State of the Yankees, Issue 5

This week’s edition of “State of the Yankees” is a follow up to the first edition, which spent its efforts explaining my hatred for Hideki Matsui. And while I still don’t want to see him in pinstripes this week, anyone deserves their praise when they’ve been playing as well as Matsui has recently. When I wrote that edition, about a month ago, Matsui’s stats looked like this:

2009 (89 games as of July 27, 2009): .256 avg, 15 HR, 33 runs, 44 RBI

2009 (on pace according to ESPN): .256 avg, 25 HR, 56 runs, 78 RBI

We are now approaching the end of August, and here are what Matsui’s statistics look like:

2009 (111 games as of August 25, 2009): .271 avg, 23 HR, 44 runs, 71 RBI

2009 (on pace according to ESPN): .271 avg, 30 HR, 64 runs, 94 RBI

So, let’s look at that again. A month ago, Matsui was only projected to hit 25 home runs at the pace he was hitting during the season only 89 games into the season. In the 22 games that have been played since, Matsui has hit 8 home runs, and driven in 27 RBI, and has now changed his ESPN projections to 30 home runs and 94 RBI. Those type of numbers (along with a projected 147 games played) would be very close to his 2007 numbers when he drove in 103 runs and hit 25 home runs. In the month of August, Matsui has hit nearly 100 points over his season average entering August, at a .343 clip. His run driving in ability has helped solidify an offense that has helped the Yankees to a 16-6 record in the month entering Wednesday’s game.

More importantly, in the last series against the Red Sox (in Fenway no less), Matsui had two multi-HR games and helped the Yankees take 2/3 from the Sox, and further solidify their place atop the AL East. The Yankees now sit comfortably atop the East entering September, and the Red Sox can feel Texas and Tampa breathing down their necks. A good place for both teams, for Yankees fans that is; and Matsui has certainly been a major part of the Yankees overtaking of the Red Sox. While I will stand by my position that I do not want Matsui back next season, he certainly deserves his props for the amazing August he has had. Keep it up Hit-Deki!

Yankees Player of the Week: Read this article, and it is clearly Hideki Matsui who is deserving of the award this week. Along with the both two-HR games against the Red Sox in Fenway, Matsui has 5 two-hit games this week and has driven in 13. Numbers worthy of this weeks award.

Non-Yankees Fun Fact of the Week: Entering June 3rd, the Colorado Rockies sat 15 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West standings. Entering Wednesday night’s contest against the Dodgers, the Rockies have managed to shrink that deficit to a mere 2 games by going 50-22. The Rockies are rolling, and that once incredibly safe lead the Dodgers had over the rest of the NL West looks to be turning into an uncomfortable lead over fellow NL Wild Card contenders. Congrats to the Rockies, who are playing their way to a division title.