WPA). That leaves Lee with .604 WPA for the series, nearly as much as Matsui.

Mariano Rivera, fittingly, finished the game for the Yankees. He did pitch well this series, as he didn’t allow a run, but he only saw one high leverage situation (game 2, +.166 WPA). His contribution was important (total of +.259 WPA), but pales in comparison to Matsui’s and Lee’s, and is still less than Rodriguez and Damon.

The fans got this one right. Hideki Matsui had the game of his MLB career tonight, and he completely deserves this honor.

The Graduate: Joba Chamberlain | Born: September 1985 | Right-Handed Pitcher

Perhaps you’ve heard of this graduate. Joba Chamberlain was one of the most talked about young player of 2008 despite splitting the season between the starting rotation and the bullpen. A more defined and constant role in 2009 could help him become one of the best pitchers in the American League. Overall, he allowed 87 hits in 100.1 innings with rates of 3.50 BB/9 and 10.58 K/9. Chamberlain also allowed just five homers (0.45 HR/9). His fastball averaged out at 95 mph, which he threw 65.3 percent of the time. He also utilized a slider, curveball and occasional change-up.

The Riser: Zach McAllister | Born: December 1987 | Right-Handed Pitcher

Zach McAllister rebounded from a bumpy 2007 to post excellent numbers during the 2008 season. He allowed 133 hits in 151 innings split between two A-ball affiliates. In 14 starts in the second half of the season at High-A ball, McAllister posted a 1.83 ERA with rates of 1.32 BB/9 and 6.29 K/9. He showed solid control, but his low strikeout numbers temper his ceiling a bit. As a sinker baller, though, he relies on pitching to contact. McAllister has a solid change-up but needs to improve his slider.

The Tumbler: Alan Horne | Born: January 1983 | Right-Handed Pitcher

Alan Horne’s 2008 season was ruined by injuries including a bicep strain, which caused him to miss a good chunk of the first half of the season. Horne, who was on the cusp of a Major League promotion before the injuries, will have to wait until 2009 for his debut. In 2008, during three rehab starts in High-A ball, Horne posted an ERA of 23.14. In eight Triple-A appearances, he allowed 35 hits in 32 innings of work and posted rates of 6.19 BB/9 and 6.75 K/9.

The ’08 Draft Pick: Corban Joseph | Born: October 1988 | Shortstop

Corban Joseph was nabbed in the fourth round of the 2008 draft as an offensive-minded shortstop out of a Tennessee high school. He had a solid pro debut and posted a line of .277/.358/.434 with an ISO of .157 in 159 Rookie Ball at-bats. His rates were: 11.2 BB% and 15.1 K%. Eventually, Joseph may need to move off shortstop, but he should have enough power to play third base in the Majors.

The ’09 Sleeper: Austin Romine | Born: November 1988 | Catcher

It’s easy for Austin Romine to get overlooked as he spent time in 2008 splitting the backstop position with one of the Yankees’ top hitting prospect – Jesus Montero. Romine more than held his own, though, with a line of .300/.340/.437 with a .138 ISO in 407 at-bats. He needs to be a little more patient at the plate with a BB% of 5.8, but his strikeout rate was a solid 13.8 K%. He has a much better chance of sticking behind the plate than Montero, although he allowed 18 passed balls in 54 games. He also threw out 20 of the 98 runners attempting to steal a base.

Up Next: The Houston Astros

Things may not have gone as planned in the Bronx this season, but the New York Yankees club has received some encouraging bullpen contributions from some young pitchers.

Jose Veras, 27, may be a little older than the typical rookie, but he had just 21.1 innings of Major League experience before the 2008 season began. The right-hander has been solid throughout the season by allowing 50 hits and 27 walks in 56 innings. He has also fanned 60 batters. Veras does have a few things to work on for next season, including lowering his walk totals (4.34 BB/9) and keeping the ball in the park a little bit better (1.13 HR/9).

Edwar Ramirez, 27, received a lot of press last season after posting some ridiculous minor league numbers, thanks to a plus-plus change-up. The right-hander found the Major Leagues to be a little more challenging (8.14 ERA in 21 innings in 2007) but he settled in nicely in 2008. In 54 innings this season, Ramirez has allowed 43 hits and 24 walks. He has also struck out 61 batters. Like Veras, Ramirez needs to keep the walks down (3.98 BB/9) and avoid the long ball (1.16 HR/9). He was also helped by a BABIP of .281.

Regardless of how well Veras and Ramirez duplicate their 2008 seasons in 2009, both players have turned out to be wise acquisitions by the Yankees (a club that does not receive enough credit for its scouting). Veras was signed as a minor league free agent after spending time with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers organizations. Ramirez, originally a signee with the Angels, was found in an independent baseball league.

Something tells me, though, that these two players have more left in the tank.

Money may not buy happiness, but it does allow you the flexibility to take some risks. The New York Yankees have taken a few gambles in recent years during the annual amateur draft. The most-publicized risk was drafting North Carolina State right-hander Andrew Brackman (and paying him $3.35 million), who needed Tommy John surgery before he would even throw one professional pitch.

Another move one year earlier, though, that flew under the radar was drafting college reliever Mark Melancon out of the University of Arizona. Melancon was widely considered the best – and most advanced – college reliever in the draft. But he was suffering from a strained elbow ligament, and whispers of Tommy John surgery persisted.

Melancon fell out of the first round of the draft and was snapped up by the Yankees with the 284th selection in the ninth round. The Yankees gave him third round money ($600,000) and sent him to the New York Penn League. Melancon had not pitched since April due to the elbow injury and he lasted just 6.2 innings in pro ball before being shut down to go under the knife.

The 2007 season was a year of rehab for the right-hander but he came back strong in 2008. Melancon began the season in High-A ball and allowed 26 hits and six walks in 25.1 innings of work. He also struck out 20. Melancon was then promoted to Double-A where he worked 49.2 innings and allowed 32 hits and 12 walks. He also struck out 47 and induced two groundball outs for every flyball out. Melancon then finished out the regular season in Triple-A. He allowed just 11 hits and four walks in 20 innings. He struck out 22 batters.

Overall, in his first season back from surgery, Melancon was 8-1 with a 2.27 ERA in 95 innings. He allowed 69 hits and just 22 walks, which is impressive considering command is supposed to be the last thing that returns after Tommy John surgery. It’s clear Melancon is close to being a large part of the future of the Yankees’ bullpen.

*The 2006 draft was a huge help to the Yankees’ pitching depth, as the organization also scooped up Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, Zach McAllister, George Kontos, Dellin Betances and Daniel McCutchen.