Saturday, October 3, 2015

(Adam) Warren the Weapon


In what I am officially calling a new era of Major League Baseball fans around the Yankee Kingdom are worried. Offense is down around the league and has been for quite a few years now, although there have been signs of life in that department in the second half of 2015, parity has entered Major League Baseball giving teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates chances to win despite lower payrolls and the emphasis on young, versatile and homegrown players is being more important than ever before. You can’t just be a first baseman only and survive in this league anymore unless you can hit 30 home runs and you can’t be equally as good at two things as a pitcher in an era of “defined roles.” Well, unless you’re Adam Warren.

Adam Warren has become an absolute weapon for the New York Yankees and I’m not quite sure the league has caught on just yet. Warren the Weapon, I like that nickname FYI and I may just patent it before MLB “does” and sues someone else for putting it on a T-shirt, was on full display this week for the Yankees showing off what he brings to the table. Warren started a game against the Chicago White Sox and finished the contest with 6.0 IP, four K’s, three BB’s and just three hits allowed. He started off slow, the first inning has been his biggest issue since returning to the starting rotation, but finished strong and once again gave the team a strong chance to win a ball game. Then came the Boston Red Sox who, not to equivocate, beat the Yankees brains and their pitchers into submission the first three games of the series thus wearing down the bullpen at the worst possible time as the team looked to clinch, and it was Adam Warren who saved them all.

Warren, who was Friday night’s scheduled starter, came in out of the bullpen in Thursday night’s 10,000th win in Yankees franchise history and the game that clinched the postseason for New York, after CC Sabathia had thrown five great innings and shut down the Boston Red Sox offense. Warren pitched three innings of relief and did not give up a run as he handed the ball to Dellin Betances in the 9th inning for the save. Betances is credited with the save but Warren saved not only the game but the Yankees bullpen going forward, just like a secret weapon would.


Girardi tipped his hand a bit with this relief appearance when the Yankees needed one most as it now seems likely that Warren will be in the bullpen for the postseason. The Yankees now have a back end of the bullpen that consists of Warren, Justin Wilson, Betances and Andrew Miller which is capable of giving you almost nine innings of relief work if need be. Warren is the secret weapon, if a starter can’t give you length then Warren can pick you up. If Betances of Wilson are needed earlier than you’d like or unavailable for the day Warren can pitch late into games, he even closed a game or two for the Yankees in prior seasons, and Warren could even start a game if need be. Warren the Weapon, remember where you heard it first. 

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)