Swing and a Moose

At this time last season, Yankees starting pitcher Mike Mussina was 2-3 with a 5.86 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.

What a difference a year makes.

A Yankees pitching rotation that has seen everyone but Mussina and Chien-Ming Wang largely struggle so far this season. Through nine starts, Moose has enjoyed an early season renaissance of sorts, going 6-3 with a 3.99 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and the kind of veteran presence the Yankees have needed so badly. “I am trying to hold them to one or two runs and it has paid off,” Mussina told the New York Post.

With one of my fantasy teams growing desperate for starting pitching I hopped aboard the bandwagon today, but can I really count on his early season success continuing? A 4.0 K:BB ratio is the most positive sign of success continuing, and his 1.1 BB/9IP is enough improvement on his 2.1 mark in 2007. I wouldn’t lose sleep over his modest 4.4 K/9IP, because it’s been many years since he’s racked up significant strikeout totals.

So I remain cautiously optimistic, because the Yankees will eventually provide him with more consistent run support and even though his early season numbers will probably regress slightly, he seems like someone fantasy owners should ride as long as they possibly can.

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