WHY BOONE LOGAN IS BETTER THAN EVER

Our starters have been the key to our success lately. It’s been nice to watch our starters go out there and pitch deep into games as opposed to earlier in the year, but we have to give credit where credit is due…our bullpen also stepped up their game. Think about it, on Wednesday night we beat the Braves and swept two series in a row….and we did it without two of our best relievers, Mo and David Robertson. Even without our 8th and 9th inning superstars, we have been in good hands with Boone Logan. Yup, I said it. Last year when I would hear his name I would cringe, and pray for a miracle to bring Pedro Feliciano back but this year there is something very different about THIS Boone Logan.

What a difference a year makes. Last season it was hard to rely on Logan, it was like doing a coin toss because you had a 50/50 chance of him coming through for the team. With Feliciano on the shelf the Yankees relied on him to be the fill-in, and perhaps that wasn’t fair to him. After being a second lefty in the pen he went to being the only lefty, and maybe that pressure can explain why he wasn’t as successful. This year, the Yankees use him not only against lefty hitters, but he is in the game pitching to righties and also closing games….and he is succeeding.
So what is different about this Boone Logan? A lot….his control, his demeanor, and the numbers are night and day compared to previous years. Maybe he is eating his Wheaties. Perhaps that explains how Logan has already pitched 22 innings this year when in 2011 he pitched a total of 41.2 innings….and we aren’t even at the halfway point yet. I am not sure what made the difference for him this year but when you look at everything on paper it looks pretty darn good!

Last year, Logan struggled to do his job…get out lefties. When comparing his opponents’ batting averages, there was virtually no difference between lefties and righties. 2010 wasn’t a lot better either, he was effective against lefties holding them to a .190BA which any lefty would love to brag about but I am sure that .279BA against righties made his success rates a little easier to forget.  2012 still has a long way to go but so far, Logan is holding lefties to a .212BA. Sure, his numbers against righties are not as pretty (.313BA)….but you can’t fix everything all at once.

As much as I remember about last year, I think Logan’s homeruns stood out more than anything else for me. I wish I could explain why, it’s not like he gave up double digit figures but out of the four homeruns he did give up last year three of those were on the road. It is nice to see that so far this year, he has only given up one home run and he isn’t giving up the big blows.As good as these numbers are, I saved the best for last. Logan’s strikeout rate this year fascinates me. I don’t know if he is just blowing pitches past batters or if he is just fooling the batters but so far he has an amazing K/9 rate of 13.3, which beats his previous best from 2011 of 9.9. So far this season, 34% of all plate appearances from batters have ended with a strikeout. If Logan keeps this up, Robertson won’t be the only Yankee reliever we track strikeouts for. Logan has 31 strikeouts already, and last year was a personal best for him at 46. I know it is still early in the season, but I think Logan has found his groove.

Logan is turning me into a believer, it is hard for me to admit it but it’s true. Last year I used to flinch when I saw him come out of the bullpen. This year, considering how we don’t have a “formula” like we used to when Girardi does put Logan into the game I breathe a sigh of relief. Out of all of our relievers, I will make a bet on Logan, he has proven himself.

--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor

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