Preliminary Thoughts on Yankee Pitching Woes

As Yankee youngsters Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy find themselves off the New York roster and in rehab and the minor leagues respectively, the popular thing to do seems to be ask this question: how does not making the Santana deal look to Yankee fans now? And this same line of questioning will go on and on for at least the rest of the season, and maybe well into next year as well. Truthfully, I’m sick of the question already, and not just because the Yankees plan isn’t working out just yet. I’m sick of it because what most people fail to realize is after a year or two the question will disappear. Either the prospects will glimmer as Santana fades, or the prospects will peter out as Santana zooms on. But either way the focus will be on the separate careers of those pitchers, not what seems to have been determined as their permanent connection as names mentioned in a deal for one another. Think about how many other deals like this have been proposed through the years and forgotten about long before the answer of which player turned out better can truly be answered. It is impossible to compare apples and oranges, which is exactly what Hughes and Santana are and will always be. One is a prospect hoping to have a bright future in the MLB, the other a proven veteran hoping to continue his career. And they will always be that way, as they both continue to grow and age. Which side made out better in the deal or no deal really depends on what direction your organization wants to take. For the Yankees, that was going with in-house talent and developing young pitchers while avoiding the price tag of a costly veteran. For the Twins it was clearing house. And the Mets are up to their same old tricks, (and those that haven’t exactly done well for the Yankees lately)- relying on aging veterans and pricey players to fill out their lineup. In terms of their current problems with the rotation, I like what the Yankees have done thus far. Their plan seems to be take the beginning of the season to see just how ready the prospects they plan on developing are, and then as we get thicker and thicker into it, finding band-aids to patch the rotation to keep the team in contention for what will hopefully be a run to the postseason. They will probably bring Hughes and Kennedy back after they work out their remaining kinks, and if they are ready, those two will stay and the team can fulfill both it’s goals at once-developing youth without sacrificing victory. If the two end up unable to play at the necessary level, it will be interesting to see what direction the team goes in. Right now they are trying to do both simultaneously, and are at least semi-successful. In the start of the season we saw the young prospects trying, and now we’re (hopefully) back on target with the goal of winning, with Rasner and Igawa filling in. Speaking of Yankee pitching woes, some of you may have noticed a previous sure-thing struggle in last night’s heartbreaking loss to the Indians. My question is this: how much of Joba’s struggles have to do with his two friends being demoted? All the young pitchers had developed a special relationship, and became buddies trying to develop their talent together. Now he is the lone prospect on a staff of aging veterans. Could that have effected his preparation and/or concentration in last night’s game? I have no idea, but it’s worth contemplating.