Let's take a look at some items on the Red Sox and Yankees as they get set to square off tonight..
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman will soon have to decide where they stand on Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, who are both set to hit free agency after next season, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. When asked about how he views the two long-term, Cashman responded, “That is stuff I can’t answer at this stage. It is a two-way street. It is a negotiation for two sides. So it is all for another day."
- Sources told Andy Martino and Roger Rubin of the New York Daily News that the text message from Adrian Gonzalez to Red Sox ownership about Bobby Valentine was actually authored by catcher Kelly Shoppach. The catcher was later traded to the Mets, clearing room in Boston for Valentine favorite Ryan Lavarnway.
- The Yankees are often criticized for their hefty payroll, but the club has done an outstanding job of stockpiling low-cost veteran players, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal praises Cashman for his patience on the open market and his aggressiveness in small trades and on the waiver wire.
With all young pitchers it is a growing process. Jobs Chamberlain has struggled since his return from injury but just the fact that he is healthy and able to record big league outs is such a blessing to the Yankees considering many felt this injury would hinder him for the whole season.
While plagued by some poor starts, Phil Hughes has also shown flashes of brilliance this season. Time and time again we see the Yankees grow impatient wit heir young arms. They would be foolish to do this with Hughes. Once he fully improves on his change up and curve as an out pitch he will take his talents to a higher level. I personally enjoy seeing the maturation path Hughes has take . He is on pace to win 15 or more games this year. He has shown flashes of shut down brilliance. He is a part of the Yankees solution and has come a long way. They may have ruined him by putting him in the bullpen when they did in 2009 but now, Hughes is pitching like a starter. He is getting used to his role in the AL East. He will improve toward his prime / ceiling in the coming years Yankees just need to remain patient and let him grow.
Hughes is not in a position to make a huge demand as far as contracts are concerned and unless he simply wants to leave to get out of the AL East and NYS then I don’t see a new contract being an issue.
This year is so confusing though. It’s like everything with him is backwards. Historically, he’s been much better on the road than at home:
3.75 FIP in 276 road IP vs 4.75 FIP in 302 home IP.
This year however, he’s been better at home according to the actual results….
3.42 ERA @ home vs 5.31 on the road
But his FIP says otherwise…
5.10 FIP @ home vs 4.21 FIP on the road
Even though his peripherals suggest he HAS been better at home.
Home: .237/.282/.451 w/ a .244 BaBIP and a 80% LOB
vs
Road: .293/.336/.514 w/ a .340 BaBIP and 69% LOB
I guess the thing that’s sort of skewing the numbers, and has always been an issue w/ him are his road HR totals vs home HR totals:
1.98 HR/FB @ home vs 1.48 on the road.
You would think that the combination of him a) Being a RH + b) A short RF porch + c) Being a FB pitcher (53 FB%) would explain it all but it doesn’t:
17 of his 28 hrs were hit by RH batters.
Only 7 of his hrs allowed were pulled by LH batters.
Only 8 of his 28 hrs were to deep RF (which is the shortest part of the park).
His numbers really don’t make sense. The fact that RHB are tattooing him this year makes me think they are just too comfortable at the plate and have ZERO problems seeing the ball out of his hand.
To back that up, Hughes has only hit 7 RHB for his entire career. I think he’s throwing too many strikes over the plate to RHB and needs to figure out a way to back them off the plate and make them less comfortable.
This is a bad year to try and evaluate Hughes. His numbers are just too cooky.
@YFS78
Agree. I love the guy, but he is the ultimate tease. Friday’s game is an example, he pitched a good game, but almost found a way to lose it.
Some guys often take a longer time to mature and truly develop and I think Phil falls into the category.
Because of that, I would offer a 2 yr deal with modest raise, to keep him away from another serious suitor. Hopefully, he comes into his own, if not the contract is flexible enough to give the team options.
Yeah I would give him a 2 yr deal for $9-10 mil is fair. Even as a 4.00 ish starter he would be more of a bargain than most of those on the open market.
Yeah I agree that Phil Hughes is definitely a keeper.
Shoppach? come on. who believes a first year backup in an already toxic clubhouse is the ring leader?
Begin the spin…
The only reason Shoppach’s name has come up is because he’s been shipped to New York. Shoppach vehemently denies that he was the Easy to make him a scapegoat but hard to make anyone believe it, all things considered.
If Lavarnway really is Valentine’s favorite, he sure isn’t showing it. Lavarnway is only behind the plate 1-2 games per week, though Salty is barely hitting what the seldom playing Lavarnway is and Lava has not playing as a possible reason. Salty is K’ing 2-4 times every single game now.. it’s time for the Lavarnway experiment to go into full swing and reverse rolls.. Lavarnway catch 5-6 days per week and Salty 1-2 days and see how well he can hit over and extended period since everyone knows no level of MiLB pitching was any kind of a problem.
If Cashman is smart, he won’t re-sign Joba and will keep Hughes.
I think the idea of resigning Joba is absolutely predicated on what his asking price is. I think that he likes being in NY and wants to prove himself here and I don’t think any other team is going to value him enough to lure him away. I think he can he had for a 1/$3 mil deal and the Yanks should do it.
His velocity is still good w/ an average FB of 94.2 but his control is off, evident by his 4 walks in 6 IP. Control is not just about BB as it also pertains to leaving the ball in the hitting zone. They say that when a player is rehabbing control is the last thing to return. It would be silly not to bring him back as long as his price is reasonable.
People are so unfair when it comes to Joba. In the last two years he’s been nothing short of effective.
100 IP-3.14 FIP and xFIP-49.5 GB%- 9 K/9-2.6 BB/9
In those two years, his FIP/xFIP are better than Soriano, Storen, Clippard, League, Francisco, Bard and a whole lot of others. Let him get healthy and stronger and see where his head is.