The Yankees are not good, but we are podcasting about them because reasons! Who should be kept and who should be let go from the roster?
It's very weird watching the Yankees these days. They aren't a good team and we're already looking toward the future. Enjoy the podcast.
[0:17] 2014 Yankees gonna 2014 Yankee lately... [2:48] Watchability level: Low [5:02] How much has this team actually improved from last year? Does it have direction? [6:53] The Masahiro Tanaka rehab hope train chugs along [9:27] Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran both probably done for the season. Can't even have Martin Prado, who has been fun to watch. Sighhhhh. [14:47] Yankees roster review: "Keep or let go" with each player, starting with pitchers [31:52] "Keep or let go" continues with position players [47:17] Matt F.'s B-Ref segment: All-time Yankee leaders who never did [X] (i.e. most at-bats without a double) [56:40] Tweetbag: Front office process vs. results, Dancin' with the Stars, Tex's triple, WHY?!, possible September positive, and how close will the Yankees tease by games within the Wild Card? [1:02:24] Yankee/Mitre of the Week (#2RUELOVE)
I think I shall coin a brand new phrase: "You can never have enough pitching".
I want to begin this by saying that Chris Capuano isn't that good. That usually isn't something that you'd say to endorse a signing, but that's not the point. The point is that he isn't that bad either. Now one might say, "The pitching isn't the problem! The Yankees have Shane Greene, David Phelps, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, and possibly Brandon McCarthy or Jon Lester!" That would be correct. It would also be correct that pitching can dry up rather quickly. Even though Yankees fans haven't been spoiled the past two seasons, they have grown accustomed to good pitching. No matter who got hurt or what happened, a random minor league signing or farm hand would be able to hold up the load for a brief period of time. Frankly, that just isn't the case with most teams. And even with teams that do have that depth, it never lasts forever. There will come a time when the pitching well runs dry.
That isn't to say it will be tomorrow, but it will come. And to prepare for that day, the Yankees should have at least eight to ten starters that they'd be at least willing to put out there every fifth day. It doesn't have to be for a full 200 innings, but 50? That wouldn't be unreasonable. Capuano is that seventh starter.
Capuano is a two-time Tommy John victim, but his last surgery was in 2009 and he's been incredibly healthy since then (Not like the Yankees would demand that many innings from him). He also has only had one season in his career where his FIP- was higher than 110, and that was way back in 2004. Other than that, his FIP- has hovered between 100 and 109. To boot, his peripherals have all been trending in an upward direction, despite his age. He has the highest strikeout rate and his walk rate remains under three per nine. His home run rate is always going to be high--he's a fly ball pitcher--but that has never hurt his numbers to the point of breaking him.
People forget that having an almost-average pitcher is pretty valuable. Which pitcher has the exact same FIP- (102) as Capuano? Tim Hudson. Tim Hudson has been worth 1.6 fWAR. It is safe to say that Capuano is worth about a win and change over the course of a full season, and would give a shave less in limited time. That's worth about $5-7 million dollars in value on the free agent market, and the Yankees could have that for a fraction of the price.
Frankly, Capuano will be cheap. He will be going into his age 37 season and he's been cut and/or traded by two teams this season, so there's obviously some risk that he'll turn into a pumpkin. And that could definitely happen. Someone would bring up this article in June if Capuano is DFA'd and say, "See! We told you so!", so hello to the people of the future and let me know that I recognize your concerns and please send me back your flying cars.
Capuano was signed for $2 million in 2014, so I would imagine that a similar salary would bring him back in 2015. The Yankees obviously have money, and they spent that kind of money on Brendan Ryan to do celebrity impressions on the bench to boost morale; I think they can spare a few bucks for the veteran. He won't be great and he could even be terrible, but he'd be a relatively cheap investment with a possibly decent return. Given all the injuries that the Yankees have endured these past few years, a cheap innings eater could be worth it.
After a terrible start yesterday turned into a surprising win, the Yankees try to avoid another series loss in the finale of a three-game set against the Rays. Tomorrow is a doubleheader against the division-leading Baltimore Orioles, and the lineup looks exactly how you might expect it to with the knowledge of having to play two games tomorrow in another city.
Yikes. That is terrifying. Ichiro Suzuki, Stephen Drew, Chris Young, and Brendan Ryan is a really, really ugly bottom of the order. Michael Pineda will certainly have his work cut out for him tonight, as he tries to avoid his team hanging him out to dry on an unearned run this time around. The season is, at long last, winding down. September is supposed to be when you see young talent for next year taking their licks, but instead we get this. It's not going to be pretty and they are probably going to win only slightly more than they lose over the next 19 games.
I don't know. Hard to feel optimistic about lineups like these. That means they will probably score nine runs. At least there is football tonight if things get really ugly.
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.
The Bronx hasn't seen a no-hitter in 11 years, but that could change very soon.
Rays starter Alex Cobb has a no-hitter through seven innings against the Yankees on Thursday.
Cobb entered the seventh having allowed only one baserunner, and that came in the third inning when Tampa Bay center fielder Kevin Kiermaier dropped a routine fly ball off the bat of Stephen Drew. Cobb bounced back to induce a couple of fly outs and a strikeout. Drew never left second base.
The 26-year-old right-hander issued consecutive walks to Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira with one out in the seventh, but set down Chase Headley and Ichiro Suzuki to escape the inning unscathed. Cobb has four punch-outs and has thrown 61 of 94 pitches for strikes.
The Rays' last -- and only -- no-hitter came on July 26, 2010, when Matt Garza accomplished the feat against the Tigers at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The Yankees have not been no-hit since June 11, 2003, when the Astros used six pitchers to finish the job. That was also the last no-hitter thrown in The Bronx.
Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Alex Cobb had a no-hitter until one out in the eighth inning, when Chris Young of the Yankees doubled to knock him out of the game.
Rays starter Alex Cobb has a no-hitter through seven innings against the Yankees on Thursday.
Cobb entered the seventh having allowed only one baserunner, and that came in the third inning when Tampa Bay center fielder Kevin Kiermaier dropped a routine fly ball off the bat of Stephen Drew. Cobb bounced back to induce a couple of fly outs and a strikeout. Drew never left second base.
The 26-year-old right-hander issued consecutive walks to Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira with one out in the seventh, but set down Chase Headley and Ichiro Suzuki to escape the inning unscathed. Cobb has four punch-outs and has thrown 61 of 94 pitches for strikes.
The Rays' last -- and only -- no-hitter came on July 26, 2010, when Matt Garza accomplished the feat against the Tigers at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The Yankees have not been no-hit since June 11, 2003, when the Astros used six pitchers to finish the job. That was also the last no-hitter thrown in The Bronx.
Cobb fell short in his bid for history on Thursday, but his overall dominance against the Yankees continued.
Rays right-hander Alex Cobb lost his bid for a no-hitter against the Yankees on Thursday on a one-out double off the bat of Chris Young in the eighth inning.
Cobb got Stephen Drew to pop out to begin the frame before Young lined a first-pitch offspeed offering into the right-center field gap. Rays manager Joe Maddon opted to go to his bullpen at that point, with Cobb having thrown 101 pitches.
Young scored on a home run by Martin Prado to cut the Rays' lead to 4-2, then hit a walk-off three-run home run in the ninth to give New York a 5-4 win.
The hit by Young kept the Yankees' long streak of avoiding being no-hit by a single pitcher at home alive. The Astros used six pitchers to accomplish the feat in 2003, but the last time one pitcher no-hit the Yanks in The Bronx was on Aug. 25, 1952, when Virgil Trucks of the Tigers held Mickey Mantle and company hitless in a 1-0 win.
Still, Cobb finished with yet another solid outing against the Yankees. The 26-year-old native of Boston was charged with one run after Brad Boxberger surrendered a home run to Martin Prado, but Cobb gave up just the one hit on two walks and struck out four. His success when facing New York is nothing new; Cobb now has a 1.67 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 15 walks in 64 frames in his career against the Yankees.
A near no-hitter was turned into a ridiculous victory by a player the Mets didn't even want.
The Yankees closed out their series with the Rays on a day of somber remembrance for New York City and the nation at large. As has been the case for over a hundred years fans looked to baseball to provide a break from reality for a while. Luckily for us, baseball turned out fun today.
It was hard-luck loser Michael Pineda facing off against Alex Cobb in the latest of an infinite number of must-wins for the Yankees. Things were going nice and steady for Pineda until the top of the third inning. After narrowly missing a home run to left Wil Myers reached on an infield single. Matt Joyce followed with a single and was brought home when Yunel Escobar got one just over the wall in left to make it 3-0 Rays. Pineda was doing just fine from that point on up until Escobar came up again and hit another homer, thankfully with nobody on base this time. It was 4-0 Rays.
I know you're tired of reading this, but bear with me. The offense was doing nothing tonight. Normally that is being said in a figurative sense, but today they were unable to propel a baseball through the air or off the ground and reach base without the aid of a Rays miscue for most of the game. Thankfully Chris Young saved us all from a possible no-hitter with a double into right-center in the bottom of the eighth. Then the currently injured but still awesome Martin Prado crushed one into the seats in left to cut the lead in half to 4-2.
The Rays combination of Brad Boxberger and Jake McGee had normally befuddled the Yankees this year, but after Boxberger gave up the dinger to Prado it was McGee's turn to get waxed. Following a nasty beanball to the chin of Chase Headley, Ichiro Suzuki slashed a double into left. After Zelous Wheeler pinch hit and whiffed, it was time for Yankee Legend Chris Young to come up again. While a smarter man would know to put the brilliant Young on base, McGee tempted fate. He paid for his hubris as Young crushed his tepid offering over the left field wall for a game-winning three run homer. The legend of CY began that fateful day:
Pineda was good aside from two crucial mistakes to Escobar. Probably most importantly he pitched well into the eighth inning and threw 96 pitches. He's going to be a big part of the Yankees 2015 plans, so the best thing he can do in 2014 is show he can throw a lot of pitches and not show any ill effects from it. Also, he kept the Yankees just close enough so Young could muscle up and save the team.
After today's preposterous theatrics, the Yankees play a doubleheader against one of the best teams in the league, the Baltimore Orioles in Maryland. The fun starts at 1:05 with Brandon McCarthy and Kevin Gausman as your probables. Young will likely hit four homers.
Who and where are the people that blame Brian Roberts and Ichiro the most for the Yankees' disappointing 2014 season? Also: how?
One thing that's absolutely clear about the New York Yankees mostly disappointing and entirely predictable 2014 season is that some one player must be blamed for it. Not a collection of players or a rash of injuries in the pitching rotation or the general Expendables-poster vibe of the roster. That is a cop-out, an excuse, a frankly (sorry for the language) Mets-fan move.
No, there must be a scapegoat. Singular. One single scapegoat, on which goat can be draped ritual poop-garlands of shame. This goat will then be driven off into the Bronx, thus exorcising the pain of an expensive, aging roster performing exactly as an expensive, aging roster might be expected to perform.
The Trenton Times understands this, which is why they commissioned a scientific poll of their readers to determine which player will be this season's dedicated scapesyank. It went about as well as you'd expect such a poll -- which would necessarily be limited to the sort of Yankees fan inclined to blame a season of comprehensive and predictable organizational failure on one particular position player, and which, to reiterate, is extremely silly on its face -- to go.
There are aspects of this (totally silly! sorry to keep harping on that but wow!) poll that are surprising, most notably the fact that the second name on the list is the second name on the list. It could be argued that Derek Jeter's combination of extremely diminished capacities and extremely persistent presence atop the lineup should have earned him the top spot -- Howard Megdal made that very argument in this space, and well. It could also be argued that Shut Up About Derek Jeter Your (sic) Just Jealous The Guy Dated Minka Kelly And Your (sic) In Some Bloggy-Ass Basement, which was the argument commenters made below Howard's piece, and heatedly.
It is probably tougher to argue that Carlos Beltran -- who has been hobbled and more uhelpful than helpful as a 37-year-old, for the first time in his brilliant career -- is the single reason why such a strangely constructed team has played so much like a strangely constructed team of old dudes. But #BlameBeltran is a virus unique to New York, and while symptoms of it have mostly been noted in Mets fans it's not impossible that something (fluoridation of the water supply?) makes New Yorkers uniquely susceptible to it. This is best left to the scientists, probably.
But the really fascinating thing about this poll, beyond a doubt, is the small faction of Yankees fans that look at a roster that seems to have been constructed solely by signing people that played in the 2007 All-Star Game and instantly identified Brian Roberts and Ichiro as the prime culprits in the team's struggles.
Ichiro, who is a 40-year-old part-time outfielder -- and a damn national treasure, if that matters -- with 334 plate appearances on the season. Brian Roberts, who appeared in 91 games before being released -- not that many, but more than he's seen in a season since 2009 -- and barely hit at all, but who nonetheless grades out per Baseball Reference's WAR calculations as just about the most valuable contributor in the Yankees infield.
These, these are your culprits. The two guys who have combined for roughly as many plate appearances this season as Mummy Alfonso Soriano and Yangervis Solarte. There is an old statement about stupid questions and stupid answers that seems like it would fit, here, but I'm too angry at Ichiro to think of it right now.
After an injury-plagued 2014 season, the Yankees will need to look at starting pitching options from the farm system, free agency, as well as the trade markets to built their 2015 rotation.
Injuries to the Yankees rotation have haunted the club all season. Unfortunately, all of the injured have concerns heading into next season: CC Sabathia’s knee injury is said to be career threatening, Ivan Nova is recovering from Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected back until late April, David Phelps spent time on the DL with an elbow injury, Michael Pineda hasn’t made it through a full season since 2011 because of shoulder issues, and Masahiro Tanaka has a partial tear of his UCL and could end up needing surgery at any time. To get through next year, the Yankees are going to have to add to what they have in their system.
Looking at the free agent market, there are a few players of note with different contract demands. At the high-end you have Max Scherzer and Jon Lester headlining the pitching crop. Both are playoff tested and will require long-term, big-money deals. Lester seems like a better fit as a lefty in his prime ad coming from the AL East. Mid-level options include James Shields and Brandon McCarthy. Both are over 30 years old and will have some level of risk. Shields has been a proven workhorse and will be pursued by many teams this offseason, while McCarthy rewarded the Yankees with an incredible second half. A return for McCarthy could be in the cards if he’s willing to take a two-to-three-year deal.
As for in-house options, Shane Greene could be in line for a rotation spot. Greene pitched well this season and deserves a chance in 2015 after his performance with the big club. On the farm, you have Bryan Mitchell and Manny Banuelos as possible options in Triple-A, but both will need to work on their command in order to make the show. Yankees top prospect Luis Severino should not be ruled out as an option if he repeats this past season’s dominance. The front office showed the willingness to promote him aggressively and he could potentially reach the club late in the 2015 season.
The trade market has limited appeal with pitchers having various levels of availability. Ian Kennedy and Cole Hamels were rumored to be on the market at the 2014 trade deadline, but the question is whether or not the Yankees have the prospects to make that kind of deal, especially for Hamels, who still has five years and $110 million remaining on his contract. Recently, Cashman has shown reluctance to trade his top prospects, which make that type of deal unlikely.
My gut feeling is that the Yankees rotation will look like this on Opening Day 2015:
Masahiro Tanaka Jon Lester Brandon McCarthy Michael Pineda CC Sabathia/Shane Greene
Health and pitching depth will be key for the 2015 pitching staff. Cashman seems to have a knack for finding undervalued assets after the acquisitions of Brandon McCarthy and Chris Capuano kept the Yankees in the playoff hunt until the end of 2014. Hopefully they can find a few more quality pitchers to either add to what they already have or keep in Triple-A for when they might need it.
The Yankees are down in Baltimore for a four game series against the Orioles. Two of those games will be played today.
Comment of the Game
No no, I'm not giving myself the COTG award. I'm just giving myself credit for saying what I said so that LTL could pick up the honor. Also, so long baseball. It's been a good run, but I must stick by my internet comment.
Best GIF of the Recap
Yep, we're breaking ranks today. Waffles is taking home the BGOTR award for this perfect, perfect GIF.
Honorable Mod Mention
She's also taking home yesterday's HMM award as well. People, we get it. The Yankees are not good. Having the Game Thread devolve into depressing whining does not make it any easier to deal with. This has been a PSA...PSA.
Best Comments of the Day
Happy Birthday, Michael Brown. You have a good chance at winning the HMM award today.
Fun Questions
Better walk off victory this year: Sept 4th's Headley dinger against the Red Sox or last night's Chris Young dinger??
Autumn is fast approaching. What are you looking forward to the most?
Appropriate song with the Yankees winning two games in a row. As always link us you song of the day!
The Yankees have a doubleheader today against the Orioles. Brandon McCarthy will pitch the day game while Bryan Mitchell pitches the night game in Birdland. Asking them to win both games tomorrow against the best team in the AL East is a tall order. Here's hoping they're up to the task.
go yankees go baseball then go yankees go baseball again
According to George King of the New York Post, it appears that Mark Newman, the Yankees vice president of baseball operations and the man in charge developing the farm system, plans to retire after the 2014 season. While retirement is not a firing, or even stepping down, it is heavily implied that this was not Newman's first choice. With his contract ending at the end of the season, a source says that the Yankees would not have renewed it. That sounds very much like the organization has forced Newman out and instead of resigning, he's decided to retire in order to save face.
After the big stink that was raised last year when Hal Steinbrenner was not happy with the production of the farm system, we may finally be seeing some change. Aside from Newman, director of player development Pat Roessler could also be out. At the moment, it appears that Damon Oppenheimer is safe. He's put together some solid drafts in the last few years, but the problem seems to be, or at least the Yankees have determined it to be, what they do with those draftees once they get the into the system.
The likely candidate to replace Newman is Trey Hillman, a former Yankees minor and Royals major league manager, who has recently been brought back into the fold. Former Yankees hitting coach Gary Denbo is considered to be the likely replacement for Roessler. It seems that the changes that we all wanted, and expected, last year are finally happening. The minor league system had a great season in 2014, but new personnel, who are hopefully better equipped to lead this talent to the majors, is a welcomed sight in the Yankees' land of no consequences.
What does everyone think about this news? Good news? GREAT news?
Derek Jeter is out of the lineup today after getting hit in the elbow last night. It is yet to be determined if he'll be available in the night game. Without Jeter, the top of the lineup is Jacoby Ellsbury, Martin Prado at third base, and DH Brian McCann. Mark Teixeira is hitting cleanup with last night's hero Chris Young in left field and batting fifth and Stephen Drew at second. John Ryan Murphy is behind the plate as Brendan Ryan gets the start at short and Antoan Richardson is in right field.
David Phelps has been reinstated from the disabled list in time for today's doubleheader. He's available for 25-30 pitches and it looks like he'll be in the bullpen going forward. Chase Headley's tests all came back negative, meaning he suffered no fractures when he was hit in the chin last night. He required stitches and will see a neurologist before he is deemed ready to return.
More prospect review work today, with the Colorado Rockies organization. Remember, this is the PRE-SEASON list. This is not a new list. These are pre-season rankings and grades. This is a review of 2014, not a preview for 2015.
1) Jon Gray, RHP, Grade A: Borderline A-. Solid year in Double-A, 3.91 ERA with 113/41 K/BB in 124 innings for Tulsa, 107 hits. Not as dominant as expected however, and some concerns about his health late in the year.
2) Eddie Butler,RHP, Grade A-: 3.58 ERA in 108 innings for Tulsa, 63/32 K/BB, 104 hits. Got hammered in one major league start. Like Gray, it was a decent year overall but it was not up to Butler’s past standards and there were health issues.
3) David Dahl, OF, Grade B+: Borderline B. Hit .309/.347/.500 with 10 homers in 392 at-bats for Low-A Asheville, then .267/.296/.467 with four homers in 120 at-bats for High-A Modesto. Helps maintain his stock after lost 2013 season.
4) Ryan McMahon, 3B, Grade B+: Borderline B. Hit .282/.358/.502 with 18 homers, 46 doubles, 54 walks, 143 strikeouts in 482 at-bats for Asheville. Asheville is a great place to hit, splits were .308/.368/.508 at home, .256/.349/.496 on the road. He should do well in the Cal League next year.
5) Tom Murphy, C, Grade B: Borderline B+. Limited to 27 games for Tulsa by shoulder problems. Hit .213/.321/.415 with five homers in 94 at-bats. Power and walks still here, sample too small to mean much otherwise given health questions.
6) Kyle Parker, OF-1B, Grade B: Hit .289/.336/.450 with 15 homers, 33 walks, 102 strikeouts in 502 at-bats for Triple-A Colorado Springs. I thought he was capable of better given the league/park context.At age 24 he needs momentum for ’15.
7) Rosell Herrera, SS-3B, Grade B: Borderline B-. Hit .244/.302/.335 with 24 walks, 52 strikeouts in 275 at-bats for Modesto, spent much of the year on DL with undisclosed injury. I don’t know what to think at this point, need more info on the injury.
8) Raimel Tapia, OF, Grade B: Borderline B-: Hit .326/.382/.453 with 32 doubles, nine homers, 35 walks, 90 strikeouts, 33 steals in 481 at-bats for Asheville. Scouting reports are good and he’s just 20, but note the home/road splits: .350/.391/.534 at home, .304/.374/.377 with zero homers on the road. 9) Trevor Story, SS, Grade B-: Borderline C+: Rebounded following poor ’13 in the Cal League at .332/.436/.582 with 20 steals in 184 at-bats. Less effective after moving up to Tulsa, .200/.302/.380 with nine homers but 82 strikeouts in 205 at-bats. I like the speed and the pop but really have to wonder about batting average/OBP.
10) Chad Bettis, RHP, Grade C+: Very good in Triple-A, 3.09 ERA with 55/21 K/BB in 55 innings, 2.26 GO/AO. Very bad in the majors, 9.12 ERA with 13/10 K/BB in 25 innings, 42 hits. Will get more chances, still projects as useful bullpen arm.
11) Tyler Matzek, LHP, Grade C+: Last year a scout told me that Matzek’s stuff was every bit as good as Gray’s and Butler’s and, in a way, more special because it comes from the left side. The difference-maker of course is command consistency, which they have and Matzek does not. Results: 4.23 ERA in 106 big league innings, with 77/40 K/BB and 105 hits allowed. That is very credible given the context. His command is still wobbly but it is much improved compared to two year ago and at times he’s been flat-out brilliant.
12) Christhian Adames, INF, Grade C+: Slick glove, hit .288/.345/.368 with 42 walks, 12 steals in 475 at-bats between Double-A and Triple-A. Age 23, think he can be a good utility man.
13) Tyler Anderson, LHP, Grade C+: Fine season for Tulsa, 1.98 ERA with 106/40 K/BB in 118 innings, just 91 hits. Left most recent playoff start with a sore elbow after two innings. Will have to follow health reports closely. 14) Dan Winkler, RHP, Grade C+: 12 excellent starts for Tulsa (1.41 ERA) before going down with Tommy John. 15) Ryan Casteel, C-1B, Grade C+: Good season from sleeper prospect, hit .280/.341/.445 with 16 homers for Tulsa. Not great behind the plate but workable if he hits enough. Age 23.
16) Jordan Patterson, OF, Grade C+: Hit .278/.359/.430 with 14 homers, 25 steals, 46 walks, 118 strikeouts in 453 at-bats for Asheville. Very sharp home/road split, .308/.400/.538 vs. .250/.318/.328. Age 22.
17) Tommy Kahnle, RHP, Grade C+: Successful Rule 5 pick taken from Yankees, 3.72 ERA with 60/29 K/BB in 65 innings in the major leagues, 45 hits. Doesn’t look like a fluke to me.
Tommy Kahnle photo by Leon Halip, Getty Images
18) Jayson Aquino, LHP, Grade C: Borderline C+:Age 21, 5.40 ERA with 74/30 K/BB in 95 innings for Modeso, 113 hits. Not a great year but finished decently with two starts in Double-A.
19) Sam Moll, LHP, Grade C: Borderline C+: Injured most of the season, sore elbow, pitched 13 rehab innings in the Northwest League in August and looked healthy.
20) Wilfredo Rodriguez, C, Grade C: Hit .310/.359/.399 in 281 at-bats for Asheville. Splits not extreme, .319/.377/.403 at home, .299/.340/.394 on the road. Good receiver but throwing needs a lot of work, caught just 14%.
In some senses it has been a good year for the farm system. Tyler Matzek’s minor league career was dubiously erratic, but he’s made huge progress this year and has held his own in the Show. Recent farm products like sophomores Nolan Arenado, Corey Dickerson, and Charlie Blackmon have held down key roles, though they had too much experience to rate on a pre-season ’14 prospect list.
On the negative side, Chad Bettis wasn’t able to solidify a spot. Kyle Parker didn’t make a huge impression in the friendly Pacific Coast League. Eddie Butler fought injuries and wasn’t as dominant as last year. Jon Gray was solid but not always spectacular in Double-A and ended the year on the DL. Winkler got hurt, and now Tyler Anderson may be hurt too. Pitching depth is a great thing because it can evaporate so very quickly.
Positionally, David Dahl, Ryan McMahon, Raimel Tapia, and first baseman Correlle Prime all had good-looking seasons on the surface, but all need to prove themselves outside of Low-A. Asheville is tricky; even when you think you’ve adjusted for it, you probably haven’t adjusted enough. The 2014 draft brought in lefty Kyle Freeland and second baseman Forrest Wall, both capable of advancing very quickly. Products of the Latin American program like right-handers Antonio Senzatela and Rayan Gonzalez are also moving up the ladder.
I felt this farm system was underrated pre-season. I’m not sure what I think now; we’ll have to see how the health reports stack up this winter. It would remain solid if everyone is healthy.
Yankees drop Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Orioles.
Well, if you like pitching duels, and extra baseball, this was the game for you. Kevin Gausman and Brandon McCarthy battled away a sunshiny afternoon in Baltimore, with the Orioles edging out a win that unfortunately doesn't really affect the postseason picture all that much. Well, not so unfortunate for the Orioles who are going to win the American League East.
Brandon McCarthy was brilliant - stop me if you've heard this before - but received no support from the offense. Serious deja vu overload here. McCarthy pitched seven shutout innings, giving up four hits and striking out six.
A single by Martin Prado and a double by Chris "Yankee Legend" Young left the Yankees sandwiched around a pair of outs set New York up with 2-on and 2-out in the 6th inning. Stephen Drew walked to load the bases before John Ryan Murphy flew out to deep left in foul territory to end the threat.
Antoan Richardson served as the obligatory rookie offering to the TOOTBLAN Gods when he was picked off first base to end the top of the seventh inning and Gausman's stellar outing.
The Yankees ran into trouble in the bottom of the eighth when McCarthy was knocked out of the game by a lead-off double by our old friend Kelly Johnson. Dellin Betances came in to get the pair of strikeouts the Yankees needed but not before a pair of fielders choices and a walk loaded the bases and caused much anxiety. Though not nearly as much as the bottom of the ninth when the Orioles loaded the bases on no hits and three walks. David 'Houdini' Robertson got Schoop to look at a called third strike to force extras.
Chris Young brought his magic to Baltimore with a solo shot to left in the 11th inning that represented the first run of the game. Unfortunately, that was the only run New York could scratch out with the better part of their bullpen having already been used. Adam Warren came on to work the bottom of the frame, walking Nelson Cruz to start the inning. J.J. Hardy was hit by a pitch before Warren got Kelly Johnson to strike out swinging. Steve Clevenger worked a walk to load the bases in front of pinch hitter Jimmy Paredes, who doubled down the right field line to score two and end the game.
Despite the fact that the Yankees are barely hanging on to what could be considered postseason contention, this game was a heartbreaker. McCarthy and the better part of the bullpen did so well to keep Baltimore off the scoreboard, but their offense, as we have seen so many times this season, failed to pick them up.
Bryan Mitchell will have a tough task in front of him as he makes his first big league start in the night portion of today's doubleheader. The bullpen is going to be short, and the two best relievers won't be available at all. Good luck, guys.
The Yankees wrapped up the second game of today's doubleheader by mustering up four total hits. Bryan Mitchell made his debut as a starter and pitched well, holding the Orioles to just two runs, but the offense welcomed him by failing to score a run. That means they scored a total of one run through 20 innings played today. The last time the Yankees were swept in a doubleheader was in 2006 against Boston. Yuck.
After being called up and then sent back to Triple-A multiple times this season, Mitchell finally started a game. Though he only lasted five innings, he was able to keep the Yankees in the game. The Orioles only managed to score two runs off of him, both coming in the fourth inning after David Lough led off the inning with a walk. Ryan Flaherty then drove him in with an RBI double. Alejandro De Aza then hit a triple into the gap to bring in the second run. Mitchell ended the night having allowed six hits and two walks, with two strikeouts.
Joe Girardi turned to the bullpen in the sixth inning, and we got to see four relievers finish the game. Josh Outman pitched a clean sixth inning. The seventh was started by David Phelps, who made his first appearance since going on the DL several weeks ago. He managed to get the first two outs easily, then he walked three batters in a row. Delmon Young was able to capitalize on this by hitting a single past Stephen Drew to drive in the third and fourth runs of the game. Rich Hill had to come in to get the last out of the inning. The Orioles then went on to add another run in the eighth inning. With Chaz Roe on the mound, Jonathan Schoop struck out swinging, but advanced to first on a wild pitch. This was followed by De Aza's second RBI triple of the night to make it 5-0.
On the Yankees side of things, practically nothing happened. Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Chris Young and Antoan Richardson all hit singles. Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki both drew a walk, with Gardner going on to steal his 20th base of the season. The lack of offense can't even be blamed too much on the doubleheader, as they collectively did very little in the first game, even though it did go for eleven innings.
Shane Greene will take the mound tomorrow to try and stop the bleeding. He'll face off against Miguel Gonzalez at 1:05 pm EST.
Bud Norris pitched seven shutout innings and a makeshift lineup scored five runs as the Orioles swept the doubleheader from the Yankees
BALTIMORE -- After grinding out an extra-inning win in the first game of today's doubleheader, the Orioles cruised 5-0 win in the nightcap. Thanks to strong pitching by Bud Norris and an impressive performance from a spring-training-like lineup, the Orioles have now won six games in a row and decreased their magic number to just five.
Manager Buck Showalter opted to give regulars Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and J.J. Hardy the second game off today. He has been giving his players rest lately, and in the case of Hardy, the shortstop looked less than 100% in game one after missing a week due to back spasms. But with those three missing and the suspension of Chris Davis earlier today, the lineup was almost unrecognizable. But they didn't let that stop them.
The O's put runners on in each of the first three innings, but couldn't capitalize against rookie starter Bryan Mitchell. In both the first and third innings, Steve Pearce and Nelson Cruz reached base but were stranded, and in the second a two-out walk from Ryan Flaherty was wasted. But they broke through in the fourth inning thanks to two guys who haven't had much playing time and one newcomer.
David Lough, who got the start in centerfield in place of Jones, worked a leadoff walk and then scored on a one-out double that was smoked to center by Flaherty. Flaherty then came in to score on a triple from Alejandro De Aza, who just flew around the bases. It was the first of two RBI triples in the game for De Aza, who has done nothing but hit since arriving in Baltimore.
After a failed hit-and-run led to a strike-'em-out-throw-'em-out double play with Cruz on the bases and Delmon Young at the plate, the rookie Mitchell's night was over. Josh Outman pitched the sixth for the Yankees and gave them the only clean inning they had in the entire game.
David Phelps started the seventh inning for the Yankees and got the first two batters, but then lost all control and walked the bases loaded. Yes, three straight Orioles walked. It was quite a sight to see. That set the table for Young, who had to that point been miserable at the plate. In addition to striking out with Cruz on the bases in the fifth, twice he had stranded two runners to end the inning. The third time was the charm, though, as he smashed a ball towards second base that completely ate up Stephen Drew and went past him into right field. Pearce and Jimmy Paredes came in to score, which gave the O's a 4-0 lead.
The O's tacked on one more run in the eighth inning with someone named Chaz Roe on the mound. With two outs, Roe struck out Jonathan Schoop but did so on a wild pitch. The pitch got well past the catcher and Schoop made it to first base to extend the inning. That gave De Aza another chance, which is when he had his second triple of the night. This one hit off of the right field scoreboard and Schoop scored easily.
All of those runs were in support of Bud Norris, who had himself a very good night. The Orioles needed a strong performance after using most of their good relievers in the extra-inning day game, and Bud came through with seven shutout innings. He had just two 1-2-3 innings, but never allowed more than one baserunner in any one inning. Of the three hits he allowed one was a groundball single past Jimmy Paredes at third base that a better defender probably would have gotten to.
Just once Norris allowed a runner to reach second base. In the fourth inning he walked Brett Gardner with no outs, and Gardner stole second, but Bud came back to strike out the next two and get a groundball for the third out. He also walked the leadoff batter, Ichiro Suzuki, in the fifth inning, but catcher Caleb Joseph gunned him down trying to steal second.
All told Norris struck out ten batters. No one in the Yankees lineup was safe as he struck out every batter once except Ichiro. Bud struck him out twice. His final pitching line was 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K. Well done, Bud!
Tommy Hunter and Brian Matusz came out of the bullpen and each pitched a scoreless inning to end the game. Hunter had some dramatics when he made a ridiculous throw to first on what was clearly going to be an infield hit by pinch-hitter Antoan Richardson. The throw didn't go near anyone with a glove and bounced into foul territory, allowing Richardson to go to second. He moved to third on a sacrifice fly but did not come in to score. Matusz pitched a perfect ninth to lock down the win.
What a day. It started with terrible news, and losing Davis still hurts. But the team played its heart out today and came away with two wins. They now have 88 wins on the year and are 29 games over .500. They're back at it tomorrow for another day game, with Miguel Gonzalez on the mound vs. Shane Greene.
Just A Bit Outside | Rob Neyer: Just when you thought Yankees sensationalism started with the Core Four, it turns out they used it to recruit players in the '40s.
As great as this season was for the Yankees farm system, there were still a few unfortunate breaks along the way. Even the best stories are going to have some bad arcs every now and again, so here's a look at some of the worst the Baby Bombers had to offer in 2014.
Mason Williams has been really bad for a few years now, but we may have finally reached an all-time low. In 2014, the 23-year-old had his worst offensive season to date. Scouts and evaluators alike had nothing good to say about the former top prospect's abilities on the field or even his body language, often citing his lack of effort, indifference, and constant look of defeat. Toward the end of the season Jake Cave started taking over center field because not even Mason's glove could save him from being passed over. We're at a point where the Yankees can no longer sit around and wait for him to fix everything himself. Talk to him, sit him down, demote him, trade him – do something, because he's closer to falling out of the game than he is to turning things around. I'm not even mad anymore, I'm morbidly curious to see how bad it can get. I'm not actively rooting for him to fail, but I'm not going to look away from the mess that has yet to be made.
Ramon Flores was off to a great start to the season. In his first year at Triple-A, the 22-year-old hit .261/.352/.447 through June 1. With the struggles of Alfonso Soriano and Ichiro Suzuki, along with the injury to Carlos Beltran that prevented him from playing the field, it was easy to see how a strong season from Flores could eventually land him a major league job, even if only as a backup. Unfortunately his year was cut short when he suffered a devastating ankle injury. While the team announced he would only miss a month, Flores didn't return to Scranton until the end of August, which left him little time to recover for a September call up. To make matters worse, he didn't hit very well when he made it back, but hopefully he can take his early-season surge and translate it into a successful spring next year.
It's no secret that Gary Sanchez has been depreciating in value since his 2011 peak. It's not that he's necessarily struggled, it's just that he has yet to take the next step that so many have been waiting for him to take. His defense is still questionable, his offense is solid, if not spectacular, but he hasn't exactly had the standout season that top prospects need to get the hype train going. In fact, not only did he put together another unspectacular year, but he also ran into some disciplinary problems with the organization when they benched him for an entire week because of some unknown issue. The worst part of the benching was that it seemed to have no impact on his performance at the plate whatsoever, so all we can hope for is that it helped him in some other way. Maybe. While his overall game is not necessarily a problem right now, it's going to get a lot more attention next year if he makes it up to Triple-A and he still can't regain any of his lost value.
Surprise, Gosuke Katoh is bad!
After finding a surprising amount of success in 2013, despite scouts mostly panning the second-round pick, it seems that everything caught up with Katoh in 2014. Not only did he not put up good overall numbers, but there was also a large amount of debate over whether or not he was overmatched at Low-A. Perhaps the silver lining was that he still took more than his fair share of free passes, but he still struck out at an alarming rate. The main area of concern is strength and conditioning. As a stick figure, Katoh lacks the arm strength to catch up to the higher velocity in A-ball and, while his baseball instincts are still intact, he's not really able to do much with them because he lacks the physical ability to, not only drive the ball, but also even catch up to it. Many evaluators said he would need to strengthen his wrists in pro ball and that seems to be very, very accurate. The ship hasn't sailed on him yet, but he has to improve himself physically if he's ever going to show off his talent.
The Yankees' terrible use of the 40-man roster
The injuries to Slade Heathcott and Jose Campos were painful by themselves as each had been struggling to stay on the field for several years now, but the Yankees really compounded the issue by placing them both on the 40-man roster at the beginning of the season. Sure, both were eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, but it was highly unlikely that either player would be taken since Campos hadn't gotten out of A-ball yet and Heathcott has yet to stay healthy for an entire season. Putting one of them on the roster might make sense, but both sounded like a logjam waiting to happen. Of course, within a matter of months, Campos finally needed Tommy John surgery and Slade re-injured his knee and neither could be added to the 60-day DL. Both were disappointing stories that were made worse when the Yankees decided to willingly put them in the way. Now they've finally had to place Slade on the 60 and his MLB service time has begun, though at this point it probably doesn't matter much anyway.
Others:Rafael De Paula isn't very good, Jorge Mateo and Thairo Estrada disappear for two months, Luis Torrens gets demoted, Eric Jagielo's injury fun.
/girardi white flag.gif. As always link us you song of the day!
Shane Greene, one of the few bright spots left in the season, will take the mound for the Yankees this afternoon. The offense is still welcome to show up any day now.
