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Yankees lineup vs. Rays - Beltran returns to the outfield; Tanaka throws off mound

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The Yankees cling to a very slim chance at making the playoffs, so maybe if they actually collect a few wins in a row they can make a real run. Shane Greene will give them a chance to win, but it's the offense that needs to do more.

Today Carlos Beltran will make his return to right field for the first time since May. He has been throwing with no pain, so Girardi felt comfortable finally putting him out there. Brian McCann has not been activated from the 7-day concussion DL because Girardi did not like how he looked yesterday:

McCann says he expects to be in the lineup tomorrow, but we'll see how that goes.

As for the rest of the lineup, Brett Gardner leads off with Derek Jeter as the designated hitter and Jacoby Ellsbury batting third. Mark Teixeira, Beltran, and Chase Headley follow, with Martin Prado starting at second base, Francisco Cervelli behind the plate and Brendan Ryan at short. It's funny how they don't allow Stephen Drew to play his natural position anymore, kind of like what they did with Kelly Johnson.

Masahiro Tanaka progressed to throwing off a bullpen mound today and reported no problems. He threw 25 fastballs and will look to add some breaking balls in for his next bullpen. While you could make the argument that Tanaka should be shut down if the Yankees are out of the playoff picture, the Yankees disagree:



Don Mattingly reflects on haircut benching

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LOS ANGELES -- Friday marked an anniversary of sorts for Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, who 23 years earlier found himself benched as a player with the Yankees in New York. Mattingly's violation: not cutting his hair.

"I'll tell you what my main gripe was. Everybody - well I shouldn't say everybody - but a lot of guys had long hair," Mattingly remembered on Friday. "That was my fight right there."

Well not quite. He was one of four Yankees suspended by manager Stump Merrill, along with catcher Matt Nokes and pitchers Pascual Perez and Steve Farr.

"That was propaganda," Mattingly jokingly interrupted as I reminded him of the other victims of the Yankees archaic rule.

Nokes agreed to cut his hair and started against the Royals on Aug. 15. Farr was not needed in relief, and Perez acquiesced before his scheduled start the next day.

Mattingly did too, but for Aug. 15 he chose to take a stand, by sitting.

Mattingly at this point was closer to the beginning of the decline phase of his career. From 1984-89 he was one of the very best players in baseball, hitting .327/.372/.530, averaging 43 doubles and 27 home runs per year while playing Gold Glove defense at first base.

Back injuries sapped Mattingly's power, and was hitting .305/.357/.414 with seven home runs and 23 doubles at the time of the benching. He would end the season with nine home runs.

Those Yankees would lose 91 games in 1991, the third of four straight losing seasons for New York in the Alvaro Espinoza era. Mattingly, the team's star player in the first year of a five-year, $19.3 million contract, was understandably unhappy, and the benching set him off.

From Jack Curry's game story in the New York Times:

"Maybe I don't belong in the organization anymore," Mattingly told reporters after the Yankees had defeated the Royals, 5-1, without him. "I talked to him about moving me earlier in the year. He said we'll talk at the end of the year. Maybe this is their way of saying we don't need you anymore."

Mattingly had harsh words for general manager Gene Michael, nicknamed Stick, back when baseball teams could be run by men named Stump and Stick.

"It's kind of silly to me, but we're not winning and this is Stick's club," said Mattingly, who said he had his hair trimmed two weeks ago by the bullpen catcher, Carl Taylor. "He wants an organization that will be puppets for him and do what he wants."

"It's pretty clear where everything comes from," Mattingly said.

"If Stick wants the players to do exactly what he says, then he should be the pitching coach, batting coach and fielding coach. Then come down here and be a part of it. But take part of the blame, too."

Mattingly was not traded, and played out his contract, then retired after the 1995 season at age 34.

Now he manages a team full of various hairstyles and abundant facial hair. The Dodgers have no such grooming rules. Justin Turner, whose hair is nearly as long today as Mattingly's was in 1991, said when he played with the Orioles they had rules regarding facial hair, and that in the minors pretty much across the board facial hair isn't allowed. Scott Van Slyke, his face full of arguably the fullest beard on the team, similarly recalled a minors edict that anything beyond two days of growth must be shaved.

On Friday, 23 years removed from his angry day, Mattingly reflected on his benching.

"My biggest issue that day was 'If you don't get your haircut today, you don't play,' and I was at the ballpark. Well, don't tell me two days ago," Mattingly said. "If you tell me today, 'If you don't have it cut by tomorrow, you won't play,' I would have got it cut."

The story does have a happy postscript. Mattingly cut his hair the next day, and auctioned off the sheared locks for $3,000 for charity.

Mattingly also followed up the benching with a seven-game hitting streak, hitting .357 (10-for-28) with three doubles.

"Yeah!" Mattingly exclaimed on Friday. "I was mad."

Who is the next long-term Yankees first baseman?

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Mattingly. Tino. Giambi. Teixeira. Who's next?

The Yankees have had the luxury of having an excellent first baseman for a very, very long time. Don Mattingly became the full-time Yankee first baseman in 1984, followed by Tino Martinez immediately after his retirement, Jason Giambi right after Tino left, and then Mark Teixeira immediately after Giambi's departure. That's insane. With no void, the Yankees managed to replace their star first baseman with another star first baseman each and every time the void was created. Unfortunately, they probably won't do that again.

As we all know, free agency has changed. With new TV money and with the new trend of early extensions, not only is free agent talent hard to come by, it's becoming harder to compete as more teams are willing to hand out larger and larger contracts. It's pretty unlikely that a star first baseman will go on the market after Teixeira's departure, so the Yankees will have to get creative in filling the void. As we all know, Teixeira is breaking down. After his major surgery last year, he's been banged up pretty frequently and it's obvious that he's no longer an everyday player. He's great when he's on the field, it's just that health will certainly be an issue until his contract expires.

Replacing Mark Teixeira is a two-pronged approach: the team has to address the issue of a backup first baseman while he's still playing, and then they will have to find a long-term replacement once he leaves. Neither will be an easy task. After this season, the only first basemen of note that will become free agents are: J.P. Arencibia, Mark Reynolds, and Lyle Overbay. I would pass on all of them except for Reynolds, except for the fact that his contract demands will most likely be much higher after a decent season in Milwaukee. The Yankees have the money to absorb such a short term deal, and Reynolds would be ideal in providing near-replacement level performance in Teixeira's stead. WIth Teixeira projected to produce 1.7 and 1.3 WARP in 2015 and 2016, respectively (each over nearly a half season's worth of PA), a player like Reynolds would provide passable performance and the total sum would be an average first baseman. I think using players that have never played first base before as default backup first basemen is an experiment that should be left in the past, especially with the knowledge that Teixeira is definitely breaking down. That could be Reynolds, or it could be a myriad of minor-league free agent signings.

The long-term replacement is obviously the most complicated, and I don't think there's even an answer to this. The best estimation as to how the Yankees will replace Mark Teixeira is either through: the 2017 free agent crop and pick the least of all evils; or, try to use the best hitter in their minor league system as their first baseman. Neither of these options are inspiring. The current first basemen free agent class for 2017 consists of: Justin Morneau, Brandon Moss, Justin Smoak, Logan Morrison, James Loney, Edwin Encarnacion, and Ike Davis. Yuck. If the Yankees want to sign a younger player, there are mediocre options like Davis, Smoak, or Morrison. If they go with proven veterans, they'll likely have to go with an older player like Loney, Moss, or Encarnacion. They would probably be decent, but age is certainly not on their side.

The internal options are underwhelming, to say the least. The best bet, just hitting wise, is Aaron Judge, but I doubt they want to move him from the outfield right now. Unless first base is a total black hole, it would not be wise to put a rock at first base, even if they're hitting well. Eric Jagielo would be another non-first base option, and he would be the most likely to move from position as scouts have recently questioned his range at the hot corner. But if his hitting does not develop appropriately (many scouts label it as 55-60 on a 20-80 scale), then his bat would be a waste at first base. Then, there is of course Greg Bird. Greg Bird is the only and best first base prospect in the Yankees' system, and would be the ideal choice to succeed Teixeira if everything worked out. Between High-A and Double-A this season, Bird has hit .277/.379/.471 with 11 home runs in 86 games. According to PECOTA projections, that translates to .241/.348/.418 with 21 home runs in 2017. I would take that in a heart beat.

The future of first base is a mystery. There won't be a knight in shining armor to save the position as has been the case so many times before; Yankees fans have taken that for granted for nearly 30 years. If I had my dream, Greg Bird would be this person. But if that does not work out and their system fails to produce, the position may become a revolving door for the foreseeable future.

Yankees 3, Rays 2: Jeter's ninth inning single the difference in win

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Yeah, Jeets.

After the struggles of the last couple games, it was an encouraging sign that the Yankees picked up a pair of early runs. But after that, the Yankees' offense went back to being bad. However, with the way Shane Greene was pitching, it looked like two runs might be enough. It wouldn't be as the Rays came back to tie the game in the seventh. Just as the feelings of dread set it, the Yankees picked up a run in the ninth, thanks to Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter. That extra run would be enough, as the Yankees ended their losing streak with a big 3-2 win over the Rays.

The Yankees opened the scoring with some early runs in the top of the second. With two outs in the inning, Chase Headley kept the inning alive with a walk. That brought a slumping Martin Prado to the plate. Prado fell behind 0-2, but on the third pitch of the at bat, he took a Drew Smyly pitch over the left field wall. That made it 2-0 Yankees.

The Yankees did fall asleep after those two early runs, because of course they did. For a while that didn't seem to matter as much, thanks to Greene's nice outing. Through five innings, Greene had struck out nine.

But in the sixth inning, the Rays' offense got a rally going. After Ben Zobrist struck out, Matt Joyce and Evan Longoria hit back-to-back singles. Greene got James Loney to line out, but Yunel Escobar picked up a two-out single that would score a run. Greene got Vincent Belnome to ground out to limit the damage, but it was now 2-1.

Greene came back out to start the seventh inning. The first person up was Curt Casali, who reached after he was hit by a pitch. Kevin Kiermaier then reached on a swinging bunt after Headley had no play at first or second. That would be it for Greene. He went six innings, allowing two runs (more on that in a second) on seven hits and two walks, while striking out ten.

Shawn Kelley came in for Greene. The first man he faced was Desmond Jennings, who sacrifice bunted to move the runners to second and third. Zobrist then grounded out, but it was enough to score a run and tie the game. Kelley struck out Joyce to escape the inning and keep the game tied.

Neither team scored in the eighth and the top of the Yankees' lineup was due up in the ninth. Gardner reached to lead off the inning by grounding one back up the middle. Rays' pitcher Jake McGee deflected it, causing it to go to second baseman Logan Forsythe. Gardner beat the throw, which was wild and went into the dugout, allowing Gardner to go to second. Jeter came up next. The count ran to 2-2 after a couple Jeterian bunt attempts. With two strikes on him, Jeter ditched the bunts and swung away. He punched through a single, scoring Gardner and giving the Yankees the lead again. While the inning featured another hit (A Mark Teixeira infield single. Yes, really.), the Yankees couldn't push another run across.

David Robertson came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and try and finish off the game. After getting the first two outs without much trouble, the Rays sent Sean Rodriguez up as a pinch hitter. On the second pitch of the at bat, Rodriguez made decent contact on a pitch. Off the bat, it looked like it might be trouble, but it died in semi-deep left field, allowing Gardner to make the catch. The Yankees finally ended their losing streak with a 3-2 win.

The Yankees and Rays will finish up their series tomorrow at 1:40 eastern. Hiroki Kuroda will get the start for the Yankees and Jeremy Hellickson will go for the Rays.

Box score.

Cubs Minor League Wrap: August 16

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Tennessee and Daytona explode as they both look to claim playoff spots. Iowa falls out of first.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs got stung by the Salt Lake Bees (Angels), 5-3.

Starter Carlos Pimentel pitched five innings and allowed five runs on nine hits, including a three-run home run in the third inning. Pimentel walked four and struck out three.

Right fielder Jorge Soler hit two doubles in a 2 for 5 game. He had one RBI.

Center fielder Ryan Kalish was 2 for 5 and scored once.

Shortstop Elliot Soto went 3 for 4 and scored one run.

Kris Bryant left this game in the third inning with a foot injury. He was taken to the hospital for x-rays. It was apparently the result of him fouling a ball off his foot a few games ago. The x-rays were inconclusive.

Omaha won, so Iowa fell a game out of first place in their division.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies scored seven runs in the eighth inning and went supernova on the Huntsville Stars (Brewers), 12-5.

Starting pitcher Ivan Pineyro pitched 4.2 innings and gave up two runs on four hits, including a solo home run.  He struck out seven and only walked one.

Lendy Castillo replaced Pineyroand he surrendered the lead on a three-run home run in the fifth. Castillo was relieved after two-thirds of an inning by Blake Cooper, making his Cubs organization debut. Cooper pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits. He struck out two and didn't walk anyone.

P.J. Francescon pitched a perfect top of the eighth and got his 11th win of the season, all in relief. He struck out one.

Catcher Taylor Davis hit a two-run home run in the third inning, his fourth of the season. Davis was 3 for 5 with four RBI.

Shortstop Addison Russell was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored three times and he had an RBI single in the eighth.

Third baseman Christian Villanueva went 3 for 4 with a double and a walk. He had two runs scored and two RBI.

Left fielder Anthony Giansanti was a perfect 3 for 3 with a walk. He scored once.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs trampled the Tampa Yankees, 10-2.

Starter Rob Zastryzny got his third Daytona win after tossing five innings and giving up two runs on three hits. He walked four and struck out four.

Gerardo Concepcion tossed another two scoreless innings of relief in this game. He didn't even allow a hit. He did walk two and he struck out three.

Right fielder Bijan Rademacher came to the plate with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and tripled in all three runs to put the game away. He also scored on an error on the play, so it was a Little League grand slam, so to speak. Rademacher was 2 for 5 with just the three RBI.

Catcher Willson Contreras hit a real home run with a man on in the third inning. It was his third home run of the season. Contreras was 2 for 5 with three RBI and two runs scored.

First baseman Dan Vogelbach went 3 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored twice and had two RBI.

DH Billy McKinney went 2 for 5 with an RBI double in the seventh inning. He scored on that Rademacher triple.

Left fielder Kyle Schwarber went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored one run. Second baseman Gioskar Amaya was 2 for 5 with a double and one run scored.

Kane County Cougars

Rained out at Wisconsin. They'll play a doubleheader tomorrow.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks appeased the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Giants), 4-1.

Erick Leal started and got the win. He pitched six innings and gave up only four hits, including one run on a solo home run in the fourth inning. He struck out one and walked one.

Sam Wilson pitched the ninth and got his third save. He gave up a two-out single, but nothing else. He struck out two.

Center fielder Rashad Crawford was 2 for 5 with a two-run triple in the seventh inning.

AZL Cubs

Lost to the Mariners, 4-3.

Eloy Jimenez hit his third home run.

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 8/17/14

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ESPN New York | Peter Kerasotis: The Yankees may be starting to press as they feel the pressure of the season coming down on them.

LoHud | Chad Jennings:Carlos Beltran feels it's time for him to return to the outfield.

New York Daily News | Mark Feinsand: Masahiro Tanaka continued his rehab by throwing a bullpen session, and according to Larry Rothschild, he came out looking fine.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Brett Gardner believes the Yankees are running out of time to make a push for the playoffs.

CBS Sports | Dayn Perry: A look back at the death of Babe Ruth through newspaper headlines at the time.

Pinstriped Prospects | Jed Weisberger: Tyler Austin finally feels like his wrist injury is behind him and he's getting back to doing what he used to do.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Ramon Flores, John Ryan Murphy, and Jose Ramirez are some of the players who could help in September if they weren't on the disabled list.

PBS | Dr. Howard Markel: Babe Ruth was one of the first cancer patients to undergo chemo treatment.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: After suffering multiple setbacks, it's unlikely that Andrew Bailey makes it back to the majors in 2014.

Baby Bomber Recap 8/16/14: Another homer for Greg Bird; three more hits for Rob Refsnyder

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Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from August 16th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 9-4 vs. Pawtucket Red Sox

LF Jose Pirela 2-4, 2 BB
2B Rob Refsnyder 3-6, double, RBI, K - batting .317 over his last 10 games
CF Zoilo Almonte 2-4, RBI, BB, K, SB
1B Kyle Roller 1-5, double, RBI, BB, 2 K - batting .283 w/ SWB
3B Zelous Wheeler 3-4, 2 doubles, RBI, BB
DH Rob Segedin 0-4, RBI, K
RF Taylor Dugas 3-5, RBI, K - batting .314 w/ SWB
C Jose Gil 1-3, double, RBI, 2 BB, E2 - throwing error, first of the season
SS Carmen Angelini 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, K - third homer of the season

Nik Turley 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R/1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, hit batsman - 52 of 99 pitches for strikes
Jim Miller 1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Jeremy Bleich 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, K
Pat Venditte 2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 1-8 vs. Bowie Baysox

CF Jake Cave 0-5, 2 K
LF Ben Gamel 1-4, K
1B Greg Bird 2-4, double, HR, RBI, K - 5th homer w/ Trenton
DH Tyler Austin 0-4, 3 K
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 0-3, BB, K, E5 - batting .194 since promotion
RF Mason Williams 1-3, BB
C Tyson Blaser 0-4, 3 K
2B Casey Stevenson 1-4, K, E4 - fielding error, 5th of the season
SS Ali Castillo 2-3, double, BB, K

Francisco Rondon 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, hit batsman - 33 of 57 pitches for strikes
Danny Burawa 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Cesar Cabral 1.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R/2 ER, 2 BB, K, WP
Mark Montgomery 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB - 1.10 ERA w/ Trenton

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 10-2 vs. Daytona Cubs

CF Mark Payton 0-4, BB, K
SS Cito Culver 1-2, RBI, 3 BB - batting .215 this season
3B Eric Jagielo 0-4, K, HBP
RF Aaron Judge 1-4, double, BB, 2 K - batting .270 w/ Tampa
2B Jose Rosario 1-4, triple, RBI, BB, E4 - throwing error, 8th of the season
LF Ericson Leonora 0-4, 3 K
C Kyle Higashioka 0-3, BB
DH Danny Oh 0-1, 3 BB
1B Reymond Nunez 1-4, double, 3 K

Conner Kendrick 3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - 4 GO/2 AO
Chris Smith 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, WP
Kyle Haynes 2 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, WP
Philip Walby 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 7-2 vs. Rome Braves

LF Michael O'Neill 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, SB - 10th homer of the season
SS Abiatal Avelino 0-4, K
1B Mike Ford 1-4
3B Miguel Andujar 2-4, double, K
RF Yeicok Calderon 0-2, 2 BB
C Jackson Valera 1-4, K
2B Gosuke Katoh 1-2, 2 BB, K
CF Brandon Thomas 1-4, RBI, SB
DH Kale Sumner 1-3, HR, 4 RBI - 4th homer of the season

Gabriel Encinas 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, K, hit batsman - 33 of 54 pitches for strikes
Chaz Hebert 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Evan Rutckyj 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, WP

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:L 1-6 vs. Tri-City ValleyCats

CF Collin Slaybaugh 0-3, BB, K, OF assist
SS Vince Conde 0-4, 2 K
2B Ty McFarland 1-4, HR, RBI, K, E4(17th) - 4th homer of the season
DH Isaias Tejeda 0-3
1B Connor Spencer 1-3, E3 - fielding error, 3rd of the season
C Luis Torrens 0-3, K
LF Chris Breen 1-3, K - batting .284 this season
RF Nathan Mikolas 0-3
3B Renzo Martini 0-3, K

David Palladino 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, K, WP, hit batsman, E1 - 8 GO/3 AO
Joe Harvey 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, K
Rony Bautista 2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

GCL Yankees 2W 5-0 vs. GCL Yankees 1

GCL Yankees 1:

SS Tyler Palmer 1-3
2B Billy Fleming 1-3, K
RF Alexander Palma 0-2, HBP
3B Drew Bridges 0-3, K
1B Dalton Smith 1-2, K, HBP
LF Dominic Jose 0-3, 2 K
CF Leonardo Molina 0-3, K
C Brian Reyes 0-3, 2 K
DH Roybell Herrera 0-2

Simon De la Rosa 2.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, WP
Orby Tavares 2.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Deshorn Lake 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R/0 ER, 1 BB

GCL Yankees 2:

2B Junior Valera 1-2, BB, SB
RF Ramon Flores 1-3, double, 2 K
DH Jake Hernandez 1-4, HR, RBI, K - sixth homer of the season
3B Allen Valerio 0-1, 2 BB, CS
1B RJ Johnson 1-2, RBI, BB
SS Yancarlos Baez 2-2, triple, 2 RBI, BB
C Jesus Aparicio 0-3, K
LF Griffin Gordon 0-3, K
CF Jose Augusto Figueroa 1-3, double, K

Jhon Morban 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Elvin Perez 2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, hit batsman

GCL Yankees 1W 3-1 vs. GCL Yankees 2

GCL Yankees 1:

RF Tyler Palmer 0-2, BB, SB
SS Bryan Cuevas 0-0, 3 BB
2B Billy Fleming 0-2, RBI, E4 - fielding error, 6th of the season
DH Drew Bridges 1-2, RBI, BB, K
1B Dalton Smith 0-2, BB
LF Dominic Jose 0-3, 2 K
CF Leonardo Molina 0-2, BB, K, 2 SB
C Alvaro Noriega 0-3, K
3B Ryan Lindemuth 0-1, BB, K

Luis Cedeno 4 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Manolo Reyes 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Jonny Drozd 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

GCL Yankees 2:

LF Jose Augusto Figueroa 1-3, HR, RBI, 2 K - third homer of the season
SS Yancarlos Baez 0-3, K
1B Jake Hernandez 1-3
DH RJ Johnson 0-3, CS
RF Kevin Alexander 0-2, BB, 2 K
3B Graham Ramos 0-1, 2 BB, SB
C Rainiero Coa 0-3, K, E2 - throwing error, 1st of the season
CF Jordan Barnes 0-2

Carlos Diaz 3 IP, 0 H, 2 R/1 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, E1
Eduardo Rivera 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Hector Martinez 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, WP
Jose Pena 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Yankees said to be one of the main bidders for Rusney Castillo

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The Yankees are one of several teams considered to be major players for Cuban defector, Rusney Castillo.

Last month, Cuban defector Rusney Castillo worked out at a showcase attended by scouts from nearly every team in the majors. The Yankees held a private workout for Castillo in Tampa last week, where he faced off against Preston Claiborne and Caleb Cotham. According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees are one of the major players for Castillo, along with the Red Sox and the Tigers, and his decision could come within the week.

Castillo started looking over offers on Friday, and could end up landing a contract within the range of six years, $50 million. There is some urgency in the signing, if teams want him to get on the roster this season, as players acquired after August 31 are ineligible to play in the postseason. Furthermore, there are some questions as to whether Castillo could even make that deadline because he only has a visitor's visa at the moment, and he would need a work visa before the end of the month to be cleared.

Although he's mostly played in the outfield, the Yankees seem to think he could make it as a second baseman, and he did spend some time playing second and third base in Cuba. If he does sign with them, the plan would be to start him at second and only move him to the outfield if it was really necessary. Since current second baseman Stephen Drew is only on contract for this season, the Yankees will have an opening at second base. The addition of Castillo could block Rob Refsnyder, though. On the other hand, if they do sign Castillo, he could potentially spend a short stint in the minors and then join the team and take over for Drew. Although we said the same thing about Brian Roberts just a few weeks ago, it's hard to imagine that Castillo (or anyone) could play any worse than Drew is currently. Then again, if the Yankees continue on their recent downward spiral, it won't really matter who is playing second base for the rest of the year. If we're thinking in terms of best case scenarios, then maybe Masahiro Tanaka returns, the team goes on a win streak, the offense finds itself, and Castillo could potentially help the team make a push for the playoffs.

Would you like to see the Yankees sign Castillo even if that means that he blocks Refsnyder at second base?


A look back at the 1994 Yankees

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About 20 years ago the Yankees reigned supreme as the best team in the American League before a players' strike derailed their World Series hopes. Just how good was that team?

After years of high-priced frustration, the Yankees were finally playing great baseball by the summer of 1994. A trip back to the World Series seemed all but booked as they had the American League's best record until the evening of August 11. That night the oft-threatened players' strike became a cold reality. That strike led to the eventual cancellation of the 1994 World Series. As Andrew pointed out earlier this week, it was a punch in the gut to fans across the country.

Rather than dwell on those bad times like a bunch of Negative Nancies, let's take a look back at that team and remember how awesome they were. All data courtesy of Baseball Reference.

Starting Lineup

OrderPositionPlayerAVGHRRBIsOPS+WAR
1LFLuis Polonia.3111361101.3
23BWade Boggs.34211551424.5
31BDon Mattingly.3046511132.3
4DHDanny Tartabull.25619671151.0
5RFPaul O'Neill.35921831774.3
6CMike Stanley.30017571413.5
7CFBernie Williams.28912571203.2
8SSMike Gallego.239641812.4
92BPat Kelly.280341910.8

This was a lineup full of patient hitters that weren't ashamed to take a walk. Polonia provided a decent amount of speed to go with his ability to get on base. Elder statesmen Wade Boggs and Don Mattingly rounded out the top of the lineup as still two of the best contact hitters in the game. By this point, back injuries had sapped Mattingly's power but Boggs provided some pop with the second highest home run total of his career. Clean up hitter Danny Tartabull did what classic sluggers do, hit home runs, draw some walks, and strike out a lot. At the heart of the order, Paul O'Neill proved that his successful debut in pinstripes the year before was no fluke. He won the AL batting crown and set career highs in all three slash stats. Backstop Mike Stanley also proved that his breakout year in 1993 was now the rule rather than the exception, leading all AL catchers in WAR. At the bottom of the order Bernie Williams continued his slow rise to stardom while Gallego and Kelly provided value as light-hitting, slick-fielding middle infielders.

Bench

PositionPlayerAVGHRRBIsOPS+WAR
IFRandy Velarde.2799341031.1
C/1BJim Leyritz.26517581291.8
OFGerald Williams.2914131170.3
CMatt Nokes.2917191370.5
OFDaryl Boston.18241459-0.6

With the exception of Daryl Boston, the Yankees' bench was extremely valuable in 1994. Veteran Randy Velarde had a good enough glove to backup both middle infield positions and hit well above the league standard for each. Jim Leyritz quickly became a fan favorite by smacking home runs at a high rate and being versatile enough to fill in at any position in a pinch. Once a top prospect in the organization, Gerald Williams settled into a bench role providing a steady glove in the outfield and a boost of speed on the base paths. In his final season with the Yankees Matt Nokes made sure there was no drop-off in production when he filled in for Mike Stanley, which was no small order.

Starting Rotation

No.PitcherW-LERAERA+WAR
1Jimmy Key17-43.271404.4
2Jim Abbott9-84.551011.9
3Melido Perez9-44.101122.4
4Terry Mulholland6-76.4971-1.0
5Scott Kamieniecki8-63.761222.4

The Yankees' prize free agent acquisition of 1993, lefty Jimmy Key, was the unquestioned ace of this staff. He led the major leagues in wins and placed second in the AL Cy Young award vote. There was no clear number two starter here but Key was followed by three solid, middle of the rotation guys in lefty Jim Abbott and righties Melido Perez and Scott Kamieniecki. Abbott and Perez both were more effective earlier in their careers, but they were beginning to feel the effects of their large workloads in those years. The Yankees had high hopes for Terry Mulholland, another lefty, when they traded for him after his success with the NL champion Phillies in 1993. As you can see above, his only season in the Bronx was a disaster.

Bullpen

PitcherSVERAERA+WAR
Steve Howe151.802562.2
Bob Wickman63.091491.9
Xavier Hernandez65.8579-0.3
Donn Pall03.601280.3
Paul Gibson04.97930.1
Sterling Hitchcock24.201100.9

In the years before Wetteland and Rivera, the Yankees' closer situation was nebulous, to say the least. After Xavier Hernandez failed to lock down the role, Steve Howe put up one of the best seasons of his troubled career and became the closest thing they had to a closer. Howe was helped by former starter Bob Wickman, who found his niche as an effective setup man and also closed out a handful of games for the club. Veterans Donn Pall and Paul Gibson were solid, if unspectacular, in middle relief while Sterling Hitchcock was a jack of all trades. As the youngest contributor to this team he was called on to be the emergency starter and long reliever and even earned two saves along the way.

The strength of this team was clearly the offense. This was the first of a long string of Yankee lineups that would consistently wear down pitchers until they either got themselves into trouble or handed the game over to a bullpen that would get into trouble for them. As a team, they ranked first in the majors in batting average, on base percentage, OPS and OPS+. The only team to score more runs than them were the formidable Cleveland Indians and if they had played a full season, they may have even flirted with scoring 1,000 runs for the year.

The pitching was a different story, though. While they were certainly an above average staff, outside of Jimmy Key and a couple reliable relievers they weren't really scaring anybody. In a playoff series they would have been in a dicey scenario if Key lost a game one and Jim Abbott was getting the ball for a must-win game two. Regardless, any Yankees fan that was conscious in 1994 was drooling for the opportunity to see them take their league-leading offense to the World Series to face off against the Expos and their league-best pitching staff. Man, that would have been fun.

Yankees lineup vs. Rays - Brian McCann returns, Austin Romine sent down

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The Yankees are going to try real hard to win two games in a row today. Hiroki Kuroda returns to the rotation after he was skipped in the rotation only to be placed back into it again.

Brian McCann is back from the 7-day disabled list now that it appear his concussion has cleared up. To make room for him on the active roster, Austin Romine has been optioned back down to Triple-A Scranton. This afternoon's lineup as Brett Gardner leading off as Derek Jeter gets his second day in a row as the designated hitter. Jacoby Ellsbury and Mark Teixeira follow, with Carlos Beltran back in right field. McCann is behind the plate and Chase Headley is at third, with Stephen Drew getting the start at short and Martin Prado at second base.

Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $18,000 Fantasy Baseball league for tonight's MLB games. It's $2 to join and first prize is $2,000. Jump in now. Here's the FanDuel link.

PSA Comments of the Day 8/17/14: Two in a row, please.

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The Yankees look to Hiroki Kuroda for the series victory this afternoon. It's a good thing the Yankees love scoring runs for him.

...right?

Comment of the Game

Despite what LTL says here, this was good enough to win the COTG for Blanky. Cause at this point, "or something" is becoming all we can hope for with this offense.

Best GIF of the Recap

For the second day in a row, Blanky emerges victorious. Or rather, GIFtorious!

Honorable Mod Mention

Harlan had a wicked & honorable witty remark about Mark Teixeira running. LTL followed forthwith.

Best Comments of the Day

It's the weekend, so not many comments win the COTD. However, Rorschach definitely came through with one.

Fun Questions

  • What are your hopes and expectations for Shane Greene's Yankee future?
  • Better jewelry: silver or gold?
Song of the Day

Phendrana Drifts from Metroid Prime

No real reason for this song, other than my enjoyment of it. As always, link us your Song of the Day!

The Yankees will have Hiroki Kuroda face off against Jeremy Hellickson in the rubber match against the Rays this afternoon. Winning today is just as important as winning yesterday and winning tomorrow. So, you know, win!

Yankees 4, Rays 2: Fifth inning rally puts Yankees ahead for good

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Hiroki Kuroda and the offense combined to give the Yankees a series win in Tampa.

With two outs in the fifth inning, the Yankees had still not picked up a hit and it was beginning to look like one of those days. Other than a error and a walk, no Yankee had reached base, and none looked particularly likely. But then with two outs in the fifth, the Yankees got a rally going. By the time the inning was over, the Yankees were in front and would never trail again. Thanks to that rally and a pretty nice outing from Hiroki Kuroda, the Yankees came away with a 4-2 win over the Rays.

The Rays got on the board early with a run in the first inning. With one out in the inning, Ben Zobrist singled and moved to third when Matt Joyce singled. Kuroda then got Evan Longoria to ground out, but it was enough to score Zobrist. James Loney would fly out to end the inning, but it was now 1-0 Rays.

Through 4.2 innings, the Yankees had yet to record a hit. Derek Jeter had reached via error and Carlos Beltran walked, but Jeremy Hellickson looked like he was about to get though five hit-less innings. But then, through some sort of black magic, I assume, the Yankees got a two-out rally going. Stephen Drew kept the inning alive with a walk. Martin Prado came up next and he laced a double to left. With two runners in scoring position, Brett Gardner singled to score them both and give the Yankees the lead out of nowhere. Jeter then kept it moving with a single that moved Gardner to third. That brought up a slumping Jacoby Ellsbury. He kept it moving with another single. That scored Gardner and made it 3-1.

After allowing the run in the first inning, Kuroda cruised after that. After the run scored, Kuroda retired the next 16 batters he faced. But in the bottom of the seventh, the Rays got a rally going. Joyce led off the inning with a double. Longoria followed that with a single that scored Joyce and cut the Yankees' lead to one run. Kuroda then got two-straight ground outs, which moved Longoria all the way over to third. That left the inning up to Vince Belnome. Kuroda and Belnome battled, but Belnome eventually drew a walk. That caused Girardi to go to his bullpen and bring in Shawn Kelley. Kuroda went 6.2 innings allowing two runs on four hits and one walk. Kelley came in and struck out pinch hitter Brandon Guyer to strand the tying run at third.

The Yankees got that run back in the top of the eighth when Mark Teixeira hit a solo home run. That gave the Yankees the extra run to work with and made it 4-2.

Dellin Betances was brought in to pitch the eighth. He allowed a infield single to Desmond Jennings, but in typical Dellin style, he struck out two in a scoreless inning.

The Yankees couldn't pick up an insurance run in the top of the ninth, meaning it was time for David Robertson in the bottom half of the inning. Longoria and Loney both hit balls fairly deep, but both were caught. In the end it was a 1-2-3 inning for Robertson. That sealed a 4-2 win and a series win against the Rays.

The Yankees have the day off tomorrow before returning home for a series against the Astros starting Tuesday.

Box score.

Sporcle quiz open thread: Derek Jeter's greatest victims

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Can you name the 20 pitchers who have given up the most hits to the Captain?

Here's a Sporcle-theme open thread for the evening. The quiz is pretty straightforward--can you name the 20 pitchers who have given up the most hits to Derek Jeter? His career isn't quite over, but barring any big games down the stretch, the list probably won't change by the time the Captain calls it quits. Share how you did in the comments below, or just use the open thread to talk about whatever you want! Enjoy your evenings.

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 8/18/14

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NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: The Yankees aren't rushing Masahiro Tanaka back, they're trying to evaluate their investment.

New York Post | George A. King III:Alex Rodriguez has started preparing himself for a return to baseball next year.

ESPN New York | Wallace Matthews: The Yankees will have their last chance of the season when they face off against the Astros and White Sox this week.

Newsday | Anthony Rieber: The Yankees' decision to honor Derek Jeter on a day other than his last regular season home game was a business decision.

ESPN New York | Wallace Matthews: Masahiro Tanaka is still feeling good after his first bullpen session of his rehab.

Rotoworld | Matthew Pouliot: When sizing up September call ups around the league, it seems that with no Rob Refsnyder or Jose Pirela, the Yankees don't offer much.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Derek Jeter is not a fan of being the designated hitter.

Baby Bomber Recap 8/17/14: Four hits for Eric Jagielo; four strikeouts for Ty Hensley

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Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from August 17th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 6-5 vs. Pawtucket Red Sox

LF Jose Pirela 1-5, 2 K
2B Rob Refsnyder 3-5, double, K - batting .307 w/ SWB
CF Zoilo Almonte 1-3, BB, K, HBP
1B Kyle Roller 0-4, RBI, BB, 2 K
3B Zelous Wheeler 1-5, 2 RBI, 2 K - batting .297 this season
C Francisco Arcia 1-5, K
RF Taylor Dugas 2-3, triple, RBI, BB
DH Corban Joseph 2-3, double, RBI, BB - batting .266 this season
SS Carmen Angelini 0-3, BB

Matt Tracy 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K - 63 of 98 pitches for strikes
Branden Pinder 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Tyler Webb 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - 2.30 ERA w/ SWB
Edgmer Escalona 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 3-4 vs. Bowie Baysox

CF Mason Williams 0-3, 2 BB
LF Ben Gamel 2-5, double, RBI, BB, 3 K
C Gary Sanchez 1-5, RBI, BB, 2 K - batting .273 this season
DH Greg Bird 1-5, RBI, BB
RF Tyler Austin 0-6, OF assist
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 0-5, K, HBP
1B Dan Fiorito 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K
2B Casey Stevenson 1-3, BB, SB, HBP
SS Ali Castillo 1-3, 2 BB, 2 K, SB

Joel De La Cruz 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, E1 - 49 of 75 pitches for strikes
Phil Wetherell 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
James Pazos 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, E1
Mark Montgomery 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K, WP
Cesar Cabral 0.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB

High-A Tampa Yankees:W 8-7 vs. Daytona Cubs

CF Mark Payton 0-3, RBI, BB, K
SS Cito Culver 2-4, double, triple, 2 RBI, K, HBP
3B Eric Jagielo 4-4, double, RBI, BB, 2 E5(14, 15) - batting .253 this season
RF Aaron Judge 0-4, BB, K
2B Jose Rosario 0-3, BB
C Trent Garrison 3-4, RBI, K, E2 - missed catch, sixth of the season
LF Ericson Leonora 1-4, RBI, K
DH Anderson Feliz 0-4, 2 K
1B Reymond Nunez 2-4, 2 doubles, RBI, K, 2 E3 - fielding, missed catch (8,9)

Taylor Garrison 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, WP - 6 GO/2 AO
Mike Noteware 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R/1 ER, 1 BB, K, WP
Alex Smith 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Cesar Vargas 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

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

SS Abiatal Avelino 2-4, double, 2 K, HBP
2B Tyler Wade 1-4, double, RBI, 2 K, E4 - fielding error, 21st of the season
1B Mike Ford 0-3, BB
LF Michael O'Neill 0-3, BB, K
RF Yeicok Calderon 1-3, BB
CF Brandon Thomas 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB - fifth homer of the season
3B Kale Sumner 0-3, BB, 2 K
DH Gosuke Katoh 0-3, BB, 2 K
C Eduardo de Oleo 0-4, 3 K

Luis Niebla 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R/1 ER, 0 BB, K, hit batsman - 2.59 ERA this season
Angel Rincon 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Eric Ruth 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB
Stefan Lopez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, K, WP

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:W 6-3 vs. Tri-City ValleyCats

CF Collin Slaybaugh 1-4, double, BB, 2 K
2B Jose Javier 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, E4(8th) - 2nd homer of the season
3B Ty McFarland 0-3
C Isaias Tejeda 1-4, double, RBI
RF Austin Aune 2-4, double, RBI, K
LF Chris Breen 1-4, 2 K - batting .283 this season
1B Connor Spencer 2-3, RBI, BB, CS - batting .371 this season
SS Vince Conde 1-2, RBI, 2 BB, E6 - fielding error, 6th of the season
DH Bubba Jones 0-4, K

Ty Hensley 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, hit batsman 
Andrew Chin 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, WP
Andury Acevedo 2 IP, 1 H, 2 R/0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Tim Giel 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K


Masahiro Tanaka injury: Upcoming steps in his attempt to return

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Masahiro Tanaka threw a successful bullpen session Saturday, and the Yankees are putting together a plan to move forward.

The Yankees are trying to piece together a plan for Masahiro Tanaka moving forward, after he successfully completed a bullpen session on Saturday. Although he wasn't throwing with 100% effort, Tanaka said that did not experience any pain, and that he thought it was a better bullpen session than his first one during spring training. Everything seems to be going according to plan, as Tanaka was also able to play catch on Sunday and still reported that he felt good.

Larry Rothschild, the Yankees pitching coach, said that Tanaka will throw breaking balls during his next bullpen session. According to Joe Girardi, they've discussed him throwing curveballs next time out, and he added that they want him to "spin some stuff" on flat ground before he tries off the mound. They have not set a date for his next bullpen yet, as they want to monitor how he feels for a few days. Tanaka did rejoin the team and travel with them back to New York though. Since he was shutdown for quite a few weeks, the Yankees are being extra cautious that he doesn't tweak his elbow or anything else. Rothschild also commented that they are watching his facial expressions closely, to make sure he's not trying to hide any pain.

There has been some debate as to whether the Yankees should have Tanaka play again this season, especially if they find themselves out of contention, but Girardi said that the only way they'll find out if he's really healthy is by getting him in games. If he remains pain-free, we will probably see him before the season ends. As for Tanaka himself, he responded to questions about potentially returning to a team that is not in the race, by saying, "I think it's important for the team to fight until the end of the season, so for me, if it would be possible, I'd like to contribute until the end of the season." Aww.

PSA Comments of the Day 8/18/14: Still in the hunt

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The Yankees took two out of three from the Rays. The Yankees are still in this race. The Yankees have the day off.

Comment of the Game

The COTG goes to waw for his wizardry with asking for runs and receiving them. He needs to do this more often.

Best GIF of the Recap

ShaunRunDMC gets the best Recap GIF award with this stunning display of funky athleticism.

Honorable Mod Mention

We have a tie for the HMM. Caitlin earns the honor for bringing an atmosphere of fun into the Game Thread almost instantly.

Andrew follows it up with this inspiration of insanity! Things like what Caitlin & Andrew did are what makes the Game Threads enjoyable.

Best Comments of the Day

Rorschach comes through once again with the one & only COTD yesterday. More surprising is that it didn't have anything to do with his junk.

Fun Questions

  • Which player in baseball should the Yankees make their top priority to acquire for 2015?
  • What sport would you like to play that you never had a chance to play?
Song of the Day

Come As You Are by Nirvana

As always, link us your Song of the Day!

The Yankees have the day off before welcoming the Houston Astros to the Bronx. Feel free to use this as your open thread for the day!

The Return of Joe Mauer

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The first baseman's return has gotten off to a stellar start. Will it last? Is Joe back?

Six games over the course of a single week isn't enough time to make anything close to a definitive judgment, but in the interest of indulging the optimist inside me that I struggle to keep buried under layers of cynicism, hey welcome back Joe Mauer. What we've seen from the Twins first baseman has been a revelation. In 26 plate apearances, he is hitting .333/.462/.714. He has seven hits, four of them for extra bases. Two homers, five walks and, perhaps best of all, only one strikeout.

When Mauer has struggled, it's been in part because he was unable to control the strike zone as he did during his prime, taking too many strikes, swinging through fastballs, and winding up behind in counts. Since coming off of the disabled list, Mauer has been ahead in 14 of the 24 plate appearances in which he wasn't intentionally walked. And he has seen an average of 4.2 pitches per plate appearance.

As for his approach, he's still refusing to swing at the first pitch, letting it go by in 22 of his 24 plate appearances in which he wasn't intentionally walked. On the two at bats where he did swing on the first pitch, surprisingly, he has homered both times, on that first pitch by Jeremy Guthrie on Sunday and on the fifth pitch against Brett Oberholtzer. There's nothing really to glean from this data yet. Mauer's only seen 105 pitches thrown in anger, so this is basically just a neat curiosity while we wait and hope that the already borderline hall of famer has finally gotten healthy again and that this isn't a random blip in his performance.

That caution aside, however, I think that we're seeing the real Joe Mauer come back after half a season of waiting. More than anything, it's his defense around first base that's convinced me. He has looked incredibly smooth making picks in the dirt and diving plays. He's moved gracefully around the bag and has finally looked comfortable. We were hopeful that moving off of catcher would keep him healthier. Obviously, between his back and his oblique, that hasn't been the case so far. But perhaps all the damage done to Mauer's body by catching takes longer than an offseason to heal. Perhaps there's a hangover effect for catchers that switch positions.

Unfortunately, we simply don't have a lot of data to back that up one way or another. Johnny Bench got hurt the year he moved off of catcher, but that was a broken ankle. Yogi stayed relatively healthy as he transitioned to left field to make way for Elston Howard, but the Yankees rested him regularly. Ted Simmons fell off a cliff when he was moved. BJ Surhoff had a bad shoulder and a strained oblique that kept him out for a bunch of 1994 before the strike came along. Victor Martinez was fine until he destroyed his knee in 2012, but was able to bounce back. Joe Torre made the switch with no problems. The point is, we don't know how long it takes to actually bounce back from catching. We don't know what's typical for a catcher as young as Joe, with an injury history like Joe's, who gets moved. It's not unreasonable to hope that Mauer is back for good.

Not that it will help with the #BooMauer crowd even if he is, of course. They are so heavily invested in the notion that Joe is killing the Twins that they will continue to whine loudly about Mauer's lack of power relative to other first basemen, make jokes about bi-lateral leg weakness, and complain about the salary he earned by being one of the best hitters in baseball throughout his indentured servitude. At least a Mauer resurgence will make the Twins better, even if it doesn't improve the quality of the jokes on Twitter.

Yankees approaching the crossroads once Derek Jeter retires

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Sure, Jeter isn't the player he used to be, but regardless, the team's future is very unclear.

The 2014 baseball season has been a weird one for the Yankees. Set with the backdrop of longtime captain Derek Jeter's retirement from the game, the team itself has been inconsistent, baffling writers around the country with a struggling offense that wasn't supposed to be nearly this bad while somehow staying on the periphery of the playoff race thanks to a pitching staff that wasn't supposed to hold up after losing most of the Opening Day rotation but has due to some surprising performances. It seems that barring a miracle playoff run, people will not be waxing poetic about the 2014 Yankees the way they do about the 2009, 1998, or even the 2012 squad, which at least made it to the ALCS.

Jeter's retirement is coming with the franchise at the classic uncertain crossroads. He is the final survivor of those glory teams from the late-'90s that guided the Yankees out of their uncharacteristically long playoff drought and won four World Series titles in five years while making the playoffs in all but one season during an 18-year stretch, an absolutely incredible run of success. His best friend, catcher Jorge Posada, saw his performance slump in 2011 and retired after the season. Former 1992 Class-A Greensboro Hornets teammate Andy Pettitte, a rotation mainstay throughout most of Jeter's tenure, first retired after 2010, then came back after a year only to leave the game for good at the end of the 2013 campaign. Closer Mariano Rivera, sent down from the Yankees at the same time as first-year players in 1995, the beginning of the Yankees' playoff streak, also departed at the end of 2013, and he will almost certainly join Jeter in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jeter is the last link to those days of burgeoning success, when people coming to Yankee Stadium didn't necessarily expect the Yankees to win the World Series every single year. Indeed, when the Yanks won the '96 World Series the same year Jeter won Rookie of the Year, it was a pleasant surprise. Now, expectations have changed. Some fans have never seen the Yankees go through a losing season with an under-.500 record. The 2013 squad tried its hardest to go under .500 but thankfully didn't in the end, and while this current team doesn't look too great either at the moment, projection systems say that most likely, they will narrowly finish over .500 again.

Many fans are peeved about the decline, and the team's future is a great unknown. The longest-tenured Yankees after Jeter are the currently suspended and reviled Alex Rodriguez (ten years), and a trio of unheralded players who have either already turned 30 or are approaching it: Brett Gardner, David Robertson, and Francisco Cervelli (six years). The only one who will definitely be back next year is Gardner, and while people like Gardner, he's not the same franchise icon as Jeter. There are no ready-made successors to pass the torch onto as the Yankees' most iconic player the way that Lou Gehrig was when the Yankees traded Babe Ruth after the 1934 season, or the way that Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle were when Joe DiMaggio retired in 1951.

Mantle's later departure from the game might resemble Jeter's the most. Although in hindsight, Mantle's final season statistics were quite good (as opposed to Jeter) given that he was playing during the "Year of the Pitcher" when a normally-disappointing .237/.385/.398 triple slash actually meant a potent 143 OPS+, people didn't think of that at the time. They saw Mantle as an even more broken-down version of his former self, now so ravaged by injuries that he was restricted to first base instead of his legendary center field position. Mantle's .237 average meant that people saw him leaving the game on a sad note, and that was only punctuated by the players around him. Mantle himself often said that it was weird for him at first base seeing the much-maligned Horace Clarke at second, Gene "Stick" Michael at shortstop, Bobby Cox (yes, that Bobby Cox) at third base and wondering "Man, where'd everybody go?"

The 1968 Yankees finished a few games over .500 at 83-79, in distant fifth place out of the 10 teams in the AL. Their run differential was +5, and their stats ranked in the middle of the pack among their competitors. They were basically the definition of mediocrity, and their best hopes for the future were pitcher Mel Stottlemyre, outfielder Roy White, and Mantle's soon-to-be successor in center, Bobby Murcer, who was away serving in the military. Former championship manager Ralph Houk led the motley crew of mediocrity, just as former championship manager Joe Girardi does now. There were no people to hand the franchise off to, and the CBS ownership was inspiring nobody.

Fortunately, there seem to be a few more hopes than what the '68 team had. The Yankees are crossing their fingers that Masahiro Tanaka can avoid Tommy John surgery, and when he was pitching in the first half, he was as exciting as any pitcher in baseball. Gardner's their best overall position player, rookie Dellin Betances has been straight-up nasty in the bullpen, and there are some intriguing prospects who could be knocking on the door of the majors soon in second baseman Rob Refsnyder, first baseman Greg Bird, outfielder Aaron Judge, pitcher Luis Severino, and more.

Nonetheless, it can be a challenge escaping the feeling of melancholy as Jeter's career winds to a close with a mediocre team around him. Hopefully it won't take the Yankees eight years after his retirement to return to the postseason the way they did when Mantle called it quits. Someone will take the baton from from Jeter's hand at some point, just as future captain Thurman Munson eventually took it from Mantle--it's just an anxious time for Yankees fans waiting to see who will be the leader of the new Yankees as they march on into the great unknown.

Thank goodness for Shane Greene

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The Yankees rotation is loaded with question marks and injury concerns for 2015. Shane Greene pitching well puts him into that messy mix.

When things get dicey for the Yankees in a season, I try my best to focus on things that leave me optimistic for the future. Sitting seven games out of first and 3.5 out of the Wild Card has me looking for all I can to keep myself out of the baseball-related doldrums. It's made all the more difficult when the team's starting rotation of the future is the equivalent of scribbles on a dry erase board: there's just no permanence there. The players who are contractually obligated to be here are injured (or just recently recovered) and most of the ones who are still pitching unscathed are free agents to be. There's a lot of juggling to be done and risks present, so my optimistic self has struggled to figure out what to look forward to. One distinct possibility is Shane Greene, the unheralded farmhand whose stellar start to his career has made the Yankees' cupboard seem just a little less bare.

Considering that Greene's minor league numbers were never particularly outstanding, there's been reason to not rush to judgment on his potential as a major league pitcher. But after 43 innings and seven starts, I'm comfortable feeling that there's something more here than just a flash in the pan and that he's not doomed to go the same route as guys like Vidal Nuno or Chase Whitley.. He's sporting a 2.91 ERA and 3.41 FIP and striking out hitters at a solid clip while only having allowed three homers. The stats are accompanied by a fastball that sits around 93 on average and a slider that has proven to be a more than capable out pitch. It's not a "smoke and mirrors" situation when it comes to Greene's success, which I think lends itself to the sustainability of his performance.

Even if he's not an ace in waiting, Greene's done enough to be considered a part of the Yankees future. 2014 has been a nice reminder that even running seven to eight starters deep can turn out to not be nearly enough, so Greene will help to replenish that depth that has been lost. A healthy, young and cost-controlled arm that has shown competency is exactly what the Yankees are going to need to have on call with injury questions hovering around Michael Pineda, Masahiro Tanaka, Ivan Nova and CC Sabathia. You can't really expect a free agent of any quality to come aboard and fill that role.

There's obviously the possibility the Yankees are so fond of Greene that they give him a starting spot outright next year, but I'd wager that as an outside chance. A free agent or two plus the aforementioned names combined with a dash of "pray they don't fall apart" is the route I suspect they'll go considering the team's history. Even then I'm excited at the possibilities for Greene in 2015. A Yankee farmhand making good can warm the heart of even the most embittered Yankees fan, and I think Greene is heading down that path. My anticipation is likely the kiss of death and his arm will fall off at some point, but until that occurs he'll be one of the reason's I'm excited about the Yankees future. Unapologetically so!

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