By Elizabeth Finn
There had never been a more important inning in his career—or maybe it just seemed that way. Straddling personal pride and professional obligation, both his wounded confidence and his team’s sense of accomplishment hung in the balance. He hadn’t made it easy on himself. The bases behind him were juiced—full because of free passes and a fastball that slipped out of his hand. Network cameras caught him taking nervous breaths before a mound meeting with his catcher straightened his shoulders and evened his gaze. The next pitch put in play landed harmlessly in his left-fielder’s mitt. The score remained unchanged and, for now, he could consider one step forward completed.
His notoriety has been both a product of the Yankees’ national prominence and a hindrance to developing his own path, but pitcher Ian Kennedy, who recently returned from surgery to remove an aneurysm from his pitching arm, has not yet faded into the squadrons of AAAA arms once destined for greatness.
Lacking both the bulldog fight of Phil Hughes and the star power of Joba Chamberlain, the oldest member of the Yankees’ heralded young pitching trio has yet to show long big league stretches of the talent that led him to become the organization’s number one draft pick in 2006. Relying on pinpoint control, a plus changeup, and a modicum of pitching smarts to supplement a deceptive fastball that tops out at 92, Kennedy’s scouted comparables are David Cone and a reinvented Mike Mussina—the latter of whom has been an inspiration for a good deal of Kennedy’s mound mannerisms.
In an organization that seemingly has all the time in the world to wait for prospects to develop enough to join high-priced free agent prizes, Kennedy’s initial rise to the majors was swift and dominant. In his first year, the finesse righty dotted all three levels of the Yankees’ farm system with 163 strikeouts in only 146 innings, posting a cumulative ERA of 1.91. Impressed with his command and in search of a starter to replace –ironically– the faltering and injury-plagued Mussina, the big club called upon him to assist in their push for the postseason.
Ian Kennedy made his major league debut at Yankee Stadium on September 1, 2007. He threw seven solid innings against the Devil Rays, allowing only five hits and striking out six. Even more impressive, 66 of his 96 pitches were thrown for strikes. This was followed up by two additional starts, including a one-hit performance against the Blue Jays, which brought his season ERA down to 1.89. All told, Kennedy’s very-abbreviated 2007 was successful and eye-opening. The impressive scouting reports and minor league numbers had translated well to the majors. The Yankees felt that their young pitcher’s performance could be extrapolated to a full season and moved full-steam ahead with both Kennedy and Hughes in the 2008 rotation, pulling Kennedy back from a possible trade for Johan Santana in the process.
The move was analyzed and criticized. Hughes and Kennedy, each with fewer than 100 innings of major league experience, were expected to be two-fifths of a rotation full of uncertainties that would face the AL East 72 times. The slugging veteran lineup was anticipated to give plenty of run support to the young pitchers in an attempt to ease the burden. And the Yankees would balance their “win now at all costs” mentality with a desire to play for the future. Somehow.
As could have been expected, it didn’t work. Neither pitcher recorded a win all season. Kennedy averaged barely four innings per start, to the tune of an 8.17 ERA. Even more alarmingly, the control pitcher walked 26 batters in only 39 innings—coincidentally, the numbers of batters he managed to strike out. As for the offense, without Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez for parts of the season, it sputtered and struggled. Kennedy received an average of four runs of support per nine innings—not nearly enough to compensate for his lack of control, high pitch counts, and inefficiency. Needless to say, the Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time since before the strike.
In a way, 2008 served as a microcosm of criticisms levied and compliments received. When not pitching at the major league level, Kennedy was practically unhittable (literally; he took two no-hitters into the 7th inning.) striking out 83 in 77 innings and earning a WHIP of 0.974. But given the chance to pitch for the big club, Kennedy imploded. His last major league outing of 2008 also brought to light an off-the-field concern. After an unimpressive outing against the Angels, where pitch fx analysis revealed a problem with changing the longitudinal location of his pitches, Kennedy brushed aside his struggles, saying he was “not real upset” with his performance. This led to criticism of his attitude, citing the blasé response as indicative of his other, more tangible, issues. Kennedy immediately apologized, and the young pitcher appeared humbled and chastened.
What could be the cause of the sudden disappearance of once-remarkable control—whose absence would indicate something more than merely being overmatched after Scranton Wilkes-Barre? Kennedy’s minor league numbers demonstrated that ability had not, in fact, left him, but nor did he display the calm, effortless confidence at the major league level that had allowed him to transition so smoothly to the Yankees in 2007.
Maybe confidence, then, was the key to bringing back that Ian Kennedy—and if the Yankees could transform false bravado into a comfortable assuredness, maybe their former first-round pick could blend in behind the superstar glare of CC Sabathia and remember how to pitch under the big lights again.
Unfortunately, the organization’s decisions on Kennedy’s future role were put on hold in May when tests revealed that the tingling in his fingers was the result of an aneurysm in his right armpit. Before the diagnosis and the subsequent surgery, Kennedy was once again putting up impressive numbers at AAA, and looked like a potential spot-starter for the suddenly pedestrian Chien-Ming Wang. But what had initially looked like a season-ending procedure would leave just enough room after rehab for one major league inning—a late-afternoon 8th in Anaheim that could help the Yankees secure home field advantage for the playoffs and give the team a much-needed shot in the arm at a stadium that had been a house of horrors. The inning of his young career.
It was sloppy and it was wild but it was not a disaster. And, most importantly, it was over.
“I think it meant a lot to him,” manager Joe Girardi expressed to clubhouse media after the game. “He gave us a huge inning…It’s a big inning for that young man.”
Whether Kennedy will build from that inning and learn to believe in his more-than-serviceable talent will have to wait until next season, but the young pitcher, who won’t turn 25 until December, will no longer have to carry the weight of a trade never made and an expectation never fulfilled on his shoulders.
{ 1 comment }
This is a very nicely written portrait/analysis. The Yankees actually have a number of question marks about next season’s rotation–Kennedy might provide a partial answer. It remains to be seen just how patient the club will be.
Who do you think is more likely to be traded over the next year, Kennedy…or Joba?
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