Can this former outfielder improve on his second base defense in the upper levels of the minor leagues in 2014?

Background:

The Yankees selected Rob Refsnyder in the fifth round of the 2012 draft out of the University of Arizona. Just prior to being drafted by the Yankees, Refsnyder was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 College World Series with the champion Wildcats. Refsnyder kicked off his professional career with the Charleston RiverDogs for 46 games immediately following the draft, hitting .241/.319/.364 with four home runs and 11 stolen bases.

In his time at Arizona Refsnyder was used in the outfield, but questions over just how much power he'd develop as a professional player led the Yankees to draft him as a second baseman. The right-handed hitter was born in South Korea before being adopted by parents in the United States.

2013 Results:

Refsnyder was moved from the outfield back to second base, where he played in high school, during his first full season as a professional. His season began back with the RiverDogs, but it took only 13 games before he was promoted to High-A Tampa. In 117 games with the Yankees, Refsnyder put together a .283/.408/.404 batting line with six home runs and 16 stolen bases.

The transition back to second base wasn't a seamless one in 2013 considering that Refsnyder committed 20 errors at the position with Tampa and five errors before departing from Charleston. Those are certainly kinks in his game that the Yankees will be looking for him to improve in 2014 at a higher level of the minor league system.

2014 Outlook:

All things point to Refsnyder kicking off the 2014 season with the Double-A Trenton Thunder as their every day second baseman. If he puts up offensive numbers like he did in 2013 again this season and finds a way to stop throwing the ball away on defense, he could be moved through the system rather quickly considering the gaping hole the Yankees are left with at second base currently.

The only notable prospect really standing in Refsnyder's way is Jose Pirela, who comes with plenty of defensive concerns on his own. A strong season on both sides of the ball could allow Refsnyder to leap frog over Pirela on the depth chart and earn him a promotion to Triple-A before the season is over. The conservative guess for a possible ETA on Refsnyder would likely be late 2015, but being a player drafted out of college does give the team plenty of ability not to worry about keeping him at every level for a whole season. If he proves that he can keep up his offense and keep from being a liability on defense, it's possible that the Yankees might give him a look for the starter's job out of spring training next season.

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• Yankees Prospects: Fangraphs top 10 list
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There's a chance Yankees' prospect Manny Banuelos could make the team as a reliever, despite missing two years due to elbow problems.

According to the dynamic duo of Andrew Marchand and Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York, Yankees' prospect Manny Banueloscould make the big league team as a second left-hander out of the bullpen. A "front office source" of the Yankees tells ESPN New York that "Banuelos has got that big arm. If it's still there and the lightning still strikes, then you're going to hear people say, 'f--k it, bring him with us on (Opening Day)'"

Despite missing what amounts to nearly two full seasons due to elbow problems, which ended in Tommy John surgery, Banuelos turns just 23 years old in March. At the moment, the Yankees have what appears to be only three guaranteed relievers (David Robertson, Shawn Kelley, and Matt Thornton) that will make the Opening Day roster, so, if he shines this spring, Banuelos could make the team and help out with the thin bullpen.

My reaction? I really hope this isn't something that will happen. Yes, Banuelos did lose nearly two years of development due to elbow issues, and that is no small task to come back from. However, before the injury, Banuelos had, and probably still does have, the upside of a number two or three starter. If anything, the Yankees should see what they have in Banuelos in 2014 as a starter, and if he fails tremendously, then we can talk about putting him in the bullpen. I'm just hoping Cesar Cabral has a killer Spring Training so he makes the big league roster and we don't have to have this conversation about Banuelos being a reliever, at least for now.

More from Pinstripe Alley

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• Yankees Prospect Profile: Rob Refsnyder
• Yankees Spring Training: Who should be the backup catcher?
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• Yankees Prospects: Fangraphs top 10 list
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Larry and Paul Dolan have taken the brunt of Cleveland fan frustration over the years, but it is time for Cleveland fans to recognize that this ownership group has done a lot right.

We're all Indians fans around these parts and I'd venture to guess that I am not the only Cavs and/or Browns fan in the neighborhood. For the past few months, if not longer, our Cleveland brethren have taken a beating for poor performances on the field/court and even worse performance in the front office. As all this was happening, and in the shadow of a 90-win season that included hosting a postseason game, there was this:

It is a sad state of affairs when the Dolans are the most productive owners in Cleveland sports.

— NOTSCCleveland (@NOTSCCleveland) January 30, 2014

I don't mean to call out @NOTSCCleveland, which is admittedly a parody account, but this tweet got bunches of retweets, replies and favorites, and was far from the only time I saw or heard someone express this sentiment.

There seems to be a base-line assumption around the Cleveland sports scene that Larry Dolan and his son Paul are brutally bad owners, only made to look reasonable in comparison to the debacles elsewhere in town. It is not a new phenomenon, the Dolans have been a punching bag for local fans (including some readers of this site) for years, and honestly, I don't get it.

I mean, I understand the frustration when we have to ship out or best players before they reach free agency or when we pass on the big name free agents. But what I don't understand is all the people who look past the overwhelming evidence that Dolan is an excellent owner.

To me, the owner of any operation has three jobs:

1. Provide whatever value you can, while knowing your own limits
2. Hire the best people you can to run your organization
3. Stay out of their way.

That's it. And it works not just in sports, but any business. If you own a restaurant, but can't cook, hire a great chef, and get out of their way. If you own a magazine but can't write, hire a great editor, let him or her hire the best writers, and get out of their way.

From what I can tell, the Dolans sign off on the budget (and we will get back to the budget in a minute), then give Mark Shapiro, Chris Antonetti, and the front office those two have assembled free reign to run the baseball side of the organization as they see fit. Shapiro and Antonetti are among the best in baseball at their jobs, by all accounts highly regarded within the industry. There are reasons we heard for years that Antonetti was a candidate for other jobs, before he succeeded Shapiro.

"But the Dolans are so cheap! You can't just brush off the budget!"

This has been the narrative long enough that the Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn signings feel like aberrations, but there is a lot of evidence the fans are inventing an issue here. If Shapiro thought Dolan was not providing him with the support to build a winner, don't you think he would have taken another job? Would Chris Antonetti have patiently waited his turn when, by all accounts, other organizations were ready to offer him a job?

Along the same lines, do you really think Terry Francona would have left the comfy confines of retirement just for a team stymied by stingy ownership? You have to believe Shapiro, Antonetti, and Francona all believe Dolan is doing the right things.

In baseball's economic environment, Dolan has done almost everything right. How many of you saw this yesterday?That's Baseball America telling us the Indians were 4th in international spending in 2013. In the international market, good scouting, recruiting, and quick movements can turn a hefty profit on a relatively small investment.

In the meantime, the Dolans get blasted for not buying up free agents, but they cannot possibly be expected to outspend the Dodgers or Yankees or Red Sox. Besides, any baseball economist can tell you that there is no worse return on an investment than a free agent. When you sign a free agent, you are usually just hoping the first years are good enough to make up for the last years, which are probably going to be a huge waste of money. The Dolans have hired smart people, enabled them to find talent, provided the cash to sign young players to long-term deals, and stayed out of the public spotlight while the front office does its job.

Fans think they want the deep pockets of the Steinbrenners running the team, but that seemingly unlimited cash flow comes not from a family but from a city and a media market. If you want the Indians to spend like that, just wait for Cleveland to surpass New York's population, or for the team to move to a bigger market, or for baseball to make fundamental changes in its economic system.

Since Dolan took over the team in 2000, the Indians have developed and traded for some terrific young talent (Victor Martinez, Carlos Santana, Grady Sizemore, Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera, CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, and more). The team has finished first or second 6 times and have never finished in last. The organization has had the kind of stability the Browns and Cavs can only dream of.

And honestly, I am not sure what more you can ask of an owner.

.

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There was essentially no Yankees news over the last two weeks aside from non-roster invitee news, but we recorded a podcast anyway. It was bold.

No Yankees news? Over it. Nothing much from MLB as a whole? Whatever. We still podcasted. We're risk-takers like that.

[2:20] Non-roster invitees! yeahhhhh (we weep for Ronnier Mustelier, then make... certain judgments on Zelous Wheeler and other players)
[10:00] We... talk about this crazy picture and speculate on his music preferences

Great/awful news for Red Sox fans: Big Papi is now Medium Papi: http://t.co/N8RwmAri93pic.twitter.com/ij7sWIm8M1

— SB Nation (@sbnation) February 5, 2014

[13:30] Should the Yankees add any more free agents? Talking Stephen Drew, Brian Roberts, and Scott Sizemore
[19:10] The bullpen could use more reinforcements, but the remaining free agent crop is appallingly weak
[24:45] Checking up on the Yankees' AL East competition and what exactly the Red Sox, Rays, Orioles, and Blue Jays have done this offseason
[34:41] Tweetbag: Signing more players, six-man rotation
[38:24] We each make a BOLD PREDICTION for the season (relevant link)
[43:13] Yankee/Mitre of the Week (featuring interludes on WWE Alex Rodriguez and revulsion at Austin Romine's beard)

Along with Nolan, #Yankees C Austin Romine had his jersey retired, here with El Toro coach Mike Gonzales. pic.twitter.com/uBmK1WHIms

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) February 3, 2014

Podcast link (Length: 56:16)

iTunes link

RSS feed

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• Yankees Spring Training: Who should be the backup catcher?
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Despite his shortcomings and the trade rumors, there actually is a case to be made to keep Ichiro Suzuki in 2014.

Aside from a solid season from Brett Gardner, to go along with two awesome months from Alfonso Soriano, the Yankees' outfield in 2013 was mostly a mess. As a whole, Yankee outfielders hit .251/.309/.387 with an 89 wRC+. Part of that offensive ineptitude was Ichiro Suzuki's own doing, as the then 39-year-old hit .262/.297/.342 with a 71 wRC+ in 555 plate appearances. Because of this, the Yankees upgraded their outfield this winter by signing Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran. With five outfielders in the mix, Ichiro was rumored to be on the way out. However, despite his shortcomings with the bat, there is a case to be made to keep Ichiro on the team

The Ichiro problem in 2013 began before the season even started. In fact, it began in the off-season heading up to 2013, when the "top of the Yankees' hierarchy demanded his re-signing." After hitting to a 90 OPS+ from 2011-2012, the "top of the Yankees' hierarchy" (*cough* Hal and Levine) gave Ichiro, who was on the wrong side of 38, a two-year deal and made him their everyday right fielder. Obviously, and predictably, that backfired. On the flip side though, Ichiro will not, barring a few injuries, be the regular right fielder in 2014, thankfully.

The 2014 outfield should mainly be Gardner in left, Ellsbury in center, and Beltran in right. They can have Soriano DH or play right field, where he has never played before, while Beltran DH's or just takes a day off altogether. This, of course, leaves no room for Ichiro. He's basically the fifth outfielder at this point, and most fifth outfielders are just late-inning defensive replacements and/or pinch-runners, which, given the situation in right field, is a player the Yankees could use.

Say the Yankees are hosting the Oakland Athletics and are up 6-5 to start the eighth inning. Beltran's and/or Soriano's spot in the lineup won't come up for another inning or two, and the A's have the top of their lineup due to bat. Beltran, whose knees will surely explode one of these years, and Soriano, who has never played right field and might not even have the arm for it anyway, are your choices in right. Meanwhile, you have Ichiro sitting on the bench; he comes in, cuts a ball off towards the gap, and holds Coco Crisp to a single. If Beltran or Soriano were out there, perhaps that ball rolls to the wall, resulting in a double, or even a triple. Jed Lowrie then comes up and grounds into a 4-6-3 double play, whereas a ground ball to the right side moves Coco Crisp over to third with one out if Beltran or Soriano were in right field.

Or, the situation could be the Yankees being down 4-3 in the top of the ninth at Fenway Park against the Red Sox. Koji Uehara is on the mound and he allows a leadoff single to Beltran. Ichiro, sitting on the bench, comes in to pinch-run. Next, Ichiro steals second, then Brian McCann, or whoever is set to hit behind Beltran, knocks home Suzuki to tie the game. The game then goes to extra innings with the score at 4-4, where David Ortiz hits a deep drive to right field. Ichiro, after hitting for Beltran, is the new right fielder, and promptly makes a nice running catch in deep right field to rob Ortiz of an extra-base hit. Finally, with the game still tied, the Yankees score the go-ahead run and finish off the game the next half inning.

Sure, these are random, in-game situations I came up with in my head, and the Yankees may only have a small number of these exact opportunities come up during the season, but the point remains. Ichiro is, even at 40 years of age, a pretty useful fifth outfielder, and someone that doesn't hurt to have. The thing I'm afraid of, though, is if when one of the outfielders gets hurt, Ichiro will be thrust into everyday duty, instead of someone like Zoilo Almonte, who, at this point, deserves an everyday role over Ichiro, even if he struggled last season. The Yankees love their veterans, and Ichiro is sure to get everyday at-bats over a young guy like Zoilo, even if it's the wrong thing to do. It's in their M.O; it's who they are.

Another reason to keep Ichiro may be because the Yankees simply won't find someone to take him off their hands; his $6.5 million price tag is a little expensive for most teams, given his abilities. Ken Rosenthal came up with an Ichiro-for-J.J.-Putz swap, but that's speculation more than anything. The Diamondbacks' outfield is packed, and they already have a fifth outfielder like Ichiro in Tony Campana, anyway. I've also seen trade suggestions that involve Ichiro going to a team for a broken down/pricey reliever, which may hurt the Yankees more than it helps them. Although he's far from the player he used to be, keeping Ichiro in a limited role may be the smart thing, and the thing that is most likely to happen, for the Yankees.

More from Pinstripe Alley

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• Yankees Spring Training: Who should be the backup catcher?
• Yankees hot stove: Are any of the big name free agents available worth pursuing for New York?
• Yankees Prospects: Fangraphs top 10 list
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• Should the Yankees consider a six-man rotation?

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Yankees Hot stove: Making a case to keep Ichiro
• Pinstripe Alley Podcast Episode 35: Hot Garbage
• Yankees prospects: Manny Banuelos could make team as a reliever
• Yankees Prospect Profile: Rob Refsnyder

Yankees News

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• NoMaas | SJK:Mark Teixeira might be the most boring person in the world.
• New York Post | Rich Calder: The Players Union wants Alex Rodriguez's lawsuit against them to be thrown out of court.
• Bombers Beat | Bryan Hoch: The YES Network announcers talk about Masahiro Tanaka.
• An A-Blog For A-Rod | Brad Vietrogoski: What can Preston Claiborne really provide the Yankees?
• LoHud | Chad Jennings:CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez should be cautionary tales for future longterm investments.
• ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: The Yankees are hoping to replenish their system by spending a lot of money on international free agents.
• It's About the Money | Michael Eder: Projecting Hiroki Kuroda in 2014.
• ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: Yankees prospect Luis Severino might be the team's next big international star.
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The MVP of the 2002 World Series

#12 - TROY GLAUS, 3B

Perhaps the only good thing to come out of the terrible 79-91 1996 Anaheim Angels season was the third pick in the June, 1997 draft. They chose Troy Glaus out of UCLA. Thirteen months later he made his major league debut for the team, appearing in 48 games, all at the hot corner. He played a full season the next year, putting up an almost-league average OPS+ of 98 in 154 games and survived the purge and negativity that was the 1999 Angels season from hell.

Then, just when fans were getting grumbly that this "can't miss" prospect was maybe not up to the hype he had come with, well... he put together three great seasons, capped off with winning the World Series MVP in 2002.

In 2000 he set the franchise record from most home runs in an Angels season with 47 bombs. His OPS was 1.008 that year, the second best mark in team history for On Base + Slugging Percentage. The power boost season was outshined just a tad by Darin Erstad having an even greater season - imagine how terrible the pitching was on the Halos when they got 8.3 Wins Above Replacement by Darin Erstad and 7.8 WAR by Glaus and finished third in the AL West at 82-80.

He followed that up by "only" hitting 41 HR in 2001, scoring 11 runs, hitting 38 doubles and raching an OPS+ of 133 with an OPS of .898 with 81 Extra Base Hits and 107 Walks each rank as the fourth most in an Angels single season ever.

Of course everyone remembers 2002 but it was a year with less production, although fans of the RBI like Mike Scioscia wouldn't know it with his career best 111 RBI that year, he still had 142 hits, 99 runs scored and 30 homers, but his walks were down to 88... there have been many seasons where NO Angels player had that many walks and here it is the down year of three for Glaus. His 30th homer of the season was a grand slam on the final day of the year that sailed over my head in my seats next to the Batter's Eye in Right-Center Field. I t capped a grat year by the team and was the 99th win of the season.

But there would be eleven more victories. Glaus was integral to many of them. He hit three solo homers in the ALDS against the Yankees and batted .316 with a homer against the Twins. In the World Series he hit a home run in his first series at bat in Game One. All the announcers could do was talk about how amazing it was that Barry Bonds had accomplished that feat... but Glaus would have the last laugh. His two-run Game Six double with the Angels down 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning was, statistically speaking, a bigger hit than Scott Spiezio's three-run home run an inning earlier. Glaus would go on to earn the MVP of the Series that saw him hit three home runs, drive in eight runs, and score seven runs.

In 2003 and 2004, injuries took their toll on him and he appeared in only 91 games and was in even fewer (58) in 2004. But he contributed greatly when he was in the lineup with averages in line with his career totals. He just could not seem to play hurt. In the forgettable 2004 ALDS,a three-game sweep by the Chowds of Bahstin, Glaus showed up with a .364 average and a 1.552 OPS with twelve total bases in the three games. A small consolation for being swept but a reminder that when Troy was hit he was red hot.

But when he was cold, he was ice cold and his slumps included copious strikeouts. His 784 Ks rank fifth most in club history and his four full seasons with the Halos, 1999-2002, each rank in the top ten single season strikeout leaders for the team with his 163 Ks in 2000 ranking the third most ever by an Angels batter in one season.

His positive achievements, though, are what might be called "Monstramental" (a word he once used in a postgame interview after having hit a towering home run) in Angels lore. His 470 walks are the sixth most by an Angel and he is the only Angel with more than 400 walks in less than 3,500 Plate Appearances. His OPS+ of 120 ranks tenth all time, which says a lot considering his high strikeout totals. He is third all time in extra base hits, fourth in home runs with 182, first in At Bats per HR - as an Angel, Troy averaged a homer once for every 16.3 AB.

Oh and he was alright at the hot corner. After the Doug DeCinces era the Angels had an underwhelming presence at 3B - Spike Owen, Dave Hollins and the terrible Gary Gaetti experiment were just a few. Glaus was a rock at a difficult position for over 150 games in four solid seasons. But back to that bat - Glaus is in the franchise top ten with his 22.6 Wins Above Replacement and his 21.3 Offensive WAR. His Slugging (.497) and OPS (.854) each rank fourth but if he is only remembered for one sixteen game stretch in October of 2002 he will always rank highly in the history of our favorite club.

Sixteen years ago, the Marlins traded Al Leiter to the New York Mets for three prospects.

On February 6, 1998, the Marlins fire sale after the 1997 championship continued. On that date, the Marlins traded World Series Game 7 starter, Al Leiter, to the New York Mets in exchange for prospects RHP A.J. Burnett, LHP Jesus Sanchez, and OF Rob Stratton. The trade also involved the Marlins giving utility 2B, Ralph Milliard.

At the time of the trade, the Mets were starting to take advantage of their big market status over small market teams such as the Marlins. Leiter was a piece that they looked to as a front-line starting pitcher. They had no problem trading three quality prospects for Leiter.

On the Marlins end, they were cleaning house to build an economically friendly roster that they were preparing to sell. The low price and being able to add three respected prospects made the Marlins very comfortable with the trade.

This was a trade that ended up helping both teams at different times. The Mets benefitted right away, while the Marlins benefitted later on, but with marginal contributions.

Al Leiter

With Al Leiter, the Mets got immediate returns. In 1998, he had a dominant season and finished sixth in Cy Young Award voting. Leiter would have many quality years with the Mets leading them to contention and the playoffs. He eventually helped lead the pitching staff to the 2000 World Series, the fourth trip to the World Series in Leiter's career. However, after winning his three previous trips with the Blue Jays (1992 and 1993) and Marlins (1997), Leiter and the Mets loss to the mighty Yankees, who ended up winning their third straight championship.

As for Leiter's career, he would return to the Marlins again in 2005. At age 39, Leiter struggled and would be sent to the Yankees for future considerations rather than the Marlins giving him his outright release. Leiter would retire after that season. He ended up with a quality MLB career that included four trips to the World Series with three different teams, while winning three in total. He was an All Star and candidate for the Cy Young Award. He also pitched the first no-hitter in Marlins history.

Leiter currently is a color commentator for the YES Network and is also a studio analyst for MLB Network.

Ralph Milliard

With Ralph Milliard, the Mets were hoping to get a young, serviceable utility player. Instead, Milliard would only have one at-bat and plate-appearance in 10 games for the Mets. He would never play in MLB again after his brief time with the Mets. He would go on to be a Minor League journeyman infielder through a few organizations. He also played in the Dutch Major Leagues. Milliard's career in MLB ended totaling 114 plate-appearances, 93 at-bats, 0 homeruns, 3 RBI, 12 runs, 3 stolen bases, .172 batting average, and .503 OPS.

Milliard is currently coaching.

A.J. Burnett

With A.J. Burnett, the Marlins were getting one of the best young arms among MLB prospects. The Marlins would bring him along slowly as they envisioned Burnett combining with two other young arms that were added a year later in Josh Beckett (1999 draft) and Brad Penny (trade with Diamondbacks). Once ready to go, and healthy, it didn't take Burnett long to show his talents. He eventually became the Marlins ace as they were improving each season after the fire sale that resulted in the horrible 1998 season. He also threw the Marlins third no-hitter in team history - an odd performance that saw Burnett walk nine.

Burnett was expected to continue as the ace of the young staff heading into 2003, but he injured his arm after four starts and needed Tommy John Surgery. While he did receive a ring for the 2003 championship, he was relegated to rooting his teammates on from the Injured Reserve List. He would finally come back in 2004. He was back in form to resume his career. As he entered 2005, he was primed to help lead the Marlins staff with Josh Beckett and Dontrelle Willis, along with the returning Leiter, on what was expected to be a great season for the team and the Marlins. However, the season did not work out as promisingly as hoped for the Marlins or Burnett. After a good start, Burnett started to struggle as the Marlins disappointed. Eventually, in-house problems started to stir with Burnett and others. As a result of some critical comments about the team, Burnett was removed from the team prior to the end of the season. He was replaced in what was expected to be his final start by a new young arm, Josh Johnson. Being a contract year, it ended up being Burnett's last season with the Marlins as they didn't even offer him a contract out of courtesy.

The thoughts of the results of Burnett's time with the Marlins can be mixed in opinion. He was a solid pitcher, but he was also injured and had the moments where he was a little too outspoken with emotions when considering 2005 and also in 2003 when he blamed his then-manager, Jeff Torborg, for Burnett's injury due to overuse.

Overall, Burnett has had a quality career, as he has won in double figures a total of 11 times. He's pitched over 200 innings fives times. He's struck out 200 batters three times and approached that total a few more times. Burnett has also won a second World Series ring in 2009 with the Yankees, but, unlike 2003, Burnett was able to pitch in that championship run. He currently is a free agent weighing his options.

Jesus Sanchez

With Jesus Sanchez, the Marlins received an MLB-ready starting pitcher. Sanchez was the first of the newly acquired prospects to play in MLB for the Marlins. He immediately filled a role for the Marlins as he was a starter in 1998, throwing 173 innings that season as a rookie. After some struggles as a starter in 1999, he would end up in the bullpen, but still appear in many games out of the bullpen and for an occasional start. He was back in the role of a starter in 2000, as he would make 32 starts and throw 182 innings.

At the time, Sanchez seemed like a promising back-end starter, but would start having arm problems and pitching struggles. He would go on to only pitch sparingly for a total of seven seasons at the MLB level. He ended his career in 2004, at age 29, but he attempted a comeback in an independent league from 2010 through 2012 before retiring for what seems to be the final time.

Rob Stratton

With Rob Stratton, the Marlins were getting a former first round pick from the 1996 June Draft that they hoped to would sort out his struggles and start living up to his potential. It never happened and Stratton ended up spending 11 years as a journeyman minor league outfielder with several organizations. In his minor league career, while Stratton showed power potential as he hit over 20 homeruns eight times, he struggled in other aspects of his hitting as he batted .243 with a .320 OBP in his career and surpassed the 200 strikeout mark twice and struck out 36% of the time that he stepped up to the plate mostly against AAA pitching. Stratton's last season was in 2006.

He has since gotten involved with coaching.

While there can be many thoughts about the fire sale after the 1997 season, on this day, we can remember as it continued with the Marlins trading Al Leiter, sixteen years ago in Marlins history.

The right-handed pitcher looks to improve after his best season in the big leagues.

Despite a 6.34 ERA through his first ten starts last season, Dillon Gee had the best year of his major league career. Beginning with a dominant start against the Yankees on May 30, he turned his season around and finished with a 3.62 ERA in 199 innings over 32 starts. His park- and league-adjusted 101 ERA- pegged him just below league average. Considering how poorly his year started, those numbers were pretty impressive.

What’s encouraging about Gee as he enters his fourth full season in Major League Baseball is that he’s improved every year, at least judging by his ERA. While his strikeout rate came down a bit, from 21.0 to 16.9 percent, between 2012 and 2013, he maintained good walk rates in both seasons. That was not the case as he posted a 4.43 ERA over 27 starts and three relief appearances in 2011.

Heading into this season, the projection systems see Gee taking a small step backwards. The three projections currently listed at Fangraphs, one of which is generated by fans, range from a 3.88 to 4.17 ERA, and Baseball Prospectus’s PECOTA pegs him at 3.92. Of course, projections are generally conservative, and Gee could outperform his.

It would be foolish to isolate the latter two-thirds of Gee’s 2013 season—22 starts with a 2.71 ERA—and expect him to repeat it over the course of 2014. But his struggles last year came early in the season when his velocity was down after surgery to repair a damaged artery in his shoulder. As he gained velocity, the results got better. While a breakout year seems unlikely, it would not be surprising if Gee improves a bit more and is better than league average this season.

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Despite his good stuff, Francisco Rondon's poor command cost him his 40-man roster spot. Maybe 2014 will the be the year Rondon puts it all together?

Background:

Francisco Rondon, a hard throwing lefty out of the Dominican Republic, was signed by the Yankees way back in 2006 as a 16-year-old international free agent. Rondon was signed as a starting pitcher, but transitioned to the bullpen in 2010 and, aside from a few starts in 2013, has worked exclusively out of the 'pen in the last four years. After spending several years quietly climbing the bottom rungs of the minor league ladder, Rondon finally made himself noteworthy in 2012, striking out 26% of the batters he faced (10.1 K/9) over 71 innings, mostly in Double-A Trenton. Rondon's shown that he can fool hitters with his stuff, but controlling that stuff has always been an issue for him. Few pitchers have any type of big league success while walking as many players as Rondon did -- 14% or (5.3 BB/9). Still, the Yankees saw enough promise in Rondon to add him to the 40-man roster last off-season in order to protect him in the Rule 5 draft.

2013 Results:

Between AA and AAA: 33 G (7 GS), 82 2/3 IP, 3.92 ERA, 4.35 FIP

Rondon spent most of the season in Trenton save for three appearances in Triple-A Scranton. Overall, his 2013 looked a lot like his 2012 -- a good amount of strikeouts (23%, 9.3 K/9), but just too many walks (15%, 5.9 BB/9). Although the Yankees see Rondon as a reliever long-term, they had him break camp in Trenton's rotation in order to stretch him out a bit. The results weren't pretty. Rondon posted a 7.16 ERA over six starts, striking out 22 while walking 17. He was booted from the 40-man roster shortly thereafter. Rondon fared a little better upon returning to the 'pen, but continued to struggle with his command, posting Carlos Marmol-esque walk numbers.

2014 Outlook:

Rondon will head to either Trenton or Scranton this year to once again try to parlay his raw stuff into on-field performance. If things go particularly well, he could end up in the Yankees bullpen as a second lefty reliever at some point. The Yankees look a bit thin in the bullpen this year, so someone like Rondon could get a look. Even in his relief appearances, Rondon has often thrown three or four innings, which makes it seem like the Yankees are grooming him to be a long reliever. They might be hoping he can become something like a left-handed version of Ramiro Mendoza or Alfredo Aceves. That would be great, but don't count on it happening anytime soon. Rondon's easy to dream on -- he throws hard and happens to be left handed, but until he improves his command, he's not someone who's of any use in a big league team.

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Michael Pineda was excellent as a member of the Seattle Mariners in 2011, but thanks to a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder, we haven't seen him since. Could he be a factor in 2014?

Michael Pineda was hot stuff in 2011. After making a mockery of the minors in the previous three years, the 22-year-old broke camp with the Seattle Mariners and never looked back, posting a 3.74 ERA and 3.36 SIERA over 28 starts. He showcased a mid-to-high-90's fastball and complimented it with a pretty nasty slider. Although his performance tailed off a bit in the second half, it was looking like Pineda would develop into a star pitcher in the near future. The following winter, the Yankees acquired Pineda for top prospect Jesus Montero. They thought they had a young, cost-controlled pitcher who could slot into their rotation immediately and stay there for the next half-decade.

Now, two years later, Pineda's still trying to make it back from the shoulder surgery he had in April of 2012. He still hasn't thrown a pitch for the Yankees and it's not entirely clear when (or even if) he will. After nearly two years of rest and rehab, Pineda's supposedly healthy at long last. We've heard that before though -- Pineda made 10 starts in the minors last year before being shut down due to shoulder stiffness.

Although a labral tear isn't the kiss of death it once was for a pitcher, pitchers who have suffered torn labrums in the past haven't fared all too well in their comeback attempts. Jay Jaffe found that, of the 67 pitchers to suffer a labral tear between 2002 and 2011, more than half never pitched more than 50 major-league innings following the surgery. He comped Pineda's injury to those suffered by Anibal Sanchez, Jose Valverde, and Wade Miller. Sanchez and Valverde made it back, but Miller was never quite the same.

The fact that Pineda's rehab has taken as long as it has raises a bit of a red flag. The typical recovery time from a labrum surgery is about a year for a pitcher, but Pineda had to be shut down 15 months post op. Obviously, every case is different, but he'll be two years removed from his surgery this May. If he's still not right in in spring training, it might just be that his shoulder is no longer up to the task of throwing a baseball.

Pineda's upside is clear. When fully healthy, he's a great pitcher, capable of blowing away hitters with a high-90's fastball. It's just hard to say if a healthy Pineda is even a realistic possibility at this point. He was supposedly throwing in the mid-90's in his rehab games this year, but I won't be convinced until he shows he can throw the ball well with some sort of consistency -- something he hasn't done in over two and a half years now. Pineda will compete with David Phelps, Adam Warren, and Vidal Nuno for a spot in the Yankees' rotation this spring. He certainly has the most upside of that group, but at this point, we don't have much reason to think he'll be able to tap into that upside. A strong and healthy spring training could change that though.

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The Yankees have been aggressive in free agency, but not yet in the trade market. How committed are they to hanging on to their prospects?

When comparing the Yankees last two offseasons, last year's and the one we now find ourselves in, there's very little similarities to be found between the two. This is not necessarily the ideal, as front offices like those in St. Louis and Oakland seem to have more uniform strategies year in and year out when it comes to building their rosters. The Yankees opted for the conservative approach and hoarded compensatory picks last year while signing just about everybody this year and coughing up their own first-rounder. However, despite having some pretty major holes in their roster, they have yet to part with any major prospects. Is that common thread between this year and last part of a wider organizational strategy, or does this year's aggression foreshadow a "scorched-earth" approach when it comes to making the playoffs?

I would assume part of the team's hesitance in trading their prospects is the fact that so many of them seemed to have difficult or injury-plagued seasons in 2013. Giving up on a former blue-chip prospect is a tough pill for any team to swallow, as any team looking to acquire the player is going to base their offer on his value at its lowest point. Perhaps the Yankees are counting on the likes of Mason Williams to rebound before they even entertain the thought of offering him in a trade. But like any stock, the value could plummet even further, so the Yankees are still gambling by not having been able to move anyone from their minor league outfield corps to strengthen their depth elsewhere. Their infield is thin both at the major and minor league lever, after all.

Or perhaps there's just not much interest in any of the Yankees' prospects. Any trade involving a quality major league piece would likely begin and end with Gary Sanchez. And even then, the reports on Sanchez's ability to remain as a catcher have not exactly been a boon for his value. It's hard to get much done (especially during the offseason) with only one prospect of note. Perhaps the market will open up a little better as the season progresses and fewer teams have playoff aspirations.

Another possibility, and the one I'm sure would be preferred, is that the team is committed to not stripping the system bare. It's already not abundant with talent, particularly at the higher levels of the minors, and any attempt to improve via trade would only exacerbate matters. Spending loads of money on free agents is one thing, it doesn't inherently weaken the team in any areas while improving immediately. A first-round pick is a nominal price to pay for a premium free agent. But several young pieces for what is often more a quick fix than anything else is much more detrimental to the organization's health. All manners of aggressive roster construction are not created equal.

I think this season is going to be a true test of the Yankees' patience when it comes to retaining their prospects. If things go south during the season, or the Yankees are in a dogfight for a playoff spot, there will be a lot of temptation to mortgage whatever good the team has in the minors for a few pieces to help immediately. They've spent a lot of money on some big names, and after missing the playoffs last year it's going to be expected that the front office does whatever it takes to get in. I hope that their recent history is a sign that they'll be smarter than that and not be at the mercy of their competitors.

• Yankees Spring Training: Who should be the backup catcher?
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• Should the Yankees consider a six-man rotation?

Will the best prospect in the Yankees' organization continue to make strides through the upper levels of the system?

Background:

The Yankees signed then 16-year-old Gary Sanchez to a $3 million contract in the summer of 2009 out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The $3MM bonus happens to be the fourth-largest bonus given out by New York, trailing Hideki Irabu ($8.5MM in 1997), Jose Contreras ($6MM in 2002), and Andrew Brackman ($3.35MM in 2007), respectively. Since coming stateside as a 17-year-old in 2010, Sanchez is a .275/.342/.468 hitter with 58 home runs in 1,522 plate appearances while catching 277 games behind the plate.

2013 Results:

Combined between High-A and Double-A: 117 games, 509 PA, 253/.324/.412, 15 home runs

Sanchez, once again, had a solid season at the plate in 2013. He started last year at High-A Tampa, where he left off in 2012, and hit .254/.313/.420 with a 108 wRC+ in 399 plate appearances. Although that may not sound too impressive, Sanchez ran into a slump in his final 115 plate appearances with Tampa, hitting just .200/.252/.257 after hitting .276/.338/.486 in his first 284 plate appearances. Perhaps he got bored. When Sanchez got promoted to Double-A, though, he made a good first impression in front of his new teammates, as he hit .250/.364/.380 with a 113 wRC+ in 110 plate appearances. Sanchez then went 6-for-26 (.236 BA) in the postseason, en route to Trenton's Eastern League Championship.

Depending on who you ask, Sanchez is either getting "better" behind the plate or is still "an absolutely atrocious receiver." Personally, I think I might side with Mike Ashmore's take on Sanchez, given he covered the Thunder on a daily basis. What most agree on, though, is Sanchez's arm, which is an absolute cannon. He threw out 44% of attempted base-stealers, and some say he even has an 80-grade throwing arm.

No matter how good Sanchez's arm is, however, he will need to improve his receiving skills while he's still in the minors so he can stick behind the plate long-term. He was kept in Tampa for longer than most wanted so he could improve said receiving abilities, mainly with catching harder-throwing pitchers. Sanchez also yielded 13 passed balls in his 96 games behind the plate. For reference, Chris Stewart allowed 12 passed balls in 108 games behind the dish last season for New York, so you know Sanchez has some room for improvement in that area.

2014 outlook:

Following the signing of Brian McCann, people (mostly fans) wondered if the Yankees would trade Sanchez since he appeared to be "blocked" from the big league catching position. Thankfully, no such trade has happened (yet) and the 21-year-old is set to be the starting catcher for the Thunder in 2014. Because he is still so young and still has plenty of room to grow behind the plate, it wouldn't surprise me if the Yankees kept Sanchez in Trenton the entire season, even if he rakes at the plate. Sanchez is the consensus, and perhaps obvious, top prospect in the Yankees' system, but he will need to improve his game behind the plate if he wants to reach his full potential.

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Ray offers fantasy owners a few second base sleepers for AL only leagues for 2014, including Kelly Johnson, Jed Lowrie and Marcus Semien.

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 second basemen who could outperform their draft day values in 2014.

Here is a look at a few AL-only league second basemen who will be available late in drafts who could outperform their draft day value in 2014:

Jed Lowrie, Athletics

Lowrie had a bit of a breakout season in 2013, as he hit .290-.344-.446 with 15 HRs, 80 runs and 75 RBI in career high 154 games. Lowrie has been injury prone throughout his career, but shed that tag last season. The question on draft day is whether he can be trusted to stay healthy this season.

Among qualified second baseman, his 15 home runs would have ranked ninth, his 80 runs scored would have ranked tied for 7th with Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, his 75 RBI ranked 7th, and his .290 batting average ranked 6th, so he should be drafted accordingly in 2014, but he comes with injury risk which knocks him down a few spots.

Marcus Semien, White Sox

Semien wasn't ranked in our Top 30 Second Base Rankings, but is a sleeper in deeper leagues, as he has a chance to make his mark in 2014. He could actually be the White Sox starting third baseman to start the season. That will depend on whether the White Sox see Matt Davidson as ready or not. He also could see plenty of time at second base should incumbent Gordon Beckham continue to disappoint the team and his fantasy owners.

Semien has the tools to be a .260 hitter with double digit power and stolen base potential in a full time role. Prior to his late season call up, Semien hit .284-.401-.479 with 19 HRs, 110 runs, 66 RBI, 24 stolen bases in 29 attempts, and a spectacular 90-98 strikeout to walk rate at AA and AAA. Upon his call up last season, he hit .261-.268-.406 with 2 HRs, 7 runs, 7 RBI and 2 stolen bases in 71 plate appearances, but whiffed 31% of the time.

Kelly Johnson, Yankees

Johnson appears to be the Yankees starting second baseman in 2014 now that Robinson Cano has left for riches in Seattle, although they also signed Brian Roberts this offseason, but he hasn't played more than 77 games since 2009. Johnson won't hit for a high average, but has hit double digit home run in six of his seven seasons in the big leagues. He has also stolen 11 or more bases in four of his seven seasons, so he is capable of double digits in homers and stolen bases this season.

Johnson hits plenty of fly balls which should bode well for his power output hitting in the hitter-friendly confines of Yankee Stadium, especially with the short porch in right field.

Fantasy Rundown

If you are looking for more fantasy rankings, or just fantasy coverage overall, make sure you check out Fantasy Rundown, your one stop site for all things fantasy.

It's Tanaka time.

With Masahiro Tanaka's official signing and work visa all squared away, the Yankees have announced that he will finally be introduced to the New York media:

Yankees announce @t_masahiro18 will be introduced in a press conference @ Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, 2/11 at 1pm, airing live on @YESNetwork

— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) February 7, 2014

Unlike with the Jacoby Ellsbury press conference, there will be no Bob Lorenz suspense as to what number Tanaka will wear since the Yankees have already announced that he will don number 19 and try to erase the memories associated with that jersey and its previous owner, Chris Stewart. Nonetheless, it will be great to see Tanaka finally wear the pinstripes after over a year of crossing our fingers that the Yankees would sign him. Maybe now the SBN auto-tag will figure out that Tanaka is not on the Indians. Calooh, callay, and all that.

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Help from a New York politician will allow Masahiro Tanaka to arrive at spring training on time when pitchers and catchers report to Tampa next week.

Masahiro Tanaka could arrive in the United States as early as Sunday after obtaining a work visa that will allow him to report to spring training on time. Yankees pitchers and catchers report to camp in Tampa on February 14 and Tanaka expects to be among them. His first workout as a Yankee will come on the 15th before the rest of the team reports for spring training on the 19th.

New York Senator Chuck Schumer helped to expedite the visa process for Tanaka in order to get him to spring training on time. Without Schumer's help it's possible that the application process for the visa Tanaka needs to pitch in the United States might have taken a month. Schumer came through on a similar request from the Mets when Jose Reyes needed a work visa in the past.

The Japanese right-hander has been working out in Sendai, Japan while awaiting his move to the United States and the beginning of spring training. Tanaka says that he feels like he is currently in better shape than he has been in past years, which might make him the first Yankee to claim that he's in the best shape of his life this offseason. All eyes will be on the 25-year-old that the Yankees felt was deserving of a seven-year, $155 million deal without having ever thrown a pitch in MLB. Seeing how the talent he displayed in Japan will translate to playing in the United States will be interesting to watch, and the wait to see him in a Yankee uniform is almost over.

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The Yankees need to figure out who will be in their bullpen, but here is how I would do it if I was in charge

With the retirement of Mariano Rivera and the loss of Boone Logan, the Yankees bullpen is in for some serious turnover in 2014. For the first time since 1997 (minus a good portion of 2012), the team will have doubts about their closer. Worse than that, they don't have many options set in stone at the moment, so most of the bullpen will have to be figured out during spring training. If I were in charge of the Yankees, this is how I would put it all together:

Closer:David Robertson
2013 Stats: 66.1 IP, 2.04 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 10.45 K/9, 2.44 BB/9

Robertson is clearly the best man for the closing job. He's fixed his control issues and has been one of the best relievers in baseball for the last few seasons. For me, it doesn't matter whether he has closing experience or not, the best pitcher gets the most important job.

Setup Man/Fireman:Shawn Kelley
2013 Stats: 53.1 IP, 4.39 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 11.98 K/9, 3.88 BB/9

Kelley is my setup man, at least to start the year. Yes, he struggled in the second half, but if he can come close to his first half numbers then he'll be great. I would also try to use him as a fireman whenever possible, bringing him into tough situations in order to get a strikeout.

Left-Handed Specialist:Matt Thornton
2013 Stats: 43.1 IP, 3.74 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 6.23 K/9, 3.12 BB/9

Honestly, for a left-handed specialist I would have probably gone with an internal option, like Cesar Cabral, over signing Thornton to a two-year deal. There's a lot to worry about with him; his numbers have been declining for a few years now and he has a history of arm injuries. At least the Yankees are lucky enough to have backup options, however unproven, in case he can't make it through the season.

Longman/LOOGY/Middle Reliever: Vidal Nuno
2013 Stats: 20.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 4.50 FIP, 4.05 K/9, 2.70 BB/9

Nuno would be an excellent part of the 2014 bullpen. He can start, he can relieve, and he's a lefty, so he could really be used to do just about anything. I would make him the longman to start the season because Adam Warren really wasn't that impressive last year and maybe Nuno can be more useful.

Middle Reliever/Second Longman:David Phelps
2013 Stats: 86.2 IP, 4.98 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 8.20 K/9, 3.63 BB/9

If the Yankees can't have a strong bullpen, they can at least have a versatile one. I don't think Phelps will be much of a starter, but I think he can be useful in the bullpen. Phelps could excel as a middle reliever, and could even make his way to the backend of the bullpen. Having both Phelps and Nuno would also allow Nuno to be moved around. If he's needed to get a lefty out one night, Phelps can step in for a few innings the next night. If someone goes down, they have two options to replace him with.

Middle Reliever/7th Inning Guy:Dellin Betances
2013 Stats (AAA): 84.0 IP, 2.68 ERA, 2.69 FIP, 11.57 K/9, 4.50 BB/9

Brian Cashman's reveal that Betances has a fourth option for next year really hurts his chances of making the team this season. If it were up to me, I'd go with him anyway and he could serve as Girardi's 7th Inning Guy. This is his last chance to become somebody and I think with what he accomplished in 2013 he deserves a real chance over the relievers they signed and invited to spring training. In all likelihood, his spot will go to Preston Claiborne, but I think Betances has more upside.

Middle Reliever:Mark Montgomery
2013 Stats (AAA): 40.0 IP, 3.38 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 11.03 K/9, 5.63 BB/9

In a perfect world, Montgomery would make my team and by the end of the season he would be pitching in the back of the bullpen. Of course, after his disaster of a season this might be a long shot. If Monty comes into spring training in better shape then I think there's a strong chance the Yankees might use him. He would work in middle relief and, if the need ever arose, he could fill in for Kelley as the setup man. The more likely choice could end up being Chase Whitley, though.

Waiting in the Wings: Chase Whitley, Adam Warren, Preston Claiborne, Shane Greene, Jose Ramirez, Cesar Cabral

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The Chippewas didn't have a very potent offense last season, but they did have Jordan Foley.

Squeaking their way into the Mid-American Conference Tournament last year as the eight-seed, the Central Michigan Chippewas will look to have another crack at being MAC Champions in 2014. Finishing the season with a 25-32 overall record and going 12-15 in conference play, the Chippewas will look to build off of

While having big sluggers that knock the ball around is the sexiest of ways to win ball games, the Chippewas didn't necessarily have that luxury. They were 10th in the MAC in batting average (.251), tied for eighth in on-base percentage (.338), and seventh in slugging percentage (.357). Fortunately enough, the Chips will be returning five of their top batsman from last year in Cody Leichman, Nick and Logan Regnier, Neal Jacobs and Pat MacKenzie. Their combined slash totals from last year is .295/.379/.442, all well-above team averages.

Probably their best bat in the lineup is outfielder N. Regnier, a junior from Novi, Mich. who had an on-base plus slugger percentage (OPS) of .883 with a BAbip of .353. In conference play, he had a slash line of .320/.417/.408 with 15 walks and striking out only eight times. His younger brother Logan didn't have a bad year as a true freshman, being third in the conference with 25 stolen bases.

Overall, the Chippewas weren't very impressive with the bats, but they were one of the better pitching teams in the MAC. They were fifth in the MAC with a 4.15 ERA with a K/BB ratio of 1.78. In conference play, they had a team ERA of 3.66 and a team WHIP of 1.536.

The best arm that CMU has on their roster is starting pitcher Jordan Foley. The 6'3" right-handed pitcher from The Colony, Tex. was the Friday starter for the Chippewas a year ago and really impressed some scouts. Not that he wasn't already going to attract scouts to Theunissen Stadium, since he was selected by the New York Yankees in the 26th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. I know one scout who watched Foley a few times last year, here's what he had to say:

Ideal pitcher's frame. Decently athletic. Sat 89-93, touched 94 a few times. Reports of him touching 96 earlier in season. Ball explodes out of hand. When he commands it down in zone; it's near untouchable. Can blow it by people up in zone... Average movement on FB... Not afraid to come inside; nor should he be. SL is average pitch right now, with projection to become plus.

-Brian Sakowski

In 15 starts last year, Foley posted a 3.08 ERA, 1.257 WHIP, and an 8.9 K/9. He led the team in innings pitched (90.2), fourth in the MAC in strikeouts (90) and held his opponents to a .209 average. As a junior, it'd be nearly impossible for Foley to not be drafted in this year's Draft. Baseball America even has Foley as the top prospect from the MAC for the upcoming Draft, too.

Outside of Foley, it looks like two of the other main starting pitchers will be Pat Kaminska and Taylor Lenhert.

Central Michigan will begin their season on Feb. 14 with a three-day, four-game series at UNLV and another four-game series at Troy on Feb. 21.

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Current 2014 projected infield: 1.3 fWAR in 2013. Stephen Drew in 2013: 3.4 fWAR. Get it done, Cash.

At the beginning of the offense, the proposal that the Yankees should sign Stephen Drew seemed questionable. This idea was reinforced when the best shortstop on the market, Jhonny Peralta, was given a four-year, $53 million contract by the Cardinals; the fact that Drew was tied to draft pick compensation didn't help. Drew was not going to get a deal that close to Peralta's contract, but a contract of at least half that value seemed logical for him, so I still felt the Yankees should stay away.

Now, however?

Source: Drew seeks opt-out after Year 1 http://t.co/h36WRlFeQz#NYM#Mets

— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) February 7, 2014

It's time. Drew appears to have overvalued his original worth in a market that was blasé about the options aside from Peralta. From Rubin's report, Drew is willing to accept a one-year deal as long as there is an opt-out clause attached to it. Even with the opt-out, it's hard to quibble with the idea that a multi-year deal with an opt-out after year one would really be the worst thing in the world for the Yankees.

As numerous people on this site and around the Internet have said, the Yankees' infield as it currently stands looks to be among the league's worst entering 2014. Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira are both recovering from major injuries and could very well stand to miss more time if something goes wrong in their rehab, Brian Roberts is an injury just waiting to happen, Kelly Johnson had a mere 89 OPS+ over the two years prior to 2013, Brendan Ryan is not a major league hitter, and Eduardo Nunez was one of the worst players in Yankees history last year. The Yankees decided to enter 2013 with similar question marks at shortstop, third base, and catcher; that plan did not work out, yet the team seems set on entering 2014 with big question marks like those anyway--a debatable strategy, to say the least.

One of the reasons Drew is still available is that he does have flaws in his game; there's no denying that. He's a complete give-up against lefthanded pitching, as he hit just .196/.246/.340 with a 53 wRC+ when facing southpaws in 2013, and his career marks aren't much better at .235/.291/.390 with a 74 wRC+. Those who don't like strikeouts might grow weary of Drew since he struck out in roughly a quarter of his 2013 plate appearances. Away from cozy Fenway Park and the his wall ball buddy, Drew batted a mere .222/.295/.392 with an 88 wRC+ in 2013. Additionally, while a capable defensive shortstop, people have guessed at if the Yankees did sign him, they would likely use him at third or second. In 1,097 games between the majors and minors since the Diamondbacks drafted him 15th overall out of Florida State in 2005, he has literally never played anywhere else on the field. (Hell, he's only made two appearances as a DH.)

However, criticisms of Drew at this point neglect the classic Moneyball philosophy--by focusing on what a player can't do, people will ignore the benefits of what he can do. The Mariners did not like the negative aspects of Shawn Kelley on the mound in years past and overlooked his incredible strikeout ability. The Yankees swooped in and traded for him at the cost of a Double-A outfielder far back on the depth chart, and Kelley rewarded them with a productive season out of the bullpen. (Abraham Almonte showed potential in his first year with the Mariners' organization, but the 24-year-old still doesn't project to be much more than bench depth in the future.)

Drew does have all those flaws mentioned above, but the man can hit. Why are people quibbling about his Fenway home numbers while the Yankees play their home games in the greatest park for a lefthanded hitter in the majors? He can pop the occasional dinger, reaching double digits in homers five times in seven full seasons, and he's belted 210 doubles and 60 triples during his career as well. For all the talk about his problems against lefties, that's nothing new for most lefthanded hitters. The only reason he got his 2013 numbers up to .253/.333/.433 with a superb 109 wRC+ despite those bad splits was by absolutely pummeling righthanded pitching (.284/.377/.498, 137 wRC+), which, lest we forget, is the most prevalent arm preference in the league.

On defense, Drew has never played second or third before, but he's done quite well at shortstop, which is a harder defensive position than either of them. If the Yankees wanted to try him at one of those positions, he more likely than not would do a fine job given his reputation. The Yankees could use legitimate shortstop insurance anyway in case Jeter's recovery lands him on the DL at some point. There's a decent chance that 2014 could be Jeter's last season, so a multi-year offer wouldn't be bad, especially since Drew might theoretically opt out with a good year in 2014 anyway. Even if Drew has an off-year and doesn't opt out, the 2015 free agent market for infielders isn't all that inspiring; who would the Yankees overpay for there? The best options are Hanley Ramirez, Chase Headley, and Pablo Sandoval, who all carry significant question marks and likely bigger financial hits as well. The Yankees would already have an infielder locked in through Drew.

The second round draft pick Drew will cost is less damage than it would be for other teams, so the Yankees have an advantage there. It's the 56th overall pick of the draft so the potential for elite talent at that point is much lower. If the Yankees signed Drew, they wouldn't get a pick until #92, toward the end of the third round. Yes, that's unfortunate, but if, as rumored, the Yankees do indeed go bananas with international signings with the threat of an international draft looming, then they could simply view that as their young talent infusion for 2014 rather than the draft. Plus, as excellent players like Wil Myers, Kyle Seager, and Jonathan Lucroy have demonstrated, talent can still be found deep in the MLB draft anyway if the scouts are good enough. Losing a mere second round pick to greatly improve the infield should not be a major concern, and neither should going further over $189 million. If they've already blown past it with the signings of Masahiro Tanaka, Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Carlos Beltran, is it really so crippling to add another $10 million or so in average annual value? Studies of the Yankees' income demonstrated that they missed out on close to $60 million from missing out on the playoffs. If Drew helps the Yankees get there, then he'll more than make up for the luxury tax hit.

Projections say that the Yankees are a team that will likely finish with a win total in the eighties. Obviously, projections are not the definitive future, but even with all the offseason improvements, it's hard to say for sure that the Yankees are a 90-win team. A much better starting infielder like Drew could thus be the difference between the Yankees making the playoffs or sitting at home come October. We've said it before, and we've said it again: open up the wallet, Hal, and get it done, Cash.

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The Yankees have a very thin bullpen in 2014, so they have brought in multiple minor league relievers to compete for a bullpen job. They have already invited 13 relievers to camp who are not on the 40-man roster, but now they might have another. The Yankees signed right-handed reliever Cole Kimball to a minor league contract, and though we don't know for sure whether he will be given an invitation to spring training, it seems very likely he will. In that case, the Yankees will now have 27 non-roster players in camp.

Drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 12th round of the 2006 MLB Draft out of New Jersey, Kimball was converted to the bullpen by 2009. In 2011 he made it to the majors as Washington's No. 8 prospect, according to MLB.com, pitching to a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings across 12 games. He actually struck out 11 batters, but also walked 11 batters. Unfortunately, Kimball needed rotator cuff surgery by July and has only pitched 34 innings over the last two seasons. In 2013 he threw 28.1 innings with a 7.31 ERA while being knocked around in 25 games.

It looks like this is what the Yankees are going to be looking at in 2014. Fernando Rodney, Francisco Rodriguez, Mitchell Boggs, and others have all signed, so it doesn't look like the Yankees will be looking at any major league players that are not off the scrap heap. The Yankees are obviously hoping he can regain his previous form, and while the excitement of a former top prospect is there, a shoulder injury might be enough to make Kimball a non-factor this year and in the future.

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