Let the meaningless baseball begin, for it is baseball regardless.

Our long national nightmare is over. Baseball is back. Well, sort of anyway. Any game where the #3 hitter struck out against a pitching machine can't be taken too seriously. Nonetheless, it's the Yankees' spring training opener!

This is a road game at Bright House Field, the Phillies' spring training complex in Clearwater. It will begin at 1:05, and if you have MLB.tv or live in the Philadelphia area (my condolences it's if the latter), then you can watch it on Comcast Sports Philly. The game is also available on radio at 1210 WPHT in Philly (or Gameday Audio). The lineups are below, and you can see who the Yankees are planning on bringing in later in the game thanks to the official Twitter account link below the lineups. The main attraction for me will definitely be Luis Severino taking the mound in relief of Adam Warren. Check out how stoked he is:

Severino just told me he is very excited for his Yankees spring debut; actually slept holding a ball in his hand last night

— Marly~ESPN Deportes (@MarlyRiveraESPN) March 3, 2015

Amazing. Play ball!

Play ball! It's the spring opener today. Here's the @Yankees lineup at Philadelphia - 1:05pm pic.twitter.com/5UHNcm4CJ3

— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) March 3, 2015

Yankees play to a tie in their Grapefruit League opener, thanks to a huge three-run homer by Aaron Judge.

The Yankees were one out and one strike away from dropping their Grapefruit League opener to the Phillies with one of their top prospects in Aaron Judge at the plate. Judge, who has sometimes drawn comments about not showing his incredible power potential in actual games, ripped a pitch to left field that landed just over the wall and out of reach of the leaping outfielder. Jake Cave and Slade Heathcott came around to score on the dinger and the game was tied at five. Chasen Shreve came on to work the bottom of the ninth for New York, holding the Phillies scoreless. The decision to not play extras is not uncommon in spring training, and that was the decision today.

Adam Warren was solid in his spring training debut. He pitched two scoreless innings, giving up only one hit. Luis Severino came on in relief of Warren in his first Yankees spring training. His first inning of work included two strikeouts and hitting 95 mph on the gun. Some unfortunate luck plagued him during his second frame and he was pulled after managing to only get one out and allowing four hits. One of Severino's runners scored on a sac fly after Diego Moreno entered the game, bringing his earned run total to two in his debut.

Nick Goody, Jacob Lindgren, and Branden Pinder completed the parade from the bullpen. They each recorded one strikeout and Lindgren allowed two more Phillies runs. Someone somewhere is ready to call him a bust, I'm sure, but do keep in mind that this was just the first game of spring training and panicking is not something that should be on your mind right now.

Offensively, the Yankees scored their first run of the game on an RBI by Jose Pirela that plated Garrett Jones. Cave drove in their second run just before Judge tied the score with his home run. Greg Bird singled and doubled in his spring training debut. Mason Williams also doubled with a liner off the wall. In his first game, Rob Refsnyder worked a walk and committed a throwing error at second base. He launched a ball into the stands on a pretty routine play. It seems that the opinion he needs more time in the minors to work on his defense may not be that unfounded.

Yankee regulars Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner each went hitless in their first game of spring training. Presumed fourth outfielder Chris Young picked up the team's first hit of the spring with a single in the first inning. Good to see that he recovered from striking out against a pitching machine named Iron Mike during the Yankees' intrasquad game yesterday.

The Yankees will take on the Phillies again tomorrow at 1:05 pm in their spring home opener at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. You can catch the game on MLB Network or MLB.tv.

Box score

I'm really excited to see Nick Noonan!

Spring training games aren't always the most intense or the most meaningful, but it's still baseball. And today there will be a Yankees' baseball game. Yay! Sure there will be guys wearing number #97 or something, but that's part of the fun of spring. I asked the PSA staff what they were looking forward to now that baseball is sorta back.

Q: Spring training is here! What or who are you most interested in seeing this spring season?

Jason

GREGBIRD

Nikhil

Luis Severino. It doesn't take an expert to know the rotation will make or break the Yankees this season. If Severino can debut this year and log some quality starts it would be huge, especially if (when) one of the main guys goes down.

Greg

First of all, I wanna know why I'm hearing scary, rage inducing things like NO MORE FOUL TERRITORY!!! That is unacceptable. UN. AC. CEPTABLE.

Second...Who. Didi MEorius and Captain EO are definitely high on the watch list. Greg Bird, obviously. Rob Refsnyder might be the highest since I want him to win the starting 2B job out of spring training.

Third...What. I definitely do not want to see or hear anything about a scorpion infestation. Perhaps a parade of cute, fluffy bunnies could start pouncing on players while they're trying to workout.

Martin

I'm most looking forward to seeing some of those on the cusp young guys play. Refsnyder, Severino, Flores, all of the young relievers. I always enjoy the part of spring where we get sneak peeks at these guys to see if they might just be ready for prime time. I'm also looking forward to seeing how Andrew Bailey throws. If he can get back to form after so much time off, he could be a real help. Sure, he might hold back a deserving youngster, but there's always time for those guys. I'm also terrified that Masahiro Tanaka's elbow will literally fly off into the catcher's mitt every time he throws a splitter. Not looking forward to that.

Vince

I'm most interested in seeing how the rotation fares with all the question marks. Every pitch we see Tanaka and Pineda throw this spring is going to be nerve-wracking. Will CC Sabathia, his new knee brace, and his rediscovered 30lbs look like 2012 CC? Will Larry Rothschild be able to get the most out of Nathan Eovaldi's great potential? And will toying with the six-man rotation have any influence on whether they resort to it during the regular season?

John

I'm interested in seeing the Yankees' rotation. As I've said before, I'm at peace with the fact that this will be an offensively challenged ball club. That's a factor of so many previous decisions that there's really not much that could have been done about it this offseason. But the rotation is such a mix of peril and potential that I can't really remember another like it in my lifetime. I could see it going on to dominate the league a la 1998, or going up in flames 2005 style (I remember a highlight being a week where the Yankees' only confirmed starter was Randy Johnson because everyone else was hurt). The Yankees chose not to spend on Max Scherzer, when I really thought bringing aboard the 30 year old ace would be the difference between a playoff spot and hope for a playoff spot. Fine, Hal. Show me what you've got for a plan instead.

Andrew

I'm very curious to see how Didi Gregorius will perform. I think that his defense will be stellar and his bat could end up surprising a lot of people.

I know I'm definitely NOT interested in seeing the Humbler, which is already threatening to end Luis Torrens's season before it starts. What a jerkstore.

Matt P.

The story line that I'm most interested in following is that of Rob Refsnyder. Last year the only excitement we at Pinstripe Alley got during spring training was rooting for #NotNunez, and now we at least can cheer on a possible starting player. Not just a role player that is one step above hot trash, but an actual, living, breathing starting player. The farm system has produced little in the way of position players, and Refsnyder has the best chance of becoming something of value. Here's to hoping that he flashes his potential this month.

Tanya

Greg Bird Greg Bird Greg Bird Greg Bird Greg Bird Greg Bird Greg Bird Greg Bird Greg Bird Greg Bird

Oh, and Aaron Judge, Rob Refsnyder, Luis Severino, and Jacob Lindgren. But mostly Greg Bird. The best part of spring training is actually getting to see the prospects who are somewhat close to the majors and these are all really exciting ones. They make putting up with spring training games worth it.

Matt F.

I'm also going with Rob Refsnyder, not just because he's a prospect with potential, but he's a prospect with potential that we could maybe see in New York this year. I'm not as down on Stephen Drew as others are, but I think there's a non-zero chance that they bring up Refsnyder to play second instead of Drew at some point. Or maybe he just winds up being a September call up. Or maybe this is an unrealistic pipe dream and he never comes up. I don't think that last scenario is likely, but what do I know? I think we'll see Refsnyder in the bigs at some point, and hopefully he uses spring training as a springboard to that.

Those are our answers and now it's your turn. Tell us in the comments what you're most looking forward to in spring training.

As it was reported yesterday, Yankees catching prospect Luis Torrens underwent testing on his injured right shoulder. Today it was announced that the 19-year-old will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. According to a team email, the surgery will be performed by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and will cost him the entire 2015 season.

As I said yesterday:

Torrens already dealt with a shoulder injury last year when he missed over two months of the 2014 season. He struggled early on in his time with the Low-A Charleston RiverDogs before disappearing from games between mid-April to mid-June when he was reassigned to short season Staten Island after a brief rehab stint in the GCL. As an 18-year-old in the Sally League, the assignment was pretty aggressive, so you can't be too disappointed by his struggles in the small sample size. After returning from the injury, he seemed to be perfectly fine as he hit .337/.378/.500 through the end of July, though he eventually leveled off to hit .270/.327/.405 in the New York-Penn League for the year. It seemed his troubles were behind him until now suddenly things have moved in the complete opposite direction.

This is incredibly disappointing news for the prospect tabbed for a breakout year by many around baseball and is considered to be the organization's top catching prospect. Luckily he's so young that a missed year will only make him 20 years old by 2016, meaning his prospect status s far from over. He will miss precious development time, but as long as he gets right it shouldn't be too bad. Let's hope we get better results from Gary Sanchez this year so the loss of Torrens won't feel so bad.

A toast to the beloved yet brash beer-swiggin', curve-chuckin' rubber-armed lefty known to all as "Boomer."

Name: David Wells
Position: Starting pitcher
Born: May 20, 1963 (Torrance, CA)
Yankee Years: 1997-98, 2002-03
Primary number: 33
Yankee statistics: 68-28, 3.90 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 123 GS, 851 2/3 IP, 557 K, 19 CG, 9 SHO, 87 ERA-, 87 FIP-, 17.1 rWAR, 17.1 fWAR

Biography

There have been few players in Yankees history quite like David Wells. The dynasty Yankees of the late '90s and 2000s were often accused of not having much personality, but when Wells in the clubhouse, he more than made up for it. Without talent though, he'd just be an eccentric who struggled to play a few years in Major League Baseball, let alone 21. Although "Boomer" was only on the Yankees for four years, his talent and charisma captivated crowds, won countless fans, and most importantly, helped the Yankees win the World Series in the greatest season they ever had.

Becoming Boomer

Wells was born to a single-parent home on May 20, 1963, and he was raised by his mother, who was a good friend of the infamous "Hell's Angels" biker gang. She was named Eugenia Ann Wells, but she was known to them as "Attitude Annie." Wells never met his actual father until he was 22, so it was up to his mother and her friends to guide him through his younger years. Amusingly, the Hell's Angels would come to some of his Little League games and give him money whenever he when he posted high strikeout totals or won games.

Although disciplining Wells was difficult (high school administrators called him a "sky-larking rebel"), Wells's natural abilities easily carried him to elite status on his baseball team at Point Loma High School in San Diego. During his senior year, he threw a no-hitter, guided his team to its only championship in school history, was named the conference Player of the Year. Scouts fell in love with his delivery, even though his school had only produced five major leaguers in its history, Wells was selected by the Blue Jays 30th overall in the 1982 Draft, the second pick of the second round. Only three lefties were taken ahead of him, and none of them even came close to panning out.

It's easy to remember Wells as a big man who didn't always appear in the best of shape, but just like his hero Babe Ruth, that was definitely not how he looked when he entered baseball. Wells was 6'3", 175 pounds when he was drafted, and his agility and flexibility managed to stay with him even as he got bigger. In the minors, he didn't have an easy go of it at first. Immediately after being drafted, he was sent far away from sunny and warm southern California to Toronto's rookie ball club in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Wells struggled with a 5.18 ERA and a 1.601 WHIP in 12 starts, and while he rebounded over the next couple years in higher levels, he began to develop elbow problems. He would miss all of the 1985 season with Tommy John surgery.

When he returned from injury in '86, Wells was used half in relief, half in the rotation. His coaches still had problems reeling his behavior in, as he ate and drank too much and didn't maintain proper exercise, even when the staff watched him. Regardless, he pitched well enough with Triple-A Syracuse in '87 to earn his first call-up to the majors in late June at age 24. Facing his future club in his first start, the Yankees clobbered him, scoring four runs on nine hits in just four innings. A similar shellacking at the hand of the Royals three days later sent him back to the minors until September. Wells did not make another big league start for two and a half years.

For the most part, Wells did remain in the majors. He closed out '87 with a 1.50 ERA out of the bullpen in September as the Blue Jays narrowly fell to the Tigers for the AL East title. That season was followed by a shaky year of replacement-level relief in '88, but in '89, Wells pitched far better with a 2.40 ERA, 2.68 FIP and an 8.1 K/9. His big curveball was already becoming a menace to opposing hitters. Now managed by Cito Gaston in Toronto, Wells was used in more of a swing-man role for the next three seasons. For the first two years, the results were strong, as he pitched to a 121 ERA+ while notching 7.4 WAR and giving the Blue Jays an incredibly deep rotation. It was so strong that Gaston left Wells off late in the '91 season as Toronto secured the AL East crown. Toronto lost the ALCS to the Twins, but Wells was superb, allowing just two runs in 7 2/3 innings over four games.

33-year-old journeyman

The next few years were an up-and-down rollercoaster ride, as Wells was part of the Blue Jays' 1992 World Series-winning team and threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief against the Braves in four games. However, that was the only positive of the '92 campaign for Wells. He pitched poorly with an ugly 5.40 ERA in 41 games (14 starts), and after one start, he was so furious at Gaston for removing him that when his skipper reached for the ball, Wells fired it into the stands and stormed off the mound. It's kind of amazing that he was even allowed on the World Series roster. By the end of spring training in '93, the Blue Jays were so fed up with him that they allowed a 29-year-old lefty with serious potential to simply walk away.

Toronto cut him, and three days later, Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson seized on the opportunity by snatching him up for the Tigers. Perplexed by how to get the best out of the hard-living starter, Anderson made a compromise with Wells. He could have his parties three days out of five, but on the day before his start and the day of his start, he had to focus. With all things considered, the strategy worked pretty damn well--Wells recorded a 122 ERA+ and a nice 1.211 WHIP during his two and a half years with the Tigers. He was named to the first of three All-Star teams for his performance in '95. In the middle of an awful season that year, Detroit saw little reason in keeping the talented lefty around, so they dealt him at the trade deadline to Sparky's old club, the Reds, in exchange for a package led by current Fox Sports 1 analyst C.J. Nitkowski.

Acquiring Wells paid dividends for the Reds immediately, as in his first stint of National League ball, he provided a boost to Cincinnati's rotation, pitching to a 3.59 ERA and 3.46 FIP in 11 starts down the stretch. The Reds won the NL Central, and in his first career playoff start, Wells was excellent. Cincinnati swept away the Dodgers, clinching it when Wells outpitched rookie sensation Hideo Nomo in Game 3 with 6 1/3 scoreless frames. Although the Reds were swept themselves by the eventual champions Braves in the 1995 NLCS, Wells had made a serious impression on his manager Davey Johnson. Like most skippers, Johnson found Wells to be frustrating, but could not deny the talent he had on his arm. So when Johnson was hired by the Orioles in '96 after being let go by Reds owner Marge Schott for living with his fiancee (seriously), Johnson encouraged Baltimore to bring Wells aboard.

So with one year to go until free agency, Wells joined his fourth team in five years when Baltimore traded for him in December of 1995. Although the Orioles did win the AL Wild Card in '96, acquiring Wells was not exactly a huge success. Despite eating up a then-career best 224 1/3 innings, he posted a roughly league-average ERA, suffered from gout, skipped taking his medicine to party in Chicago, and generally caused a huge headache for Johnson and O's management. He did win two of his three playoff starts (including the only ALCS victory Baltimore recorded against the Yankees thanks 6 2/3 solid innings in Game 2), but needless to say, the O's did not shed a tear when they parted ways with Wells in free agency.

Then, Wells's life changed when he learned something during the 1996-97 off-season: George Steinbrenner wanted him.

City life and a championship

"The Boss" really enjoyed Wells's pitching whenever he came to Yankee Stadium, and given his 9-1 record with a 2.94 ERA there to that point, it's hard to blame him. More importantly, the Yankees needed a new starter with veteran lefty (and former Blue Jays teammate) Jimmy Key signing with the Orioles. So with great encouragement from Steinbrenner, GM Bob Watson signed Wells to a three-year, $13.5 million contract. Wells openly gushed about the Yankees' storied history, and he made his love of Babe Ruth no secret. He even wore a vintage Ruth 1934 Yankees hat in one start, much to the chagrin of manager Joe Torre.

Like many Wells seasons, that first year in '97 was a topsy-turvy campaign. He broke his hand in a fight outside a San Diego bar before even reporting for spring training, during which he suffered from gout again. Torre was frustrated by Wells' suspect training habits and by his strong affinity for the New York night life. In one game where the team needed Wells to pitch deep into the game to relieve a weary bullpen, he was ejected early for calling an umpire "horseshit" multiple times, causing both Torre and team leader David Cone to nearly come to blows with him. Eventually, Cone made his peace with Wells and they became legendary friends deserving of a sitcom, but it was tense at the time.

There were certainly highlights though, including a 16-strikeout, three-hit shutout against the A's in late July, the second-highest single-game strikeout total by any Yankee in franchise history. For all the off-field trouble, Wells was fine on the mound, pitching 218 innings of 107 ERA+ ball, good for 4.3 WAR. The defending champion Yankees topped their '96 total with 96 wins, but they had to settle for the Wild Card behind Boomer's old team, the Orioles. Wells was money in his Game 3 ALDS start against the Indians, twirling a complete game five-hitter and giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the series. They could not win either of the next two games in Cleveland though (Sandy Alomar is a rude man), so the Yankees did not repeat in '97.

For as promising as he ended '97, Wells began '98 in awful shape. He had a 5.77 ERA through his first seven starts, capped by a May 6th stinker in Texas when he lasted only 2 2/3 innings and Torre publicly questioned whether or not he was in shape. Cone encouraged Wells to air out his anger at Torre directly to him rather than going through the press, and the two men reached an uneasy peace. The tension was certainly eased in his next start, when Wells beat the Royals with eight innings of two-run ball. The one after that on May 17th against the Twins was simply perfect:

Wells had everything working that day, and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre could only marvel at his crisp action in the pregame bullpen. It was the Yankees' first perfecto in 32 years, when another Point Loma High School grad named Don Larsen turned the trick in the '56 World Series. Not a bad high school history.

The perfect game set the tone for the rest of the season, as Wells dazzled with an All-Star season that saw him finish third in Cy Young Award voting behind only two legends: Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez. The '98 Yankees were also a nearly-perfect group, winning a franchise record (and then-AL record) 114 games and the AL East crown. They won the World Series that year with an 11-2 postseason, and Wells was key to the title. He won both of his starts in the ALCS against the Indians, earning the series MVP with a 2.87 ERA in 15 2/3 innings. The Yankees swept the Padres to complete their quest for a 24th title and earning Wells and even more secure place in Yankees' fans hearts.

However, Wells's World Series start would be his last one in pinstripes for four years. On the very first day of spring training in 1999, he was traded back to his original team, the Blue Jays, in a deal that brought the dominant Clemens to New York. Wells was heartbroken, but he used his frustrations to propel him to two of the best seasons of his career. The workhorse led all AL pitchers in '99 with 231 2/3 innings and seven shutouts, then so impressed Torre that he was named the AL starter in the 2000 All-Star Game in Atlanta. Wells again finished third in Cy Young Award voting that year thanks to a 20-win, 4.8 WAR season.

Wells went to the White Sox in a trade prior to the '01 season, but it quickly devolved into a mess when he was forced to undergo back surgery after 16 disappoint starts. In the off-season, he was a free agent again and came to an oral agreement to join the defending champion Diamondbacks. However, Steinbrenner wanted him back, so in a lunch in Florida, Steinbrenner spontaneously offered him a two-year, $6.5 million contract with a no-trade clause. Arizona was only going to give him a one-year deal, so Wells happily reneged on his agreement and instead came back to the Yankees.

Torre was irked to have to deal with Wells once more, but again, Wells rose to the occasion despite controversy. Over the next two years, the Yankees won 204 games combined with one of the most formidable rotations in baseball led by an amazing group of starters: Wells, Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Mike Mussina. Even as he passed his 40th birthday, Wells continued to both pitch and live large. He pitched to a 112 ERA+ with a microscopic 1.4 BB/9 and impressed fans of traditional stats with a 34-14 record while also accruing 8.0 WAR. However, he also brought controversy by lying to Torre about when exactly he had his teeth punched out in a New York nightclub (it was closer to 6am than 1am), and he wrote a controversial autobiography that criticized Torre, teammates, and more.

Nonetheless, the Yankees won a pair of division titles and the 2003 AL pennant. Wells's Yankees career came to an ignominious end in the 2003 World Series when his back tightened up in the crucial Game 5 and he left after just one inning. The Yankees were doomed in that game and they didn't win another in the series, as the Marlins prevailed in six.

Wells and the Yankees parted ways after the season, and Wells ended up pitching another four seasons in the big leagues playing a part on two more playoff teams (the Wild Card Red Sox in '05 and the NL West-winning Padres in '06) while impressively accumulating over 20 seasons in the major leagues. Even for lefties, it takes a hell of a lot of talent to last that long in the majors, and Wells continued to pitch at least league average through his 44th birthday. That's amazing.

Here's to you, Boomer. You had an amazing career, and Yankees fans will never forget you. Any athlete who's popular enough to appear on Saturday Night Live on multipleoccasions certainly has to be doing something to win the New York City's fans over, and Wells more than met that goal. Cheers.

Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports

Andrew's rank: 77
Tanya's rank: 78
Community rank: 67
WAR rank: 78

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

Jaffe, Jay. "JAWS and the 2013 Hall of Fame Ballot: David Wells," SI.com, 20 Dec. 2012

Madden, Bill. Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball. New York: HarperCollins, 2010.

Olney, Buster. Last Night of the Yankees Dynasty. New York: Ecco, 2004.

Olney, Buster. "Rarest Gem for Yankees' Wells: A Perfect Game," New York Times, 18 May 1998.

Tan, Cecilia. The 50 Greatest Yankee Games. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005.

Verducci, Tom and Joe Torre. The Yankee Years. New York: Doubleday, 2009.

Other Top 100 Yankees

• #75 Ray Fisher
• #76 Gene Woodling
• #77 Jack Quinn
• #78 Mark Teixeira
• #79 Sparky Lyle

Rejoice! Houston fans get their first taste of Astros baseball post CSN Houston during Spring Training.

The Boys of Summer get back to action on Thursday against the Phillies. This time around Astros fans aren't shackles to CSN Houston any more. (Pour one out for the great CSN Houston content) The Astros will be on Root Sports Southwest, MLB Network, and 790 AM KMBE this Spring Training. Info courtsey of Astros.com:

LoHud Yankees Blog | Chad Jennings:Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner are looking forward to being a dynamic one-two punch at the top of the lineup, plus lots of notes from yesterday's spring training action.  Baseball is back!

NJ.com | Ryan Hatch:Adam Warren threw two innings of shutout ball yesterday, making an early case that he should be the Yankees fifth starter instead of veteran Chris Capuano.

New York Post | Ken Davidoff:Alex Rodriguez will make his Yankee debut today, and Yankee fans should stop fretting about A-Rod and start embracing the polarizing star.

NY Daily News | Bill Madden: A-Rod is not the most important story of spring training - the competition for the team's closer spot is much more exciting and prevalent to the Yankees success in 2015.

ESPN New York | Ian O'Connor: While the Yankees are somewhat lacking in stars now that Derek Jeter has retired, New York native Dellin Betances is on his way to becoming the face of the franchise.

Technically, every hitter would be better off with a higher line drive rate, but Gregorius' high fly ball percentage is hurting him more than most players.

Reactions were mixed when the Yankees traded Shane Greene and landed Didi Gregorius in a three-way deal with the Tigers and Diamondbacks. After the trade, word got out that Gregorius, like Chase Headley, intrigued Brian Cashman becasuse of his ability to consistently hit the ball hard. Cashman had originally decided to pull the trigger on Headley because his "hit velo" had improved.

Brian Cashman said Headley’s been a lot better since getting an epidural for herniated disc. Said his "hit velo" has jumped. #Yankees

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) July 22, 2014

Gregorius, like Headley, is a buy-low player to the naked eye, but his quality of contact suggests that he should be a much better hitter. Inside Edge, a video-based scouting service, had Sir Didi's "hard hit rate" at the same level as Mike Trout and Justin Upton, according to ESPN New York's Mark Simon. Fangraphs' Jeff Zimmerman used Inside Edge's hard hit rate and players' speed to create a stat called xBABIP, short for Expected Batting Average on Balls in Play. Gregorius's 2014 xBABIP was .330, 73 points above his actual .257 BABIP.

The short version is that Didi Gregorius is a better hitter than his current numbers indicate. But one major obstacle for Gregorius is the fact that he is a fly ball hitter for no good reason. In 2014, his fly ball rate of 42.9% was 37th among hitters with at least 250 plate appearances, which puts him slightly below the 90th percentile. As his batted ball splits show, he is hurting himself by hitting that many fly balls, courtesy of Fangraphs:

It is worth noting that at least 99.9% of hitters' line drive splits are better than their fly ball splits. But for hitters with a high home run to fly ball ratio (HR/FB), the tradeoff of a fly ball-oriented swing is worth it since home runs are guaranteed runs, whereas other base hits require runners to be driven in. Gregorius' 2014 HR/FB ratio was well below average, at just 6.4%. If he did not make any adjustments, that number would probably creep up at Yankee Stadium. But it is hard to imagine the traditionally light-hitting shortstop turning into Jason Giambi as a Yankee.

For Didi to reach his ceiling, there are two logical courses of action. First, he can hit more line drives. Second, he can bulk up and hope the added strength improves his HR/FB ratio. The latter would make him too big to play shortstop, so the line drive route looks a lot more feasible. To be clear, I don't know much anything about hitting mechanics, but to my untrained eye, it looks like Gregorius uses a long and heavy bat, similar to that of Alfonso Soriano (another high fly ball, low line drive hitter):

Maybe something about a heavier bat causes the bat head to lag and results in hitters getting under the ball more than they should. Notice how much Gregorius is choking up on the bat in the GIF above. Perhaps a lighter bat would help Sir Didi hit more line drives. If not, the Yankees clearly believe new hitting coaches Jeff Pentland and Alan Cockrell can fix the team's offensive woes. Either way, there is no reason not to err on the side of cautious optimism when it comes to Derek Jeter's successor in 2015.

The Yankees played their first spring training game yesterday. It ended in a tie, meaning the season is not quite over with yet. We'll see if they win today though.

The games maybe meaningless, but baseball has finally returned to us. Yesterday, the Yankees faced off against the Phillies and let a good portion of the youngsters play. Adam Warren got the start as he tries out for the 5th starter role. Aaron Judge sentenced a ball to death, tying the game with a three run dinger. So yeah, the season is still somewhat salvageable. Who knows for how long.

Comments of the Day

Don't Cha Know?

BASEBALL!!!!!

And so it begins.

Let the record show that Jason is to blame for Luis Severino's rough inning.

It has been a pretty relentless winter.

Aaron Judge did the thing!

I don't get to make this pun often, so I have to take the chance whenever I can.

This was the thing that Aaron Judge did.

GIF of the Day

Yep. Baseball is back and we were pretty excited.

Honorable Mod Mention

All the mods win the HMM award because baseball is back.

• What is your preferred ballpark meal?
• Instead of bringing back the bullpen cart, name a sillier way that pitchers in the pen could get to the mound.

Led Zeppelin week rolls on here at PSA. Not much to say about this song. It's one of their best. As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

Feel free to use this as your open thread for the day. The Yankees play a home game at Steinbrenner Field in two hours. It will be the first YES Network broadcast of the year. Just soak it all in. Baseball is back. There will be a Game Thread up at 12:30PM. Join us!

go yankees go spring training baseball

After yesterday's spring opener was salvaged thanks to a ninth-inning, three-run home run from Aaron Judge, the Yankees return home to take on the Phillies at George Steinbrenner Field. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:05 PM and will be broadcasted on the YES Network and will be available on MLB.tv for the first home broadcast of the season. If you're like me and you live in New York, have MLB.tv, but don't have cable, you'll still be able to watch the game because blackout restrictions have been suspended for the entirety of spring training. Aww gee thanks, local networks.

Today we will get our first look at Nathan Eovaldi, today's starter, and Andrew Miller, who is scheduled to be the first man out of the bullpen today. Since it is a home game, most of the team's projected starters, including Gregorius, A-Rod, McCann, Teixeira, Headley, and Drew will be in the starting lineup.

It's the home opener today vs. Philadelphia on @YESNetwork at 1:05 p.m. Here's today's @Yankees lineup. pic.twitter.com/U0M9n1PLwG

— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) March 4, 2015

Prepare to get your first at Gary Sanchez's defense as he will be the first backup catcher off the bench. Greg Bird and Aaron Judge will be appearing in today's game and hopefully we will get to see more of Jose Pirela and Rob Refsnyder, who both looked shaking out in the field.

Yankees open the spring at Steinbrenner Field with a loss to the Phillies.

Alex Rodriguez making his first appearance since returning from a year-long suspension was the biggest topic of conversation today, but Nathan Eovaldi making his Yankees debut should have been the bigger story. The Yankees traded Martin Prado for Eovaldi this offseason with the assumption that Larry Rothschild could correct the problems that led to Eovaldi giving up the most hits in the National League last season. In his first game with the Yankees this spring, Eovaldi hit 98 mph on the gun across two innings of work. He allowed two hits, struck out one batter, and gave up one run. A 90 mph splitter that Eovaldi has been working on looked pretty good and could present a nice compliment to his high velocity fastball.

Today's infield was made up of all the expected starters, but only Didi Gregorius managed to reach base via a walk while they were in the game. Stephen Drew did, however, make an error on the first play of the game and very nearly committed another that was saved by Mark Teixeira at first base. Like yesterday, the Yankees tried to put together a rally in the ninth inning after Francisco Arcia hit a ground-rule double and Cole Figueroa singled with two outs. Unlike yesterday, there was no two-out excitement to tie or win the game. Gary Sanchez drove in the lone run of the game with a sac fly that scored Mason Williams, who doubled to reach base earlier in the inning. Cito Culver was responsible for the only other hit of the game on the Yankees' side, and he also made a very nice play from deep in the hole at shortstop to throw out a runner.

Andrew Miller made his Yankees debut replacing Eovaldi. He gave up one hit and struck out two in his lone inning of work. Danny Burawa, Wilking Rodriguez, and Tyler Webb all chipped in scoreless innings of their own. Kyle Davies worked two innings of relief, giving up three hits and one run. James Pazos also worked one inning and gave up one run to complete Philadelphia's scoring for the day.

The Yankees travel to Bradenton to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 pm. Esmil Rogers gets the start. The game won't be televised anywhere, so you might have to find a radio if you want to keep track of what's going on.

Ah, picture day. Picture days are the worst, except when it's baseball picture day because then it's the best, even when it's still pretty much the worst. When it's so so so bad you can't stop laughing; that's when you know it's good. The Yankees recently had picture day and now the Pinstripe Alley photo editor is filled with delightfully terrible pictures of baseball players and, like we did last year, we obviously needed to share some of the best (as in worst) pictures that came out of spring training 2015:

Every picture of Austin Romine ever. Still.

I feel a bit uneasy about this Jared Burton character.

Jonathan Galvez might beat Zelous Wheeler for Best Lips.

Meanwhile, Wilking Rodriguez seems to be losing his.

Cito Culver's going to college.

James Pazos is looking like some combination of Sam Eagle and Peter Boyle.

Andrew Miller isn't very happy without his beard.

Chris Martin went as Chris Martin wearing a Chris Martin mask for Halloween.

Everything Stephen Drew is doing in this picture.

Alex Rodriguez has one facial expression.

What do you think? Who made the worst face for Yankees picture day?

Carlos Beltran won't make his spring training debut until Friday, because the Yankees want to ease him into more strenuous activities. They also appear to be being extra cautious with the progress of Sabathia, Tanaka and Nova.

Spring training games are officially underway, but Carlos Beltran is not expected to make his spring debut until Friday. In his first year as a Yankee, Beltran missed time due to bone spurs in his elbow, which ultimately prevented him from throwing the ball at all. Instead of having surgery mid-season, he opted for cortisone injections and rest, which likely contributed to him having one of the worst seasons of his career. Beltran had surgery to remove the bone spurs soon after the regular season ended, and spent the offseason rehabbing. The Yankees want to ease Beltran back into more strenuous baseball activities, which follows the cautious approach that they seem to be taking with all of their players who are rehabbing injuries. After last season's injuries, this is the approach that they should be taking.

The Yankees' starting pitchers are also getting the "slow and steady" spring training treatment. Masahiro Tanaka, clearly the ace of the pitching staff when healthy, suffered a partial tear in his UCL last season. Instead of undergoing surgery, Tanaka opted for platelet-rich plasma therapy and rehab. He returned from the disabled list in time to make two starts before the season ended, but the Yankees are monitoring his elbow closely. Tanaka is taking his time to work up to throwing with his full strength and all of his pitches. On Monday he threw his first live batting practice, and he could make his spring training debut next week.

CC Sabathia is yet another player returning from injury, and the Yankees are also taking his spring training very slowly. His knee condition is degenerative, which means that it won't go away, but CC opted to have PRP injections as opposed to surgery, like Tanaka. He spent the offseason rehabbing, and we now know that CC is going to be pitching in a knee brace all season, which he said is part of his maintenance program. He threw a bullpen on Monday, and Joe Girardi has said that he will face live batters for the first time later this week.

Ivan Nova's rehab is the only one that has no definitive end point at the moment. After undergoing Tommy John surgery last April, Nova also indicated that he really has no interest in hearing any timeframes for his progression. He reportedly doesn't want to push himself too hard, or move too quickly through the rehab process if he knows when the end date is supposed to be. Just between us, GM Brian Cashman has said that the earliest Nova is expected to return is June. So far, Nova has thrown a couple of bullpen sessions, but there's no word on when he will face live batters.

It sounds like the Yankees are being extra diligent about trying to avoid injuries this season, as they've even been talking about having a sixth starter make occasional starts to give everyone some extra rest. Since it's spring training, there's really no better time for players to take their time through their rehabilitation programs. The goal should just be to have Beltran, Sabathia and Tanaka ready by Opening Day, and it sounds like they will be. Hopefully some of this extra caution will result in less injuries occurring later in the season.

New York Daily News | Bill Madden: Homegrown Yankees prospects like Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, and Luis Severino having success in camp might generate some much-needed buzz around the team.

Washington Post | Barry Svrluga: Can Brian McCann turn things around to be the player the Yankees thought they were signing last offseason instead of the lackluster offensive player they got in 2014?

NJ.com | Ryan Hatch:Stephen Drew committed an error in his first spring training game, but he says he's still trying to learn second base. He's glad he gets a spring training to prepare this season.

ESPN New York | Wallace Matthews: Everything that happened in spring training yesterday that didn't have to do with Alex Rodriguez.

2014 was a solid year for the Yankees' centerfielder, but was it worth $22 million? With an offense that has a number of questions, Ellsbury's potential value couldn't be higher.

Two weeks into spring training, and just over a month before Opening Day, Jacoby Ellsbury's name has barely been mentioned in regards to major story lines for the Yankees in 2015. While I would imagine that he has no qualms about that, there's no doubt that Ellsbury must step up in a big way if the Yankees are to have any shot at snapping their postseason "drought."

Say this about Jacoby Ellsbury's 2014 season, his first in pinstripes: his name was in the lineup quite often. While that might sound like a slight at his level of production, recall that when New York inked the former Red Sox speedster to a seven-year, $153 million deal 15 months ago, people were skeptical of his health. Well, he played in 149 games, marking just the second time he topped the 140 plateau in the last five seasons. In a year where so many Yankees with big contracts were either injured or unproductive (or both, in too many instances), Ellsbury was neither.

However, if you examined Ellsbury's statistics from a year ago and were asked to assign a price tag to those totals, would $21 million have been your answer? Probably not. Ellsbury hit .271 (26 point below his career average), posted a .328 on-base percentage (his lowest ever in a season with at least 100 games played) and was frustratingly inconsistent. In April, June and August, he hit no lower than .312, but in May, July and September, he hit no higher than .250. At best, his 111 OPS+ suggested that he merely equaled his production from last year (a 113 OPS+). Ellsbury's first season in the Bronx was hardly a disappointment--far from it. With that said, the Yankees saw first-hand how electric a player he can be in his previous seven years in Boston, and that level of output wasn't on call for him in 2014.

If you go back and dive into Ellsbury's best year in the big leagues, 2011, when he was the AL MVP-runner up, there is proof that he has the skill set to shoulder the load over a full year. In his age-27 season, he launched 32 home runs (twice as many as he's hit in any other season) and drove in 105 runs, in addition to also posting career-high totals in WAR, OBP, OPS, total bases. Oh, and remember the "Fried Chicken and Beer" September for the Red Sox? In a month where so little went right for Boston, Ellsbury hit to the tune of .358/.400/.667. Stay away from carbs, kids.

Ellsbury might have been the most talented position player on that Red Sox team, and he is certainly the most talented everyday player on this Yankee team. For that reason alone, more should be expected of him. The 32 home runs he hit in '11 appear to be a fluky number, so that should not necessarily be his benchmark. However, the closer he can get to his MVP-caliber production, the better. If the Yankees want to stake their claim as a contender in the AL East, Ellsbury will need to get on base at a much higher clip than he did a year ago. With the plan seemingly to have Ellsbury and Brett Gardner hit 1-2 atop the lineup in some order, it will need to be more '11 than '14 for the New York center fielder.

While we're on the topic, it's hard not to follow the Yankees and be optimistic about the possible results of an Ellsbury-Gardner attack at the onset of the order. It would be one of the best leadoff duos in the entire league, and the amount of times one singles, steals second, and is brought in by the other would be plentiful (well, in theory anyway). Ellsbury and Gardner work well together because they are similar players offensively. Of course, the even level of productions don't come at equal cost to the team. This isn't meant to convey that Ellsbury's contract should be held over his head, but the Yankees gave him the money that they did because they saw what he could do. Doesn't it only make sense that they would expect a return on their investment?

When Ellsbury signed with the Yankees, many expected his power numbers to increase with the short porch in Yankee Stadium's right field. Interestingly enough, Ellsbury had the same number of extra base hits, 48, last year that he did the year prior, despite a batting average that was 27 points lower. That suggests that Ellsbury was potentially a little too focused on that "314" sign down the line, even though his slugging percentage was roughly the same (.426 to .419). If Ellsbury is placed in the leadoff position, or is at least put there more often than the 49 times he was last year, he might be less inclined to swing for the fences, and instead take more pitches and try to aim for contact as opposed to power more often.

With Derek Jeter gone, the Yankees' "lack of a face" has been a well-discussed problem, if you can even call it that. No one expects Ellsbury to be named captain at any point in his Yankee tenure, or even necessarily be a vocal leader in the clubhouse. However, there is a real opportunity for Ellsbury to lead this club and organization into a new era by letting his play on the field do the speaking. A player as potentially dynamic as Ellsbury can really make a name for himself in a place like New York.

Of course, for Ellsbury to accomplish any of these heights in 2015, there is that pesky prerequisite of being on the field. For Ellsbury to contribute at an All-Star level this year, he would need to remain healthy for a third consecutive campaign, something he has never done. Ellsbury could do wonders to fend off critics, and that ugly reputation of being injury-prone (justified or not) by continuing to remain off the DL, especially with his increasing age (he'll turn 32 before season's end).

There will be no October for the Yankees in 2015 without an uptick in overall production from Jacoby Ellsbury over what we saw a year ago. For so many reasons, he is one of the most, if not the most, essential cogs in Joe Girardi's lineup. What are you expecting from Ellsbury this upcoming season?

With his tremendous speed and consistency, Juan Pierre elevated his game into being the Most Valuable Marlin ever.

On Friday, former Miami Marlins outfielder Juan Pierreannounced his retirement from baseball at age 37. Pierre played 14 seasons in the major leagues and four with Miami, including the 2003 World Series team and most recently in 2013. During the 2003 season, Pierre's first with the Marlins, he posted a slash line of .305/.361.373 and was instrumental in the Marlins' defeat of the Yankees in the World Series.

Although Pierre stood just 5’10", and only weighed 180 pounds, he showed a "heart over height" persona. Over his career, Pierre accumulated 2,217 hits. His time with the Marlins was by far the renaissance his career. During the 2003 season, Pierre led the league in at bats, plate appearances and stolen bases. He continued the trend of greatness in 2004 where he led the league again in at bats and plate appearances but also led the league in triples and hits. The 2005 season was Pierre's least memorable, as he posted a .276/.326/.354 slash line. Pierre departed for the Chicago Cubs after the 2005 season.

Pierre is the greatest base stealer to ever wear a Marlins uniform. His 614 career steals (18th on the all-time list) put him among the greatest ever, let alone just the greatest Marlin. And Pierre can also be credited in part with bringing the Marlins the 2003 World Series title along with Luis Castillo; he was the other half of the Marlins "Dynamic Duo".

Pierre spurned the idea of days off playing the full 162 games in the 2003-2005 season. In 2004, he was the only player in the majors to play a full 162 game schedule. Something seldom seen in today's baseball. Only four players played in all 162 games in the 2014 season.

In the end Pierre will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest Marlin of all time. He did special things when he was with the Marlins and played with class. His story may not be over yet though, as Pierre is open to coaching and may be brought in as a special assistant for the Marlins. So today we pay tribute to Juan Pierre, a base stealer, a hard worker, and the Most Valuable Marlin of all time.

The Yankees lost to the Phillies yesterday. They were only delaying the inevitable on Tuesday. Truly, all hope is now lost.

Ladies and gentlemen of Pinstripe Alley, I am sorry. I'm sorry you have to deal with the Yankees this year. Sure, it's only March 5th and they've only played two spring training games, but we all know the truth. It's over. They're done. Abandon all hope all ye who enter here and all that. Perhaps Nathan Eovaldi looked impressive his first time in pinstripes. Maybe Alex Rodriguez got a hit and Didi Gregorius had a couple nice at bats. Doesn't matter. Pack it up and cash it in.

Comments of the Day

While I do love the Game Threads, there are certain aspects to it I never look forward to dealing with.

Admittedly, it made me smile as well. Nothing much left to do but watch him play and root for him to do well.

That's a low score.

For a good time call, or rather score this! You know, that kind of play would be something to see when you think about it.

Thanks A-Rod!!!

If only his name was, I dunno, Andrew MagicHat or something like that.

The GIF Sgt. is back.

Holy crap, he does!

Oh come now. We've all held our bats like lightsabers at one point in our lives.

GIF of the Day

This is how noonoo says bullpen guys should come to the mound. It was a popular idea!

No seriously, it's so much better if you listen to the theme while looking at it.

Honorable Mod Mention

Jason wins the HMM award for showing everyone how silly some of the pinstriped pictures look!

• In your view, who has had the most impressive pitching performance thus far?
• Name something you absolutely hate the taste of that everyone else seems to love.

So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains, since the Yankees suck now. Over the hills where the dingers fly. Led Zeppelin week is the best! As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

Feel free to use this as your open thread for the day. The Yankees face the Pirates in a couple of hours. There will be a Game Thread up at 12:30PM. Join us! Also, I hope replacing Miller's last name with some actual, drinkable booze names becomes a new PSA meme. Get it done, umm....all of you!

go yankees go spring training baseball

The Yankees take a solid piece of their future to face the Pirates.

Yesterday, the Yankees lost to the Phillies in a 3-1 affair whose box score read like so much of last season. Here's to putting that behind us!

A spring training road game means that there's really not much for casual Yankee fans to watch in this one. Since the game's not scheduled on YES, casual fans probably can't even watch it anyway. But for those of you following along via MLB.tv, you get a good look at some potential 2016 Yankees.

I'll be watching Murphy and Refsnyder most closely, because I think they're the ones with the best chance to be regulars down the road. Also take not that Jose Pirela is playing third base, a position he has played 12 games at over his career.

Go Yankees, go spring training.

No one is expecting him to be great (obviously), but avoiding a total disaster would be much appreciated.

If there is one thing that baseball fans (and most humans) are guilty of, it's recency bias. "What have you done for me lately?" is a pretty common sentiment, especially for Yankees fans. That is why Brandon McCarthy is considered an upper-tier starter given his short stint, for example, and it is certainly why Stephen Drew is considered a scrub.

This isn't to say that Drew is great or anything (and it isn't to say that McCarthy is bad!), but I think it's important to look at the larger picture. Firstly, Drew is a wildly inconsistent player, only posting consecutive 2.0+ fWAR once (2009 & 2010) and consecutive 1.5+ fWAR seasons from 2008 to 2011. Since 2011, he's had one good season in 2013, and that was largely fueled by an uncharacteristic BABIP.

Nonetheless, there is no way that Drew is the 44 wRC+ hitter that we saw in 2014, and that's what he sorely needs to avoid. If we look at the projections, they clearly factor that poor year into the equation but also consider the more distant past:

All of these projections are in roughly 350-450 plate appearances, so it's not a total flop. If he manages to put up what is a half-season of close-to-average play at second base, then I think we should be thrilled.

There's always the possibility that his talent level has just fallen off a cliff, but there's no way to know that for sure. Drew was acquired as Rob Refsnyder insurance, and rightfully so. While he is definitely ready offensively speaking, the Yankees would love for him to spend a bit more time polishing his defense at Triple-A.

That doesn't even include the fact that if the Yankees really think Refsnyder is valuable, then there's no reason to call him up to start the season. This would essentially eliminate one year of team control, so the team will likely hold him down until after the Super 2 deadline. So while Drew seems to be a costly endeavor, it would pay some dividends if it means that the Yankees gain another pre-arbitration year in Refnsyder.

We reached a serious low point at second base when Brian Roberts' ghost tried to man the position, and he hit a lowly 84 wRC+ with pretty poor defense. If Drew hits that exact same offensive mark but with better defense, then it would be a slight but marked improvement.

This doesn't mean that he should perform this way the whole season, but it does mean that he needs to at least hold down the fort until Refsnyder is called up. If he can put up nearly a win and then serve as a utility infielder, he will have adequately served his purpose. While expectations are rightfully low and he is not a star, Stephen Drew merely playing to his projections would prove decent enough in what many of us hope to be limited playing time this season. After seeing the infields of 2013 and 2014, that's a big step up.

The Yankees notch their first win of spring training.

The Yankees returned to action today against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and while a lot of the regulars didn't make the trip, that just means we all got a better look at some of the Yankees young, promising prospects.  Greg Bird, Rob Refsnyder, and Jose Pirela all saw some action, as did Tyler Austin, whose sole at-bat of the game proved to be the difference, as he blasted a homer not just over the fence, but out of the entire stadium.

Esmil Rogers got the start and turned in two excellent innings as he struck out one, gave up a solitary hit, and kept the Pirates scoreless.  Chase Whitley also refused to surrender a run over his two innings of work - he too struck out one and limited Pittsburgh to just two hits.

The Yankees struck first in the top of the fifth, as new Yankee Garrett Jones - the presumptive backup first baseman this season - took advantage of a ball lost in the sun by the Pirates' outfielders to double home outfielder Chris Young, who had doubled during the previous at bat.  The Yankees didn't hold the lead for long, though, as the Pirates tied the game up in the bottom of the sixth.  Cesar Vargas, after pitching a scoreless fifth inning, ran into some trouble in the heart of the Pirates order.  Vargas surrendered a ground rule double to Willy Garcia, and after forcing Andrew McCutchen into a pop up, gave up a single to Jaff Decker, which scored Garcia.

Fred Lewis (who picked up the win) pitched a scoreless seventh for the Yankees, giving up just one hit while striking out two, even though the stadium and Pirates broadcast incorrectly announced him as Jacob Lindgren.  In the top of the eighth, Austin - who replaced Young in right - slugged a 1-1 pitch from Deolis Guerra out of the park, breaking the tie and giving the Yankees the lead for good.  Austin, who PSA ranked as the Yankees 11th best prospect, had a big second half last season after disappointing for about a year and a half.  A big spring training from him would go a long way towards building his confidence, and might even give the Yankees some hope that he could contribute in the outfield maybe as early as this season.

Nick Rumbelow and Taylor Garrison finished off the Pirates in the eighth and ninth, surrendering just one hit between them (Rumblelow surrendered the hit, and also struck out the three other batters he faced).  Tomorrow, the Yankees will play split squad games against the Pirates and Phillies.

Box score