Baseball Ian Kennedy getting help from old college coach. Yankees pursuing Ibanez? Winter Meet

Ian Kennedy getting help from old college coach. Yankees pursuing Ibanez? Winter Meetings News & Rumors swirling.. « Zell’s Pinstripe Blog

Ian Kennedy is getting some tips from his old college coach. Maybe it will do him some good. I know I haven’t given up on IPK, but with other fans..it’s a whole other story. He has played like crap. Period. There is no arguing that. That doesn’t mean he can’t be successful in the future though. Glavine, Maddux, and Smoltz struggled early on in their careers, but look how they turned out. By no means am I comparing him to those 3 great pitchers, but you never know what might happen down the road. Do we want to make a mistake like the Mets made with Kazmir? I don’t think so. I just think NY doesn’t give enough time for these rookies to grow up. It’s not even fair for the the players. On other teams, such as the Pirates, Nationals, Padres, etc..these same players might get years to work through growing pains, but in the Big Apple its a whole different ballgame.

KENNEDY GETS TIPS FROM COLLEGE COACH By Kevin Kernan

Ian Kennedy has grown up a bit this offseason. He also has improved his curveball. The two go hand in hand. Kennedy must have command of his curveball to succeed.

The right-hander traveled from New York to Southern California then Tampa and on to Puerto Rico to try to find himself as a pitcher after his terrible 0-4 record and 8.17 ERA over three stints with the Yankees in 2008.

As with all journeys it began with one vital step - the first one. The right-hander made a House call that helped send him on the right path.

The former USC star went home and worked with pitching guru Tom House, who has been the Trojans’ pitching coach the past two years.

Essentially, Kennedy is holding onto the baseball longer, and that makes a difference in break and command. As a result, he can make in-game adjustments to get the results he needs.

The results have been noteworthy. This week Kennedy pitched a complete-game shutout for Mayaguez, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out seven. The previous start he fired seven shutout innings without issuing a walk.

In his 392/3 innings with the Yankees, Kennedy walked 26 batters and allowed 50 hits. That’s nearly two runners per inning.

That’s how you wind up with an 8.17 ERA. That’s how you go from super prospect to young Yankees pitcher most likely to be traded. Remember, Kennedy doesn’t turn 24 until later this month. The Yankees have promised that patience will be a virtue for the organization. Kennedy is the first real test of that patience.



Kennedy said he takes solace from the fact that Hall of Fame pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux struggled as youngsters before breaking through. Glavine was 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA his first full season while Maddux produced a 6-14 mark with a 5.61 ERA. Also, John Smoltz was 2-7 his first season with the Braves.

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“I got some tips and started applying those and it made the break of my curveball better and the command of it extremely better,” Kennedy said from Puerto Rico. “Now I know what I have to do. Before I was just throwing it to throw it and try to throw it for a strike and not have any idea.”

“I have a better feel for it and a lot more confidence in it where I can throw it in pretty much any count,” Kennedy said. He added that Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland watched him throw one day in Tampa and “liked” the changes he made with House.

After a horrible outing on Aug. 8 against the Angels, Kennedy disappointed teammates and fans by saying he was not “too upset” by his performance because he had seven good (minor league) outings before that stinker, a game in which Kennedy allowed nine hits and five runs in two innings.

“You have to go out there and pitch in another five days,” he said. “I wasn’t going to brood over it. I try to be a positive person. I see a lot of guys who are negative and it doesn’t make them any happier.”

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According to the news tribune, the Yankees are one of the many teams that are pursuing Raul Ibanez. I really like Ibanez. Raul’s 2008 stat line looked like this: .293AVG 23HR 110RBI 85R 2SB. In his last four seasons..he has had 20HR+.

Raul Ibanez 162 Game Average:

160H 81R 21HR 93RBI 4SB .286AVG .346OBP .472SLG

Mariners and Raul Ibanez part ways again

The Phillies, Cubs, Mets, Rays, Yankees and a half-dozen other teams are pursuing Ibanez, who last year made $5.5 million. He wants a multi-year contract, and the Mariners weren’t in position to offer him one.
 
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