Joe Girardi made it clear yesterday that he wasn't going to put Derek Jeter in the lineup every day to satisfy fans who may want their last glimpse of the captain in pinstripes. Makes sense for a 40-year-old shortstop coming off nearly a full season of injury-related absence. There may be cause for concern, however, as Jeter is not in the lineup for tonight's series finale against the Red Sox. Not wanting to push Jeter's surgically repaired ankle in a day game after a night game is one thing, but not playing him against a left-hander after an off day yesterday could indicate a problem. The beat writers are waiting on an answer, which we'll have for you as soon as they know something and relay the message.
Here is the rest of tonight's lineup:
#Yankees lineup vs BOS: Gardner LF, Beltran RF, Ellsbury CF, Soriano DH, McCann C, Solarte 2B Johnson 3B, Cervelli 1B, Anna SS, Nova P
Mark Teixeira's injury has led to Kelly Johnson shifting from third to first (and Francisco Cervelli even playing a game at first base) and Yangervis Solarte finding himself the everyday third baseman. While Johnson has played relatively well this season, hitting .258/.324/.581 so far, and Solarte has continued the hot hitting that began in Spring Training by posting a .342 batting average with 7 RBI in ten games, there's no doubt having Teixeira back would help the team. Not only would he replace out-of-position guys like Cervelli and Kelly with a Gold Glover at first, but having Teixeira's bat in the lineup should give the Yankees a power boost, which they sorely need.
While Teixeira may return soon, backup shortstop Brendan Ryan is not anywhere close to making a comeback. The official diagnosis of what is wrong with Ryan is a "cervical spine nerve injury," and Girardi has said he won't play during May at all. Even when he does get back in baseball shape, Girardi said Ryan will have to basically redo Spring Training, since Ryan only got 8 at-bats this spring. That's about six weeks of work after he's medically cleared. So we won't be seeing Ryan anytime soon.
Even though he could be useful as a late-game defensive replacement, with the way Dean Anna and Solarte have been hitting this year, Ryan really won't be missed. Teixeira, however, should give the lineup a boost and let everyone return to their natural infield positions. While I'm not convinced he'll be back next weekend, it sounds like he should be back sooner rather than later.
Tonight the Yankees have been attacked with a 2013-size injury bug. Derek Jeter, Brian Roberts, and Francisco Cervelli are all hurt. Derek Jeter missed his second game in a row due to a stiff quad that he has been dealing with and Brian Roberts sat because of a lower back injury. With an already thin infield, the Yankees had to go with Francisco Cervelli at first, but he left the game with a pulled hamstring after beating out a ball to first base. With no "first baseman" Carlos Beltran was forced to make his debut at the position. If you're keeping track at home, that's three players now who have had to play first for the first time in their careers since Mark Teixeira went on the DL.
What do the Yankees do now? Cervelli will almost definitely need to go on the DL, so you can expect Austin Romine or John Ryan Murphy to come up and serve as the backup catcher. Nothing is known about the severity of Roberts' injury, but the Yankees don't have any other infielders on the 40-man roster, so they would have to make some kind of a move. They could either DFA someone like Preston Claiborne or put Brendan Ryan on the 60-day disabled list. They could then call up Scott Sizemore, Russ Canzler or Corban Joseph. Zelous Wheeler just went on the Triple-A DL himself.
There was a moment where it seemed like Yangervis Solarte was also hurt when he limped around after trying to beat a ball to first base. He looked pretty bad going back to the dugout and if he left the game, the Yankees would be completely out of position players. Luckily, we didn't have to see a pitcher take the field because Solarte came back out the next inning and was fine.
That's how weak this infield is right now. Down Mark Teixeira, Brendan Ryan, Derek Jeter, Brian Roberts, and Francisco Cervelli (who has to be considered an infielder because there's no one else). When is it time to sign Stephen Drew? It seems like they could use the depth.
Eduardo Figueroa was activated today and made the emergency start, since it was Chris Rusin's spot in the the lineup. But in reality, the I-Cubs went with the whole bullpen today. Figueroa allowed one run on four hits over two innings. He walked one and struck out no one.
Alberto Cabrera threw the next three innings without allowing a run and got the win after Iowa took the lead in the top of the sixth. He gave up three hits but didn't walk anyone. Cabrera struck out one batter.
Zac Rosscup threw two scoreless innings in relief of Cabrera. He also had a two-run single. Marcos Mateo got his first save of the season when he had to bail out Neil Ramirez, who had allowed two runs in the ninth inning. Entering the game with two out and two on, Mateo got a ground out to end the game.
Center fielder Matt Szczur hit his first home run of the year with a man on in the seventh inning. Szczur was 1 for 4.
Catcher Luis Flores went 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored.
Starter Matt Loosen got the win after he allowed two runs on four hits over five innings. He walked four and struck out five.
The Armando Rivero Fan Club can celebrate again. He threw the last two innings in a non-save situation and retired all six batters he faced. Rivero struck out three.
The six-run second was punctuated by back-to-back home runs by center fielder Zeke DeVoss and second baseman Stephen Bruno. DeVoss hit his with a man on. For both hitters, it was their first home run of the season. DeVoss was 1 for 4 with a hit by pitch. Bruno was 1 for 4 with a walk.
Shortstop Wes Darvill was a perfect 3 for 3 with a walk and a two-run double in the second inning. Darvill had three total RBI and he scored on the DeVoss home run.
Third baseman Kris Bryant went 1 for 3 with two walks and a stolen base. He scored twice. He clearly projects out to be a leadoff hitter.
Ben Wells made his first start of the season and took the loss after allowing two runs on five hits over four innings. Wells walked three and struck out two.
Michael Jensen had a rough time in relief of Wells, allowing four runs on two hits and three walks in only two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one batter.
DH Bijan Rademacher was 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI. Second baseman Tim Saunders was 2 for 5 with a double. He scored once and had one RBI.
Duane Underwood made his first start of the season a pretty successful one, allowing only one run on three hits over three innings. Underwood walked one and struck out five.
Justin Amlung threw the final four innings and got his second win of the young season. Amlung did not allow a run and only gave up two hits. He didn't walk anyone and struck out five.
Right fielder Yasiel Balaguert is not being challenged in his second trip to the Midwest League. He went 2 for 3 with a double and two runs scored. In the first ten games, Balaguert is batting .381. (Yeah, I know. Small sample size. Let me be happy for him for now.)
The Yankees survived some injuries to eke out a win over the Red Sox.
Despite Carlos Beltran playing first base and a pitcher potentially having to come in and play second, the Yankees somehow won this game. Ivan Nova was solid but unspectacular and the offense wasn't great with the exception of a few at bats. It was a game that the Yankees could very easily have lost. But they didn't. They beat the Red Sox 3-2 and I'll take that.
The Yankees could have and should have scored in the bottom of the first. Beltran hit a one-out single and moved to third when Jacoby Ellsbury doubled. Alfonso Soriano hit a fly ball that was caught by Jackie Bradley Jr. in center. Both runners tagged up. Ellsbury was thrown out at third and was tagged out before Beltran was able to cross the plate. A sac fly somehow turned into an inning-ending double play.
That came back to haunt the Yankees when the Red Sox got a run in the second. After the first two hitters went down, Ryan Roberts kept the inning alive with a single. Roberts moved to third when a Bradley grounder deflected off Nova's foot and went for an infield single. Jonathan Herrera then singled to score Roberts. Grady Sizemore hit a fourth consecutive single, but Brett Gardner made a nice throw to get Bradley at the plate to keep the score at 1-0.
The Yankees would eventually get on the board in the bottom of the third. Brett Gardner hit a one-out single and came around to score when Beltran homered. That gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Yankees added another run on a crazy play. Brian McCann and Yangervis Solarte drew back-to-back walks to start the inning. Kelly Johnson then grounded into a force out at second, moving McCann over to third. Francisco Cervelli then appeared to ground into an inning-ending double play, injuring himself in the process. That brought Joe Girardi out of the dugout for two reasons: to check on Cervelli and to review the play at first. It was a close play but the call was overturned, allowing McCann, who had ran home on the play, to score. That increased the Yankee lead to 3-1. Red Sox manager John Farrell then came out of the dugout. He proceeded to be tossed after appearing to say some not nice things about the instant replay system (or they were exchanging recipes for scones, I can't read lips).
Cervelli had to come out of the game and with Derek Jeter and Brian Roberts unavailable, the Yankees had to get adventurous with the defensive alignments. Ichiro Suzuki (who had pinch run for Cervelli) was put in right field and Beltran was moved to first base. The Yankees got through the first inning of that defensive alignment with no damage done.
In the top of the sixth, the Red Sox got a run back by means that had nothing to do with the infield. Mike Napoli crushed a Nova pitch deep over the left-center field wall, cutting the score to 3-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Yankees had another scary moment as it looked like Solarte may have also hurt himself on a play at first base. He walked back gingerly to the dugout, but would come back out for the top of the seventh.
After surviving the bottom of the seventh with no one getting hurt running to first, Nova came back out for the eighth. After getting Xander Bogaerts to fly out, Nova was taken out. It was a nice come back for Nova after his previous start. He went 7.1 innings, allowing just two runs on eight hits while striking out four.
Matt Thornton came in to face David Ortiz. Ortiz crushed a ball to right but Ichiro made an incredible catch at the wall for the second out. After that extremely loud out, David Phelps was brought in. Phelps proceeded to load the bases by allowing a double to Napoli, walking Daniel Nava and hitting A.J. Pierzynski with a pitch. Phelps managed to get out of it by striking out Mike Carp to keep the Yankees in front.
After the Yankees couldn't add any runs in the bottom of the eighth, Shawn Kelley came in to pitch the ninth. The ninth turned out to be way less eventful than the eighth and Kelley pitched a 1-2-3 inning to finish off a tense 3-2 win.
The Yankees will get the day off tomorrow. (A needed one after tonight.) The Cubs will then come to New York for a series starting Tuesday night at 7:05 eastern.
MondoLinks: A recap of baseball happenings over this past weekend...and...this week's One Big Idea: Let's finish fisking PECOTA.
Well, that was totally confusing to me. Nabbing 2 games out of 3, with a fair shot at a sweep, should feel more encouraging. But the way it happened, and the dubious level of competence displayed by the opposition, leaves me somewhat sour. Sure, the Angels clobbered the Mets yesterday by a score of 14 to 2, ripping off 17 hits that included 5 home runs. But that level of aberration out of these guy says more to me about the level of suck in Bartolo Colon. Getting a walk-off win via hit-by-pitch on Friday, and extending the Mets into extras on Saturday via a miracle 3-run jack by a 42-year-old mann only to see even more innings of squandered at-bats, well, I remain unimpressed. Especially considering the fact that the Mets are not exactly a juggernaut these days. And this feels important, because the Oakland A's are coming to town and they ARE a juggernaut at the moment.
And in late breaking news from yesterday that you were ALL just dying to learn, the Angels options Dane De La Rosa (freshly back from the DL) and Matt Shoemaker (fresh from the Saturday night loss) down to the Salt Lake Bees, calling up Jose Alvarez and Yoslan Herrera. Yes. You read that right. THE Yoslan Herera!!! Yeah, hurry over to mlb.com and get your Herrera game gear fast! Oh, oops.
Joe Blanton might have possibly retired yesterday. I suppose this means that he finally admitted to himself that which Mike Scioscia spent all last year refusing to admit. Not even the magic fairie dust of Billy Beane could form a silk purse out of Blanton's right arm. All of baseball waits in the suspense of knowing whether or not this is true.
Stoopid Angels Fan. Thinking Granderson is still available. (Fan was ejected and Granderson offered the option of filing charges.)
Things just keep getting more and more fun with the ongoing Expanded Instant Replay SNAFU. Red Sox manager John Farrell, perhaps more than a little pissed of at the inability of these phantom officials to properly officiate during the Yankees-Red Sox contest Saturday, exploded at the process on Sunday and got himself ejected. Apparently, IR episodes have been assigned a precious seat alongside ball and strikes. Though Shalt Not Argue With The Replay Ruling. Yowza!
Jim Fregosi still not being honored with a memorial patch.
12 games lost. Only 150 games remaining to save face.
_____________________
I want to go back to my Big Idea from two weeks ago, closing that off. (I digressed last Monday due to my pissiness at the ineptitude of Moreno and his management team to properly honor the loss of one of the most important players in our franchise's history, Jim Fregosi.)
So I am fisking PECOTA and the magnitude of import placed on team projections at the start of any season.
Recall that two weeks ago I tallied the results of all winning percentages since baseball went to 162 game schedules. that was over 1300 results since 1962. My point was that, since the actual results tend to bunch around a small number of actual values, and because the margin of error for PECOTA is so broad (+-8), it's actually pretty hard to be wrong. And you don't need PECOTA to be just as accurate. (Therefore, one might ask, of what value is PECOTA at all?)
For your use going forward into the future, here is your very own "Just As Good As PECOTA Predictor Table". Using that same margin of error, if you walk the table (broken into thee parts to account for SBN formatting), you can find some number as your Predicted Number of Wins and see, right next to that value, your odds of being correct.
For example, if you choose to proclaim that "the Angels will win 83 games this season, within the PECOTA margin of error", you will have a nearly 76% chance of being correct (75.9971%, to be exact), based on the winning percentages of all the seasons all teams have played during the regular season since 1962.
It's quick. It's easy. It requires almost zero effort on your part (and only about two hour of Internet/Excel tabulation on my part). It holds no special magic or power. And, historically, it's just as accurate.
Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from April 13th.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 7-1 vs. Syracuse Chiefs
RF Ramon Flores 4-4, 2 doubles, triple, BB 3B Scott Sizemore 2-5, triple, 3 RBI, 2 K - batting .344 this season LF Zoilo Almonte 3-5, RBI 1B Russ Canzler 1-3, 2 RBI, K, E3 - throwing error (2nd) 2B Corban Joseph 1-4, K DH John Ryan Murphy 1-4, double, K - batting .192 this season C Austin Romine 1-3, BB CF Antoan Richardson 2-3, RBI, SB SS Carmen Angelini 0-4, 2 K
CF Mason Williams 2-5, HR, RBI - first homer of the season DH Ben Gamel 0-4, BB, K RF Tyler Austin 2-4, BB - batting .240 this season C Gary Sanchez 2-4, double, BB, K - batting .353 this season 1B Kyle Roller 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K - first game, first homer of the season 2B Rob Refsnyder 0-3, BB, K LF Taylor Dugas 1-4, double 3B Dan Fiorito 1-4, K SS Ali Castillo 0-2, 2 BB
Matt Tracy 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K, pickoff - 57 of 94 pitches for strikes Pat Venditte 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB Taylor Garrison 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
CF Jake Cave 1-5, 2 K SS Cito Culver 2-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, BB, K - batting .256 this season 3B Eric Jagielo 0-4, BB, E5 - fielding error, fourth of the season C Peter O'Brien 1-4, passed ball, E2 - pickoff error DH Dante Bichette Jr. 1-2, 2 BB, K - batting .267 this season 2B Angelo Gumbs 3-4, RBI 1B Reymond Nunez 0-3, RBI, BB, 2 K RF Danny Oh 1-2, 2 RBI, BB LF Claudio Custodio 2-4, double, RBI, K
Manny Banuelos 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Eric Ruth 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, WP Zach Woods 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB James Pazos 2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:L 2-3 vs. Augusta GreenJackets
SS Abiatal Avelino 1-3, BB, K, 2 SB, E6 - fielding error (2nd) 2B Tyler Wade 0-3, BB, 2 K DH Aaron Judge 2-4, RBI, 2 K 1B Mike Ford 1-4, 2 K - batting .351 this season LF Michael O'Neill 1-4, double, 2 K CF Brandon Thomas 0-4, K 3B John Murphy 2-3, K C Luis Torrens 0-3, K - batting .095 this season RF Mikeson Oliberto 1-3, double, K, CS, E9 - fielding error (1st)
Caleb Smith 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R/2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 pickoffs Cesar Vargas 3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Stefan Lopez 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB
CBS Sports | Jon Heyman: Scott Boras wants to an investigations into the anonymous comments that may have damaged Stephen Drew's and Kendrys Morales' value on the open market.
Why did the Yankees even start the season with such a bleak infield (and so many catchers)?
In case you missed it, Francisco Cervelli started last night's game at first base, so that Kelly Johnson could cover third base, and Yangervis Solarte could start at second base because Brian Roberts was on the bench with a lower back injury. When Cervelli pulled his hamstring in the fourth inning, the Yankees chose to move Carlos Beltran to first base, and put Ichiro Suzuki in right field. That was Beltran's major league debut at first base, which must mean that Alfonso Soriano looked terrible at first when he took drills there during spring training.
Then there was a scary moment in the sixth when it looked like Solarte might need to come out of the game (and the only real option would have been playing Derek Jeter with a sore quad, or a pitcher). This was followed up by a scary moment in the eighth where a ball hit A.J. Pierzynski, then hit Brian McCann's bare hand, and if he had to leave the game, apparently Dean Anna was going to be the catcher. In between innings early on, Girardi had said, "Dean Anna doesn't know it, but he's my third catcher." If you missed this game, consider yourself lucky.
I feel the need to point out that it's April 14th. The season has barely started. We shouldn't be wondering if a pitcher is going to come in to play the infield in the sixth inning. Why did the Yankees' front office even start the season with this infield situation? It's not like half of the infield being old and injured/injury-prone is a total shock. It's not like Roberts was as healthy as an ox for his entire career and just randomly injured his back yesterday. Add to that the fact that Jeter and Mark Teixeira both missed most of last season with injuries, and it just makes the situation even more ridiculous.
This also begs the question of: Why are there five catchers on the 40-man roster?! Since Cervelli is hurt, it's good that we have Austin Romine and John Ryan Murphy available, but the two of them, plus Gary Sanchez is an excessive amount. You have to think that last night's game was a wake-up call that the team needs infield help ASAP. The Triple-A options of Scott Sizemore and Russ Canzler aren't amazing, but at least they can actually play the infield. Stephen Drew is still available, so the Yankees might want to rethink their apparent strong opposition to him. The Yankees need to do whatever it takes to ensure that we don't experience another game like that during the rest of the season. If Solarte had left the game in the sixth, CC Sabathia seriously might have been playing second base. That is not okay. That game probably shaved five years off of my life expectancy. Thankfully, Beltran did a fine job at first base, the outfield made a lot of amazing plays, and the Yankees somehow won the game.
No beer and no Yankees Baseball make Yankee fans something something...
Can you believe what the Yankees did to the Red Sox in yesterday's episode of Game of Thrones? Total shocker. Who knew that Adam Warren had that kind of brutality in him? There's no telling what will happen this week in Bronxteros. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a day to find out as the Yankees have the day off. Now for Daily Predictions answers.
4/13/14 Daily Predictions Answers
1.
How many innings does the opposing team starter pitch?
6.2
2.
Total number of strikeouts by the Yankee starter only?
4
3.
Total number of earned runs allowed by the Yankees' bullpen?
0
4.
Total number of walks given up by Yankee pitchers?
1
5.
Total number of Yankee extra base hits?
3
6.
Name one Yankee you think will hit a home run tonight
Beltran
7.
Name a Yankee you think will have the best defensive play of the game
Ichiro
8.
Best overall Yankee of the night?
Beltran
The current clairvoyant titan of 2014, HighFlyers28, has once again emerged victorious with a 3,000 point victory. PSA, you have your new enemy. HighFlyers28, you might want to consider playing the lotto while the force is strong with you. Just a suggestion. As there is no Yankees Baseball today, there will be no Daily Yankees Predictions. To keep it going though, here are some simple Daily Non-Yankees Predictions.
4/14/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions
1.
ATL @ PHI: Winner/Final Score?
2.
TB @ BAL: Winner/Final Score?
3.
PIT @ CIN: Winner/Final Score?
4.
WSH @ MIA: Winner/Final Score?
5.
SEA @ TEX: Winner/Final Score?
6.
STL @ MIL: Winner/Final Score?
7.
NYM @ ARI: Winner/Final Score?
8.
OAK @ LAA: Winner/Final Score?
9.
COL @ SD: Winner/Final Score?
Rockies fans get a Taco Bell deal if the team scores 7 runs. What kind of silly deal would you like the Yankees to do?
Favorite Muffin?
Favorite Beatles song?
Interleague: What NL team do you look forward to the Yankees playing more than any other?
The Yankees just took three games out of four from the Red Sox. In 2013, that seemed like a near impossible task. Feel free to discuss that. Speaking of 2013, injuries. Feel free to discuss this as well. Tanaka pitches on Tuesday against the Cubs. I'm thinking of buying last minute tickets to see him pitch live again. Is that wrong?
Please feel free to use this open thread all day long. The next time there is Yankee Baseball on a Monday, they'll be in Anaheim to face the Los Angeles Angels of said Anaheim. Good times.
Is Carlos Beltran really going to cut it as the Yankees' backup first baseman with both Tex and Cervelli injured?
When Mark Teixeira went down with a hamstring injury just a few games into the 2014 season, that left Kelly Johnson as the team's default first baseman, even though he only had three professional games at first base on his record. The Yankees also decided that backup catcher Francisco Cervelli would be their backup first baseman, and he somehow had even less experience than Johnson--absolutely none at all aside from spring training grounders. The Yankees likely figured that this pairing would hold them over until Teixeira returned toward the end of April from his relatively normal hamstring injury, but Sunday night, the baseball gods had other ideas.
Like Tex, Cervelli was forced from the game with a hamstring injury, though it came on a hustled-out fielder's choice. He departed the game in favor of pinch-runner Ichiro Suzuki, the only healthy position player left on the bench given Brian Roberts' sore back and Derek Jeter's tight quad. That forced Carlos Beltran to first base for the first time in his life. I'm not even aware of him ever even taking grounders at the position in spring training. Although Beltran survived without embarrassment, it was an emergency in-game solution and one not likely considered to be a legitimate backup option for Johnson. With Cervelli reportedly set to go on the DL, the Yankees will need to recall either Austin Romine or John Ryan Murphy. However, it seems like they will also need to pick someone to fill Cervelli's role as first base backup.
It's possible that they will just do a one-for-one swap to get Brian McCann a new backup catcher and roll with either Dean Anna and Yangervis Solarte as backup first basemen since Joe Girardi mentioned shortly after Teixeira's injury that both could see time at first base. That would allow them to avoid making a 40-man roster move, which they frequently seem reticent to do. Unfortunately for them, that is not exactly a great plan since their regular bench (which is already short given their 13-man pitching staff) would then be Anna, Ichiro, and Romine or Murphy (both young catchers with no experience at first base). Of course the problem with that is Roberts and Jeter are not exactly feeling 100 percent either. Jeter will probably be good to return from his sore quad on Tuesday after three full days off, but while the MRI on Roberts' back came back negative, he is day-to-day and the Yankees will just have to rest him on the bench for a little bit and cross their fingers that he does not end up like Kevin Youkilis "recovering" while riding the bench for a week last April only to end up on the DL anyway.
As previously mentioned, the Yankees are rolling with a 13-man pitching staff right now, and Shane Greene hasn't been needed once since he was recalled for bullpen relief following Vidal Nuno's 67-pitch outing on April 8th. It doesn't make much sense for the Yankees to keep that many pitchers on the roster when their bench is limited enough as is with no first baseman and Roberts possibly needing a few non-DL days of rest. The Yankees should call up a position player to provide infield depth, especially since they might want to take it easy with Roberts and Jeter. The options are not glamorous, but the Yankees should call up either Scott Sizemore or Russ Canzler until Teixeira can return.
Both players were non-roster invitees to spring training and both ended up reporting to Triple-A Scranton. In terms of major league legitimacy, Sizemore has an edge because he has actually had previous success in the bigs. In 2011, he hit .245/.342/.399 with a 109 wRC+ in 110 games for the Tigers and Athletics, posting a 1.6 fWAR season. A torn ACL kept him out for all of 2012 and a re-tear ended his 2013 season when it was just two days old, but the 29-year-old finally seemed healthy again for the Yankees in March. He had a fine .777 OPS in 19 spring training at-bats, and more relevantly, he's off to a hot start with the RailRiders, batting .344/.436/.500 in his first 10 games and 39 plate appearances. Sizemore also has a May 1st opt-out that he can choose to take if he wants, which could play a role in their decision as well. His major disadvantage in this roster spot opening is that he has no experience at first base, so his strength would be more second and third base depth. With Roberts hurting and Solarte far from a lock, second and third base depth would certainly be a plus. Hell, they could try giving him grounders at first base too; would it really be so bad compared to Solarte and Anna, who have a mere combined five games of minor league experience there?
If the Yankees want to go with a more legitimate first baseman, then the 28-year-old Canzler is their guy. Unlike pretty much everyone on 40-man roster aside from Teixeira, Canzler is a regular first baseman. He's played 496 of 841 games in the minors there and eight games out of 29 in the majors as well. He's not going to be an elite fielder like Teixeira there, but his experience will make him seem like Tex compared to the likes of Johnson and anyone else at first. Canzler's bat was not sharp in camp, but he began the 2014 season decently in Scranton by hitting .276/.303/.448 in nine games and 33 plate appearances. However, his bat has already proved itself to be better than Triple-A pitching given his past 2011 International League MVP honors and .277/.357/.465 career triple slash at the level. He's only had 29 games of MLB experience with which to acquit himself, but he hasn't looked awful or anything in that minimal time--a .271/.304/.396, 91 wRC+ batting line. He has also played 143 minor league games at third, so he could be corner infield depth there as well. It wouldn't be the end of days if he sat on the Yankees' bench for a little while until Teixeira recovers.
The bottom line is that the Yankees can't only call up a catcher to replace Cervelli. With a short bench, they need another player too, and both Canzler and Sizemore fit the bill for infield depth. Corban Joseph's not off to a great start, just had shoulder surgery last year, and only has a handful of first base game experience to his name, but he might as well be considered, too. Same goes for Jose Pirela, though like Sizemore, he has not played first. The 40-man roster spot should not be a problem if Brendan Ryan is indeed seriously a question mark for the entire month of May as well. The nasty cervical spine nerve injury is not likely going to have a quick recovery, and he will probably need some extended spring training time to get into shape as well since he barely played in March at all. They can just send him to the 60-day DL to clear up a spot, send down Greene, and activate one of their Triple-A infielders. It's a move just to help the bench, but one that is desperately needed to make the bench have actual backups instead of recovering players.
Cervelli to miss 4-6 weeks with a hamstring injury.
The Yankees are sending backup catcher Francisco Cervelli to the disabled list with a Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered in Sunday night's game against the Red Sox. Recovery time for a Grade 2 strain is roughly 4-6 six weeks, which means that Austin Romine or John Ryan Murphy will get a bit of an extended stay with the big league club. Romine is the safe bet to be the one called up before tomorrow's game against the Cubs. It's truly unfortunate news for Cervelli, who seems to end up injured way too often. Bad luck for a guy who is actually a nice option as a backup.
Shane Greene was also optioned to Triple-A. He was called up after Vidal Nuno threw over 60 pitches against the Orioles last week, but Brian Roberts' back ailment likely means that the Yankees need to call up a position player for depth. Zoilo Almonte and Ramon Flores are the only healthy non-catcher position players already on the 40-man roster, and both of them are outfielders. The Yankees are already pretty well-stocked with those. Someone might have to be DFA'd to get Scott Sizemore or Russ Canzler on the roster unless the team wants to place Brendan Ryan on the 60-day DL. With the way Ryan's recovery has gone so far, it wouldn't be very far fetched to think it might be the logical move.
Good news is that Brian McCann's hand is fine after taking a ball that hit A.J. Pierzynski off his fingers last night. McCann stayed in the game but was sent for precautionary x-rays to be sure that everything was still intact. Consider that a bullet dodged this time. They almost certainly wouldn't have been so lucky a year ago.
Most pitcher stats can be pretty fluky this early in the season, but velocity readings can provide insight into how well a pitcher has performed. A major change in a pitcher's velocity can be an early indicator of an injury or performance shift. How have the Yankees pitchers been throwing so far?
Just 11 games into the season, its still far too early to make any conclusions about performance, especially for pitchers who have only one or two games under their belts. Something that can be a little more telling, though, is fastball velocity. Unlike ERA or strikeout numbers, a pitcher can't fluke his way into throwing harder. Sure, some pitchers may not yet be at full strength in early April, which could lead to slightly slower velocities, but there's a limit to how fluky a pitcher's velocity can be -- it's not like Hiroki Kuroda can randomly average 100 MPH over a week of games. Either a guy can throw hard or he can't. So how hard have the Yankees' pitchers been throwing so far compared to last season?
Of all Yankee pitchers, Adam Warren saw the biggest velocity bump compared to last April, adding nearly a full MPH to his four-seam fastball. Warren's looked very sharp out of the 'pen so far and is positioning himself as one of Joe Girardi's go-to arms in the late innings.
Vidal Nuno has also thrown harder this year than he did in his five appearances from last season, likely because he's worked exclusively out of the bullpen thus far. Although his velocity's improved, the results haven't followed -- his ERA currently sits at 14.54 over three appearances.
The losers:
Its been well documented that CC Sabathia's fastball's been slowing down. Both Sabathia's velocity and performance have been trending in the wrong direction for years now, and so far, 2014's been no exception. For the third year in a row CC's lost over a MPH off of his fastball. If CC's velocity doesn't bounce back, it'll be interesting to see if he re-evaluates his approach -- perhaps by relying more heavily on his newly-minted cutter.
With all the talk of Sabathia's vanishing fastball, few have noticed that Ivan Nova's throwing his fastball 1.3 MPH slower than he did last season, which might be part of the reason why he's struggled so far. Nova's velocity had been on the rise since his rookie year, so maybe he was due for some regression. Hopefully this is just a blip on the radar and Nova's able to resume sitting at 94 once the weather warms up.
Michael Pineda's fastball has lost nearly four MPH since April 2011. Pineda's dealt with with shoulder issues for the better part of two years, so a velocity loss was to be expected. Given the severity of Pineda's injury, the Yankees are probably thrilled he's even able to break 90. Still, its not out of the question that his fastball could get a little more oomph once he gets back into the swing of throwing on a regular basis.
We're only a few games into the season, so a deviation in fastball velocity might represent nothing more than a bad game or two. Or it could also be an early indicator of something more. Every MPH drop in a pitcher's fastball velocity results in about a .33 increase in ERA, so even a slight change in velocity can make a significant difference. Velocity readings are something to monitor all year long -- especially for guys like Nova and Sabathia who's success is mission-critical to the Yankees' 2014 season.
Baltimore visits Boston in our Game of the Week. We've got your fantasy preview here.
Fake Teams Game of the Week rolls on this week with another appearance from the Boston Red Sox, as they play host to fellow basement dweller Baltimore. Don't forget to vote in our poll.
Recently: This weekend's Yankees series had all the drama you might expect from such a rivalry, highlighted by accusations of ball doctoring on Thursday and a botched replay on Saturday. The Red Sox dropped 3 of 4, but they had some unlucky breaks. They're skidding, and one would expect them to pull out of it, but there are worries about Dustin Pedroia's injured wrist, which was reported to not be fractured today.
Fun with fantasy:Mike Napoli hit his third home run Sunday night in Boston's loss to New York. The backstop turned first baseman is off to a torrid start, hitting .300/.386/.520. More importantly, he's playing everyday. This is his first year without catcher eligibility, so his draft stock was down, but his production is certainly corner infield quality. This start won't last forever - numbers that good rarely do - but this is a promising start for somebody who was supposed to be done two years ago.
Recently: The Os followed up their series win over the Yankees by losing two out of three to the Blue Jays to fall to 5-7 on the season, just 1/2 game ahead of Boston. Ubaldo Jimenez continued his early-season poor form on Sunday with a 5.1 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K performance, and home runs from Chris Davis and Matt Wieters weren't enough to close the gap. The narrative early in the season is the lineup's impatience, as Baltimore has drawn just 24 walks in 12 games.
Fun with fantasy: Chris Davis has followed up his 53 home run 2013 with a relatively slow start, hitting his first on Sunday. The strikeouts are down, which is encouraging, but he's swinging and missing more. As a first round pick this spring, owners will need him to pick up the pace.
The Ballpark
Contrary to popular belief, Fenway Park suppresses home runs, but the reputation likely persists because it is overall a very good run environment. The Green Monster can change doubles into singles, but the funky corner in deep center field is a Bermuda Triangle for baseballs.
This Week
Baltimore hosts Tampa Bay for three games and get a day off Thursday before traveling to Boston. The Red Sox have today off, then go to Chicago for a three-game set with the White Sox.
The new look Yankees could buck a franchise trend and make some noise on the base paths this year.
Throughout history the trademarks of Yankee baseball have been great hitting, slick fielding, and the almighty home run. The stolen base has been something of an afterthought. With a revamped roster that includes speedster Jacoby Ellsbury, that might change in 2014. After a disappointing season that saw them in the bottom half of the league in runs scored, it's clear that Joe Girardi will give Ellsbury and company the green light more often this year as a way to spark the offense. Just how much base-stealing potential does this team have, though? Can they really master the art of thievery better than Yankee teams of the past? Let's start by taking a look at the top ten Yankee teams with regards to stolen bases. (Data courtesy of Baseball Reference. Live ball era only because the dead ball era stolen base environment was much, much different and does not include caught stealing data.)
Stolen Bases - Top 10 Yankee Teams - Live Ball Era
Year
Stolen Bases
SB Attempts
SB %
1976
163
228
71%
2001
161
214
75%
1985
155
208
75%
1998
153
216
71%
2011
147
193
76%
1988
146
185
79%
2006
139
174
80%
1986
139
187
74%
1931
138
206
67%
1989
137
197
70%
In general, the Yankees at their best have stolen around one base per game with a success rate that didn't hurt the offense. It should be no surprise that four of these teams included Hall of Famer and stolen base king Rickey Henderson. In his brief tenure with the Yankees he put up some astonishing numbers. For instance, in 1988 he stole a whopping 93 bases and was successful 88% of the time. It was really a one man show.
However, the two most prolific base-stealing seasons in Yankees history were certainly team efforts. In 1976, Mickey Rivers led the AL champs with 43 stolen bases, Willie Randolph and Roy White each swiped more than 30, and Thurman Munson, Sandy Alomar Sr., and Graig Nettles each stole more than 10. From top to bottom they could run on you. The 2001 squad also won the AL pennant and included a handful of players that could hurt you on the base paths. A young Alfonso Soriano led the way with 43 steals while Chuck Knoblauch followed closely behind with 38. In the efficiency department, Derek Jeter stole 27 out of 30 while Paul O'Neill came out of nowhere at age 38 in his final season to steal 22 out of 25. Bernie Williams chipped in with another 11 steals to round out the lineup.
Jacoby Ellsbury is a great base runner, but he's no Rickey Henderson, so if the 2014 Yankees make noise stealing bases, it will be a team effort in the fashion of the 1976 and 2001 teams. Leading the way will be Ellsbury and his partner in crime Brett Gardner. The second tier thieves will be the aging but still speedy Brian Roberts and Ichiro Suzuki, who Joe Girardi has proven will still have a significant role on this team (he has appeared in seven of ten games through Friday). That quartet has combined to steal ten bases in eleven attempts through the first ten games of the season, which is right on pace with the best base-stealing teams in franchise history. It's still very early, but these guys appear determined to be menaces when getting on base. Furthermore, there are three other regulars on the roster who are capable of stealing if the mood strikes them. Derek Jeter, Carlos Beltran, and Alfonso Soriano each have well over 250 stolen bases in their career and have put up double-digit steal seasons in the not so distant past.
This squad also has the potential to be more efficient than each of the top ten teams listed above. Check out the career success rates of the core four speedsters:
Name
Stolen Bases
SB Attempts
SB %
Jacoby Ellsbury
245
292
84%
Brett Gardner
163
201
81%
Brian Roberts
280
349
80%
Ichiro Suzuki
473
579
82%
In the case of Roberts and Ichiro, they seem to be getting even better at picking their spots despite their advanced age. Through his injury-riddled seasons from 2010 to 2013, Roberts has a 81% success rate which is better than his career number and Ichiro stole 20 bases at an 83% clip just a year ago. This team should have no problem stealing at an 80% success rate or better.
Obviously, health will be the biggest issue here. In order to steal bases, a player needs to be healthy and everybody mentioned above has had recent injury problems. With a little luck though, they can inject life into the offense and even make Robin Hood proud.
All of these grades are preliminary and subject to change.
QUICK PRIMER ON GRADE MEANINGS:
Grade A prospects are the elite. They have a reasonable chance of becoming stars or superstars. In theory, most Grade A prospects develop into major league regulars, if injuries or unanticipated problems don't intervene. Note that is a major "if" in some cases.
Grade B prospects have a good chance to enjoy successful careers. Some will develop into stars, some will not. Most end up spending several years in the majors, at the very least in a marginal role.
Grade C prospects are the most common type. These are guys who have something positive going for them, but who may have a question mark or three, or who are just too far away from the majors to get an accurate feel for. A few Grade C guys, especially at the lower levels, do develop into stars. Some end up as role players or bench guys. Many don't make it at all.
Also note that there is diversity within each category. I'm a tough grader; Grade C+ is actually good praise, and some C+ prospects (especially at lower levels) turn out very well indeed.
Finally, keep in mind that all grades are shorthand. You have to read the full comment in the book for my full opinion about a player, the letter grade only tells you so much. A Grade C prospect in rookie ball could end up being very impressive, while a Grade C prospect in Triple-A is likely just a future role player.
1) Taijuan Walker, RHP, Grade A: Athletic, throws hard, throws strikes, good makeup, statistically successful, good major league debut last fall. Complete package for success here assuming he stays healthy. 2) James Paxton, LHP, Grade A-: Borderline B+: I had him as a B+ last year and he’s done enough to move up another half-grade. I believe that his early big league success is not a fluke, or least mostly not. He’s human and some backsliding is likely but even accounting for that he looks like a number two or very strong number three starter, good health providing. 3) D.J. Peterson, 3B, Grade B+: Big-time power, we’ll have to see how average/OBP pan out at higher levels but I’m optimistic. I’d go up to an A- if I were more confident in his defense.
4) Victor Sanchez, RHP, Grade B: A weird prospect, strong mature build but just 19, unusually good control for a young pitcher, velocity varies, quality of secondary pitches depends on what your source is, but ultimately he gets results. Future number three starter? Nobody mentions him as a future closer but that wouldn’t surprise me either.
5) Edwin Diaz, RHP, Grade B: More of a classic pitching prospect than Sanchez, actually a year older but two levels behind him. Low-to-mid-90s, usually throws strikes, slider looks good, changeup needs work, another potential number three starter but with a different style than Sanchez.
6) Austin Wilson, OF, Grade B-. Great athlete with a high ceiling as a complete player, but contact issues and erratic track record make ranking difficult. Hitting well in the early going in the Midwest League. Could be a star or a Triple-A flameout. What is the deal with Stanford anyway?
7) Chris Taylor, SS, Grade B-: Looks to have a broad base of skills, good defense, on base ability, speed, gap power, has outhit expectations so far. Great pick in the fifth round in 2012 from Virginia.
8) Jin-Man Choi, 1B, Grade B-: Controversy!I know he’s not the toolsiest guy in the world but he can simply hit, good combination of power and on-base ability, very low strikeout rate for a guy with those skills. He won’t run track for you but he’s hit at every level when healthy and no red flags stand out sabermetrically. I’ll put a marker down on this one.
9) Tyler Marlette, C, Grade C+: Borderline B-: I liked this guy since he was in high school, development has been slower than ideal but he’s still just 21, should be solid on both offense and defense eventually. Not a star but still has a chance to be a valuable regular.
10) Gabriel Guerrero, OF, Grade C+: Borderline B-. Excellent tools. Was sometimes overmatched in the Midwest League last year due to poor strike zone judgment. Off to a better start this year and ranking will rise if he maintains that, though of course High Desert factors have to be weighed in. As with Wilson, he could become a star or a fair regular or a Triple-A bust.
11) Luiz Gohara, LHP, Grade C+: Positives: live arm, good mechanics, potential for three plus pitches. Negatives: understandably erratic, had some shoulder trouble last year, being just 17 is both good and bad for prospect ranking purposes. Very high ceiling guy but want to see how he develops this year.
12) Patrick Kivlehan, 3B, Grade C+: Former Rutgers football player made good progress last year with dramatic reduction in strikeout rate compared to his ’12 debut. Has a chance to hit for power and average, defense is still rough, older than ideal at age 24 but that is understandable given his background.
13) Tyler Pike, LHP, Grade C+: Good arm? Beep. Consistent command? Beep beep. Potential number three or four starter? Beep. Needs to develop more consistency with secondary pitches? Beep. Faces a challenge to keep things together in tough environment at High Desert? Beep. Higher grades possible in time? Beep. Future ace? Beep beep. Standard young pitcher caveats apply? Beep.
14) Roenis Elias, LHP, Grade C+: I had this guy rated as a sleeper last year. He does not have the long-range ceiling of someone like Sanchez, Diaz, or even Pike. But he’s a finished product and I don’t see why he can’t be a successful fourth or fifth starter. Cuban defector did not receive the hype of others in that group. You can make a B- case but I already have enough ranking headaches on this list.
15) AbrahamAlmonte, OF, Grade C+: Hitting version of Elias, non-name prospect who took a step forward into major league value. Has some pop, some speed, nice steal from the Yankees system. Contact issues are apparent right now but I think he can be a valuable role player.
16) Jabari Blash, OF, Grade C+: Tools have always been here, particularly power, but it has taken longer to resolve contact issues and general consistency. Off to a fast start in Double-A. Perhaps just a .250 hitter but could have enough power and patience to be valuable anyway. On the right day he looks like a star. On the wrong day, well. . .
17) Tyler O’Neill, OF, Grade C+: Canadian who draws constant Brett Lawrie comparisons for being tightly-wound muscular but under 6-foot. Good power potential, other skills need polish. I rather like him and I think higher grades are likely in time.
18) Carson Smith, RHP, Grade C+: Relief prospects are tough to grade, I had him as high as a B- on earlier versions of this list. Love his strikeout/ground ball ability but I am not convinced his command will fully hold up for a closer role, at least in the short run. Gets some incredible movement on his pitches when he’s going well. Excellent value as eighth round pick in 2011 from Texas State.
19) Dominic Leone, RHP, Grade C+: Two years ago he was struggling at Clemson as a starting pitcher. Now he’s in the big league bullpen, throwing 98 instead of 91 and with better secondary pitches. Great development work with this one.
20) Ketel Marte, SS, Grade C+: Very good defensive shortstop with a chance to hit, hasn’t received much attention yet but off to a fast start in Double-A at age 20. Stock will rise dramatically if that continues.
To be honest, this was a very difficult list to work up. The huge amount of C+/B- talent in this system is tough to rank. There were easily another 10 guys who could rank in the Grade C (or even C+) category.
I have seen a few references to the Mariners system being down but I don’t see that at all: this looks like a very deep system to me. Many of those C+ guys have high upside potential but need more development time or, from a sabermetric perspective, larger sample sizes to judge. While big bonus players and early draft picks get most of the press, the Mariners have shown they can identify undervalued talents like Elias and Almonte.
On the mound, Walker and Paxton are ready now, health allowing. There’s no shortage of potential mid-rotation or relief arms. The Mariners have also shown an admirable ability to select pitchers in later rounds and get something out of them. If Danny Hultzen comes back from shoulder surgery, so much the better.
On the hitting side you have potentially explosive power bats in Peterson and Wilson from last year’s draft. There are middle infielders and toolsy outfielders, polished bats and raw upside bets. I admit liking Choi more than most people but even if you don’t buy into him there is still a lot in this system. Developing hitters in Safeco isn’t easy but the scouting department is providing the material to work with.
Overall, while there are some question-marks I think the Mariners have an diverse and very promising collection of minor league talent.
The Yankees won last night's game against the Red Sox, but they also lost their backup catcher and acting first baseman in Francisco Cervelli to a grade 2 hamstring strain. They previously had Austin Romine up with the team, but he has since been sent down. It wouldn't have been a surprise if he returned in order to fill the backup catcher roll, but it seems that instead, John Ryan Murphy will get the call.
Baseball source says JR Murphy will be called up Tuesday to take Francisco Cervelli's spot as backup catcher.
It was previously believed that Murphy would only be called up to serve as the starting catcher if Brian McCann ever missed time (which almost became a reality last night, as well), with Romine being the replacement backup. I guess, if they're going to have to play one of them regularly, they're much more interested in Murphy.
In his age-22 season, he impressed with a .269/.347/.426 line between Double-A and Triple-A. Unfortunately, he didn't hit particularly well in his short time with the Yankees. He also struggled in spring training and has not gotten off to a great start in Triple-A. For what it's worth (maybe nothing), he's actually hit only .141/.162/.228 since being called up last year. Whether this will carry over to 2014 is yet to be seen, but hopefully they won't be damaging any trade value Murphy might have if he ends up struggling.
The Yankees have five catchers on the 40-man roster, and even though it has come in handy so far, it would be nice to trade one of them for a more useful player, like an infielder. It would be nice to see Murphy perform admirably as the backup catcher until Cervelli returns and not hurt his trade value.
Baseball America | Ben Badler: MLB is decreasing the amount of money teams can spend on international players while upping the money they can spend in the draft.
Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results for April 14th.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Postponed for rain
Double-A Trenton Thunder:W 2-0 vs. Akron RubberDucks
CF Mason Williams 1-4 LF Ben Gamel 0-3, BB, CS 3B Rob Segedin 0-3, BB, E5 - throwing error (2nd) 1B Kyle Roller 1-4, double, K DH Tyler Austin 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 K - batting .241 this season RF Taylor Dugas 1-4, double 2B Dan Fiorito 0-3 C Francisco Arcia 1-3 SS Ali Castillo 0-2, BB, E6 - throwing error (3rd)
Bryan Mitchell 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 12 K - 58 of 87 pitches for strikes Manny Barreda 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB Diego Moreno 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
High-A Tampa Yankees:W 6-5 vs. Clearwater Threshers
CF Jake Cave 1-5, RBI SS Cito Culver 0-4, BB, 2 K, E6 - fielding error (5th), 9 for his last 43 (.209) Eric Jagielo 2-5, 2 K 3B Dante Bichette Jr. 2-2, RBI, 2 BB - batting .313 this season 2B Angelo Gumbs 2-5, double, K 1B Jose Toussen 2-4, BB RF Cody Grice 2-4, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K, CS C Trent Garrison 0-2, 2 BB LF Claudio Custodio 1-3, RBI, BB, K, 2 OF assists
Brett Gerritse 5 IP, 13 H, 5 R/4 ER, BB, 4 K Kyle Haynes 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K Evan Rutckyj 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 11-3 vs. Greenville Drive
SS Abiatal Avelino 2-5, 2 K, CS CF Brandon Thomas 1-3, double, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K RF Aaron Judge 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K - batting .256 this season 1B Mike Ford 1-4, RBI, BB, K 3B Miguel Andujar 2-5, triple, 3 RBI, K LF Michael O'Neill 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, K - second homer of the season DH John Murphy 1-5, CS, put out C Luis Torrens 2-4, HR, RBI, BB, K, passed ball - first homer of the season 2B Gosuke Katoh 2-4, BB
Rookie Davis 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R/1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, hit batsman Andy Beresford 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, WP Nick Rumbelow 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, WP Jordan Cote 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
The much-maligned first round pick from 2011 is off to a very good start at High-A Tampa.
With their first selection (51st overall) in the 2011 MLB Draft, the Yankees selected high school third baseman Dante Bichette Jr out of Maitland, Florida. Like their Cito Culver pick the year before, the selection of Bichette was criticized quite a bit by draft experts. At the time, Baseball America had Bichette as the draft's 108th best prospect, while Keith Law didn't have him in his Top 100. Bichette had a strong couple months in the Gulf Coast League and Staten Island shortly after being drafted, but it went downhill from there once he got promoted to Low-A Charleston the following season.
Bichette followed up his .335/.440/.507 performance through 54 games and 248 plate appearances at GCL and SI with a weak .248/.322/.331 line with 94 strikeouts and 44 walks through 522 PA's at Charleston. It was obviously disappointing to see Bichette have a rough first full year in the organization, but he was just 19 years old at the time and he did finish the final 12 games with a .979 OPS, so perhaps there was hope for next year!
...Except Bichette struggled once again during his second go-around at Low-A ball in 2013; he hit .214/.292/.331 with 43 walks and 119 strikeouts in 486 PA's. He actually managed to do worse in 2013 (.623 OPS) than he did in 2012 (.653) despite repeating the level. Once a top-10 prospect in the organization, Bichette pretty much fell off the prospect map entirely with his .232/.308/.331 showing in over 1000 PA's at Low-A.
Thankfully, the Yankees haven't given up on Bichette (and why would they?). During spring camp, according to Steffan Segui of Baseball Prospectus, Bichette showed a more simplified approach at the plate; "his swing is now rock, identify pitch, and roll. Short and quick, don't ask questions." This appears to be a stark improvement from his previous mechanics at the plate where he'd be "huge rock, never identify pitch, Javier Baez-type leg-lift, front shoulder bails, hands drop, then roll." Segui also mentions that Bichette's defense at third still "isn't very good," but it was Bichette's bat that was his ticket to the Major Leagues to start with.
Although it's (very) early, this improved approach by Bichette may have already carried into real games. Finally at High-A Tampa, Bichette is hitting .313/.489(!)/.438 through his first 11 games and 44 PA's. That .489 OBP, by the way, is backed up by 12 walks (27% BB-rate), with only seven strikeouts (16% K-rate) to boot. For someone who had walk and strikeout rates of 8% and 21%, respectively, at Low-A, this is quite the pleasant sight. Even if there's lots of season left to played, it's nice to see one of the team's first round picks start to come around at the plate; a full, productive 2014 should put the 21-year-old firmly back on the prospect map.
