Or maybe they're larping.

People love Ichiro. I'm one of those people! His baseball skill, public dislike for Cleveland, and affinity for Dragon Quest have endeared him to me. I haven't dressed up like Ichiro and mimicked his movements at a baseball game, though:

Is Yankees Ichiro just that into Ichiro that he has to pretend to be him during warm-ups, or is Mariners Ichiro not allowed to play along since Actual Ichiro is no longer with Seattle? Cosplay is all about authenticity, you know.

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from May 6th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 2-1 vs. Indianapolis Indians

RF Ramon Flores 1-4, K - batting .341/.438/.585 over his last 10 games
3B Scott Sizemore 1-4, 2 K
SS Dean Anna 0-4
LF Zoilo Almonte 1-4, double, RBI, K - batting .284 this season
CF Adonis Garcia 2-3, BB, K
1B Russ Canzler 1-4, K
DH Zelous Wheeler 1-3, RBI, K
2B Jose Pirela 0-2, K, HBP
C Austin Romine 0-3, K, passed ball

Chase Whitley 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K - 60 of 88 pitches for strikes
Mark Montgomery 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, K - 1.76 ERA this season
Robert Coello 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, hit batsman

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 0-6 vs. New Britain Rock Cats

CF Mason Williams 0-4 - batting .203 this season
LF Ben Gamel 0-3, BB, 3 K
3B Rob Segedin 2-4, double - batting .280 this season
DH Gary Sanchez 0-4
1B Kyle Roller 0-4, 2 K
2B Rob Refsnyder 0-4
SS Carmen Angelini 2-2, BB
RF Yeral Sanchez 0-3, K, E9 - throwing error, first of the season
C Tyson Blaser 1-3, K

Matt Tracy 3 IP, 4 H, 5 R/4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K - 45 of 78 pitches for strikes
Manny Barreda 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, K, hit batsman
Taylor Garrison 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Aaron Dott 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, K

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 2-10 vs. Dunedin Blue Jays

CF Jake Cave 1-4 - five-game hitting streak
SS Cito Culver 1-3, BB, K
DH Eric Jagielo 2-4, double, RBI - six-game hitting streak
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 0-4, RBI
2B Angelo Gumbs 0-4
RF Jose Toussen 0-4, 2 K
1B Reymond Nunez 0-4, 2 K, E3 - fielding error, seventh of the season
C Trent Garrison 1-4, double, K
LF Claudio Custodio 0-2, K, SB

Nick Goody 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - return from TJS
Brett Gerritse 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, WP - 6/4 GO/AO
Zach Woods 0.0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, BB, WP
Evan Rutckyj 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R/0 ER, 2 BB
James Pazos 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Here is a recap of the bottom of the seventh, in which Dunedin scored nine runs:

Matt Newman walks.

Emilio Guerrero ground bunts into a force out, pitcher Brett Gerritse to shortstop Cito Culver. Matt Newman out at 2nd. Emilio Guerrero to 1st.

Michael Reeves singles on a fly ball to right fielder Jose Toussen. Emilio Guerrero to 2nd.

Pitching Change: Zach Woods replaces Brett Gerritse.

With Christian Lopes batting, wild pitch by Zach Woods, Emilio Guerrero to 3rd. Michael Reeves to 2nd.

Christian Lopes singles on a fly ball to left fielder Claudio Custodio. Emilio Guerrero scores. Michael Reeves to 3rd.

Jorge Flores singles on a fly ball to left fielder Claudio Custodio. Michael Reeves scores. Christian Lopes to 2nd.

Kevin Patterson walks. Christian Lopes to 3rd. Jorge Flores to 2nd.

Pitching Change: Evan Rutckyj replaces Zach Woods.

Dwight Smith reaches on a fielding error by first baseman Reymond Nunez. Christian Lopes scores. Jorge Flores to 3rd. Kevin Patterson to 2nd.

Dalton Pompey singles on a fly ball to left fielder Claudio Custodio. Jorge Flores scores. Kevin Patterson to 3rd. Dwight Smith to 2nd.

K. C. Hobson walks. Kevin Patterson scores. Dwight Smith to 3rd. Dalton Pompey to 2nd.

Matt Newman singles on a fly ball to right fielder Jose Toussen. Dwight Smith scores. Dalton Pompey to 3rd. K. C. Hobson to 2nd.

Emilio Guerrero out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Jake Cave. Dalton Pompey scores. K. Hobson to 3rd.

Michael Reeves walks. Matt Newman to 2nd.

Pitching Change: James Pazos replaces Evan Rutckyj.

Christian Lopes singles on a fly ball to center fielder Jake Cave. K. Hobson scores. Matt Newman scores. Michael Reeves to 2nd.

Jorge Flores grounds out, second baseman Angelo Gumbs to first baseman Reymond Nunez.

New York is expected to surpass their spending limit significantly.

Like the men in charge of structuring it, the July 2 international free agent market is still evolving.

The spending limits in place will keep some clubs from outbidding their more slightly funded competitors, but clubs with the capital to do so will simply ignore those league-imposed limitations and pay the subsequent tax penalties -- writing off as part of the cost of acquiring the top talent in Latin America.

The Yankees, for example, are believed to have six verbal deals in place with some of the top amateur players that will become eligible to sign contracts in July, according to ScoutingBaseball.com's Kiley McDaniel. One of those agreements is with Dermis Garcia, arguably the best player available in this year's group of talent.

New York is believed to have offered Garcia $3 million. Their spending "limit" for this summer's international free agency is about $2 million total. According to McDaniel, the Yankees could end up spending $15 million or more.

Garcia, a third baseman from the Domincan Repbulic, will become eligible to sign a major league deal on July 2 thanks to the rules in place that state players born outside the United States are first able to sign a contract on that date after their 16th birthday -- if that makes any sense. If not, read McDaniel's work at ScoutingBaseball.com.

New York is also expected to sign Dominican third baseman Nelson Gomez for $2.8 million, Dominican center fielder Juan De Leon for $2 million, Venezuelan outfielder Jonathan Amundaray for $1.5 million, Dominican shortstop Chris Torres for $1 million, and finally, Venezuelan shortstop Diego Castillo for $900,000.

They might end up spending even more than that, and they could finish the signing blitz with the best class by far -- at least on paper. The risk with these prospects -- 18 year olds are old -- is high. However, in comparison to the Rule 4 draft that will take place in June -- also known as the first-year player draft or just the draft -- teams can blow away their spending limits without being bothered by slotting and the disadvantage of having to wait for their turn to select players.

Several other clubs might surpass their budgets as well, but the Yankees plan to do basically the same thing they did last winter, only on a smaller scale -- sign everyone.

After losing the fifth starter competition in Spring Training, both David Phelps and Vidal Nuno have another chance to prove they belong in the rotation.

Like most teams, the Yankees held a competition for the fifth starter spot during Spring Training. Michael Pineda was able to beat out David Phelps, Adam Warren, and Vidal Nuno as the team's fifth starter, and it appeared, in addition to CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Masahiro Tanaka, and Ivan Nova, that the Yankees would have a very formidable rotation. Unfortunately, injuries have happened to Nova and Pineda, and with the former out the rest of the year, the Yankees will need one of the losers of the original fifth starter competition to emerge as a viable rotation option the rest of the way.

One of the losers of the original fifth starter competition, Adam Warren, is presumably out of the running of this new fifth starter competition, considering he has settled in as an important late-inning option out the bullpen. Joe Girardi pretty much conformed as much, saying he views Warren as "our seventh-inning guy, and also a guy who I can use for more than three outs." Makes sense. Warren has done a very good job (1.40 ERA, 2.75 FIP) so far pitching important innings out of the bullpen.

That leaves Phelps and Nuno, both of whom are in the rotation, with Pineda (and Nova) currently on the disabled list, to battle out for the fifth spot. Phelps made his first start of the season on Monday and he did very well, holding the Angels to just one run on three hits, one walk, and three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings and 87 pitches of work.

Nuno, on the other hand, hasn't had quite such luck. Following five scoreless innings in Tampa, Nuno has allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings (72 pitches) against the Angels and four runs in 4 2/3 innings (80 pitches) against the Rays in each of his last two starts, respectively, while laboring towards the end in each of his starts. Nuno will get another shot to prove he still belongs in the rotation tonight against the Angels.

Phelps and Nuno aren't the only ones vying for rotation spots now and when Pineda returns, though. There's also Alfredo Aceves, who pitched 5 1/3 excellent innings in relief of an ineffective Sabathia last Sunday. Aceves, who hasn't been a reliable big league pitcher since 2011, is hardly an ideal option to fill a rotation spot, but desperate times can call for desperate measures. If Aceves can continue to pitch well in long-relief, he could find himself in the rotation before too long.

Coming into the season, the Yankees' starting rotation was supposed to be one of, if not the, team's biggest strengths. With Nova out for the rest of the year and Pineda out until at least June, however, the Yankees will have to scrap together what they have to fill out the rotation. But, when Pineda does eventually come back (assuming there are no setbacks with his recovery), they'll have to figure out who'll stay in the rotation as the team's fifth starter going forward. Even though guys like Phelps and Nuno lost the fifth starter competition during Spring Training, they now have new life to prove they belong in the rotation.

That felt good. Kuroda pitched great and we've learned that Brian Roberts activates after 7 innings. Let's win this series, and let's see if anyone won yesterday. PSA DP action is here.

Mood Music: Super Rad by The Aquabats

The Yankees needed that win last night. I think it's safe to say that we all needed it. I don't know what we needed more though; the win or the incredible outing from Hiroki Kuroda. That was really refreshing to see. Speaking of refreshing, let's see if anyone won besides the Yankees yesterday.

5/6/14 Daily Prediction Answers

Ms. and Ms. Platypus have diligently crunched the numbers via their laptop while on the beach, cause it's the West Coast and they can do that there in May. Beach math has determined that for now, the reign of PSA females has been halted. For how long, we do not know. Maybe you can predict that. This is the thread to do that in, after all.

Scanzy5 is our winner from yesterday's Daily Predictions thread. He correctly answers 3 questions to earn the 3,000 points needed for victory. Bravo. Pamela & Paula are still trying to get in touch with the Aardvarks. As are we.

5/7/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions

Least Favorite State in the USA?

Tetris AorTetris B?(If you've never played Tetris, just listen and see which you like better)

Favorite thing to do at the playground/park when you were 10 or younger?

Chopped Fill in the Blank: "Entree round. And you must use ____________, _____________, ____________, and __________. 30 seconds on the clock. Time starts now!" (No matter how crazy you want to get, all 4 answers MUST be food.)

I don't know about you guys, but I want the Yankees to get out of Anaheim. Winning the series against Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with a Side Order of Fries and a Medium Sized Sprite would be pretty sweet as well. Vidal Nuno and the Yankees offense can hopefully make that a reality.

Let's Go Yankees. Clap Clap Clap-Clap-Clap

If only they could both be hitting at the same time...

Entering the 2014 season, the Yankees' infield was a mystery. It's been a little over a month since then and not much has changed. The positions are still great question marks, as each one's respective wRC+ ranks among the middle of the pack of the 30 teams. Their third baseman rank seventh with a 119 wRC+, and that is mostly due to the hot start of  Yangervis Solarte. The 26-year-old rookie took the reins at third base when Mark Teixeira went down due to an early hamstring injury and Kelly Johnson moved across the diamond to cover first.

Solarte was on fire for the first two weeks of the season, batting .351/.431/.526 through April 19th, his first 17 games in the majors. He was even hitting for some surprising power with a homer and seven doubles, which ranked among the league leaders at the time. Meanwhile, second baseman Brian Roberts was off to an awful start in his first games outside of an Orioles uniform. Through April 19th, he was hitting an abysmal .175/.306/.250, a .556 OPS that even Chris Stewart would laugh at while gasping for water. Despite lasting awhile during at-bats and seeing a lot of pitches, he just did not demonstrate much pop at all.

To some fans' dismay (including myself), when Teixeira returned from his injury on April 20th, the finale of a series against the Rays, Kelly Johnson was the one saw his playing time cut, as Joe Girardi elected to keep Roberts' bat in the lineup at second base, even though Johnson could have theoretically just moved over to second base to keep Solarte as a regular. Given Roberts's slump and dismal numbers since 2011 (72 OPS+ in 133 games from 2011-13), it seemed odd to make Johnson be the odd man out. Johnson's no All-Star, but he at least demonstrated solid power while Roberts demonstrated... that he was alive, I guess. Roberts didn't make matters any better on the 20th by going 0-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts while Johnson rode the bench.

Since then though, fans have witnessed a reversal of fates for the veteran and rookie. In the two weeks since that series ended, Roberts has hit .326/.370/.372 in 11 games, a hot streak capped (so far) by his game-winning ninth-inning homer last night in Anaheim. During this time, Solarte has hit a bit of a wall. Over the same stretch, he has hit .207/.333/.276 in eight games. That might not seem so bad, but he actually started regressing in the middle of the aforementioned Rays series. Since his three-hit game with a homer in the series opener on April 17th, Solarte's triple slash is an ugly .179/.313/.231, a .543 OPS roughly identical to the one Roberts posted during his earlier slump.

So what does all this mean?

Well, of course. Early season statistics and small sample sizes are ever-notorious for creating false illusions about players. Simply refer back to Vernon Wells's 2013, when his .300/.366/.544 April made some people optimistic about his potential production; he ended the year at .233/.282/.349 and is currently sitting at home tweeting jokes about himself.

Every Hall of Famer in baseball history could look awful over a small sample size, and even the scrubs like Eduardo Nunez and David Adams can seem excellent using arbitrary endpoints. Previously a career minor leaguer who struggled the last two seasons in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League, Solarte was not the ridiculously good hitter he looked like over the first two weeks. Given his previous three seasons of injury-riddled "meh" play, Roberts is unlikely to actually be revitalizing his career as his recent hot streak might suggest.

Joe Girardi is obviously aware of small sample size weirdness. He experienced a hefty dose of that himself in 2000 when with the Cubs at age 35, the career .267/.315/.350 hitter batted .302/.374/.415 in the first half, earning the only All-Star nod of his career. Girardi surely recognizes that hot streaks won't last. Johnson will probably go through a stretch at one point where he will be crushing the ball, too. The question is how to manage these three players and try to hopefully get them hitting at the same time.

The answer probably lies in giving these three infielders relatively equal playing time. To date, he's mostly been doing that, though as previously mentioned, Johnson has been receiving the short end of the stick lately. Girardi should not hesitate in substituting Johnson for the slumping Solarte at the moment--the kid is far from locked into the position after all. That doesn't mean that Solarte has to be locked onto the bench though, as he could still make appearances in a few starts per week. Similarly, when Roberts regresses, Girardi should not hesitate in playing the odd man out over him. (Hell, Solarte still has to prove that he's not going to suffer a Wells-like collapse.)

It will be a season-long challenge coaxing production out of the second and third base spots, but it's certainly not impossible. Avoiding a strictly everyday starter at both second and third could help Girardi's lineup. The Yankees just have to play to each infielder's strengths and not give too much preference to one over the others.

The Yankees are poised to go on an international shopping spree come July 2nd, but who is on their radar? In Part II of II, I will take a look at the three more top prospects who reportedly have verbal deals with the club.

In Part I of my series on international amateurs, I took a look at some top international prospects that the Yankees have reportedly made verbal agreements with. Luckily for us Yankee fans, those are not the only top prospects that are reportedly in negotiations. In Part II of II, I will take a look at three more prospects that have deals in the works. With a farm system that is so starved for high-ceiling talent, six top international amateurs will give a much needed boost to the system. If even a couple of these players develop at a decent rate, the Yankees will have a few pieces to put on to their roster or even trade away for depth. But without further ado, here are the next three youngsters.

Jonathan Amundaray

Unlike the previous three prospects, Amundaray is a Venezuelan, but still plays for the Dominican Prospect League. He stands in at six feet, two inches and 175 pounds, a very similar frame to the other prospects that we've seen already. Not much is known about him; the only official scouting report from Kiley McDaniel is blocked behind a pay wall, so there isn't much content to be had. All the information available is through Scout.com, and Kiley McDaniel calls him one of the "better bats" in the international amateur class. Given the few photos I have seen, he's already a pretty large young man and it's also clear that he has yet to fill out. While this completely speculative, he looks like he has the body of a future center field prospect, but that's purely on images I have seen--no scouting analysis there. I can't derive how his range or speed will be from a photo. All I know is that he has one of the more advanced hit tools in the class and that the Yankees have reportedly offered him $1.5 million. If he does sign, hopefully we'll get more information on him when he enters the Yankees' international complex.

Chris Torres

Torres is a Dominican shortstop who stands in at six feet tall and 170 pounds, and like Amundaray, not much is known about him. From an excerpt taken from Ben Badler, Torres is described as a "switch hitter who projects to stick at short"; but, some scouts don't know whether he is truly worth the type of money the Yankees are willing to hand out. The Yankees have reportedly offered him $1 million. Considering the fact that the Yankees are willing to take the risk and hand out the money, $1 million for a defensively capable shortstop who can switch hit is worth the shot. Could he be the "Derek Jeter" replacement we're all looking for? Probably not, but someone of his age and profile could fill out to be a very competent everyday shortstop. There's no video on him either, but his physical profile and reported deal show that the Yankees' scouts are confident that he will stick at short and has an above-average hit tool.

Diego Castillo

When I mentioned that there is very little on the previous prospects, that'd be an understatement for Castillo. There is no official scouting report on Castillo, not from McDaniel or anybody else. All that is known is that he is a shortstop and has a reported deal of $900,000. There is no physical profile and there are no videos on him either. But as I've said before: money talks. $900,000 is a large chunk of change for a 16 year-old, and that speaks to the confidence of Yankee scouts in his abilities.

Unfortunately this last review of top prospects is a little more unsatisfying than my last. Because these players are not the top prospects of the class like Garcia and Gomez are, they don't draw enough scouts to their games. And if they do, they may only get team affiliated scouts; there's no reason for a publication to invest time and resources in finding a player in the Dominican Prospect League who is not high-profile. It's all a matter of logistics and there will definitely be reports of them when they officially play for an affiliated team. But what I hope is encouraging is that even with the lack of information on these players, it's clear that the Yankees are making an effort to restock their farm system, both on the high and low end. These players may not be the future Miguel Sano's of the world, mid level prospects have their place as well. They can be dealt for depth, fill a good spot on a minor league roster, and they may offer surprises. These sparse reports aren't going to give you the warm and fuzzy feeling Dermis Garcia gives you, but it inspires confidence that the farm is rebuilding. If these players do become Yankees, I hope we can see a fuller picture of what they are capable of doing.

The Yankees play their last game of the season in Angel Stadium tonight as they go for the series win.

Tonight's lineup: Ellsbury 8 Jeter 6 Beltran 9 Teixeira 3 Soriano DH Solarte 5 Gardner 7 Roberts 4 Murphy 2 Nuno 1

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) May 7, 2014

Tonight's lineup is very similar to the one they've been rolling out recently. Jacoby Ellsbury, Derek Jeter, and Carlos Beltran lead off. Mark Teixeira is the cleanup hitter with Alfonso Soriano and Yangervis Solarte behind him. Brett Gardner, Brian Roberts, and John Ryan Murphy, giving Brian McCann the day off, round out the bottom of the order.

The Angels are expected to honor Derek Jeter with a small ceremony and a gift before the start of the game. We'll give you an update on that when we can. Will it beat the pinstriped cowboy boots, hat, and golf clubs the Astros gave him? Probably.

The Yankees released Nik Turley from the organization last week in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Chris Leroux. Turley has been recovering from an arm injury he suffered during spring training, so he has yet to pitch in the minors in 2014. Now the Yankees seem to be on the verge of re-signing the lefty, like they did with David Adams last season:

According to Mark Newman, the Yankees expect Nik Turley to re-sign soon. He's been rehabbing with them in Tampa since his release. #Yankees

— Lohud Yankees Blog (@LoHudYankees) May 7, 2014

It would appear that he never really left, despite the fact that he isn't under contract anymore. While not a top prospect, Turley has put together a solid career and could eventually end up in the majors. He should be healthy again soon and ready to return to the Scranton rotation, where he was originally assigned. At the rate the Yankees are going through pitchers this year, it wouldn't surprise me if Turley ended up back on the 40 and in the majors at some point this season.

On another front, it looks like Yankees pitching prospect Chase Whitley is getting attention from scouts after putting up a three-hit, 11-strikeout start over 6.2 innings:

Scout likes scranton rhp chase whitley. Sees him as probable '14 yankees callup

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) May 7, 2014

The righty struggled in spring training, but the organization has been so impressed by him that they have decided to try him out as a starting pitcher. It's entirely possible that he could end up on the big league team at some point this season, though it's not quite known if he can make it as a starter, despite the career-best performance.

The future Hall of Famer hit his 257th career home run on Wednesday night in Anaheim.

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter played his final game in Anaheim on Wednesday night and, among other things, received a personalized surfboard as a retirement gift from the Angels before the game. Then in the second inning, Jeter did something he hadn't yet done in 2014.

The solo home run to left field off Hector Santiago of the Halos was Jeter's first home run of the year, and his first since July 28, 2013. It snapped a skid of 184 plate appearances without a home run for Jeter, the fourth-longest streak of his 20-year career.

Felix was weird, Erasmo was weird, everything was weird. Being above .500 in May is also weird.

There was a lot of weird baseball played by the Seattle Mariners today. It wasn't exactly Weird Baseball™ by any means, even though the first game of the doubleheader went to extras. But it was a weird day, and the quality of baseball played could be called few things other than "weird." Here are a sampling of the weird things that happened during the two games today--a little bit under seven hours--between the Mariners and Athletics.

1. Felix Hernandez pitched six innings and didn't get a single strikeout. It's only the third time in his career he has ever left without a single strikeout, the previous two coming in 2007 and 2008. This is weird.
2. Aside from the somewhat tepid weirdness of a doubleheader in general, and going to extras in the first game, it was weird that the Mariners were even in the game, on paper. At the end of the ninth, the Mariners had four hits and the Athletics had eleven. The game was tied.
   
3. Yoervis Medina got the win.
4. The injury-laden A's used six pitchers in game one of the doubleheader and then didn't explode in the second game.
5. Finally, of course, Mariners baseball started at 12:35 pm today. It didn't end until about 6:45. For a doubleheader, it wasn't actually all that long, historically. The time record for an 18-inning doubleheader is 8 hours and 40 minutes, set by the Yankees and Red Sox in 2006. But alas! This was an extra innings affair? What historical doubleheaders did today's game have to compete with? Oh, you know, just a near ten-hour, thirty-two inning day at Shea Stadium in 1964. Nothing too serious.

So how about those games? Let's take a looksee, shall we?

Game one

As mentioned, Felix was on the mound for six innings today and didn't get a single strikeout. He was pitching to contact like he was Chris Young or something, and despite looking so un-Felixlike, he survived a lot of danger. 11 hits and only three earned runs? Yeah, I'm not sure I trust anyone else to get that line at the end of the night. This was all so bizarre that many had started to speculate that Felix was told to pitch to contact on purpose, so as to get through seven innings without daunting the bullpen by racking up an early strikeout pitch count.

I just don't see this happening. You would be an idiot to go up to Felix Hernandez and tell him to do something other than what he is capable of doing regardless of how much baseball is left on the calendar. Felix doesn't get pulled early when he's racking up strikeouts, so that seems a bit strange. Can you even see him wanting to do this on his own? Nah. In the postgame interview, he chuckled and rolled his eyes incredulously. He of course refused to say anything was wrong, but he was clearly embarrassed over his performance.

I couldn't help but notice that Felix looked a lot thinner during the game. It was probably just my brain playing tricks on me, but Shannon Drayer did mention he lost nine pounds last week fighting the flu. Here are two quick pictures to let you decide, one from Opening Day last year, and the other from today. Keep in mind the usual re: camera angle, placement, zoom, etc. There doesn't appear to be a huge difference beyond wearing his uniform tighter, but heck, maybe that's part of it. It could explain at least some of his recent struggles.

But the rest of the game! The Mariners had themselves a bit of fun in the box, watching Corey Hart and Mike Zunino hit home runs early in the game, as well as producing here and there from the bats of Cano and Smoak. In fact, it only took a few minutes into the tenth to get the M's on the board, but you have to wonder how scared everyone was of facing unending extras during the first game.

It was close for a minute, too, as Yoervis Medina came in during the ninth and appeared to almost lose the game. After a leadoff HPB to Former M's Beard Hat Progenitor John Jaso, Medina struck out Donaldson and intentionally walked Brandon Moss. Cespedes moved them all up with a force out, and everyone's favorite nerd Jed Lowrie came to the plate with two outs and two on. He whacked a huge fly ball out to the track caught by Stefen Romero, and it really, really looked like a walkoff win was in store for the Oakland crowd that spent the rest of the day booing the scoreboard operator, Daric Barton, and probably some little kids or something.

The Barton booing was a result of a two-out single off the bat of Justin Smoak, deflected by Barton's glove to score Saunders from third. Immediately afterward, Seager singled in Cano, who was intentionally walked, and it was 6-4 Mariners. Rodney needed only a few pitches, and the game was soon over. Thirty minute shower/bathroom/sandwich/charge phone break. Commercials. I was hoping some team would change uniforms or something, but of course not.

Before we move on to game two, take a peek at Hart's solo HR from the second:

This didn't sound like a dinger off the bat to me, and I honestly looked back down at my laptop immediately afterward, thinking it was a foul ball. But nope! Hart, when used as sparingly as he has been, has been a pretty nice surprise so far. He's still only trotting out a 95 wRC+, and he is only slugging .396. Still, you can see that something is there, bubbling beneath the surface, waiting to be let out. You almost have to wonder how often Wedge would have trotted him out in right field so far this year, and Lloyd's restraint over letting him wear a glove seems wise so far. That said, he's got a long way to go. But good feelings, here, good feelings.

Game two

Thanks to MLB's rules for doubleheaders, the M's were able to add Erasmo Ramirez to the 2526 man roster to make the second start, and he actually didn't look horrible. The M's ended up losing the game, but they only had three hits, coming off the bats of Cano, Smoak, and Kyle Seager. Of course, if the M's are ever three-hit again, it will be Cano and Seager with two of them, and it seems only fitting that some rotating busted prospect fill the third on the failure carousel, but what are you going to do.

No, seriously, the M's lost the second game of the day, but they have had an incredibly promising week. Since their eight-game losing streak, they've only lost three games. That's three games in thirteen days, which felt really nice as my fingers typed those words on my keyboard. Moreover, they have done this without Walker and Paxton, and with Felix looking like bizarrofelix in his past three starts. Things are looking well.

Although LLoyd was conservative with the bullpen in the first game, he still only used two pitchers in the second, taking Erasmo out for six where he looked...well...like old Erasmo Ramirez. This, of course, happens once he's off the 25 man roster and pitching in a burn-the-innings game, but success is success, isn't it? Ramirez gave up six hits today and struck out four, but the best part was that he only walked one. His big mistake came on a solo home run to Yoenis Cespedes in the fourth, but his first run came on a productive third from Gentry and Jed Lowrie. Here's the home run to Cespedes:

Not necessarily the sexiest pitch sequence or anything, but this was far from a mistake. He didn't leave it up in the zone. Cespedes is damn good. No, the biggest problem in the second game was that everyone had been playing baseball for five hours, and seemed to collectively make eye contact, mutter fuck it, and swing freely to make their dinner reservations at the local Radisson on the Wharf. They lost the game, but remain one game above .500, and they didn't even need Felix to do it. Imagine what this is going to be like when the King takes his usual July form!

The bad news, however, is unequivocally Brad Miller. Brad looks hopelessly lost at the plate, swinging at just about everything and staring at pitches not because they are out of the zone, but because some little tick in his brain told him not to swing at everything. It's so bad that he came out after the half-hour break between games with his pants rolled down and his signature long-sleeve undershirt removed. Desperate. Lost. No clue how to fix it.

The biggest eye-test for Miller's struggles, though, have been his defensive miscues over the past couple of games. Brad Miller is by no means a Andrelton Simmons in the field, but he's already almost matched his error total from last season in half as many games with four. This isn't because Brad Miller is a bad defender. It's because Brad Miller is probably walking out of the dugout thinking about the Wendy's drive thru near Cheney stadium and the inevitable plane ticket he has waiting for him. He can't seem to focus at all because he seems to be over-analyzing every tiny thing as if there were missiles falling from the sky, and he was the only one with the codes to the nuclear football. I don't know what it will take, prolonged benching, a trip back to Tacoma, or even just riding it out, but poor Brad needs a little something. Here's to hoping he can turn it around soon.

Jeff used to close out game thread's with a LET'S GO M'S! toward the end. Well, we are done with game threads for the day, but I can't help feel that things are going well enough to not think about how we are going to share suffering as one, but rather, how the M's are going to pull off a win against Kansas City tomorrow. It's still May, but it feels nice. Let's see how long we can take this, no? Let's do it. Let's go M's.

A record below .500 is here once again.

Final score in Anaheim, Game 3:Yankees 9, Angels 2

WP: Vidal Nuno / LP: Hector Santiago

Hector Santiago just did not bring it tonight (or so far this season). On Wednesday night, he came in 0-5, seeking his first win in an Angel uniform. And he left before the third inning could even end. By the end of the first inning, though, the Yankees were already leading 5-0.

Following Santiago was a slew of arms from the bullpen. Mike Morin, Kevin Jepsen, Michael Kohn, and Corey Rasmus each pitched an inning or more. Nick Maronde also came in for a brief appearance. The reason Maronde's appearance got cut short was due to three runs tapping home plate.

Both Mike Trout and Albert Pujols went without getting a hit, putting The Machine below .300 once again. A bright spot in the offense came from the massive C.J. Cron, who earned himself three hits on the night.

Fittingly for the Yanks, Derek Jeter had a solo home run in his farewell appearance at The Big A. The reception (from the YES Network broadcast) was impressive.

The show rolls on when the Halos hit Toronto for the weekend. Stay tuned for a Blue Jays preview on Friday.

The Yankees take the series against the Angels behind the great pitching of Vidal Nuno. Jeter gets his first HR of the year. Offense was great. Defense was great.

The first game of this three game series against the Angels was brutal, which made the last two games against them feel really good. The Yankees won tonight's game 9-2 and take the series against the Angels. Series wins are always good.

Vidal Nuno faced the Angels a little under two weeks ago and only lasted 4.1 innings against them. Tonight's outing against them went a lot better than the first. Nuno managed to pitch an impressive 6.1 innings, giving up only four hits and one earned run while striking out three batters and walking one. Nuno's only bad inning of the night was the 2nd inning, where he seemingly lost control. However, he managed to hold the Angels to one run that inning, the only run he would give up all game. Other than that, he was very efficient tonight, retiring thirteen batters in a row after that second inning. His 6.1 innings pitched would be the longest outing of his career. Great to see.

The offense decided that it was tired of having to constantly come back from an early deficit, and took matters into their own hands. They had help from the Angels defense tonight though. In the first inning, Jacoby Ellsbury would lead off with a walk. New paddleboard owner Derek Jeter, courtesy of the Angels, would get on base via a fielding error, courtesy of the Angels. Carlos Beltran would walk to load the bases for the red hot, kale loving Mark Teixeira, who "powersauced" a couple of runs in with a double down the third base line. Alfonso Soriano would strike out swinging. Yangervis Solarte would knock in a run with a sac fly to make the score 3-0. Brett Gardner would then drive in Tex from second via a single and an error from the pitcher, Hector Santiago. After Gardner took third on the wild pitch, Brian Roberts would drive him in with bloop a hit into right field. 5-0 Yankees before the Angels got in the batter's box. Excellent.

In the second inning, Derek Jeter would hit his last first HR of the year to give the Yankees a 6-0 lead. It's okay to feel emotions. The Yankee would tack on three more runs in the Top of the 8th inning. A combination of Dellin Betances and Preston Claiborne would close out the game for the Yankees, sending them to Milwaukee with a series win against the Angels. The Yankees take the season series from the Angels 4-2. They will not see them again this year.

The Yankees have a day off tomorrow, then Friday they will start a three game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Masahiro Tanaka will pitch (and....gulp, bat) the first game at Miller Park. Hopefully, we'll see the classic Milwaukee Brewers logo at least one of the games there.

Great game tonight.

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Yankees lineup vs. Angels - Nik Turley close to re-signing
• Who will the Yankees sign internationally?, Part II
• Brian Roberts, Yangervis Solarte, and small sample size
• Daily Yankees Predictions 5/7/14: A much needed win
• Fifth starter competition resumes for Yankees here in early-May
• The time Superman saved Yankee Stadium from Godzilla
• Baby Bomber Recap 5/6/14: Eric Jagielo extends hit streak to six games
• Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 5/7/14

Yankees News

MLB.com | Alex Espinoza:Robinson Cano responds to Mariano Rivera's comments about his style of play.

The Star-Ledger | Jorge Castillo: Joe Girardi is reluctant to use David Robertson for multiple innings.

It's About the Money | Brad Vietrogoski:Dellin Betances is not just performing well, he's also pitching more intelligently.

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand:Derek Jeter missed Brian Roberts' home run because he was in the bathroom.

SB Nation | Marc Normandin: Check out these fans cosplaying as Ichiro Suzuki.

It's About the Money | Matt Bove: Will Masahiro Tanaka's home run tendencies continue?

Baseball Prospectus | Jason Park: Take a look at this eyewitness scouting report of Yankees prospect Bryan Mitchell.

It's About the Money | Michael Eder: Derek Jeter is struggling against the fastball and everyone knows it.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: How will Joe Girardi use Brendan Ryan from here?

The Star-Ledger | Jorge Castillo:Brian Roberts talks about growing comfortable during his time with the Yankees.

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from May 7th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: W 3-1 vs. Indianapolis Indians

1B Ramon Flores 0-3, RBI, K
CF Antoan Richardson 0-3, HBP
SS Dean Anna 1-3, BB, K
LF Zoilo Almonte 1-3, double, RBI, K, HBP - batting .286 this season
RF Adonis Garcia 2-4, SB
DH Corban Joseph 0-3
3B Zelous Wheeler 1-3, RBI, BB
2B Jose Pirela 1-4, K, 2 SB
C Francisco Arcia 0-4

Brian Gordon 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, pickoff - 55 of 85 pitches for strikes
Jose Ramirez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K, hit batsman - season debut
Matt Daley 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, K

Double-A Trenton Thunder: W 6-4 (12 innings) vs. New Britain Rock Cats

CF Mason Williams 1-5, 2 K - batting .146/.271/.171 over his last 10 games
LF Ben Gamel 0-5
3B Rob Segedin 0-5, K
C Gary Sanchez 1-5, 2 K, E2 - batting .269 this season
DH Kyle Roller 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, K, HBP - ninth homer of the season
2B Rob Refsnyder 1-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K - third homer of the season
RF Yeral Sanchez 1-4, double, K, HBP
1B Dan Fiorito 2-5, HR, 2 RBI - first homer of the season
SS Ali Castillo 0-5

Jeremy Bleich 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, pickoff - 56 of 94 pitches for strikes
Pat Venditte 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - 1.06 ERA this season
Branden Pinder 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, BB, 3 K
Jairo Heredia 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

High-A Tampa Yankees: W 4-2 vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers

CF Jake Cave 1-4, K
DH Dante Bichette Jr. 1-4, double - 10th double of the season
1B Greg Bird 1-4, RBI
RF Peter O'Brien 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, K - tenth homer of the season
3B Eric Jagielo 2-4, double, HR, RBI - seventh homer of the season
LF Zach Wilson 0-4, 2 K
2B Angelo Gumbs 1-2, BB
SS Cito Culver 0-3, K
C Trent Garrison 0-3

Eric Wooten 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K - 7/3 GO/AO
Alex Smith 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs: L 4-5 vs. Rome Braves

DH Abiatal Avelino 4-4, 2 doubles, RBI, CS - batting .311/.360/.415 this season
SS Tyler Wade 0-4, 3 K
3B Miguel Andujar 0-3, BB, 2 K
1B Mike Ford 2-4, HR, RBI, K - fourth homer of the season
RF Michael O'Neill 1-3, double, K
LF John Murphy 1-4, RBI, K, OF assist
C Eduardo de Oleo 1-4, HR, RBI, 2 K - fourth homer of the season
2B Gosuke Katoh 0-4, K
CF Mikeson Oliberto 0-2, BB, SB

Rookie Davis 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 5 BB - 7/4 GO/AO
Jaron Long 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

You get a plaque and you get a plaque and you get a plaque

A date has finally been set for the long-rumored retirement of Joe Torre's No. 6 uniform. After he was recently elected to the Hall of Fame, Brian Cashman essentially came out and said it would happen, we were just waiting for it to be officially announced. The Yankees will honor Torre in a ceremony on August 23, but he's not the only one who will be celebrated.

The Yankees have also announced a "recognition series" of sorts that will honor former Yankee players with plaques in Monument Park. Tino Martinez and Goose Gossage will be honored during Old-Timers' Day weekend on June 21 and 22, respectively. They will also hold a ceremony for Paul O`Neill on August 9 and Bernie Williams will be honored, oddly, in 2015. 

I had always felt that the Yankees would wait a little longer so they could celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1996 team and retire the numbers of Torre, O`Neill, Bernie, Pettitte, Posada and whoever else they wanted together. Apparently I was wrong, since it would mean that they would only get one day of increased attendance instead of four different days. 

I imagine we'll also have a Core Four day/year, since Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada are being left out. I think it's criminal how unappreciated Bernie Williams is by this organization and waiting until 2015 only continues that pattern. Since No. 21 and No. 51 won't be officially retired, does this mean they're going to finally reissue them? Once they retire Derek Jeter's number, the lowest number a player can wear will be No. 11. It might be time to dust the cobwebs off.

What does everyone think? Does Joe Torre deserve it? Should these players get a plaque or their number reitred or nothing at all? What are your thoughts on Bernie? Who has been left out?

Personally, I'm waiting for Cano's plaque.

The Matts and I recorded a podcast last night before the Angels/Yankees game last night, though the Internet tried to get the best of us. We mostly persevered.

It's a podcast! Since Jason's gone from the podcast, I think Derek Jeter found a new PSA Podcast nemesis in Matt Provenzano since he voiced his "meh" reaction to Jeter's play so far and Jeter promptly responded after our recording with an awesome game against the Angels. Happens!

[0:00] The power of the Internet... maybe.
[1:16] Yankees playing more like the 2013 group of late (outside of Wednesday night). Woof.
[4:41] Attempting to figure out the ever-complicated and frustrating CC Sabathia
[10:38] Can Yankees pitchers still be good with this infield defense?
[14:43] Assorted thoughts on David Phelps, Vidal Nuno, Alfredo Aceves, and the bullpen
[25:28] Is the ability to hit with runners in scoring position an actual skill?
[31:14] Matt F.'s "real or fake" Minor League team name game
[40:00] Tweetbag: MLB vs. podcasts and improving the Yankees' infield
[49:22] Yankee/Mitre of the Week

Podcast link (Length: 57:20)

iTunes link

RSS feed

The Yankees will honor Tino Martinez with a plaque in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park, though he was mostly a mediocre player on a very good team.

One of the stranger aspects of the human mind is that we produce propaganda, which can often be described as "fiction designed to impress other people," but it often has a stronger effect on the home audience. Read the history of any war, and you'll find that the worse one side is losing the louder they shout that they're winning. Then, when they finally do lose, the very same people who authored the lie appear bewildered: "They said we were up!" Somehow "we" becomes "they."

On Thursday, the Yankees announced they would be making some additions to the Monument Park section of Yankee Stadium, which is tantamount to their personal Hall of Fame. He's the which-one-doesn't-belong guy in a group that includes newly-minted Hall of Famer Joe Torre, longtime Hall of Famer Goose Gossage, and outfielder Paul O'Neill:

Yankees will also honor Tino Martinez (June 21), Goose Gossage (June 22), and Paul O'Neill (Aug 9) with plaques in monument park.

— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) May 8, 2014

Tino Martinez is the Yankees' version of the propaganda boomerang, the myth they created that they now believe to be true. Yes, they won four World Series with Martinez on the team, but here's a partial list of other players who won four (or more!) rings with the Yankees: Joe Collins, Charlie Silvera, Hank Bauer, Gil McDougald. Luis Sojo had three and just missed a fourth. Frankie Crosetti had six as a player and nine as a coach. Some of these players were very good. Heck, Hank Bauer was a better hitter than Martinez, was wounded in World War II, and also managed the world-champion 1966 Baltimore Orioles. Charlie Silvera, whom I've been fortunate enough to talk to, seems like a heck of a nice guy, but he was a reserve catcher to Yogi Berra, which meant he played about 20 games a year. The rings don't say anything about quality.

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Where a player stands in relation to his peers, however, does. Martinez played 1,054 games with the Yankees and hit .276/.374/.484 with 192 home runs. That sounds pretty good, especially on a team that, aside (big aside) from Lou Gehrig and a few great seasons from Don Mattingly actually hasn't had a ton of great career first basemen. Thing is, you can't look at numbers without context, and the problem here is that first base is a position from which we expect a ton of offense, and given that this was the era of the (pharmaceutically-inflated or just naturally bulky) slugger, Martinez's level or production was actually not very good.

Almost any fair ranking of first basemen from 1996-2001 has Martinez sitting towards the bottom. Here are just a few of his contemporaries, the ones who had 2,500 or more plate appearances. Just to short-circuit any pointless arguments about the impact of performance-enhancing drugs, I'm going to leave out Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Rafael Palmeiro, and anyone else who has ‘fessed to using or been implicated (fairly or unfairly, which means no Jeff Bagwell). I'll even leave out Todd Helton and Andres Galarraga because Denver is a performance-enhancing city. Note that these stats cover only the players' time at first base, not designated hitter. That's fairer to Martinez because he was almost exclusively in the field during this time:

I didn't have room to include RBI in the above. Martinez did have more of those than anyone listed, but he also batted with men on more often than any of them.

As for defense, Yankees flacks spent a lot of time talking up Martinez as a brilliant defensive first baseman, and in truth, he wasn't bad. He also wasn't anything special, a Mattingly or a Keith Hernandez. He was just good. In 1999, given the choice between awarding Martinez a Gold Glove and voting one for a guy who played just 28 games in the field, the voters chose Rafael Palmeiro. It's not like Gold Gloves mean a lot, but when you're touting a guy as a defensive genius, I think that choice says something.

If you want to go about this by career WAR (and really, who doesn't?), Martinez is the 52^nd-greatest Yankee of all time via his 16.6 wins, trailing Brett Gardner, Home Run Baker (who did his best work with the A's), George Selkirk (derided as a bust in his day), Red Rolfe, Ben Chapman, Bob Meusel, Snuffy Stirnweiss, Wally Pipp, Sacco and Vanzetti, Millard Fillmore, and Rick Astley.

Note also that of those 17 wins, 5.1 of them came in Martinez's one truly strong season with the Yankees, his .296/.371/.577, 44-home run campaign of 1997. The rest of the time he was just okay given the aforementioned context. In 2000 he was outright bad, hitting .258/.328/.422. When you get an OPS+ of 89 from your first baseman, it's tantamount to... well, try this: look around you, find the nearest wall, and then run at it as fast as you can without stopping. Then check to see how you feel.

Check the guy out on a single-season basis during his main Yankees stint (leaving out the 2005 encore) and here's how he ranked among first basemen on a season by-season basis:

And, no, he was not a particularly memorable postseason hitter.

Note that the Yankees are not retiring Martinez's uniform number 24, which they have since bestowed on Sidney Ponson, Robinson Cano, and Scott Sizemore. He's just getting a plaque, an honor they've bestowed on players they consider lesser luminaries such as Lefty Gomez, Allie Reynolds, Red Ruffing, and roughly a half-dozen Popes.

I was going to close this piece by saying of Martinez that some are born to greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them, and some merely hang around close enough to greatness that people get confused about their status. Instead, since we're talking about plaques and retired numbers, I would like to finish by observing the following. Think of a player who:

• Is the franchise's all-time leader in games played at second base.
• Ranks eighth on the team's all-time WAR list.
• Was a five-time All-Star as a Yankee (Martinez made it once, even with his manager picking the reserves).
• Won two rings as a player and five more as a coach.
• Is, again by WAR, the 11^th-greatest second baseman of all time. (Martinez is the 64^th-greatest first baseman.)

His name is Willie Randolph. His number has not been retired. It has been given out to Cory Lidle, Sean Henn, Matt Smith, Scott Patterson, and is presently worn by Dave Robertson. He has no plaque. There are other Yankees as yet unrecognized by the team in any formal way, including Hall of Famers Tony Lazzeri and Joe Gordon, as well as third baseman Graig Nettles and Roy White, but put them aside. That Randolph was an unrecognized great we take for granted, but that he should be a non-person even to the team that had him while it celebrates a non-entity like Tino Martinez is just painful.

Willie Randolph (Getty Images)

Two weeks ago it looked like Brian Roberts was going the way of the dodo. But now he's hitting at a torrid clip and Joe Girardi's patience has been rewarded.

There's a certain stigma that comes with being a veteran pickup for the New York Yankees. Their recent history has been littered with stopgap solutions to fix roster deficiencies probably highlighted by the $12 million they dumped down the toilet for the services of Kevin Youkilis (.648 OPS for the Rakuten Golden Eagles, ouch) in 2013. So when you spend the gross domestic product of a small nation to revamp your roster but bring in the fragile and aged Brian Roberts not on a flyer, but to be entrenched as your starting second baseman, eyebrows will be raised. And it certainly doesn't help matters when the guy hits like a pitcher through the first three weeks of the season.

With Yangervis Solarte swooping in and hitting so well and taking over third, Mark Teixeira back at first and Derek Jeter more entrenched than an oak tree at short, it seemed only logical to plug in Kelly Johnson at second nearly every day. After all, as of April 21st Roberts was sporting a .156/.278/.222 batting line while Johnson had already smacked three dingers and had an OPS over 200 points higher. However, Joe Girardi is a manager that follows whims and hunches that are not always easy to discern so Roberts stayed while Johnson was relegated to part-time duty. Like many of you, I was less than thrilled by this development.

In what I assume was a deliberate effort to make me feel stupid, Roberts has been awesome since that point. In his last 13 games Roberts is hitting .340/.389/.440 with an OPS of .829. His incredibly clutch homer on Tuesday to win the game was only the cherry on top of what has been an outstanding stretch. He's upped his wRC+ to 88 for the season, which is just about serviceable for your average second baseman. He had been working walks all season at a good pace (11.0 BB%) and now he's combining it with actual base hits. With Roberts hitting, Solarte breaking out of a recent slump and Brendan Ryan back from injury, things are looking up for the Yankees patchwork infield. If Derek Jeter is shaking off his cobwebs as well things are really in order.

Of course, you can never rest easy with Roberts due to his injury history and recent seasons of poor hitting. And that faith that Girardi showed in sticking with Roberts now could mean that he's staying with him until the bitter end no matter how he performs which could definitely be troublesome down the line. But there's always the trade deadline and Johnson still looms, so hopefully the Yankees can squeeze out every little bit of value that Roberts has until the other shoe drops and he breaks or goes the way of Vernon Wells. Or he keeps being great and there's nothing to worry about, but I'm not going to keep my hopes up for that scenario.

Regardless, Roberts has already shown to be one of the more helpful bargain pickups the Yankees have made in recent years just by virtue of helping the team for an extended period of time. And being responsible for the Yankees play with the most Win Probability Added so far this year is no small feat, assuring that he's already made an indelible mark on the 2014 season. Let's see if he's got more in store.

The Yankees' vice president of baseball operations gives an update on prospect injuries, surprise players, and who has been impressive so far.

Chad Jennings at LoHud spoke to Mark Newman, Yankees' vice president of baseball operations, to get a feel of the state of the farm system to this point and get an update on how a few of the injured prospects are progressing toward a return. Newman always has a lot of good information about injuries, which can be nearly impossible to follow with the extremely limited amount of information that comes out about them. Here are a few of the highlights of Newman's chat with Jennings. You can read everything Newman had to say over at LoHud here.

Injuries:

- The Yankees tried to rehab Jose Campos' elbow injury to avoid Tommy John surgery, but they ultimately felt like it wasn't going to get better without surgery. The injury dates all the way back to 2012 when Campos only made five starts for Charleston.

- Ty Hensley is still not particularly close to pitching in games, but he is on the verge of facing live hitters. Hensley has barely pitched for the Yankees since they took him in the first round of the 2012 draft due to multiple surgeries. Hopefully Hensley can make it back onto the field to pitch meaningful innings this season.

- Surprisingly, Slade Heathcott will likely be sent to Double-A Trenton next week when he makes his season debut. It seemed more likely that the team was going to try to bump Heathcott up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin the season, and he could still make it there before the season ends, but Slade desperately needs to prove he can stay healthy. Injuries have plagued him at virtually every step of his professional career so far.

- Tyler Austin and Bryan Mitchell are also about a week away from getting back into game action. Austin has been sidelined with a groin injury while Mitchell has been out with elbow soreness. The Yankees don't think Mitchell's case is a serious one, but it is, of course, something to monitor. Newman believes Mitchell may have over-extended himself during his brief call up to the Yankees. Danny Burawa and Fred Lewis are also recovering from injuries before returning to Triple-A. Burawa is due back in about a week with Lewis taking a little longer to recover from a blister on his finger.

- Manny Banuelos is on his way back from Tommy John surgery, and has been limited to roughly three innings in his starts between High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton. The reasoning behind this, according to Newman, is so that they don't run out of innings too early in the season. Newman thinks that if everything goes well for ManBan this season, he could potentially end up being a late-season option for the Yankees. That being the case, they don't want to use up all the innings they intend for the lefty to pitch this season before August or September. It seems like there is legitimate hope for Banuelos' major league debut as a September call up if he is able to pitch well at each level along the way.

Praise:

- Newman is not at all concerned with the lack of power Aaron Judge has displayed so far for Charleston. Judge has a very impressive .311/.413/.415 line for the RiverDogs so far this season, but has been limited in the home run department. Judge is a massive player whose power seems almost inevitable. Charleston is also not the easiest place to hit home runs, as Greg Bird's home/away power splits from last season would tell you.

- Peter O'Brien is once again drawing rave reviews for his offense. The Yankees still have him primarily catching, but he's also seen time in the outfield for High-A Tampa. The team briefly tried to experiment with O'Brien at third base last season, but Newman indicates that that is more of a last ditch effort than a place where they believe he will actually play. Newman said finding O'Brien a place where he can carve a path to the majors is the goal, and that may be at first base or in the outfield. His bat will, of course, be what carries him.

- Dante Bichette Jr. has continued hitting like the player he was when he was still in Rookie Ball. After what amounts to basically two lost seasons at Low-A Charleston, Bichette is batting .308 for Tampa with three homers, matching his 2012 power output, already this season. Newman credits the change in DBJ's mechanics at the plate for some of his recent success. Cutting down on all of the movement in the box seems to have really paid off so far.

- Rafael De Paula blew away hitters at Low-A Charleston last year before struggling after his promotion to Tampa. So far this season, he has an incredible 12.2 K/9 rate and Newman sang the praises of De Paula's improved breaking pitches. Hopefully his improvement indicates that he has been able to adjust to a higher caliber of hitter at the next level and will be able to continue to climb the ladder toward the majors.

- Luis Severino is only 20-years-old, and he's done very well for Low-A Charleston so far this season. Newman praised his "big-time arm" and commented on the fact that Severino has been able to sit at 95 mph and touch 97 mph, as well as keep up his 95 mph velocity in later innings. Severino has only walked seven batters in 31 innings so far this year.

Miscellaneous:

- Eric Jagielo isn't hitting for a high average with High-A Tampa yet, but he has shown legitimate pop with seven home runs already. He's also worked 13 walks on the year. Newman was not concerned with the lack of average out of Jagielo so far, noting that he was aggressively started in High-A and not Low-A this year. The Yankees think that Jagielo's college bat is ready for a challenge, and that's certainly better than merely letting him toil away at Low-A for half a season. Jagielo has the ability to move quickly through the system if everything goes right, and the Yankees are in desperate need of infielders at the big league level.

- Nik Turley is close to re-signing with the team after he was released to clear room on the 40-man roster. Newman said that it was a situation like the one with David Adams last year where they felt like a release, rather than designating him for assignment, was the best chance at getting the player back when they needed some room on the roster. Turley has been injured since spring training, but he's continued to rehab at the Yankees' complex in Tampa. Newman says the release in no way means that the team has given up on Turley. It was merely procedural.

- Jake Cave, Abiatal Avelino, and Gary Sanchez were also mentioned as pleasant surprises by Newman. Newman also had kind things to say about last year's second round pick, Gosuke Katoh, who has struggled a bit in his first taste of Low-A.

You should wish Tanya a happy birthday or else!

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Thursday Night Open Thread: NFL Draft 2014
• Yankees prospects: Mark Newman on Manny Banuelos, Aaron Judge, injuries, & more
• Brian Roberts comes back from the brink
• Pinstripe Alley Podcast Episode 46: Technical difficulties
• Off Day Open Thread 5/8/14: Answers & Questions
• Yankees plan to retire Joe Torre's number, honor several others with plaques
• Yankees 2014 MLB Draft Preview: An introduction
• Baby Bomber Recap 5/7/14: Greg Bird returns; Eric Jagielo & Peter O'Brien go yard

Yankees News

Pinstripe Pundits | Chris Mitchell: Using Brendan Ryan more often at shortstop over Derek Jeter could lead to a platoon of Carlos Beltran and Alfonso Soriano.

It's About the Money | Brad Vietrogoski:John Ryan Murphy is adapting to life as the Yankees backup catcher and he's been impressive.

Royals Review | Tyler Drenon: Have a look at each team's logo sized relative to payroll by division.

The Star-Ledger | Jorge Castillo: When thinking about CC Sabathia's future, Jered Weaver has gone through the same problem and has come out alright.

ESPN New York | Danny Knobler: The Yankees are a work-in-progress when it comes to defensive shifts.

Hardball Talk | Craig Calcaterra: Putting Tino Martinez in Monument Park doesn't make a lot of sense.

Beyond the Box Score | Scott Lindholm: A deep look into managerial ejections.

It's About the Money | Michael Eder: The Yankees might benefit by putting Alfredo Aceves in the rotation and moving Vidal Nuno to the bullpen.

Sports on Earth | Dirk Hayhurst: Find out what actually happens when a coach makes a visit to the mound.

Minor League Ball | John Sickels: See where the Yankees farm system ranks among all of baseball.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: A look at how the Yankees' replay challenge process goes.