WHY DAVID ROBERTSON IS STILL MY KING

Our Houdini, "Mini-Mo" David Robertson, blew the save in the ninth, giving up four runs and a three-run homer to Matt Joyce and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Yankees, 4 to 1.  David takes his first loss on the season. 

What is the impact of this game?  Well, his ERA jumps to a whopping 2.64, just a bit above Rafael Soriano's.  Where was it before tonight?  ZERO.  He had 13 games, 23 strikeouts, a WHIP of ONE and his opponents were hitting a measly .170 off him.  The Yankees dip to 16-14 and the AL East becomes a little more competitive, with the Red Sox and Orioles losing.  (Yesterday's Rangers-Orioles game was rained out.)

Cue the Bandwagoner Nation...

It is no surprise that fans are looking to David as a possible temporary replacement for Mariano Rivera, who will most likely miss the rest of the season due to his injury.  Between he and Soriano, Robertson is the likely candidate.  There will naturally be comparisons.  I became sick of the "We miss Mo" tweets (not that I don't miss him) and was so disgusted by anyone who had the gall to boo him at the Stadium.  They are clearly not true Yankees fans.  However, if we are comparing, let us compare comprehensively.

In 1997, in Mo's first year as the "true" closer, he had 52 save opportunities and blew NINE of them.  According to Baseball-Reference.com, that year was the highest "Average Leverage Index" he's ever experienced, if you believe in that statistic.  I don't have to tell you what the result of that year was for the Yankees.  It was his lowest save percentage until this year, when he's blown one save (forgot, didn't you?) and is now out with an injury.

What does this mean?  Bandwagoners can ride their happy caravans into town to hitch onto whatever team they decide to next.  David Robertson is clutch.  He is a class act.  He embodies and represents everything the Yankees stand for and can live up to the legacy this team maintains.  Personally, he is among the league of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada, some of our recent favorites, and he has the talent and potential to professionally reach the ranks of Boomer, Mariano and Roger Clemens.  In 2011, he had a 1.08 ERA after 70 games with 4 wins, a .113 WHIP and held his opponents to a .170 BA with ONE HUNDRED STRIKEOUTS.

The numbers, the man and the name speak out for themselves.  You can boo the bats, boo Joe Girardi or boo the Rays but, if you boo David Robertson, you don't know the Yankees and you don't know baseball.

--Fox Luu, BYB Guest Writer



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