Pinch hitting: Rob Abruzzese
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Jan 23, 2010 
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Now writing in the Pinch Hitters series is Rob Abruzzese, who found that the acquisition of Damaso Marte might have played a significant role in the Yankees moves this offseason.
After three years writing for two different blogs, Rob started Bronx Baseball Daily in November of 2008. He’s also done work for the New York Daily News and Pinstripes Plus. He’s a graduate of Brooklyn College with degrees in journalism and political science.
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In 2001, the Yankees traded Damaso Marte to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Enrique Wilson and almost immediately regretted it. Wilson hit against almost nobody not named Pedro Martinez, and for the next few years, the Yankees would never have a consistent lefty out of the bullpen while repeated attempts to reacquire Marte were unsuccessful.
In 2008, the Yankees finally managed to bring Marte back, along with outfielder Xavier Nady, by sending outfielder Jose Tabata and right-handed pitchers Daniel McCutchen, Jeff Karstens, and Ross Ohlendorf to Pittsburgh. Initially, the trade was mostly well received. Tabata was the center piece of the deal and not only had he been struggling, he was also fresh off behavioral issues that caused the Yankees to question his makeup. None of the pitchers appeared too special either. McCutchen looked like the only one of the three with the potential to stick in the Bronx, and even he was a longshot.
Perception of the trade changed because the Yankees had a decision to make involving Marte. He was a Type-A free agent and there were three scenarios that could play out at the time. The first two involved offering him arbitration. If he rejected, the Yankees would still have had the opportunity to re-sign him and could accept a pair of draft picks if they didn’t. If he accepted arbitration, the Yankees would retain him on a one-year deal that would give them roster flexibility and the chance to net two draft picks again in the next offseason as it seemed realistic that he would have been a Type-A free agent again.
The third scenario was the one that happened, and it wasn’t a popular one. Before the Yankees and Marte had the chance to exchange arbitration figures, the two sides reached an agreement on a three-year, $12 million deal. To fans worried that Marte would struggle in the Bronx — he did have a 5.40 ERA in the final weeks of 2008 while pitching in Pinstripes, so there were a lot of them — this was an unacceptable risk.
Perception of the trade took a nose dive early in 2009. Marte hurt himself in the World Baseball Classic and pitched to a 15.19 ERA in seven regular season appearances. Nady was done for the season by April 14. To make things worse, it appeared that the Yankees might have prematurely given up on Tabata as he was putting up pretty good numbers for his age at both Double-A and Triple-A. Marte nearly missed the entire season and when he did come back he didn’t help the perception that the Pirates had gotten one over on the Yankees by finishing the season with a 5.62 ERA in 14 games, finishing the season with a disappointing 9.45 ERA overall.
On face value the deal was looking quite terrible, but Marte’s numbers against lefties for the season would be reason to have faith. In fact, he was masterful against them, holding lefties to a .120 average and a 0.65 WHIP. That carried over into the playoffs. When manager Joe Girardi started to lose faith in his other lefty reliever, Phil Coke, Marte stepped up. His final playoff ERA was 0.00 and he held batters to a .150 average. More importantly, he was perfect in the World Series, striking out five batters and stranding all four runners he inherited.
While Marte certainly wasn’t the MVP of the series, it could be argued that the Yankees couldn’t have won the World Series without him. As amazing as that is, his benefit to the team didn’t end there. By signing Marte to a three-year deal, general manager Brian Cashman gave up a chance to get some highly coveted prospects, but he did get something the Yankees haven’t had since the days of Mike Stanton — a solid and dependable left-handed reliever.
This offseason, because the Yankees had a dependable lefty in the pen, they were able to involve Coke in a trade for outfielder Curtis Granderson, and they were able to trade Michael Dunn for right handed pitcher Javier Vazquez. Had the Yankees never signed Marte to the three-year deal, they would have been unable to include one or both young lefties in those trades and probably would have been forced to include more highly touted prospects.
So, in a way the initial Pittsburgh deal that looked so bad at one point freed the Yankees up to make additional trades that will help the Yankees as they try to repeat in 2010. It also got them the lefty that they had been trying to trade for since they mistakenly dealt him away in 2001.
an example of 6 degrees of separation. you could weave a similar tale about virtually every player traded or traded for.
Brooklyn has a college?
Forgettaboutit
That’s Forgettaboutit University.
Actually Brooklyn College has a great journalism program.
And Allen Ginsberg was a professor there.
On the other hand, let’s wait before anointing Marte a dependable lefty. Sure he had a superb postseason and obviously he’s the primary lefty in the pen for 2010 but the jury’s still deliberating whether or not he’ll actually get the job done.
We have yet to see him do it in the regular season.
If they hadn’t signed Marte, they could have made a run at lefty Jeremy Affeldt as a FA and collected the draft picks. Marte got lucky in the Twins playoff series and still has to prove his worth. 4 million for a situational lefty is a little steep.
Regardless of the comments of the previous posters, Abruzzese’s pinch-hit was well-played.
Having Marte has nothing to do with trading Coke. Suggesting otherwise is patently ridiculous. Coke was a middling starter as a minor leaguer that ended up having a league average year out of the pen. This is the definition of selling high.
Nice piece Rob.
It’s funny how the perception of a trade can change as the wind blows. I remember thinking the deal made sense at the time as the Yankees were only 1.5 games out of a playoff spot and a left handed reliever and right handed bat were just what the doctor ordered. Sadly, Chamberlain was lost to injury a short time later, Marte had occasional struggles and Xavier Nady reverted to being, well, Xavier Nady again and the wheels came off.
Then in ’09, Nady is hurt, Marte is hurt and miserable. The Pirates? Well, it appears they may have found a Blanton-esque starter, who can be a solid 3/4 starter, in the person of Ohlendorf. Meanwhile, Tabata, while still not demonstrating any power, acquitted himself quite nicely as a 20 year old in AA/AAA and had an outstanding fall/winter season in the AFL.
A good trade is one that will work out for both teams. The two teams involved here made the deal with different goals in mind, the Pirates looking to add some solid youth while the Yankees were looking for pieces to put them over the top. In the end, Marte’s stellar postseason contribution brings us to the point of being able to say it was indeed a trade that worked out for both teams.
So-so post. Yankee Trader, I like your idea about Affeldt.
Rob has a decent blog tho, some of the writers are halfway decent.
“Having Marte has nothing to do with trading Coke. Suggesting otherwise is patently ridiculous”
Patently ridiculous is a bit strong. Probably more true to say that having depth in the area of LHRP was a good thing as it allowed for using a couple of them in trades for two high end players and still have a solid LHRP remaining in the pen. However, if Coke and Dunn were the only two LHRP in the entire Yankees system, they still make those two deals and then look for left handed relief elsewhere,IMO.
Well-argued piece for sure. Lots of cynical people around here.
On the other hand, let’s wait before anointing Marte a dependable lefty…
We have yet to see him do it in the regular season
Seriously? Dude’s been in the league for almost 10 years and has been one of the best lefty relievers in baseball over that timeframe.
this is Yankee fan myopia at it’s best. Nothing that happened outside of NY counts, right?
Marte can pitch when he’s healthy. He’s healthy again. He’ll be fine.
It’s tough finding a good pinch-hitter
Coke, Dunn, Logan… all basically the same guy as far as I’m concerned. Hit or miss types.
I always liked Marte and will be surprised he doesn’t build on his World Series and have an excellent 2010 if he stays healthy.
Marte is the post child for killing the World Baseball Classic or at the very least using minor league pitchers who can be brought to “camp a month ealrier.
If they hadn’t signed Marte, they could have made a run at lefty Jeremy Affeldt as a FA and collected the draft picks. Marte got lucky in the Twins playoff series and still has to prove his worth. 4 million for a situational lefty is a little steep.
except Affeldt signed for….wait for it….$4M/year!
“except Affeldt signed for….wait for it….$4M/year!”
That’s what I was going to say. For whatever reason, the Yankees like Marte which is obvious by their previous attempts to reacquire him and then the contract they gave him. I don’t know if they feel the same way about Affeldt which is why you might have a difference of opinion among fans and baseball teams regarding a player’s worth.
I prefer to think that the Marte we saw in the playoffs is closer to the real Marte than the previous version we have seen since he’s been with the Yankees. His track record pre-return to NY agrees with that.
4 million a year is steep for a non-closer relief pitcher but the deal was done and if he’s healthy he’s very valuable.
Ross Ohlendorf may turn out to be the most valuable player in that trade. Last year, as a SP, he pitched 176 innings with a 3.92 ERA.
I hated to lose Ohlendorf in that trade also.
Ohlendorf had a nice season, but don’t confuse pitching in the NL Central with pitching in the AL East.
As good as CC was last year his ERA was about double what it had been in 17 starts with Milwaukee.
ohlendorf’s 3.92 ERA last year was a product of pitching in the NL Central. He may prove to be quite valuable as a back end starter for some time for the Pirates, but he had no place on the yanks. that 4.72 FIP wouldn’t hold up in the bronx. .265 BABIP, too. I’m glad he’s doing well, but believe me, he’s not a pitcher of value in the AL East.
86:
Agreed. Not sure Ohlendorf’s game plays as well in the AL as it did in the NL. He doesn’t miss a lot of bats.
Ohlendorf will probably prove valuable….to the Pirates.
would you honestly want Ross Ohlendorf pitching every 5 days for the Yankees?
he struck out 5.6 batters per 9 innings in the NL. his FIP was 4.72. i’m not the biggest FIP proponent, but i’d be shocked if his ERA in the AL East was under 4.50.
he has value to the Pirates b/c he’s cheap. but for the Yankees, he’s not much better than Gaudin or even Mitre, or a bunch of other guys you can pick up without much trouble.
he’s a guy you trade without blinking if you’re the yankees.
I don’t think Ohlendorf is as good as Gaudin, but he’s better than Mitre unless he comes all the way back.
The trade did cost a lot of $$$ when you figure what they paid Nady for a year and a half of not much and what they’ll pay Marte for three plus years…. roughly $ 20 Million total.
Marte’s performance in the post season made it worth every penny and every prospect.
It’s quite possible Marte was injured before the WBC.
But yeah, let’s kill the WBC because one guy out of hundreds gets hurt. That makes sense.
A guy doesn’t like the WBC for whatever reasons and wants to use the sample size of 1 player to prove his point.
Meanwhile DOZENS of MLB players WANT to participate in the thing and they don’t get injured yet he chooses to ignore them. Some people, smh……….
mrbill187
January 23rd, 2010 at 10:05 am
Having Marte has nothing to do with trading Coke. Suggesting otherwise is patently ridiculous. Coke was a middling starter as a minor leaguer that ended up having a league average year out of the pen. This is the definition of selling high.
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Coke was a rookie that was better than “league average”. NYY will regret not having him in 2010. Yeah, a few too many homers, but, again, he was a rookie. Seems to me that a few veterans gave up a few more homers that normal. Were you yammering about these things during his one month September 2009 trial run?
And to answer somebody else’s remarks, Dunn and Logan aren’t even close to being at Coke’s level…not yet, and very possibly, not ever.
I hated to lose Ohlendorf in that trade also.
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The unfortunate part is that the Yankees due to the “Win right now mode” cannot take time to develop pitchers as witness the Chinese Fire Drill with Joba and Phil. Eight starting pitchers for five positions. Ideally you want four starting pitchers and the fifth as a developmental position and possible trade option. A Major League starter has a higher value than a AAA starter. What do they do with McAllister next year if he continues his numbers? The push will be for Lee. Will the Yankees resist the pressure and keep Hughes as the sixth starter? Highly doubtful. He needs to develop his secondary pitches but I doubt he will have time to do so.
Nice job Rob. Thanks
I find it interesting that the Yankees view Ohlendorf and Coke as bullpen guys, while The Pirates and the Tigers view them as starters.
Does that make them more valuable to the traded team than the trading team?
“Seriously? Dude’s been in the league for almost 10 years and has been one of the best lefty relievers in baseball over that timeframe.
this is Yankee fan myopia at it’s best. Nothing that happened outside of NY counts, right? ”
It’s not that the guy had a bad month. He had a bad year and a half.
Obviously he had a serious shoulder injury that kept him out for most of last season.
He’ll be 35 yrs old in a few weeks.
But none of that is cause for concern right? Because he was great on the White Sox 5 years ago.
He could be very good. He could also be bad. The point is is that we can’t be sure based on 4 innings of the postseason.
Did Ohlendorf pitch ALL of his games in the NL central? I know he NEVER had to face one of the WORST teams in the division so that certainly didn’t help him out any.
Before we decide what Ohlendorf is or isn’t why don’t we give him more time.
Didn’t he win 14 games fir a team that won like 70 games? He must have been doing something right
“What do they do with McAllister next year if he continues his numbers?”
Trade him for the same reasons they traded Ohlendorf probably. I know Ohlendorf didn’t have a place to go with the Yankees, I just liked him and in an ideal world I wouldn’t have minded him sticking around. I understand why they dealt him though.
Coke was a rookie that was better than “league average”. NYY will regret not having him in 2010.
Coke’s ERA was 4.50. League average was 4.28.
Add in the fact that league average is higher for relievers, and Coke was well below average.
What do they do with McAllister next year if he continues his numbers? The push will be for Lee. Will the Yankees resist the pressure and keep Hughes as the sixth starter?
well, neither Pettitte nor Vazquez are signed beyond this year. they could sign Lee, move Hughes into the 5th spot, and give Z-Mac the 6th spot. i don’t think the situation is as dire as you think.
Didn’t he win 14 games fir a team that won like 70 games? He must have been doing something right
he was 11-10. ‘
he gave up 25 HRs in 176 IP and only struck out 109.
you’re right, we should give him more time. and it’s true, no one knows for sure what he is or he isn’t.
BUT…judging from the facts at hand, those are not the type of numbers that GENERALLY translate well to the AL East. Wang got by with low K numbers b/c he never gave up HRs. Ohlendorf gives up quite a few HRs.
perhaps he’ll be the exception to the rule, but my opinion is that the Yankees will not miss him.
Steve
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:20 am
Coke was a rookie that was better than “league average”. NYY will regret not having him in 2010.
Coke’s ERA was 4.50. League average was 4.28.
Add in the fact that league average is higher for relievers, and Coke was well below average.
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But..but…but…aren’t you one of those that insists that ERA is a bad way to judge a pitcher? He was certainly better than Marte was, not to mention Dunn, Logan, Melancon combined. Melancon pitched scared every time he came in.
I’m no fan of Conan O’Brien, but, this is a funny as hell video from June 2009.
http://www.fandome.com/video/1.....-Baseball/
But..but…but…aren’t you one of those that insists that ERA is a bad way to judge a pitcher?
i don’t understand. you said something that isn’t true, i corrected you. now you are generalizing about me when i almost never post on this site.
saying he is better than Dunn or Marte is moving the goalposts. if that’s what you meant, fine. but it’s not what you said. you said he was better than league average when he wasn’t.
if you’re going to argue, let’s be honest about it.
The Yankees aren’t going to trade away a 22 year old starter with McAllister’s talents. Don’t count on NYYs going out and signing a $15-17 Mil a year left fielder and an $17-19 Mil a year pitcher, while still needing to resign Jeter and Rivera.
GB: “Coke was a rookie that was better than “league average”. NYY will regret not having him in 2010. Yeah, a few too many homers, but, again, he was a rookie. Seems to me that a few veterans gave up a few more homers that normal. Were you yammering about these things during his one month September 2009 trial run?
And to answer somebody else’s remarks, Dunn and Logan aren’t even close to being at Coke’s level…not yet, and very possibly, not ever.”
Good points, all, GB.
There were a number of other pitchers who had issues after the WBC including Daiusuke Matsuzaka.
The WBC is a contrived event and not in the best interests of any major league team or player. As a prospect showcase I think it would be a great thing.
GB 7 — Coke and Logan each turn 28 this summer and each has five major league wins. How on earth are they not comparable? Yeah, Coke has a better ERA, but also a much smaller sample size and he faded down the stretch last year so we may have already seen his best.
Raymagnetic —Deciding what guys are or are not ahead of the documented evidence is what we do as fans just as it’s what GMs do when making deals.
Let me correct myself, Coke struggled in the post-season, he was very good down the stretch
The NYY may or may not miss having Coke in 2010, but they will also enjoy (or not enjoy) having Curtis Granderson.
Was it a bad trade?
Unfortunately for Phil Coke, Joe Mauer’s parents were not practicing birth control in the summer of 82′
New post. Also a heads up, it looks like the Orioles have signed Miguel Tejeda.
Or Miguel Tejada. One or the other.
Coke’s era was above the league average, but his WHIP was excellent. Only 44 hits allowed in 60 IP is pretty darn good. If he had any real issue, it was that nearly half the hits he allowed were for extra bases. He kept 78% of his inherited runners from scoring, which is a pretty good number (FWIW, Rivera’s allowed 29% of inherited runners to score over his career – and he’s a pretty good reliever).
Coke was pretty solid no matter what his ERA says.
I don’t like selling low on assets, and that’s what they did with Tabata. Obviously, Marte’s playoff performance mitigates that mistake in this case, but it is a bad business practice.
The AL league average for ERA was 4.46, not 4.28. For bullpens, it was 4.17, so as a reliever, there’s a difference, mostly lowered because of closers like Rivera and Papelbon. He’s still going to be tough to replace.
The AL league average for ERA was 4.46, not 4.28.
sorry, i used the league average for a player on the Yankees.
Coke’s ERA was 4.50. his ERA+ was 95. therefore, league average for Coke was 4.28.
i have nothing against Coke, he was ok last year. pitched in a lot of games, generally got the job done. i was simply correcting what i thought was an incorrect statement, and i was surprised when you reacted by accusing me of being someone who objects to using ERA or something.
like i said, i don’t post here a lot, and maybe i’ve missed a bunch of these arguments in the past so maybe your reaction made sense.
either way, no big deal. let’s move on.
GB7
Where are those stats from?
http://www.baseball-reference......;year=2009
That is the problem in a nutshell as far as trading minor leaguers for established players. They can come back to bite you down the road. Everyone graded Tabata, Jackson and Vizcaino highly. But the Yankees need assets right now. It’s a tightrope that Cashman walks. Wait till Jeter and Alex are pushing forty and need to be replaced while earning fifty mil between the two of them. The Yankees need to start drafting overslot players in the early rounds with the hope that at least some pan out. They’ve gotten lucky with the economic downturn in getting Swisher, Granderson, Vazquez. It wasn’t good management.
If Cashman were so worried about keeping lefties around, he would not have let Kroenke slip thru his fingers in the Rule 5 draft. The guy had a microscopic ERA in AAA last year. His ancillary numbers weren’t that great, but he was getting the job done. And this wasn’t the first time, either. Letting Phil Coke go was no big deal, I cringed every time Girardi brought him into a game. We’ll see about Dunn. I would have kept him, especially without Kroenke around. The only Yankee minor leaguers worth saving are Montero and Romine (and maybe McAllister). As long as Cashman didn’t include one of them in the Vazquez deal in place of Dunn, no one would have noticed.
ortforshort January 23rd, 2010 at 4:08 pm
If Cashman were so worried about keeping lefties around, he would not have let Kroenke slip thru his fingers in the Rule 5 draft.
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Agreed. Cashman is not afraid to move bullpen arms as they are 95% of the time replaceable. Coke was a fringe guy who had a nice year and he sold high. Dunn had more upside then Coke anyway. But at the end of the day, someone like Marte or Coke is NOT going to stop Cashman from making a trade which is what the article suggested.