Right Field: Nady vs. Swisher

Joe Girardi came out and announced that Xavier Nady would be the starting right fielder. Nick Swisher said all the right things in response. There has been a bit of discussion about Joe’s decision and many people have opined that Swisher is the strongest candidate.

Doing a quick review myself, Nady seems to have the better bat, with a better average and more power. Swisher is by far the better baserunner. The Bill James Handbook rates Nady as the better defensive fielder. Fans of the Baseball Prospectus will note that they give Swisher a slightly higher projection for 2009 in the VORP and WARP categories.

Just looking at the various stats makes me thing Nady is the best man for the job, with better hitting and better fielding. There’s more to the story than that, however.

We haven’t fully established where these players are going performance-wise. Swisher had an off year last year and it’s up in the air whether he can re-establish the success he had in 2007. Likewise Nady slumped a bit for the Yankees compared to his performance in Pittsburgh. Both of these guys have big question marks as to what direction they are heading. Getting back to the level of play they are capable of or continuing to decline.

The final factor that may get overlooked is the clubhouse effect. From what I gather, Nick has made an impression on the other guys including Girardi, and it would be tough to see him go. This kind of thing doesn’t show up in the stats, but I think really goes a long way to helping a team.

My overall impression is that Nady is probably the better player at the position, but you need to keep Swisher around to platoon at RF and 1B as a solid backup and overall morale booster.

If the right offer comes along, however, don’t be surprised if one of these guys gets moved.

Farnsworth Still Haunting Yankees

The New York Yankees managed to get a split out of their series with one of the best teams in baseball, and so all in all it wasn't too bad of an outcome. Unfortunately, Kyle Farnsworth is still Kyle Farnsworth and even if he's playing for a different team, he can still hurt the Yankees.

While pitching only one inning for Detroit, Kyle managed to give up 3 runs on 3 hits and helped Tampa beat the Tigers and preventing the Yanks from moving up a game in the AL East.

The Yankees game was certainly a wild one. Edwar Ramirez gave up a grand slam home run to Mark Texiera, allowing 4 runs on 2 hits in a single inning, yet still was awarded the win. Darrel Rasner was pulled after 4 innings of work in favor of long reliever Dan Giese.  I think Ian Kennedy is going to be given another shot at the rotation soon. Sidney Ponson may have stayed his execution another start or so with his last performance, but the hitters seem to be catching up with Rasner on a consistent basis now.

Xavier Nady went 4 for 5 with a home run, Ivan Rodriguez went 2 for 3 and the new Yankee lineup looks like it can definitely put some runs on the board. Still, consistency is the key and the team needs to find a way to avoid those 1-0 losses that seem to pop up every so often.

Angels Strut Their Stuff

The Los Angeles Angels showed that they are the team to beat in the American League. Boston's hopes appear to be fading with the trade of Manny Ramirez and despite how well the Rays are playing, does anyone really see them going to the World Series. No, the best team in the AL is in LA.

Both Andy Pettitte and Chris Britton were helpless to stop the Angel's bats, giving up a combined 12 runs and 18 hits. It was definitely a night those two would like to forget.

New acquisitions Rodriguez and Nady went 1 for 3 and 2 for 3 respectively. The rest of the offense wasn't bad and the Yanks managed to put 6 runs on the board (some of them were during garbage innings). Once pitching rights itself again, the team should be in good shape.

Baseball is a game of streaks and this year, more than ever, the Yankees look to be one of the streakiest.