At first, I thought, what a terrible move by the Yankees, as they seem to be on the cusp of signing him. He was a failed starter, a failed closer -- a clear symbol of the Twins' failed post-1991 rebuilding strategy and the Cubs' failure to capitalize on Sammy Sosa's 1998-2001 historic production.
Then I looked a little further. His career ERA+ is 101, but his marks as a middle reliever are 210, 243, 113, 102, 140.
I suppose he's not a bad gamble, given the price. Still, I'd like to see Joe Girardi keep a tighter lease on him than the others. And I don't feel safe with Hawkins in a big September or October spot.
Hawkins is a story of good and bad, as illustrated above. He had a great year with Colorado this year, but struggled in 2006 in the AL with Baltimore. He's fairly durable but doesn't strike anyone out -- 56 in his last 115 2/3 innings. He handled Coors Field and its lack of atmosphere (2.48 ERA) but struggled on the road (4.44 ERA, .807 OPS).
Still, it's something. I just hope it's not the only something.
Labels: Yankees
I heard about this last night listening to Mike'd Up, a local sports show here in the New York area. The host seemed to be really down on this move and I was dissapointed. From what I remember about Hawkins when he was a Twin was that he was a decent pitcher. By decent I mean anywhere from a little below average to occasionally being above average. In the Yankees system I thought he could be a decent number five pitcher or go to the bullpen and do long relief (I miss Ramiero Mendoza before the weight gain). Then I looked him up on baseball reference this morning. The guy will be 36 years old next year. Ouch! I am now with Mike Francesa and question this move. He was decent at best but now he is old and decent at best. I don't think its a horrible move since he only cost pennies based on the Yankees salary system but I don't expect much from him this year. I wouldn't be shocked if he put up better than expected numbers but with his age, I would not count on it.