Baseball records that may never be broken

Baseball records that may never be broken:

 

10) Walter Johnson – pitched 110 shutouts in a career, 1907-1927

No pitcher since Johnson’s era has come close to this number of shutouts.  Since complete games are rare these days, this record may stand for a long time.

 

9) Hugh Duffy - .439 batting average in a season, 1894

While we can’t be sure that all the statistics from 1894 are totally accurate, if they are Duffy’s  batting average is unlikely to be topped, as long as pitching in baseball remains dominant.

 

8) Rickey Henderson – 1,496 stolen bases in a career, 1979-2003

Someone would have to average 70 stolen bases a year for over twenty years to top Henderson’s record. Seems unlikely, since most players’ careers aren’t nearly that long, and most teams don’t run as much as they did back in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, now preferring to wait for the long ball instead of playing small ball.

 

7) Billy Hamilton – scored 198 runs in a season, 1894

Since most players don’t have high on-base percentages, and don’t play in every game much anymore, not to mention that pitching is still good enough to keep run-scoring low, it’s tough to see Hamilton’s record being broken anytime soon.

 

6) Joe DiMaggio – hit in 56 consecutive games, 1941

No one has really come close to matching this record. Being that hitting a baseball is the most difficult thing to do in sports, it’s hard to see any players coming close to getting a hit in so many games in row. Unless they lay down a lot of really good bunts, which would be the cheap way to do it.

 

5) Cal Ripken Jr. - started 2,632 consecutive games, 1981-1998

Most players today are given a day off here and there even if they don't really need it. It's possible someone could play in as many games as Ripken but it's unlikely to be consecutively.

 

4) Chief Wilson – hit 36 triples in one season, 1912

Ballparks are a lot smaller than they were a hundred years ago, so hitting a triple isn't that easy anymore. Some fields didn't even have walls. Outfielders today can cover ground pretty well, so a player has to have a lot of speed to leg out a triple.

 

3) Sam Crawford – hit 309 triples in a career, 1899-1917

For the same reasons it's unlikely no one will hit more than 36 triples in a season - smaller ballparks, better outfielders. A player would have to average 15 triples each season, for over twenty years. Seems like a long shot.

 

2) Cy Young – 511 wins in a career for a pitcher, 1890-1911

There's a reason why it's called the "Cy Young Award." The next closest win total is 417, nearly one hundred less, by Walter Johnson. How Young managed to pitch effectively so often (sometimes over 50 games a year) and for so long (22 years) is almost beyond comprehension.

 

1) Old Hoss Radburn  - 59 wins in one season for a pitcher, 1884

No one even comes close to starting this many games in a season, let alone being the winning pitcher.  Old Hoss must have had a rubber arm.

Yankees GM Cashman is over-rated

It's a wonder how New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman keeps his job. His most recent quote of “I don’t have anybody who is untouchable, but some guys are more touchable than others. At the end of the day, I am legitimately open to any idea. I’ve had a lot of bad ones, either thrown by me or on the receiving end from somebody else to me. That’s what we’re here for; to throw a lot of crap out there and see what sticks” makes me believe that myself, or anyone really, could work as a general manager of a major league baseball team and have the same results at the end of the season as so-called professionals such as Cashman have.

Trading catcher John Ryan Murphy for Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks wasn't a bad deal, but Cashman and the Yankees would be foolish to deal any of their top prospects, such as shortstop Juan Mateo, outfielder Aaron Judge, and first baseman Doug Bird, among others. Let's keep these guys and see what they can do on the field, starting during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Players signed to big contracts, such as Carlos Beltran, really haven't done much, so why not take a chance on a prospect?

The best Closers in New York Yankee history

Baseball has evolved to the point where teams usually bring in one pitcher to "close" a game.  Here are the top five closers in Yankee history.


5) Johnny Murphy: Fifth in franchise history with 104 saves, Murphy pitched out of the bullpen from 1932-1946. He contributed to six World Series championships and was selected to three American League All Star teams.

4) Dave Righetti: The American League Rookie of the Year in 1981 and two time All Star during eleven seasons from 1981-1990, Righetti tossed a no-hitter in 1983 but was then converted into a closer. He ended up second in team history in saves with 224.

3) Rich Gossage: In seven years with the Yanks from 1978-1983 and 1989, Gossage had a 42-28 record with 151 saves and a 2.14 ERA. A four time All Star, he struck out 512 batters in 533 innings and held opponents to a .207 batting average.

2) Sparky Lyle: Winner of the 1977 Cy Young award, Lyle saved 141 games and had a 2.41 ERA in his seven years with the team from 1972-1978. A three time All Star, he was an important contributor to the team's championship seasons in the 1970's.

1) Mariano Rivera, P: The all time major league leader in saves with 652, Rivera was 82-60 with a 2.21 ERA during the regular season from 1996-2013. A 13 time All Star and member of five World Championship teams, he pitched 141 innings in 96 post season games, with an 8-1 record, 42 saves and 0.70 ERA.

Of the 40 Yankees from their roster in September 2013, only 9 remain

Of the 40 Yankees listed on their roster in September 2013, only 9 remain on the spring 2015 40 man roster.

In less than a year and a half, 78% of the players have disappeared from the team's employ.

The 9 survivors are: catcher John Ryan Murphy, first baseman Mark Teixeira, shortstop Brendan Ryan, thirdbaseman Alex Rodriguez, outfielder Brett Gardner, and pitchers CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Dellin Betances, and Adam Warren.

The high turnover doesn't say much about Brian Cashman's abilities as general manager, in terms of identifying talented prospects or serviceable major leaguers.

If the Yankees end up losing 90 or more games this year, Cashman and his subordinates ought to be the ones fired - not manager Joe Girardi.

Yankees won't miss pitcher Hiroki Kuroda

The Yankees starting pitchers are all question marks entering 2015 spring training. Still, it's unlikely that the team will miss pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who opted to return to Japan after seven seasons in the major leagues.

While his 38-33 record with a 3.44 ERA in three seasons with the Yanks sounds good on paper, the team ought be able to easily come up with 13 wins and an ERA below 4.00 from one of their younger pitchers such as Chase Whitley or Adam Warren - provided they are given a fair shot, and not banished to the bullpen or demoted to Scranton after one bad start. Even Chris Capuano is capable of those numbers, if he wins a job in the starting rotation.

Kuroda was recently quoted as saying that pitching in the major leagues was "more tougher than enjoyable."  I bet the millions of dollars he made while performing at a mediocre level made things more enjoyable, though.  At least now he can go back to being a dominant pitcher in Japan's less difficult league.

Who was the New York Yankees Most Valuable Player in 2014?

The New York  Yankees struggled through a long 2014 season, finishing with a middling 84-78 won-loss record and missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

 

Still, every team has players that contribute to its success during the course of the year. Here is a look at who were the Most Valuable Players of the 2014 Yankees.

 

5) Brian McCann, catcher: McCann started slowly at the plate but still finished with 23 home runs and 75 RBI’s, both of which led the team. He also handled the pitching staff well, and threw out 37% of runners attempting to steal, above the league average of 27%.

 

4) Hiroki Kuroda, starting pitcher: Kuroda was steady, providing 32 starts and 199 innings for a starting staff that was decimated by injuries. He finished with an 11-9 record and 3.71 ERA.

 

3) Masahiro Tanaka, starting pitcher:  Tanaka was the closest thing to a sure win in games during the first half, before a partially torn ligament in his elbow shelved him for the second half of the season.  The Yankees would have finished under .500 without him. He posted a 13-5 record and 2.77 ERA in 20 games and 136 innings.

 

2) Jacoby Ellsbury, centerfielder:  Leading all position players with 149 games played, 156 hits, 27 doubles, and 39 stolen bases, Ellsbury batted .271 with 16 home runs and 70 RBI’s. He also was steady defensively.

 

1) Dellin Betances, relief pitcher:  His first year in the bullpen proved to be a huge success. Betances shut down opposing hitters when the Yankees had a close lead in late innings of games.  He finished with a 5-0 record, 22 holds, an unbelievable 1.40 ERA, and set a team record for strikeouts by a relief pitcher, with 135 in 90 innings. He gave up only 46 hits, and batters managed a measly .149 average against him. Dellin Betances is the Yankees’ Most Valuable Player for the 2014 season.

Who was the New York Yankees Most Valuable Player in 2014?

The New York  Yankees struggled through a long 2014 season, finishing with a middling 84-78 won-loss record and missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

 

Still, every team has players that contribute to its success during the course of the year. Here is a look at who were the Most Valuable Players of the 2014 Yankees.

 

5) Brian McCann, catcher: McCann started slowly at the plate but still finished with 23 home runs and 75 RBI’s, both of which led the team. He also handled the pitching staff well, and threw out 37% of runners attempting to steal, above the league average of 27%.

 

4) Hiroki Kuroda, starting pitcher: Kuroda was steady, providing 32 starts and 199 innings for a starting staff that was decimated by injuries. He finished with an 11-9 record and 3.71 ERA.

 

3) Masahiro Tanaka, starting pitcher:  Tanaka was the closest thing to a sure win in games during the first half, before a partially torn ligament in his elbow shelved him for the second half of the season.  The Yankees would have finished under .500 without him. He posted a 13-5 record and 2.77 ERA in 20 games and 136 innings.

 

2) Jacoby Ellsbury, centerfielder:  Leading all position players with 149 games played, 156 hits, 27 doubles, and 39 stolen bases, Ellsbury batted .271 with 16 home runs and 70 RBI’s. He also was steady defensively.

 

1) Dellin Betances, relief pitcher:  His first year in the bullpen proved to be a huge success. Betances shut down opposing hitters when the Yankees had a close lead in late innings of games.  He finished with a 5-0 record, 22 holds, an unbelievable 1.40 ERA, and set a team record for strikeouts by a relief pitcher, with 135 in 90 innings. He gave up only 46 hits, and batters managed a measly .149 average against him. Dellin Betances is the Yankees’ Most Valuable Player for the 2014 season.

Hal Steinbrenner is as dumb as his father

The other day Hal Steinbrenner was quoted as saying, "We put a lot of money into the offense, and they have been, as a whole, inconsistent. It’s been a problem. And it needs to change."

Like, duh. Did he really believe that shelling out all that cash was going to result in a super-duper offense? On June 11 I wrote a blog stating that the "Yankees' bats aren't coming alive anytime soon" and more than two months later, it seems that I was right.

The naive Steinbrenner crew and dopey GM Brian Cashman had unrealistic expectations this past offseason.

Carlos Beltran was aging and often injured, so could he really be expected to produce at a high level? Same with recently released second baseman Brian Roberts. Outstanding hitters in their prime, yes, but they were both way past those days when they were signed as free agents. Same thing with Ichiro Suzuki and the departed Alfonso Soriano.

Comparing Brian McCann to Thurman Munson was a bit silly, and unfair to McCann - in three consecutive years Munson had averages of .318, .302, and .308, with RBI totals of 102, 105, and 100, and hit over .300 in two other seasons as well. In his career McCann has hit .300 twice and has never driven in 100 runs.

Believing Mark Teixeira would drive in 110 runs a year after coming off a serious wrist injury at age 34 wasn't very bright.

If Derek Jeter hadn't announced his retirement before the season it would be clear that his career is over at this point, with his .271 batting average 40 points below his career average of .311.

Several months ago Girardi was quoted as saying, "I don't believe people forget how to hit overnight" and while that is true, this Yankee team was more of a case of a group of players whose skills have eroded significantly and just can't cut the mustard anymore.

Yankees break 110 year old record

The Yankees 8-7 victory over the Red Sox on August 3 was the Yankees’ 14th straight game that was decided by two or fewer runs. According to Elias Sports Bureau, that is the longest such streak in franchise history.

The old record was 12 and set in 1904.

Girardi needs to give better answers at his press conferences

It's going to be a long summer for Yankees' manager Joe Girardi. "I don't believe guys forget to hit in a year" has been his stock answer to reporters after games this season. I guess he doesn't want to admit that maybe the real answer is "Some guys' skills erode in a year and they can't do it anymore."

Carlos Beltran has been hampered by a bad elbow. Still, it's hard to make excuses for a guy who has a .155 batting average with runners in scoring position. Brian McCann was never as good as Yankee brass insisted - comparing him to Thurman Munson was unfair, since McCann has never hit .300 and driven in 100 runs or more for three years in a row like Munson did.

Alfonso Soriano just isn't same player anymore; neither is Brian Roberts, Derek Jeter, or Ichiro Suzuki. To expect these guys to hit like they did ten years ago is unrealistic. It isn't that they have forgotten how to hit. It's just that they can't do it the same way anymore due to their advancing age.

The Yankees came into the night with 326 runs scored, 20th in the majors. You are what your record says you are, so unless guys start hitting a lot better, their current 41-41 record will be 81-81 when the 2014 season comes to a close.

Yankees Girardi might as well throw away his binder

Yankees' manager Joe Girardi might not be using his trusty binder as much these days.

The numbers were impossible to ignore, but for the second time in five games Girardi refused to be seduced by them and didn’t start Ichiro Suzuki against Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester.

“I looked at possibly sitting down one of the other lefty hitters against Lester,’’ Girardi told reporters. “You look at Ellsbury and he has had success and you look at Brett Gardner and he has been playing extremely well and important at the top of our lineup.  Soriano has had a double and homer in two games he has played against him this year. Part of it is, possibly you would like to give one of your lefties a day off and I am going to play the guys we have been playing every day.’’

So, Ichiro took a seat despite having a .340 (18-for-53) average against Lester. That came after Ichiro wasn’t in the lineup Tuesday night in Toronto against lefty Mark Buehrle, against whom he was batting .421 (24-for-57).  I know the game has a heartbeat, but even I would have made sure Suzuki was in the lineup against Lester and Buehrle.

Soriano went 0-for-3 and is now hitting .273 (6-for-22) against Lester.

Girardi was correct saying Gardner has been very important to the top of the lineup, but he is 3-for-13 (.231) against Lester after going 1-for-2 with a walk. Ellsbury went 1-for-3 and is 4-for-9 (.444) against his former teammate.

A regular player in the big leagues since 2001, Soriano has had trouble adjusting to not playing every day. His last homer was May 17 and he is without a homer in 62 at-bats. His skills have eroded, and this is likely his last year in the majors.  The Yankees are unlikely to get any significant production out of him for the remainder of the season.

Yankees' bats aren't coming alive anytime soon

Yankee manager Joe Girardi is going to need more than his eternal optimism to get his team hitting. I don't think there are any answers in his trusty binder, either.

The Steinbrenner crew and dopey GM Brian Cashman may have had unrealistic expectations this past offseason. Carlos Beltran was aging and often injured, as was second baseman Brian Roberts. Outstanding hitters in their prime, yes, but they are both way past those days. Same with Ichiro Suzuki and Alfonso Soriano. Comparing Brian McCann to Thurman Munson was a bit silly. Believing Mark Teixeira would drive in 110 runs a year after coming off a serious wrist injury at age 34 wasn't very bright. 

As of this writing Derek Jeter has accumulated 216 at bats; is this enough for a hitter who missed most of the previous season to get their timing down? Let's hope not, since Jeter is batting .259 with only six doubles and one home run, numbers nowhere close to his career averages. Looks like his power is pretty much gone as he nears the age of forty.

Girardi was quoted as saying, "I don't believe people forget how to hit overnight" and while that is true, this may be more of a case of a group of players who just can't cut the mustard anymore.

Still, the Yankees may have a decent shot at winning the American League East Division, since the Blue Jays, Rays, Red Sox, and Orioles are mediocre in their own right.  The Yankees' pitchers have been doing a decent job for the most part, so if opponents can be held to three runs a game, the Yanks' offense should be able to manufacture enough runs to win more games than they lose.   A total of 85-86 wins might be enough to win the East this year so the race will probably go down to the last days of the season.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope the Yankees start tearing things up. It would make for a more fun summer.  Right now it looks like it may be kind of boring.

The best Managers in New York Yankee history

The best ten managers in New York Yankee history:


10) Yogi Berra: In slightly more than two years as manager, Berra had a 192-148 record, for a .565 winning percentage. He led the team to the 1964 World Series, but was stuck with a middling team in 1984, when George Steinbrenner saddled him with mediocre players.

9) Clark Griffith: From 1903-1908 Griffith had a 419-370 record, a .531 winning percentage.

8) Buck Showalter: In 1995 Showalter led the Yankees to their first playoff appearance since 1981, a fourteen year drought. In four years at the helm he had a winning percentage of .539, with a 313-268 record.

7) Ralph Houk: Managing the team for 11 years, Houk led the Yankees as they went from the top of the baseball world in 1961 to its bottom depths in the late '60's and early '70's. He finished with a 944-806 record, a winning percentage of .539.

6) Joe Girardi: The Yanks have made the playoffs in four of Girardi's six years with the team. His record is  564-408, a .580 winning percentage, with one World Series title. Girardi has done a good job managing his pitching staff and bullpen.

5) Billy Martin: Taking five turns as manager, Martin ended up with a 556-385 record, a .591 winning percentage. The team won pennants under his helm in 1976 and 1977, taking the World Series title in '77.

4) Miller Huggins: With the game's best players in Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig on his roster, Huggins compiled a 1067-719 record, a .597 winning percentage, from 1918-1929. A monument at Yankee Stadium was erected in his honor.

3) Joe Torre: Torre led the Yanks to four world championships in 12 seasons, from 1996-2007. His 1173-767 record, a .605 winning percentage, demonstrates consistency while facing adversity as manager.

2) Casey Stengel: In 12 years from 1949-1960, Stengel won seven World Championships, plus three more American League pennants. His 1149-696 won-loss record gives him a winning percentage of .623.

1) Joe McCarthy: The longest tenured Yankee manager at 16 years, McCarthy holds the record for most wins as Yankee manager, and his 1460-867 regular season record gives him a winning percentage of .627, which is also tops among Yankee managers who were at the helm for more than one season. His teams won seven World Championships from 1931-1946.

source for statistics: www.baseballreference.com

Who was the Yankees MVP in 2013?

In 2013 the New York Yankees finished tied with the Baltimore Orioles for third place in the American League Eastern Division with a 85-77 record. They managed to accomplish this with a roster of players consisting of a hodgepodge of journeymen, scrubs, and not-ready-for-prime-time minor leaguers, since many key players missed most of the season due to injuries. The extended absences of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Curtis Granderson led to gaping holes in the team's lineup.

Manager Joe Girardi deserves some credit for keeping the Yanks in the race for much of the season. He handled the pitching staff well and squeezed enough out of the position players to enable the team to finish over .500 for the season.

General Manager Brian Cashman deserves zero credit, since all he did was throw stuff up against the wall and hope that it would stick. The minor league system, under Cashman's direction for the past seven years, provided practically no help during the season.

Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner contributed offensively during the month of April, helping to keep the Yanks above water early on. Unfortunately neither one provided much for the remainder of the season.

Granderson didn't provide his usual punch when he returned from injuries, batting .229 with seven homers and 15 RBI's in 61 games and 214 at-bats - numbers that don't translate well when projected over a 162 games season.

Eduardo Nunez didn't show much while filling in for Jeter at shortstop, with a .260 average, 3 home runs, 28 RBI's and 10 stolen bases in 90 games and 304 at-bats. His fielding average was .953, well below the league average of .973, and he was projected to cost the team 18 runs as a shortstop, according to zone fielding calculations.

So who were the top ten most valuable players for the Yankees in 2013?

10) Brett Gardner - Gardner was reliable, playing in 145 games, but stole only 24 bases with an average on-base percentage of .344, and wasn't as much of a sparkplug as had been hoped. In centerfield he cost the team 20 runs, according to one zone fielding statistic.

9) Jayson Nix - Nix actually came up with some key hits that led to Yankee victories, even though he played in only 87 games.

8) Lyle Overbay - Overbay also came up with some clutch hits in crucial situations, leading to Yankee wins. He hit 14 homers and drove in 59 runs.

7) Ivan Nova - Finishing 9-6 with a 3.10 ERA, Nova pitched well and kept the Yankees in the race in the summer.

6) Chris Stewart - Stewart handled the pitching staff well, and threw out 32% of runners attempting to steal.

5) Mariano Rivera - Most people would put Rivera higher on the list, but he blew seven saves - 92 wins would have landed the Yanks a playoff spot.

4) Hiroki Kuroda - Kuroda pitched well for most of the season, keeping the team in games.

3) Alfonso Soriano - Providing much needed pop in the lineup during the second half of the season, Soriano hit .256 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI's in only 219 at-bats.

2) David Robertson - Robertson had a great year as a set-up man, with a 2.04 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, .213 opponents’ batting average, and 77 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched.

1) Robinson Cano - While I think Cano is an over-rated player, statistically he had an outstanding year both offensively and defensively, accomplishing this with only average players around him. His .314 batting average, .383 on-base percentage, 27 home runs and 107 RBI's along with a .991 fielding percentage make him the Yankees' Most Valuable Player for the 2013 season.

 

 

 

 

source for statistics: http://www.baseball-reference.com/

Yankees should fire Cashman, scouting staff

At an end of the season press conference New York Yankees' general manager Brian Cashman took responsibility for the team missing out on the playoffs for only the second time in twenty years.

Well if that's the case, ownership ought to fire him, as well as the administrators and scouts that handle drafting of high school and college players.

Certainly a major league team that finishes with an 85-77 record can hardly be considered a dismal failure. However what can be considered a failure is the team's drafts for the past ten years, or longer. The Yankees have not produced enough legitimate players from their farm system to be a contender.

While George Steinbrenner's win-now philosophy contributed to the team's chasing after free agents and trading prospects for established players (some of whom were already washed up and over the hill) this has been entirely Cashman's operation for over eight years now. He demanded full control of the farm system operation and got it. So far, he hasn't held up his end of the deal. Cashman also spoke out against one move ownership made without his approval - signing closer Rafael Soriano - and he turned out to be wrong about that one too, as Soriano filled in capably last year when Mariano Rivera was out with a knee injury.

Obviously, no one is going to replace Rivera, but with all the injuries that occurred in 2013 you would think the Yankees could have brought up at least one decent player from the minor leagues to fill a hole in the lineup. Nope. So all Cashman did was claim whatever flim-flam was available on the waiver wire, then throw it up against the wall and hope that it would stick. Anyone can do that. What takes some skill and expertise is knowing which baseball player to draft out of high school and college each year, and also how to develop them in the minor leagues.

In the press conference Cashman admitted that the Yankees have a lot of holes to fill before the 2014 season begins. It's too bad they can't count on any of their own prospects to plug those gaps.

Hank Steinbrenner the only person who deserves blame for A-Rod mess

George Steinbrenner made a lot of dumb trades and completed more than a few stupid free agent signings during his reign, but his son Hank made quite a doozy as well.

There have been very few baseball players in major league history who have maintained a high level of play into their late thirties. Certainly not many once they reach the age of forty.

While Alex Rodriguez was coming off an outstanding year in 2007 (although one perhaps fueled by steroids) he would be turning 32 the following season. To give any 32 year old a ten year guaranteed contract, even someone with solid stats like Rodriguez had, is foolish. How can any player be expected to have a monster season at age 38 or 39? It's rare. The most Hank Steinbrenner should have offered is six years. If Rodriguez was still going strong at that point they could have easily offered him another contract.

Now the Yankees are saddled with a huge contract that they will have to pay off, unless Rodriguez mercifully retires. And they still have no one to play third base. 

Hank Steinbrenner, who spent one month in the late 1980's working for his father in the Yankees' front office before developing a nervous tick in one of his eyes, wasn't exactly the right person to decide on what contract to offer Rodriguez. So the team has no one to blame for this mess besides themselves. I guess that one month working with Dad didn't result in any new learning. The Yanks would have been better off if Hank had kept working at the family horse farm. Unfortunately for Yankee fans Hank and his brother Hal got involved in the Yankees' baseball business after their father developed dementia, and was unable to manage things as he had before - and unable to give anyone nervous ticks again.

These Yankees are boring on and off the field

Ichiro Suzuki's walk-off home run that won Tuesday night's game for the Yankees in the Bronx was a rare moment of excitement for fans. During April and May journeymen like Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, and Jayson Nix provided clutch hits that kept the team in first place or close to the top. Above average starting pitching and solid effort from the relief corps helped a great deal as well.

However the month of June has seen the Yanks swoon. Timely hitting has dwindled, and the team has struggled to score runs. Mediocre pitching from one time Golden-Boys Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain hasn't helped. Andy Pettitte hasn't been as sharp in the last few starts, so age may finally be catching up to him. And, of course, the continued absence of injured players such as Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson has hurt the offense.

Brett Gardner has played well, but at this point in the season one of the fastest runners in the major leagues ought to have more than 11 stolen bases (and not been nailed 6 times already). Gardner has to get into scoring position; it's still easier to single someone in than it is to hit a home run.

The 2013 Yankees aren't a very exciting team to watch. Yankee Stadium will have even more empty seats by August if things don't turn around.

With the exception of outfielder Zoilo Almonte there isn't going to be much help coming up from the minor leagues, the result of scouting ineptness by general manager Brian Cashman and his baseball cronies in the front office.

Off the field, the headlines featuring Alex Rodriguez are simply uninteresting. At least with the late 1970's Yankees there was some passion involved, and much humor to be found in all the shenanigans. Rodriguez is a dullard. A seemingly compulsive liar, he's a boring person, and was always an over-rated player, even when he played with Seattle back in the 1990's.

The current team will probably stay in the wildcard race until the end of the season since the other American League East teams aren't that good, either. And if Curtis Granderson and Derek Jeter can come back sometime during the summer and play at their high levels of the past, maybe some excitement will return to Yankee Stadium.

Yanks' 24-14 record proves you don't need stars to win games

The Yankees have one the best records in the major leagues at the moment, with a 24-14 won/loss record. this with many of their highly paid "stars" on the disabled list - Kevin Youklis, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Texiera, and Curtis Granderson. Yet with all the millions those guys are getting for doing rehabilitation exercises, the current team has been winning games with journeymen and cast-offs from other teams.  How? Clutch hitting. Infielder Jayson Nix has been steady defensively and while he has only 7 RBI's, they have come at important times. Same for first baseman Lyle Overbay, who has been reliable in the field and has driven in 22 runs, most at crucial spots in games. Outfielder Vernon Wells has also provided a number of clutch hits.

The Yankees' pitching has also been steady. Hiroki Kuroda has dominated in his starts, and the young pitchers have showed that it's been worth it to give them a chance. Adam Warren has been lights-out as a reliever, and David Phelps, Vidal Nuno, and Preston Claiborne have also baffled opposing hitters.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the Yankees' high priced beef returns. Nix will be relegated to the bench, and Overbay will probably be designated for assignment, while Wells will see his at-bats shrink. But will the team keep winning?

Yanks' Gardner not making a difference in centerfield so far

Baseball's sabermatricians often talk about range factor, zone fielding, and runs saved when calculating defensive statistics. I'm not sure if any of it actually translates into wins on the field for a team, but if it does matter, it doesn't seem like the Yankees made the right decision about moving Brett Gardner to centerfield and shifting Curtis Granderson to left field this season.

While it's somewhat of moot point being that Granderson has missed the first month of the season due to a broken arm and Gardner has had to play centerfield, since the Yanks have no one else who could really do it everyday, taking a look at Gardner's defensive stats seem to show that he hasn't made much of a difference.

In 19 games and 172 innings to date Gardner has been minus 6 in runs above or below average that a fielder is worth based on the number of plays made. Over the course of a 162 game season that means he would cost the Yankees 40 runs.  Hardly the type of stat that you would want from your regular centerfielder. His current range factor is 2.30, only slightly above the league average of 2.26.

While it's obvious Gardner's speed allows him to cover a lot of ground and get to balls that other fielders would not, at the moment the statistics don't support the idea that he is an outstanding defensive centerfielder.  On the other hand, it could mean that sabermetrics don't mean all that much. As long as the fielder doesn't make any obvious errors on fly balls or throws, perhaps the .04 percentage difference in range factor isn't going to translate into a championship for a baseball team.

The best Managers in New York Yankee history

10) Yogi Berra: In slightly more than two years as manager, Berra had a 192-148 record, for a .565 winning percentage. He led the team to the 1964 World Series, but was stuck with a middling team in 1984, when George Steinbrenner saddled him with mediocre players.

9) Clark Griffith: From 1903-1908 Griffith had a 419-370 record, a .531 winning percentage.

8) Buck Showalter: In 1995 Showalter led the Yankees to their first playoff appearance since 1981, a fourteen year drought. In four years at the helm he had a winning percentage of .539, with a 313-268 record.

7) Ralph Houk: Managing the team for 11 years, Houk led the Yankees as they went from the top of the baseball world in 1961 to its bottom depths in the late '60's and early '70's. He finished with a 944-806 record, a winning percentage of .539.

6) Joe Girardi: The Yanks have made the playoffs in four of Girardi's five years with the team. His record is 479-331, a .591 winning percentage, with one World Series title. Girardi has done a good job managing his pitching staff and bullpen.

5) Billy Martin: Taking five turns as manager, Martin ended up with a 556-385 record, a .591 winning percentage. The team won pennants under his helm in 1976 and 1977, taking the World Series title in '77.

4) Miller Huggins: With the game's best players in Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig on his roster, Huggins compiled a 1067-719 record, a .597 winning percentage, from 1918-1929. A monument at Yankee Stadium was erected in his honor.

3) Joe Torre: Torre led the Yanks to four world championships in 12 seasons, from 1996-2007. His 1173-767 record, a .605 winning percentage, demonstrates consistency while facing adversity as manager.

2) Casey Stengel: In 12 years from 1949-1960, Stengel won seven World Championships, plus three more American League pennants. His 1149-696 won-loss record gives him a winning percentage of .623.

1) Joe McCarthy: The longest tenured Yankee manager at 16 years, McCarthy holds the record for most wins as Yankee manager, and his 1460-867 regular season record gives him a winning percentage of .627, which is also tops among Yankee managers who were at the helm for more than one season. His teams won seven World Championships from 1931-1946.

source for statistics: www.baseballreference.com