New York Yankees: CC Sabathia’s Legacy

Last night, New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia moved into 22nd place on the all time strikeout list. How should he be remembered?

There were quite a few eyes on the New York Yankees game against the Tampa Bay Rays last night. A great deal of buzz had generated around the game, as Alex Rodriguez played in his final game before being released and, presumably, moving on in an administrative and coaching role with the team. Yet, the history that was made last night came from another much maligned player over the past few years, CC Sabathia.

With his strikeout of Mikie Mahtook in the fourth inning, Sabathia moved past David Cone into 22nd place on the all time strikeout list. He currently sites 328 strikeouts away from 3000 on his career, and is only 131 strikeouts from tying Cy Young for 20th. As it stands, only Roger Clemens and Mickey Lolich have more strikeouts than Sabathia, yet have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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Yet, it is difficult to imagine Sabathia as a Hall of Fame player. There was a time when he was one of the best pitchers of his generation, a true workhorse who fronted the Indians rotation during the last throws of their run of contention in the mid 2000’s. He also virtually singlehandedly pitched the Brewers into the postseason in 2008, finishing sixth in the National League MVP vote despite only having 17 starts in Milwaukee. Sabathia has logged eight seasons of 15 or more wins, won the 2007 Cy Young award, had three seasons with 200 or more strikeouts, and led the league in shutouts three times.

However, Sabathia has not aged well. Since making his last All Star appearance in 2012, he has struggled with injuries, alcoholism and ineffectiveness, leading to a 30-36 record with a 4.67 ERA and a 1.398 WHiP. Once seen as a virtual lock for Cooperstown, and a possible candidate to reach 300 wins, one has to wonder how much Sabathia has left in the tank.

Unfortunately, these past few years will cloud his legacy. During his prime, there were few pitchers who could match Sabathia, as he could put a team upon his back and bring them to the postseason. He shined in the 2009 postseason, winning the 2009 ALCS MVP award when he posted a 2-0 record with 1.13 ERA and a 0.750 WHiP as the Yankees defeated the Angels in six games.

As age, and his struggles with his weight and personal demons, have caught up with Sabathia, his decline has been rapid. His attempts to reinvent himself by relying more on his offspeed pitches and curve have led to inconsistent results at best. It is certainly a far cry from the ace pitcher that he had once been.

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No matter how it ends for CC Sabathia, his prowess at the beginning of his career, and over the first few years with the New York Yankees, should not be forgotten. The struggles of the past few seasons should not overshadow the pitcher he had once been.