The Thinker

Ian Kennedy's four seamless innings against the Cincinnati Reds last night further punctuated the reasons that he has progressed through the minors so quickly. Granted he had two years of college ball at USC prior to being drafted and signing with the Yankees in 2006. But Kennedy has always been a thinking man's pitcher. The NY Daily News' John Harper has dubbed Kennedy the heir apparent to Greg Maddux as the embodiment of the thinking man's pitcher.

Don't get Harper wrong, he's not saying Ian Kennedy will win 300 games or pitch in 3 decades. But while Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes grab most of the headlines, the man who is called Ike by his teammates, quietly goes about his business of retiring hitters.

"I don't know if I overthink (sic) some things at times," Kennedy said. "But I like that part of the game. I think it's a big part of pitching. It's like playing chess - you have to think a couple of moves ahead, a couple of pitches ahead, sometimes even a couple of at-bats ahead."

Harper cites two examples of why he feels Kennedy will be successful. First, when the Yankees faced the Twins earlier this spring, Kennedy was behind in the count, 3-1, to Delmon Young. Kennedy challenged Young with a fastball (usually 91-92 mph) down the middle. Young promptly hit it out of the park. But Kennedy had accomplished what he wanted- don't give away anything for free.

Afterward, Kennedy laughed and said he would text message "You're Welcome" to Young, with whom he once played on Team USA, but in truth he was setting him up for a big at-bat down the road, admitting later that he didn't want Young to see how he might pitch him in a similar situation during the season.

"It's rare and it's impressive for somebody in his second year in professional baseball," pitching coach Dave Eiland said of the Young example. "But it's part of why Ian is here so quick.

"It's always fun to watch a guy like that pitch. He can change speeds behind in the count, but he's not afraid to challenge hitters with his fastball behind in the count either. He's really unpredictable."

The second instance occurred in last night's game with the Reds After getting a couple of quick strikes on Ken Griffey Jr., on fastballs away, IPK jammed with a fastball that should have produced a ground out. Instead, Morgan Ensberg misplayed it into a single for the only hit Kennedy would allow.

But this kid doesn't get fazed. He struck out Brandon Phillips and Adam Dunn on 2-2 changeups, and than used a curveball, a fastball away, and an inside fastball to retire Edwin Encarnacion on a soft liner to third.

It was an inning that made one American League scout at the game last night nod in admiration and say: "That was a Greg Maddux inning."

It was the type of inning that has baseball people debating Kennedy's potential.

"A lot of people who have seen him think he's a No.3 starter at best in the American League because he doesn't have the big fastball," one AL executive said yesterday. "But I've heard a couple of scouts say they think he can be more than that because he has such great location with his fastball and he's got a great changeup."

Kennedy takes pride in his approach.

"I still strike people out with my fastball," he said emphatically. "You can't pitch backwards all the time. Sometimes you want to give the hitter what he wants, you just have to hit your location.

"And sometimes you know what they're looking for, and you give them something that looks like it ... only it's different.

The Yankees and their fans definitely have something to look forward to, hopefully for 10 years or more.