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Wednesday, May 07, 2008

YESNetwork: Pepe: Yanks missing Posada

Why Take Less When Pepesi’s Best!

No doubt the Yankees are weakened by the absence of Alex Rodriguez. They miss his potent bat, his run production, and his presence in the middle of the lineup.

But they might miss Jorge Posada even more.

With Posada, the Yankees have won five pennants and three World Series.

With A-Rod, they have won no pennants and no World Series.

The undeniable fact is that the Yankees have won 39 pennants and 26 World Series with power (Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson) and pitching (Bob Shawkey, Herb Pennock, Waite Hoyt, Lefty Gomez, Red Ruffing, Whitey Ford, Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage, Mariano Rivera). But, the case can be made that the real reason behind the Yankees’ unprecedented success has been the man behind the plate.

Simply put, you don’t win championships without a superior catcher, and the Yankees have had their fair share of dominant, superior catchers. Six backstops (including two Hall of Famers), have held down the vital position and have accounted for 33 pennants and 22 World Series championships in an 83-year span, from 1921 to 2003.

Repoz Posted: May 07, 2008 at 12:59 AM | 9 comment(s)
Related News: General, History, NY Yankees

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1. I Am He, All Man Czar (TempleUSox) Posted: May 07, 2008 at 01:19 AM (#2771843)

With Posada, the Yankees have won five pennants and three World Series.

With A-Rod, they have won no pennants and no World Series.

Was Posada not on the Yankees for the last 4+ years?

2. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: May 07, 2008 at 01:38 AM (#2771875)

The media has taught me today that the Yankees would prefer to have a player they liked enough to pay $50 million active rather than not, that Chipper Jones' .400 average could very well go down, that Lou Piniella thinks the Cubs can be inconsistent when they lose, and that the Yankee offense will either get better or won't. Thank you, media.

3. Matt Welch Posted: May 07, 2008 at 01:54 AM (#2771880)

Simply put, you don’t win championships without a superior catcher

The Molina brothers say hi.

4. Son of Snigglet Posted: May 07, 2008 at 01:58 AM (#2771883)

They also won five pennants and three World Series with superior pitching, which they have lacked in the A-Rod era. If I wasn't 3/4 drunk I would put together a list of World Series winning teams with poor catchers. Though I don't know of a stat that measures a catcher's ability to call a game or handle a pitching staff. Must be one-a them intangibles. Hence the Yankees-related article on the subject.

5. dahlian Kirby, children's author extraordinaire. Posted: May 07, 2008 at 02:37 AM (#2771886)

If I wasn't 3/4 drunk I would put together a list of World Series winning teams with poor catchers.

Hell, the Diamondbacks would never have gotten as far as they did without All-Star Damian Miller and his 20+ HR power wunderkind understudy, Rod Barajas.

6. Greg K Posted: May 07, 2008 at 02:43 AM (#2771888)

Well since I am not drunk
And desperately seeking to avoid looking at my thesis any more tonight

WS Catchers since 1996 with OPS+ (I know, telling nowhere near the full story for catchers, but what can I say, I'm lazy)

2000 Posada - 139
2004 Varitek - 121
2003 Pudge - 120
1998 Posada - 115
1997 Johnson 113
2007 Varitek- 103
2005 Pierzynski - 94
1999 Posada - 91
2001 Miller - 89
1996 Girardi - 84
2002 Molina - 58
2006 Molina - 53

I never get this idea that you NEED a good catcher (or a good SS, or a left-handed pitcher with 15 wins, or a LF who cheats on his wife...whatever the new theory is) to win a world series. It always seems to me that the people who make statements like that really hate that baseball is a team game, and are trying desperately to prove that it's the individuals that make all the difference.

7. Son of Snigglet Posted: May 07, 2008 at 03:07 AM (#2771892)

I actually did begin to put together a list based on OPS+, and got as far back as the'93 Jays and Pat Borders (75), but then started to consider that catchers are often valued more for their behind the plate ability than their hitting, and didn't want to get into that can o'worms.

8. Rich Posted: May 07, 2008 at 03:13 AM (#2771893)

They miss getting credible production from 1B and 2B too, which is another way of saying that it's tough to win when three or four key offensive pieces are constructively out of the lineup. That's a far bigger problem than the loss of Posada.

9. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: May 07, 2008 at 04:45 AM (#2771898)

For 15 years, between 1986 and 2000, no WS champion had a player who had as many as 35 home runs. The high totals on the respective winning teams were 27, 34, 25, 33, 25, 29, 34, 33, xx, 27, 29, 23, 28, 28, and 30, before clean-blooded Luis Gonzalez ended the madness. Ten losing players had seasons of 35 or more, including two 50-HR guys (Belle, Vaughn). In the two decades between 1981-2000, the only player with more than 35 HRs in a championship year was Steve Balboni, with 36 HRs in '85.

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Wednesday, May 07, 2008

YESNetwork: Pepe: Yanks missing Posada

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