Putting The Yankee Pitching Woes into Perspective...

This is what happens when you try to rebuild and win at the same time.

No one wants to hear it, but that is what the Yankees are doing. This year, as well as next are rebuilding years.

Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy's struggles won't continue like this all season as they are both too talented for them to. However, no one can truly say that they didn't expect this to happen. Young pitchers go through periods where they struggle. It's not anything new.

Hughes will likely snap out of it first, as his start against the Orioles was actually very good but came apart at the end. Kennedy needs to start being more aggressive or he'll continue to run into trouble.

I'm not as down on Ian Kennedy as Jason is, because, well, Jason is like Johnny Drama, a misery to be around. Kennedy is going to be a 3rd or 4th starter, but I really don't think that anyone is expecting him to be anything more like Jay thinks. However, we all know he isn't this bad.

These two will be much better in the second half of the season then they were in the first.

Hey, Look! Something That isn't Football!

With this being the only dull time in the NFL year, I find myself thinking of other things. Mainly, why does everyone in baseball hate youth so much?

Everyday, the beat writers in ever major magazine or newspaper talks about how young the Yankees pitching staff is. They talk about Hughes being hurt last year, Chamberlain being the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera and Ian Kennedy not being able to be anything more than a number three starter. Why is everyone in baseball so afraid of youth? It’s a problem that is specific to baseball. In ever other sport, the draft is exciting because people live new, young players that can revolutionize a team. In baseball, experience is looked upon as necessary to have any kind of success.

The truth is that so many young players had success last year because teams are finally starting to give their young studs a shot. The Brewers had their best season in years behind guys like J.J Hardy, Ryan Braun, and Yovanni Gallardo. Troy Tulowitski helped the Rockies win the National League in his first year in the Bigs. The Athletics win every year with a host of players that no one has ever heard of.

Billy Beane started the whole thing with the Moneyball revolution. You can love statiscal analysis, or you can hate it, but the one thing that everyone should agree with is that being a young team, isn’t a negative thing. He realized that good college players aren’t that far away from playing the in pros. Soon, guys like Houston Street and Travis Buck were with the big league squad just months after graduating. They were cheap, and durable which allowed the cash strapped A’s to compete in a league which they have no business competing in.

However, baseball traditionalists refuse to admit that youth will be served. A great example is the Dodgers, who have two of the best outfield prospects in the game in Andre Eithier and Matt Kemp, but insist upon signing Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones to huge contracts so they can underperform.

Which brings us back to the 2008 Yankees, for years; they were like the current incarnation of the Dodgers. They sign every free agent that hit the market and watched them steal their paycheck each week. Jason Giambi’s steroid saga is well documented. Johnny Damon’s inability to stay healthy doomed last year’s squad. The pitching Cerberus of Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright took enough money from George Steinbrenner that they should be behind bars right now.

Instead of these veterans, there are now three young, high ceiling starters in the rotation. Technically, which brings me to my first point, which is that Chamberlain should be starting. It’s Moneyball 101. No player in the game has more control over an outcome, and therefore more value than a starting pitcher. While having Chamberlain set up for the Sandman is great, he’s so underused because of it. Imagine what you saw over one or two innings last season, over six or seven once every five days.

The traditional thought that we don’t know if he could do it is horribly short sighted. He has two plus pitches that we haven’t seen much of. He has a near 100 mile per hour fastball and a slider that is literally the best that some players say they ever seen. The worry that he is going to hurt is arm is legitimate, but here’s the question:

What are you going to do about it? Nothing. There’s nothing you can do.

Either he starts a full season this year, or he starts a full season next year. At some point he is going to have to throw 200-plus innings. When that happens, there is little you can do to prevent him from getting hurt. Pitchers are a dangerous proposition; it’s the nature of the beast.

Oh, one last note on Chamberlain: The next person I hear talk about the fear of Joba losing his “mystique,” is literally getting punched in the face. Batters don’t strike out because of mystique. They strike out because a makes them strike out by pitching.

The second thing that people fail to remember is that Phil Hughes is a better prospect than Joba is. That’s right, better than the man that achieved cult status last season before being attacked by bugs. Before getting hurt last season, Hughes nearly through a no hitter in his second start. After getting hurt, he turned out an excellent performance in the playoffs when the Yanks had their backs against the wall. Hughes is the real deal. Don’t be surprised if Hughes out pitches the rest of the Yankee staff this season. He has more talent than anyone else.

Lastly, there is no reason that Ian Kennedy can’t be a top level starter. Another baseball myth I’m sick of hearing about is the idea of a pitcher’s “stuff.” While it’s important that a pitcher be able to throw good pitches, it’s more important that he get outs. That’s what the Southern Cal alum does. He gets outs. Last year, Kennedy put up a 1.89 ERA and was 1-0 in three starts. He didn’t overpower anyone, he just got outs.

This year’s squad is finally a little bit different. It’s full of youth, and excitement. It’s anchored by a young pitching staff that is going to prove all of the critics and analysts wrong. They all say that the team is too young to win; I say that baseball is no different than other sports. The goal is to have the youngest, most talented team possible. That’s what leads to consistent winning.

Just ask Billy Beane and the A’s, it’s been working for them.