» Nick Swisher

When the season ended for the 2008 Yankees there was one glaring need: Pitching.  This was nothing new, and as the old adage went, “you can never have enough.”  But the Yankees from 2004 to 2008 never had enough starting pitching to bring a World Series, or even a Pennant, home.  The Yankee pitching staff has not been outstanding since the end of 2003 when Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens momentarily defected to the Astros.

So when the Yankees signed C.C. Sabathia to a huge deal, they hoped they got the true ace they have long coveted.  Well, in case anybody was not sure after a dominant year of 19 wins, C.C. Sabathia proved to all that he was for real tonight.  Sabathia may have labored through some long innings, and some bad breaks, but he limited the damage, and only let up 2 runs in 6.2 IP.

Those two runs were more than enough for the Yankee offense, which hammered the Twins for 7 runs.  Derek Jeter, of course, was on base all four times he came to the plate.  Hideki Matsui had an important two run home run.  And Nick Swisher had a key double.

But the biggest news of the night was the exorcism that took place at Yankee Stadium.  No I am not talking about a movie from the 70’s, but the two clutch hits, and yes I say clutch hits, for Alex Rodriguez.  There are two important parts to these hits.  First, the team, and A-Rod, will not have to deal with questions about his inability to hit in the clutch during the playoffs.  Second, the manner in which A-Rod got these hits proves he is more devoted to the Yankees.  The two clutch hits were singles that drove in one RBI.  In years past, A-Rod would have been swinging for the fences, trying for the big splash on one swing.  Perhaps he finally realized that a single with RISP in the playoffs is just as important as a homerun; something Bernie, Tino, and Paulie knew all too well.

Whatever the reasons for A-Rod’s sudden productivity in October, all this blogger knows for sure is that A-Rod exorcised some demons with a couple of big swings tonight.  And the Yankees now lead the series 1-0.

Joe Girardi announced today that if the season started today, Xavier Nady would be the starting rightfielder. Although this could turn out to be a good decision, an initial view of the statistics show Nady might not last too long.

Overall, last year seemed to be Nady’s best year. His OPS was at .867, .074 higher than his career OPS of .793 and .061 points higher than his previous high of .806. However, if you break his numbers down, his OPS with the Yankees was .794, or .012 points lower than his previous high and almost identical to his career OPS. Because these stats indicate that his end of the year slump with the Yankees was more aligned to his career stats, Nady may be a big disappointment for the Yankees.

Girardi’s alternative was Nick Swisher. Swisher was obtained from the White Sox for almost nothing, or Wilson Betemit, in the off-season. He is coming off a terrible year by his standards. His OPS was .742 last year, .063 lower than his career average and .123 lower than his career high of .865. Because these stats indicate that his performance last year was far below his career average, Swisher could be set for a nice year.

In the final analysis, this announcement means only that Nady is going to start the year in right field; it does not mean that Nady is going to end of the year there. Last year appears to be an aberration for both players; and if the numbers speak true, Swisher is going to be starting in right field before long.