Today in The Journal News
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 10, 2008 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Kei Igawa made his first start of the season last night. Perhaps it should be his last as he was pounded by the Tigers.
A-Rod will have an important test on Monday. This notebook also has news on another injury, a reduced suspension and a manager who doesn’t mind his pitcher showing some emotion.
Yankees-Tigers this afternoon on Fox. Check back later for the lineup.
Perhaps, it should be his last start, bury him somewhere in the minors. Problem is you don’t want him blocking a spot for someone more deserving. Heck why not just release him. Admit to yourself what everyone else already knows, that this guy is a bust!
As bad as Igawa was, the worst part is that he thinks he pitched pretty well. If he thinks has performance was good, then what is bad?
Unless someone else has a phantom injury, Kennedy won’t pitch next Wednesday, since he won’t have been down in AAA for 15 days.
That’s not necessarily a tragedy (I’d rather IPK get in another start before coming back up), but it does lead to wonder who will throw on Wednesday.
I guess that if I’m the Yankees I’d play it by ear: if the Yanks win the next 4 games, they MIGHT be willing to take another change on Igawa.
Personally I wouldn’t, because the Yanks don’t have a scheduled day off next off, and even if Igawa is passable, he’s almost certainly not going to give you 7 innings…..
I hope we never see Igawa again. I’m sorry, but that was just torture. I’d rather watch the kids struggle with their ups and downs. At least we have seen some good from them at one time.
With Igawa, the only good performance I can think of is when he came in for Karstens against Boston. What else has he done? He was a mistake move, time to move on from him. For the sanity of all Yankees fans, no more Igawa!
“Unless someone else has a phantom injury, Kennedy won’t pitch next Wednesday, since he won’t have been down in AAA for 15 days.”
I think Kennedy could come back:
http://tinyurl.com/5kzqu5
I just checked, and as far as I can tell, Ian Kennedy could be called back up to start Wednesday at Tampa Bay instead of Igawa.
Before tonight’s game, manager Joe Girardi said “there’s no situation we’ve talked (about) as of right now” that would keep the Yankees from starting Igawa again Wednesday at Tampa Bay.
But that was before tonight’s awful performance.
Baseball rules require an optioned player, such as Kennedy, to spend 10 days in the minors before returning (unless he replaces a player put on the disabled list). Kennedy was optioned last Sunday, so the 10th day is Tuesday. From what I am told, the 10-day count begins the day of the assignment, not the day the player physically reports to the minor-league team (last Monday, in Kennedy’s case).
The bottom line: If the Yankees don’t want to give Igawa another turn, they can use Kennedy on Wednesday. It would take some sort of creative scheduling, since Kennedy pitched Tuesday and is scheduled to go again Sunday.
Kennedy can’t be recalled unless someone else goes on the DL because the Yanks recalled Britton to replace Abby. Igawa needs to be released or be banished to extended spring training since all he can do is throw batting practice.
The bergen record has a quote that he thinks the next thing he has to work on is strike outs. WHAT?? How about work on getting the hitters not to scold the ball and getting outs!
I hate saying this, but I really can’t stand Ian Kennedy either. He comes across like a spoiled rich kid. I want the Yankees to do well, but I hope he kids humbled some how.
the one place igawa has some value is japan. i don’t know the mechanism for doing it, but they should sell him back to a japanese team for whatever they can get.
cashman needs to put an end to this saga because every time igawa pitches, people associate igawa with cashman.
that can’t be a good thing.
It’s time for the Yankees to bite the bullet, and admit they made a $46 million mistake. Ship this guy back home. If they need to make a trade, better do it now, before the season slips away. I don’t mean the big “boomer” either.
Hmm, I always understood it was 15 days.
If it’s 10, yes, IPK could be back on Wednesday.
How to stretch him out for that would be the question, though (perhaps he throws 2 innings tomorrow or some such).
Obviously what happens with IPK’s start in Scranton will tell us who the Yanks will (and will not) pitch on Wednesday….
randy:
[I posted this late in the last thread, but I wanted you to see my mea culpa, so I'm adding it here.]
Gotta admit when I’m wrong. I haven’t researched Afterman that far. I only saw some interview with Cash where he was talking about her abilities as an agent in understanding the rules and ways of MLB.
But I think that as a businessman yourself, you know that competence comes in all sizes, shapes, genders, colors and ages. If the Yankees need to toss up their front office it shouldn’t be just in response to Igawa or based on age. I could list a number of great acquisitions and moves by Cash, including Wang and Cano, Abreu, Matsui…
We lawyers like to say that tough cases make for bad law. Thus, one Igawa may not mean Afterman is a dunce. A $56 mil mistake would surely get you canned in a lot of places, but if this expense is categorized the right way, IMO, it’s Research and Development. R&D investments doesn’t always work out on a one-to-one basis.
All I’m really saying is they shouldn’t over react to one incident and headshoot Afterman. A process got them to Igawa and the process should be examined top to bottom. But, I guess that a top flight, young B-School guy or gal couldn’t hurt the front office. Maybe that’s going to be Hal’s role. He’s about 38, I think.
I have two words for Igawa.HARI KARI.
hehe hehe
Take This
Please no Igawa against Tampa next week…There has to be someone else from AAA that can step in. I dont blame Igawa as much as I blame whoever in the front office who decided to sign him. I’d rather see one of the kids get bombed than what we had to watch last night.
I’m gonna go have another “smores” flavored pop tart.
Both Steven White and Chase Wright are on the 40-man roster. The lefthanded Wright is scheduled for a start on Wednesday.
Sayooonara Igawa !!!
murphy,
real good points related to afterman and the R&D angle.
at the same time, I agree with randyi in the sense the Yankees need to sure up their support structure for Cash- it seems the Yankees rely solely on Cash to work all the deals and scour all the market, it would be nice if Cash had an asst. that actually assisted Cash in the trade and acquisition realm.
“He couldn’t get a breaking ball over, whether it was his changeup or slider,” Joe Girardi said. “They were basically able to focus in on one pitch. It’s not pitching like he’s capable of pitching. We need him to pitch with all his weapons.”
Maybe I’m as delusional as Igawa seems to be, but I still say there’s a good chance he’ll get one more start. I’m just reading the tea leaves, not giving my opinion on whether or not it should happen. Girardi has a lot of patience. He’s also pretty desperate at this point. And finally, the one truism in the above, like it or not, is that Igawa is capable of pitching much better. Whether or not that ever happens again is anybody’s guess.
If Girardi does start him Wednesday and keeps Betemit at third and Moeller behind the plate, I may just want to read the results the next day as opposed to watch the game.
Hanley Ramirez just signed for 6yrs at 70 mill.
Fran, the one saving grace in Igawa thinking he pitched well is that he seems to be pretty well insulated from reality. So trips back to Scranton probably don’t have the same devastating effect on him as they do other players.
Trish, I disagree.
I don’t think we’re desperate for SPs, we have options like IPK (though I would give him one more start at SWB) and Steven White. Chase Wright – I am intrigued by the thought of him as a potential lefty specialist, as suggested by Pete a couple of weeks ago.
In either case, I really don’t have any confidence in Iggy getting the job done. Outside of that one relief appearance against Boston last year, he has been a big disappointment. Too bad, from what Pete wrote when he first came over, he seemed like a good guy who’s really trying. I know he’s trying, but like Joe G. once said, “I can get a truck driver to try.”
Let’s go Tampa Bay Rays!
Joe from LI -
Understand I am not acting as an advocate for another outing; I am saying that I think that Girardi will give him another try out.
We’ll know in 24 hours if someone will go on mysterious DL and clear a spot for IPK to come back on Wed. He is scheduled to pitch for Scranton tomorrow, if we see him on the mound he won’t be able to pitch on Wed with 2 days rest.
No matter what happens with Wednesday, I would think Girardi would want Kennedy to have at least one more start in Scranton. I know I do. At least one. I don’t trust that one start signifies anything. As proof of that, all you have to do is look and see what Igawa did when he went down to Scranton. I believe his first two or three outings were outstanding. Then things started to change.
I admit I just don’t get it. The guy knows how to pitch. It’s crazy.
But anyway, here’s hoping Rasner has a good outing today.
“Hanley Ramirez just signed for 6yrs at 70 mill.”
Good for the Marlins. I’ve been secretly wishing that he’ll reunite with Girardi who he teared up over when he won rookie of the year and come play for us when Jeter moves over to 1b.
I think they can’t make it that easy for IPK to come back.
There are two things going on simultaneously. One, they need a starter not named Igawa to pitch in his spot. But two, they also need to impress upon IPK that it’s a privilege to pitch at the MLB level and that he needs to come back ready and without even the possibility of reverting to his old mistakes. IMO, IPK needs to make at least one more start at SWB to “earn” his way back.
“A process got them to Igawa and the process should be examined top to bottom. But, I guess that a top flight, young B-School guy or gal couldn’t hurt the front office. Maybe that’s going to be Hal’s role. He’s about 38, I think.”
murphydog-
i’m in full agreement that afterman may be very valuable to the team in a legal capacity. it just seems like the assistant gm role should involve more player evaluation, like what boston, cleveland ,and arizonz have.
i do get the feeling from reading between the lines that afterman was relied upon somewhat in the igawa acquisition.
as i said with cashman, it’s not good for afterman we’re even talking about her connection with igawa.
as far as hal goes ,you may be right. one of my employees was preparing for the gmats for getting her mba and asked me to help with some of the questions. a headache later, i politely declined to help with any more answers.
i have no doubt hal is smart with an mba from a good school. i think the first thing he needs to do is hire some of those ivy league young assistant gms to balance out the traditional scouting for player acquisitions. in the new baseball environment both old school and new school are needed.
i agree igawa is just one decision, but it just jumps out as an example of a really bad one that cashman needs to put behind him. i don’t think he can afford to having fans like us discussing him like this.
remember the blogosphere has power. this is just one discussion, how many more like this are going on? now a young assistant gm would know that.
I don’t need to see one more try by Kei Igawa. I was at his first game last year on April 7 full of hope and excitement that we got ourselves a new great pitcher from Japan after winning a bidding war, just to spend the afternoon watching the horror unfold. Alex ended up hitting the walkoff grand slam, but doesn’t take away from the fact that it was a day of huge disappointment.
Good morning, guys!
Looking forward to a solid outing from Rasner.
Pete, any news on Albaladejo?
Dee, I hear you. My disappointment is that Igawa hasn’t found a way to stay consistent. So even if he did pitch lights out on Wednesday, I wouldn’t necessarily take that as a sign that he would do it his next time out. His flip-flopping in Scranton is proof of that.
Again, I am only guessing that Girardi is going to give him another shot.
I will not go to the “Igawa doesn’t know how to pitch” bandwagon, because that is clearly wrong. That Igawa doesn’t harnass his ability and pitch the way he is capable of pitching is the real name of the tune.
But it translates the same way when you look at the scoreboard.
“they also need to impress upon IPK that it’s a privilege to pitch at the MLB level and that he needs to come back ready and without even the possibility of reverting to his old mistakes.”
I agree with Murphydog completely. I still believe in IPK, but I also believe in tough love and the privilege of pitching in pinstripes. I think all that Generation Trey talk Yankees Magazine specials and 16-game win predictions made it hard for the kids to appreciate what they had handed to them on a silver platter. Staying down there a while longer and sitting on the bus could help put things in perspectives.
I absolutely believe in Kennedy’s ability, as I believe in Hughes’ ability. I think they will some day be huge assets to the Bronx bombers. I just want them to come back ready. No more of this woodshedding on the mound.
Don’t blame Igawa anymore. Its not his fault to throw low ball in the zone but still being hit well. The truth is he doesn’t have the capacity to pitch in major league. I mean we actually should blame the one who brought him in.
Pete, I think the last one now got you can’t stand Igawa…
Do Yankees really want to waste $10,000,000 a year on Igawa like Pavano?
http://www.saberscouting.com/2.....kei-igawa/
Why can’t someone find a way to fix him?
Among 30 pitching coaches in the league there’s for sure at least one who thinks he can fix Igawa.
“I have two words for Igawa.HARI KARI.”
For the readers out there, hara kiri is the actual colloquialism. Hari kari’s just nonsense perpetuated by mistakes by English speakers.
Does Brian Cashman have any Baseball Judgement?
jimmy – exactly. The Yanks need to find that guy, then get him to think Igawa’s a bargain ala Tom Sawyer and the white-washed fence.