Bucs scoop up Yates

X:  I have no doubt that Jeff Andrews was an active part of this exchange.  This guy fills a big void.  The point I was trying to make is that Redmond was 20 - 18 in 52 starts over two years in Lo A and Hi A with about a 3.50 ERA.  I do not care what his projections are, the stats tell me he's a winner and still only 22.  If Yates comes back to 06 and 07 form, it will be a steal.

Yates had some VG years in the Mets organization and was the Closer at AA and posted 17 saves for the team.  His years with the Braves were very good.  At ST this year he has been throwing his fastball between 92 - 97 mph and has a high 80's to 90 mph Slider.  I have looked at his career and there's a void for 2005 - anybody know where he spent 2005?  He was with the Mets into the late year of 2004 and then pitched in Atlanta in 2006 and 2007.  He's also making a few bucks above minimum - around $500K/year.  I agree he will not or should not be intimidated, but somebody who throws the stuff he throws would be awesome with an offspeed pitch he can get over for strikes.        

Enlightening response as usual from emjay.  Can you imagine if Yates could throw a Kuwata-like curveball into his repetoire of pitches?  He would make batters throw up before facing him!

While watching the Twinkies and Buccos last night, I heard the announcers talking about Jeff Andrews working with Ian Snell on developing a change up.  He could be one of the most dominating pitchers in the league with a solid third pitch.  I like what Jeff Andrews has done so far with Zack Duke and the rest of the young staff.

I had to think about this one a bit before passing judgement. I've really liked Redmond for the last two years, although it seems he may not have enough of a pitch selection to be a big league starter. A move like this is confusing, but then again several of NH's moves have been. On one hand it seems like we are building, on the other its like we are about to try and contend. He traded Torres for two non-propects, then he gives up an OK prospect for Yates. I think it comes down to the new gang wanting to get the type of arms that they like. Apparently the new view is very different than during the DL regime. Personally, I'd rather have Torres than Yates.

Yates has already had both Tommy John in 2002 and rotator cuff surgery in 2005, so he has little left to break at this point. The most telling stat from last year was his second half breakdown. It seems that overuse will be a key issue, his 1st half ERA in 2007 was 3.99 and his second half was 6.83. Overall, he was tough on righties so that gives you a nice 1-2 combo with Marte in the 8th inning. Stuff certainly isn't his issue, he's going to strike guys out, his effectiveness may have a lot to do with management.

First, thank you m'killer for a very nice compliment.

J:  Thank you for the assist - I had asked if anyone knew where Yates was at for the 2005 season and you answered that he was off with Rotator Cuff surgery.  I also like the conclusion that there is little to break at this point since he also had TJ surgery in 2002.  I looked at his stats in the 2003 season after TJ and he had 23 starts, in Hi A (11 starts), AA (8 starts), and then only 4 starts at AAA, for 108 IP.  He posted about a 4.20 ERA with 50 walks/100 K's.  This tells me he really worked hard to come back from that surgery that quickly and to do that well.  I was also concerned about his age, but with losing 2 or 3 seasons with surgeries, he should not have too much use on his arm.

I agree that his effectiveness will have a lot to do with how management uses him.  He's a former starter used to throwing 5+ innings a game.  But, if he is depending upon maxing out with every pitch - mid-90's fastball and 90 mph slider, he will not be able to go much beyond 60 innings over the year.  That's why I say that he needs to work with an offspeed and I think that Andrews is an excellent person to help him develop such a pitch.      

I've heard nothing but good about Jeff Andrews since he was hired and here is some more encouraging news.  It seems he is an expert with a great deal of credibility with pitchers and one to whom they feel comfortable approaching.  Reading about how he develops what a pitcher already has rather than reinventing the wheel or tailoring a program for each player rather than taking a cookie cutter approach to coaching reminds me that the same good things were written about Johnny Sain.

This from the Beaver County Times:

Yates, 30, is likely to assume the role of primary right-handed set-up man with the Pirates as their other options for that job are the untested Franquelis Osoria and Evan Meek. Osoria has pitched only 75 2/3 innings in the major leagues and Meek has yet to make his big-league debut.

“I’ve been told by the Pirates that they think I can play a significant role here,” Yates said. “I hope that’s the case. I did some set-up work in Atlanta and really enjoyed it. I’m at a stage in my career where I need to be in a bigger role than what the Braves had in mind.”

Yates was on his way to a fine season last year as he was 2-0 with a 3.06 ERA and a .183 opponents’ batting average in 37 games through the end of June. However, Yates was 0-3 with a 7.63 ERA and the league hit .318 against him in the final 38 games as he finished 2-3 with a 5.18 ERA in 75 games.

This spring for the Braves, Yates allowed nine runs in nine innings for a 9.00 ERA and also issued eight walks. Control has been a problem throughout his major-league career as he has allowed 4.81 walks per nine innings in 152 games with the New York Mets (2004) and Atlanta (2006-07) while going 6-12 with three saves and a 5.15 ERA.

“This spring wasn’t a whole lot of fun,” Yates said. “But I’ve always felt I was one batter or one inning away from turning everything around. I don’t think I’m that far away from throwing strikes on a consistent basis. I know I’m close.”

Yates is a hard thrower, whose fastball was clocked as high as 100 mph before he had shoulder surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2005 season. He still can get the fastball to 97 mph and his slider touches 90 mph.

However, Yates has long struggled to develop an off-speed pitch. After years of failing to develop a feel for a changeup, he started experimenting with a split-finger fastball this spring.

The splitter has been hard to control, though, and Yates is thinking about scrapping the pitch.

“I’m going to talk to (Pirates pitching coach) Jeff Andrews about it and see what he thinks,” Yates said. “I’m new here and I’m sure everyone wants to get a feel for me and see what I can do.”

BR91:  I have had the benefit of watching Jeff work with younger pitchers during the off season, most of which was when he made Knoxville, TN his off-season home during the 90's.  I have never seen anyone communicate better, or to develop as much  confidence within his pitchers.  He is an excellent guy for both mechanics and the mental aspects of the game.  Don't know if you have seen him, but with his hat on you would think he was one of the pitchers himself, and that you'd be waiting for a Mazzone-looking person as the pitching coach.  I was in Pittsburgh for personal business the same time as Pirate Fest and had a chance to talk with him and congratulate him on the promotion he had worked so hard to achieve.  This guy may look young, but he has paid his dues with stops along the way, criss-crossing the USA at every level of the minor leagues through at least 3 different organizations.             

As far as Yates is concerned, a power pitcher developing an off-speed pitch is all about  mind over matter.  I am not sure that our pitchers had a guy last year who could generate confidence and enable them to believe in themselves.  It's like everything else in this game - if you think you can pitch, or field, or hit, there's a lot better chance of success.  It's like that old Yogi Berra saying "this game is 80% mental and the other half is . . . . . . . .! "