Another good day for Kei
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Mar 26, 2007 
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Kei Igawa’s work is finished for the day. The Japanese Jaret Wright tossed 87 pitches over five innings. But he had a good line: 5 3 1 1 2 4
In his last two starts, Igawa has allowed one run on five hits in 10 innings with five walks and seven strikeouts.
He just told us that he needs more work on his changeup before he feels comfortable. But that spring training has gone like he planned.
There will be games when he looks awful because he pitches high in the zone. But Igawa may be better than everybody thought.
Why did they pull him out if he only had 87 pitches?
perhaps to keep that sweet taste of success fresh in his mouth?
Has anybpdy noticed how amazing Bruney has been he just struck out the side and every time a see his line for a game he seems to have 2 strikeouts per inning
I would love to see the line on bb/k for all the relievers this spring, both individually and as a group. Just from looking at the box scores it seems like all (well, most) the bullpen are doing a great job in this regard. Bruney was real good this outing.
Also, Mientkiewicz had a nice double today, driving in 2 runs. I hope we see more of that from him.
I still would like to see him cut down on the walks, but you have to like his improvement as we near the season
Going back a couple days to a previous post, I love the image of Bruney and Farnsworth shaving each others heads in the the clubhouse, then going around trying to recruit others to do the same.
seems like they’re having fun, and the team is seeing that manifest itself with results on the field.
The last few games that I have seen in box score Minky has been going 1 for 3 or 1 for 2. His strikeout rate all spring has been very low. He will fit in nicely in the 9 spot.
As i said that he struck out(knock on wood)
Fernando: 87 pitches is a lot for the next to last start of spring training.
If he’s the Japanese Jaret Wright, do we trade him for the Japanese Chris Britton?
I think they want Kei throwing around 90 pitches on the finally spring training game.
According to Pete’s say from Kei,I think Kei try to practicing more changeup.That’s why he throw a lot of pitches.the ball they use in Japan is different we use here.Even though he doesn’t improve his pitch counts in the regular season.I will take less than three runs allowed in whole 6 innings from my No.4 or 5 Starter every time out.
I think he is much better than i though.I am just curious why he didn’t use his curveball???
Scottso March 26th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
If he’s the Japanese Jaret Wright, do we trade him for the Japanese Chris Britton?
you mean the fat toad
Pete- To call Igawa the Japenese Jaret Wright is ridiculous. I hope you say that sarcastically because honestly it makes no sense at all. Also, A lot of smart Yankee fans and scouts who seen Igawa know he is a solid SP and is much more credible then Jaret Wright.
Igawa threw 87 pitches through 5 innings but Matsuzaka threw over 100 through 5. Matsuzaka had 5 walks, 5 K’s and no hits over 5. My guess is both guys will have high pitch counts for awhile until they are more comfortable with MLB hitters.
Hurray again! Bruney has no walks!
here’s a good sign: Igawa faced the Phillies, a good hitting team, twice in a row, and they didn’t tee off against him the second time around.
Peter,
The reference was made early on in camp when he used a lot of pitches to get threw very few innings, much like Wright did last season.
I thought they were at a 100 pitches for some reason. Makes sense.
MLB ball is different from the Japanese-made one Igawa is used to throwing: I heard/read that the MLB ball was slightly bigger. Also, it takes awhile until he doesn’t feel that the MLB ball is slippery. Even Matsuzaka seems to lose his control sometimes, though he’s been lights out.
I believe the “Japanese Jaret Wright” thing arose from one of Igawa’s first starts, where he threw a ridiculously high number of pitches in a ridiculously low number innings, that’s all.
here’s a positive problem: how long can torre keep cano in the No. 8 hole this season? he’s probably the best pure hitter in this lineup right now. having minky behind him means opposing pitches will make cano chase pitches off the plate, which is probably his biggest weakness.
i would at least put him 7th with posada as protection.
when abreu is gone, or a-rod, cano moves up to the 3 slot.
so do bruney’s last few outings give him the inside track on a bullpen slot? i’m kind of hoping so.
kerouac raises a pretty good point. i honestly don’t think it’s something torre will give even one iota of thought to, and cano’s numbers will suffer because of it.
“Best pure hitter” strikes me as quite an exaggeration when you’re talking about a lineup that includes Jeter, Rodriguez and Abreu, all of whom have considerably better plate discipline and two of whom have much more power. He’s a very good ballplayer, who is likely still improving. No need for hyperbole.
So…did Mo throw the change again?
from mlb.com regarding pettitte. i’m not super enthused about it:
The left-hander will have his chance on Monday. Pettitte is scheduled to throw the first of two bullpen sessions in preparation for a final Spring Training start on Friday against the Tigers, though he admits the spasms haven’t completely subsided.
“I still feel it a little bit,” Pettitte said. “But there’s a point when you have to do something. That’s my take on it.”
seems a little risky to keep throwing when the spasms haven’t subsided, but i’ve never had back spasms, so i wouldn’t know.
Scottso, you raise a good point. when i mention “pure hitter,” i’m just talking about a guy who squares up his bat to the ball consistently. cano does that better than any yankee. he swings and misses less than anyone, too. yes, he needs work on his patience. if i can choose one yankee to bat with a guy on third and one out, it’s cano. and i love jeter, respect abreu, think highly of a-rod. but cano’s got the best chance to put the ball in play right now of any of them.
Pete – I am worried – Mo allowed a baserunner!!
Pete likes nicknames, and that’s cool, but Igawa definitely has nothing to do with Jaret Wright. Igawa works quicker and more effectively than Wright, and has the ability to strike people out, which Wright did not.
It’s kind of laughable to think people were saying Bruney wouldn’t make the team this year — and that he lagged behind Chris Britton on the depth chart (what were they thinking?). Farnsworth does seem looser this year — more comfortable — though I think he will basically be the same pitcher he was last year, with a somewhat lower ERA (hopefully he will be able to avoid the occasional horrendous outing that plagued him in ’06).
A-Rod is still very much A-Rod: gets a pitch down and crushes it to the moon, but then shows that he cannot, still, even with his lowered body fat and slimmed-down bod, hit ANYTHING above the waist. A-Rod is a surefire Hall of Famer, but, boy, does he has a huge hole in his swing — if you get your fastball up, he’ll swing right through it — and it doesn’t matter if it’s 90 or 100 mph.
“here’s a good sign: Igawa faced the Phillies, a good hitting team, twice in a row, and they didn’t tee off against him the second time around.”
yea well Ryan Howard isn’t hitting anything this spring
It must be close to opening day as we are in mid-season form with some not-so-subtle digs at Joe T. I love how it’s somehow Torre’s fault that Robbie needs to work on his plate discipline. How’s this for a solution: the player (and not the manager) decides not to swing at those “pitches off the plate” as they are not strikes to begin with. Also, give some credit to the ability of “probably the best pure hitter in the lineup” to make adjustments as he has already shown he can make changes at the plate and is still evolving as a hitter. Torre is the manager, but (sadly) he does not have a magic wand (you only get one of those if you are a big proponent of “small ball”).
I do agree that there are going to be lineup and substitution issues with so many lefties on the squad. Too bad Phelps is a stiff in the field as another righty would be nice.
YES did a special on Robbie in which Donnie Baseball said he probably won’t stay a 340 hitter – HE MAY GO HIGHER.
He can focus on being selective in the 8 hole this year – only 14 walks in ’06- while still being productive(unlike Underdog) It is a positive problem
“i honestly don’t think it’s something torre will give even one iota of thought to, and cano’s numbers will suffer because of it.”
if Cano is being pitched around, he needs to learn to stop swinging at pitches out of the zone.
Beleive me, Cano will bat in several places this year. Don’t beleive for a second that he’ll bat 8th the entire season. He didn’t even do that last season.
If Cano is the hitter that people like Mattingly think he is, he will undoubtedly make adjustments. This placement could end up being a blessing in disguise for him, forcing him to look for quality pitches, staying away from pitches out of the zone, and adding to his OBP.
That being said, I do think it’s such a shame that such a good hitter is #8. But, it’s indicative of the strength of the Yankees lineup. And, if Doug M. can be a good “situational hitter,” there really won’t be a consistent weak spot in the lineup.
I watched today’s game. Igawa is accurate in his assessment that he needs to work on his change. He consistently threw his fastball at 89-90 mph and was located mostly down in the zone. However, his change and breaking pitch (appears to be an 81-83 mph curve) were generally up in the zone and got a lot of the plate. It seems that he got away with several because hitters’ timing is not quite there with off speed pitches, something they would likely crush in 3 weeks from now.
I understand where “kerouac” is comming from in his assessment of Cano. Robbie definitely has the smoothest swing in that lineup and when he learns plate discipline will likely be another Rod Carew. For a 24-year old in his first 2 seasons, his batting stats are better than Jeter and Abreu..and although he doesn’t hit for ARod’s power, he makes more consistent contact.
I think his power stroke will come. He’s too big not to hit for more power.
considering that igawa’s change is supposedly his “best pitch” and he himself said today that his other pitches suffer when his change isn’t there, i’d say it’s a liiiiiiiiitttle worrisome that his change is the weak link right now.
that said, if he gets his act together, he could be better than expected, for sure.
At least he isnt Matsuzaka, throwing 100+ pitches in 5 innings, walking 5.
Look, Igawa has had a pretty good ST – and it’s hard to deny that.
Outside of a tough first game against the Tigers, he’s pitched pretty well (but his walks are still an issue).
2 wins, a 2.65 ERA in five games over 17 innings. 19 SOs, 5 runs (all earned) and only 1 home run. There’s no doubt walks are an issue – he threw 12 – but I’m satisfied with him being the Yankees fourth pitcher. If he can tone down on the walks, then he was well-worth the money we spent on him.
I haven’t read through the blog but what is the status of Karstens elbow?
According to FAN all tests were negative on Karstens but I dont know what that means for him based on his last 2 outings
Igawa throws a lot of pitches, as Jaret does. I didn’t mean that literally.
Man, dudes gotta lighten up.
Guys
Go back and re-read Jessica’s comments, and listen to Joe’s post-game audio. Igawa was WORKING ON HIS CHANGEUP. He was not going out there trying to prove he belongs. It’s spring training – the big goals are to build arm strength, fix mechanics, and work on pitches.
Also – Flaherty noted that Mike Myers has been fooling around with different arm angles this spring. I wouldn’t worry about him. Vets work on stuff to get ready for the season in ST – the results aren’t really that important.
Mientkiewicz had a very positive at-bat against Segovia in the 5th – was down 2 strikes, battled back to a full count, and laced a double down the right field line.
As hard as it is to believe, he is a professional hitter with gap power. He was out 3 months last year, had major surgery, and needed to find his stroke. I think he’ll be fine.
Kasey – I’m glad you’re happy about Bruney. As Joe said, he is pitching now – and not just throwing. His ST had a bad start – stiff neck, flu – but he’s rounding into shape nicely.
Don’t worry about Pettitte – I am certain the Yankees aren’t going to take any risk with him just to make a start in the first week of the season.
“At least he isnt Matsuzaka, throwing 100+ pitches in 5 innings, walking 5.”
LOL! Yeah, I’d hate to have any Yanks pitchers throwing 5 hitless, scoreless innings and striking out 6. That would be just awful.
“At least he isnt Matsuzaka, throwing 100+ pitches in 5 innings, walking 5.�
LOL! Yeah, I’d hate to have any Yanks pitchers throwing 5 hitless, scoreless innings and striking out 6. That would be just awful.
i’ll take 1 more run, 20 less pitches, and $50 million dollars less, any day.
“LOL! Yeah, I’d hate to have any Yanks pitchers throwing 5 hitless, scoreless innings and striking out 6. That would be just awful.
i’ll take 1 more run, 20 less pitches, and $50 million dollars less, any day.”
You miss the point. I’m not taking anything away from Igawa. Igawa will likely make a nice contribution to the Yanks. To denigrate Matsuzaka’s performance – a no hit, no run performance in which nobody made good contact – is ignorant. He’s going to be great fun for any baseball fan to watch this season.
For the people inquiring about the spring training stats of the members of the bullpen, just go to this link:
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....p?c_id=nyy
You can find all the current Yankees’ spring training stats there. With that said, Bruney’s line so far is:
1.50 ERA in 6 IP w/ 3 Hits allowed, 2 BBs, and 13 KS!!!
Even if he gets lit up tommorrow, between those stats, and his performance last season, I have to think that Bruney is a lock for a spot in the bullpen.
“Even if he gets lit up tommorrow, between those stats, and his performance last season, I have to think that Bruney is a lock for a spot in the bullpen.”
He also looked great last season, which should count for something. On the other hand, he’s not filled with the delicious veterany goodness that Uncle Joe so loves. So, don’t be surprised if they pay Villone $2.5m and send Henn and Bruney packing.