Jeff Karstens continues to impress at Yankee camp this spring, just as he did last year when he was called up to join the rotation on August 22.
In nine innings this spring, the San Diego native has allowed just five hits, walked none, and struck out nine while allowing no runs at all.
"He's getting our attention," Manager Joe Torre said, "Not that he didn't have it already."
It's been a strange ride for Karstens. Last year he started his season at AAA Columbus in horrendous fashion, going 0-5 with a hideous 9.85 ERA. His ineffectiveness earned him a demotion to Trenton. At the time, Karstens admitted to lacking confidence.
At Trenton, Karstens turned his season around. There he went 6-0, 2.31 and when promoted back to Columbus, he was 5-0, 1.85
What did he do differently? "Not much," Karstens said, "except keep believing in myself."
Karstens, who threw in the high 80s last year when he joined the Yankees, is throwing in the low 90s this Spring. He credits the elimination of the cut fastball from his repertoire as the reason for his increased velocity. But speed is not his game. He is showing poise and control as he mixes an assortment of pitches that continue to fool the hitters.
With the rise of Karstens, as well as Darrel Rasner, the Yanks are no doubt peddling the services of Carl Pavano in secret. (Or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.).
Although Karstens may not head north with the team for Opening Day, he will most likely go down to Scranton just for a few starts to stay sharp and then rejoin the team mid-month when there are less off-days. If he isn't in the starting rotation, he will be the long-man, a luxury the Yanks didn't have last year when Ron Villone and others were thrust into that role.
Jeff is just another example of now fertile Yankee farm system growing bonafide major league caliber players.
No Thanks to Javy Lopez
Now that Javy Lopez has been released from Colorado, there is some clamoring from Yankee fans about acquiring the formerly productive slugger as Posada's back-up.
That would be an absurd move.
Allow me to quote King Lear for a moment:
Never, Never, Never, Never, Never…
Color me an old-timer on this one particular issue (in so doing I must guard my SABR membership) but when it comes to a back-up catcher I want a catch-and- throw guy.
That would not be Javy. His defense has steadily declined in the past few years, and it was never very good in the first place. He can no longer throw as evidenced by his disastrous stint with that 3rd place team from Boston last year.
Lopez's percentage of throwing out base runners has plummeted in the past five years:
2002: 37.9%
2003: 30.7%
2004: 27.7%
2005: 23.5%
2006: 17.1%
And for those who feel his offense will compensate, his slugging percentage has taken a similar dive:
2003: .687
2004: .503
2005: .458
2006: .386
My hope is that Torre simply chooses the guy who calls the best game and who the pitchers have the most confidence in. My gut tells me Joe will want Todd Pratt simply because he's a veteran. For that reason, I'm rooting for Wil Nieves.
Leave A-Rod alone
I used to get disgusted at all the crap that's written about A-Rod. But now, as with that old Elvis Costello song, I'm just amused.
If most every sportswriter in the Tri-State area wants to distort A-Rod's words, take them out of context and besmirch his character because this all sells papers, then there's not much I can do about it.
I could not care less about the non-feud with Jeter, or his non-demand to the fans to support him, or his non man-hug of Piniella. Any thing A-Rod does or says will be misrepresented by the New York Media Machine, so now I've just stopped reading the A-Rod articles.
I'm only interested in what happens on the field.
A-Rod is a Hall of Famer. He plays for my team. He wants to win, badly.
That's enough for me.
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