LUKE HOCHEVAR: HOW MUCH RISK IS TOO MUCH?

Spring Training is less than two weeks away!

Photo: USA Today

I have severe baseball withdrawals at this point and I really need some excitement. It has been a month and a half since the Yankees made any significant moves and there are still some holes to fill. It makes you wonder if the Yankees will make any moves before camp starts, or is this the team that the Yankees roll with?

Photo: MLB.com

The Yankees finally have a good DH option with Matt Holliday and a proven closer with Aroldis Chapman but the Yankees still need that middle relief help. We've talked about guys like Joe Blanton and Craig Breslow recently but there is still another middle reliever out there looking for a job but he comes with some serious risk.

Photo: MLB.com

Remember Luke Hochevar? The Kansas City Royals decided not to pick up his option during the off season with good reason. At 33 years old, Hochevar is a big injury concern after having two significant surgeries in the last four years. In August he had surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) which affects the compression of nerves from the neck, chest and shoulders. Many pitchers have dealt with this before, including former Yankee Phil Hughes and Chris Young. Others however, like Chris Carpenter did not fare as well and his TOS contributed to the end of his career.

He should be ready for spring training but he has also had other major surgeries like Tommy John that cost him all of 2014 and part of 2015. Hochevar had a breakout season back in 2013 but his post Tommy John numbers are not nearly as impressive. A pitcher that is two major surgeries past his best season would definitely scare most teams off and explains why he is still on the market.

Post major surgeries Hochevar's stuff is definitely not what it used to be. When he was a starter he had five good pitches but as the years have gone on he now relies on his fastball, cutter and a knuckle grip curve ball. He still has success with the curve ball but those fastballs could be trouble at Yankee stadium.

There are no recent rumors connecting Hochevar with the Yankees, but you have to wonder if the Yankees would be willing to give a heavily (VERY heavily) incentive laden one year deal to add some middle relief help. The Yankees are supposedly done and have no more money to spend this season but if the Yankees could get him for a cheap $2-3 million contract it would add some depth and not hurt the Yankees long term payroll plans.

There is a lot of risk to signing Hochevar but is there enough upside? Or, would there be less risk to just go with what the Yankees already have?

 --Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

THE YANKEES HAVE THEIR EYE ON A LEFTY....

(May 6, 2016 - Source: Mike Carlson/Getty Images North America)

The Yankees have not given up on their quest to get another left handed reliever in the bullpen. Of course, the Yankees aren't the only ones looking but suddenly the stakes are even higher. One pitcher has caught the interest of most major league baseball teams and it's not because he has incredible raw talent, or a killer fastball. He has evolved and may have found a way to bridge baseball and science together.

(April 6, 2016 - Source: Rob Carr/Getty Images North America)

Months ago if news broke that the Yankees were interested in Craig Breslow some people may have laughed and some may have scratched their heads. After all, last season he had a 4.50 ERA in 14 innings before the Marlins let him go. He spent a few weeks with the Rangers AAA affiliate and wasn't heard from after that. Now, according to Peter Gammons, he has the interest in as many as 20 teams and one of those is rumored to be the Yankees. How?

Move over Moneyball, Stem Cell Research, and Bill James....a new scientific theory is here to be tested. At the end of the season Breslow bought a Raspodo device which tracks a pitcher's spin, spin efficiency, velocity and tilt axis and gives pitchers just as much data as a pith f/x machine but costs a lot less. All of this data has given Breslow a new pitching strategy that he believes works, and will help him be successful again. He's also not the only one who believes in it.

(Sept. 19, 2016 - Source: Harry How/Getty Images North America)

Another pitcher the Yankees once had interest in, Rich Hill used the same science to reinvent himself with help from Brian Bannister, the Dodgers Director of Pitching analysis and assistant pitching coach. Hill went from playing in an Independent League to a reliable MLB starter two years ago after he learned how to get a better spin on his pitches and drop his arm angle. Before adopting this new scientific approach made a modest $3 million salary from 2007 through 2015. After reinventing himself, he now has a three year, $48 million contract with the Dodgers and now Breslow wants to do the same thing. So maybe science can successfully be applied to baseball.

It may sound like a bunch of hype, but when you have scouts watching him pitch and describe the movement on his pitches as "sick" AND you have Clayton Kershaw, one of the best pitchers in the game buying into it as well as others, you know this isn't a trend that is going away anytime soon. Maybe this is just the beginning. Teams are looking for that competitive edge and maybe science finally gives it to them.

(April 19, 2016 - Source: Rob Foldy/Getty Images North America)

The Yankees want some more veteran presence on their team and Brian Cashman has been saying this off season has been all about pitching....yet the Yankees have only added Aroldis Chapman. Maybe it will take some intense interest and competition for Breslow to make the Steinbrenner's open up their wallet again. Maybe a scientific edge will intrigue the Yankees so much that they just can't let him sign anywhere else. Or, maybe the Yankees just watch from afar....and have an anti-climatic ending.

Will the Yankees be swayed by science? I have my theories on this, but we will see what happens. Breslow is set to have an open audition on the 23rd....who is going to sign him?

Stay tuned.


 --Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

REFLECTING ON THE BURNETT ERA: THE POSITIVES

I can guarantee you that at least 90-95% of Yankee fans out there, including myself, are happy that AJ Burnett was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. There’s no denying that AJ needed to go. Guys like Freddy Garcia, who is coming off an impressive 2011, and Phil Hughes, who is in shape and could have a big year to go along with being 25 years of age, deserve rotation spots over Burnett. With that said, I think it’d be a little awkward, to say the least, to have a $16.5 million mop up man in the bullpen. Now that he’s gone, I’d like to reflect back on the positives of the A.J Burnett era during his time in the Bronx…April 9, 2009: After CC Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang got roughed up in the first two games of the season against the Baltimore Orioles, AJ Burnett—who was making his first career start as a Yankee—needed to have a big start, considering most of the mainstream media and fans were calling this a “must-win game” even though it was the third game of the season. Burnett did in fact get off on the right foot, going 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, two walks, and six strikeouts.

August 7, 2009: Following his first two starts against the Red Sox as a Yankee, (0-2, 12.91 ERA, 4/8 K/BB), AJ Burnett sought out to gain revenge against the Yankees’ biggest foes. Burnett was opposing Josh Beckett, and both dominated. AJ went 7.2 innings, allowing just one hit (a bloop single to Jacoby Ellsbury to lead off the game), on six walks and six strikeouts. I remember getting chills when he was lifted in the eighth inning as the Stadium crowd arose as one to give AJ a big hand. That was a huge start for him, and he needed to prove he can pitch in a big game against the arch-rival Red Sox, and he certainly did.2009 ALDS and ALCS Game 2’s: In Burnett’s first career postseason start as a Yankee he stepped on the mound knowing he had a 1-0 series advantage against the Minnesota Twins, but nonetheless, the pressure was on him, and he delivered. Burnett went 6 innings, allowing one run on three hits and five walks while punching out six. He didn’t get the win, as Mark Teixeira hit a laser beam home run down the left field line in extras. Meanwhile, the scenario was the same in Burnett’s Game 2 start against the Angels in the ALCS; handed the ball with a 1-0 series advantage, yet again with the spotlight on him, and once again, he delivered. Burnett went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, two walks while striking out four. And like his start against the Twins, he didn’t get the win, as Jerry Hairston scored the game winning run on an error in extra frames.2009 World Series Game 2: Down in the series 1-0, this was clearly not only AJ Burnett’s biggest start as a Yankee, but the biggest start in his career. This game was as close to a must-win game as they come, because you don’t want to go back to Philadelphia—who were the defending champs at the time—down 2-0 in the series. Burnett was absolutely huge in this game as he went 7 innings, allowing just one run on four hits, two walks, and nine strikeouts. I remember his curve ball being extra nasty that evening, and if you factor in the circumstances, this was AJ Burnett’s best start in his career.2011 ALDS Game 4: Unlike Game 2 of the ’09 World Series, this was literally a must-win game, as the Yanks were down 2-1 in the series to the Detroit Tigers, and Burnett was pretty solid, at least solid enough, to pick up the win. He went 5.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits, four walks, and three strikeouts. But, you cannot deny that Curtis Granderson saved Burnett’s bacon in the first inning with his leaping catch to save three runs. If that ball falls down, the Yanks are in an early hole and Burnett gets pulled. And of course, this was Burnett’s final start as a Yankee, so at least he went out with a bang.

Health: I will give AJ a lot of credit for this. Burnett made at least 32 starts every year during his time in Pinstripes and only 10 other starting pitchers from ’09-’11 made more starts . Even though he was sub-par with the Yanks, at least he took the ball every fifth day and didn’t go down even if he had the slightest injury.Pie in the face: This is probably the one thing I’ll miss about AJ Burnett. The pies in the face following a Yankees walk off win. The tradition started on an afternoon in May of 2009. The Yankees were playing the Twins and ARod hit a walk off home run in extra innings off Craig Breslow. And suddenly, out of nowhere, AJ Burnett came out and pied ARod in the face. Read the story about it HERE.

That’s pretty much it for Burnett. A nice handful of very good postseason games, to go along with a few gems (those weren’t the only two, those were the two that stand out the most, at least in my eye.) in the regular season, to go along with staying healthy during his three years in Pinstripes.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer



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BYB YANKEE TRADE RUMORS: PART 4

More names and more rumors and no one knows for sure what will happen, but the trade deadline is approaching, so maybe, just maybe there's something to these rumors. Take a look.Rich Harden: The Yankees scouted Harden, according to Ken Rosenthal, but the Red Sox are too. I like Harden although, is he better than AJ Burnett? Bartolo Colon? Freddy Garcia? Look, if we were to get this guy from the Athletics, to me, he's a 3rd starter. There is nothing overly outstanding about Rich Harden, he will however help the rotation without a doubt. This year Harden is 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA in 5 games. Read about Rosenthal's story HERE.Kyle Farnsworth: That's right, I said it, yes, he's available, but do we really want to go there again? While we're at it, why don't we talk about bringing Pavano back, right? This post wasn't to scare you, it was just to tell you Farnsworth is on the trading block and this nugget comes from Buster Olney. I strongly doubt the Yankees will bring Farnsworth back. The bullpen will be too small for the ego's of Soriano and Farnsworth. Don't worry, it's not happening. Read about it HERE.
Craig Breslow: Breslow is in the Athletics bullpen and the A's are willing to not only part with Breslow, but also Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour, for the right price of course. Breslow's a lefty and that's a positive. He's 0-2 with a 3.93 ERA in 45 games. He has 31 strikeouts and 13 walks. I'd pull the trigger on this one. Boone Logan has lost it and a lefty specialist would be nice right about now. Read about it HERE.Sean Burnett: Ken Rosenthal has it again, suggesting the Yankees are talking about Sean Burnett but the Nationals have not engaged in talks as of yet. Who knows, I know this, Burnett's ERA is not nice to look at and it worries me a bit. If I need to choose at this moment between Burnett and Breslow, I'm going Breslow hands down. Burnett this season is 5.59 ERA in just 29 innings.Yes, he could improve, but we don't need adjustments in August, you know what I mean? Read about it HERE.

Keep it at Bleeding Yankee Blue all weekend for opinion and news on trade rumors and your favorite team, the New York Yankees.

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