"The Big Puma" prowled Minute Maid Park for over a decade, but despite some hope and speculation in recent years, if he ever returns, it will be in plain clothes.
Wednesday afternoon, Richard Justice of MLB.com (and formerly of the Houston Chronicle) broke some sad, if expected, news on Twitter:
Lance Berkman confirms that his playing career is over. Details coming at http://t.co/8DpyxzGPIn
The sting has been dulled by months of expectations; it was reported earlier in the off-season that Berkman was leaning towards calling it a career, and with no recent news of interest by teams following yet another season blighted with knee injuries, the writing was essentially on the wall. And so it is that one of the all-time great hitters rides off into the sunset as they all inevitably do.
All-time great hitters? You read that right; Berkman's career certainly justifies the lofty comparisons and superlatives that have rightfully been draped on his shoulders since the news of his retirement broke.
He stacks up with some of the household names in baseball history as well. Only 38 other players in history got on base more frequently during their careers than did the Puma, and Berkman's .943 career OPS is the 24th best mark in history, ahead of such greats as Willie Mays, Joe Jackson, Edgar Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero, Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones, Tris Speaker, David Ortiz, Frank Robinson, Mike Piazza, Duke Snider, Mike Schmidt, Ken Griffey jr. and dozens more. He ranks 40th all-time in isolated power and 57th all-time in walks.
As far as his time in Houston goes, of his 1,879 career games played, 1,592 (85%) of them came in an Astros uniform. In franchise history, he ranks first in OBP, first in SLG (and therefore first in OPS), second in home runs, second in intentional walks, third in RBI, third in walks, third in doubles, third in runs scored, fourth in games played and fifth in total hits.
One fun stat that I stumbled across that you probably won't hear elsewhere; since scorekeepers started tracking it, Berkman is first all-time for the Astros in total number of pitches seen. Berkman saw 24,364 pitches as an Astro, for an average of 3.6 pitches per plate appearance. As a quick reference, thinking about elite power hitters who are also very disciplined, Miguel Cabrera from 2010 through 2013, while hitting .337/.425/.612 and winning two MVP awards, saw 3.7 pitches per plate appearance.
So yes, an all-time great; the numbers make it clear that Berkman was pretty easily one of the game's 100 best all-time batters on a per plate appearance basis. A Hall of Famer? No, probably not (even if he is worlds better than Jim Rice). But he has to be considered very close. Berkman never had the other tools in the box, like speed or defensive wizardry, nor did he have the huge totals that tend to make the voters forget that they're supposed to value more than just hitting.
What he did have that is notable is consistency and fairly graceful aging; from his first Big League trip to the plate through the end of his age 30 season, Berkman hit .304/.416/.567 with a 149 OPS+. While he certainly did decline somewhat, Berkman hit .280/.393/.498 with a 137 OPS+ during the second half of his career from 2007 through 2013, a batting line over a seven year run that most ballplayers can only dream about owning. What's more is that his decline in production was due almost entirely to injuries, rather than a decline in actual hitting ability; in the four seasons from age 31 and on in which he had at least 500 PA (2007-2009, 2011), Berkman hit .292/.404/.534, which is essentially his total career batting line, and only a small dip (due to a loss of some power) from his prime aged 23-30 seasons.
But the fact is that Berkman was much more than numbers and records. He was more than just an on-base machine with excellent power and one of the sweetest left-handed strokes this side of Griffey. Berkman was a real human being, as much as a professional athlete can be. In a world of clichés and scripted answers, political correctness and secretiveness, Berkman was as open as they get. If you asked him a question, he not only gave you an answer, but you knew the answer he gave you was the real answer, the way he honestly felt at the time about a subject.
I've realized over the years that, aside from the thoughtful pacing, the dueling nature of pitcher vs. hitter, the massive home runs and the diving catches, the pomp and circumstance and history and ingrained, indelible sense of nostalgic Americana, one of the things that I so love about this old, odd, stubborn, strange, heartbreaking and euphoric game is the human element.
I'm certainly not speaking about umpires being allowed to blow calls that technology should make easy. I'm speaking about the familiar, everyday nature of baseball. For six months, we see these boys on daily basis. We get up, go to work, grind away, then come home and see them working and grinding as well. On the weekends as we relax, we see them playing day games out in the sun. We see them drafted, hugging families as they take the first real step on the path towards a dream we share but realize we can't achieve.
We follow them as they slowly work their way through the minors, making adjustments, biting and clawing, as we dream of the day we'll see them in the big stadium for the first time. We watch as the finally make it, realize that dream they've held in their hearts for a decade, or one and a half, or two, and then immediately begin adjusting, biting and clawing again to hang with the big boys.
We see them struggle one day, then the next, and then the next week, and then when the hour seems darkest for them, we cheer and hoot and holler as they break the week or even month-long slump and make us and themselves believe again. Days turn into weeks, to months, to seasons and years. Others come and go, some with tremendous promise unfulfilled, and some barely mists that cling to the morning air before the sun wipes them from our collective consciousness. Some are short-time fan-favorites, two-month rentals or one-hit wonders. The flops and flame outs seemingly serve to cast a brighter light on the ones that stick, and even more so, those that excel.
Careers in the NFL are short, and the season consists of but sixteen games, roughly just one tenth of the games played in the baseball season. The gridiron warriors are also hidden under heavy, thick pads and helmets, their faces and emotions often obscured. They show up for three hours a week, do battle with one another, and then go home. The NFL is notoriously strict on player-fan interaction and interviews given to the media. There's a cold, impersonal aspect to following the NFL. Perhaps it's good for the brand, as you really closely follow a team rather than individual players (notable superstars aside, granted), but the formula makes it hard to fall in love with individual players.
By contrast, baseball players wear simple uniforms (how many other sports do the athletes wear belts in?), their faces exposed to the camera. We see, up close, the concentration in a pitcher's eyes as he stares in to get the signs, the glance of the batter at the shifting position of the fielders, the base runner watching the coach carefully, intent on not missing a sign.
We see the bright smile after making a fine play to end the inning and bail out the pitcher who has worked himself into a jam he can't escape on his own, the euphoria and high fives of a player returning to his teammates in the dugout after a mammoth, game-tying long ball in the eighth inning, the juxtaposed jubilance and agony from the two teams on opposite sides of a playoff series-deciding game after the last out, when one group knows their dreams yet have life that year and the other knows that seven months of blood, sweat and tears has amounted to a disappointing footnote in the baseball history books.
The methodic pace of the game allots us time to concentrate and calculate, to deeply understand all possible consequences and outcomes of the next pitch while waiting for the pitcher to throw it, to plan and strategize as though we were at the helm next to the dugout stairs ourselves, and the emotional roller coaster, the building tension and the final release when it's all over is shared between player and fan in a way largely unique among sporting events.
The emotional investment in the game, the team, and the individual players, reinforced every 24 hours for six or, if we're lucky, seven months in a row, fosters a kind of deep, emotional, personal attachment that should make it no wonder that steroids and the Hall of Fame are such a point of fiery debate in baseball and baseball alone. We'll defend our guys tooth and nail and rail against guys we deem to have defiled the sacred game in some way because, frankly, for a baseball diehard, many of the members of the team are almost as close to their hearts as family members.
This seems like one of the reason we turn our noses up, to a degree, to those that seem fake and can't do anything more than fire off a tried-and-true baseball cliché or two in a post-game interview, and then head for the parking lot. They're the distant relative that only comes over on Thanksgiving, mumbles a few things while standing off to the side, and then disappears until the next holiday. We don't know them the way we know the closer family.
Berkman was as close to a family member or a friend as you'll get from a professional athlete. Always honest, warm, friendly, funny, never too busy to sign, or at least say "hi, thanks for the support." Back after the World Series run in 2005 when I was morphing from casual curiosity to baseball fanaticism, I didn't understand a ton about the game yet. I didn't realize yet that RBI and pitcher wins were useless, I didn't understand why you needed a guy with a strong arm and better range in right field compared to left field, I didn't grasp the infield fly rule or the Rule 5 draft's eligibility requirements, and I'd never heard of pitch framing or BAbip.
There was one thing I knew though; that Berkman guy was alright. I leaned in close to the radio when he was giving an interview, because when he did, he was going to say something that actually meant something, and it would probably crack me up too. I leaned in close to that radio when he was up to bat as well, because odds are something exciting was about to happen (2006 was a very nice year for the Puma, after all). Biggio, while having my respect, was getting old and declining, and was the king of the cliché. Pettitte wasn't long for Houston and was pretty dry. Ensberg was cool, but he was already on the last leg of his career and didn't have the hype and history of some of the other guys. Oswalt was a great pitcher, but wasn't exactly an engaging personality.
But Berkman, wow. This was like a real guy, but he was also a professional athlete. He could have almost been a neighbor or something, who tinkered under the hood of his pickup on the weekends and took his kids bowling, but also happened to be a sports superhero by night. I loved following him as a player, but I really fell in love with the human that he was as well. Lance Berkman quickly became my first baseball man crush.
I cared about how he did even if the team was beginning to circle the drain. No matter where the Astros finished in the standings, if Berkman hit 30 bombs and I got to hear Joe Buck announce his name over the loudspeakers in whichever stadium was hosting the All-Star game that year as representing Houston, that was enough to dull the pain of a mediocre team. The Astros might lose the game that night, but if Berkman went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, I was darn glad I tuned in to be there when it happened.
Lance Berkman is the guy for me that Jeff Bagwell or Craig Biggio probably is for some of you. Or maybe your guy was Nolan Ryan or Mike Scott or Jose Cruz or Rusty Staub or even Bob Aspromonte; the first guy that caught your attention, your imagination, and your loyalty, and turned you from casual to diehard. Maybe it wasn't even an Astros player who did it. He's the guy you're illogical about, and you know it, and you don't care. He's the one whom you're heartbroken to see go, even if you know it's for the best and it works out well for both player and team (and boy did it with Berkman).
Once news broke, other TCB writers began expressing their memories of the Puma as well:
Terri Schlather
I remember the day Berkman was traded like it was yesterday. I was driving on the 610 loop when I heard the news. I had tears just streaming. I remember telling my dad that I could deal with a trade, but did they have to send him to the YANKEES? That's was the hard part to swallow for me. This guy, this icon, this baseball player who went from wannabe to hotshot had spent his years in an Astros uniform. It seemed like sacrilege to send him away to wear those pinstripes. Berkman is a Texan, an Astro and surely not a Yankee.
Of course, that didn't last long and before I knew it he was wearing a blasted Cardinals uniform and winning a ring. It still doesn't feel right for him to retire and not be doing it here, where his career was made. In my heart he'll always be an Astro and I hope to high heavens that he works with the organization in some capacity in the future, because he's the kind of guy that the Astros' young roster should aspire to be - a good ballplayer, a good person, a member of the community...and very funny.
Idrees Tily
I have to say my favorite Berkman moment was his grand slam in the 8th inning against the Braves in Game 4 of the 2004 NLDS, the marathon game. Of course Chris Burke gets all the credit for the walk-off, but Berkman's grand slam often gets overlooked. In fact, I find it interesting that others have stated their favorite Berkman moment as the Game 5 NLCS home run that gave the lead, only to be overshadowed by Pujols' home run off Lidge that has yet to land. Perhaps the fact that these two favorite moments of Lance Berkman are mostly associated with others is symbolic of his entire career as an Astro?
Many only knew him as a Killer B from Rice. Even after Biggio's and Bagwell natural decline, Berkman was consistently amazing year in and year out. Just like many of us, it is quite possible that I did not appreciate his career on his own merits as much as I should have. I would be remiss not to mention how unceremoniously his career as an Astro ended, and I do think Berkman himself had a role in that, but at the end of the day, he was an absolutely phenomenal switch hitter and Houston Astro, I can honestly say that it was a privilege watching him play the game, even if I did not fully appreciate it at the time.
Kel Shannon
When Lance Berkman was traded, we were in the middle of my older sisters wedding. I was the last guy in line of the groomsmen. My brother in law's best man, Brian, got a score center alert on his phone that Berkman had been traded. As my sister and my dad were walking down the aisle, Brian turns to me and whispers, "dude, Puma has been traded to the Yankees for some kid named Jimmy Paredes." Long story short, I'll never forget my sisters anniversary. She doesn't have to know that though.
Curtis Leister
While many of my friends were Bagwell or Biggio fans growing up, I always had a devoted loyalty to Lance Berkman. He was so impressive hitting from both sides and his defense early in his career was fun to watch. Remember the twisting, winding catch he made on Tal's Hill against the Pirates? Berkman also contributed to my most distinct moment as an Astros fan. His home run in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS almost put the Astros into the World Series by clinching at home.
I was sitting behind the home bullpen during that game, and remember not being able to hear myself cheer and yell in celebration after that home run because of the noise in MMP. Sheer euphoria. Though Berkman's production slowly declined in Houston and he didn't leave on great terms, I have always cheered Berkman on, especially in the 2011 World Series when he came up big for the Cardinals. I'd like to see his number retired in Houston and it would be special to see him become a college head coach one day, maybe at Rice or Texas.
Perry Mattern
I've only been to Houston one time and it was All-Star weekend in 2004. I was only 12 at the time and still very early in my development as an Astros fan, but I got to see my favorite player, Lance Berkman, hit in the home run derby. Getting to watch him go blast for blast with Miguel Tejada is something I will never forget. Plus, the way he laid down the bat so perfectly from the left side when he hit a home run somehow got me so incredibly pumped.
Seth Drennan
My favorite memory of Berkman was his opposite field jack to take the lead versus the Cards in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS. I thought he'd finally put us into the World Series.
The unique way we form such close, fierce attachments to baseball players is one of the things that sets the sport apart from the rest. Most of you reading this are doubtless like me; far to young to remember baseball's golden age in a personal way. We have only stories from those who do about the players who were real citizens as well, holding off-season jobs to make ends meet and always willing to chat with a fan near the field before game time.
Though things have changed with the injection of huge player salaries and media scrutiny, that faint golden glow lives on when a player as genuine and accessible as Lance Berkman comes along. In a way, The Big Puma is everything that is good and right about baseball from ages past.
From this big fan (and I'm sure I speak for many others) to you Lance; best of luck in your life after baseball (as a player) and enjoy your family; we'll always consider you a part of ours.
Can Bryan Mitchell finally put it all together and have a breakout 2014?
Background
Bryan Mitchell was drafted by the Yankees in the 16th round of the 2009 MLB draft out of Rockingham County High School in Reidsville, North Carolina. The 6' 3", 205 lb right-hander has absolutely electric stuff: a four-seam fastball that easily sits in the upper 90's, mainly 97-98 mph; a strong 12-6 curveball; a cutter, which he added to his arsenal last season that sits mostly 91-92 mph; and an improving change up. Unfortunately for the 22-year-old Mitchell, the consistency and command just haven't been quite there. In four seasons, 79 games (76 starts), and 372.2 innings pitched, Mitchell has a 4.47 ERA and 3.73 FIP.
2013 Results:
Combined between High-A and Double-A: 27 games (26 starts), 4.71 ERA, 3.34 FIP, .758 opp. OPS
Like the rest of his minor league career, Mitchell pitched a lot worse in 2013 than his stuff would suggest. Twenty four of Mitchell's 27 total appearances came in High-A, where he pitched to a disappointing 5.12 ERA, albeit with a pretty decent FIP of 3.47. Despite the poor ERA, the Yankees promoted Mitchell to Double-A Trenton, where he was a part of the Thunder's run to the Eastern League Championship. Mitchell did show some promise with the Thunder, albeit in a limited three-start sample. In those three regular season starts with Trenton, Mitchell posted a 1.93 ERA and 2.45 FIP through 18.2 innings pitched. In his two postseason starts, Mitchell allowed five runs in 10.1 innings, but mixed in 11 walks.
Despite the high walk total in the postseason, Mitchell's walk total in the 2013 regular season improved from years past. In 2013, Mitchell pitched to a 3.6 BB/9 (3.8 BB/9 in Tampa, 2.4 BB/9 in Trenton), whereas he posted a 5 BB/9 from 2010-2012. Conversely, Mitchell's strikeout numbers dropped from previous years as well. Last season, Mitchell posted a 7.4 K/9 between Double-A and Triple-A, which should be much higher given his stuff, whereas he had an 8.7 K/9 the previous three seasons.
2014 Outlook:
After being added to the 40-man roster this winter, Mitchell is set to headline a Double-A rotation that doesn't expect to feature too many big names behind him (unless if you count Shane Greene), at least to begin the season. If Mitchell can further improve his command and consistency, there is a chance he could get a promotion to Triple-A Scranton sometime later in the year. If Mitchell can straighten himself out, he has a chance to become a front-line starter. If not, like seemingly every other starter in the Yankees' system, there is at least a fair chance Mitchell will have to move to the bullpen. If it comes to that, he can become, theoretically, a dominant, late-inning reliever, given his dynamite stuff.
Law adds a few new names to the Yankees prospect fun
It's prospect ranking season, so we have another post about ranking prospects. Keith Law of ESPN has released his list of the top 10 Yankees prospects and while some of them are expected, there were still a few surprises.
Law said that Gary Sanchez wasn't close to the offensive player he expected him to be this year, and I kind of agree. I think Sanchez is good, but as the No.1 prospect in the system, he needs to start putting up great seasons. Yes, he's young for the level, but there's a reason he's slowly slipping down prospect lists; he needs to make a statement.
I like the ranking of Austin over Mason. I think, despite a weak system, that after two disappointing seasons, Mason's star has fallen just a bit. I hope he turns it around, but I have more faith in Austin discovering his power swing than Mason Williams fixing everything that is pushing him in the wrong direction.
The inclusion of Murphy on the list, let alone ranked fourth is a big surprise. Law believes "Murphy's year was the brightest spot, as he's going to be an every-day catcher for somebody." I believe he's more of a solid backup, but if he can prove to be better than that, it's a good problem to have, even with Brian McCann in the fold and Sanchez coming up behind him.
He also believes that we should worry whether or not Slade will ever be able to stay healthy enough to be an every-day player, and I have to agree. Surgeries have already wrecked his shoulder, and he's running out of time to show he can stay healthy. To him, Heathcott has lost major prospect points after needing another surgery. "He couldn't run, his reads in center were poor, and his makeup has never been his strong suit. (One scout: "He's legitimately a crazy person." That scout is not a real doctor, however.) Heathcott fell off the top 100 entirely, and I don't see him returning there until he has a full, productive season." Ouch.
The addition of Luis Severino was unexpected too. He's definitely good, but he's kind of off everyone's radar. To Law, his "three-pitch mix might be three pluses out of the pen, and it's a grade-65 or 70 fastball even in the rotation. However, he's less than 6-foot, and he has to prove he can maintain his stuff over a full season when going six innings every time out." That's a lot of question marks for a top-10 prospect if he's already being projected as a reliever with only the ceiling of a No.3 starter in the rotation.
I'm glad to see Greg Bird included after the season he had, though Law kind of gives him a back-handed compliment, saying that his "patience/power game could make him a second-division regular down the road." Second-division? I'd prefer first-division, please, because someone has to take over for Mark Teixeira in a few years (or maybe sooner, if this wrist thing continues to be a thing).
Law believed Gosuke Katoh had the best debut season out of anyone in the Yankees 2013 draft thanks to his "great plate discipline while playing strong defense." It's odd that he ranked Aaron Judge higher than Eric Jagielo and Ian Clarkin because, for me, I think he projects high, but has a much longer way to go than the other two.
As for players who might make a difference in 2014, "other than some relief help from someone like right-hander Mark Montgomery or hard-throwing and often-hurt Jose Ramirez (No. 11 in their system), the Yankees aren't likely to give any significant playing time to rookies this year." But what about Corban Joseph?
One of the biggest sleepers in the system is Venezuelan catcher Luis Torrens. "A new convert to catching, Torrens took to it extremely well, with plus hands and plus defense overall, with a good swing and feel at the plate, only lacking power but likely hitting for average with good OBP when he develops." I'm excited to see where he goes from here. He might be less of an offensive-first catcher, but he could also be good all around.
The first four parts of this series discussed two main ideas: why the A's aren't competitive with the rest of the league in terms of revenue, and why they are competitive on the baseball field. Today's fifth and final installment, though, is much simpler, and I hope it isn't anti-climactic. But every story has to start somewhere, and the most important factor in the history of the Oakland A's was then-owner Charley O. Finley's 1960 purchase of the club, and his subsequent 1967 decision to move the team to Oakland.
The story really begins in 1954, when Midwestern stockbroker Arnold Johnson bought the Philadelphia Athletics and moved them from their relatively baseball-saturated market to a brand new one West of the Mississippi: Kansas City.
Ironically, a minor hurdle in the A's quest for Missouri was the territorial rights of the New York Yankees, the major-league affiliate of the AAA Kansas City Blues. The Yankees were forced to move the Blues to Denver upon the Athletics' arrival, but curiously, they waived the rights as soon as the sale to Johnson was approved. The A's faced widespread accusations of serving as a farm team for the Yankees throughout Johnson's tenure, which was tumultuous at best. Those accusations never really went away, did they?
As for a venue, Johnson had also purchased what was then known as Blues Stadium, the home of those same Kansas City Blues (incidentally, that's a really cool name for a baseball team). Johnson immediately sold the ballpark to Kansas City, which in turn renamed it Municipal Stadium and leased it back to Johnson. They two parties also embarked on a major overhaul of the venue, which added a second deck and a new grandstand in the left field corner (image here).
One downside of the A's moving in was that they effectively displaced the Negro League's Kansas City Monarchs, the franchise where Jackie Robinson made his name and Satchel Paige continued his run as perhaps the best pitcher ever to play the game. The Monarchs could no longer afford to pay rent to use the ballpark, and as a result tried to barnstorm full-time, a telling sign of the Negro League's impending demise.
But enough about Kansas City — that was a short chapter in A's history, anyway. The beginning of the end of the club's run in KC came when Johnson passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 53 after a trip to see the A's play a few Spring Training games in South Florida. The club was put up for sale later in the year, and Charles O. Finley bought a controlling interest in the same team he'd unsuccessfully bid for when Johnson bought it.
In response to the widespread accusations that Johnson ran his club as a farm team for the Yankees that happened to play at the Major League level, Finley bought a bus, pointed it East, toward The Bronx, and burned it. He was a big fan of fire, apparently, because he also held a special ceremony to burn the club's lease as Municipal Stadium, which left the team the option of buying out the rest of its lease should it be moved to another city. All was well and good in Kansas City, because it seemed to A's fans that their owner wasn't going anywhere.
That illusion was quickly lifted. As it turned out, Finley never burned the lease terms for Municipal Stadium — he burned a blank piece of paper instead. Finley was quirky, to be sure — he bought a mule, named it after himself, and made it the team's new mascot — but he was a savvy owner, and embarked on a project to revitalize the team's farm system almost as soon as he took over.
But it was quickly clear that Finley wasn't a huge fan of the Kansas City market. He shopped the team to the Dallas metro area in the early 1960s, firmly decided in 1964 to move it to Kentucky, a request denied by the American League owners, and then settled on Oakland a few months later. that request was also denied.
Finley was especially fed up, and pulled off another true-to-form stunt in which he publicly threatened to move the ballclub to Peculiar, Missouri (a town of less than 5,000) so that they could play in a "cow pasture". A.L. owners finally acquiesced a few weeks after the end of the 1967 season, giving Finley permission to bring the A's to the Bay Area.
As you can imagine, the move was not without controversy. Jackson County voters had just approved a ballot measure for the public funding of a new baseball stadium, now known as Kaufman Stadium, that the A's would never call home. Stuart Symington, the esteemed U.S. Senator from Missouri, called Oakland "the luckiest city since Hiroshima". Yes, he actually said that. Interestingly, Symington may have come closer than anybody else in the last century to overturning baseball's antiquated antitrust exemption, which expedited the arrival of the Kansas City Royals franchise.
So in April 1968, Oakland had a baseball team to call its own. After an odd single game in Baltimore that the A's lost 3-1 before heading south for a brief two-gamer against the Washington Senators. After two more against the Yankees, Oakland's record stood at 3-2 heading into a historic home opener in the East Bay.
The A's played their first game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on April 17 in front of 50,164, but fell to the Orioles 4-1. The only two Oakland players to record hits were Rick Monday, a 6th-inning home run, and some pinch hitter named Tony La Russa, who singled in the 9th inning.
The excitement died down rather quickly, though —the crowd at the Coliseum the next day was barely one tenth of the 50,000-plus at the home opener, and the team didn't draw a crowd of more than 20,000 for the rest of the homestand.
The important thing is that the A's were there, and a million factors had to conspire perfectly to make that home opener on 4/17/68 happen in the first place. We have every mid-1960s American League owner to thank for not allowing the A's to move to Louisville, and for every fantastic A's memory that's been made ever since.
Fans in Oakland wouldn't have to wait long for those memories — Catfish Hunter threw the first perfect game in franchise history just a few weeks later, on May 8. And within the next six years, the A's would go on one of the most dominant runs baseball has ever seen, taking home World Series trophies in 1972, 1973, and 1974.
Not much has changed. The Oakland Coliseum is still home, crowds still range from the 5,000s up toward the 50,000s, the team still sells players to the Yankees (though not as often this side of 2010), and the A's are still looking for a new home. When they get it, incidentally, it'll be the first time the franchise plays in a new home designed specifically for baseball since the A's moved into Shibe Park in 1909. No matter what, it'll be a fun chapter to write about 45 years after the fact!
Everyone is talking about prospects these days and we've been covering them here a lot recently. With spring training just days away, this is the time to start looking to the farm to see what we have for the new season. I've collected a few tidbits of information and evaluation that might have passed through your strainers of attention because they didn't come along with a shiny prospect list.
Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com is not so impressed with Mason Williams. After MLB.com released their top 100 prospect list, with Mason ranked at No. 75, Dykstra wrote about different players who made the list. He believes that the 22-year-old has some off the field issues that might be cutting into his performance on the field. His DUI and lack of speed, which Keith Law blamed on a bulkier body, could all paint a picture of a young player who is going down the wrong path.
Player who could have dropped off list: Mason Williams, OF, Yankees - Perhaps I'm just not as high on Williams (No. 75) as others. The center fielder didn't have a good 2013, beginning with a DUI arrest in April and concluding with a .153/.164/.264 slash line in 72 Double-A at-bats with Trenton. Reports on his hitting abilities talk about a slap hitter, who should be able to benefit from plus speed that just wasn't there last year. (The decrease in speed was a big reason why his BABIP dropped to .189 in Trenton.) Being only 22, time is still on his side obviously, and there is the potential for change there, although it is slipping. Maybe he'll prove me wrong with a turn-around 2014.
On the positive side, Andrew Marchand of ESPN recounted a time a scout told him how good Mason is defensively:
I was told by a scout the other day, Mason Williams could play OF in majors right now.
Obviously, his offensive game still needs a lot of work, and he hasn't had a full year of Double-A yet, but if he were magically transported to the majors right now he'd still be a great fielder. If he can work his bat up to be at least league-average, he could be a great asset to have in the outfield. We're talking Brett Gardner-levels of talent in center field. Hopefully it works out because it would be a shame for all the talent Mason has to be wasted.
During a mock prospect draft, Chris Crawford of MLB Draft Insider decided to take Gary Sanchez in the fourth round, believing his power potential could make him one of the best catchers in the game. His hitting ability is what has made him the only Yankee prospect to be ranked among the top 100 prospects in baseball by Baseball Prospectus, MLB.com, and ESPN.
He's unlikely to hit for high averages because there's a lot of swing and miss in his game, but he's got legit 70-grade power and has the ability to hit the ball out to every part of the park. 25-homer, 100-RBI seasons are not out of the question for Sanchez, and that would make him one of the best catchers in all of baseball, at least offensively.
It would be amazing to see that kind of production out of Sanchez. If the Yankees had the best offensive catcher in the game I would melt. All he would need to be behind the plate is average, but even then he has a cannon for an arm and is said to have improved drastically. If he has a big season in 2014, Sanchez could propel himself into the top 50.
Ok, yeah, he's not really a prospect, but this could finally be the year that Michael Pineda recovers from his shoulder injury and returns to the majors for the Yankees. If they can even get league-average production out of him the trade would be a victory just based on what Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi have provided the Mariners at the major league level. But how can he reach that mark? Jeff Sullivan from a recent Fangraphs chat knows:
It was said that Pineda was more than just a thrower who could hit 95 mph on the radar gun, that he knew how to pitch and how to work against hitters. If his slider is good enough, and there's enough deception, Pineda could be fine even with some reduction in velocity.
Would Michael Pineda have gotten hurt had he stayed in Seattle? I don't know, but I wonder.
Here's a fun game to play with articles written by national reporters: among the vast multitude of content that's pure speculation, reporting work that's already out there elsewhere or just plain filler, find the sentence or two in the piece that happens to be purely original. Or, in lieu of that, find the obvious fact that at least has now has a bit of sourcing behind it.
It’s no surprise that Jack Zduriencik may hold some unwarranted love for Justin Smoak, given that his acquisition was one of the most high-profile moves of Z’s tenure; yet, it was still interesting to hear it at least somewhat-sourced.
But what’s always made me smirk is how quickly hypotheticals were wiped out following that trade. Sure, Zduriencik still wants Smoak to do well, but he could've had considerably more riding on him.
The day the deal went down it was widely known that, at the last second, the Mariners chose Justin Smoak over Jesus Montero. It felt rare, somewhat bizarre, to know that very moment we would be able to measure Smoak’s production against someone else’s, someone else who could’ve been a Mariner instead. For the rest of his career, Smoak would be measured against Montero.
But then, just six months later, Zduriencik had Montero too. And you’d think that'd open another range of hypotheticals but then, of course, Michael Pineda blew out his shoulder.
So the long string of "what if"s seemed to close. It didn’t happen in a good way, but Mariners fans look back and think "well, at least it was a disaster for everyone." The Mariners received a massive bust and, unless Pineda overcomes one of the most serious injuries in the game of baseball, only gave up one too.
But this theory, this "Welp, Pineda would’ve gotten hurt anyway" notion is one I’ve—if not taken issue with—at least wondered about. I don’t know why I’m writing about it now, other than that I’ve always meant to write about it, and with the Mariners still needing quality pitching, I figured I might as well get it done.
I believe the trade, and the environment Pineda was thrust into, played some role in his devastating injury. Here's why.
For anyone who was tracking the Mariners closely at the time, it’s hard to forget how the trade went down. It’s the deal that for me cements the "this front office just doesn’t have leaks" notion, because—despite being the biggest trade of the off-season, and one of the biggest one-for-ones in recent memory—it was rumored for all of 20 minutes, and then it was done.
The problem is that people view an MRI as a diagnostic panacea, when it’s barely a baseline tool for analysis. When you consider the torque about the shoulder that’s required to throw a baseball 90+ MPH and how often it’s done, there’s no way you wouldn’t expect massive structural changes in the connective tissue in the glenohumeral and acromioclavicular joints – and this is exactly what you see. Consider that MRIs of the shoulder in asymptomatic (completely healthy) pitchers are really screwed up (source 1, source 2), and you’ll begin to understand that the initial MRI is more of a formality than anything else. Unless the Yankees had seen a complete tearing of the labrum off the bone, they wouldn’t fail Pineda based on a wonky MRI.
He goes onto say that forcing Pineda to work on his change-up, pre- and post-trade, may have played a role—and says "The Yankees didn’t act negligently when it came to acquiring Michael Pineda. They may have acted negligently when it came to developing him."
And it's the couple months of development here that I've always wondered about, but not in the same way.
Michael Pineda reported to camp with the Yankees 10-20 pounds overweight, and it was immediately made well-known. On the day of his first Spring Training start, the big story was that there was no guarantee he'd be handed a rotation spot and he'd have to come in and compete, lest he end up in Triple-A.
"Last year, nobody knew him,’’ said veteran righty Freddy Garcia, who dresses next to Pineda in the George M. Steinbrenner Field clubhouse. "This year, he has to prove how good he is. He has been relaxed so far, and confident. You have to be confident and show people you can play. He asks a lot of questions. He is excited, hopefully he shows what he has got.’’
According to Garcia, who also has pitched in Seattle and The Bronx, Pineda was a bit overwhelmed by how the media reacts to every breath from the Yankees.
"The difference between Seattle and New York is the media," Garcia said. "The first time he came here it was ‘Wow.’ In Seattle spring training there were two or three guys and sometimes they didn’t ask questions.’’
I'm not a genuine member of the Seattle media, but I was fortunate enough to attend their recent media luncheon—and there were more than two or three guys there. That said, there's some truth to this; there really are only two or three print beat guys now, and I did think it was funny when Lloyd McClendon concluded his session at the event with "Man, you guys are easy."
I digress, but with a purpose. Anyway, back to Pineda.
It was the story that wouldn't go away. In the second start, he topped out at 93. It was better, yes, but still well below his max speed in 2011. But, of course, it was Spring Training. Even the aforementioned Hardball Talk post concludes with "This whole velocity situation will probably be a non-issue before long."
After that fifth one, Pineda said "I have more" and that "Nobody throws hard in spring training...because it’s spring training. You work on what you need to." Still, he was proud of what he'd managed to do: "I had a good fastball," he said. "To get 93, 94 is not easy."
After working his way up 94mph, under constant speculation and scrutiny for not throwing harder, he was shelled by the Phillies in his next Spring Training start and left the mound after 2 and 2/3rds to a chorus of boos. He complained of soreness afterwards. But there was more to it:
Jack Curry says #Yankees Michael Pineda felt soreness behind right shoulder before start tonight. Mentioned after Phils gave him sore heinie
Huh, I wonder why he didn't tell anyone. Pineda would get an MRI the morning following that start and—almost unbelievably now, it came back mostly clean—revealing only a bit of tendinitis. It was much better than what was feared, and he'd only hit the disabled list.
"I'm pitching this year," Pineda vowed at the time. "I'm coming back strong."
In speaking on the matter, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said it's possible the regular MRIs may have failed to reveal an issue that might've laid dormant, but he did say "The belief is that, without a doubt, the injury occurred during that rehab outing" and that before the rehab outing, Pineda "tested out strong as a bull, and his bullpen sessions were tremendous."
"I think the first time (I felt something was) my last start in spring training. I tried to throw hard and I felt pain in my shoulder," Pineda said. "I rested for a couple days and then when I started to play catch again I was feeling really good. But when I threw hard again I could feel pain again."
***
Was Michael Pineda a perfect model of health when he was traded from Seattle to New York? No, probably not. All pitchers, and certainly pitchers like Pineda, carry a level of risk. But did this have to happen, the torn labrum? Would it have been as likely if Pineda had never been traded, and instead continued to play in the lax Seattle market? I don't think so.
Look at everything that happened above, the overbearing pressure to throw as hard as possible in Spring Training. You can see it in Pineda's own quotes that he wanted to please the fans—and they booed him off the mound when he tried to pitch through pain in a meaningless start.
The counter to the argument that the New York market, and the pressure that came with it might've played a role, is that Pineda was in decline during the second half of 2011. He did, and yes, the fastball velocity did decline as the year went on, but Mariners bloggers noted that Pineda could still ramp it up when he wanted to. It was the truth, too
Though the very last start of his season, on chilly day in Minnesota, was a different story, Pineda dominated in his second-to-last outing of 2011. He struck out eight over eight innings and, by my count, threw 26 fastballs 95mph and above.
So what's the point to all of this?
We don't know what would've happened had Michael Pineda stayed a Seattle Mariner. It took too many words to state the obvious, but the potential Pineda once had here is something we too-often overlook. The trade was good at the time, for both sides, but Pineda was thrust into a situation that only increased the likelihood of injury.
In the broader sense—sure, it would be nice to have Pineda slotted in as the #3 this team desperately needs, but we don't know what the team would've looked like if he were still around.
And, of course, Michael Pineda's career is not over, though that was certainly the fear at the time. At least, there was concern he'd never be the same. We still don't know how likely it is that he will, but he's battling, and he'll report to Yankees camp two weeks from tomorrow and vie for a rotation spot.
I hope we get to see Michael Pineda dominate once again, because it was so fun when he did it here. And though it's painful to do so, it's fun to imagine that, in some alternate universe, he's still it for the Mariners.
Yankees' pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Tampa, Florida, two weeks from tomorrow with no more big moves likely to take place to help supplement their roster. Big additions have been made to the team that failed to make the playoffs last season for the second time since 2007 in hopes of getting back to October baseball, but there have also been two sizable subtractions in the form of Mariano Rivera and Robinson Cano. How does the team stand two weeks away from spring training getting underway, and which positions are going to need the best showing in Tampa for fans to feel good about the team's chances?
Starting rotation:
Landing Masahiro Tanaka earlier this month gave the Yankees an exciting rookie to look forward to in their rotation for 2014 and beyond. The Japanese right-hander dazzled with the Rakuten Golden Eagles last season and was rewarded handsomely for all the potential that scouts think he can bring to MLB. If Tanaka can translate his success in Japan to a productive first season in the United States, the Yankees will likely consider his contract money well-spent for now. CC Sabathia was given an extension to be the ace of the Yankees for the foreseeable future but diminished velocity following offseason surgery last year has put his ace status in doubt going forward. Sabathia has all but conceded that he doesn't expect his velocity to return, vowing to learn to pitch without it. That's not a comforting thought from the player who was supposed to be the go-to guy for the Yankees now and at least a bit longer in the future.
Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova had inconsistent 2013 campaigns, each turning in one spectacular half and one underwhelming half. Kuroda is one year older and the Yankees aren't going to be able to afford to send Nova to the magical land of Triple-A where he seems to always realize that he's actually a really good pitcher. The fifth spot in the rotation could go to David Phelps or Michael Pineda, with Pineda obviously drawing a bit more interest in what kind of pitcher he will be able to be. Pineda has yet to pitch in a big league game for the Yankees since the trade that brought him to New York following surgery on a torn labrum. Can he be the pitcher the Yankees traded for even after a surgery that has forever changed pitchers in the past? The rotation is going to need to have a few surprising seasons for the Yankees to win the division.
The infield:
This is a mess. Thinking as optimistically as you can doesn't change the fact that the Yankees' infield is an ugly mishmash of players ranging from questionable to bad. If there is a player in the infield that you can really feel good about, it's probably Brian McCann. The Yankees suffered through an entire year of Chris Stewart to make it to the promised land of a left-handed catcher with a power swing perfectly suited for Yankee Stadium. First base was supposed to be less of a question in 2014 with the return of Mark Teixeira, but wrist tightness that Teixeira has admitted may last all season is not the comforting news anyone wants to hear. If Teixeira has to miss any sizable chunk of time from a flare up of pain or tightness in his surgically repaired wrist, the offense and defense at first base takes a tumble. The other and only slightly less poor scenario is that Teixeira plays at an incredibly reduced level because of his wrist bothering him for the entire season. A broken Teixeira is still probably better than the alternatives.
Setbacks surrounding his newly metal-filled ankle kept Derek Jeter off the field in 2013 but that is supposed to be mostly behind him now. How behind can the insertion of screws and plates be in an ankle of a shortstop that is almost 40 years old? Probably not very far. Jeter is going to need a lot of DH days just to get through the season and the backup picture of Brendan Ryan and Eduardo Nunez comes with a pretty big downfall in at least one important aspect of the game. Nunez can't field, or hit very well either for that matter, and Ryan is not going to light the world on fire with his bat to say the least. If Jeter were to re-injure his ankle and miss a chunk of time, one of those guys would become an every day player. Few people have the stomach to watch that again in 2014.
Third base and second base are huge voids that the Yankees haven't really done much to fill so far. The departure of Cano and the suspension of Alex Rodriguez has left those spots without any desirable options available to the team. Stephen Drew is still on the market willing to play a position other than shortstop, but his lefty/righty splits are concerning and his numbers away from Fenway Park last season were beyond ugly. The internal options of Kelly Johnson, Brian Roberts, Yangervis Solarte, and Nunez don't inspire a ton of confidence either. Someone (probably multiple someones) is going to need to be much better than expected. Who out of that group has the most chance to outperform what most believe they can do? Middling seasons from the infield as a whole seems like it would be too much for the rest of the team to overcome.
The outfield:
The outfield is probably the lowest on the concern totem pole with the additions of Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury. Still, it's not without questions. Can Ellsbury and Brett Gardner shake concerns about their health? Will Beltran's knees hold up if he is forced to play right field on a regular basis? Will Alfonso Soriano continue his hot-hitting that he brought to the Bronx after being traded to New York at the deadline last season? There are questions, but just not ones on the same level as the infield or starting rotation.
The bullpen:
Mariano Rivera, the Yankees' longtime security blanket, is not walking through that bullpen door this year. David Robertson is set to be the closer and he will probably do a fine job, but there are still at least some concerning spots in relief that don't wear #30. There is, of course, the chance that Robertson doesn't seamlessly fill Rivera's shoes in the ninth inning and the Yankees are left without a closer until close to the trade deadline. Robertson is very good, so there's no reason to worry too much about that until he gets a real shot at closing games beyond the three-game sample size of two years ago.
The bridge to Robertson will be filled by the likes of Shawn Kelley and Preston Claiborne. Neither is likely to end up the shutdown setup guy that Robertson was, but neither is likely to be a total train wreck either. Matt Thornton slots in as the main left-hander in replacement of Boone Logan, but his recent loss of velocity makes the already-infuriating LOOGY spot seem a little more uncertain. Some promising kids from Triple-A have a shot to make the bullpen, like Dellin Betances and Chase Whitley. The case of the bullpen isn't dreading what we know to be terrible but the fear of the unknown. Everything might fall into place nicely and no one has to worry. It's just that we have very little to go on as far as knowing where the bullpen stands at this point.
The bench:
The Yankees are still paying Ichiro Suzuki a lot of money. It's possible that some team wants to take on his salary in return for another ugly salary, but Ichiro will probably hang on as the fifth outfielder in 2014. There isn't much in the way of a backup first baseman if Kelly Johnson becomes the every day third baseman. Both backup shortstops have pretty big flaws in their game. Second base barely has a starter, much less a backup. The bench proved to be very important in 2013 when nearly the entire team went down with an injury at one point or another. If anything near that scale happens again in 2014, the replacements are another clown car of uninspiring. It's unreasonable to think that All-Stars will sign with the Yankees for the pleasure of sitting on the bench, but preparations do have to be made. The Yankees did a really poor job of that in 2013 and 2014 doesn't look a whole lot better.
The good thing about spring training is that it gives everyone a look at the team before the games count. There are still players out there that the Yankees could bring in if they really wanted to. This team has a certain level of excitement about it that last year's team really didn't after the new additions like McCann and Tanaka. Seeing those guys in action for the first time in Tampa should be really interesting to watch. The battle for the fifth starter should also be an interesting one to follow. If everything shakes out right, the team could be a force in the AL East. Still, those nagging questions remain.
Which area of the team are you most concerned about heading into spring training? What moves would it take for you to feel better about them? Do you feel like the Yankees have done enough to get back to the playoffs this season?
Just about two years ago now, I became a writer on Pinstripe Alley along with Tanya and Greg, and in one of my first posts on the site, I profiled the 27 non-roster invitees to the Yankees' 2012 Spring Training. I did it again last year with an unnecessarily long five-part series on the unnecessarily numerous 44 non-roster invitees to 2013 Spring Training. In keeping with this bizarre tradition, and with hopefully a little more brevity than the 2013 list, here's the skinny on the non-roster players the Yankees invited to camp this spring. Unfortunately, none of them are Ronnier Mustelier. Sigh. Anyway, some names are old, some names are new, and some names are Yangervis or Yoshinori. Consider yourself warned. The hitters will go up tomorrow.
Pitchers
RHP Bruce Billings Age as of Opening Day: 28 2013 stats (OAK-AAA): 26 GS, 148.3 IP, 4.31 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 8.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 1.29 WHIP
Jesse wrote about Billings when Baseball America reported that he would be signing a minor-league deal with the Yankees earlier in January. (Jesse's been a real trooper reporting these minor signings; there will be more links to his articles,) Billings has bounced around the minors with the Rockies and Athletics for seven games, but while he's done yeoman work pitching in the hitter-friendly PCL, there's a reason he's only pitched seven innings in the majors despite being in Triple-A since 2011.
RHP Danny Burawa Age as of Opening Day: 25 2013 stats (NYY-AA): 46 G, 66 IP, 2.59 ERA, 3.31 FIP, 9.0 K/9, 5.7 BB/9, 1.35 WHIP
A St. Johnny's grad, the hard-throwing Burawa was in Yankees camp two years ago, but a torn oblique muscle cost him his 2012 season. Burawa throws a 95-98 mph fastball and a mid-80s slider as his out pitch. While he had pretty good results in Trenton last year, he did it with an ugly walk rate, so if he's hoping to make an impression as a future bullpen option, he'll probably need to attend the David Robertson School of How to Hone Your Damn Control.
RHP Robert Coello Age as of Opening Day: 29 2013 stats (LAA): 16 G, 17 IP, 3.71 ERA, 2.52 FIP, 12.1 K/9, 4.2 BB/9, 1.29 WHIP (LAA-AAA): 15 G. 18.7 IP, 4.82 ERA, 2.72 FIP, 14.0 K/9, 5.3 BB/9, 1.39 WHIP
Jesse wrote about Coello a few weeks ago on a day in which the site was buried with A-Rod suspension. Coello has spent time with several different organizations since his professional debut in 2007, and he made it the pros for cups of coffee with the 2010 Red Sox and the 2012 Blue Jays before getting a little bit more time with the Angels last year. A 60-day DL stint for right shoulder inflammation cost him a few months last year, but he still posted gaudy strikeout numbers that caught the Yankees' eye. He might have an outside shot at a bullpen job, but more likely than not, he will end up Scranton. Also he throws this snazzy "forkleball" pitch:
RHP Matt Daley Age as of Opening Day: 31 2013 stats (NYY): 7 G, 6 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.88 FIP, 12.0 K/9, 0.0 BB/9, 0.33 WHIP (NYY-AAA/AA/A+): 43 G. 52.3 IP, 2.06 ERA, 1.82 FIP, 12.4 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 0.96 WHIP
Next up is the man who will forever be a trivia answer in Yankees history as the man who replaced Mariano Rivera in the legend's final game. A non-roster invitee to Yankees camp for his third year in a row, Daley could actually be an interesting bullpen arm to watch in camp though, as he successfully rehabbed from right rotator cuff surgery in 2012 to make it all the way back to the majors in September for the first time in two and a half years. Along the way, he put up nice strikeout numbers with a low walk rate, an always-appreciated combination that should earn him more than just a cursory gander in Spring Training.
RHP Brian Gordon Age as of Opening Day: 35 2013 stats (OAK-AAA): 51 G, 63 IP, 3.57 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 9.4 K/9, 1.3 BB/9, 1.11 WHIP
"Hi, I'm Brian Gordon. You might remember me from that time when I was signed out of nowhere to make a couple spot starts for the Yankees in 2011 when they were being stubborn about promoting a worthy David Phelps." Gordon's starting days appear to be over after a season and a half in Korea and a full season in the 'pen with Oakland's Triple-A team, so it seems likely that if he survives Spring Training, he'll head to Scranton for bullpen depth.
RHP David Herndon Age as of Opening Day: 28 2013 stats (NYY-AAA/AA/A+/Rk): 21 G, 35.7 IP, 2.78 ERA, 2.36 FIP, 9.1 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 1.57 WHIP
Like Daley, 2013 was a year of rehab for Herndon, a former Phillies bullpen arm who underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2012. He was invited to camp last year and eventually reached Triple-A before his season ended. Now that he's healthy, Herndon's previous 97 games of MLB experience from 2010-12 might give him a leg up on the competition, though they weren't exactly great innings (97 ERA-, 109 FIP-) and his pitches are similar to Burawa's: low-90s fastball, low-80s slider. Nevertheless, with a solid spring, Herndon could be in line for a bullpen job.
RHP Chris Leroux Age as of Opening Day: 29 2013 stats (PIT): 2 G, 4 IP, 6.75 ERA, 9.30 FIP, 6.8 K/9, 13.5 BB/9, 2.50 WHIP (Japan-Yakult): 5 GS, 22 IP, 9.00 ERA, 5.7 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, 2.18 WHIP
Jesse wrote about Leroux just a few days ago when the Yankees signed him to a minor league deal. His 2013 campaign was very strange as he began the year with the Pirates, had two crappy appearance, and got himself DFA'd. Instead of going to the minors, he signed a $500,000 deal to pitch in Japan for the Yakult Swallows, where he was not much better in a handful of starts. Leroux's most recent full season of baseball was decent with 63 2/3 innings of 3.11 ERA ball for Triple-A Indianapolis in 2012, but more likely than not, Leroux is just back-of-the-bullpen fodder for the minors. He's hardly bulletproof.
LHP Fred Lewis Age as of Opening Day: 27 2013 stats (NYY-AAA/AA/A+): 29 G (5 GS), 58.7 IP, 2.61 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 9.2 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, 1.45 WHIP
There's a chance you might be thinking, "Hey wasn't that guy an outfielder?" That's a different Fred Lewis. This Lewis was a late 47th round pick by the Yankees in 2010 out of Tennessee Wesleyan, and he has exceeded expectations by remaining steady throughout his four seasons in the minors. He spent most of his time last year with Trenton, where he pitched to a sparkly 2.28 ERA despite a 4.2 BB/9. Lewis appears ready for another promotion to Scranton, and since he's lefthanded, there's a nonzero chance that we could see him in pinstripes later this year. It should be noted though that he struggled against lefties in 2013 with a .303/.370/.409 triple slash against... so maybe not.
RHP Jim Miller Age as of Opening Day: 31 2013 stats (NYY): 1 G, 1.3 IP, 20.25 ERA, 15.05 FIP, 0.0 K/9, 6.8 BB/9, 3.00 WHIP (NYY-AAA): 43 G, 63.3 IP, 3.55 ERA, 3.22 FIP, 13.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 1.26 WHIP
Miller was in camp last year after appearing in 33 games for the 2012 AL West champion Athletics, who chose to leave him off their playoff roster and not re-sign him. He actually had quite a nice campaign for Scranton in 2013, and when the Yankees were desperate for bullpen help in September, they brought him up to provide some depth. Unfortunately, he was pummeled in his one game against the Red Sox, and we never heard from him again (except on the 2013 Yankees roster Sporcle quiz). He's back again, but like many on this list, appears destined for a Triple-A bullpen job, if anything.
RHP Mark Montgomery Age as of Opening Day: 23 2013 stats (NYY-AAA): 25 G, 40 IP, 3.38 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 11.0 K/9, 5.6 BB/9, 1.53 WHIP
Man, what a letdown Montie was in 2013. After storming through the system at a breakthrough pace since he was taken in the 11th round of the 2011 draft and amazing fans with gaudy strikeout numbers (13.8 K/9 in 2012 between Tampa and Trenton), he hit a brick wall last year. As Jason noted back in August, Montgomery didn't stay in very good shape during the 2012-13 offseason, and he missed time due to shoulder fatigue with Scranton. He landed on the DL three separate times and even though he maintained impressive strikeout numbers, he walked the ballpark in the process. There was some hope that he would take the next step in 2013 and eventually ascend to the majors, but it's evident that Montgomery needs more work in Triple-A to cut back on those walks, at least to start the season. If he can manage to even dial it back to 3.7 BB/9, his wicked slider could help him finally make his MLB debut given the numerous openings in the MLB bullpen.
LHP Francisco Rondon Age as of Opening Day: 25 2013 stats (NYY-AAA/AA): 33 G (7 GS), 82.7 IP, 3.92 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 9.3 K/9, 5.9 BB/9, 1.45 WHIP
Rondon has been in the Yankees' system for quite awhile now, dating back to the 2006 Dominican Summer League season. The Yankees tried to experiment with him in the Trenton rotation at the start of 2013, and it did not end well. He had a 6.99 ERA, got bumped from the rotation, struggled in the bullpen for six games, and got cut from the 40-man roster in favor of long reliever David Huff. Ouch. No one claimed him though, so he stayed with the Yankees and seemed to pitch a lot better upon his return, as Jesse wrote in August. From his first game back on May 30th onward, he pitched to an excellent 1.23 ERA in 51 1/3 innings with an 11.2 K/9, though he still struggled with control with a 5.1 BB/9. Perhaps most importantly, lefties hit a meager .189/.252/.263 against him in 103 total plate appearances, perhaps setting him up for a shot at a "second lefty" bullpen shot in 2013. He'll have 40-man roster resident Cesar Cabral to contend with, but it's certainly not unreasonable to think that we could see him in New York at some point in 2014.
RHP Yoshinori Tateyama Age as of Opening Day: 38 2013 stats (TEX/NYY-AAA): 32 G, 76.3 IP, 2.83 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 10.1 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 1.15 WHIP
Also mentioned in Jesse's article about the Yankees signing Billings was Tateyama, a 12-year veteran of the Nippon Ham Fighters who went stateside in 2011 with the Rangers at the same time as his longtime teammate, Yu Darvish. He was roughly league average in 44 MLB innings with Texas in 2011, but he began 2012 in Triple-A Round Rock and despite a 1.13 ERA down there, he was crushed in his 14 big-league games that year. He hasn't returned to the majors since then, splitting last year with the Rangers' and Yankees' Triple-A teams. He did have a 1.70 ERA in 21 games with Scranton with very nice BB/K numbers, but his previous experience in the pros does not portend much success in his future as he approaches 40.
RHP Chase Whitley Age as of Opening Day: 24 2013 stats (NYY-AAA): 29 G (5 GS), 67.7 IP, 3.06 ERA, 3.05 FIP, 8.3 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 1.21 WHIP
Whitley is arguably the non-roster invitee with the best legitimate chance at an immediate MLB bullpen job. Unprotected in the Rule 5 draft, the Yankees were fortunate to be able to keep Whitley, a 2010 15th round pick out of Troy University in Alabama who has pitched well at every stop he's made in the Yankees' system. Like Daley, he's been a non-roster invitee for three years in a row, and this is likely his greatest opportunity yet. He pitches well against both righties and lefties, has never had an ERA above 3.88 in any minor league stint, and he doesn't walk all that many people. He's not a dominant arm, but it definitely seems like he could be a youthful boost to the Yankees' bullpen in 2014. Whitley, Montgomery, and Daley are my picks for non-roster pitchers to keep an eye on in camp when pitchers and catchers report on Valentine's Day.
Can this right-handed reliever rebound from a disappointing season and end up in the Bronx before the end of 2014?
Background:
Mark Montgomery was drafted by the Yankees in the 11th round of the 2011 draft out of Longwood University in Virginia. The right-handed relief pitcher had a 0.89 ERA and ten saves his junior year at Longwood while converting ten saves. Montgomery held the Longwood record for lowest ERA, most saves, and fewest hits allowed per nine innings his final year before joining the Yankees.
Montgomery excelled at every level of the Yankees' system in the 2011 and 2012 seasons, putting up a 1.91 and 1.54 ERA, respectively. Being untouched by opposing batters allowed Montgomery to fly through the system before making it to Double-A Trenton at the end of the 2012 season.
2013 Results:
Heading into the 2013 season, Montgomery was ranked 8th in the system by MLB.com after an amazing season the year before. Struggles as a professional didn't really strike Montgomery until his first taste of Triple-A, when he showed up to spring training out of shape. That coupled with injuries hampered his production all season. In 40 innings for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Montgomery pitched to a 3.38 ERA. It was the first time his ERA had been even above 2.00 with the Yankees.
It seems reasonable to assume that Montgomery would have gotten a chance to make it to the big leagues if he hadn't struggled with injuries and an increased walk rate. Unfortunately, his first real problems surfaced at an inopportune time and he never got the chance to showcase his talent at the major league level.
2014 Outlook:
If Montgomery shows up to spring training in good shape and has a strong showing in Tampa, there could be a spot for him in the Yankees' bullpen when the team heads north. It's possible that the team would like to see him prove himself against Triple-A hitters the way that he was able to against hitters in the lower levels of the minors before last season first, but a lot would have to go wrong in 2014 for Montgomery not to get his first taste of MLB.
The Montgomery that was able to fly through the system with ease would be a tremendous asset to the Yankee bullpen that is currently constructed with a number of question marks. His killer strikeout potential could put him in line to be the next sort of David Robertson-type reliever if everything breaks just right for him. It would be really surprising if he spent the entire year in Triple-A, but part of that will depend on how well he took care of himself this offseason.
Ray offers fantasy owners a few first base sleepers for AL only leagues for 2014, including Mark Teixeira, Corey Hart and others.
Everyone loves a sleeper, right? I know I do. Well, I will be offering some fantasy sleepers every Friday during the Consensus Rankings Series. I kicked off the Sleepers series with my AL-only league first basemen who could outperform their draft day values in 2014.
Here is a look at a few AL-only league first basemen who will be available late in drafts who could outperform their draft day value in 2014:
I participated in a 12 team mixed league draft on Tuesday night, and was a little surprised Teixeira was not drafted. Then again, there are concerns he may not be completely healthy after wrist surgery ended his 2013 season after just 15 games last season. Like I wrote in part 2 of the Top 30 first baseman article, Teixeira won't help you in the batting average category, as he is nothing more than a .250ish type hitter now, but if he can stay healthy, and the wrist is 100%, he is capable of 25-30 home runs and 80-90 RBI in the Yankees lineup. Like LaRoche, he is a streaky hitter and is a notorious slow starter, as he owns a career .238 average in the month of April, with just 33 of his 331 career home runs and 111 of his 1,100 career RBI.
Hart is another guy who was injured last season, as he missed the whole season due to two knee surgeries. He is healthy now, and moves from Milwaukee to Seattle this season, where he will play some first base and DH. He has loads of power, but the move from Milwaukee, one of the more prolific home run parks in baseball, to Seattle, which is more of a pitchers park, even after moving in their fences last season, could result in a bit of drop on his home run totals. But, Hart is a late round pick in mixed leagues, so if he can offer 20 home runs and 70-75 RBI, he will provide more than enough value to his fantasy owners.
Swisher is coming off a bit of a disappointing season at the plate, as his slash line dropped to ,246-..341-.423 with 22 home runs, 74 runs and 63 RBI. His home run total was right in line with his career average, but his RBI total and batting average were well below what we have come to expect from Swisher. His line drive percentage actually increased last season, yet his batting average dropped, along with his BABIP, so with a bit more luck this season, we should see him return to the .260-.270 hitter we have come to expect, and with that a possible improvement in the RBI category.
The Astros are not a good team and currently have the likes of Brett Wallace, Chris Carter and Jesus Sanchez manning first base this season. Well, they are only keeping first base warm for prospect Jonathan Singleton who is two to three months away from playing first base in the big leagues. Singleton is one of the top first base prospects in the game, capable of hitting for solid power and not hurting you in the batting average category.
Jason Hunt wrote a player profile on Singleton on Tuesday and you can read it here.
Fantasy Rundown
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The Yankees need to find another reliever to add to the bullpen mix because otherwise their corps of relievers is going to be very underwhelming
The Yankees are well known for being able to fill their bullpen internally. They may not be good at developing prospects, but you can't say they don't turn out their fair share of relievers. In 2013, out of the seven most used relievers, all but two of them were produced internally, and they were all young too (except for Mo, obvs). The Yankees' entire relief corps combined for 3.7 WAR last year, which was about middle of the pack at No. 16 in the league, which is fine, but now they have lost both Mariano Rivera and Boone Logan without adding anyone of substantial merit in return. Many believe the Yankees should aim for an all-internal bullpen, but I think they should have added someone who could have made up for their losses in 2014.
Thanks, Mo. The Yankees paid about $5.7 million per WAR, and while conventional wisdom says that 1.0 WAR is worth around $5 million, Lewie Pollis of Beyond the Box Score determined that 1.0 WAR might be worth as high as $7 million instead. So, the 2013 bullpen could have either been a bargain or an overpay, depending on who you trust.
Obviously, the team was very cost conscious this offseason. They wanted to get under the $189 million budget and tried to save as much money as they could for Masahiro Tanaka, which ultimately seemed like a foolish way of handling things, since they went over anyway. They let some of the better relievers sign elsewhere and decided to stick with their internal options, which is completely fine. Relievers are fickle things, and investing millions of dollars and multiple years into someone you can't trust is not really a smart business plan. The problem comes when you see who the Yankees are entrusting to make up for the 3.5 WAR they produced last season.
* All league minimum salaries are estimations. According to the CBA, it rises to $500,000 in 2014. All WAR estimations are the average of Steamers and Oliver projection systems.
The Yankees can barely put together a total of seven relievers. I stuck Phelps in the bullpen just so we had someone concrete to put in there, but he might end up in the rotation for all we know. Then what? Using this seven, and their 2014 salaries, it looks like the Yankees will be paying around $3.7 million per WAR out of the gate. Whichever value for 1.0 WAR you want to use, it's obvious the Yankees are going cheap, but they're doing it at the cost of a better bullpen.
Using Joba so much cost them the chance at a 4.0 WAR bullpen last season, but the loss of Mo's 1.5 WAR kind of offsets that. Then there's D-Rob's low WAR estimation, and suddenly you have a pretty weak bullpen, $10 million cheaper or not. A 2.9 WAR bullpen in 2013 would have teetered on the edge of the bottom third among bullpens in the league and it would probably be the same in 2014. Add the random smattering of +/- 0 WAR fodder they will surely need just to get through the season, and it's clear that right now they will have a worse bullpen this year.
The Yankees brought in 14 different relievers to compete for a bullpen job this spring and not one of them is anything close to a reliable major league option.
Even if you swap out, say, Dellin Betances for Mark Montgomery, you end up with a 3.2-WAR bullpen, which would rank just behind last year's Yankees. Consider that these 14 are really all they have to pull from during the 2014 season and it doesn't look like they'll being getting much help.
Of course, someone can surprise us. Montgomery offers a dominant 1.0-WAR season, Betances isn't as bad as his projections, or Robertson is much better than people think he will be. But surprises are a two-way street and things could go south in a hurry. That's why another reliever, though not in itself a definitive value, would at least give the Yankees another arm from which to potentially extract value from.
I'm not saying they should have matched the Rockies' ridiculous $16.5 million contract they gave to Boone Logan. Hell no. The Yankees need to find a way to acquire a reliever that could provide some value for them. They did it last year with Shawn Kelley, they're going to need to do it again if they want to nail down this bullpen, because the scrap heap isn't going to cut it. Someone from Zoilo Almonte to Austin Romine to Corban Joseph has to equal a serviceable, cost controlled reliever that can help the Yankees more.
For the first time since 1997 the Yankees have acquired the most hyped Japanese pitcher on the market. That's where the similarities between Masahiro Tanaka and Hideki Irabu should start and end though. We hope.
Way back in 1997 the Yankees were riding high after a thrilling World Series win that snapped an 18-year drought for the franchise. Heading into the season they shored up an already solid pitching staff by signing David Wells as a free agent and seemed poised for a repeat. Naturally, George Steinbrenner needed more and knew exactly where to get it.
In January of that year the San Diego Padres shrewdly purchased the contract of a highly touted, flame-throwing Japanese pitcher named Hideki Irabu. In fact, this move was so shrewd that it combined with the Hideo Nomo signing two years prior and the Alfonso Soriano signing in 1998 to inspire the posting system that we know and love today. The problem for the Padres was that Irabu refused to play for them and made no secret that the only MLB team he would play for was the Yankees. By May, the Yankees worked out a deal that would give them the rights to sign Irabu in return for a package including prized prospect Ruben Rivera and a bag full of cash. Irabu then quickly signed a four-year contract worth $12.8 million. That may not seem like much in today's context, but it was certainly nothing to sneeze at. Just ask Frank Costanza.
When Irabu finally arrived in the Bronx he showed up looking not so much like a baseball player in his prime but more like a 40-something Jonathan Winters. Despite his girth, the scouting reports that painted a picture of a power pitcher with excellent command could not be ignored. If Nomo had removed the stigma surrounding Japanese players in Major League Baseball just a couple years earlier, Irabu was set to take it one step further and prove that not only did they belong, but they could also be among the league's elite.
With the hype machine in full effect and the eyes of the world watching, Irabu's first start did not disappoint. He cruised to an easy win, striking out nine Detroit Tigers in six and a third innings and earning the praise of his catcher and current Yankee manager Joe Girardi. That was where the honeymoon ended though. Irabu was inconsistent at best until he was demoted to the bullpen in September after consecutive starts in which he failed to make it out of the fourth inning. For all of the fanfare that followed him into New York, he just seemed like another dime-a-dozen pitcher who could throw hard but with little effectiveness. Forget elite, he was becoming a classic bust.
The Yankees looked past the rude awakening he got in his rookie year and kept him in the back end of the rotation for the next two seasons. He proved to be serviceable in that role but never lived up to the lofty expectations originally placed on him. During the two dominant playoff runs the Yankees had over that span, Irabu was an afterthought, getting lit up by the Red Sox in his lone appearance. In retrospect, the highlight of his Yankees career took place after a 1999 exhibition game in which he failed to cover first base on a ground ball. A frustrated Steinbrenner then called him a "fat toad" and a legendary nickname was born.
Following the 1999 season, Irabu was shipped to the Montreal Expos for a pair of young pitchers, Jake Westbrook and Ted Lilly, who would go on to have productive careers with teams other than the Yankees. By 2002, he was out of MLB, and by 2004, he was finished with professional baseball altogether. The troubled and enigmatic Irabu would continue to appear in the news now and then for the wrong reasons until July 2011, when he tragically took his own life at just 42 years old, a heartbreaking end to an unfortunate story.
Now we're 17 years removed from Hideki Irabu's signing and some Yankee fans might be worried that they're making a similar mistake in acquiring Masahiro Tanaka. Outside of their nationality, though, they have very little in common. For starters, Tanaka actually looks like an athlete. This shouldn't matter much, but weight was always an issue with Irabu and even these days writers love to cite CC Sabathia's weight as a reason for his performance. Fitness will never be a concern for Tanaka.
The most important way in which these two differ, however, is their skill set. By all measures, Tanaka is simply a better pitcher than Irabu ever was. At 25 years old, Tanaka has already logged more innings in Japan than Irabu had at 28 and with better results. Tanaka has matched Irabu's impressive strikeout rate while walking half as many batters. He has also surrendered home runs at a significantly lower rate and put up an overall ERA more than a full run better than Irabu. Whereas Irabu had immense raw talent that he could not quite harness, Tanaka comes to the Yankees a proven, polished pitcher. He has the quality stuff that every big league pitcher needs, but also the command to make that stuff effective. His insertion into the top of the rotation seems appropriate, not a reach.
The pressure, or lack thereof, on Tanaka from his home country should also not be looked over here. When Irabu headed to the other side of the world, he had the weight of Japan on his shoulders. He was the one that was going to prove that Japanese players should be considered among the best in the world. Every start, every inning, every pitch was a national event that required undivided attention. He's far from the only person that would have cracked under the same unfathomable burden. Since then, dozens and dozens of Japanese pitchers have passed through MLB with most of them performing admirably, even if Yankee fans would like to forget one in particular. The urgency of watching a particular Japanese player in the US has worn off considerably, to the point that Daisuke Matsuzaka and Yu Darvish can pitch without the eyes of the nation all over them. That's all good news for Tanaka.
Does this mean that Tanaka is a slam dunk and will pitch his way right into Cooperstown? Absolutely not, but under this set of circumstances his chances are as good as any that he'll make it big in The Big Apple.
Don't look so glum when looking at the Yankees depth chart. There's a chance this unit could actually be decent!
Unless a major trade occurs, it looks like the players the Yankees currently have are the ones they'll be bringing to Spring Training. And boy, that outfield and starting pitching sure looks impressive. Certainly set at catcher as well. The bullpen is more intriguing than established, but there's definitely potential there. Then we come to the elephant in the room. Four positions on the infield and a solid question mark next to every single one of them. With as much money as the Yankees have spent this offseason, having an infield as shaky as this seems like building a fancy luxury liner with the most amazing amenities without reinforcing the hull. However, if you squint hard enough, there are some positives to be found right behind the mound. Let's go around the horn.
We'll kick it off with first base, where this news is not very conducive to fostering optimism. But honestly, I think most of us were pretty realistic with the kind of player Teixeira would be coming off the wrist injury he has been dealing with. He very possibly will never be the same player again, but that's okay. He's still one of the best defensive first basemen in the game and even as a diminished hitter he should be able to produce more than the ghost of Lyle Overbay. Mark's health will always be a concern this year, but as long as he's not sitting on the shelf, there's reason for optimism.
The porcelain man, Brian Roberts, looks to be the starter at second base. A guy who hasn't played more than 80 games since the season the Yankees were last champs seems like an odd person to nominate as a starter anywhere, but here we are. After posting a 90 wRC+ last year, it seems like Roberts might have just enough pop left in his bat to be a passable second baseman. And in regards to his perilous health, he is reportedly over his concussion symptoms which have plagued over the past few years. The ceiling is not terribly high here, but it's not like the Yankees brought in a total bum.
At short, getting Derek Jeter is always a good thing, because watching Jeter play should warm the heart of even the most dried out husk of a Yankees fan. Sure, his range will be that of a car on square tires, but he still projects as a better than average hitter at short (96 wRC+ per Steamer). And with defensive whiz Brendan Ryan backing him up, the Yankees could mix and match the position into an interesting offensive-defensive rotation depending upon the pitcher that day or the in-game situation.
It looks like Kelly Johnson will be the third baseman by default, unless Dean Anna or another AAAA type can have a really impressive Spring Training. Johnson is probably the safest bet of all the infielders to be at least a league average player with his clean bill of health and relative youth (32). His career 104 wRC+ is nothing to astound at third, but his versatility in the field will be key with the uncertainty at the other positions.
I think 2013 left a terrible taste in everyone's mouths when it comes to being optimistic about older folks and/or injury risks. But one difficult year does not automatically portend another, and unlike most of the scrap heap additions from last year, there is talent here. Injuries will occur and things will go wrong, but with the rest of the talent on this team, I think the only thing the infield needs to strive to be is okay. Not terrible, not great, but productive enough as to not drag the outfield and pitching staff down into an abyss of mediocrity. And I think (while not confident enough to bet anything of value on it) this group is capable of doing that.
Yesterday, I profiled the 13 non-roster invitee pitchers, so next up are the 13 non-roster invitee position players, where we'll actually get the amazingly named hitters alluded to in the title of this post! So huzzah for that. Maybe.
NRI Position Players
C Francisco Arcia Age as of Opening Day: 24 2013 stats (NYY-AA/A+): 55 G, .213/.286/.305, 1 2B, 2 HR, 19.2% K%, 36 wRC+ (AA)
The prototypical minor league depth catcher, Arcia's pretty much only in camp to serve as a backup. and for good reason since he can't hit a lick. A 21% caught stealing rate during last season with Double-A Trenton and High-A Tampa seems to indicate that he's not particularly adept at throwing baserunners out either. Who knows? Maybe he's good at pitch framing or he did some kind of innocuous favor for Joe Girardi one time. I can't really explain Arcia's purpose to the Yankees, but life goes on.
OF Tyler Austin Age as of Opening Day: 22 2013 stats (NYY-AA): 83 G, .257/.344/.373, 17 2B, 6 HR, 21.6% K%, 103 wRC+
Austin struggled somewhat in 2013 after surprising as the Yankees' Minor League Player of the Year in 2012. Some regression was expected, but the young righthanded hitter also fought both a bone bruise on his wrist and a sprained right thumb throughout the season. Although these ailments understandably limited his batting numbers, he still hit roughly around league average. Hit-suppressing Arm & Hammer Park in Trenton also did a number on him, as he slugged a much better .427 on the road away from the pitcher's park. ESPN's Keith Law liked him enough to rank him the second-best prospect in the Yankees' system and 85th overall, though chances are he'll begin 2014 back in Trenton. Chris Mitchell did a more thorough profile of Austin earlier in Pinstripe Alley's prospect profile series, so check that out for more.
INF/OF Russ Canzler Age as of Opening Day: 27 2013 stats (BAL/PIT-AAA): 125 G, .252/.343/.376, 16 2B, 12 HR, 19.3% K%, 125 wRC+ (BAL
Canzler was a Yankee for about a month during the offseason until the Orioles claimed him off waivers in February. He never made it into a major league game last year though, spending time with both the O's and Pirates' Triple-A affiliates (he does have MLB experience thanks to September call-ups with the Rays in 2011 and Indians in 2012). After Canzler moved to Indianapolis with the Pirates, he fell into a bad slump with a 45 wRC+ over his final 39 games, staining what had actually been a fairly decent minor league season up to that point. The righthanded hitter mashed lefties with a .327/.438/.617 triple slash in 130 plat appearances last year and he has experience at both first and third, which are both positions where the Yankees are desperately seeking depth. This versatility should give Canzler a decent shot at a major league job, especially if Mark Teixeira's wrist causes him to miss time.
OF Adonis Garcia Age as of Opening Day: 28 2013 stats (NYY-AAA): 50 G, .256/.312/.357, 9 2B, 3 HR, 9.7% K%, 88 wRC+
The dashingly-named Garcia was briefly in camp last year with the Yankees but suffered a broken wrist during batting practice that kept him out until July. The Yankees must have been hoping for good things from Garcia, as they didn't even have him spend any time at Trenton, where he had a 123 wRC+ in 28 games in 2012. Unfortunately, Garcia did not appear to be all that prepared for Triple-A. Given his disappointing 2013 season, his advanced age (he'll be 29 in April), and a decent crop of Trenton outfielders knocking on Scranton's door, he might not be long for the organization.
C Jose Gil Age as of Opening Day: 27 2013 stats (BAL/NYY-AAA/AA): 23 G, .250/.321/.276, 2 2B, 19% K%
See also: Arcia, Francisco. Gil was in the Yankees' organization for eight years before the two sides parted ways in 2013 and he joined the Orioles' minor league system for a handful of games. Baltimore cut him loose and he actually spent seven games with the Independent Lincoln Saltdogs in Nebraska until the Yankees brought him back into the fold. Gil is more organizational depth at catcher and will probably just be backing up some superior catching prospect at one of the levels in 2014.
2B Corban Joseph Age as of Opening Day: 25 2013 stats (NYY): 2 G, .167/.286/.333, 2B, 14.3% K%, 71 wRC+ (NYY-AAA): 47 G, .239/.329/.383, 9 2B, 6 HR, 18.3% K%, 101 wRC+
CoJo torched International League pitching in 2012 with a 134 wRC+ in 84 Triple-A games and he had enough positive reps in camp last year that the Yankees called upon him to make his MLB debut last year as the 26th man during a mid-May doubleheader in Cleveland. After the excitement of his first game and hit however, Joseph's season spiraled out of control as his shoulder ailed him. He never played a game after Memorial Day and underwent season-ending shoulder surgery not long after. The departure of Robinson Cano means an opening might be there for Joseph to take at least a bench job at the MLB level, and the fact that he has some experience playing the corner infield positions as well can only stand to help him (though he would need serious work at third). First, he'll have to prove that he's fully recovered from the surgery. His lefty bat and doubles power could play well in Yankee Stadium, so here's hoping that CoJo has a bounceback season.
C/3B Pete O'Brien Age as of Opening Day: 23 2013 stats (NYY-A+/A-): 119 G, .291/.350/.544, 39 2B, 22 HR, 26.5% K%, 122 wRC+ (A+)
O'Brien can mash and the the numbers speak for themselves. He pummeled pitching with both Low-A Charleston and Tampa despite not playing home games at hitter's parks; hitting 39 doubles in 119 games is ridiculous. Unfortunately, like Jesus Montero, O'Brien is a complete butcher in the field. He has badly struggled behind the plate in his career and he wasn't much better at third base. If he ever reaches the majors, it will probably be in an almost exclusively DH role, and that's not exactly a great thing for prospects. Time will tell if O'Brien's bat can carry him there (the strikeout numbers are concerning), but for 2014, he'll probably start off back in Tampa or in Trenton. Maybe he can try first base.
UT Jose Pirela Age as of Opening Day: 24 2013 stats (NYY-AAA/AA): 129 G, .274/.358/.413, 27 2B, 10 HR, 19 SB, 11.4% K%, 118 wRC+ (AA)
Another dark horse infield candidate, Pirela hit quite well in Trenton in his third straight season there and even spent five games in Scranton, his first time above Double-A. While the righthanded hitter's numbers were nice, keep in mind that the Yankees have kept him in Trenton for so long in part because his defense is so questionable. Pirela has experience at second base, shortstop, left field, and even some at third base, but he doesn't play any of them particularly well. The guess here is that he'll start the season in Scranton and wait in the wings as a possible infield replacement whenever Brian Roberts inevitably goes down due to injury. Jason wrote more about Pirela's chance in 2014 here.
OF Antoan Richardson Age as of Opening Day: 30 2013 stats (MIN-AAA/AA): 115 G, .285/.402/.371, 20 2B, 0 HR, 39 SB, 18.2% K%, 115 wRC+ (AAA)
Jesse wrote about Richardson when the Yankees signed him back in November. He's a Crash Davis-type nine-year minor league veteran with just nine games of MLB service time from a September call-up with the Braves in 2011. He has basically no power, but he does have a patient approach at the plate that leads to many walks, which often turn into doubles since he has was successful on 84.8% of his 46 stolen base attempts last year. Of course as Jesse noted, these are all numbers at the minor league level, so it's difficult to say whether his plate discipline would translate to the major league level, especially given his already-considerable strikeout numbers. He's a fifth outfielder candidate, but likely nothing more, so with Ichiro Suzuki apparently entrenched on the roster, it's unlikely we'll see him much at all outside of Scranton in 2014.
INF Scott Sizmore Age as of Opening Day: 29 2013 stats (OAK): 2 G, 1-for-6, 2B, 0 BB, 2 K
Sizemore's comeback from a lost season due to a torn ACL in 2012 lasted two MLB games before he tore it again in early April. He underwent season-ending surgery and thus only has those two games on his professional record since the end of the 2011 season. As I mentioned when the Yankees signed him though, he was quite good for the Athletics in 2011, reaching a 109 wRC+ while spending decent time at both third and second, two positions of great need for the Yankees in 2014. Obviously his health is a huge wild card, but his versatility and decent offensive production have the potential to make him a very intriguing Opening Day roster candidate. Keep an eye on Sizemore.
INF Yangervis Solarte Age as of Opening Day: 26 2013 stats (TEX-AAA): 133 G, .276/.323/.403, 31 2B, 12 HR, 12% K%, 89 wRC+
Solarte has never played in the major leagues and was playing in the Pacific Coast League last year with the Texas Rangers' Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock. It's not exactly inspiring that his offense wasn't impressive even in the hitter-friendly PCL, but it's whatever; most likely, Solarte will serve as organizational depth and Dean Anna figures to get more of a look than him. Lone Star Ball's Adam Morris did have this to say about Solarte:
@Jason00Cohen@pinstripealley he generated some buzz in the Rangers camp the last couple of years. Folks liked his bat, for a 2B.
INF Zelous Wheeler Age as of Opening Day: 27 2013 stats (BAL-AAA/AA): 114 G, .275/.354/.414, 22 2B, 11 HR, 16% K%, 114 wRC+ (AAA)
Like Richardson, Wheeler signed with the Yankees back in November and Jesse wrote about him. (Once again, round of applause for Jesse for tackling all those small signings.) He can play all around the infield and actually hit pretty well for the Orioles' Triple-A team, with whom he spent 90 games with in 2013. The Yankees' last infield spot seems most likely to come down to either him, Sizemore, or Dean Anna, and he doesn't seem like he'd be a horrible MLB backup. Get pumped for Michael Kay making bad "zealous for Zelous" joke in Spring Training.
OF Mason Williams Age as of Opening Day: 22 2013 stats (NYY-AA/A+): 117 G, .244/.303/.336, 24 2B, 4 HR, 14.7% K%, 95 wRC+ (A+)
Chris Mitchell will have a more in-depth prospect profile of Williams coming up in a couple weeks, but most people reading this blog probably have a decent idea of who Williams is. If not, the SparkNotes version is an excellent 2011 season in short-season-A Staten Island began to land him on Top 100 Prospects lists back in 2012, and he maintained his place that year with a solid stint in Low-A Charleston that earned him a promotion to Tampa by July. However, 2013 was a big step backward for Williams, who struggled in the Florida State League and went a paltry 11-for-72 with little plate discipline upon an August promotion to Trenton (though he did play better in the Eastern League playoffs). Williams is going to need a comeback season this year to justify the praise for his natural tools that still managed to place him on MLB.com and Keith Law's Top 100 Prospects lists entering 2014.
Does the newly-signed reliever have a shot at making the Opening Day roster and, if so, what might his role be?
Having signed right-handed reliever Nick Masset to a minor-league contract that would pay him $1.2 million if he made the Major League roster, the Rockies added another option to an already crowded group of relievers.
Counting Masset and the newly re-signed Manuel Corpas, the Rockies now have a good dozen options for relievers to staff their bullpen with.
Barring a trade or injury or trade in Spring Training, five relievers have a roster spot seemingly locked up, including closing options Rex Brothers and LaTroy Hawkins, righty setup man Matt Belisle and lefties Boone Logan and Franklin Morales. That leaves seven players for either two or three spots, depending on if the team goes with a more traditional seven-man bullpen or the eight-man version they used at times last season.
If the Rockies stick to seven relievers in the pen, the two obvious candidates to fill the sixth and seventh spots would be Adam Ottavino and Wilton Lopez. Both pitchers performed well for the team last year and would be among that group of locks if not for the fact that they each have an option year remaining and could possibly start the year in AAA if they were agreeable to such an arrangement.
If one of Lopez or Ottavino fails to make the roster or gets injured in Spring Training or the Rockies choose to go with an eighth reliever, Masset would likely be near the top of the list of names to take that spot, along with Corpas, Chad Bettis and Rob Scahill.
Throwing a wrench into the whole situation is Rule V draft pick Tommy Kahnle, who must be on the active roster all season or be returned to the Yankees, which could mean he gets a spot purely to keep him in the organization. Another wrench could be thrown into the bullpen selection process if the Rockies sign another starter or someone like Jordan Lyles or Christian Friedrich earns a spot in the rotation out of Spring Training and makes Juan Nicasio a bullpen option.
Given that Masset has not pitched in a Major League game since 2011 because of injury, I would bet on the Rockies starting his season at Colorado Springs with him being one of the first options for them to go to when one of their MLB relievers gets hurt.
After an offseason spending spree, are the Yankees ready to get back to October this season?
After an expensive offseason, which saw the Yankees overhaul their outfield by adding Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, improve their rotation by signing Masahiro Tanaka, and shockingly decide to actually have a catcher this season by bringing in Brian McCann, the Yankees have made some major changes to their roster. After winning only 85 gameslast season and missing the playoffs, some changes were to be expected. Still, have the Yankees improved enough to make the playoffs in 2014? After losing Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and most importantly, Robinson Cano, have the Yankees even improved at all?
From where I sit, the Yankees are certainly better than they were last year. Yes, they would be favorites in the division if they had held onto Cano (oh, what could have been...), but even with his loss, the additions they made more than make the offseason a net gain. With offensive upgrades at five positions (two outfield spots with Beltran and Ellsbury replacing Vernon Wells and Ichiro Suzuki, who each played over 100 games, Brian McCann replacing Chris Stewart, who also played over 100 games, and Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira replacing their various stand-ins from last year) plus a full season of Alfonso Soriano at DH, the Yankees should score many more runs than they did in 2013. This will more than likely put them into the top 10 in runs scored (they were 18th last year, and dead last in the AL East). Their slew of offseason improvements should put the Yankees squarely in the middle of the AL East race, when it comes to offensive production this season.
Even without Andy Pettitte, the rotation will likely improve with the addition of Masahiro Tanaka. While it's impossible to know what he'll do in the major leagues, Tanaka's complete dominance in Japan at least suggests he'll be quiet successful here. CC Sabathia is a bigger question mark than he's ever been, as is Hiroki Kuroda, who sort of fell apart down the stretch last season. It remains to be seen if Ivan Nova can be consistent at the major league level, but Tanaka certainly makes the rotation better, and not bringing back Phil Hughes more than likely makes the rotation better by subtraction (unless Michael Pineda, David Phelps, or whoever ends up as the fifth starter, completely underwhelms).
Remember, the Yankees almost made the playoffs with Sabathia having the worst year of his career (in terms of fWAR), so if he can improve just a bit, their staff should be one of the better rotations in the majors, and should be a solid improvement over last year's. The bullpen remains a bit worrisome (and I completely agree that a trade for an established reliever needs to be made, which Jason makes a great case for here) but I have faith in David Robertson to be a dominant closer. It'll just be getting it from the starters to him that will be the problem.
But their pitching staff improving isn't enough in and of itself to make the playoffs - how does the Yankees 2014 rotation compare to the others in the AL East?
They probably won't be as good as the Red Sox staff, lead by the dynamic duo of Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, followed up by the dependable John Lackey and fiery, but solid, Jake Peavy, with some combination of Ryan Dempster/Felix Doubront rounding out the rotation. They also probably won't be quite as good (although they could be close) as the Tampa Bay Rays rotation of David Price, Matt Moore, Alex Cobb, Jeremy Hellickson, and young arm Chris Archer (12th best staff ERA in the majors last year, even with a bit of regression from David Price). The Yankees staff is probably just a notch below these, although if Michael Pineda lives up to his potential, and Tanaka somewhat lives up to the hype, the Yankees rotation should be right there with these two.
It's certainly better than the rotations of the Baltimore Orioles (who after Chris Tillman, is a lot of question marks) and the Toronto Blue Jays (who, even though R.A. Dickey should bounce back and Brandon Morrow won't be as bad as last year, still don't quite have the arms to truly compete). While the Yankees pitching staff has a lot of question marks, New York, at least on paper, has a rotation that should put them squarely in the hunt for the AL East title.
If they fail to win the East, but still manage to snag second, a consistently tough task with the emergence of Tampa Bay and Baltimore the past few years, stiff competition will remain for the two Wild Card spots. One playoff spot figures to go to whomever claims second in the AL West, most likely a battle coming down to the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers (who look like a lock for the postseason after adding Shin-Soo Choo and Prince Fielder).
The surprising Cleveland Indians, who snuck into the playoffs last year, will probably be good again next year, as their rotation includes good young pitchers like Justin Masterson, Corey Kluber, and Zach McAllister, who have improved from year to year. Still, while their offense is good (Jason Kipnis had a breakout year last year, and Carlos Santana continues to get better) and their staff is young and talented, Cleveland lacks the big bats the Yankees have, and the back end of their rotation, especially if they don't bring back Ubaldo Jimenez, will be quite lacking.
The Kansas City Royals, also from the Central, finished ahead of the Yankees last year, but I don't see them getting close again this year. If they don't re-sign Ervin Santana, their staff will be only James Shields and some vastly mediocre pitchers who performed better than expected last year and might not repeat in 2014. Their offense was even worse than the Yankees last year, except the big difference is that it wasn't rocked with injuries. Last year was a good one for Kansas City, but look for them to have a little more difficulty this year.
All told, the Yankees should be quite competitive for the AL East or wild card, finishing ahead of both Cleveland and Kansas City, and perhaps Oakland. However, they're still very, very thin in the infield, so an injury or two there and 2014 could be a repeat of 2013. With a little luck, the rotation should keep the Yankees in the hunt, and the improved offense should be worlds better than last year's; we should all see October baseball back in the Bronx in 2014.
But what about you - do you think the Yankees will make the playoffs?
The Yankees infield for 2014 is certainly its greatest weakness, but how would it stack up against infields in Yankee history?
After going on an enormous shopping spree the Yankees organization filled a variety of glaring needs, but at the same time still left holes all around the infield. At first base there is the hobbled Mark Teixeira who stated that he would probably feel stiffness in his wrist throughout the season, an elderly Derek Jeter at shortstop, and then Brian Roberts, Kelly Johnson (who isn't half bad) and utility players to round out the depth chart. But even so, as Michael Brown so eloquently put it--there are positives to be found. These players certainly do have the potential to put together seasons that go beyond what the projections are saying (which is that they're pretty bad). But let's play a game. Let's pretend that these players on the infield depth chart played exactly to their projections. To put it into perspective, how would this total infield fWAR rank historically amongst Yankee infields?
To figure this out, I tabulated the fWAR of each position in the infield for each year since 1920 and tallied up their total infield fWAR. The mean infield fWAR in this time period is 13.1 fWAR, with a standard deviation of 5.09 fWAR. I then ranked them from smallest to largest, obviously, to figure out how they would be ranked. You can take a look at the spreadsheet here. So, how would a projected 2014 infield rank? Not very well. The projected depth chart would combine for a whopping 7.4 fWAR, making them 84th out of 95th all time, which also puts them at 1.12 standard deviations below the mean. And for a point of reference, which historical Yankees do they most resemble? The 1961 Yankee team.
The 1961 Yankee team is sometimes regarded as one of the greatest teams in MLB history, but certainly not for its infield prowess. At first base they had Bill Skowron, who is actually an identical comparison to that of Mark Teixeira's projection at 2.6 fWAR. At second base, there was a black hole in Bobby Richardson. He played every game of the season and put up -1 fWAR, 69 wRC+, and only hit three home runs. At shortstop there was Tony Kubek whose excellent defense put him at 3.4 fWAR, and Clete Boyer rounded out the infield at third base with 3.7 fWAR. This infield combined for exactly the same total as the projected 2014 infield--7.4 fWAR.
There's only one small difference between the two, and it's that the 2014 Yankees are projected to win about 88 games, while the 1961 Yankees won 109 games. The 1961 Yankees showed that it was certainly possible to get by with a well below average infield, when the supporting cast is well above average to pick them up. That's certainly going to be a question going into 2014 for the Yankees--while it is possible that the infield will exceed projections, will the players around them be good enough to pick up the slack? It's definitely a possibility, but that'll be difficult without having Mickey Mantle or Roger Maris on this team.
Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE
