Quantcast
Channel: SB Nation - New York Yankees
Viewing all 4714 articles
Browse latest View live

Yankees to retire Andy Pettitte's number 46 on August 23rd

0
0

Congrats to one of the greatest homegrown pitchers in Yankees history, Andy Pettitte.

With all of the Yankees' legends from the late '90s and 2000s now retired, this upcoming decade will probably feature quite a number of Monument Park ceremonies to honor those greats. The festivities began last season when Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, and Joe Torre were all honored and Torre's #6 was retired. (If you want, you could date it back to Mariano Rivera Day in 2013 when the retiring closer extraordinaire's #42 was honored, even though it was already retired league-wide for Jackie Robinson.) Now, it looks like Andy Pettitte will get his day in the sun, according to some particularly close sources:

Can't get much closer than that! Just for kicks, Bryan Hoch confirmed it as well. Pettitte has a borderline Hall of Fame case, but there's no denying that he was one of the top pitchers in franchise history, possibly behind only Whitey Ford.

One of the great under-the-radar draft pick success stories, Pettitte was selected all the way down in the 22nd round of the 1990 Draft our of Deer Park High School in Texas. The tall lefty spent 20 of the next 23 years somehow involved in the Yankees' organization, save for a three-year sojourn to the Astros from 2004-06. A five-time champion, three-time All-Star, five-time Cy Young Award vote-getter, the 2001 ALCS MVP, and the Yankees' top homegrown pitcher in the history of the draft, Pettitte went 219-127 in 438 starts with a 3.94 ERA, a 3.77 FIP, 2020 strikeouts (most in franchise history), and 51.6 career rWAR. He was, of course, crucial to all of the Yankees' recent championship teams from 1996, 1998-2000, and 2009. Pettitte's definitely deserving of being honored in Monument Park.

Congrats to Andy!


Marlins morning news: Miami wins arbitration case with David Phelps

0
0

The Marlins are 2-0 in arbitration cases this offseason. Plus links on Michael Morse and 2017 All-Star Game announcement.

Marlins News

Marlins Park will host the 2017 All-Star Game, with 2017 also marking the 25th anniversary of the Marlins' franchise. The economic impact will be approximately $100 million, and FanFest will be held on South Beach:

Samson added the All-Star Game projects to infuse $100 million in economic impact. The full event includes the Futures Game, and Home Run Derby. MLB also will have a FanFest, which will take place in Miami Beach.

Miami won its arbitration case with David Phelps, who was acquired from the Yankees in the Martin Pradon deal. There was not a ton of money involved, but apparently Phelps' representatives got upset when the Marlins noted they will use him exclusively as a reliever. He still probably will compete for a starting job at some point.

The Mayors of Miami and Miami-Dade did not approve of the Marlins' stadium deal. But both are excited for the All-Star Game to come to South Florida.

Gary Sheffield and Cliff Floyd think the 2017 All-Star Game will be one of the best in history.

Mike Dunn will make the Opening Day roster, but the Marlins are seeking another lefty. Phil Coke is an option, though he wants a major league deal.

The Marline need Michael Morse to produce. But is it reasonable to expect a big year from him?

Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a rough 2014 at the plate, but is hoping to produce consistently moving forward.

Around The League

Add David Aardsma to the list of the Dodgers' non-roster invitees. He should have the chance to make the club with a solid spring.

Detroit will receive an update on Miguel Cabrera's foot on Tuesday.

Chris Capuano has emerged as the favorite to win the final spot in the Yankees' rotation.

Four teams have made "real offers" for Cole Hamels. But the Marlins may still have to deal with him in Philadelphia in 2015.

At Fish Stripes

-Marlins' bullpen to be a strength in 2015 - Fish Stripes

And the club may not be done adding to it.

-2015 Marlins Key to Success: Jarred Cosart - Fish Stripes

Jarred Cosart was a key midseason acquisition last year, and he cost the Marlins a pretty penny in terms of prospects. Can he repeat his modest success with the team after the trade, or will he run into the same issues he saw in Houston?

-Marlins deserve top preseason ranking - Fish Stripes

ESPN slotted the Marlins 20th in all of baseball despite an active offseason.

-Marlins have no players on Baseball Prospectus top 101 prospects list - Fish Stripes

The Miami Marlins got left out of the Baseball Prospectus Top 101 prospects list despite a couple of decent names.

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News 2/16/15

0
0

Jackie Robinson in the Grapefruit League, minor league pay for coaches, Andy Pettitte's date with Monument Park, and more.

New York Post | George King III: The Yankees are going to retire Andy Pettitte's number in a ceremony in August. I'm not surprised, but I would have given Andy a plaque now and waited a few more years to retire #46.

New York Times | Michael Beschloss: A really enlightening long essay about Jackie Robinson's first Spring Training with the Dodgers, and the Grapefruit League's legacy in overcoming the racism of mid-century Florida.

New York Times | Tyler Kepner: A calendar of ridiculous ideas that probably won't happen across MLB this year.

LoHud Yankees Blog | Chad Jennings: Jennings considers the Yankees' alternatives for 5th starter. It's be interesting to see how the Yanks' rotation plays out as the season goes on. Can we just start the season already.

Fangraphs | David Laurila: While Laurila doesn't get anyone to go on the record, he offers an interesting snapshot of the state of pay for minor league coaches. There's been a lot of attention on the lousy pay for minor league players lately, and deservedly so given the rising pay at the big league level, but MLB has a lot of progress to make before I imagine Double-A coaches getting a bigger share of the pie.


MondoLinks: 5 days left until pitchers report!

0
0

If you had to make your predictions before you know anything from Spring Training, how far would you go?

Weekend-recap_medium

While you were away...I spent this past Valentine's weekend with the Missus in Las Vegas. It was a stupendously eventful weekend for the entire Stirrups household. The careers of the Stirrups offspring continue to careen well beyond the stratosphere. Literally. I will share what is appropriate, when appropriate.

But this activity turned out to be most helpful thing because it feels like baseball is finally out of breath, as we all await the coming of Spring Training camps opening up just days from now. In the quiet, we still find links:

_____________

In the Heavens of Anaheim:One person's opinion of the revamped LAA farm system. Should you choose to play, the game is to figure out which of the 35 prospects fit into which scoring slot...........In the world of gambling  fools, the House expects that the Betting Public expects the Angels to win only 87 1/2 games (yet that would still be the best expectation in the AL)..........Yoan Moncada hopefuls, get your daily injection of hype right here! While the Halos have not held any private workouts with Moncada, they have been all over him from a distance.............Our president, John Carpino, takes the opportunity of President's Day to message we fans.  It's short enough on its own that it doesn't need summarizing here. but it's intriguing that he includes a public comment about his stadium situation. That kind of stuff is never unintentional.

Around Baseball: When the only thing proven is that he is not qualified to pitch even in a Sunday Beer League, why does a Joe Blanton still keep getting requests to prove himself??...............You know that idea as to how a batter might want to consider fighting back against the shift? Yeah, Chris Davis has had that idea, too............Detroit Tiger Question of the Day: If ace Justin Verlander has put on 20 pounds of muscle this offseason, will that allow him to correct his inability to locate his changeup?............Sometimes, when one wishes that two antagonists both should lose - precisely because both are asshats, one gets their wish. the Yankees are going to reneg on their contract with ARod concerning bonus payouts, and are inviting ARod to sue them. For the rest of us, we should just grab our popcorn, pull up a chair, and consider which of the possible outcomes for 2015 ARod actually comes to pass.......................I don't pretend to compare with any young buck such as Bryce Harper, but I can testify that pulling and pushing weighted sleds across indoor carpet is a helluva lot harder than across polished hardwood.............Hmmm. New Commish, new chance to chat about ol' Pete Rose?...........Someone had themselves quite the happy Valentine's Day, didn't they Mr. David Wells?

To conclude our Monday follies, never stop beating on that corpse, Lyle, never stop. it truly solidifies your legacy.

_____________________

One-big-idea_medium


From my seat, there are three Big Questions between now and the All-Star Break, some of which might start to congeal in Spring. But each of these Big Three have two shades to be considered. These are, in my personal opinion concerning order of importance, are presented here along with my pulling my own wild-ass supposition out of thin air. Because it's fun to take your chip and just toss it out there on the number 27 while the wheel is still turning. There is still time until the stupidity of that action comes home to roost. Thus...

1: Garrett Richards:

1a: How fast will Garrett Richards be back in the regular LAA rotation? I am guessing that Richards wedges himself back into the rotation by Opening Day, but more as a placeholder then and with limited innings per outing. But before May is out he will be full time.

1b: How far back will Garrett Richards come? My concern is that we will only see about 75%-80% of the Richards we saw last season, at least until we get to August. Confidence in a limb catastrophically injured is a big deal. It may take that long to forget about it completely and just get back to pitching.

2: Second base:

2a: How fast will Mike Scioscia find his every day replacement for the departed Howie Kendrick? I think we should get used to it and accept that Sosh just won't. It will be second base by committee for at least one full season, maybe two if Dipoto doesn't bring in somebody proven. That's just how The Soth rolls.

2b: How much of Howie's productivity will his replacement achieve? I am calling it now. Our community (I won't go so far as to call it a platoon) will achieve 35% of the total fWAR that Howie will produce with the LADs in 2015. He will be missed.

3: Josh Hamilton:

3a: How far back will Josh Hamilton recover? I think it will take a little while, but we will see a glimpse of a highly productive Hamilton, and it will happen for three weeks in June. He may even make a push for Player of the Week once or twice. And then he will get a bee sting or drop his carry-on onto his toe while boarding a flight to Oakland, and it will all fall apart. And Hambone will finally settle in to being the shell of his formal self. And home fans will still shout out gospel quotes from the stands and he will still keep waving his cap in acknowledgement and think its all Ok.

3b: How long will Jerry Dipoto hang on to whatever it is that Josh Hamilton becomes? Until July 30th.


Braves daily news digest 2/16: Truck day means Spring Training right around corner

0
0

The Atlanta Braves packed up their trucks on Friday to head south for Spring Training with pitchers and catchers scheduled to follow close behind.

Braves News

Braves bring in Eric Young Jr. on minor league deal

The Atlanta Braves haven't been shy in handing out minor league deals to veteran free agents. Young Jr. could potentially challenge for a spot on the opening day roster and could compete with Zolio Almonte for the left handed spot in a left field platoon with Jonny Gomes.

What makes this move a bit interesting is that Eric Young could definitely prove to be a somewhat useful player for the Braves. While Young is absolutely not a good hitter (he's a career .252/.320/.332 hitter with .294 wOBA, 77 wRC+, and only 8 HRs), he's got loads of speed (stole 46 bases in 2013 and 30 last season) and is a positive defender in the outfield (had 5 DRS and 8.8 UZR last season).

Braves' truck day sign new season is right around the corner

Friday was "truck day" around the Major Leagues as teams packed up to head south for Spring Training. Braves pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on February 20 with the first workout scheduled for the 21st. The first full squad workout is set for February 26.

Ortegon resigns as minor league hitting coordinator

Braves minor league hitting coordinator Ronnie Ortegon resigned on Friday due to personal reasons. He spent just one year with the Braves and the search for his replacement began immediately.

Pair of Braves prospects aiming for Opening Day

Second baseman Jose Peraza and pitcher Foltynewicz head to spring training for the Braves with the thoughts of pushing for a spot on the team's opening day roster. Both could use a bit more seasoning in the minors but both lead an interesting group of prospects that will be looking to turn heads once workouts begin.

MLB News

Will we ever see another 300-strikeout pitcher

SB Nation's Grant Brisbee takes a look at the 300-strikeout season of Randy Johnson and wonders out loud if we will ever see another in Major League Baseball.

The Yankees will retire Andy Pettitte's number 46

No date has been released but the Yankees will reportedly retire Andy Pettitte's number 46 and honor him with a plaque in the team's monument park.

Who would make the Tribe's best player-manager?

0
0

And how long until we can genetically engineer a Tris Speaker/Lou Boudreau hybrid?

Each passing week gets us closer to real baseball. While we're waiting, let's have a look at what happening during the last few days of the offseason:

Indians news & notes

Hey Hoynsie! Do Indians need a player-manager to win the Series? | Cleveland.com - It's a joke question, but it's true that both Tribe World Series victories have been led by player managers - the legendary Tris Speaker (1920) and Lou Boudreau (1948). We've joked about Giambi taking the player-manager role, but he's essentially incapable of fulfulling the player part of that equation. Speaker and Boudreau are HOFers, so it stands to reason that a player-manager should bothe be a great player and a sound strategic mind. If it came to it, which current Tribe player do you think would make the best player-manager? Check out the poll below.

Frazier developing into the right-anded power bat Tribe needs | Did The Tribe Win Last Night? - After a disappointing first half last year for Clint Frazier, he turned up the heat in the second half. It was a humbling experience for the young prospect. If his development continues along this path, he may just become the Right-Handed Power Bat™ the Indians have been looking for for years.

Where are you, Kipnis? | Burning River Baseball- Jason Kipnis was bad last year, that we know. What we don't know is how much of that badness was due to injury, and how much was due to declining ability. Kip is young enough that you'd hope it's not the latter, but a not insignificant drop in plate discipline is a bad sign.

Draft the key to continued success | DTTWLN? - The poor drafts of the early and mid-2000s have been the topic of constant debate on LGT. But since the late oughts, things have objectively improved. Seven players on the current roster are products of Indians drafts, and that trend has to continue in order for a small-market team like Cleveland to compete.

Mark Shapiro has three messages for Tribe fans | Indians.com - MLB.com asked each team's leader to address their fans as Spring Training nears. Mark has good things to say about the Indians' young core and the changes coming to Progressive Field.

Tidbits from around MLB

Poll
Which current Tribe player would make the best player-manager?

  55 votes |Results

Yankees Prospect Profile: Ty Hensley

0
0

Can the former first round draft pick recover from an offseason attack to rebound from an injury-plagued professional career to this point?

Background

Ty Hensley was selected by the Yankees in the first round of the 2012 draft out of Edmond Santa Fe High School in Oklahoma. Issues cropped up for Hensley almost immediately after his selection, losing out on some of his signing bonus because of an asymptomatic shoulder abnormality that was discovered during his physical. He required surgery on both his hips that caused him to miss the entire 2013 season and some of 2014 before finally making it out of Rookie Ball with 11.2 innings at Short Season-A Staten Island last year.

2014 Results

Hensley performed well in limited time last season, pitching to a 2.93 ERA between the Gulf Coast League and the New York-Penn League across 30.2 innings. The biggest hurdle to get over has seemingly been just to get Hensley on the field to this point in his professional career. Those promising results in an admittedly small sample size were enough to at least feel good about Hensley's chances of performing in 2015 if he could remain healthy. A brutal offseason attack by a former professional football player put that promise of health in question a bit with Hensley ending up with multiple facial fractures, a broken jaw, and head injuries after an argument over signing bonuses turned senselessly ugly. Hensley is expected to make a full recovery from his injuries, but it could put his status for the beginning of the season in doubt.

2015 Outlook

Assuming that Hensley is healthy enough to begin the season on time, he could start out with the Charleston RiverDogs at Low-A. Finally being able to get a taste of full season baseball would be a big step forward in Hensley's career. At 21 years old, he's no longer young for how little experience he's been able to get but being drafted out of high school affords him the ability to now be about the age of most college players who will be at a similar level. All is not lost for Hensley's future, but he's going to need to find a way to stay on the mound to get his stock back to something close to the point that it was when he was selected in the first round a few years ago. He could use a little luck in the worst way.

PSA Comments of the Day 2/16/15: This is but one of the legends of which the people speak

0
0

Andy Pettitte is going to have his number retired. Bernie and Posada are seemingly on the list this year as well. They're going to need a bigger Monument Park. Pitchers and catchers report in Lou Gehrig days.

Yesterday, Josh Pettitte broke the news that his father is going to have his number retired on August 23rd at Yankee Stadium. Andy Pettitte day is sure to be a sellout crowd, as Pettitte was very beloved in the Bronx.

"Source" has also said that Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada, the final members of the Yankees incredible homegrown youth movement during the Dynasty Era, will also get their numbers retired as well. Monument Park is sure filling up fast. Hey, I have an idea. Maybe they should make it bigger and beautiful. Perhaps destroy the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar monstrosity that's there? Yes. Yes, I think I'd be all for that.

Comments of the Day

As Tanya cried out for helped, the long time listener would not listen to her pleas, fearing the cold. All hope was lost when suddenly...

Victor with a chainsaw to the rescue!

Hmmmm, that would be important.

Well said!

There is always hope!

On the plus side, they might need to remove Right Field Bleachers Giant Steinbrenner Face in order to make room for all the new numbers.

GIF of the Day

A team effort from noonoo and myself provided the celebratory Andy Pettitte GIFs. Well done, us!

Honorable Mod Mention

Caitlin provided some much needed optimism yesterday. She wins the HMM award.

Fun Questions
  • Out of the three numbers that are suppose to be retired this year, which one ceremony would you go to if you could only choose one?
  • Name some of your favorite video game memories, if any.
Song of the Day

Dragon Roost Island Acapella by Smooth McGroove

I cannot stress how much I enjoy this man's acapella work. This song is no exception, as the original Dragon Roost Island song from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is one of my all time favorite tracks from any Zelda game. As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

Feel free to use this as your open thread for the day. We are only four days away from pitchers and catchers reporting. Exciting times!

Wielding the blade of evil’s bane, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light.


Yankees Prospect Profile: Eric Jagielo

0
0

Former first round pick Eric Jagielo has hit very well in his first season and a half as a pro, but it may not translate to the big league level.

Background

Following an excellent three years at Notre Dame, the Yankees took Eric Jagielo with the 26th overall pick in the 2013 draft. He started off his pro career with the Staten Island Yankees, where he hit a powerful .266/.376/.451 in 51 games. Jagielo's pro debut was impressive, but dominance was somewhat expected from a college bat in the New York Penn League.

2014 Results

Jagielo made the jump to High-A Tampa last year, and continued hitting for power. The 22-year-old slugged .259/.354/.460 around an oblique injury that kept him out of action for six weeks. There was plenty to like about Jagielo's 2014 season. Not only did he hit for an impressive amount of power, but he also maintained a healthy walk rate. Still, there were some red flags. Most notably, he struggled to make consistent contact, striking out a concerning 26% of the time. His defense at third was also pretty spotty as evidenced by his 17 errors in 68 games.

KATOH -- my prospect projection system -- is very down on Jagielo, giving him just a 36% chance of cracking the big leagues by age 28. This low rating has less to do with his statistical performance -- he put up a strong .814 OPS -- but more to do with his age relative to level. Jagielo was 22 last year, which isn't particularly young for A-ball. A player that old and that far away from the majors really needs to dominate to be embraced by KATOH. It also doesn't help that he didn't attempt to steal a single base last season. Stolen base attempts tend to correlate pretty well with a player's defensive skills, which leads KATOH to believe that Jagielo won't offer a heck of a lot on defense. Here's a look at Jagielo's odds of reaching certain WAR thresholds through age 28:

Jagielo

2015 Outlook

Jagielo has plenty of power, but is otherwise a little rough around the edges, especially for a first round pick out of college. He still has time to figure things out, but it's a little disappointing that he didn't dominate A-ball more than he did. It was less than two years ago that Jagielo was a first round pick out of Notre Dame, but he's already starting to look like a future bench bat or platoon player, especially if he ends up having to move to first base. Still, although Jagielo's prospect stock is trending slightly downward, he could easily buck that trend by belting 30+ homers in Double-A Trenton this year.

A closer look at the Yankees' 2015 spring training non-roster invitees

0
0

These names might be unfamiliar, but over the next month and a half, they will try to prove to the Yankees that they can surprise and help the team in 2015.

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in just four days, and joining the Yankees' regular 40-man roster will be 27 non-roster-invitees. Most of these players are young prospects, longtime minor leaguers, or veterans attempting one more shot at cracking a major league roster. (Former big leaguer C.J. Nitkowski wrote a nice article for FOX Sports about what it's like for a veteran to report to a team on such a deal.) There's a good chance that most of these players will have zero impact on the Yankees in 2015.

However, as last year's NRI star Yangervis Solarte proved, they can occasionally come out of nowhere and make a difference. So before all these players arrive in spring training, it's good for Yankees fans to at least have a basic idea about these players' backgrounds. The clipboard, please...

Pitchers

RHP Andrew Bailey
Age as of Opening Day: 30
2014 stats (NYY): Did not play (injured)

It's crazy about just how valuable Bailey was just four years ago. The Athletics closer was an All-Star in each of his first two years and the 2009 AL Rookie of the Year award winner, and he had pitched to a combined 1.70 ERA, 2.70 FIP, and 0.907 WHIP in 115 impressive games. Those are practically Craig Kimbrel level numbers. Alas, baseball can be a cruel game, and it's been a struggle for Bailey ever since then. The past few years have seen him sidelined with a forearm strain, a shoulder strain, thumb surgery, a biceps strain, and finally shoulder labrum surgery in midseason 2013. Bailey signed a contract with the Yankees last year to rehab during the 2014 season, and while he did not make it back to professional games, they are hopeful that there's something left in his arm in 2015. If the Yankees can even get a small semblance of that reliever from a few years ago, he would be another terrific bullpen asset.

RHP Scott Baker
Age as of Opening Day: 33
2014 stats (TEX): 25 G, 8 GS, 80 2/3 IP, 5.47 ERA, 4.78 FIP, 6.1 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 1.190 WHIP

Jason wrote about Baker when he signed his minor-league deal with the Yankees at the end of January

Scott Baker is a 33-year-old right-handed pitcher who once performed at an above-average level before injuries wrecked his career over the past few seasons. Baker had Tommy John surgery in 2012, missing the entire season and almost all of 2013 before making an underwhelming return in 2014. I previously identified him as a potential rebound candidate that the Yankees should consider signing, even if he's not a perfect fit. As a big fly ball pitcher he won't make the most sense, but he's not going to get in anyone's way and could be useful in case of an emergency. At his best, Baker could be an alternative to Chris Capuano.

RHP Vicente Campos
Age as of Opening Day: 22
2014 stats (NYY): Did not play (injured)

Campos reportedly wants to go by his middle name Vicente now, but for now, Yankees fans will be more familiar with the name Jose Campos. He was, of course, once a well-regarded addition to the Michael Pineda/Jesus Montero trade in January 2012, but like pretty much everyone else in that deal, he has not had a very successful couple of years. He only made 24 starts with Low-A Charleston from 2012-13 due to elbow problems, and the Yankees desperately tried to avoid him needing Tommy John surgery. Unfortunately, the day of reckoning came, and Campos went under the knife on April 25th of last year. There's obviously still hope for him since he doesn't even turn 23 until late July, but after surgery, it's impossible to know what we can expect going forward. The best-case scenario sees him making a comeback in Charleston and perhaps emerging in High-A Tampa later this year. Cross your fingers.

RHP Kyle Davies
Age as of Opening Day: 31
2014 stats (CLE-AAA): 21 GS, 124 2/3 IP, 4.11 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 5.8 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 1.307 WHIP

Jason also wrote about Davies when the Yankees tabbed him as a late non-roster invitee just last week:

You might remember Davies as the pitcher who surrendered Alex Rodriguez's 500th home run back in 2007. He's been an above-average starter over the length of his seven-year MLB career exactly one time and has not reached the majors over the last three years. Clearly he isn't very good. He missed the 2012 season with a shoulder issue and spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons in the Twins and Indians organizations. Now at 31 years old, the Yankees must see him as a potential Triple-A rotation option, given his ability to eat innings (183.2 in 2010, 154.1 in 2014) because there's no way he has a chance to make the major league team.

RHP Nick Goody
Age as of Opening Day: 23
2014 stats (NYY-AA/A+): 27 G, 31 1/3 IP, 4.60 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 13.2 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, 1.436 WHIP

Goody was a sixth-round selection in the Yankees' 2012 draft class, but after a promising start in his debut season, he had to have Tommy John surgery early on in 2013. He had a modest comeback last year, but he struggled in Double-A Trenton upon his promotion there in late-June. Although the strikeout potential is still there, he'll have to do a lot better than a 6.75 ERA and 10 walks in 16 innings to make an impression in the high minors. If he recovers this year, it will be easier to write that off as post-surgery rust.

LHP Jacob Lindgren
Age as of Opening Day: 22
2014 stats (NYY-AA/A+/A/Rk): 19 G, 24 2/3 IP, 2.19 ERA, 0.92 FIP, 17.5 K/9, 4.7 BB/9, 1.014 WHIP

We ranked the "Strikeout Factory" eighth overall among Yankees prospects when we did our Top 20 list:

The man with the greatest nickname in the minors, Lindgren has ridiculous strikeout potential that he was already showing off late in the season in Tampa and Trenton. I'm willing to write off the walks as a side effect of throwing nearly 80 innings last year between college and the minors, but it will still be something to track. If he truly does have even modest control, then watch out, big leaguers.

RHP Diego Moreno
Age as of Opening Day: 27
2014 stats (NYY-AAA/AA): 38 G, 57 2/3 IP, 4.06 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 1.457 WHIP

Moreno's name might ring a bell, as he was one of the minor leaguers sent by the Pirates to the Yankees in the 2012 A.J. Burnett deal. He's not a dynamic prospect and Triple-A batters have not had any problems hitting him, as his 12.0 H/9 can attest, so it seems unlikely that Moreno will see the majors, especially since he's behind so many other intriguing arms in the Scranton bullpen.

LHP James Pazos
Age as of Opening Day: 23
2014 stats (NYY-AA/A+): 46 G, 67 IP, 2.42 ERA, 2.21 FIP, 10.1 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 1.134 WHIP

Speaking of intriguing arms in Scranton, Pazos fits that bill nicely, even though he hasn't officially pitched in Scranton yet. After a midseason promotion from Tampa, Pazos actually got better in Trenton, recording a 1.50 ERA and a 2.78 FIP in 28 games. He also has not faced any problems against righties to date despite being a southpaw; lefties had a .458 OPS with Pazos on the mound compared to a still-poor .583 OPS from righties. FanGraphs writer Kiley McDaniel had this to say on Pazos:

Lefty runs it up to 96 mph with deception from the left side and fringy command and off-speed.

Keep an eye on that Scranton bullpen, as Pazos is just one of several potentially solid young relievers.

RHP Wilking Rodriguez
Age as of Opening Day: 25
2014 stats (KCR-AAA/AA): 24 G, 26 1/3 IP, 2.39 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 9.2 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 1.367 WHIP

Rodriguez actually spent a few days in the Yankees' organization last year, even though he didn't pitch. He pitched well enough in the Royals' farm system to make his MLB debut in June, though he returned to the minors after just two games (both scoreless innings). His numbers might be decent, but keep in mind that he spent seven years kicking around the Rays' system and never pitching above A-ball. He could pitch for the Yankees, but I'd feel more comfortable putting money on one of the other Triple-A options.

RHP Nick Rumbelow
Age as of Opening Day: 23
2014 stats (NYY-AAA/AA/A+/A): 44 G, 58 IP, 2.64 ERA, 1.63 FIP, 12.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 1.086 WHIP

When Rumbelow was selected in the seventh round of the 2013 draft, pretty much everyone at PSA fell in love with his awesome name. His strikeout potential and terrific rise in 2014 only made him more exciting. Rumbelow began the year at Low-A Charleston and rose up all the way to the doorstep of the majors in Triple-A Scranton by season's end. McDaniel thought enough of Rumbelow to rank him 24th in the Yankees' system, remarking that he could throw as hard as 98 mph and that his "short, hard-breaking curveball... gives hitters fits." He's not on the 40-man roster at the moment, but few would be surprised if that took long to change.

RHP Luis Severino
Age as of Opening Day: 21
2014 stats (NYY-AA/A+/A) 24 GS, 113 1/3 IP, 2.46 ERA, 2.07 FIP, 10.1 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 1.062 WHIP

Warning: Drool approaching...

Yes, he might end up a reliever and that is a far less exciting outcome than ending up as a top of the rotation starter, but Severino’s impressive 2014 season shows he’s worthy of being called the top prospect in this system. Another strong season will only further cement his place on everyone’s top 50 and 100 prospect lists. - Tanya

It would not be shocking at all to see PSA's top prospect take another big step in 2015 and make it to the majors by season's end. Severino certainly has the talent.

LHP Tyler Webb
Age as of Opening Day: 24
2014 stats (NYY-AAA/AA/A+) 48 G, 68 2/3 IP, 3.86 ERA, 2.53 FIP, 12.1 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 1.180 WHIP

Jason ranked Webb the 19th best prospect in the system, and he's certainly one of the most intimidating lefties in the system at 6'6":

Right now, Webb has the upside of a future left-handed closer, and before Lindgren was drafted, he was the talk of the relief prospect town. His numbers don't look too good thanks to the small sample size that comes with being a reliever, but there's a real chance he could reach the majors in 2015.

Catchers

C Francisco Arcia
Age as of Opening Day: 25
2014 stats (NYY-AAA/AA): 64 G, .276/.311/.347, 11 2B, 1 HR, .658 OPS, 56 wRC+ (AAA)

C Trent Garrison
Age as of Opening Day: 24
2014 stats (NYY-A+): 82 G, .254/.310/.308, 12 2B, 1 HR, .618 OPS, 78 wRC+

C Juan Graterol
Age as of Opening Day: 26
2014 stats (KCR-AAA/AA): 77 G, .278/.307/.387, 17 2B, 4 HR, .694 OPS, 103 wRC+ (AA)

C Kyle Higashioka
Age as of Opening Day: 24
2014 stats (NYY-A+/Rk): 17 G, .224/.310/.367, 4 2B, 1 HR, .678 OPS

C Eddy Rodriguez
Age as of Opening Day: 29
2014 stats (TBR-AAA): 13 G, .152/.204/239, 1 2B, 1 HR, .443 OPS

The Yankees are bringing five non-roster catchers to spring training, but if any of them sees time in the majors this season, then something has gone seriously wrong. They're all guys who the Yankees can probably use at whatever level they feel is most appropriate at the time. Graterol and Rodriguez were off-season additions who would probably serve as Austin Romine insurance should the Yankees decide to take John Ryan Murphy as the backup catcher to Brian McCann. Romine is out of options, so if he goes to another team, then one of Graterol or Rodriguez would probably step in at Triple-A Scranton or Double-A Trenton. (One of them will likely be Gary Sanchez's backup.)

Infielders

1B Greg Bird
Age on Opening Day: 22
2014 stats (NYY-AA/A+) 102 G, .271/.376/.472, 30 2B, 14 HR, .848 OPS, 158 wRC+ (AA)

Greg Bird is the Yankees' #3 prospect. Greg Bird? Greg Bird.

Swoon. You have to be really, really good with the bat to make top prospect lists as a first baseman and Bird has proven himself completely worthy of that distinction. He has excellent plate discipline, tremendous power, and could be knocking on the door of the big leagues before too long. - Tanya

SS Cito Culver
Age as of Opening Day: 22
2014 stats (NYY-A+) 132 G, .220/.298/.303, 21 2B, 5 HR, .601 OPS, 74 wRC+

Cito's really just in camp because he's another infielder to use and Addison Maruszak isn't around anymore. Maybe Cito should just try to reinvent himself as a reliever at this point. Hindsight will always be 20/20, but whatever--the Yankees were criticized right when they took Cito with the 32nd overall pick in the 2010 Draft. Andrelton Simmons was taken just one round later. Sighhhhhhhhhhh.

2B Cole Figueroa
Age as of Opening Day: 27
2014 stats (TBR) 23 G, .233/.286/.326, 2 2B, 0 HR, .611 OPS, 74 wRC+
(TBR-AAA) 71 G, .282/.371/.389, 13 2B, 3 HR, .761 OPS, 114 wRC+

The Yankees brought Figueroa in to be another second base option beyond Rob Refsnyder and Jose Pirela, though that was before they signed Stephen Drew. Still, Figueroa figures to be in the mix for the backup job. Pirela has the edge, but keep in mind that last year, Pirela had a wRC+ of 117, almost identical to Figueroa's in Triple-A. While I would take Pirela over Figueroa anyway, I'm skeptical of either player's ability to actually be a factor with the bat off the bench.

UTIL Jonathan Galvez
Age as of Opening Day: 24
2014 stats (SDP-AAA) 103 G, .280/.354/.449, 24 2B, 10 HR, .803 OPS, 109 wRC+

Galvez spent six years in the Padres' system, including the past two seasons in Triple-A El Paso. Given how shaky the Padres' infield has been, it should say something that they never promoted him despite decent numbers at the minors' highest level. Galvez does bring versatility to the table though, so while he'll likely begin the year with Scranton, he could be brought up should the Yankees need someone to simply man a utility role beyond Pirela.

INF Nick Noonan
Age as of Opening Day: 25
2014 stats (SFG-AAA) 104 G, .237/.282/.303, 16 2B, 3 HR, .586 OPS, 51 wRC+

Like Figueroa, the Yankees signed Noonan to be an option at second before they brought Drew back. He can also play some shortstop and third base, too. However, Scott Davis hit the nail on the head in his assessment of Noonan:

Noonan has been pretty consistently terrible at the plate over his minor league career, but he does bring some good glove work to the middle of the field. Still, the Yankees already have a glove-first backup in Brendan Ryan, so there's little upside to Noonan. He seems like nothing more than Triple-A depth for now.

2B Rob Refsnyder
Age as of Opening Day: 24
2014 stats (NYY-AAA/AA) 137 G, .318/.387/.497, 38 2B, 14 HR, .884 OPS, 137 wRC+ (AAA)

We ranked Refsnyder as the fourth-best prospect in the Yankees' system, and he's probably the most likely of all these names to actually reach the majors in 2015. Here's what I said when we made our prospect rankings:

The fastest-rising position player prospect in the Yankees' system this year, his bat impressed all season long--his 38 doubles between Trenton & Scranton were certainly impressive. However, the question remains the same: Will he ever learn to even adequately defend second base at the major league level? If not, then his future is quite unclear since his bat does not profile nearly as well in right field.

1B Kyle Roller
Age as of Opening Day: 27
2014 stats (NYY-AAA/AA) 125 G, .300/.391/.550, 30 2B, 26 HR, .941 OPS, 143 wRC+ (AAA)

Some Yankees fans are believers in Roller. I am not. He's not much defensively and if the Yankees thought he was a real option at first base, why wouldn't they have brought him up sometime last year when he was mashing while Mark Teixeira struggled with injuries? Garrett Jones's presence on the team now makes Roller even less likely to make it to the majors. The numbers are nice, but there's a reason scouts don't seem to buy him.

Outfielders

CF Jake Cave
Age as of Opening Day: 22
2014 stats (NYY-AA/A+) 132 G, .294/.351/.414, 28 2B, 7 HR, .764 OPS, 121 wRC+ (AA)

Cave's a solid outfield prospect who might be closer to the majors than one would think. He has a solid defensive reputation and since returning from injury in 2013, he has put up a steady wRC+ around 120 everywhere he's played. We had him ranked 13th in the Yankees' system:

Now that names like Mason Williams and Slade Heathcott have fallen out of favor, Cave finds himself among the most promising outfield prospects in the system. He split time between Tampa and Trenton last year, putting up a .764 OPS for the season. Former Thunder manager Tony Franklin compared Cave to Brett Gardner, which is obviously pretty high praise. - Tanya

OF Slade Heathcott
Age as of Opening Day: 24
2014 stats (NYY-AA) 9 G, .182/.250/.242, 2 2B, 0 HR, .492 OPS

Tanya mentioned that Heathcott has fallen out of favor, and that's unsurprising given his inability to stay healthy. He's played more than 80 games in a season just once since being drafted in 2009. Last year was likely the lowest of the lows for Heathcott, as he didn't even make it into 10 games. It ended early due to arthroscopic knee surgery related to the one he had during the previous off-season. He still has great tools, but since he can't stay healthy, it's increasingly difficult to consider him part of the Yankees' future.

RF Aaron Judge
Age as of Opening Day: 22
2014 stats (NYY-A+/A) 131 G, .308/.419/.486, 24 2B, 17 HR, .905 OPS, 149 wRC+ (A+)

Judge looks like the prize of the Yankees' 2013 draft class, and his tremendous 2014 campaign placed him in the Top 50 overall prospects on lists from all around baseball. He was second in the Yankees' system on our list, and I had him #1:

You have to go back to the days of Austin Jackson to find a Yankees outfield prospect as captivating as Judge. The bat is very real, and it will be exciting to see what he can do against pitching above A-ball. It will be a challenge, but the first round pick has the talent to live up to it.

Who do you blame for the 2013 and 2014 Yankees' seasons?

0
0

This is all Chaz Roe's fault.

While there are many out there that have no problem blaming various people in the organization when things go wrong for the Yankees, I find it difficult to do. When the front office acquires someone, there are probably a bunch of different reasons for doing so that we're not even thinking about. When the manager puts in a reliever we don't want to come in, the one we do might not be 100% that day even if they're available. And questioning whether players are giving their all is another argument for another day. But for this week's Pinstripe Q&A, I gave the PSA staff the freedom to blame whoever they wanted for the past two Yankees' seasons.

Q: February 13 is National Blame Someone Else Day. Since it's clearly not our fault, who do you blame for the disappointing last two seasons for the Yankees?

Andrew

I blame Derek Jeter. You call that captaining?! Pfft.

/ducks/

Arun

#blameARod

Injuries seem to be a good place to start. The inconsistency over plan 189 may have made the offseasons more incoherent than they needed to be. It's probably mostly on the organizational inability to develop talent internally over the last few years. I'm just gonna go with blaming everyone involved in Biogenesis though. Plus Rob Thomson.

Greg

There is only one person, one thing, one unforgiving, unrelenting monster to blame for the last two years. The Humbler. It feeds on our misery and oils its gears with our tears. It hungers for more and one day we have to stand up to it. It must be stopped. I call on all the Pinstripe Alley writers to stand with me. Stand for pride. Stand for power. STAND FOR PINSTRIPES!!!

John

I blame Greg.

Caitlin

I blame the great injury bug of 2013, except it really started when Jeter broke his ankle in the 2012 postseason. Actually, maybe it started when Mo tore his ACL shagging balls, in which case I blame Jayson Nix for everything.

Martin

I blame Mark Teixeira's body, which used to be made of muscle and bone, but is apparently now made out of wet cotton. What injury will he have this year? Sadly, I can't pick just one. At least the injuries gave him plenty of time to work on his awkward humor YouTube show...so that's something.

Harlan

The obvious answer is A-Rod since he's to blame for everything. But between causing global warming, countless snowstorms, three separate Asian airline crashes, wars in Ukraine and Iraq and "Hot Tub Time Machine 2", I don't see how he could have had any time left over to sabotage the Yankees.

So I'll go with Hal Steinbrenner. I think he wants to win, and a $200 mil plus budget should be enough to do that, but there doesn't seem to be a clear vision for what this team's goal is. Shooting for 189 then not following through. Overpaying free agents, but not the best ones. Trying to get younger, but filling positions with stopgap veterans. You can't build anything if you're changing the design every year.

Nikhil

As much as I like Hal Steinbrenner's cost cutting approach, I think he deserves some blame for the last two seasons. We should've either committed to Plan 189 or just conducted business as usual. I'm pretty sure we didn't go as hard after guys like Aroldis Chapman, Yasiel Puig, Zack Greinke, and Yu Darvish because we were trying to go under the luxury tax threshold. Now we pretty much can't go on a spending spree until after 2016. However, I do think the front office will get it right this time.

Jim

I'll tell you who took those seasons. It was that damn sasquatch.

Matt F.

I mean....in reality it was some combination of anything and everything, but that's not what this post is about. This is about wild, baseless accusations and passing the buck onto someone who may have only partially have had a negative impact on the Yankees' past two seasons. Which is why I'm putting the blame squarely on the feet of Eury Perez. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID, EURY.

So those are our answers and now it's your turn. Who do you choose to blame for the disappointment of the 2013 and 2014 seasons? Very excited to see what fiery hot takes await us in the comments.

Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and Willie Randolph to be honored in Monument Park

0
0

Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte will all have their numbers retired in 2015. Willie Randolph will also be headed to Monument Park.

It is no secret that the Yankees have an illustrious history. In 2015, they plan to honor four Yankee legends, picking up where they left off in 2014 with former Yankee reliever Goose Gossage. Sweeny Murti provides details on the number-retiring festivities:

Former Yankees second baseman Willie Randolph will also get a plaque, but will not have his number retired.

All four players had storied careers in pinstripes. For his Yankee career, Andy Pettitte went 219-127 with an ERA of 3.94. His ERA does not do him justice, however, as he pitched during an offense-dominated ERA in a traditionally high-powered division with four notorious hitter-friendly ballparks. Pettitte, a member of the "Core Four," amassed 18 playoff wins in addition en route to five World Series rings.

Jorge Posada, the fiery switch-hitting catcher, provided the Yankees with plenty of offense at a traditionally weak-hitting position, putting up a career (.273/.374/.474) batting line with a wRC+ of 123 and 275 home runs. In addition to five All-Star appearances and Silver Sluggers, Posada famously doubled off Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS to tie the game, setting the stage for Aaron Boone's unforgettable walk-off home run. Posada's .922 OPS in that series matched his .922 OPS during the 2003 regular season, a season which saw him finish third in the AL MVP voting.

Former center fielder Bernie Williams is not considered to be part of the "Core Four," much to the chagrin of many fans, because he was not on the 2009 World Series winning team. However, he has an undeniable place in Yankee history with a career line of (.297/.381/.477), including seven straight seasons with an OPS above .900 (1996-2002). His 22 postseason home runs trail only Manny Ramirez for the all-time record.

Willie Randolph played second base for the Yankees from 1976-1988, serving as a high-OBP bat with excellent defense. Randolph, a New York City native, put up a (.275/.374/.357) line in pinstripes and is credited with 16.3 defensive WAR during his Yankee tenure, in addition to winning back-to-back titles in 1977 and 1978.

Congratulations are in order for these four men who have undoubtedly earned their right to ascend to Yankee immortality. All four of them consistently handled themselves with class and dignity, never taking for granted what it meant to be a Yankee. Feel free to reminisce on their fantastic careers in the comment section.

Yankees sign Jared Burton to minor-league deal

0
0

The former Twins and Reds reliever provides the Yankees with additional bullpen depth.

The New York Yankees made another addition to their bullpen on Monday, signing free agent right-hander Jared Burton to a minor league deal, per a club announcement. The contract also includes an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

The 33-year-old Burton was effectively made a free agent when the Twins declined his $3.6 million club option for 2015 (paying him a $200,000 buyout) in December. Burton originally rose to the majors with the Cincinnati Reds in 2007, posting two very strong seasons before falling back in 2009 and missing nearly all of 2010 and 2011 with shoulder issues.

Let go by the Reds, Burton latched on with the Minnesota Twins prior to the 2012 season, and reestablished himself as a capable reliever, garnering work in a set-up capacity. He combined to post a 3.02 ERA, 136 ERA+, 3.50 FIP, and 3.05 K/BB in 128.0 innings with the Twins in 2012 and 2013. However, Burton fell back last season, regressing to a 4.36 ERA, 91 ERA+, 4.23 ERA, and 1.84 K/BB in 64.0 innings pitched.

Burton will join a Yankees' bullpen that has undergone quite the overhaul this winter, and he stands a decent shot at cracking the club's Opening Day roster. New York lost closer David Robertson to the Chicago White Sox, but 2014 standout Dellin Betances should take over in the ninth inning, with free agent acquisition Andrew Miller (who landed a four-year, $36 million deal) stepping in for Betances in the eighth. Holdover Adam Warren and new additions David Carpenter and Justin WIlson also figure to play key roles. The rest of the rotation should be filled out with some combination of Jose Ramirez, Jose De Paula, Esmil Rogers, Chasen Shreve, Jacob Lindgren, Andrew Bailey, and Burton, the latter five of which have all been acquired over the past year.

Marlins morning news: Marlins will play an 'exciting brand of baseball' this season

0
0

President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill had some promising comments on the upcoming season. Plus links on a motivated Dee Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton's home-run derby odds, the 2017 Baseball Classic, and more.

Marlins News

In a recent interview with MLB.com, President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill had three things that he wanted to tell Marlins fans about this upcoming season, with one being:

"Look for an exciting season. You're going to see manager Mike Redmond and his staff playing an exciting brand of baseball."

Hill is also very eager for the season to start, and he will not have to wait long as the Marlins pitchers and catchers report to camp this Friday.

After being traded to the Marlins from the Dodgers this offseason, Dee Gordon is out to prove his former team made a mistake by letting him go.

It is way too early to know if Giancarlo Stanton will participate in the Home Run Derby, but that does not stop Vegas from releasing their odds for it.  Vegas has Stanton tied with Jose Abreu, of the Chicago White Sox, as the favorite to win the Derby.

It was recently announced that the Marlins would host the All-Star game in 2017.  The Marlins are also hoping to host the World Baseball Classic in the spring of 2017, as well.

Around the League

Jason Giambi ended his twenty-year career after officially announcing his retirement from the game.

The Yankees announced that they will retire Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte's numbers this upcoming season.

After a gruesome knee injury last season, Garrett Richards threw his first bullpen session after six months of recovery.

Sports on Earth took a look at the top five stories around the league heading into Spring Training.  A-Rod, the Padres, and a few others made the list.

At Fish Stripes

-The Marlins' Good, the Bad, and the Utility: Let's Begin! - Fish Stripes

The Marlins made a lot of moves this summer, but which of them will be most important to the teams success this season.

-Francisco Rodriguez may be costly, Phil Coke seeking major league deal - Fish Stripes

The Marlins are looking to upgrade the back end of their bullpen, and looked in Francisco Rodriguez as a possible candidate but his asking price is reportedly too high.

-Marlins Park deserved All-Star bid in 2017 - Fish Stripes

The MLB announced that the Marlins would host the 2017 All-Star Game, and they were definitely a deserving candidate.

-Marlins have no players on Baseball Prospectus top 101 prospects list - Fish Stripes

The Marlins did not have anyone in their farm system make Baseball Prospectus's list of the top 101 prospects.

-Marlins deserve top preseason ranking - Fish Stripes

The Marlins had a very active offseason, but it was not good enough for ESPN to rank them in the top half of the league in their preseason power rankings.

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 2/17/15

0
0

New York Post | George King III: An evaluator believes that the Dodgers are the favorites to sign Yoan Moncada because, even though the Yankees like him, they aren't crazy about the incredibly high price tag that is attached.

Sporting News | Jesse Spector: Some people may complain that the Yankees have been too liberal with retiring numbers, but only a select few have their number retired without being enshrined in Cooperstown. It shouldn't be a terrible thing if that's how the team chooses to honor their great players.

CBS Sports | Mike Axisa:Derek Jeter is going to be out of the country instead of attending the Yankees' 2015 home opener.

Newsday | Erik Boland:Alex Rodriguez reached out to Chase Headley to introduce himself after the team's new third baseman signed a four-year deal with the team this offseason.

New York Post | Ken Davidoff: Who are the ten pitchers who could claim the title of the Yankees' best pitcher in 2015? One of them isn't even on the team right now, one is retired, and one is Chris Capuano.


Braves daily news digest 2/17: Keeping Craig Kimbrel

0
0

Despite criticism, the Atlanta Braves hung onto closer Craig Kimbrel this off season despite a major retooling of the remainder of the roster.

Braves News

Kimbrel still a Brave; that's a good thing right?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's David O'Brien attacks the thought that the Braves should have traded Craig Kimbrel and checks in with the reliever on the eve of spring training.

This almost seemed to anger some out there. To me, if you've got a great closer under contract, and you're not stripping the house down to the studs and starting fresh, but rather aiming to rebuild while remaining competitive in the next year or two, then it makes some sense to do all you can to make sure precious wins don't get frittered away in the late innings.

Let's Talk Season Predictions

A lot of outlets are putting out season predictions and unsurprisingly they aren't very favorable to the Atlanta Braves.

Baseball Prospectus - 73-89

FanGraphs - 71-91

ESPNs SweetSpot - 68-94

Not a major surprise considering Atlanta replaced many of the key contributors from last season's team with minor league talent. Still a bit shocking when you consider that this could be the worst Braves team record wise since the 1990 season.

MLB News

Analyzing Yoan Moncada

Minor League Ball's Matt Garrioch profiles Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada and sees a future game changing player.

Moncada is going to be very rich in the next 10 days. If I were a rebuilding team with money available, I'd pay him. If I were the Yankees, Dodgers or other big spenders, it would be hard to not pay the guy. He is hitting the market at the right time and has the skills to be a game changing player.

Jason Giambi retires from MLB

Jason Giambi announced his retirement on Monday. He retires as one of 20 players in history to finish a career with 400 home runs, 1,400 RBIs, 1,200 runs and 1,300 walks.

Veteran Pitchers agree to minor league deals

Barry Zitohas agreed to a minor league deal with the Oakland A's while former Braves pitcher Bruce Chenhas a similar pact with the Cleveland Indians. Both deals carry incentives should either pitcher make the major league team out of spring training.

Yankees Prospect Profile: Aaron Judge

0
0

The pride of the Yankees' 2013 draft class had a tremendous first professional season in 2014, but can he do it again?

Background

The top position player prospect in the Yankees' system, Aaron Judge was selected by the Yanks with the 32nd overall pick in the 2013 Draft, the compensation for the Yankees losing Nick Swisher to the Indians in free agency. (There's a delightfully weird roster tree dating Judge's spot all the way back to 1990.) Judge was a star at Cal State-Fresno, where he hit .346/.451/.528 over three seasons for the Bulldogs, and his power potential took off during his junior year, when he mashed 31 extra-base hits in 56 games.

The 6'7" slugger was imposing but impressive, displaying a potent bat that could generate more line drive bullets than expected. However, Judge was a bit of a mystery heading into the 2014 campaign since he didn't play a game for the Yankees after the draft due to a lingering quad injury. There were high expectations, and Judge more than lived up to them.

2014 Results

Tampa (A+): 66 G, .283/.411/.442, 9 2B, 8 HR, 72 K, 149 wRC+, 2.9 WARP
Charleston (A): 65 G, .333/.428/.530, 15 2B, 9 HR, 59 K, 167 wRC+, 3.1 WARP

Some scouts thought the Yankees were playing it a bit too safe with Judge by starting him in Low-A with the RiverDogs. Sure enough, he tore up the competition in the Sally League, making their All-Star team and earning a promotion to High-A Tampa after just two months. Judge generated crazy statistics in Low-A, but my favorite one by far was the fact that away from the pitcher-friendly Riley Park in Charleston, he hit .407/.481/.637 in 30 games. That is... not normal.

The Florida State League didn't really fare that much better when Judge was at the plate. He still hit well above league average while also demonstrating above-average defense with a strong arm in right field according to Keith Law. Judge followed his great year by hitting .278/.377/.467 with 9 extra-base hits in 24 Arizona Fall League games, another fine performance. All year long, evaluators like Law were also pleasantly surprised by his swing. Although he struck out quite a bit, his swing was compact and quick to the ball, leading to not only some power, but also high contact. Unlike Peter O'Brien, he can work a walk in addition to hitting long balls. Since he's so big, the strikeouts come with the territory--just ask 6'6" Giancarlo Stanton and his 28.1% strikeout rate (Judge fanned 25.3% of the time in High-A). It's hard to not be excited watching him swing the bat.

Judge swing

2015 Outlook

It seems like Judge is a shoo-in for a spot in the Double-A Trenton outfield. The far superior pitching in the high minors and another tough home park for hitters will certainly offer him a challenge. Of course what's scary is that even though he belted 21 homers overall last year, the scouts think that he has yet to truly tap into his power potential. He only turns 23 in late April and he's still maturing as a prospect. According to Kiley McDaniel at FanGraphs, the Yankees have let Judge develop his swing on his own, often telling McDaniel that they "just stay out of his way."

We'll see if Judge's way works in Trenton and possibly Scranton in 2015, but the early returns have been overwhelmingly positive. He's a Top 50 prospect in baseball and arguably the best in the Yankees' system.

Judge law

PSA Comments of the Day 2/17/15: Time passes, people move

0
0

It was confirmed that the Yankees will be retiring the numbers of Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, and Jorge Posada this year. Willie Randolph will also get a plaque of his own in Monument Park. Nice. Pitchers and catchers report in Babe Ruth days.

"Time passes, people move... Like a river's flow, it never ends." -Sheik

Considering all the action that Monument Park is going to see this year, I thought this quote from Sheik would be appropriate. Yesterday, the Yankees confirmed that Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada will also have their numbers officially retired along with Andy Pettitte's number. Bernie's #51 will be retired on May 24th, Posada's #20 will be retired on August 22nd, and Pettitte's #46 will be retired on August 23rd. Considering the incredible history of these players, tickets will definitely be going for a lot of money. In addition to this, Willie Randolph will get a plaque in Monument Park on Old Timer's Day this year. That day is already one of the hottest tickets of the year, so this celebration is just an extra added and very well deserved bonus. Of course, the hottest ticket of the regular season will probably be reserved for the day a certain former Yankee shortstop officially has his number required. Just a hunch.

Comments of the Day

We could definitely use these type of games from Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia this year.

Sources confirm, Tanya is undefeated in video games!

Don't deny us of this, Marlins. Your Dinger God is hungry!

Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos.

I'm pretty sure it's always time to Blame Beltran.

Oh natteringnabob, you cad you!

GIF of the Day

They're not even a real country anyway!

I am, admittedly, cheating on this GOTD by giving it to myself. Don't care, as I love it and I'm hoping it's blue by the time this post goes up!

The Bernie Williams Swag-Slide is still a thing of beauty. #51 should be retired just for that alone.

Honorable Mod Mention

I'm giving it to myself, just to spite John for his "Who is to blame" post. Is it childish of me? Yep!

Fun Questions
  • Can you play any musical instruments? If not, which would you like to learn?
  • What is your favorite brand of snack chips? (Tostitos, Doritos, etc)
Song of the Day

Gerudo Valley by Taylor Davis

There are many different renditions of Gerudo Valley, as the original was very iconic to the Zelda franchise when The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released. The 25th Anniversary rendition and the latest rendition from Super Smash Bros. are both pretty excellent. I felt that Taylor Davis did an amazing homage to the song though. Plus the video is pretty awesome as well. As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

Feel free to use this as your open thread for the day. We are only three days away from pitchers and catchers reporting. Oh, and Derek Jeter was the shortstop I was talking about above.

Regain your lost time!

Which Phillies numbers should be retired?

0
0

Only four numbers in team history have been retired. Should their policy on the issue be changed?

This week, the New York Yankees announced that they were going to retire the numbers of numerous players from their dynasties of the '90s and 2000s, including starter Andy Pettitte, catcher Jorge Posada, outfielder Bernie Williams and shortstop Derek Jeter.

The Yankees have now retired the numbers of 16 players (Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey both wore No. 8) and two managers. With these four numbers now soon to be out of circulation, that leaves 20 potential numbers not available to players.

USA Today did an outstanding analysis of the situation.

The Yankees franchise was established in 1903, meaning its been in existence for 112 years. With 20 retired numbers in that period, the Yankees have been retiring numbers at a rate of .178 numbers/year. To make our predictions more accurate, let’s safely assume the Yankees will retire Derek Jeter’s No. 2 no later than 2016, which will alter the rate to .185 numbers/year.

With a 40-man roster to fill, that means the Yankees would only have room to retire 39 numbers before things get weird. We should hit that point by 2225.

At this pace, the team will run out of double digit numbers entirely by 2442, 427 years from now. We hope the Yanks have a backup plan in place.

Which brings us to the Phillies, the polar opposites of the Yankees in this regard.

Certainly, the Phils haven't had as rich a history of winning as New York has, and has had far fewer players worthy of such an honor. In all, just five Phillies' numbers have been retired.

Richie Ashburn's No. 1, Jim Bunning's No. 14, Mike Schmidt's No. 20, Steve Carlton's No. 32, and Robin Robert's No. 36, have all been retired by the Phils, and Major League Baseball has retired Jackie Robinson's No. 42.

As we exit the greatest sustained success in the team's history, there are obviously some players that warrant having their numbers retired. But if you'll notice, the five men who have had their numbers retired by the Phils are all Hall of Famers.

There are some borderline cases among some recent Phillies, specifically Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. Cole Hamels could be on his way there, but his future with the team is tenuous to say the least.

Should the team change its policy towards number retirement? Should they continue to only retire numbers of Hall of Famers? Or should the criteria be eased a bit?

I don't think anyone should wear Utley's No. 26 ever again, nor should anyone ever get to wear Rollins' No. 11. When those two guys retire, they should be given that honor, regardless of whether they get into the Hall of Fame or not.

But what about Ryan Howard? We live in a time when Howard is maligned and ridiculed, and his heroics of the past are forgotten. But he is easily the best first baseman the team has ever had, and for a seven-year span was one of the most dominant power hitters in the game. He also was a critical component in five division championships, two World Series appearances and one world championship.

Should Howard's No. 6 be retired? I say yes.

Guys like Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay probably don't make the cut. They didn't start their careers with the Phils and weren't around for long enough to warrant the honor. Hamels will be an interesting case, especially if he gets traded within the next few weeks or months. If he stays, he's a no-brainer.

It seems as though the Yankees are overdoing the whole number retirement thing. And the Phillies have been smart to limit number retirement to the truly elite of the franchise. Sorry Curt Schilling. Sorry Darren Daulton. Sorry John Kruk. You simply don't meet the threshold.

But at the very least, when Rollins, Utley and Howard retire, they should get this prestigious honor, commemorating a time when the Phils were one of the marquee teams in baseball.

Yankees Prospect Profile: Gosuke Katoh

0
0

After a blistering start to his pro career, Gosuke Katoh fell off the face of the earth last year. Can he bounce back?

Background

The 20-year-old Gosuke Katoh was born in Poway, California to Japanese parents. While he did spend some time living in Japan as a child, he was mostly raised in Southern California, where he attended Rancho Bernardo High School. High school second baseman are usually not considered top prospects, but Katoh made himself the exception to that rule with both his bat and elite defense. He hit .411/.524/.711 in 135 career games at Rancho Bernardo, slugging 25 homers and driving in 114 runs in 566 plate appearances. He also displayed great speed and range in the field, with a lack of arm strength putting the only black mark on his defensive report card.

The Yankees saw Katoh's batspeed, elite defense and his 6'2" 180 lb frame and decided to take him in the second round of the 2013 draft. After Katoh agreed to a bonus of $845,000, the Yankees sent him to the Gulf Coast League to kick off his pro career. Katoh immediately impressed, slashing .310/.402/.522 with 6 homers in just 50 games. Although nobody should ever take Rookie Ball numbers seriously, it was hard not to think the Yankees possibly had a real player on their hands in the lefty hitting second baseman.

2014 Results

Charleston (A): 121 G, .222/.345/.326, 19 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 20 SB, 142 K, 96 wRC+, 0.7 WARP

As scintillating and drool-inducing as Katoh's 2013 performance was, 2014 was vastly different. Katoh was bumped up to A-ball, but struggled right out of the gate with Charleston, hitting only .175 through the first two months of the season. He struck out 60 times in 166 plate appearances during that time, which is pretty ugly. Katoh picked it up quite a bit in June and July, hitting .282 during that time, but his strikeouts were still very high. He came back down to earth in August, hitting only .181, and ended up slashing .222/.345/.326 with only 3 homers for the season and 142 strike outs in just 465 plate appearances.

Katoh did show some speed, nabbing 20 stolen bases, but he was thrown out 10 times in the process, which isn't good at all. One huge positive for him was that he was able to walk 71 times. That patience helped him boost his on base percentage and afforded him more opportunities to take advantage of his speed. Even though he didn't do much with it on the base paths, speed kills, and you can't teach that. He could always learn to run the bases more efficiently as he matures, which would make him more dangerous when he gets all those walks.

2015 Outlook

This is a big year for Katoh. He really needs to show that last season was merely a bump in the road, and that he can play a lot more like the guy the Yankees saw in June and July, rather than the one flailing away at everything in April, May and August. Even just reversing his splits (three good months and two bad months instead of the other way around) would go a long way to getting his stock back up. Despite the better second half last year, I don't think Katoh has earned any kind of promotion, so I fully expect him to be back in the Sally League this season. Unless he utterly dominates there, I think it's wise for the Yankees to make sure he has mastered this league over a full season before promoting him anywhere, possibly in 2016.

I think there's still hope that Katoh will not become another Dante Bichette, Jr. type bust (although, to be fair, Bichette isn't quite a lost cause yet). He has that great patience, and he's just 20 years old and still growing into his body. He also done his part to validate his defensive reputation at second base, which is an overall position of need for the Yankees right now. Here's hoping Gosuke bounces back.

Poll
Where do you think Gosuke Katoh's career ends up?

  1 votes |Results

Viewing all 4714 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images