Ian Kennedy is going to be starting at Scranton today. Hopefully he will show immediate signs of improvement and build his confidence up because I just don’t know how long I can survive with Kei Igawa back in the rotation.
Citing this, a lot of people right now are saying that it’s clear the Yankees should have traded for Santana because of Hughes’ injury and Kennedy’s performance but I don’t think those people are right because of the other player that would have been dealt: Melky Cabrera.
Melky has been one of the true bright spots on the team so far this season, playing good defense and hitting a lot. He’s always been a rather toolsy kid, but the one he was missing was power and so it’s unclear if this surge of his is for real but even if it’s not he is showing that he is improving rapidly which is great since he’s only 23. Here is a scouting report on him from 2004 for comparison.
The jury is still out and many people believe he will only be a fourth outfielder but right now he is really helping keep the team afloat. This could change next year or during the course of the season but with the way things are playing out right now it was the right choice considering the team would probably be trotting out the worse defensive outfield in baseball otherwise. Even if the Yankees had acquired Santana they would be starting at least one average/slightly below average pitcher in the rotation and the offense would be dead.
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Roger Clemens is a bad role model for fillies.
The Hardball Times takes a look at Robinson Cano’s slow start. Part of their conclusion is that he needs to be more selective, which is obvious even without the fancy charts.
