Hawkins Impresses Girardi

From the NY Times:

Asked who impressed him at camp on Sunday, Manager Joe Girardi singled out Hawkins.

“Hawkins threw great,” Girardi said. “The thing that I’ve seen in all of his bullpens is everything is down. He has the sinker. He’s a different guy than what we saw a couple years ago, where he was the power guy with a big hook. He was excellent today.”

Hawkins said he smoothed his mechanics last season, and when he missed his location, he rarely did so in the middle of the plate. His fastball command was better, he said, which helped him meet the goal he sets every season.

“Guys are going to get their base hits, but you can sure keep from walking them,” Hawkins said. “That’s the truth. You can’t let guys get on ahead of those base hits.

“That’s my goal: to walk less than 20 guys coming out of the bullpen. That’s right where you want to be, 20 or less over the season.”

In five of the last six seasons, Hawkins has succeeded. He walked 16 last year — with only 29 strikeouts — and Girardi sees Hawkins inducing ground balls at pivotal times.

“Obviously, you love the guys that have the ability to strike hitters out at the back end” of the bullpen, Girardi said. “But sometimes you need that double-play ball. You’re trying to get two with one pitch, and that can be very important.”

Hopefully Hawkins will surprise us. Last year, in the second half of the season, he posted a 2.90 ERA, and in the past few years he’s typically done better in the second half which could possibly translate to his figures this year and help the team down the stretch.

Another thing, when I was looking at Hawkins, I saw that his home numbers are generally a lot better than his away numbers (context is taken out of this summation). In fact, since 2001, his home numbers were always better, which even happened last year when he pitched in the hitter happy Coors Field. Interesting stuff.

In 28 innings (career) his line at Yankee Stadium includes a 9.64 ERA. A lot of those innings were logged in the late 90’s, however, and hopefully he’ll turn it around this year.

The Red Sox Sign Former Cy Young Winner… Bartolo Colon??

You might as well let Curt Schilling pitch with his left arm. Okay, the move, albeit reaking of rotation desperation (just a little bit, it’s still only a minor league deal), could prove to be an effective and cheap option if Colon can return to his earlier form (which will be hard since he’s lazy and maybe even injured).

Two Reads For You

Okay, so I’ve got two items that may interest you today:

1. You’ve got an interesting read by Joel Sherman (NY Post) which outlines the Jeter defense story by using the words of unnamed AL official. The official does say that Jeter’s defense isn’t good and it’s not really new news, but he does say that it’s Derek Jeter, and you’d take him over any other SS out there.
2. Next up, John Harper of the NY Daily News has a good read about Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees’ scouting director who should be thanked for his drafting decisions (e.g. Joba, Kennedy). Also, remember to thank Brian Cashman for providing Oppenheimer with that position.

Red Sox Extend Francona

Expect to see Terry Francona in the Red Sox dugout for the next few years. The Red Sox did the right thing and worked out a 3-year extension with Terry that should bring him through the 2011 season. His contract also includes options for 2012 and 2013. The deal pays Francona well (he deserves it), and he may even be the second highest paid manager out (with Joe Torre leading in that department).

Relieve Me, Please

PA at the LoHud Blog has a post about Joe Girardi and his bullpen plans. According to Girardi, he’d like to inclue a lefty reliever and a long man in the pen. Jeff Karstens is probably a safe bet for a long man but Kei Igawa could be a sleeper. Karstens has the ability to stop runs and, although Igawa could excel in the role (his fastball could gain a jump in velocity), he may be prone to giving up a couple of home runs (he leaves the ball up too much), which, as a long man who’s (likely) working with an already overblown defecit, could put the nail in the coffin.

Igawa could be the lefty Joe is talking about, but you also have to wonder about the true value of a lefty reliever for the team. Is there really a point in bringing in a lefty to face David Ortiz in a big game (he has a career .839 OPS against them)? You probably want a guy who can throw to multiple batters, not just one big lefty (who will probably smoke the pitch over the bleachers). I’m not sure if that’s what Girardi wants or if he wants a specialist. It seems more likely that he would like a reliever who can throw against a bunch of guys. However, the only way Joe will retain a guy like that is if he can actually be effective (earn the spot), so it’s not guaranteed. Igawa could still be the guy they go to as a lefty option because he can strike some guys out, and pitch to multiple batters, especially if he keeps his walks/pitches down. Also, Igawa was a big financial investment, so I doubt they’ll let him rot in the minors.

There are other options, including Sean Henn (please God no), but Chase Wright (he’s a lefty) can also get a look in ST. I’ve already stated what I think he is capable of (as a reliever) as long as his confidence and his control is in check.