Let’s break away from honoring Joe Torre and Derek Jeter to, at the least, acknowledge Hiroki Kuroda, one of the best free-agent signings in Yankees history and arguably the Japanese pitcher who has done best here.
No disrespect to Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka, who have the high-end stuff to be longtime stars in America, or to Koji Uehara, who has been a relief pitching marvel. But for now the question of the best pitcher to go from East to West – and we are not talking AL East to NL West – comes down to Hideo Nomo vs. Kuroda.
Kuroda cannot match Nomo’s peaks, but he also has never endured the valleys Nomo did. Nomo should receive pioneer points, as well. His arrival and success with the Dodgers, particularly in 1995-96, opened the passageway for Japanese pitchers wanting to come to the States and believing they could succeed, like Kuroda.
Kuroda actually has made two difficult transitions in his career – going from Japan to the US when he already was 33. And then going from a big park in the National League to a short-right field porch in the American League. But Kuroda has been a metronome. This is his seventh season in the majors and his ERA in each one has fallen between 3.07 and his current 3.97.
His consistency, durability and professionalism mark his time in the States. Kuroda is in some ways the righty Andy Pettitte — not often elite, but always reliable, unflappable and sturdy. Since his arrival in 2008, Kuroda is tied with CC Sabathia for 19th in starts in the majors (204). This year, four of the five Opening Day Yankees starters went down with injury, including Sabathia and Tanaka. Only Kuroda has persevered from the starting line until now.
He wore down late last season and, at 39, appears much better now when the Yankees can get him an extra day’s rest. But in his three seasons with the Yankees, Kuroda has pitched to an ERA-plus of 115, which means 15 percent above average when the league and ballpark are factored in. It was 13 percent better during his four seasons as a Dodger. In other words, all that initial worry about moving from the NL West to the AL East was like all the worry about moving from East to West — not worth it.
We can probably assume this is his farewell. After each of the last two seasons, there have been hints he wants to go back to Japan for one more year before retirement. The sense is the Yankees would just as soon take the $16 million they are paying him this season and re-direct it elsewhere rather than hope and pray that Kuroda can get through yet another season at 40 in 2015.
But if that is the case, the Yankees can also – for that rare moment with one of their free agents – feel like they got their full money’s worth. Kuroda singed three one-year contracts totaling $41 million. In his time as a Yankee, Kuroda has 54 quality starts (at least six innings, three or fewer runs) – the same as Zack Greinke. In that time, he has 31 starts of seven innings and two runs or fewer – the same as Darvish.
He has always taken the ball, usually in above-average fashion. As a major leaguer, particularly as a Yankee, Hiroki Kuroda has been great at the art of being very good.
Can Ichiro stay employed on way to 3,000?
Has Ichiro Suzuki done enough this season to get a job as a fourth or fifth outfielder somewhere for 2015 and continue his slowed pursuit of 3,000 hits?
My hunch is yes. Ichiro is not a starter any longer and regular play exposes his flaws. But he still has assets, even as he’ll turn 41 in October. His hire-me sign essentially will be that the skills that were elite in his prime remain at a diminished, but still better-than-capable level. The days of hitting .300 are gone. But his .286 average actually is the best by any Yankee with at least 200 plate appearances.
He still has enough speed to be successful in 11-of-13 steal chances and handle all three outfield spots adequately or better.
It feels like he should go to an NL team now where he could pinch hit or pinch run or play defense late or double-switch into games or fill in for an injured player now and then. That means 200-to-300 plate appearances probably, which would force him to play two or three more years to reach 3,000 hits. He has 2,821 hits — 48th all-time.
Yankees draft picks became All-Stars … for other teams
If you want to treat this as a quiz, then read the next sentence, but block out what comes after: Since selecting Derek Jeter in 1992, the Yankees have drafted just two players who have appeared in multiple All-Star Games.
Remember, we are talking “drafted,” so players signed as international free agents such as Robinson Cano and Alfonso Soriano are not eligible.
If you need a clue, the two players were involved in arguably Brian Cashman’s two worst trades as Yankees general manager.
The answer is: Mike Lowell (20th round, 1995) and Tyler Clippard (ninth round, 2003).
With Scott Brosius locked in at third, the Yankees were hoping to use Lowell to upgrade their young pitching stockpile and traded him to the Marlins for Mark Johnson, Todd Noel and Ed Yarnall. Lowell would go on to four All-Star Games. In what seemed a rather innocuous deal on Dec. 4, 2007, the Yanks swapped Clippard to the Nationals for Jonathan Albaladejo.
Clippard is the rare setup man not only to be named to an All-Star team, but named twice (2011, 2014). A case could be made Clippard has combined durability and excellence as a reliever better than anyone else the past six years.
Clippard was transitioned from a starter to a reliever in the minors in 2009, and since joining the Nationals to stay on June 25 of that year, he has appeared in more games (397) than any major leaguer. He is on pace for 70 or more games for a fifth straight year. Only four righties in history have done that: Braden Looper (six straights), and Armando Benitez, Matt Guerrier and Aaron Heilman (five). In a quirk, Colorado’s Matt Belisle and Oakland’s Luke Gregerson also could reach five in a row this season.
But Clippard has been more than sturdy. In his 397 games as a reliever, the righty has a 2.62 ERA, a .184 batting average against, a .587 OPS against and 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. And 2014 could be his best season: 1.92 ERA, .198 batting average against, .556 OPS against and 11 strikeouts per nine.
For the record, following the trade, Albaladejo pitched in 52 games for the Yankees and Diamondbacks, posted a combined 4.91 ERA and has appeared in three games in the majors since 2010, all in 2012.