The Wang Debate

On the eve of Chien-Ming Wang's third start since returning from the DL with a mysterious foot/leg/hip injury, I wanted to take the chance to look at his unceremonious return and pose a question:

Should he even be in the starting rotation?

Now, if the Yankees want to give him some confidence, then starting him against the Nationals isn't a terrible idea. This is a team with 16 wins and can be used as a nice little punching bag. However, the Nats surprisingly rank in the top 10 in some offensive categories, and they do have guys who can hit the ball (Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn.) The Nationals, for all intensive purposes, are a major league club and can still hit the ball.

No one has really been able to pinpoint why Wang has struggled so much since he's been inserted into the starting rotation. Some writers and bloggers have blamed it on the lingering effects of his injury. Others are discussing shaken confidence, and the list continues on an on. I think the injury argument fails. If he's still hurt, then why has he started to touch his usual speed of 92-94 mph on his sinker.

But let's take a look at the confidence issue. There are times when Wang looks like the vintage, 19-game winner. He's getting the sinker down, and guys are pounding it into the ground. This performance can carry through an inning or only a batter. And then, as quickly as it comes, the ability is gone. The sinker stays up in the zone, and his pitches get smoked all over the field. His inconsistency is maddening for fans and coaches. And so, Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman have leveled an ultimatum - pitch well, or you're getting the hook.

It's not the perfect situation with Chien-Ming Wang, but the Yankees brass should take the blame on this one. Phil Hughes was up and down as a starter, but he's also a 22-year-old kid with limited big league experience. They needed to show some patience and leave him in the rotation. Clearly, Wang hasn't worked out whatever is bothering him. By being rushed up to the big leagues, the Yankees lost that ability to fine tune whatever was bothering him. Now they're stuck in a situation where they are putting unnecessary pressure on Wang to produce.

The Yankees rushed back Wang to face the Rangers (who Phil Hughes has owned in his career, by the way) and Boston. They lined him up to pitch against two very good teams, and teams that have the ability to hit. The timing, etc. was terrible, and the Yankees need to admit their mistake.

If Wang does poorly tomorrow night, I don't know where the Yankees turn. They've already made one mistake by rushing him back early. I can only hope they find a way to bring Wang back to his old self.