Kei Igawa, Jacoby Ellsbury And Other Baseball Notes

Kei Igawa made his return to the New York Yankees rotation and did nothing to make anyone think he is anything but a $46MM mistake.  Recognize the cost is sunk and return Ian Kennedy to the rotation.  The alternative is using Igawa next Wednesday in Tampa.

If not Kenendy or Igawa, then Steven White becomes the third in a parade of pitchers to keep Joba Chamberlain in middle relief.  White is 3-1 in seven starts at Scranton Wilkes-Barre with a 2.68 ERA in 40.1 innings.  The 18 walks off-sets the 31 hits allowed and 32 Ks.
 

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Jason Isringhausen quietly blew his 5th save.  "Quietly" because there seems to be an Eric Gagne Closer Death Watch on, and he has blown the same number of saves.  Here are their stats.  Is Ryan Franklin any worse and alternative in the Cardinals' bullpen than Salomon Torres is in the Milwaukee one?

 

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	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Jason Isringhausen	1-4	18	0	0	0	11	5	15.2	19	13	13	2	8	11	7.47	1.72

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Carlos Gomez stole two more bases to bring his 2008 total to an American-League-leading 15.  Who is second with 14 SBs?  Boston Red Sox rookie Jacoby Ellsbury.  Both players are slugging .413 and have averages in the same area (.288 of Ellsbury and .278 for Gomez), but Ellsbury OBP is .397 while Gomez sits at just .305.

Who would you rather have?  The question seems easy to answer.  Ellsbury's OBP is so much better that he is the player to take.  Unless you consider each player's age.  Gomez is 2.25 years younger.  Is a player with a much better OBP and more than 24 and a half years old the better player for a rebuilding team than the one who is still closer to 22 than 23?

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Poll

Who would a rebuilding team rather have?

63%

24-year-old Jacoby Ellsbury

53 votes

36%

22-year-old Carlos Gomez

31 votes

84 votes | Poll has closed