Yankees hoping Burnett’s ’08 was no fluke

Written by: Drew Sarver on 17th March 2009

Yankees hoping Burnett's '08 was no fluke | read this item

Anyone in the Yankees front office that says they’re not worried about A.J. Burnett living up to his contract is a bold faced liar. With Carl Pavano, Burnett’s former Florida Marlins teammate, not yet a distant memory and Kei Igawa still in camp as a constant reminder of wasted money, Brian Cashman and company are praying that Burnett lives up to his potential and earns his contract.

Burnett’s path to the Bronx has not been an easy one. There have been numerous trips to the disabled list, some misguided, outspoken moments, and questions about his desire and toughness. One thing that has never been questioned though is Burnett’s arsenal of pitches- an upper 90′s fastball, change up, and a devastating curveball- and his ability to pitch. The Yankees are banking on Burnett, with fellow free agent signee CC Sabathia, to help bring them their 27th world championship.

Burnett had been drafted by the Mets in 1995 and included in the deal that sent Al Leiter from Florida to New York in 1998. While the numbers he put up in a couple of short stints in the majors were nothing to write home about, the Marlins could see the up side to the young pitcher who took the mound for them in 1999-2000.

In 2001, they saw those hopes start to pan out as Burnett made 27 starts, won 11 games, posted a 4.05 ERA, and threw a no-hitter (okay, he also walked nine batters) in his second start of the season. He followed that performance up the next season by surpassing 200 innings en route to 12 wins, 203 strikeouts and 3.30 ERA. The National League was Burnett’s for the taking, but elbow pain derailed those plans.

After just four starts in 2003, Burnett underwent Tommy John surgery and was gone for the season.

The next four years were up and down as Burnett struggled with injuries and consistency, and some would say, a lack of heart. Burnett surpassed 200 innings again in 2005, but after he ripped the entire Marlins’ organization to the media in late September, he was sent home. Burnett’s early exit cost him $50,000 in bonus money he would have earned had he pitched just one more inning. Burnett’s days in Florida were over.

“We played scared. We managed scared. We coached scared,” he told reporters following the Marlins’ 5–3 loss at Turner Field. “I’m sick of it, man. It’s depressing around here. A 3–0 ballgame, I give up one run and leave guys on base, it’s like they expect us to mess up. And when we do, they chew us out. There is no positive, nothing around here for anybody. (nydailynews.com )

Despite mixed reviews, pitching was in great demand prior to the 2006 season, so Burnett landed a 5-year, $55 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. But he only threw 300 innings in the first two years of the contract combined. Injuries continued to mount as did the questioning of Burnett’s intestinal fortitude.

It all came to a head in July, 2007 when Blue Jays‘ GM J.P. Ricciardi publicly criticized Burnett on a Toronto radio station. Burnett was on the DL for the second time in the season, and the 10th time in his nine year career.

“And as far as going out and taking the ball, when he takes the ball he’s good. We’ve got no complaints. Every time he’s been on the mound and every time he’s pitched his numbers are good. You’ve seen him. It’s a quality arm. It’s just finding a way to keep him out there.”

“I don’t know if it’s psychological, I don’t know if it’s just he gets to a point he feels something and he’s been so scarred by being hurt so many times that he just backs off. But I think he’s going to have to get over that hump at some point and just maybe pitch through some pain or realize what the difference is between really being hurt and not being hurt.” (globeandmail.com )

Ricciardi then tried to take a shot at Burnett’s pride, by suggesting he might be better off as a middle or back end of the rotation pitcher, rather than the number two man behind Roy Halladay.

Whether or not Burnett used Ricciardi’s words as motivation remains to be seen. But the right-hander went 4-1, 2.08 in his last six starts after returning from the DL in August, ’07. Then came the 2008 season, which included a post-season contract opt out clause. A big year could mean even bigger bucks for Burnett, and that’s just what happened.

Burnett was suddenly the pitcher the Blue Jays thought they had signed prior to the ’06 season. He established career highs in wins (18), innings pitched (221.1), starts (34), and strikeouts (231). He even made his first relief appearance in four years. A change in managers also sat well with the lanky right-hander. After going 10-8, 4.96 in the first half of the season, primarily playing under John Gibbons, Burnett was 8-2, 2.86 in the second half under Cito Gaston.

Most importantly, Burnett pitched with fire in his belly every time out. Perhaps pitching alongside the fiery Halladay finally paid off. Burnett would indeed opt out of his contract after the season, and land that big deal. A five year, $82.5 million deal put Burnett in Yankees pinstripes. Now the Yankees will find out if the pinstripes keep Burnett at the top of his game.

The early returns are “so far, so good”. Burnett has been tremendous in his two spring starts, including a perfect four inning stint this past Saturday against the Houston Astros. He’s also fit in well with his teammates, whether it was comparing tattoos with Sabathia and Joba Chamberlain, or shooting pool as part of the Yankees first annual billiards tournament.

Yankee fans are hoping that years from now, when people ask, “remember that pitcher that played with the Marlins and then signed a big deal with the Yankees?” Carl Pavano won’t even come to mind.

Topics: a.j. burnett, Al Leiter, Florida Marlins, J.P. Ricciardi, New York Mets, Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays

Lem The Gem says:

April 3, 2009 at 12:51 am

Part of the entire Yankee starting rotation will be about how competitive each of them are and how much they help each other out
while the offense is at bat. Arm angles, grips, mechanics balance between legs, hips, shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist and release point all should be part of the season long TEAM approach to getting Sabathia, Wang, Pettite, Burnett and Chamberlain to help each other out in the dugout. Economy of movement, throwing first pitch strikes, pounding the zone, making the mental and physical adjustments through hopefully six to seven innings of a quality start should be the goal as an entire TEAM approach to how they interact DURING a game with each other. That’s how a WINNING/analytical rotation finds its groove. A pitching coach is
usual the LAST word not the first on these sorts of things in the
course of a game. The great Yankee teams of the late 1990′s used this approach to keep themselves focused every inning and giving their team a decent shot at a quality start every time.