Going into Spring Training, the Yanks seemed to have a powerful pitching rotation with the arms of their ace CC Sabathia, phenom Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes, and the newest Yankee, Michael Pineda. Unfortunately, plans did not end up the way it should have. The spring training rotation never pitched together. Pineda hurt his arm, CC got hurt, and the "Comback Kid" Andy Pettitte broke his ankle. This resulted in the lousy return of Freddy Garcia. Somehow, this rotation has kept its composure, and the Bombers are out playing opponents. With the loss of the greatest closer ever in Mo to an ACL injury, the bullpen has stepped up incredibly during these past few months.REPORT CARD:
PITCHING ROTATION
CC Sabathia: (B+): CC's April always begins with a slow start, and he has kept his composure, bouncing back in May-July with a record of 9-3. Even if this groin injury isn't serious, it is vital for CC to perform at his best for this squad to go deep in the playoffs. The ace is needed for a championship.
Hiroki Kuroda: (B): Kuroda began the season slow, having difficulty locating pitches and finding the plate. Magically, he pitched an incredible June (4-1, 1.98) and seems to have the confidence in attacking batters earlier in the count. Hiroki can be an X factor when his best stuff is present.
Ivan Nova: (A-): In only his third season in the MLB, Nova has shown the stuff he was expected to have. Currently with the losses of CC and Andy, Nova is controlling the pitching staff, going deeper into outings and striking out more hitters. Despite his exceptionally high ERA, his record represents his top-notch season. The future remains bright for SuperNova; let's just hope he's not considered to be sacrificed in trade talks.Phil Hughes: (B): When at his best, he can be as effective as anyone. But his performances are sometimes up in the air, which makes you question whether or not he can go deeper into games with only two or three pitches. So far, Hughes hasn't been a problem, and hopefully it stays that way.
Andy Pettitte: (B+): Andy's return from retirement saved the Yankees after the loss of Pineda. He proved that a 40-year-old can still perform on baseball's biggest stage. If healthy after his time on the DL come September, Andy will be a huge contributor during the playoff race.
Bullpen: (A-): After the sudden loss of Mariano Rivera and the waiting return of Joba, the bullpen has stepped up incredibly, possibly saving the Yankee's season. There is no sign of struggle from temporary closer Rafael Soriano, set up man David Robertson, or Boone Logan. Other young arms have stepped up in important situations, and depth is always important. Just when you think you have enough pitching, you need more pitching.
Coaching Staff: (A-): With the consistent high expectations of the Steinbrenners and the organization, Joe Girardi has kept his players in shape for the toughest obstacles. Injuries haven't affected attitude or performance. Larry Rothschild has also aided a continuous streaky rotation to stay successful. Even though these hitters are pros, Kevin Long has stepped up, helping the Boys of Summer improve on the swing. With the home runs each game and the strikeouts each game, this Yanks staff will stay intimidating to the other teams.Brian Cashman: (B+): Although Cashman has the opportunity to toy around with the biggest budget in the history of sports, he has been very conservative with his decisions; signing Ibanez, and re-signing Garcia, Chavez, and Jones. Cashman has stayed away from blockbuster deals so far, and he is going by the solution of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Small pickups of Nix, McDonald, Stewart, and Wise haven't affected the Yanks negatively. Hopefully Cashman will take a stab at the trade deadline, looking for more pitching such as Cliff Lee.
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