I remember when the Yankees got Irabu, being so excited. This guy over in Japan is throwin high 90s heat, and the best team in baseball gets to add him to their roster? What a coup!
Obviously things didn't work out well, and Upperdeki Irabu totally stunk. I guess one good thing was it forced Mendoza to the bullpen, and that turned out to be an incredible move. I feel obligated to say this after that statement, no that doesn't mean Joba should be moved to the pen. Mendoza was an eh starter who turned into a great long man, Joba is a great starter.
Back to Ramiro, cause I love the guy. The Yanks dynasty would never give up, and having a guy like Mendoza to put up zeros after the starter gets knocked out early really helps your team steal a few extra wins in the season. When Wang goes out in the 2nd, and Claggett comes in, you see what happens. When Sabathia just doesn't have it one game and Girardi is forced to use a 1-2 inning pitcher like Albaladejo for 3-4 innings, you don't normally stop the bleeding. The Yanks seemed to have 5 great starters to start the year, that doesn't mean you won't need a long man, as the Yankees have shown. I'm still kinda surprised that after all this the Yankees still don't have one on their roster. In terms of long menor spot starters, nobody quite did it like Ramiro, and you really appreciate that sort of thing now.
Finally, back to Irabu.
Is that really good enough to even pitch in an independent league? Technically yes, I'm sure some fans will go just to see Irabu, like I'm sure some went to see Canseco. But in terms of ability, I'm not sure.
(hat tip to BBTF)
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