Written by Greg Fertel
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16 June 2007
After a great first start against the Mets, 22 year-old pitching prospect Tyler Clippard has struggled. In 27 Major League innings, Clippard has allowed 19 earned runs, 29 hits, 17 walks, and 18 strikeouts. That totals up to an ERA of 6.33, a WHIP of 1.92, and a k:bb ratio of nearly 1:1. These perpherals are far worse than his career minor league statistics, in which T-Clip struck out over a batter/inning, had a WHIP of just over 1, and a k/bb ratio of over 3.
This poor performance is not surprising for a young finesse pitcher who did not have a long stint in AAA before being promoted to the majors to fill in for injured Yankee starters. But with this poor outing against the Mets, a change is probably in order. Clippard will probably return to AAA Scranton to work on his control, and Kei Igawa might be headed back to the Bronx.
Igawa, like Clippard, struggled with his control in the majors, and threw too many pitches to be an effective starter. However, since his demotion to AAA, Igawa has improved. In 4 starts, Igawa has maintained an ERA of 2.88 with 27 strikeouts against 7 walks in 25 innings, with a BAA against of .242. While this performance from Igawa, particularly his improved control, is encouraging, there is one troubling statistic. Igawa is still giving up too many flyballs, with a groundout/flyout ratio of 0.31. These flyouts could become homers in the majors.
I expect Igawa's control to be improved when he returns to the majors, but he will still struggle at times if he continues to pitch up in the zone, and give up flyballs. However, if he continues to strike out batters, lower his walk rate, and keep the homers under control, he could be an effective 5th starter for the Bombers.
