Jason Giambi
B+)
His power is back big time and has hit many clutch home runs and that's something this team needs desperately with the absence of Matsui and Sheffield. His fielding is horrendous, but as a DH I think he is finally thriving. The notion that he hits better if he's on the field is starting to vanish. The knock I have on him is that this year he has had too many 1 for 20 slumps that has caused problems for this lineup. AL rankings for him:
OPS # 5
OBS # 6 .416
Hr's #3 26
rbi's#6 68
BB's # 3 61
SLG # 6 .605
Why is he hitting only .260?
Chien Meng Wang
A)
He is finally throwing from the stretch without falling apart and has kept us in the hunt for the division title. His era will always hover around 4.00 because while leading the league in ground ball outs-he will always give up those pesky ground ball hits that squeak through the infield. He is tied for the league lead in innings pitched at 126, GS 19 and only walked 31 batters and a 9-4 record with a save. Torre has a surprising amount of confidence in such a young pitcher because he trusts his eyes and sees what this kid is doing. Who else can he count on?
Ron Villone
B) Has done an excellent job and has finally earned Torre's respect. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up in the rotation depending on what Cashman can do. If he finds relief help then he might be in, but if Brian finds a starter he will stick to his current role out of the bullpen. 3-1 2.27 era.
Mike Meyers
B+)
He's filled the lefty specialty role perfectly and can get a righty out occasionally. We haven't had someone like him in a long time in the bullpen and he's not afraid of facing Big Papi in a big situation. 32 appearances with a 0-0, 1.62 era, 6 walks and 13 strike outs in 16.2 innings.