MLB: Balancing the Scales

The New York Yankees just won their 26th championship in franchise history.

They did it with, arguably, their shakiest team since the early 90’s.

The Bronx Bombers were “vulnerable” this past year, yet teams such as Boston, Oakland, and cross-town rivals, the Mets, were still unable to capitalize.

In the offseason, the supposed “fragile” Yankees added Oriole pitcher Mike Mussina to a starting rotation that already includes Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, and Orlando Hernandez.

How good was the Yankee pitching staff last year?

-6th in ERA with a 4.76. -4th in complete games with 9. -T/6th (with 4 teams) in shutouts with 6. -4th in strikeouts with 1,040. -3rd in the league, holding opponents to a .263 batting average. -4th in wins with 87.

Not bad numbers for a pretty formidable staff when on their ‘A’ game.

Yet, the Yankees still added Mussina to the mix. How good was Mussina in 2000?

-3rd in ERA with a 3.79. Mussina ranked behind Pedro Martinez and now, fellow bomber, Roger Clemens. -T/2nd in starts with 34. -1st in innings pitched with 237.2 innings. -T/3rd in complete games with 6. -3rd in strikeouts with 210.

When the Yankees signed Mussina they clearly silenced their critics who labeled them as “beatable.”

Mussina is that good.

To counter the Mussina signing and to level off the divisional competition, the Boston Red Sox needed to bolster their anemic offense.

Just how pathetic was the Boston offense last season?

-12th in runs with 792. -11th in hits with 1,503. -11th in HR with 167. -11th in RBI with 755. -12th in total bases with 2,384. -12th in slugging percentage with .423. -13th in batting average with a miserable .267. They failed to rank higher than double digits in any major offensive category. (It should be noted that there are only 14 teams in the American League.)

To solidify a supposed “offense,” the Sox tossed $160 million at Manny Ramirez’s feet and bought him away from the city of Cleveland.

Just how explosive was Ramirez this past season?

-1st in slugging percentage with .697. Toronto slugger Carlos Delgado, vying for a Triple Crown last year, ranked a distant 2nd with .664. -3rd in on-base percentage with .457. -3rd in batting average with a .351 average. -3rd in grand slams with 3. -8th in RBI with 122. -9th in HR with 38.

Manny mustered all of these numbers while missing 40+ games with a hamstring injury.

The Yankees and Red Sox successfully utilized their fiscal prowess to solidify their chances for the 2001 season.

While the Sox still need to sign a number two starter behind Pedro before they can compete with New York, slowly, they are gaining ground on the reigning world champions.

Next year, all eyes will be on the AL East to see just how much damage Mike Mussina’s arm /Manny Ramirez’s bat will cause.

All pitchers and catchers report to in less than three months…