The Ignored Importance of Chien-Ming Wang

(The Voice of Yankees Universe) By John Bonini

If Chien-Ming Wang takes the mound and pitches, but there’s no one around to report it, did it really happen? Fortunately for Yankee fans, it indeed did.

On Feb. 20, Chien-Ming Wang toed the rubber and challenged major league hitters for the first time since his June foot injury, yet you probably couldn’t tell.

Inevitably, most reporters were preoccupied clamoring around A-Rod’s locker to inquire on the middle name of his cousin’s sister; and fans were busy thumbing through all the stories on the new kids on the block and how they’re adapting to life in pinstripes.

All the while, the most important Yankee starting pitcher of the last three years has gone through spring without garnering much ink. 

Sabathia and Burnett are obviously the sexier story. Two stud starting pitchers south of ancient set to toe the rubber in the Bronx. But Wang’s presence in the rotation adds stability along with variety to what looks to be a special staff.

Wang won 38 games in his first two full big league seasons with and ERA under four, not bad for a guy slated to be a number two or three starter. 

Wang’s stability in the middle rotation cannot be overstated. The Yankees have not had a middle of the rotation pitcher capable of pitching 200 plus quality innings since the 2003 season, which featured Clemens, Mussina, Pettitte, and Wells.

Not surprisingly, this was also the last season the Yankees were in the World Series. 

Since that time, the Yankees mid-rotation has been riddled with unproven, injury prone pitchers, neither of which apply to Wang (unless you count a freak base-running injury).

Variety is also another one of Wang’s valuable traits. In Sabathia, the Yankees have a power lefty, in Burnett, a power righty. With Wang, the Yankees throw an economical, contact pitcher whose signature sinker has been likened by Posada as “trying to hit a bowling ball.”

Add a fireball righty and a crafty lefty to the mix, and the Yankees have its most diverse pitching staff of the last five seasons. 

Because of the value he brings to the middle of the rotation, Wang just may be the most important pitcher going into the season, as depth in the rotation is the difference between a fringe playoff team, and a bona fide pennant contender. Just look at last year's Blue Jays staff compared to that of the Red Sox.

The Blue Jays threw out Doc Halladay and Burnett as its first two starters, followed by a severe drop-off. The Red Sox on the other hand had Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield. The one-two punch  is sure to stun, but the depth KO’s. 

So while the new kids on the block continue to consume the attention from reporters to fans, somewhere, the most important piece of the starting pitching puzzle is quietly doing his work while following a familiar game plan, quick and proficient.