As things appear to be quiet on the Yankees Hot Stove, I figured it'd be a good time to take a look at the pitching outlook for the '08 season. The Yankees have yet to reel in the big fish they are after, and really have not done much to bolster the bullpen. Here's a look at the bullpen.
The Yankees pen begins and ends in one place: Mariano Rivera - he is the shoulders on which the Dynasty was built. After some posturing, the Sandman signed a 3-year, $45 million deal which will almost certainly allow him to end his career in pinstripes. Despite a slow start, there really are no signs indicating that Mo is slowing down. He is the rock in the bullpen, and really the only one to depend on.
With Joba heading to the rotation, the Yanks are hoping Kyle Farnsworth can minimize the damage long enough to allow Bob Sheppard and the rest of the crew to warm up the PA and blast some of James Hetfield's best work. Skipper Joe Girardi has faith that Farnsworth can regain the success he had in Chicago and become a dominant late inning presence. While Farnsworth did not reach triple digits on the radar gun as frequently as we're used to, he showed some promise late in the year by gaining confidence in his slider. It's no mystery that he was not a fan of Torre; hopefully, a new manager can lead to some consistency.
Innings eater, Luis Vizcaino who declined arbitration and signed with Colorado, is being replaced by LaTroy Hawkins, who interestingly enough left Colorado for a one-year pact with the Yanks. I don't really see Hawkins being any sort of an upgrade here. While he enjoyed his best year in a long time last year, remember that he was pitching in the NL West, where the baseballs sit in a humidor and the bats are made of paper mache. The AL East is not a friendly place for a pitcher who's career WHIP is about 1.50. The best thing that can be said about Hawkins is that he was signed to a one-year deal.
The Yanks are interested in acquiring another left handed reliever such as Ron Mahay, Damaso Marte, or Jonathan Sanchez; however, there is nothing indicating that they are close with any of them. As it stands, it looks like Sean Henn is the only left hander in the pen.
The rest of the bullpen spots will most likely be filled with in house options:
Edwar Ramirez showed some flashes last year with a devastating change up that helped him rack up 31Ks in only 21 IP. He needs to pick up a little more velocity to consistently get big league hitters out.
Ross Ohlendorf, the big right hander from Princeton University acquired in the "Big Bird" trade, came up for a cup of coffee in September and impressed the Yankees brass. So much that he made the playoff roster and proceeded to get his tits ripped against Cleveland. He features a hard and heavy Wang-like sinker (94-96 mph), and a good slider. He also developed a split finger in the AFL which many predict will become his strike out pitch.
You can fill in the blanks from there. Jose Veras needs to stay healthy to be effective, but his stuff makes him a viable option to be a power arm out of the pen. The Yanks haven't given up on Brian Bruney and his electric fastball, but I expect him to start the year in AAA to try to refine his mechanics. Kei Igawa may be considered a left handed option, or as a long man with Jeff Karstens.
Three big names to remember: Humberto Sanchez, Mark Melancon, and J.B. Cox. All three right hander will report to spring training coming off of arm injuries, but each is expected to get to the Bronx this year. Sanchez's stuff is Joba-like, Melancon is rumored to be the closer of the future, he features a fastball that can reach the mid-90s and a filthy hammer. Cox, the former Longhorns closer, has a nasty slider and a big set of brass balls to go along with it.
The Yankee pen, like the rotation, will depend heavily on its young arms -- and the system has a ton of them. The Yanks also consider starters Alan Horne, Jeff Marquez, and Chase Wright as viable options in the pen if someone falters.
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