GimmeShelter Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 ****From a fanatasy league perspective. Andy Pettitte's back woes this week are not serious by any stretch of the imagination, but they do underscore a concern the Yankees must have heading into the season. With three of their five projected starting pitchers representing injury risks ranging from minor to major, will this rotation be able to withstand the long-term loss of a key arm like Pettitte? Let's take a quick look at the Yankees depth chart of moundsmen and try to determine who will emerge with the greatest value this season. Pettitte's back, which will cause him to miss Friday's start, isn't a major setback, but should ensure that Chien-Ming Wang will take the mound on Opening Day on April 2. Wang won 19 games with a strong ERA last year and finished second in the AL Cy Young race, but his rate of 3.14 Ks/9 was actually worse than during his rookie season. The fact that he was more hittable last year wasn't a good sign either. Those wins make him attractive, especially in a 4x4 league, but in a strikeout league, you will probably have to overpay for him and may wind up having a reliever with more Ks. After seriously contemplating retirement this winter, Petttitte has returned to the Yanks and so far this spring, everything had gone swimmingly until he hurt his back doing squats on Monday. Pettitte said he felt "pretty locked up," and had to skip his bullpen session on Tuesday. Although he felt much yesterday, the Yanks have decided to err on the side of caution and skip his scheduled start today. The 34-year-old southpaw wasn't pleased about missing his outing, but says as long as he gets in one more start this spring, he'll be ready to throw 80-something pitches in his first start of the regular season. He's had plenty of elbow issues in his career, but has managed to top 200 innings in each of the past two seasons. However, last season Petttitte struggled until about the time Roger Clemens showed up. And don't forget that Pettitte wasn't exactly a Cy Young candidate in the latter half of his first tour of duty with the Yanks, recording an ERA over 4.00 in five of the last six seasons he spent in pinstripes. Mike Mussina also has a chance to start on Opening Day, but whichever slot he takes up in the rotation, he'll likely wind up as the Yankees' most valuable starter, assuming he can avoid arm troubles. Moose enjoyed a nice recovery last season after two down years and I absolutely love the control he showed in 2006. I doubt he duplicates his efforts in 2007, but the results will probably still be good enough to make him the most attractive fantasy option in the Yanks' rotation. Carl Pavano, one of the worst free agent signings in recent memory, has been slapped around quite a bit this spring, but Manager Joe Torre doesn't seem concerned at all. He just wants to make sure the perpetually-injured Pavano is capable of taking the ball every fifth day. But if you're looking for a guy who's going to be on a short leash this season, Pavano's your man. At 31, he's hardly an old man; it just seems that way. Kei Igawa, the Yanks' consolation prize from Japan after they lost the Daisuke Matsuzaka sweepstakes, is currently penciled in as the No. 5 man in the rotation. He probably cinched the job over Jeff Karstens after throwing five shutout innings on Tuesday. Like Pavano, Igawa may not be long for the job if he doesn't start showing a lot more than what he has this spring. The two most likely candidates to earn jobs as injuries or ineffective hit are Karstens, who's really opened some eyes this spring with his improved velocity, and Philip Hughes, the organization's top pitching prospect, but a kid the Yanks would rather not rush. Many would like to see Karstens break camp with either Pavano's or Igawa's job, but that's not going to happen. It's just economics. If you throw in Igawa's posting fee, New York has $86 million invested in those two arms, so they're going to get every opportunity to fail (not that Pavano hasn't already had plenty of chances to do). Karstens will probably head back to Triple-A (although there's some talk he could stick as a long reliever/spot starter, a job Darrell Rasner is also in competition for), but he will be a factor this year at some point, and should make a very attractive waiver wire pickup when he does get the call to join the rotation. Hughes wasn't overly impressive this spring, probably somewhat to the relief of the Yanks. If he had been lights out, Hughes might have forced their hand before they were ready. We're talking about a 20-year-old kid who is going to be very special. Send him down to Triple-A and make sure that when he comes up, it's for keeps. That could happen by the All-Star break depending on his results in the minors. By now, Hughes should be long gone in any keeper league and I've seen him drafted as a late-round flyer in plenty of one-year leagues. Of course, the wildcard here is Clemens. Could he decide to rejoin his buddy Pettitte again? Certainly when he showed up at one of Pettitte's start earlier this spring, the tongues were wagging. Yesterday, however, the scuttlebutt had him headed to Boston to replace Jonathan Papelbon, who's returning to the pen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GimmeShelter Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 Wonder how much truth there is to the Clemens to Boston part of the article. Adding him to the staff along with Papelbon moving back to closer would be huge to Boston's pennant hopes. Schilling Clemens Dice Beckett Wakefield That would be a pretty good staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmike1 Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Wonder how much truth there is to the Clemens to Boston part of the article. Adding him to the staff along with Papelbon moving back to closer would be huge to Boston's pennant hopes. Schilling Clemens Dice Beckett Wakefield That would be a pretty good staff. Let him go to Boston. Nothing would be better than smashing his face in that uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I don't want Clemens in Boston. Not sure I want him in pinstripes, either, but I sure don't want him in Boston. That article seemed kinda "glass half empty" but I can't blame the writer for having doubts about Pavano and Pettitte. I think he underestimates Wang and Hughes. I hope Igawa is better than this guy thinks he is, but I just don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet/BosoxFan Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Playa Please. Wang was the only Yankee starter that had a chance to have a respectable year...and he will most likely be plagued with nagging injuries during this season, which promises to be catastrophic for New York. Pettite and Missina are washed up has-beens...Hughes is too young and ill-prepared...and Carl Pavano??? bwa-hahahahhahahahahahahahahahha. And now it looks like...wait, hold on a sec...bwa-hahahahhahahahahahahahaha!!! Pavano!!! Ahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahah That was funny. Now, it looks like theyre going to be forced to bring in Roger Clemens which is a huge mistake. Barring some miraculous trade where NYY picks up an established starting pitcher like Ervin Santana, Dontrelle Willis, or Danny Haren...this is yet another year that NYY will not be capturing that elusive 27th title. Its going to be a LOOOONG century for Yankee fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECURB Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Playa Please. Wang was the only Yankee starter that had a chance to have a respectable year...and he will most likely be plagued with nagging injuries during this season, which promises to be catastrophic for New York. Pettite and Missina are washed up has-beens...Hughes is too young and ill-prepared...and Carl Pavano??? bwa-hahahahhahahahahahahahahahha. And now it looks like...wait, hold on a sec...bwa-hahahahhahahahahahahahaha!!! Pavano!!! Ahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahah That was funny. Now, it looks like theyre going to be forced to bring in Roger Clemens which is a huge mistake. Barring some miraculous trade where NYY picks up an established starting pitcher like Ervin Santana, Dontrelle Willis, or Danny Haren...this is yet another year that NYY will not be capturing that elusive 27th title. Its going to be a LOOOONG century for Yankee fans. What place did the Sox finish in last year? and what place did the Yanks finish in last year.... dont expect it to be much different... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet/BosoxFan Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 What place did the Sox finish in last year? and what place did the Yanks finish in last year.... dont expect it to be much different... I'd respond to you post but.........Puh-van-ohhhh!!! bwa-hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahhahahahahahhahahahah hahahahhahahahahhahahaha... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECURB Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 I'd respond to you post but.........Puh-van-ohhhh!!! bwa-hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahhahahahahahhahahahah hahahahhahahahahhahahaha... I would say you just did... .... not making yourself look to bright either... Ill bet last season you were pulling the same BS... where did the Sox end up last year?? You dont know squat and will be wrong again this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet/BosoxFan Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 I would say you just did... .... not making yourself look to bright either... Ill bet last season you were pulling the same BS... where did the Sox end up last year?? You dont know squat and will be wrong again this year. Ironically, your grammar is incorrect. It would be *too* bright, not "to bright" Just a pet peeve of mine...which I normally let slide unless I am forced to waste my time and read a post that lacks baseball-related facts and/or wit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Ironically, your grammar is incorrect. It would be *too* bright, not "to bright" Just a pet peeve of mine...which I normally let slide unless I am forced to waste my time and read a post that lacks baseball-related facts and/or wit. I guess Zippy doesn't read his own stuff. That explains a few things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECURB Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Ironically, your grammar is incorrect. It would be *too* bright, not "to bright" Just a pet peeve of mine...which I normally let slide unless I am forced to waste my time and read a post that lacks baseball-related facts and/or wit. Your soooo rigght JBF, I amm so dumbb... You stupid a*shole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbn007 Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Ironically, your grammar is incorrect. It would be *too* bright, not "to bright" Just a pet peeve of mine...which I normally let slide unless I am forced to waste my time and read a post that lacks baseball-related facts and/or wit. Like all of your posts............... JBF - The Eternal Bandwidth Destroyer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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