Grading the 2009 Yankees

Starters

Casey Fossum B+ Signed at the beginning of May, Fossum made 10 starts for the Yankees. His record was

an even 3-3, but his ERA was a strong 3.38. He wasn't overwhelming, but the veteran gave

the rotation a significant early season boost.

Jason Hirsh A- Hard to go any higher than an A- for a guy who made only six starts, but the fact is that

Hirsh went 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA in those starts. Hirsh was on the disabled list for the

playoffs, but would have been activated had the finals gone five games.

Kei Igawa B The Yankees' leader in innings, strikeouts and wins, Igawa set the franchise record for

career wins but also had a 4.15 ERA that ballooned because of his 5.00 ERA through 10

starts after the all-star break. Also lost twice in the playoffs.

Jason Johnson C+ After missing much of spring training because of a tumor behind his eye, the Yankees

opening day starter went on the disabled list twice because of a shoulder injury. Through

seven starts, he went 2-2 with a 5.50 ERA and more walks than strikeouts.

Ian Kennedy A- Like Hirsh, it's hard to give Kennedy a straight A after just five starts including his three-

inning start in the playoffs, but he was exceptional in those outings, especially considering

his 1.59 regular-season ERA came with numbness in his pitching hand.

George Kontos B+ Called up from Double-A, Kontos had a losing record but a 3.35 ERA through nine Triple-A

starts. His last two starts were shaky, but a late-June MRI revealed that Kontos needed

Tommy John surgery.

Sergio Mitre A- Having opened the season serving a suspension, Mitre joined the Yankees in early June

and went to New York in the middle of July. Through seven starts he went 3-1 with a 2.40

ERA. He walked five batters.

Ivan Nova B If this were based only on his first three starts and his two starts in the playoffs, Nova

would be an A. In between, though, he struggled. Ultimately Nova finished with a 1-4 record

and a 5.10 ERA in the regular season.

Romulo Sanchez B- Initially worked out of the bullpen but became a fulltime starter later in the season. He

went 4-5 with a 3.90 ERA as a regular season starter - 4.82 as a reliever - before

pitching well in two postseason starts.

Josh Towers A Signed in May, soon after Fossum, Towers had the Yankees' second-most starts and

finished with a 2.74 ERA after a scoreless month of August. The Yankees best starter

deserved much better than a 7-6 record.

Relievers

Jonathan Albaladejo A Led the Yankees with 11 saves, and also managed to go 3-0 with a 1.75 ERA through 27

relief appearances. Playing multiple roles - from long man to closer - he struck out 26

and walked only three.

J.B. Cox D Career is in flux after Cox struggled to a 7.08 ERA that ultimately led to a demotion to

Double-A and eventually to a semi-retirement to his home in Texas. It's unclear whether

Cox will pitch next season.

Mike Dunn B+ Made 12 appearances after a mid-July call-up from Double-A. He battled occasional control

issues - 14 walks in 20 innings - but he also showed dominant stuff on the way to 23

strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA.

Anthony Claggett B+ Primarily a long reliever with five spot starts, Claggett went 7-7 with four saves and a 3.07

ERA. He struggled in two big league appearances and was designated for assignment, but

he pitched well for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Zach Kroenke A Rarely flashy, the left-hander was essentially the last man in the bullpen on opening day but

became the most trusted reliever in the playoffs. He made the all-star team and finished

7-1 with a 1.99 ERA.

Mark Melancon A- Could easily be an A along with Albaladejo and Kroenke. Melancon earned his first major

league call-up and finished the Triple-A season 4-0 with a 2.89 ERA. Opponents hit only

.196 against him.

Edwar Ramirez B+ Occasionally dominant with 62 strikeouts through 51 innings, Ramirez also finished with a

1-5 record because of occasional struggles. Followed a 4.85 July ERA with a 1.72 ERA in

August.

Amauri Sanit C+ Solid through his first 15 Triple-A outings, Sanit began to struggle late in the season and

allowed six earned runs on 12 hits through his last four outings, two of them losses.

Opponents hit .290 against him.

Kevin Whelan B+ Came to Triple-A with a deserved reputation for erratic control, but Whelan's control was

good in all but two of his 14 regular season appearances. He struck out 22, allowed just

seven hits and got a crucial save in the playoffs.

Catchers

Kevin Cash B- The Yankees' opening day catcher got off to a fast start, went to New York, came back and

spent the second half of the season on the disabled list. Mostly a non-factor, but did help

jump start the season.

Francisco Cervelli A- Played only 21 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but played well during that short stint.

Terrific defensive catcher also hit .275 but spent much of his season in New York and

could return there next year.

P.J. Pilittere B- Piliterre and Cash finished with remarkably similar numbers. Both started 20 games, with

the Yankees going 11-9 in those starts. Their RBI totals were identical and their caught

stealing percentage differed by four-thousandths of a point.

Chris Stewart A The Yankees' team ERA was a league-best 3.32 for the season. With Stewart behind the

plate, it was 2.88. He also hit .280 and once again led the league in throwing out base

runners.

Infielders

Yurendell de Caster A Vital to the Yankees winning 18 games in the month of August - a month that essentially

locked up the division - de Caster played in 53 games, but provided an offensive boost

when the Yankees needed it most.

Eric Duncan D After hitting .309 in the month of April, Duncan slumped to his worst season in three years

with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. After that strong first month, he hit below .200 with four home

runs the rest of the year.

Justin Leone D Hurt through much of the season, Leone was the Yankees opening day third baseman but

was ultimately released at the end of July when his job had been taken by de Caster. He hit

just .178 with four home runs.

Juan Miranda A Through a second season as the Yankees everyday first baseman, Miranda finished third in

the International League with 82 RBIs. He was also much improved against lefties, hitting

.289 against them.

Cody Ransom B+ During two stints with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre - first on a major league rehab assignment

and then after being designated for assignment - Ransom played every infield position

and hit for power. More or less the same as last year.

Doug Bernier C Signed as a minor league free agent, Bernier lived up to his reputation as a defensive

standout, but he hit just .181 with 71 strikeouts in 79 games. He had no home runs after

hitting nine last season.

Reegie Corona C- An early promotion from Double-A lasted barely two weeks, but he came up for good in

August and finally started hitting in September. Even with a strong finish, he batted just

.200 for the year and made eight errors.

Luis Nunez C- Came up from High-A Tampa strictly to give the Yankees an extra infielder. Nunez got into

25 games and hit .214 while playing solid defense at second base, third base and

shortstop.

Ramiro Pena B- A surprising selection for New York's opening day roster, Pena didn't come to Triple-A

until July. His overall .231 batting average is uninspiring, but Pena's defense and base

running were both positive additions.

Kevin Russo A Struggled in the playoffs, but otherwise Russo made a significant splash in his Triple-A

debut. He was an International League post-season all-star and finished top four in the

league in batting average and on-base percentage.

Outfielders

Colin Curtis C+ Difficult to give a grade to Curtis. He seemed to run into an inordinate amount of bad luck,

and he played good defense at every outfield position, but he finished with only a .235

average with only 16 extra-base hits.

Shelley Duncan A The International League's MVP might have finished with an even 100 RBIs, but he was

called up before the final game of the season leaving him with 99. His 30 home runs set

a franchise record.

Austin Jackson A- Terrific Triple-A debut from the 22-year-old center fielder. He finished the season with a .300

batting average, nine triples and 24 stolen bases. The only negatives for the Rookie of the

Year: 123 strikeouts and four home runs.

Todd Linden A From Day 1, Shelley Duncan was charging toward a much-deserved MVP award, but Linden

might have been the team's best all-around hitter before his decision to sign with a team in

Japan.

John Rodriguez B- Before the all-star break, Rodriguez hit .283 with 12 home runs. After the break, he hit

.218 with two home runs. Injuries were largely to blame, but he was hardly the same player

in the second half as in the first half.