This blog has been starving for an update on ex-Yankees, and I thought there would be no better time than today to revive this blog’s old periodic feature.
Why today? Well, that’s easy. Haven’t you seen the Nationals box score from last night?! If you were too lazy to click through that link, I’ll just go ahead and tell you that old friend Chien-Ming Wang picked up his first win since beating the Mets on June 28, 2009, while wearing pinstripes. Wang had a no-hitter through five innings, lost it in the sixth, but left without allowing a run. Although it may hurt some of you to see him back to his winning ways, I feel really good for him. It’s been a long journey for him, and I guess he needed a fresh start.
Another reason to bring back the ex-Yankees feature today is due to some news out of Braves camp. Atlanta called up pitching prospect Arodys Vizcaino, who went from the Yankees to the Braves in the Javier Vazquez deal in the 2009 offseason.
Without further ado, below are updates on some more old friends.
August 10, 2011
Ex-Yankees update: Chien-Ming Wang, Arodys Vizcaino, tons more
August 16, 2010
Ex-Yanks season update No. 4
| Hitter (team) | AB | H | AVG/OBP/SLG | HR | RBI |
| Johnny Damon (DET) | 388 | 108 | .278/.361/.425 | 7 | 39 |
| Austin Jackson (DET) | 436 | 132 | .303/.355/.401 | 1 | 25 |
| Hideki Matsui (LAA) | 370 | 93 | .251/.331/.416 | 15 | 59 |
| Melky Cabrera (ATL) | 349 | 94 | .269/.329/.381 | 4 | 31 |
| Xavier Nady (CHC) | 169 | 39 | .231/.304/.349 | 4 | 23 |
| Jose Molina (Tor) | 122 | 30 | .246/.313/.377 | 4 | 9 |
| Eric Hinske (ATL) | 232 | 49 | .254/.336/.461 | 9 | 42 |
| Pitcher (team) | G | IP | ERA | K | WHIP |
| Ian Kennedy (ARI) | 24 | 146 | 4.38 | 124 | 1.25 |
| Phil Coke (DET) | 56 | 49.1 | 2.55 | 42 | 1.32 |
| Brian Bruney (WAS) | 19 | 17.2 | 7.64 | 16 | 2.32 |
| Chien-Ming Wang (WAS) | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Notes on notables:
Melky Cabrera: Melky has finally picked up the pace for the Braves after an awful start. Since the last update, the Melk-Man is hitting .304 with a homer and seven RBIs.
Jose Molina: Slow-Mo-lina is in the midst of a rough stretch for the Blue Jays. All three of his averages dipped around 30 points since my last update.
Ian Kennedy: Kennedy has been a fairly steady presence in the D’Back rotation. But in his last six starts, only two have been quality.
Brian Bruney: Bruney hasn’t pitched for the Mets’ Triple-A team since July 27. He has a 3.18 ERA in 11-1/3 IP for the Bisons.
Chien-Ming Wang: The latest report on Wang is he’s scheduled for a side session this Friday, but recently the Nationals manager said he “isn’t counting on Wang” to return this season. Wang has pitched in just 27 games since 2008.
July 29, 2010
Carl Pavano makes me sick
Guess who’s 13-6 with a 3.21 ERA for the Twins?
Carl Pavano.
OK, the headline gave it away, but would you have ever guessed that without the headline? Here’s a guy who, in his prime age, made 26 starts for the Yankees over four season at the price of $40 million. In those starts he went 9-8 with a 5.00 ERA.
Can you believe it? Pavano practically added nothing to the Yankees in four years, and now he’s thriving for a team on the verge of taking control of the AL Central.
What makes me even more sick — and I know I’m getting a little ahead of myself here — is that there’s a chance the Yankees will face him in the first round of the playoffs. If he beats them, I don’t know what I’ll do. But it probably won’t be good for my health.
July 13, 2010
Ex-Yanks season update No. 3
| Hitter (team) | AB | H | AVG/OBP/SLG | HR | RBI |
| Johnny Damon (DET) | 292 | 80 | .274/.362/.421 | 6 | 28 |
| Austin Jackson (DET) | 313 | 94 | .300/.354/.403 | 1 | 20 |
| Hideki Matsui (LAA) | 294 | 74 | .252/.334/.398 | 10 | 47 |
| Melky Cabrera (ATL) | 270 | 70 | .249/.312/.330 | 2 | 15 |
| Xavier Nady (CHC) | 138 | 31 | .225/.295/.348 | 4 | 19 |
| Jose Molina (Tor) | 85 | 24 | .282/.351/.400 | 2 | 6 |
| Eric Hinske (ATL) | 175 | 48 | .274/.337/.480 | 6 | 34 |
| Pitcher (team) | G | IP | ERA | K | WHIP |
| Ian Kennedy (ARI) | 18 | 111.1 | 4.12 | 100 | 1.40 |
| Phil Coke (DET) | 42 | 36.1 | 2.48 | 30 | 1.32 |
| Brian Bruney (WAS) | 19 | 17.2 | 7.64 | 16 | 2.32 |
| Chien-Ming Wang (WAS) | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Notes on notables:
Hideki Matsui: Godzilla has cooled down since the last update, going six for his last 34. He hasn’t hit any homers in that span, and has just one since June 6.
Melky Cabrera: The Melk-Man is on a bit of a run since the last update. He even had a game-winning homer against the Mets just last week. But with Javier Vazquez pitching the way he has the past couple of months, nobody has second-guessed Brian Cashman’s trade since April.
Ian Kennedy: He’s thrown just one quality start in his last five starts after throwing eight in his first 13. His ERA has also increased in each of his last five starts.
Brian Bruney: He was signed by the Mets last week and is pitching for their Triple-A affiliate.
June 14, 2010
Ex-Yanks season update No. 2
| Hitter (team) | AB | H | AVG/OBP/SLG | HR | RBI |
| Johnny Damon (DET) | 218 | 64 | .294/.395/.431 | 3 | 18 |
| Austin Jackson (DET) | 250 | 77 | .308/.352/.412 | 1 | 14 |
| Hideki Matsui (LAA) | 223 | 60 | .269/.343/.444 | 9 | 39 |
| Melky Cabrera (ATL) | 185 | 46 | .249/.312/.330 | 2 | 15 |
| Xavier Nady (CHC) | 92 | 23 | .250/.330/.424 | 4 | 17 |
| Jose Molina (Tor) | 52 | 15 | .288/.373/.327 | 0 | 4 |
| Eric Hinske (ATL) | 117 | 37 | .316/.386/.556 | 4 | 24 |
| Pitcher (team) | G | IP | ERA | K | WHIP |
| Ian Kennedy (ARI) | 13 | 82.1 | 3.17 | 71 | 1.12 |
| Phil Coke (DET) | 30 | 27 | 3.33 | 20 | 1.37 |
| Brian Bruney (WAS) | 19 | 17.2 | 7.64 | 16 | 2.32 |
| Chien-Ming Wang (WAS) | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Notes on notables:
Austin Jackson: It seems he’s the only one the Yankees are really missing. He’d be an upgrade over Curtis Granderson right now, but only slightly, as Granderson has been great since returning from the DL. A-Jax added only four RBIs since the last update a month ago.
Hideki Matsui: He’s picked it up since the last update, adding five homers and 24 RBIs. He’s been a big part of the Angels’ offense since Kendry Morales’s freak injury.
Ian Kennedy: He continues to be a solid starter for Arizona. A 3.17 ERA is solid even for the National League. He has a 3-3 record for the last-place D’Backs.
Chien-Ming Wang: He still hasn’t pitched yet this year. He should be ready at some point in July.
May 14, 2010
Ex-Yanks regular season update No. 1
Here’s the first of many regular season update on some of the key Yankees who left the team this offseason.
| Hitter (team) | AB | H | AVG/OBP/SLG | HR | RBI |
| Johnny Damon (DET) | 123 | 36 | .293/.405/.439 | 2 | 15 |
| Austin Jackson (DET) | 148 | 51 | .345/.390/.466 | 1 | 10 |
| Hideki Matsui (LAA) | 124 | 28 | .226/.307/.371 | 4 | 15 |
| Melky Cabrera (ATL) | 107 | 21 | .196/.283/.234 | 0 | 8 |
| Xavier Nady (CHC) | 43 | 8 | .176/.327/.301 | 1 | 6 |
| Jose Molina (Tor) | 28 | 6 | .214/.333/.250 | 0 | 3 |
| Eric Hinske (ATL) | 39 | 13 | .333/.409/.538 | 0 | 13 |
| Pitcher (team) | G | IP | ERA | K | WHIP |
| Ian Kennedy (ARI) | 7 | 44 | 3.48 | 35 | 1.11 |
| Phil Coke (DET) | 18 | 17.1 | 3.63 | 14 | 1.50 |
| Brian Bruney (WAS) | 18 | 16.2 | 6.48 | 16 | 2.22 |
| Chien-Ming Wang (WAS) | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Notes on notables:
Austin Jackson: He’s still the league-leader in at-bats and hits. However, he also leads the league in strikeouts and hasn’t shown much production and/or power (as expected by Brian Cashman).
Hideki Matsui: He’s gone downhill ever since Opening Day. He’s got four hits in 36 at-bats in May. This comes as a surprise to me, as I expected his bat to stay consistent. Also: he has played four games in left field so far — his first time in the field since June 15, 2008.
Ian Kennedy: The numbers don’t lie, he’s been a quality starter for Arizona this year. What’s his worst is Curtis Granderson, the player he helped acquire, has been resting on the DL this month and is off to a slow start.
Chien-Ming Wang: He hasn’t pitched yet this year. The latest update came yesterday afternoon from the Washington Post. The Nationals are targeting a July debut for Wang.
