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Change of plans Giambi has added more power than patience to the YankeesPosted: Thursday May 23, 2002 4:38 PM
Last winter, the Yankees figured that one of the benefits of luring Jason Giambi to the Bronx would be the ripple effect he'd have on the rest of their lineup. General manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Torre thought that last season the Yankees started to drift from the offensive formula that had made them so successful in the early years of this current dynasty -- namely, an emphasis on patience and clogging the bases rather than on bashing the ball out of the park. Over the last two seasons, the A's had perfected that philosophy. Giambi, Oakland's ringleader, had the most walks in the American League since the beginning of 2000 and had always posted low strikeout and high on-base numbers. Funny how things work out. Giambi hasn't performed quite as well as expected: Going into Thursday, his on-base percentage of .397 is 14 points lower than his career mark, and he hasn't even walked as often as his brother Jeremy (27 walks to 23), who was dealt from Oakland to Philadelphia on Wednesday. Yet New York's offense is as bruising as it has been in years. Giambi has added power, the major reason this Yankees team uses a much different attack than its recent predecessors. The Bronx Bombers are once again bombing away. Heading into this weekend's four-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, the Yankees had hit the most home runs in the majors (74). If they keep up that pace they'll shatter the club season record of 240 longballs set by the 1961 team, which featured a couple of guys named Maris and Mantle . How homer-happy has the lineup been? The Pirates have hit 26 dingers all season. The Yankees cranked that many in nine games from May 12-21. For all the home run mythology surrounding the franchise, however, such a power burst has been a rarity for most of the last half-century. The last New York team to lead the league in home runs was that '61 squad. Giambi (10 homers), fellow newcomer Robin Ventura (team-leading 12) and Alfonso Soriano (the most exciting player in baseball east of Ichiro has 12) lead the homer parade, but the power has been spread throughout the lineup. Seven players have gone yard at least six times. No wonder Torre has said, "This is probably the deepest lineup we've had since I've been here." The good news is that the Yankees have been able to raise their on-base and walk numbers during the power binge. The team's .359 on-base percentage and 3.9 walks-per-game average are both well ahead of last year's pace. The bad news is that the home run's evil cousin -- the strikeout -- has been a pernicious presence. The Yanks have whiffed 362 times, more than anyone else in the majors. They haven't led the league in strikeouts since 1967, when they set the franchise record with 1,043. This year's bashers are on pace for 1,248. Boston's staff has allowed the fewest homers in the majors. This weekend's series is too early to have a meaningful effect on the race for first place in the AL East. But it could be an important barometer for the Yankees' offense: Is their homer-driven attack for real and, if not, can they still score in bunches without going deep? No need to worry about MoSpeaking of the Yankees, they head into the Red Sox series with a banged up pitching staff. Andy Pettitte and Orlando Hernandez are on the DL, and David Wells is once again fighting back pain. Then, there's closer Mariano Rivera, whose strained groin may limit his availability. Even before the injury, the normally dominant Rivera had shown signs of mortality this year: two blown saves and a loss, a couple of key throwing errors, and several rocky outings in which he's allowed numerous baserunners. It's nitpicking, since Rivera's numbers (1.77 ERA) are still eye-popping, but here's one AL advance scout's take on whether the closer is struggling: "A little bit. He's gone from absolutely unhittable to hittable at times. Rivera is throwing more sinkers and four-seamers than I've seen him throw in the past. It's not just all cut fastballs from him anymore, maybe because the cutter's not as late-breaking or as sharp as usual. Hitters have a much better chance against him now than they did a couple years ago. Of course it's all relative -- any other reliever would kill to have that pitch. What happened in the World Series has nothing to do with it. I just think he's trying to find his rhythm, and it's only a matter of time until he does. The same people predicting the demise of Mariano Rivera are the ones who said Roger Clemens was done five years ago." Sports Illustrated staff writer Stephen Cannella covers the baseball beat for the magazine. Touching Base appears every week on CNNSI.com |
