New York Yankees’ Odd Man Out: A.J. Burnett or Ivan Nova?
August 5, 2011 · Jason Tabrys · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Ivan Nova is an unassuming near rookie who just made his 25th major league start, a non prospect who won’t reach great, but might be heading toward damn good.
Thursday night, Nova struck out 10 and held the Chicago White Sox to one run in 7.2 innings. His 10th win, his ERA now dragged below 4.00.
There may be teams in the major leagues that would hand Ivan Nova the ball every fifth day and call him the ace, but the Yankees may soon send him back down to Triple-A.
“It’s not baseball kid, it’s business,” they’ll say, reassuring him that he did nothing to deserve the demotion—a pat on the back and a kick in the butt. It’s a speech Nova has heard before.
See, the Yankees have the nicest of problems: They’ve got more talent than slots, and someone is bound to be left standing when the music stops.
Question is, why does it have to be Ivan Nova?
A.J. Burnett is the opposite of Ivan Nova: an out in front veteran, tattooed and passionate. A solid enough pitcher who coaxed timely greatness out of his arm in a walk year and found a big payday because of it.
Burnett is 8-9 this season with a 4.54 ERA, a marked improvement from the disaster that was last year but certainly not the kind of season the Yankees envisioned when they gave him a five-year, $82.5 million contract after the 2008 season.
That contract—that albatross around the Yankees’ necks—is a savior for A.J. Burnett, one that keeps him in the rotation despite the fact that he has been out-pitched by every other member of the Yankees’ temporary six-man staff.
Burnett’s contract haunts the Yankees’ past and their future with two-plus seasons left on the deal, but it doesn’t have to haunt their present—not if the Yankees do the right thing and keep Nova and the restored Phil Hughes in the rotation while exiling Burnett to the bullpen.
The Yankees and Red Sox are about to start a three-game series at Fenway with both teams sitting atop the AL East holding a record of 68-42.
In essence, the real season begins Friday night, and while baseball might be a business, between the lines, it is still a game and Ivan Nova gives the Yankees a better chance to win than A.J. Burnett, and that is all that matters right now.
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