And to think, this tremendous honor cost the Yankees a mere $46,000,194
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Nov 12, 2008 
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Topps has named Kei Igawa to the Triple-A All-Star team. This release from the Scranton Yankees:
Moosic, PA – 2008 may end up being a break through year for left handed pitcher Kei Igawa. The second-year pro from Japan set a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise record for wins in a season by a left-handed pitcher with 14 and was named the team’s 2008 Pitcher of the Year. Igawa set the tone for the season with six perfect innings on opening night for the Yankees and closed out the season winning 11 of his final 13 decisions, earning a spot on the 2008 Topps/Minor League Baseball Triple-A All-Star Team.
Igwaa sat at 3-4 on the season after dropping a 4-2 decision at Louisville on May 16th before winning his next five decisions. Igawa’s streak ended with a 2-1 loss at Toledo on July 9th, his final start before the all-star break. Following the three-day break, Igawa was better than ever winning his first six decisions in the second half. He was dominant in July and August compiling a 6-1 post all-star break record in eight starts with a 2.72 ERA.
Igawa led the Yankees in starts (24), wins (14), innings pitched (156.1) and strike outs (117). His 14 wins tied Joe Roa’s franchise record set in 2002. The outstanding work on the hill did not end with the regular season as Igawa posted a 1-0 mark with a 1.35 ERA and nine K’s in 13.1 postseason innings, helping lead Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to the Governors’ Cup for the first time in franchise history.
Do you think the scout who recommended Igawa hires somebody to start his car every day? The guy must be terrified.
———–
Shameless plug alert: I will be on Mike Silva’s NY Baseball Digest radio show tonight at 7 p.m. Here is the link if you want to listen.
ONLY 40 mil………..
this is a joke right?
All in all, Pavano was cheaper….
Maybe not better, but cheaper
Igawa
Good point, kd. Never thought about it that way.
This all raises the question… who has been the bigger bust? glass carl or shades igawa?
Holliday will put up Andruw Jones numbers in Mcafee Colosseum
I think I’ll have to go with Igawa… he’s healthy and ineffective which makes it more frustrating. At least you now what you’re going to get from Pavano… NOTHING.
i think brian cashman did a bad job sigining him but he never gave up remember last year when the padres wanted him and he pulled out i think that decision is coming true
Igawa is done…….
but Kennedy and Hughes aren’t???
where is the logic in that?
Can we trade him now!!
Chopper,
It’s the double standard so prevalent on these boards. Igawa is labeled a bust after one season but Hughes/Kennedy get nine lives.
Moosic, PA ? How far is that from Montoursville?
Can somebody please trade that eyesore of a man.
Kei and Melky for Ichiro and we’ll throw in 3 of the unsold luxury suites.
Igawa is almost 30. Hughes and Kennedy are 22-23 years old.
Kei Igawa was projected (at best) to be a 5th starter. Hughes and Kennedy were projected to be stars.
Hughes and Kennedy both have more talent than Igawa ever had.
Bronx Jeers,
Hell. Id throw in an hd monitor to seal the deal.
Sure, but what has he done for our AAAA team?
I don;t really think it was Igawa’s fault. He is what he is, not good enough to be in the major leagues. It’s the scout and Cashman’s fault, they were wrong to sign him. Pavano was an established player that had at least 5 teams bidding for his services, and by all accounts, he couldn’t/didn’t want to deal with NY. Igawa did his job, Pavano didn’t
Not that I think Igawa should ever pitch for us again
Tom,
I would agree with almost everything you said but the Kennedy part. I think he was projected to be no better than a #3. Which is still good. Also want to add that they arent making a crum of what Kei is. That doesnt help.
I never thought anyone would tie Joe Roa’s Scranton franchise record. I guess all records are made to be broken. Or tied.
As long as they don’t give up my in seat cup holder I’m cool.
You think it’s easy? I’d like to see Ian Kennedy go to Japan and try to pitch.
I mean, seriously, send him to Japan.
Hindsights 20/20. I believe Igawa had only a half run higher e.r.a. than Dice coming from Japan. And strikeout king for a couple of those years. If only we knew he couldnt adjust to larger balls and the big city.
Where would we be if we signed Lilly instead?
Gordon Blakeley was the the point person in the Igawa scouting.
Hindsight is 20/20. Igawas career e.r.a. was only a half run higher than Dice. If only we could ship some Japan baseballs(smaller)over so he could be the K king in the states.
I wonder how we would be if Lilly was in pinstripes instead?
Igawa got 50 million for being a bust. I would like 1 percent of that and I’d be good.
Solution for Igawas problems.
Get him some Japanese baseballs that he can actually grip. If that fails. Call the Cubs and ask them if we can have Lilly for Kei. Let them know that we were just kidding when we chose him over Ted. We’ll ad that cup holder in the package. Sorry Bronx Jeers.
******BREAKING NEW*******
Billy Beane was just interviewed on the radio here. He refused to comment on:
– free agent Jason Giambi
– ” Teixeira
– ” CC
He did say that he’s not worried about Holliday’s splits
Updates as warranted.
**************************
Nick,
On 1050?
Igawa “only” make 4 million a year. The other 26 million was his posting fee.
Nick in SF in Santa Rosa,Nick in sf,Nick in nc. I hope your using Southwest. Not sure if you can get points on it.
I was listening to 680, but I think they’re on both. Holliday himself is going to be on at 4:30
Beane is going to flip Holliday mid-season next year and get a good package back. Brilliant!
Al,
Or holding on to him and getting some draft picks.
Joe Sheehan hates the Holliday trade for the Rockies:
“Not so much. Upon further review this trade is a very good deal for the A’s, who gave up a minimum of talent, not much that they will miss, in exchange for a 28-year-old player who’s a great fit for their lineup. Moreover the Rockies got less back in return than they would have had they simply dealt Holliday for, say, Ryan Ludwick, and I’m no Ludwick fan.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....index.html
The “glass is half full”….some NL team should be impressed enough to take him.
“Al,
Or holding on to him and getting some draft picks.”
Either way its a very proactive move. When do we star making moves
Todd Helton was Peyton Manning’s back-up in college?
Dude’s pitched like 70 innings in the majors. And the Yanks are even or better than even in his starts. Bring him back. Let him pitch long relief. At least he’s not a goldbricker like Pavano.
Did Pete change his mind on Abreu? I thought he said that he was sure Abreu was gone. Now, he thinks Abreu might agree to one year?
Tom,
Who was the backup for Tom Brady that we picked up and ended up a third base bust?
Hey Pete I was wondering what you thought about bringing back Pettitte. Everyone keeps saying that we need pitching, so I don’t see why it is such a big decision to take him back. He may not be the best pitcher out there, but he is a workhorse, and he can handle NY. He is one of those guys who goes out there and puts everyone on his back. He wants to win just as much as anyone out there. He is a 3-4-5 type pitcher and he eats up innings. I’m only asking because it seems like the organization is overlooking him, waiting to see what is out there. I’m not saying they should rush and get him this week, but do you think they will not re-sign him at all?
S.O.S.27
Drew Henson.
I hate him.
Hey, who’s this guy Igawa at AAA? We’ve got to get him up to the big club next season. Can’t have talent like that languishing in the minors. I’m telling ya, Cashman knows pitching!
The question that I must ask is, just how bad are these Minor League hitters?!?
And yes, Todd Helton was Manning’s backup for a wee bit at Tennessee. Helton rarely played and stuck to baseball, and that decision has turned out pretty well.
ugh Igawa, what a joke.
I hear the Yankees are now admitting they made a mistake when they signed Igawa. They really were interested in Kay Ballard — funny lady from the 70s.
Someday Kei Igawa will make everybody laugh.
Wow. Ortiz opening up about Manny on the radio. Talking about how he wanted out for years and things just got worse and worse and Ortiz knew it was time for Manny to go. Said there some personal feelings with ownership, but he never got into it.
Admitted they probably would’ve won it all with Manny.
via: espn.com
mel,
thanks for the info, would they have won it all with manny?
dont know, dont really car, they didnt win and that is all that matters in the end haha
Drew Henson. Stuck up both George Steinbrenner and Jerry Jones.
” I’m telling ya, Cashman knows pitching!”
Hopefully he learns about first basemans. No joke.
Any other team, any other player with any other history and baggage, the fans would be screaming to “get this guy to the big club!” What he did last year at Scranton is pretty impressive, but we’ve seen this cat enough to know that this does not translate to success in MLB.
THAT BEING SAID, if the Steins’ are willing to eat a little contract, Igawa could be an important part of a trade of a talented player.
yghf,
lol. Let’s just say that heck yeah they would’ve won with Manny. Too bad, so sad.
Here’s the answer to the question (with front office cringing):
“Probably,” Ortiz said. “I’m not going to lie to you, probably.”
Pavano Topps AAA All-Star Teams: 0
Igawa Topps AAA All-Star Teams: 1
’nuff said.
mel
Here’s the Ortiz story I read in the Boston paper this morning. A little different twist to some of the answers.
http://www.boston.com/sports/b....._up_o.html
So… is being a AAA All-star… better than being a rising star in the AFL?
Speaking of which… when does Homer, I mean, Hughes pitch next?
“THAT BEING SAID, if the Steins’ are willing to eat a little contract, Igawa could be an important part of a trade of a talented player.”
Mark, you have obviously just woken from a Van Winkelian slumber. And no, the Beatles are not playing at Shea next month.
pat,
Thanks. I definitely had the abridged version.
I miss the days when Igawa would have a 3 up 3 down inning where he would look like he might have figured american major league baseball out, only to follow it up next inning by putting everyone and their grandmother on base. I think the yankees mlb online shop can remove the igawa jerseys from the website. Maybe package them with throwback Irabu jerseys, 2 for $5.00
I can’t hate Igawa for some reason. I think his biggest issue here was the cultural differences. From the video I’ve seen of him pitching in Japan, he looked like a completely different guy. A leader who took charge on the mound. Unfortunately, the Yankees were probably the worst fit possible for him in the US. Aside from the contract, of course. A younger team with less egos and a smaller market probably would have been a better fit.
“I can’t hate Igawa for some reason.”
Saucy — the sake has gone straight to your head. The only cure for your ailment is to watch 6 consecutive hours of every pitch Igawa has thrown in pinstripes. Then, if you haven’t already committed hari kari, you should be okay.
Do we know what the 2nd highest bid was for him? And by whom?
“Do we know what the 2nd highest bid was for him? And by whom?”
My guess would be the Japanese team that owned him. I think we call that a buy out.
“The winning bid, alternately reported as $25 and $26 million, was actually $26,000,194 (the 194 being Igawa’s 2006 strikeout total). The losing bids are not announced, though word has leaked out that the Mets had bid $15 or $16 million and the Padres had also placed an eight-figure bid. The Mariners, Orioles, Giants, and World Champion Cardinals were among the other teams believed to have been interested in Igawa. The Yankees will have until midnight on December 28 to sign Igawa. Should they fail to do so, they will not have to pay the bid amount.”
http://bronxbanter.baseballtoa.....61264.html
Thanks NY5
And to think I took a ton of abuse for defending Igawa!!!
See????
I dont think they would have out bid everyone by that much if it wasnt for the Sox beating out everyone by quit a bit with Dice. We couldnt take another lost bid.
Trish,
lol. I think alot of people owe you an apoligy. I would put his name back up with “08 AAA all star nuff said” next to it.
im surprised i havent seen “Lets trade him for Peavey!”
lol thank goodness hopefully people have checked back into reality that peavy would rather anywhere else but here.
Do the Memphis Grizzlies have any fans? There is like no one at this basketball game.
if abreu wants to come back so badly, let him take a 1 yr deal or 1 and an option.
though he seems tailor made for the cubs/mets
They should have never moved the Grizzles from Vancouver.
Just like they should have never moved the Sonics to OKC from Seattle.
NBA is in fine shape for now though, they will just lean on the Lakers/Celtics to carry them but down the road, it will pose problems. That is, unless there is the International expansion by then.
In hindsight the Pavano signing was a bust, but at the time he was signed, he was coming off of an 18 win season, and had pitched well in the playoffs in 2003. If the Yankees didn’t sign him, someone else would have. I don’t necessarily blame the team for bringing in Pavano. Pavano probably told them he wanted to pitch in NY, and said and did the right things to get signed. What else did the Yankees have to go on other than scouting reports , and the guy’s word? As far as I know, his reputation in 2004 was intact. I think in Pavano’s case, he didn’t know himself, and how he was going to handle the NY pressure. He caved in.
The Igawa signing on the other hand is completely the Yankees fault. The scouting on this player was terrible, and his contract was merely a reaction to Boston signing Dice K.
If Abreu wants to come back, they should tell him the right field wall in the new stadium is made of Nerf.
“They should have never moved the Grizzles from Vancouver.”
Memphis Grizzles just makes no sense. They need a name change.
I am enjoying how the Knicks are actually watchable this year.
I’m still waiting for smoke signals from Omar Minaya.
Only 3 more years and 12 million dollars to go….
Name changes
Minnisota Lakers
Golden State Nuggets
Los angeles Magic
Sacramento Grizzlies
Memphis Kings
New Orlens Jazz
The yanks need Tex more than Abreu. We have had so many wasted free agent signings and trades for first base in the last few years because there was never a solid defensive first baseman. Phelps, Doug M., Ensburg, Betemit, Sexson, Andy Phillips, Olerud, and Miguel Cairo, just to name a few. It would be nice to see one person there consistantly.
*Orleans
Stapled my finger at work today
Los angeles Bullets
New Orlean Jazz
Phoenix Mavericks
seattle supersonics
S.o.S
that’s not change I can beleive in
Haha the AAA All-Star Team? That’s adding insult to injury right there. Why couldnt they just let him toil in anonymity?? I for one was kinda hoping that if we went long enough without hearing his name, I would forget all about him.
Meanwhile, anyone watching the ESPN game? Huge uphill battle for my Heat to turn a 12 pt deficit into a game again, Wade is a beast and 3/4ths but the odds are probably against us in this one due to our severe size deficiency. Still, nothings impossible, I love how the team hustles and battles.
Charlotte Hornets
And, the Jazz name really should have stayed in Nawlins. That is the worst name change of all. Mormons just aren’t jazzy.
lol. Amen Tom.
Tom,
With all these no sense names to teams. Im surprised they didnt move the Sonics to Alaska and called them Alaska Russians. O.k. enough of that.
I find it hard to believe they can’t trade a 28yr old lefty who has had good success at AAA and has a decent contract.
btw, regarding Lil Papi saying the Saux would have won it all with Manny, does anyone else think thats kind of a punk azz comment? Didn’t he hit under .200 in the ALCS, and he’s deflecting blame onto the front office? Maybe he should look in the mirror instead of using a telescope, perhaps they’d have gotten farther if he hadnt looked quite so washed up?
BBB (Andy still has a lot left, PAY THE MAN!)
November 12th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
“And, the Jazz name really should have stayed in Nawlins. That is the worst name change of all. Mormons just aren’t jazzy.”
_____________________________________________________
The need to be renamed the Utah Seagulls.
Utah Bucks or Utah Horniets?
“Do the Memphis Grizzlies have any fans?”
I raise my hand in shame. We usually don’t halfway fill the FedEx Forum. Tonight is basically a normal night’s attendance.
Utah Mailmen.
like the jeff hornacek reference
the Utah Flyovers
J-Dawg,
Look at the bright side. You can pay for nose bleeders and work your way to the front row. Wish i could do that in Anaheim when the Yanks come to town.
“I raise my hand in shame. We usually don’t halfway fill the FedEx Forum. Tonight is basically a normal night’s attendance.”
This is a normal night attendance? Yikes. I didn’t realize that.
Hey, don’t raise your hand in shame. Be proud!
S.o.S.27,
Right, I’ll take any positive outlook that I can get! And our name has been used before. There was a Memphis Grizzlies squad back in the old World Football League. Blues would make a better nickname for us, though.
BBB – it’s probably a stupid comment because later in the show (this is the part I heard today) he used the injury card in reference to why the Sux didn’t take the whole thing and then said they did a great job despite all of their injuries – he mentioned him, Lowell, and someone else – don’t remember who – specifically and said they had lots of injuries all season (that’s a paraphrase).
Cant beat “the King” J-dawg. Memphis Kings is the only way to go.
Have a good night fellas.
S.A.,
It really is normal, sadly enough. The box score always gives the attendance figure in tickets sold. I wish they would count the actual bodies in attendance. The FedEx Forum holds 18,000. Many nights there are probably less than 7 or 8 thousand people in the stands.
J-Dawg- I agree they should just count the actual people that show up and not just the sold tickets.
Anything they can do to drum up some more support for the team? I’m watching this game and it is kinda depressing…
S.A.,
This is probably redundant of me to say, but basically all that they can do is to start winning, and fast. VERY fast. Until then, they will just be an also-ran to the Tigers. The Tigers are, have been, and always will be the big ticket here.
It’s a 5 year deal, and he’s been in the U.S. for 2. What if Igawa actually figures out how to get out U.S. hitters, pitching #4-5 innings the last 2 years of his contract? Is it not worth it in dollars at that time, given the FA price for those innings?
It’s too early to really say if this was a bad deal or not simply because there are still 3 years left to recoup.
Igawa is invaluable to Scranton.
Unreal…maybe we can revoke his visa.