Burnett Called 'Biggest Tease In The Game'

by Ed Valentine on Jun 17, 2010 12:01 PM EDT in New York Yankees News

After Wednesday night's poor effort by A.J. Burnett, New York Daily News columnist John Harper summed up Burnett this way.

Five weeks into the season, when A.J. Burnett was 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA, it seemed this might be the year the Yankee righthander finally parlayed his electric talent into spectacular results.

But really, we should know better by now than to think it's ever going to happen. At 33, Burnett is what he is - the biggest tease in the game.

So you continue to get nights like this one, when Burnett managed to wake up the slumping Phillies, surrendering six runs in three innings in what turned out to be a 6-3loss to the NL champs.

As a result, Burnett is 2-5 in his last eight starts, and in four of those he has given up at least six runs.

Burnett is, and has always been more thrower than pitcher. He doesn't walk hitters like he did as a young pitcher, but in truth he still really has no idea where the ball is going when he lets it go. So, from game-to-game we just have to live with the fact that we won't have any idea what to expect.

Kim Jones has a fun, interesting interview with the great Mariano Rivera.
The Yankees have signed a dozen draft picks. Top pick Cito Culver can't sign until Sunday, when he graduates from high school.

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Well if there's one thing to take from AJ

is that you know that the bad starts won’t keep up. He doesn’t even know what his problem is..you can tell when he goes “why!!??” to himself on the mound.

Its pretty much what makes him effective in the first place tho. But I will say that his breaking ball is always the key. If he’s locating it, AND hitters are swinging at it, he’s unhittable.

He’s basically a 2-pitch pitcher, even tho he’s got a nasty sinker too.

I wish he’d mix his pitches more. I wish he’d start throwing 98mph like he did with Toronto too..where the hell is that?

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit

by FreeBradshaw on Jun 17, 2010 12:16 PM EDT reply actions

AJ Burnett isn't the biggest tease in the game, just the streakiest pitcher around.

He doesn’t have many mediocre starts. He’s great or he’s terrible, and he strings 4 or 5 of each kind of start in a row. At the end of the year, he will always have about 14 wins, and close to that many losses.

It isn’t a matter of the quality of the opponent, either. He looks awful against terrible teams and great against good ones. The importance of the game matters little- witness last year’s playoffs and World Series.

I’ve seen nothing this year to suggest that things will ever change. He’ll be somewhere between 16-12 and 14-12. He’s a middle of the rotation guy when you average it out.

by designatedquitter on Jun 17, 2010 12:22 PM EDT reply actions

Burnetts not that good, sorry

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by bestbostonsports on Jun 17, 2010 12:56 PM EDT reply actions

nothing to be sorry about...

unless you want to be sorry for being wrong…….

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit

by FreeBradshaw on Jun 17, 2010 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions

so you think hes good then?

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by bestbostonsports on Jun 17, 2010 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions

inconsistent

but can beat anyone on any night…so yea, he’s good.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit

by FreeBradshaw on Jun 17, 2010 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions

so is Beckett then

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by bestbostonsports on Jun 17, 2010 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions

exactly

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit

by FreeBradshaw on Jun 17, 2010 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions

no, my point is, Beckett is not good, and is the same type of pitcher as Burnett.

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by bestbostonsports on Jun 17, 2010 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions

They are both good, just inconsitant

by Yankees10 on Jun 17, 2010 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Thats a better way of putting it.
When they are on, they have nohit stuff. off, you get last night and all of Becketts season.

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by bestbostonsports on Jun 17, 2010 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions

When they are good they are dominate and when they are bad they are really bad

by Yankees10 on Jun 17, 2010 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions

well you don't have much of a point then...

Beckett IS a good pitcher. Inconsistent, but can dominate for 7-8 innings any night. That’s what AJ Burnett is.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit

by FreeBradshaw on Jun 17, 2010 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Yep

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by bestbostonsports on Jun 17, 2010 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions

You can say that about anyone - that doesn't make them good

AJ can also lose to anyone on any night (or day). Does that make him bad? No. He’s sometimes good, sometimes bad.

by HilltopPark on Jun 17, 2010 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Now that we’ve got a firm grip on the obvious, that Burnett can be both good or bad on any given night, his career 3.87 ERA and 3.87 FIP with an 8.27 K/9 tell me that he’s good more often than not.

by Lord Duggan on Jun 17, 2010 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions

I definitely agree. I think the Yankees made a mistake.

by slantman on Jun 17, 2010 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions

hes overpaid.
But so is Beckett.

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by bestbostonsports on Jun 17, 2010 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Really

I would worry about Beckett, Roll the Dice K, and that youngster Wakefield holding up.

His mother has a tattoo that reads, "Son".
"I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
Stay thirsty my friends."

by Great Gatsby on Jun 17, 2010 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions

well then you'd be completely wrong

agreeing with a Pissant fan, and also must’ve missed the WORLD SERIES last year.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit

by FreeBradshaw on Jun 17, 2010 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Seriously

A mistake? How? Only question mark about AJ was his ability to stay healthy, he’s proven he can do it. Yeah he has bad starts but who doesn’t? AJ is just that guy who has too much adrenaline come game time and sometimes its too much and he’s jittery and can’t do his job that well. Well at least that’s what I think.

"He needs to pitch in a higher league, if there is one. Ban him from baseball. He should be illegal."
—Tom Kelly, manager of Minnesota Twins, after his team faced Rivera

by DarthRichter on Jun 17, 2010 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions

AJ sucked yesterday

hence, he sucks. At least that’s the gist of many of the “AJ Sucks” arguments.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit

by FreeBradshaw on Jun 17, 2010 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Ahh

I see….Gotta love those compelling arguments.

"He needs to pitch in a higher league, if there is one. Ban him from baseball. He should be illegal."
—Tom Kelly, manager of Minnesota Twins, after his team faced Rivera

by DarthRichter on Jun 17, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Please don’t come here and say blatantly dumb shit.

Strikeouts are boring- Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.

by CasanovaWong on Jun 17, 2010 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

lol

by david d on Jun 18, 2010 3:39 AM EDT up reply actions

I choose

other words such as enigma and dichotomy, but tease also works in this case.

His mother has a tattoo that reads, "Son".
"I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
Stay thirsty my friends."

by Great Gatsby on Jun 17, 2010 1:37 PM EDT reply actions

The madness that is AJ Burnett

Couldn’t agree more about Burnett being a tease — although I think that comparison does all the hot women teases on campuses around the nation a grave disservice. I think he’s more like the seriously well-endowed porn actor who can’t control himself …

I mistakenly thought this would be AJ’s year for a number of reasons. Nope. This is probably what we’ll see at the end of the season: 13-11 ERA: 4.56 WHIP: 1.41 Certainly not terrible numbers — unless you look at his talent.

Fool me once, AJ. But never again.

"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will

by Ronster22 on Jun 17, 2010 2:02 PM EDT reply actions