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"Maybe I can try to hit instead?" |
The New York Yankees seem like the team is ready to break
their long stretch of two consecutive missed postseasons and look primed to at
least win one of the two Wild Card spots available in the American League. The
plan is obviously to win the American League East Division but for the sake of
simplicity let’s say the Yankees simply make it into the playoffs, can the team
really afford to rely on CC Sabathia in a five-game or seven-game series?
Sabathia hasn’t been all bad in 2015, it has been close but
not all bad, but it seems like when some pitchers are getting stronger and
better it feels like CC is beginning to regress again. I don’t have a stat to
back that up and I don’t have this long drawn out analytic reason for why I
think it, I am just a guy that watches every game and knows what he sees. CC is
going deep into games less and less, he’s getting right-handed bats out less
and less not that he did much of it at the beginning of the season and now he’s
beginning to get left-handed hitters out less and less. Is it fatigue? Is it
enough of a sample size to scout and prepare for? Or is it simply CC isn’t as
effective and is leaving pitches up and over the plate? Unfortunately, I do not
know.
The fact of the matter is in a five-game playoff series the Yankees
will need a third starter and maybe even a fourth starter depending on the
schedule that has yet to be released. Assuming health is not a factor you have
Masahiro Tanaka lined up for a Game One start or a one-game playoff in the Wild
Card Round while you have Michael Pineda lined up to take the ball in Game Two.
At this point I’m not sure who I would take when it comes to Sabathia and Ivan
Nova, Nathan Eovaldi has to be a lock by now though, but I believe New York
would rely on the lefty before Nova in the postseason. That could potentially
be a disaster for New York, especially if they use Tanaka in a one game
playoff.
The good news for New York is that they can make some sort
of trade or call up to rectify the situation. Maybe that solution pitched
Wednesday night for the Yankees, Luis Severino, but one thing is for certain…
CC Sabathia seemingly cannot be relied on anymore. You might get some good
starts out of him but on a consistent basis Sabathia is done. Bottom line.