Cuban second baseman Hector Olivera is a solid sleeper candidate for 2015.

Cuban nationals have a very good track record in the big leagues as of late. Most notably Jose Abreu, Yoenis Cespedes, Yasiel Puig, Jorge Soler, Aroldis Chapman, and others. The Diamondbacks just signed Yasmany Tomas this offseason to a six-year, $68.5 milliondeal. One who is falling under the radar in my eyes is second baseman Hector Olivera.

Olivera will turn 30 this season, so he may not have the upside at this point as previous years, but he is still a very solid player. Once considered the top second baseman in Cuba and arguably a top five player on the island, Olivera has had some injury concerns plague him. He had a blood condition in his left bicep which cost him the entire 2012-2013 season. He returned for the 2013-2014 season and was a very solid contributor with a slash line of .316/.412/.474.

Olivera is expected to sign soon as he is gaining residency in Haiti. Scouts and Baseball America have said they would take Olivera over Yasmany Tomas. That's quite the statement considering the deal Tomas just signed. Olivera is a 6’2 220 lb second baseman, and reported having good power. Not Abreu or Cespedes power, but he has an excellent bat. He’s played really well in international play including the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Baseball Classic. Had Olivera been on the market a few years ago, he would have been a hot commodity. However, with the injury concern and the fact that he will turn 30 this season, the market has died down a little.

Olivera recently finished his last workout and showcase for big league clubs, and was still playing very well. Here's a piece of what Baseball America had to say in regards to his last showcase:

When Olivera was dominating in Cuba and in international competitions, he was one of the most well-rounded players on the island. What stood out Wednesday was Olivera’s mature hitting approach, pitch recognition and lack of swing-and-miss, a strong contrast with Tomas. Olivera stayed within the strike zone, made consistent contact and hit the ball hard to all fields. After getting hit by a pitch in his first at-bat, Olivera stayed at the plate and they reset the count. On the next pitch he saw, Olivera ripped a breaking ball for a line-drive double.

In his third plate appearance, Olivera fouled off the first pitch, then hit a fastball up in the zone on the outer third to the opposite field for a line-drive single. His next time up, Olivera worked a walk, then stayed at the plate and the count reset. On a 2-0 fastball at the thighs, Olivera kept his hands inside the ball and drove a double into the right-center field gap. After reaching base in all five plate appearances, that was the end of the day for Olivera.

Olivera undoubtedly has the talent and maturity to play in the big leagues. The main concern is the injury risk and that he is getting up there in years, at 30. Scouts have said that Olivera has flashed signs of 20 HR pop. Here's another segment of what Baseball America had to say:

Olivera didn’t run the 60-yard dash, though he’s run anywhere from 6.65 to 6.8 seconds at previous open showcases. Olivera is a big man at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, but doesn’t have the monster 70 to 80 raw power of Jose Abreu, Yoenis Cespedes or Yasmany Tomas. That’s never been his game. Olivera did show plus bat speed and a loose, easy swing with good bat path through the hitting zone and a mature approach that was evident even in BP. He drove the ball with authority and out of the park to all fields.

The teams that are most likely to sign Olivera at this point look to be the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, and Athletics. The Dodgers could use Olivera at third in place of Uribe, who will be 35 this season. The Yankees would make sense for Olivera, considering the track record of Stephen Drew. The A's have Zobrist at second, but could very well move him to the outfield and play Olivera at second. He'd also be a great addition to the Giants in case Panik or McGehee regress. Many other teams have been watching his workouts as well. It'll be interesting to see where Olivera ends up. He's a guy you can very likely grab in the later rounds of your draft, and is a tremendous sleeper pick with the upside being a .285-.300 hitter with 20 homers. However, there is a risk with injury concern and how he will translate to the big leagues.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty:Andrew Miller doesn't seem to care whether he or Dellin Betances is named the Yankees' new closer. Miller says he's never closed before and still sees the value in being able to get outs in innings that aren't the ninth.

New York Post | Dan Martin: Larry Rothschild has already started working with Nathan Eovaldi on his changeup to hopefully correct some of the issues the new Yankee ran into last year as a member of the Marlins. Brandon McCarthy's turnaround after coming over from Arizona was pretty remarkable, so maybe they can tap into similar luck with Eovaldi.

NJ.com | Ryan Hatch:Chase Headley turned half a season in New York into a four-year deal, but can he get back to being the Headley who was such a coveted player back in 2012?

WEEI.com | Rob Bradford: Yoan Moncada's free agency provides a mid-February bidding war between the Yankees and the Red Sox, and he could be a difference-maker in the rivalry going forward.

Ramon Flores recently raised his stock with a solid 2014 and a great winter ball season in Venezuela. What can we expect from him in 2015?

Background

The Yankees signed Ramon Flores in 2008 for a cool $775,000. The soon-to-be 23-year-old outfielder from Barinas, Venezuela made his stateside debut in 2009 with the Gulf Coast Yankees, and has been steadily climbing through the system ever since. He had his first breakout season in 2012, mostly with the Tampa Yankees in High-A. That year, he had a triple slash of .303/.370/.425 with 26 doubles, 2 triples, 11 homers, and 59 RBI. He also scored 85 runs and stole 24 bases. All of the sudden, the Yankees had a nice little outfield prospect on their hands. As a 21-year-old in Double-A Trenton in 2013, where the average age was 24.6, he pretty much held his own, hitting .260/.353/.363 with 25 doubles, 6 triples, 6 homers, and 55 RBI. He only stole seven bases, but overall,l it was still a pretty good season.

The main issue with Flores is that he's a bit of a tweener. He doesn't have enough speed to be considered a speedster, and he doesn't have enough power to be considered a slugger. This is usually not good news for prospects. In order to get noticed, you often need one big tool to get people's attention. Flores has shown that he has a solid bat, and solid speed, but many think his ceiling is that of a fourth outfielder, unless he changes something dramatically. That being said, he is often praised for his very impressive plate discipline, as he has a career walk rate of 11.4%. That patience should help him get a long look this spring.

2014 results

Scranton (AAA): 63 G, .247/.339/.443, 17 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 45 K, 116 wRC+, 0.9 WARP

Flores made it to Triple-A Scranton in 2014, and he was hitting the ball with some authority before a gruesome ankle injury cost him all of June and July, and some of August. It would have been great to see what Flores could have done over a full season playing every day in Triple-A, but it wasn't meant to be.

Flores did get healthy in time to go play winter ball in Venezuela this past off-season, and he really impressed. While playing for the Tigres de Aragua, he slashed .347/.435/.505 with 17 extra-base hits and 29 RBI in just 196 at bats. He cooled down a bit in the post-season, but that's still impressive. While the competition in Venezuela isn't quite up to snuff with where Flores was in Triple-A, It's still important that he went down there and proved he could pretty much dominate a league like that. His power seemed to have a bit of an uptick as well (think Brett Gardner last year), which is also a good sign.

2015 outlook

Before he got hurt last year, Flores was well on his way to a possible September call up. Who knows, he might have been there earlier considering the Yankees' frequent ailments and Zoilo Almonte's terrible performance as the up-and-down guy. The injury probably cost him that opportunity, as well as some pretty important development time, but he bounced back so well in winter ball that I have to believe, assuming he gets off to a good start and stays healthy early on, that he is one of the first in line to come up if an injury happens to any of the Yankees' outfielders. Unless Tyler Austin gets off to a monster start and overtakes him, we should see Flores fairly early on in the season if someone goes down. The worst case for Flores, and possibly the best case for the Yankees, would be that everyone on the Yankees big league roster stays healthy and plays well, and we don't see him until September.

As far as the future goes, Flores really needs to keep developing his power more if he wants to be an everyday corner outfielder for the Yankees. It's odd enough having two speedy low power guys in the outfield (although I know Brett Gardner showed quite a bit of pop last season), and having three of those guys is kind of unheard of these days. That being said, Flores showed improved power production before his ankle injury, and I remember him muscling up a couple of times in spring training, so maybe he can tap into it more and more as he matures. This will be a big year for the 23-year-old. He'll be out to prove that he's ready for a big league job, so a big year could mean even bigger things for him in 2016.

In a couple of weeks, we should find out where Yoan Moncada winds up. I am rooting for the Yankees to sign him. I mean, have you seen the photo of him? He's an Adonis! Pitchers and catchers report in Mickey Mantle days.

This is Yoan Moncada. He's 19 years old. http://t.co/QzqNzWtY9zpic.twitter.com/X1eyKWsUEk

— SB Nation (@SBNation) February 12, 2015

In case you haven't seen this photo yet, here is Yoan Moncada. I mean, damn. I don't know if he's just showing off or if he's from Mount Olympus, but it might give a pretty good idea of his work ethic. It's promising, to say the least. His agent says he is looking to sign around the 23rd. Harlan will have more on that later on, but yeah... get it on, Cashman.

Comments of the Day

Pinstripe Alley, ladies and gentlemen. The most timely photos and the best commenters, like kshaw90, who notice these things!

What a wonderful scenario by waw. Neither Foul Territory with Mark Teixeira or Piper's Pit will ever be the same after Alex Rodriguez comes back.

Speaking of Foul Territory with Mark Teixeira, which I really like fully typing out now ala A Tribe Called Quest, we really need it during Spring Training and the foreseeable future.

GIF of the Day

There were no GIFs yesterday. I'll be over in the corner, pouting.

Honorable Mod Mention

The HMM goes to both Michael Brown and Vince Lia, for setting up that hilarious screenshot by COTD winner kshaw90. Well done, gentlemen.

• You're staying in to watch a movie or TV show and relax for Valentine's Day. What movie/TV show are you putting on?
• What is the most "original" name you can come up with for a child?

I could have also went with The Way You Make Me Feel. Or I could have gone with I Can't Help It. This was not an easy choice. On the day he passed away, something an MTV personality stuck with me. He proclaimed how incredibly groundbreaking and amazing the Off The Wall album was, how he could have probably retired on that album alone, and THEN he made Thriller. Such an amazing talent. As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

Feel free to use this as your open thread for the day. Do you think it's possible the Yankees sign Moncada today, since it's Friday after all? Does today's photo make you miss the old Monument Park as much as I do?

SEVEN! SEVENNN!!!

The Rockies have the best shortstop in all of baseball, and it really isn't even close.

Troy Tulowitzki is not only baseball's best shortstop, but he might just be the league's best player in any position. When healthy, he's capable of singlehandedly winning a game with his bat and glove. As Rockies fans, we've been spoiled by having such a phenomenal player at a premier position since August 30, 2006 — Tulo's professional debut against the New York Mets. His injury history is well known, but there's no reason to believe he's going to land on the DL again this season, which I'll get into a bit later in the article. Although it's probably unfair and probably over-exaggerated, the Rockies' seasons are said to go as Tulo's do. We hear it every year: if Tulo is healthy, the Rockies are contenders; if Tulo is on the DL the Rockies are bottom-feeders. While I personally think the Rockies' problems extend far past the health of Tulowitzki — take the lack of consistency in both the rotation and bullpen, for example — it's clear that when he's healthy, the Rockies certainly do have a very good chance of winning.

Incumbent starter

Tulo's firmly established as our starter, and it is easy to see why. His career slash line is .299/.373/.517, good for a wRC+ of 126. Take a look at his numbers last year, and you'll see absolutely mind-blowing numbers. Tulo's obviously been bothered throughout his career by a number of different injuries, so I don't think his career numbers reflect just how good he really is. Here's a look at his 2014 season. Take a seat if you're not already sitting.

His 2014 numbers look like something from a video game on its easiest level. It's like your QB in Madden averaging 450 yards per game or your center scoring 150 points a year in NHL. I'm not going to get too much into explanations about some of the sabermetrics here, but let's take a quick look at wRC+ for kicks. A statistic that is both park and league adjusted, wRC+ has an average rating every year of 100. Every point above 100 represents a percentage increase in hitting ability compared to the league average in respect to runs created. This means that the metric measures Tulo as having created 71% more runs than the league average. 71%! That was good enough for best in the league in 2014. Another common metric used to evaluate a player's contribution to a team is WAR, or Wins Above Replacement. It's not perfect, but WAR is probably the best statistic used to compare players as it encompasses a player's work on both sides of the ball. Mike Trout led the league in 2014 with a WAR of 7.8, which translates to 2.6 more wins added than Tulo's 5.2. But Trout did that in 157 games, 66 more than Tulo played. If you extrapolate both players' numbers to gauge WAR over a full season of 162 games, Trout's WAR jumps to a hair over 8.0. Tulo's rises to 9.25. I realize it's a stretch to compare them like that, but there's a strong case to be made for Tulo being baseball's best player.

Not only is he a stud at the plate, but he's also a tremendous fielder. Twice a Gold Glove winner, Tulo provides excellent fielding at a premier position. Along with DJ LeMahieu, Nolan Arenado, and Justin Morneau, the Rockies have one of the best infields in baseball. I was tempted to embed the video of DJ and Tulo making a sensational play to turn a double play that I used Wednesday, but I have to restrain myself at some point, because I honestly think it's becoming a dangerous addiction. Finally, add the organization's beloved work ethic and leadership qualities that Tulo possesses in spades and you have a truly complete player whose game is absolutely special.

His injury list is long enough to be considered a novella, but let's just take a look at injuries that have kept him out of at least 15 games, courtesy of Baseball Prospectus.

I'm not a doctor, but these don't seem to be the case of a recurring injury, which has been the rhetoric surrounding Tulo nearly his entire career. Excluding his rookie season, Tulo has exceeded 100 games 6 out of 8 seasons. Over the 5 seasons between 2007 and 2011, Tulo averaged about 134 games. It isn't as outlandish as people make it out to be that Tulo could hit this number again.

MLB-quality depth

Would it be wrong of me to just send you to my SotP article on second base I wrote on Wednesday for this section? Depth here is pretty much the same. Daniel Descalso, who spent a number of seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, will serve as the Rockies' primary utility infielder. He's a guy who can play pretty much every infield position, and his versatility will be valuable. He's not going to impress you with his glove or bat — his career slash line of .243/.313/.341 is somewhat less than encouraging, although he'll likely benefit a bit from playing at Coors — but nonetheless he's a serviceable option at shortstop or second base who can be counted on to be a steady, if unspectacular plug.

Again, Charlie Culberson is next on the list of guys who could provide depth should the Rockies need it. As I mentioned Wednesday, he's been a pretty awful hitter thus far. A wRC+ of 33 in 2014 is kind of mind-numbingly bad, but he has shown the ability to hit in the minors, where he posted a wRC+ of 122 with 14 homers and 64 RBIs in 419 PAs. He's only played 148 games in the majors across three seasons, and he will be entering the 2015 season just 26 years old. It's not unreasonable to think Culberson could figure out hitting in the majors with some more time. Like Descalso, Culberson can play a number of positions and, if nothing else, provides value in doing so. He's a guy some of our staff members think might surprise some people down the road. He's clearly never going to be a slugger, but Culberson could definitely develop into a decent utility guy if he can improve his hitting.

Other options include Rafael Ynoa and Cristhian Adames. Ynoa impressed in his debut, hitting .343/.380/.463 in 19 games. Steamer projects him playing just 12 next year, but I think he could see more than that. He's another guy who's versatile, able to play third, short, and second without being a liability. Adames' glove is pretty much MLB-ready, but he'll have to improve his performance at the plate if he wants to leapfrog Culberson. He's shown the ability to make contact and while he'll never hit for power, Adames could develop into a very useful bench player. His 122 wRC+ in Triple-A last year is encouraging.

On the farm

Trevor Story was once pegged as a five-tool guy at the shortstop position. Scouts have been more negative about him as of late, largely due to issues with pitch recognition and a resultant high strikeout rate of 34%, but I'm still high enough on Story's potential to consider him a potential MLB-starter one day. He's got a good glove and, if he figures out his struggles at the plate, is a guy whose floor is likely that of a solid utility infielder. Although that might be a little discouraging to hear about a guy who was once projected as a possible everyday player, don't discard the value in having a player like Story on the bench, as a good glove and some potential pop provides the manager with a player who won't look out of place stepping in for a starter due to injury or a need for rest.

Ostensibly a second baseman, Forrest Wall could possibly play short in a pinch as well. Taken 35th overall in the 2014 draft, Wall was arguably the best prep bat in the draft. He's also got great speed. Although an arm injury limited Wall to second base in high school, some reports indicate that the severity of his injury may have been overstated and that his arm strength is possibly better than advertised. He'll likely stay at second, or possibly play some in center, but Wall could probably play short if needed.

Emergency options

No one comes close to Tulo. There's no one better than him in all of baseball and second place isn't really close. The Rockies have the best of the best at a premier position. If they need to look outside the organization, other options are again a trade for Jed Lowrie. This is contingent on an unlikely call up for Carlos Correa. Finally, as I mentioned Wednesday as options for second, Kelly Johnson could be a cheap option and a trade might be possible for Stephen Drew of the Yankees, especially if Jose Pirela or Robert Refsnyder are called up.

How will this pitcher do in his first season in the Yankees' farm system?

Background

The Yankees acquired Domingo German in a trade with the Marlins over the offseason that included Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Jones in exchange for Martin Prado and David Phelps. German was signed as a seventeen-year-old out of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic in 2009 and received a $40,000 signing bonus. He spent his first two seasons pitching in the Marlin's Dominican Summer League where he mostly worked as a reliever, posting a 2.89 ERA with 83 strikeouts through 81 innings pitched. In 2012 he was promoted to the Gulf Coast League and had a 1.61 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 22.1 IP. It is a small sample size, but his BB/9 was up to 6.4 that year. German made the switch from reliever to starter in 2013, where he started the season back in the GCL. After just five starts, he had pitched well enough to move up to the Marlins' Short Season NY-Penn League affiliate. He finished the season with a 1.61 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 8.2 K/9 and a much improved BB/9 of 1.3.

2014 Results

German finally made his full season debut last year in the Marlin's Low-A affiliate. The right-hander spent the entire season in the rotation and for the most part he was able to carry over the success that he had in 2013. Through 123.1 IP, German put up a 2.48 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and 0.4 HR/9. He also played in the Futures Game, where he notched two strikeouts and induced a groundout in one inning of work. Although he finished the season in Low-A, German was Rule-5 Draft eligible this offseason because he had been a pro for five full years, so the Marlin's added him to their 40-man roster, making him subsequently on the Yankees 40-man roster.

2015 Outlook

It's likely that German could start the season in the rotation in High-A Tampa. He is 22, so he will be one of the older players there, so a strong performance might see him move through the system quickly. With that being said, it's unrealistic to expect him to make it to the majors this season, despite being on the 40-man roster already. Scouts consider German's arm speed to be good, as his fastball sits in the low 90s, but has the potential to reach the mid-90s. He also throws a mid-80s changeup, as well as a slider, which is considered to be his third pitch as the sharpness and shape tend to vary. If he hopes to stay in the rotation, German will need to focus on building up his secondary pitches. He also needs to show that he can keep his walk rate down as he progresses through the system.

Once one of the top keystone cops (second basemen) in all of fantasy baseball, Pedroia has struggled the last two years. Will 2015 mean more of the same or can he get back some of what he lost?

Dustin Pedroia is a lovable guy, unless you are a Yankees fan, I suppose. He plays hard, never complains, puts in lots of work, plays excellent defense, has good plate discipline, and is a smart baserunner. If you've owned him in a fantasy league in the last two years, none of that matters to you, because he has disappointed you and you are probably done with him. He once possessed the rare combination of good power and speed, with excellent batting averages and very high run totals hitting second or third in a potent Red Sox lineup. Let's review his downfall with the following table:

"It was just frustrating," he said of the injury that nagged him during the season. "The year before, I found a way to perform, playing nicked up. The year before it was a loose feeling — I tore that ligament in my thumb and everything just felt loose, so I was able to figure it out and let the ball travel more and just try to slap balls the other way and get hits and not try to drive the ball. This year it was more, I was restricted. I didn’t have any motion. It was so swollen and tight all year, I couldn’t get a feel of how to get through it. It was tough. I fought it all year.

"Now that it’s fixed, it’s night and day. I can already tell that. There’s a lot of IOU’s to hand out to people, so I’m pretty excited about it."

Added Pedroia: "I feel great. I’m back to a hundred percent. I’m doing all my lifts and everything. My rehab’s going good. I’m full strength and I’m pretty excited. It’s been a long time since I’ve been myself. It’s going to be a lot of fun next year."

Pedroia (wrist) reports he's "full go," telling WEEI.com that he's been hitting since before Christmas. "If [spring training] started tomorrow, I'm ready," Pedroia said. "I've got all my strength back. I'm lifting like a maniac. I'm pretty excited. Last year at this time I couldn't hit yet. It's obvious a lot different offseason this year than last year." (1/15/2015)

Now, I'm not delusional. I don't think he will suddenly become a 20/20 candidate again. Even if he is going to be fully healthy this season all year, he is three years older than he was in 2011 and past his peak athletically. But, that being said, I am bullish on his outlook compared to many out there who think his days as a top 5 second baseman are over. Below you will find Steamer's projection for 2015 along with my own.

His time in pinstripes was brief, but Glenallen Hill certainly made an impact on the 2000 world championship.

The Yankees have won 27 World Series in their storied history. If it wasn't for our Forgotten Yankee of the day, they might have had one fewer parade down the Canyon of Heroes. Let's take a quick look back at a guy who only spent three months as a Yankee but made an immense impact on one of their championship seasons. Let's all remember Glenallen Hill.

In the year 2000, the Yankees were on a quest to three-peat as world champions. As the summer days got hotter, they tired of the struggles of Shane Spencer and Ricky Ledee in left, and started adding some firepower. In late June, they traded for David Justice. About a month later, they made a seemingly much less impactful move, when they sent Ben Ford and Oswaldo Mairena to the Cubs for their 6'3", 235 lbs. power hitter, Glenallen Hill. Prior to joining the Yankees, Hill was mostly known as the guy who, when he was a rookie in 1992 with the Blue Jays, dove through a glass table because he was having a crazy spider dream, but he knew how to sock dingers, and the Yankees needed power. Boy did they get it.

With the Cubs that season, Hill had been hitting .262/.303/.494 with an OPS+ of 100, 11 homers and 29 RBI in 64 games. He had also hit one of the longest home runs in the history of Wrigley Field that year, which is probably part of what caught Brian Cashman's attention. Whatever it was, Hill took full advantage of the opportunity in the Bronx. He started with a bang, nailing a solo homer in his first Yankees at-bat on July 24th against the Orioles, and he never stopped hitting the ball over the fence. Over his first month in pinstripes, Hill hit like a cartoon character, slashing .429/.459/1.000 with 12 homers and 23 RBI in 74 plate appearances over 17 games. That's something that's hard to do on a video game, let alone in real life and against actual human pitchers. Overall, he played 40 games for the Bombers that season, hitting .333/.378/.735 with an OPS+ of 133, while crushing 16 homers and driving in 29 in just 143 plate appearances. Wowsers.

s impressive as his individual effort was, it was more impressive because he really helped the team in the standings. On the day of the trade, the Yankees were 50-41, and held just a 1.5 game lead on the Blue Jays, and a two-game lead on the Red Sox. Over the next 53 games, they went 34-19, and built their lead over the now-second place Red Sox to eight games. I know that Hill doesn't get all the credit for that, but he did hit .347/.402/.743 with 12 homers and 25 RBI in just 31 games (26 starts) during that time. His season highlights included a pinch-hit grand slam in the top of the 9th of a 9-5 win against the Twins, 2 home runs against the Angels on August 18th and a broken bat three-run bomb against the against the Rangers on August 21.

Understandably, Hill's bat cooled off a bit during September. In 14 September games, he hit just .244/.300/.543 (still an impressive power output) with four homers and five RBI. The Yankees cooled off during September too, losing seven in a row and 15 of 18 to close the season. The ended up with only 87 wins and just 2.5 games ahead of the Red Sox. Coincidence? Who can say? Fortunately, the Yankees were able to get it together in the post season and still brought home their 26th World Series title. Hill went just 1-for-17 in the playoffs, but he did enough heavy lifting during the summer that, without him, I'm not sure the Yankees win the division. That means no playoffs, no World Series and no parade.

The Yankees traded Hill to the Angels for Darrin Blakely over the winter, and the slugger was out of the majors after the 2001 season. He's been coaching in the Rockies system since 2003, and was recently named manager of the Albuquerque Isotopes (I hear they have a great mascot), the Rockies Triple-A affiliate. I'd definitely be remiss if I didn't mention that he was a part of the infamous Mitchell Report (although the report said that he bought HGH from Kirk Radomski but didn't use it), but man, he made the summer of 2000 one to remember.

Do you have any memories of Hill, or that 2000 season you want to share? Let us know below!

Yoan Moncada would be the icing on a pound cake off-season for the Yankees. Can they separate themselves from the other teams who want him?

19-year-old super talent Yoan Moncada is within a couple of weeks of choosing a team according to his pseudo-agent David Hastings via the L.A. Times' Dylan Hernandez. Once signed, Moncada will instantly vault inside the Top 15 on prospect lists by evaluators like Ben Badler, Kiley McDaniel and Jim Callis, and given his age and upside, he could end up the most impactful free agent signed this off-season.

The Yankees are widely believed to be chasing Moncada. They've attended his open events and worked him out privately, and don't seem deterred by a price tag estimated at $30-$50 million, which will balloon to twice that once MLB's 100 percent international bonus overage penalty is factored in. But unfortunately, they aren't alone. Most of baseball has shown at least some level of interest in Moncada and those most often cited as aggressive bidders are the biggest of the big financial guns. Moncada's decision will probably boil down mostly to guaranteed dollars, but if the money is close, here's a look at the other unique benefits that teams can offer him, and where the Yankees fit in.

Dodgers

If you're setting odds on where Moncada will go, the safe money probably lands in Los Angeles, where the Dodgers have been the most proactive team in tapping the recent inflow of Cuban talent. If Moncada asks "can you make me a star?", L.A., needs only to point to Yasiel Puig, who they threw $42 million at when no one else would and had him manning their big league outfield by age 22 after only 63 games in the minors. It's a reach to assume that players necessarily care about sharing a clubhouse with guys from their home country, but the Dodgers' experience handling assets from a similar background is something Moncada and Hastings may look fondly on.

Unnamed general managers told ESPN's Buster Olney that they consider the Dodgers favorites to land Moncada, but there are some reasons to hope they won't lead the charge. Last winter they spent a combined $53 million on two other Cuban middle infielders, Alex Guerrero and Erisbel Arruebarruena, and signing Moncada would lessen the likelihood of getting anything out of that pair. While L.A.'s up-the-middle duo of Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick will both be free agents post-2015, their current top prospect, Corey Seager, plays short and the massive contracts of Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier along with the presence of Puig and number two prospect Joc Pederson make it unlikely that Moncada would find a home in the outfield. Unlike the Yankees and Red Sox, the Dodgers haven't yet exceeded their international spending allotment for 2014-15. Signing Moncada wouldn't just push them into the penalty zone - it would take them out of the market for top under-23 foreign talent for the next two years. Their reward for that would be less substantial since they haven't already inked half the teenage population of Latin America as the Yankees have.

Red Sox

If the Dodgers aren't Moncada's most dangerous suitor, the battle may come down to a good old fashioned Yankees-Red Sox bidding war. New York is just about undefeated in those contests - they've come away with Bernie Williams, Mike Mussina, Mark Teixeira and Jose Contreras, among others, as the spoils - but Boston's been arguably the more successful franchise of late, and like Los Angeles, they've already made inroads into the Cuban market by signing Rusney Castillo last year for $72.5 million. It remains to be seen how it'll play in negotiations, but the Yankees haven't signed and developed a Cuban star since El Duque. Contreras, who arrived with unreasonable expectations and was promptly booed and traded when he didn't meet them, is probably not a story they'll want to highlight.

Moncada has said he'd like to reach the majors quickly and Boston might not be the best place to do that. At second base, he'd be blocked by Dustin Pedroia, who isn't going anywhere. Xander Bogaerts struggled at short last year, but he's a former top two prospect and he'll get a longer leash. Third base and left field are locked down by Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, on five and four-year contracts respectively. Castillo is expected to start in center for the next few years and there are other young options in the outfield with Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Mookie Betts vying for another look. Moncada may well be capable of outplaying all of the above but it doesn't look like an ideal situation for a speedy ascent.

The field

The Moncada victor could be almost anyone. The Cubs and Rangers are ineligible to spend big internationally thanks to pool overages in recent years and many teams don't have the cash on hand to foot the tax on Moncada's bonus, which must be paid to MLB up front. Still, there's no shortage of possibilities. The Tigers and Angels have money and poorly ranked farm systems that could use a jolt. The Diamondbacks have already grabbed two major Cuban free agents in Yasmani Tomas and Yoan Lopez and could be seeking a third. The Padres and Giants have also been listed as potential landing spots.

Yankees

So how can the Yankees beat everyone else out to get this done? First and foremost they need to be the Yankees again and flex their fiscal muscle just this once, even if they don't intend to do so at the big league level until 2017. There aren't many concerns about the organization that can't be quelled by a dump truck full of cash with a big fat interlocking NY on the side. The Yankees haven't publicly downplayed the thought of adding Moncada the way they did when names like Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields were brought up earlier this winter. That may be a hopeful sign that they intend to arrive heavy at the negotiating table.

The Yankees also have to convince Moncada that playing in New York is the best career choice he can make and that's not as easy as it was several years ago. The team can't sell playing alongside a multitude of stars or a guaranteed playoff berth every year as it could for much of the past two decades. Instead, the Yankees need to present Moncada with a plan that will have him playing in the Bronx as soon as his skills demand. Didi Gregorius and Robert Refsnyder are intriguing but won't be particularly impassable at short and second, and there will also be an opening in right field when Carlos Beltran's contract ends or if he shifts to DH at some point before that. Those openings set the Yankees apart from the Dodgers and especially the Red Sox; that's something they should stress and stick to since they do have a reputation for being gun shy in shuttling prospects to the majors. In two years, Moncada probably doesn't want to find himself in Scranton stuck behind the 2017 equivalent of Stephen Drew.

Happy Valentine's Day, Yankees fans!

New York Post | Dan Martin:Jacob Lindgren might not be in place to make the Yankees right out of spring training with only half a season as a professional under his belt, but being invited to camp will give him a chance to turn some heads.

CBS Sports | Michael Hurcomb: Michael Pineda's goal for 2015 is to be ready to pitch 200 innings, which means staying healthy for the first time since being traded to New York. Larry Rothschild is happy with how Pineda has handled coming back from shoulder surgery.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Will Didi Gregorius be able to really take over the Yankees' shortstop role, or will Stephen Drew or Jose Pirela ultimately end up there due to ineffectiveness?

NorthJersey.com | Pete Caldera: If Alex Rodriguez is going to have a press conference to publicly apologize for his recent actions, the Yankees have offered up Yankee Stadium as a venue to avoid a media circus in Tampa during spring training.

With Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller both on the roster, who's the best option to shut the door in the ninth?

Over the past twenty years, a slim lead in the ninth inning has hardly been anything to fret about.  Mariano Rivera was only the greatest closer of all time, and even though he's not a future Hall of Famer (yet), David Robertson did an admirable job last season.  However, good ole D-Rob and his killer curve are off to the Windy City and the AL Central, and so the Yankees will enter 2015 looking once more for a new closer.

Thankfully, they have two excellent options in Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller.  Betances was one of the lone bright spots last season for New York, and Miller was a great option out of the pen for the both the Red Sox and the Orioles (he really showed his value in the postseason, throwing seven scoreless innings as Baltimore made their way to the ALCS).  While Miller recently told reporters that he doesn't much care if he's the closer or not, the fact remains that the Yankees probably will need to pick one of these two to be the team's go-to guy in the ninth inning.  Who is better suited to the job?

The case for Betances

Betances in a known quantity in the Bronx.  While he's not a "proven closer," he's certainly proven that he has the ability to be one of the best relievers in the majors.  He made the All Star team last season in his rookie year while pitching to the tune of a 1.40 ERA, a 1.64 FIP, and a 13.50 K/9 ration in 90 innings of work.  In terms of fWAR, Betances was the best reliever in the league last year, as his 3.2 fWAR beat out the likes of Wade Davis, Aroldis Chapman, and Craig Kimbrel.  Betances knows what it's like to work high-leverage innings for the Yankees.  Even if he can't quite match his 2014 numbers, he's proven his mettle and should get a chance to show that he can be the next great Yankee closer.

Besides, it doesn't hurt that, as a local kid and Yankee product, Betances becoming the closer could turn him into one of the stars of the new Yankees.  With the Core Four now just a memory and Alex Rodriguez a pariah, the Yankees need a new group of stars.  Betances the Closer could be just what the team needs, both on the field and off.

The case for Miller

Betances might've led the league in fWAR, but Miller wasn't far behind.  He accumulated 2.3 fWAR in 2013 (6^th overall), while posting stats even better than Betances - his 1.51 FIP and 14.87 K/9 are both superior to the numbers Betances managed.  Miller also has more experience than Betances, and we all know the Yankees love experience.  He's pitched nearly 500 major league innings (compared to 97.2 for Betances); however, much of that came as a starter.  Still, since 2012 when he became a full-time reliever, Miller has been quite good - he posted a 3.17 FIP in 2012 and a 3.05 FIP in 2013 before his stellar numbers last season - establishing a track record of success a bit longer than Betances'.  And, while it doesn't matter much to us the fans, the Yankees did just sign Miller to quite a large contract for a reliever (4 years, $36 million).  Such a sizable investment might convince the Yankees that, to get the best bang for their buck, Miller should be the one closing games in 2015.

Could the Yankees sign a closer?

It's unlikely, but the Yankees could still sign a closer.  Plenty of high profile names remain, including Francisco Rodriguez and former Yankee Rafael Soriano.  Rodriguez had a bit of a resurgence in 2014, notching 44 saves for the Brewers, although his FIP was an ugly 4.50 and he gave up 1.85 home runs per nine innings.  Soriano, who's team option was declined by the Washington Nationals this offseason, was a bit better than K-Rod last season (3.08 FIP, 0.58 HR/9), but he's not quite the pitcher he was a couple years ago.  Also, Joba Chamberlain is still available (just kidding, folks - I mean, he is still available, but there's no way he's coming back).

None of these unsigned players offer any sort of real upgrade over Miller or Betances, so it's unlikely the Yankees will bring any of them on.  More than likely, they'll let Miller and Betances compete in Spring Training before deciding on who's going to take the ninth.  If I had to guess, I'd bet on Betances being the closer - while Miller beat him in a couple statistical categories last year, Betances' workload was quite a bit higher, and he still managed to maintain an elite level of play.  Besides, the idea of Betances following Mo and D-Rob in the line of homegrown Yankee closers is undeniably intriguing.  Either way, the Yankees can't really make a bad decision here - whichever order these two hurlers come into the game, opposing hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Happy Valentine's Day everybody. Pitchers and catchers report in Joe Torre days.

Look out Scott Proctor, because pitchers and catchers report in Joe Torre days. That's right, we are finally less than a week away from pitchers and catchers reporting. For while today is Valentine's Day and love is in the air, our true love has still not returned yet. We are all a bit emptier without baseball in our lives, so it needs to come back soon. Speaking of coming back, apparently the Yankees would like Alex Rodriguez to make his apology from the Bronx instead of in Tampa. They believe that this will somehow keep the media circus away from Spring Training. Ah-dorable.

Comments of the Day

A well written response and citing his sources. Q-TDSK is definitely getting a gold star on his PSA Report Card from BGFC!

Truth be told, I was actually curious if anyone would notice this. Well done, Andrew. You know me well. A little too well...

GIF of the Day

Nope. No GIFs here. Hopefully we get some romantic GIFs for Valentine's Day. Or some chocolate at least.

Honorable Mod Mention

Not much honor to go around yesterday. Probably due to it being Friday the 13th.

• Describe your love life in three words.
• If you could be anywhere in the world this Valentine’s Day where would you be?

The Love Boat theme would have been way too cheesy to end Love Week with. Sure, some would say this song is just as cheesy. Still, it's a timeless classic when it comes to romance. What better song to play for Valentine's Day? As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

Feel free to use this as your open thread for the day. Happy Valentine's Day everybody.

And I owe it all to you.

Many times the moves a GM doesn't make are just as important as the ones he does make

There are a plethora of reasons the New York Yankees are one of the most disliked teams in all of sports. One of those reasons is the reputation they've developed over the years of being able to throw exorbitant amounts of cash blindly at whatever top free agent fills the positional void they may have at that particular moment. This reputation isn't entirely undeserved, of course. But as Miles Wray pointed out in his piece for FanGraphs on Thursday, as far as major-market billion-dollar sports organizations that consistently have one of the league's highest payrolls go, the Yanks tend to be pretty damn thrifty more years than not.

Sure, the Yankees are good for a spending spree every few years in which the top prizes of that year's free agent class make their way to the Bronx. Last winter was obviously one of them, when the team dropped nearly half a billion dollars for Masahiro Tanaka, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, and Carlos Beltran. The time before that was in the winter of '08-'09 when Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett were brought in. Surrounding those hearty offseasons though, is a whole lotta (relative) frugality in which the biggest name free agents went elsewhere, even if some of them seemed like a  potential fit for the pinstripes.

As is the case in most years, the Yankees enter the 2015 with a roster that's in a state of flux with players both on the front ends and back ends of big contracts. So far (I say "so far" because the destination of Yoan Moncada is still up in the air), this offseason has left many fans feeling less than satisfied. Aside from a couple of mid-range signings in Andrew Miller and Chase Headley the Yanks either struck out or didn't step up to the plate for Scherzer, Shields, Lester, Sandoval or Tomas. While it's easy to feel frustration that what appear to be the best available pieces aren't being brought in, it's important to remember the times that prudence has paid off for the Bombers.

It was just last winter that Cashman & Co. decided to forgo resigning Robinson Cano in favor of tending to several other needs the team had. In the first year of his 10-year/$240 million deal, Cano performed up to par for Seattle, despite losing a chunk of his power to Safeco Field. But the team knew what they were giving up, and the money was better spent spread out amongst the team. Plus, it opened the door for the eventual second-base takeover by Rob Refsnyder or Jose Pirela.

It was also last offseason that Shin-Soo Choo turned down a 7-year/$140 million offer. An upside of Choo deciding to sign with the Rangers is that it essentially removed them from the race for Tanaka, though it did also result in the Yanks turning to Beltran to take over in right field. All things considered, I would choose Tanaka + two more years of the ghost of Carlos Beltran over Choo, who raised a ton of red flags last season between injuries and diminished production.

Then there was Ubaldo Jimenez, who had seen a bit of a return to his old form in Cleveland. The consensus at the time was that he was destined for pinstripes. As we know, he went to Baltimore for four years and $50 million, a decision the O's would instantly regret as Jimenez regressed back to his older, ineffective form.

Looking back to the winter leading up to the 2013 season it was Josh Hamilton who was at the head of the free agent class. The Yankees had at least one of the outfield corners available due to the departure of Nick Swisher, and Hamilton seemed like a reasonable candidate to fill the spot. The Yankees tested the waters on Josh, but ultimately decided it just wasn't a good fit. Consider it a bullet dodged. Hamilton has been an albatross in his first two seasons with the Angels.

It was the 2010-'11 offseason when everyone believed the Yanks were in on the bidding for Carl Crawford. It wasn't until he signed a deal worth 7 years/$142 million with the Red Sox that Brian Cashman revealed he faked his interest in Crawford to simply drive his price tag up. His time in Boston could be described as disastrous up until he was sent to the Dodgers as part of the Red Sox' house-cleaning mega deal.

Then there was Jason Bay. Fresh off an All-Star 2009 campaign in which he posted a .921 OPS, his stock was high as ever. With Johnny Damon coming off the books the Yankees were in the market for an outfielder and Bay was an obvious target. In the end, Curtis Granderson filled the outfield vacancy in the Bronx while Bay went to Queens where he was a crushing bust in their lineup for the next three seasons.

The Yankees have certainly had their own share of occasions where they did pull the trigger on marquee free agents only to be left disappointed. There's nothing like the high of learning the news that your team has added a highly-coveted star. There's also nothing that makes you scratch your head like when a team that has the means to spend big money on an important piece decides to play it conservative. But it's worth noting the frequency at which these nine-figure contracts don't pan out, and how often the moves that GM's like Brian Cashman don't make are of equal importance as those they do.

It's back to the Deadball Era for the 75th greatest player in Yankees history, a long-lived spitballer named Ray Fisher.

Name: Ray Fisher
Position: Starting pitcher
Born: October 4, 1887 (Middlebury, VT)
Died: November 3, 1982 (Ann Arbor, MI)
Yankee Years: 1910-17
Primary number: N/A
Yankee statistics: 76-78, 2.91 ERA, 2.72 FIP, 219 G, 166 GS, 1,380 1/3 IP, 583 K, 88 CG, 13 SHO, 97 ERA-, 93 FIP-, 18.6 rWAR, 18.6 fWAR

Biography

Like many teams, the Yankees witnessed some of their top pitching performances during the Deadball Era. It was a time of spitballers, little power, worn-out baseballs, and tremendously pitcher-friendly ballparks. The Top 100 Yankees countdown has already featured a number of fine pitchers from back then, such as Jack Warhop and Jack Quinn.

Ray Fisher was a member of those pitching staffs as well, and while he later went on to a more well-known career outside of New York in Michigan, he remains one of the most versatile yet forgotten pitchers in franchise history. Whatever was needed, be they starts or desperate relief appearances, Fisher was always there for the downtrodden team. Had he pitched a decade later when the Yankees were much better, perhaps he would be better remembered.

Collegiate star goes pro

Fisher was born into a Vermont farming family on October 4, 1887. Baseball was merely a dream for him during his younger years as he toiled away working to help his family make ends meet. All he could do was play infield in recreational baseball, football, and basketball leagues--provided he had already met his father's expectations of daily work on the farm.

It was in another sport where Fisher first started to make a name for himself. His Middlebury High School team won the 1904 Vermont football state title during his junior year, and that attracted some collegiate scouts' attention. Fisher preferred baseball though, and after he graduated in 1906, he played semi-pro ball in Quebec during the summer (making sure to provide for his absence on the farm with his stipend, of course). That fall, Fisher returned home and went to college at Middlebury. As in high school, he was a multi-sport star, but it was on the diamond where he gained the most attention.

Fisher's Middlebury coach turned out to be a real difference-maker in his life. His name was Arthur "Cy" Stackpole, and he had just spent the '06 season pitching in the minors for the Holyoke Paperweights in Massachusetts. (Aside: Hell of a team name.) Fisher had pitched before, but prior to his time at Middlebury, he was mostly known as a position player. However, Stackpole saw potential in Fisher's arm, so he had him practice on the mound. Fisher impressed Stackpole with his fastball/curve combination, so the next day, he pitched against one of Middlebury's rivals, the Colgate Raiders. How did he do? Let Fisher tell you himself:

"Colgate, of course, was a major baseball power and was expecting to mop us up. But I had quite a day, fanned 18 and shut them out." - Fisher, quoted in Chip Hart's SABR bio

It was a mild success, to say the least. Through connections Stackpole made in the summer of 1907 when he pitched for the Hartford Senators of the Connecticut State League, he successfully got Fisher a job there in 1908 between semesters. The league was no match for Fisher's repertoire, which like many pitchers of his time, featured a spitball as well. He went 12-1 during his first season, and upon returning the next summer, he was even better, striking out a remarkable 243 batters while notching a 24-5 record. Hartford won the pennant, and the 22-year-old Fisher won a $1,500 contract with the American League club in New York, the Highlanders. A career was born.

"The Vermont Schoolmaster"

Ever-dedicated to his education, Fisher returned to Middlebury to finish school, delaying his MLB debut. Once he earned his degree in May 1910, he joined the Highlanders and finally pitched on a major league mound on July 2, 1910 against the White Sox. Fisher wasted no time making an impression on his new team; in his debut, he outpitched Hall of Famer Ed Walsh and won the game, 2-1. For a rookie season, Fisher's was not bad at all, even though he had to deal with his first manager, George Stallings, getting replaced midseason by notorious gambler/player-manager Hal Chase. He pitched to a 2.92 ERA and 2.09 FIP in 92 1/3 innings. It would have been easy to be overshadowed by standout rookie teammate Russ Ford, who flat-out dominated with a 1.65 ERA in almost 300 innings, but his team took note of Fisher's performance as well.

Before long, Fisher picked up a nickname, "the Vermont Schoolmaster," for both his education (college graduate players like Fisher and Bucknell-bred Christy Mathewson were extremely rare in the Deadball Era), and his off- season job. When seasons ended, Fisher returned to Vermont and served as Middlebury's athletic director, a position that offered a preview of what would come for Fisher in his post-baseball life. He was well-read but extremely respected in the clubhouse nonetheless, for both his exploits on the mound and for his willingness to challenge authority. When Hall of Fame manager Frank Chance took over the team in 1913, he tried to publicly make an example of Fisher for what a perceived error in the field, but Fisher fought back, saying "I don't give a damn if I ever pitch another game." Chance left him alone, and the respect for Fisher grew.

Fisher had a few up-and-down seasons during his first four years, but he broke out in 1914. Chance trusted him completely and allowed him to throw more complete games than he ever had before. Fisher's 10-12 record belied his true abilities; his 2.28 ERA was the ninth-lowest mark in the AL, his 1.139 WHIP was tenth-best, and his 4.7 rWAR ranked seventh. Now managed by "Wild Bill" Donovan in 1915, the Yankees finished with almost exactly the same underwhelming winning percentage, .455. This time however, Fisher pitched well enough to defy his shoddy offense, finishing the year with an 18-11 record. Fisher reached career-highs in innings (247 2/3), complete games (20), ERA (2.11), and rWAR (5.3), with the latter three marks all ranking in the AL's top 10 that year.

Although the Yankees weren't a good team, Fisher was considered one of the most popular players in New York. He pitched a fair share of innings every year, and no matter who was managing the club at the time, he was always available in relief. After all, the Deadball Era was not known for its relief performances--starters simply had to be available should one of their teammates get hurt or pitch like crap. With Fisher one of the few reliable arms on the team, he made 53 career relief appearances in New York. Exact statistics aren't available for how he did in these situations, but his 2.22 career ERA in 38 outings and 109 1/3 innings from 1914 onward indicate that such appearances did not seem to faze him.

Fisher pitched with the Yankees up through the 1917 season, which was a fine campaign for him by the numbers, as his 2.19 ERA in 144 innings can attest. Unfortunately, health-wise, it did not go as well. Fisher contracted a form of tuberculosis known as pleurisy prior to the season and had to deal with the pain it caused at various points that year. There were still highlights though, such as shutting out the Senators and Hall of Fame mound opponent Walter Johnson in his first start of the season following the worst of his battle with the disease.

1917 would prove to be Fisher's finale with the Yankees. It came at the worst time, too; the next year, owner Jacob Ruppert hired Miller Huggins, the manager who helped orchestrate the Yankees' turnaround from cellar-dwellers in the 1910s to powerhouse in the '20s. After finishing under .500 in five of Fisher's last six seasons as a Yankee, the team would fall just three games short of .500 in 1918, then break the skid with a .576 winning percentage in 1919. The hard-working Fisher never got to see the Yankees reach glory though. Since World War I was afoot, he was drafted into the army in 1918 and spent the year in charge of the Fort Slocum athletics program. By the time his service was over, the Yankees had traded him to the Reds.

World champion and Michigan glory

A new era for Fisher began on March 15, 1919, when he joined a very good Reds squad that had far more potential than any of the Highlander/Yankee clubs Fisher played for during the previous decade. In Fisher's first truly healthy season in three years, he was excellent for the Reds, pitching to a 2.17 ERA in 174 1/3 innings, most of which were spent in their rotation. Cincinnati won its first National League pennant of the 20th century and advanced to play the overwhelming favorites in the World Series, the Chicago White Sox. These were the notorious "Black Sox" though, and Cincinnati won the series five games to three amid rumors of the White Sox throwing the games. Fisher lost his start against one of the Chicago players who wasn't in on the fix, but Cincinnati ended the year as champions regardless.

Fisher would play one more year in the majors, a fine 2.73 ERA, 200-inning season in 1920 for Cincinnati. After the season ended, Fisher decided that he was ready for a change. He wasn't making much money as a major leaguer, and he desired a more stable position since he now had a young family. So on the recommendation of Michigan Law School alumnus Branch Rickey, Fisher interviewed for the head coaching job at the University of Michigan.

Fisher got the job and amazingly spent the next 38 years in charge of the Wolverines' baseball program. Under his leadership, they were integrated, won 15 Big Ten titles, and also the 1953 College World Series. By that time, Fisher was 66 years old and near the end of his run, but he was overjoyed by his team's success. Five years later, he retired as Michigan's coach and lived out the rest of his life coaching pitchers in the art of the cut fastball. Controversy over his departure from the Reds and the beginning of his tenure at Michigan actually had him on the ineligibility list, but it was never formally imposed. (Fisher often coached in teams' spring trainings and farm systems.) Regardless, commissioner Bowie Kuhn lifted the ceremonial ban in 1980.

Fisher had one last awesome moment in 1982, when at age 95, he was invited to Yankee Stadium for Old Timers' Day. He was the oldest-living Yankee and he received a huge ovation. It was the first time he had ever visited Yankee Stadium. A few months later, he passed away, leaving behind a wonderful legacy on countless collegiate players. Michigan's baseball park is deservedly named in his honor.

Andrew's rank: 87
Tanya's rank: 66
Community rank: 81.8
WAR rank: 68.5

Season Stats

Stats from Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs

References

Appel, Marty. Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankeesfrom Before the Babe to After the Boss. New York: Bloomsbury, 2012.

BR Bullpen

Deadball Era

Hart, Chip. SABR bio

Reisler, Jim. Before They Were the Bombers: The New York Yankees' Early Years, 1903-1915. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2005. (online)

Other Top 100 Yankees

• #76 Gene Woodling
• #77 Jack Quinn
• #78 Mark Teixeira
• #79 Sparky Lyle
• #80 Orlando Hernandez

Baseball inequality, spring training battles, and the Yankees' quiet offseason.

The Players' Tribune | Andrew McCutchen: Plenty of sports writers scoffed at Derek Jeter's retirement plan to create a blog where players could speak directly to fans. But if they produce work that's half the quality of Andrew McCutchen's piece on the economic inequalities of American amateur baseball, then it'll be a very successful venture. If you read nothing else today, read this.

LoHud Yankees Blog | Chad Jennings: A look at the Yankees bullpen, and a preview of the roster battles set to start next week.

Just a Bit Outside | Jeff Sullivan: Sullivan tackles the anecdote that hitting big league pitching has gotten harder on rookies. A very interesting read that helps put some of the hype and hope around Yankee prospects like Refsnyder and Judge and Bird. Hadn't you heard? The average for rookies is well below league average. Maybe a gamble on Stephen Drew really is less than a gamble on a rookie with fewer than 400 ABs in Triple-A who's still learning to play second base.

Fangraphs | Miles Wray: The Yankees have had a quiet offseason. Or have they? Wray explores ways that this year is more in line with recent years than their big splurges like last year or the 2008-09 offseason. And in the non-splurge years, he finds that the Yankees have gotten great value out of their investments.

Editor's note: Google searches for "Yankees" and "best shape of his life" or "great shape" aren't turning up any strong returns yet, but with spring training around the corner it's only a matter of time. Which outlet do you think will be the first to publish an article that (unironically) uses "best shape of his life" or a similar phrase?

Spring Training is just around the corner and that means that positional battles will soon be underway for the Yankees.

In just a few days pitchers and catchers will convene at Steinbrenner field much to the delight of Yankee fans everywhere. Soon after we'll get our first taste of real live baseball in 2015 which will offer up some delicious competition between Yankee holdovers and a full stock of newcomers poised to make their mark on the team. Here's a look at four of the most important battles that will be fought this spring. The results of which could be the difference between another lousy season and one that brings the Yankees back to relevance.

The battle for a spot in the rotation

Of the 21 pitchers on the Yankees 40-man roster, 12 of them are either starters by trade or have started a major league game as recently as 2013. The four mainstays expected to anchor the rotation are CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, and Nathan Eovaldi. As last year proved, however, one or more of those arms is likely to hit the DL within the first few weeks of the season. Whoever impresses the most this spring from the rest of the pack could be the next man up when that happens. On the strength of quality spring starts, a minor league journeyman like Bryan Mitchell or Jose De Paula could make the team as a reliever but find themselves starting by May. The fifth spot in the rotation should also be up for grabs at this point with Chris Capuano and Adam Warren as the front-runners.

The battle to lock down the keystone

It looked as though Martin Prado would start at second base until he was suddenly traded for pitching and bench depth just before Christmas. By default, second base would then go to either Jose Pirela or Rob Refsnyder, two guys who raked at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year. While not known for their fielding prowess, the Yankees were hoping that one of the two would hit well enough that it wouldn't matter. The potential competition became a little less important when they brought back Stephen Drew, seemingly to get the first crack at the open second base job. Even if Drew impresses in spring training though, the winner of the Pirela vs. Refsnyder audition could still see significant playing time this year. Which brings us to the next battle.

The battle for Derek Jeter's shadow

In desperate need of a shortstop to replace the retired Captain, the Yankees swung a deal with the Diamondbacks in December to land Didi Gregorius. All reports indicate that he'll be expected to be the starting shortstop in 2015. However, in his brief major league career so far he's proven to be nothing more than an average player at best with both the bat and glove. With the aforementioned Stephen Drew back in the fold, the Yankees have another option at short should Gregorius struggle through the spring and into April so there could be some healthy competition right out of the gate. Brendan Ryan is also still under contract this year but his place will and should be the bench.

The battle for the ninth inning

Last year David Robertson did an admirable job taking over the closer role from the greatest ever, Mariano Rivera. The Yankees didn't think as much as they let him skip town without even offering him a contract this winter. Luckily, Dellin Betances got his career back on track in 2014 by putting up one of the most remarkable seasons ever seen by a rookie relief pitcher. He comes into 2015 the clear cut favorite to take over as closer but just to stir things up, Brian Cashman has also acquired Andrew Miller, the best left-handed reliever on the market. Since neither pitcher has any experience as a full-time closer, whoever instills the most confidence with their spring save chances could get the job when camp breaks. Either way, the Yankees should again have of the the best one-two punches in baseball to finish games out.

Which spring training battle are you most looking forward too? Let us know in the poll below.

Free agent relievers are getting paid like never before, even if they haven't yet closed games. It won't be long before non-closers are getting extended before they reach free agency. What will these contracts for the best bullpen arms look like?

Relief pitchers are really cool. There, I said it. Gone are the days of relievers being "just" failed starters and old guys with tricky junkballs. It used to be that your starter finished the game or something had gone terribly wrong and the fireman had to be brought in to clean up the mess. Then Tony LaRussa had to come along and muck everything up. LaRussa invented the mix-and-match bullpen management strategy, and in the process kick-started the development of the mega-pens we see today. No longer do we simply have Dennis Eckersley closing out games. Now we’ve got the Royals, Yankees, Mariners, A's, Padres and more hurling out one disgustingly good reliever after the other. Closers themselves are as dangerous as ever, though. We live in the era of Craig Kimbrel, of Aroldis Chapman, of Kenley Jansen and Greg Holland. No longer does the occasional Trevor Hoffman or Mariano Rivera pop up and exceed the rest of the world. Now almost every team has a formidable closer.

Holland in particular was thrust into the national limelight last year, as his Royals made a mad dash to the World Series. Yet his bullpen compatriots Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis may have been objects of even greater interest as the world was formally introduced to Ned Yost’s terrifying "three-headed monster." While Holland is an unquestionably elite talent, was he even the most formidable arm of the group?

Holland may have been the closer, but Wade Davis was the better pitcher. Let’s try this with another fearsome twosome.

Dellin Betances is a monster -- an absolute monster with occasional 100 mph heat, a filthy curve, and a ridiculous arm angle due to his NBA power-forward body. David Robertson is also really good, which is why the White Sox gave him a lot of money to be the crown jewel of their bullpen. Yet Betances was better pretty much across the board. Joe Girardi also employed Betances as a multi-inning scorched earth weapon, which made him even more valuable -- here’s a great article on that from Grantland’s Ben Lindbergh. The Yankees replaced Robertson with Andrew Miller. Let’s look at Miller compared to Robertson and Zach Britton, who closed ahead of Miller for the Orioles.

Miller was superior. While this was something of a breakout year from Miller and it remains to be seen if he’ll keep it up, the ERA estimators were quite fond of him. The point is that the Yankees have replaced Robertson with Miller, and also added arms such as David Carpenter, Justin Wilson and Chasen Shreve to a relief corps that already features 2014 breakout Adam Warren and uber-prospect Jacob Lindgren. It’s a business model that Kansas City thrived on. Even the Astros, a team that doesn’t figure to win more than 80 games, splurged on Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek. Neither of those two has ever handled extended closing duties. The White Sox also gave $15 million to Zach Duke, a formerly unremarkable failed starter who caught fire with the Brewers last year. More and more money is seemingly being doled out to so-called "middle relievers." To see if that’s just the bias of our minds dwelling on recent events, let’s plunge into the MLBTradeRumors.com free agency trackers to see what non-closers have been paid in the last few offseasons.

Linebrink, the man at the bottom of the table, held the record for the biggest contract given to a non-closer before Miller bulldozed it. Seven of the 10 leading contracts were signed within the last two years, and two others were given out just a year before that. We can perhaps attribute that to three things: inflation, the rising talent level of relievers, and the aforementioned growing emphasis of front offices on the bullpen.

That last factor is the truly important one for what I intend to explore here. As free agent relievers are being paid more and more, and a gaggle of fresh young arms dazzle out of the bullpen, it seems inevitable that the extension fad is going to spread to include relievers as well. Whether it’s to buy out arbitration years or keep valuable weapons in town, teams are going to want to make sure they have their top guns under control. Let’s look at two top-tier arms that haven’t had a closer gig just yet, and see if we can work out theoretical deals for them.

Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates

Watson has been a mainstay of Pittsburgh’s bullpen for three years now, and his ugly rookie campaign of 2011 is far away in the rear view mirror. Watson was so good this year that he earned the rare honor of being a non-closer named to the All-Star team. A minuscule 1.63 ERA was backed up by the estimator stats all the way through -- in fact all of those numbers have been falling year-over-year (see below). Because he’s a member of the Pirates, he sported a grounder rate of 47.7%, but he also turned into a strikeout machine (9.43 K/9). Like Miller, Watson isn’t limited to LOOGY duties. While he’s death to left-handed hitters (career .202/.266/.290 line against), righties don’t fare much better (.213/.290/.356). Watson’s primary offering is his fastball. PITCHf/x says that Watson throws both a standard four-seamer and a sinker, and it rated the sinker at nine runs above average in 2014. He’ll also mix in changeups and the occasional slider to keep hitters honest.

Andrew Miller is the most immediate comparison that comes to mind, despite Watson inducing fewer Ks than Miller. They’re both strikeout-oriented lefties that can impose their will on batters regardless of handedness. They’re even only separated in age by nine days. However, Miller’s a different kind of pitcher than Watson. While Watson relies on his fastballs and a sprinkling of secondary offerings to make his living, Miller’s breakout was made possible by his ungodly slider. The new Yankee is also just simply better than Watson. So how much does a team pay Watson if we’re going to extend him?

He’s about to enter his age-30 season, so his decline years would theoretically be coming soon. Because he relies on his fastball, I personally wouldn’t want to keep him on too far beyond his walk year, as his velocity is well into its decline. An extension of Watson would then theoretically be a buyout of his arbitration years, with either an extra guaranteed year tacked on at the end or a hefty team option. The Zach Duke deal could be a good place to start, then. Duke will be 32 this year, and just finished only his first year of relief excellence. So therefore, Watson’s agents could parlay their client’s good track record and youth into a slightly larger deal to buy out Watson’s arbitration years.

Theoretical extension: 3 years, $18 million. $6 million team option (matches AAV), $1.75 million buyout.

Dellin Betances, New York Yankees

Technically we spoke about Betances earlier, and he's likely about to become one those "closer" things. But Betances is way too much fun to not poke at in this exercise. You’ve got the numbers to reference above. Here’s some video of Betances toying with Miguel Cabrera, because why not?

It’s so easy to forget that just a year ago, Betances was a failed prospect. Once a heralded member of the Killer B’s triumvirate along with Andrew Brackman and Manny Banuelos, Betances couldn’t cut it as a starter. All he’s done instead is put himself in the conversation for the title of best reliever in baseball. Betances isn’t eligible for arbitration until 2017 (with free agency in 2020), but if we’re going to work out the best deal possible, the Yankees may want to get a deal done before all those saves start making Betances even more expensive. For example, Craig Kimbrel inked a four-year, $42 million deal in February of 2014. A back-loaded deal is almost a given, as it would simulate the rising arbitration salaries that he would earn as he accumulates saves. Betances is entering his age-27 season, and therefore could see some decline in the last few years of his deal, and some gas could come off his elite fastball. A player option could be tacked on to incentivize Betances to forfeit his arbitration.

Theoretical extension: 5 years, $50 million ($10 million AAV), back-loaded structure. $12 million player option for sixth year.

Summing Up

The Watson deal seems slightly reasonable, but isn’t likely to happen as Mark Melancon might oppose the idea of a setup man getting paid before the closer. With Betances becoming the top dog on his team, however, there’s a will and a way forward for him. $50 million is quite a bit of cash to throw at a converted starter with only one season of success at the highest level, but if the Yankees truly feel Betances can sustain his excellence it’s something that could possibly occur. Saves are the best way to drive up one’s salary. The Yankees aren’t hurting for resources, of course, but Brian Cashman’s braintrust seems to have settled on a new strategy of cost-controlled talent.

You shouldn’t wait with baited breath for a deal to be reached this spring, however. The purpose of this exercise was to demonstrate that talent is being rewarded regardless of the arbitrary role a player has been assigned, and the bullpen has become quite the place to build. I’d like to follow this post up with one that explores some of the players you may seem thrust into the limelight this coming season, because goodness gracious relief pitchers are really cool.

* * *

Stats courtesy of Fangraphs.com. Contract information and arbitration eligibility information courtesy of MLBTradeRumors.com, Baseball-Reference.com, and Cot's Baseball Contracts at Baseball Prospectus.

Nicolas Stellini is a contributor at Beyond the Box Score and a member of the IBWAA. You can find him on Twitter @StelliniTweets.

We're almost there, ladies and gentlemen. Pitchers and catchers report in Joltin' Joe DiMaggio days.

Well now that you've all gotten that whole love crap out of your system, it's time to get back to our true love. Eventually. Five more days, to be exact. Until then, we shall wait. You are free to continue the love crap.

Comments of the Day

This issue will probably be addressed more later on.

That ship is heading right into Davy Jones' Locker.

There is nothing to add to this. Go Yanks Go. They great coaching!

GIF of the Day

Once again, this section remains empty. Much like my heart.

Honorable Mod Mention

And for anyone offended by Cano’s "lack of hustle" or his turning down $175 mil, just stop. That’s Red Sox fan style "well now I hate him because he left" revisionist crap. Hard work and dedication isn’t about sprinting to first on obvious outs. It’s about transforming yourself from a no-name 18-year-old IFA with a $100K signing bonus into one of the best players in the world.

This quote right here earns Harlan the HMM award. Perfectly stated.

• Power, Wisdom, or Courage. Which one of these three traits do you think best represents you?
• Name an electronic device that you don't think you could be without for a week.

Now that Love Week is done, it's time to nerd it up a bit in here. I haven't quite decided whether or not to make this just The Legend of Zelda Week or Video Game Arrangements Week for our musical pleasure. I guess I'll leave that up to you to decide. If you can't decide, you'll make me sad. In any case, this orchestra of the Main Theme from The Legend of Zelda gives me chills whenever I listen to it. As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

Feel free to use this as your open thread for the day. Hope you had a good Valentine's Day yesterday. Of course, Pinstripe Alley always hopes for you to have a good day. Maybe the Yankees will help with that in the very near future.

Sign Moncada and be the Hero of Time, Cashman!

Baseball starts soon! Here are some reasons to be excited.

This offseason has felt like it's gone on forever, probably due to the fact that the Yankees missed the postseason and actually stayed true to their word and avoided pursuing the top free agents. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in five days, though some, like Michael Pineda, have already showed up. The Yankees first spring training game is March 3rd against the Phillies, which means baseball is happening soon! Here are some reasons to be excited about spring training and the Yankees' 2015 season:

Spring Training

1. When spring training starts, we'll actually hear updates on players. The worst part of the offseason for me, besides the obvious lack of baseball being played, is that there is very little information available about the team. Since the offseason was so quiet, there were spans of several days where we didn't hear anything new about anyone except Alex Rodriguez.

2. We'll get our first look at some of the prospects at spring training. I know that the level of play is fairly low as the everyday players work to build their stuff back up, but that also means that the prospects get more playing time in the latter innings. Just looking at the list of non-roster invitees makes me want to fly to Tampa so I can see guys like Jacob Lindgren and Aaron Judge play in person. Plus, we also get our first look at players who are fresh off the disabled list, like CC Sabathia. There's no reason not to be optimistic about how he will do until he shows us otherwise.

3. As Jim mentioned earlier, we get to see multiple competitions between players. In the past it's typically just been a question of who would be the fifth starter in the rotation, but there are a lot of positions up in the air still. Realistically, I know that Rob Refsnyder and Jose Pirela could both play phenomenally while Stephen Drew played like hot garbage and he could still get the second base job over them. However, there's something about the Yankees' new offseason philosophy that gives me hope that they might be open to doing other things differently too.

Regular Season

1. Some of the players in the lineup had their worst seasons last year, which means they may be able to bounce back this year. Carlos Beltran may be another year older, but he also was dealing with an elbow injury which he's taken care of, so there's no reason that he can't play significantly better than he did last season. Brian McCann also had a down year, but part of that can be blamed on the shift. Unlike some people (Mark Teixeira), McCann has taken it upon himself to change his approach. He reportedly spent the offseason trying to shorten up his swing and use the whole field, which will hopefully help some. I think one of the best things about the start of the season is that there's so much potential for the team to play well and for the lineup to be significantly better than last season.

2. There is also that group of pitchers who were tremendous (when healthy) in 2014, including Pineda, Masahiro Tanaka and Dellin Betances. Will they be able to keep up the same level of play this season? Who knows, but for now we can imagine how good the team could be if certain players are able to repeat their success.

3. The staff change up has been interesting. It's difficult to say how much impact Kevin Long had or didn't have on Yankee hitters the last couple of seasons, but a new hitting coach and assistant could result in a positive impact on the lineup. Possibly the best change was the decision to move human windmill Rob Thomson from third base coach to the role of bench coach. According to his Wikipedia page, which amusingly references a PSA game recap written by Andrew, the Yankees led the league with 21 runners thrown out at home plate last season. Joe Espada will be taking over the third base coach job, so we can only hope to see a reduction in that number.

What are you most looking forward to about spring training and the 2015 season?

Doctors recommend not pitching at maximum effort to pitchers who are at risk for Tommy John surgery. But how can they pitch well without trying as hard?

With the recent epidemic of Tommy John surgeries in baseball, the entire baseball community has been searching for ways to prevent young pitchers from going under the knife. With high profile pitchers like Matt Harvey, Stephen Strasburg, and Jose Fernandez all recently tearing their UCL's, there seems to be a link between Tommy John risk and young, hard-throwing pitchers. During the summer, noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews published a position paper on Tommy John Surgery, recommending that pitchers refrain from throwing every pitch at maximum effort. For most pitchers, throwing with less velocity and retaining effectiveness is easier said than done. But there may be a way to hold back velocity and actually get better.

In May, Noah Woodward of The Hardball Times put out a great piece on the effectiveness of fastballs by location and velocity. Here is one of the charts from his article:

Somehow, the data suggested that fastballs moving at a relatively pedestrian 86-90 mph were actually more effective than high-velocity heaters when thrown low and away. Intuitively, this does not make sense, but there may be a couple of explanations.

About a month after Woodward's article, SB Nation's Jason Turbow released his article on Effective Velocity. According to the theories presented in his piece, pitches thrown up and in to a hitter can appear up to five miles per hour faster, while pitches low and away seem slower. Secondly, because power pitchers grow up dominating their competition, they probably never have to focus on command as much as pitchers who are not blessed with the ability to hit triple digits on a radar gun. I call it "Shaq Free Throw syndrome." Legendary NBA player Shaquille O'Neal's size allowed him to dominate his competition for so long that he never really had to learn to shoot during his formative years. A similar trend can be seen with extremely mobile quarterbacks and throwing accuracy.

Let's say someone like Nathan Eovaldi, whose fastball averaged 95.7 mph in 2014 according to Baseball Savant, throws a fastball down and away at full intensity. By throwing as hard as he can, one would presume that his command would be slightly compromised. In addition, the Effective Velocity theory would suggest that his fastball looks slower to the hitter. In other words, his fastball appears to be traveling at around 92 mph in an area where a hitter can get solid extension, while the pitch might not be located well. This would seem like a recipe for disaster.

Perhaps pitchers should consider taking some velocity off their low and away fastballs. Besides the extra command, there are plenty of potential benefits. First of all, they would be able to take Dr. Andrews' advice and would lower the risk of overexerting their elbows. Secondly, changing speeds could potentially keep hitters on their toes. Finally, they would conserve energy and could be effective later in games. Justin Verlander is known to keep his fastball velocity in the low 90's for the first five or six innings before dialing it up to up to 100 mph later in the game. Take a look at how hitters fare against him during the third time through the order in comparison to Eovaldi (courtesy of Baseball Reference):

Eovaldi's numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt, as hitters can get used to the fact that he did not really have a changeup and was very predictable. But saving some of his energy in the earlier innings could help him pitch deeper into games and become a key part of the Yankees' rotation.

In addition to robbing the game of several promising young pitchers, Tommy John surgery is also causing teams to attach more risk to pitchers who light up the radar gun. But if pitchers take some velocity off low and away fastballs, they would set themselves up to gas hitters away with high heat, while simultaneously pitching in a manner that is safer and possibly more effective.