The Resurgence of A.J. Burnett And The Pittsburgh Pirates
By the end of the 2011 season, the New York Yankees had finally run out of patience with A.
J.
Burnett.
His time in pinstripes certainly had a few highs - a respectable 2009 season that ended in a World Series title for the Yanks, two or three outstanding postseason starts during his tenure, and serving as the behind the scenes ringleader of the team's pie in the face antics following walk-off wins.
But whatever good he accomplished was ultimately overshadowed by his terribly inconsistent 2010 and 2011 campaigns, and after burning through a number of catchers and pitching coaches the team figured it was time to move on and cut their losses.
It's always a bad sign when your team is willing to pay a large chunk of your remaining contract in order to ship you out of town.
Burnett entered this season with two years and $33 million remaining on his contract, and it became evident that the Yankees were more than willing to eat a large portion of that salary in order to dump their mercurial right-hander.
Brian Cashman eventually found a willing trading partner in the Pittsburgh Pirates, and on February 18 the Yankees agreed to trade Burnett to the Pirates for a couple of minor leaguers (Exicardo Cayones and Diego Moreno).
Oh, and the Yanks also agreed to pay $20 million of the remaining money left on his contract.
Now the Yankees probably assumed they were ridding themselves of an aging power arm, dead weight, a basket case who couldn't handle the pressures of pitching in New York.
However, if we have learned anything about A.
J.
Burnett through the years it's to always expect the unexpected.
Following this logic, what has transpired for him this season is pretty much par for the course and we shouldn't be surprised that he is on pace for the best season of his career.
After yesterday's 10-6 win over the Dodgers, Burnett now has 15 wins and is the first Pirates player to reach that milestone in a whopping 13 years.
To say this has been a bounce back season for Burnett would be an understatement, as he was historically bad for the Yankees in 2010 and 2011.
His tenure in Pittsburgh got off to a rocky start when fractured an orbital bone during a spring training bunting drill, but ever since his first start he has been dominant, displaying a level of consistency that has been absent for most of his career.
Burnett's live arm and wicked curveball have long been revered around the big leagues, and for the time being he is turning back all the chatter from last year about his steady decline and years' worth of unfulfilled potential.
Even more interesting is that Burnett has emerged as a team leader in Pittsburgh, the top dog of a young pitching staff.
By all indications he is a respected voice in the clubhouse and has the stroke to call player only meetings, which he did prior to the game Wednesday against the Dodgers.
Being a veteran leader is important to a young team, but even more important is backing it up on the field.
He has done that this year and then some, to date posting a 15-4 record with an ERA of 3.
54 and a WHIP of 1.
19.
Buoyed by the superb pitching of Burnett, the Pirates are enjoying a resurgent season (65-53) and are currently holding on loosely to the second Wild-Card spot in the National League.
It has been a welcome turn of events for a long suffering fan base, as Pittsburgh is a great baseball town with one of the better parks in the majors.
Whether or not the Pirates can hang on and clinch a spot in the postseason remains to be seen, but at worst they should be able to finally put to bed their dubious streak of 19 consecutive losing seasons.
In most instances, there are winners and losers and every trade that is consummated.
In the case of the Pirates and the Yankees and the jettisoning of A.
J.
Burnett, it seems that both teams are better off.
Sure, Yankee fans can lament the fact that Burnett is having such an unbelievable season in Pittsburgh and ask "why couldn't he have done that here?", but they aren't exactly floundering without him.
Despite a number of injuries to their starting rotation, the Yankees still possess the best record in the American League and are on target for another postseason berth.
The machine that is the New York Yankees was going to keep chugging along with or without Burnett, and by moving him they did what was best for both parties.
To his credit, Burnett has embraced his new team in Pittsburgh and his role as the ace of the staff.
Pitching out of the spotlight in the NL Central has allowed to him to start a new chapter in his career as he works to restore his reputation on every fifth day.
J.
Burnett.
His time in pinstripes certainly had a few highs - a respectable 2009 season that ended in a World Series title for the Yanks, two or three outstanding postseason starts during his tenure, and serving as the behind the scenes ringleader of the team's pie in the face antics following walk-off wins.
But whatever good he accomplished was ultimately overshadowed by his terribly inconsistent 2010 and 2011 campaigns, and after burning through a number of catchers and pitching coaches the team figured it was time to move on and cut their losses.
It's always a bad sign when your team is willing to pay a large chunk of your remaining contract in order to ship you out of town.
Burnett entered this season with two years and $33 million remaining on his contract, and it became evident that the Yankees were more than willing to eat a large portion of that salary in order to dump their mercurial right-hander.
Brian Cashman eventually found a willing trading partner in the Pittsburgh Pirates, and on February 18 the Yankees agreed to trade Burnett to the Pirates for a couple of minor leaguers (Exicardo Cayones and Diego Moreno).
Oh, and the Yanks also agreed to pay $20 million of the remaining money left on his contract.
Now the Yankees probably assumed they were ridding themselves of an aging power arm, dead weight, a basket case who couldn't handle the pressures of pitching in New York.
However, if we have learned anything about A.
J.
Burnett through the years it's to always expect the unexpected.
Following this logic, what has transpired for him this season is pretty much par for the course and we shouldn't be surprised that he is on pace for the best season of his career.
After yesterday's 10-6 win over the Dodgers, Burnett now has 15 wins and is the first Pirates player to reach that milestone in a whopping 13 years.
To say this has been a bounce back season for Burnett would be an understatement, as he was historically bad for the Yankees in 2010 and 2011.
His tenure in Pittsburgh got off to a rocky start when fractured an orbital bone during a spring training bunting drill, but ever since his first start he has been dominant, displaying a level of consistency that has been absent for most of his career.
Burnett's live arm and wicked curveball have long been revered around the big leagues, and for the time being he is turning back all the chatter from last year about his steady decline and years' worth of unfulfilled potential.
Even more interesting is that Burnett has emerged as a team leader in Pittsburgh, the top dog of a young pitching staff.
By all indications he is a respected voice in the clubhouse and has the stroke to call player only meetings, which he did prior to the game Wednesday against the Dodgers.
Being a veteran leader is important to a young team, but even more important is backing it up on the field.
He has done that this year and then some, to date posting a 15-4 record with an ERA of 3.
54 and a WHIP of 1.
19.
Buoyed by the superb pitching of Burnett, the Pirates are enjoying a resurgent season (65-53) and are currently holding on loosely to the second Wild-Card spot in the National League.
It has been a welcome turn of events for a long suffering fan base, as Pittsburgh is a great baseball town with one of the better parks in the majors.
Whether or not the Pirates can hang on and clinch a spot in the postseason remains to be seen, but at worst they should be able to finally put to bed their dubious streak of 19 consecutive losing seasons.
In most instances, there are winners and losers and every trade that is consummated.
In the case of the Pirates and the Yankees and the jettisoning of A.
J.
Burnett, it seems that both teams are better off.
Sure, Yankee fans can lament the fact that Burnett is having such an unbelievable season in Pittsburgh and ask "why couldn't he have done that here?", but they aren't exactly floundering without him.
Despite a number of injuries to their starting rotation, the Yankees still possess the best record in the American League and are on target for another postseason berth.
The machine that is the New York Yankees was going to keep chugging along with or without Burnett, and by moving him they did what was best for both parties.
To his credit, Burnett has embraced his new team in Pittsburgh and his role as the ace of the staff.
Pitching out of the spotlight in the NL Central has allowed to him to start a new chapter in his career as he works to restore his reputation on every fifth day.
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