Take it away, Joel Sherman!
Specifically the part where he's talking about CC Sabathia. Look at this section here:
Not counting the playoffs, Sabathia made 91 Yankee starts through last July 26, going 55-20 with a 3.08 ERA and a .635 OPS against. In 12 starts since, he is 4-3 with a 4.46 ERA and a .855 OPS against. He has been particularly bedeviled by homers (.62 per nine innings before/1.45 since) and righty hitters (.653 OPS before/.928 since); both of which suggest he has not been as meticulous or overpowering in this period.
There's no denying that he's right that CC had a rough August and September last year. His ERA and WHIP both spiked, but there's one thing he didn't realize (since he did cite his opponent's OPS, I'm guessing he did at least do SOME research). His BABIP against skyrocketed. In that timeframe, his BABIP against was almost 400! Isn't it likely, nay probable, that some of his struggles were due to bad luck on balls hit in play which pitchers have very little control over? I mean, the Yankee infield isn't known for defense too much, no matter what some people think. It's not terrible, but it's also just OK at best I think (most dWAR's agree with me on that). That's going to contribute to higher BABIPs some too. His HR rate went up, but his walk rate and strikeout rates remained good. He'll be fine going forward.
So...what really is the problem Mr. Sherman?
Maybe it is a small sample size or just April now.
Thank you. Now, why were you writing this again?
The only starter in the Yankees infield who, according to baseball-reference, has made a positive contribution reliably in recent years is Mark Texiera, and leaving 3/4 of the infield to be a group of average defenders on their good days does not bode well for anyone's BABIP.
ReplyDeleteThe quality of the Yankees defense is a known quantity though, and didn't cripple CC throughout most of the year, however through August and September Eduardo Nunez, the Yankees backup infielder played nearly every single game, most of which were complete game efforts, not just entering in the 7th to spell Jeter or A-Rod, and Nunez committed 20 errors (14 at shortstop) last year.