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New MLB replay system receives its first test

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A glimpse into the future of replay in Major League Baseball.

Major League Baseball experienced its first taste of instant replay over the weekend, as both the Blue Jays and Angels experimented with the challenge system in their respective games.

On each occasion, the umpires convened on the side of the field with headsets rather than going all the way inside the clubhouse like they previously did with home runs over the past five years. They confirmed the rulings with officials at MLB headquarters in New York, and upheld their initial calls despite the challenges from John Gibbons (who challenged twice) and Mike Scioscia. The Yankees are set to play exhibition games where Joe Girardi can experiment with challenges later this spring. The Daily Newsreported that at least one will be on March 6th against the Phillies.

Obviously, it's going to be different seeing how replay is handled in games that actually matter and managers get visibly upset when calls don't go their way. However, if the time taken to determine the correct call is any indication, then people worried about the calls taking too much time should not be concerned. The umpires will be able to have much better support to get the final calls correct, which is the most important part of their jobs and will avoid post-game embarrassment. It's a net good for the game, especially given instant replay's more prominent role in other major sports.


The Yankees have been ahead of the pitch framing curve for years

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The past, present, and future of pitch framing with the New York Yankees

Baseball Prospectus recently released the findings of a study to accurately determine a catcher's skill behind the plate. They split these skills into pitch framing and pitch blocking in order to figure out who the best catchers were at the most mysterious part of the game. An advanced study on the merits of pitch framing and catching defense has been the illusive White Whale in the sabermetrics community for years, but I feel they have now come up with the most comprehensive statistic to date. By taking things like the pitch count, call tendencies, umpire bias, and pitcher skill into account, they were able to develop a stat that could help us rethink how we evaluate catchers, both defensively, and as a whole.

They created Framing Runs Earned and Blocking Runs Earned, which can be combined to get the Total Receiving Runs Earned. These numbers can then be put up against 7,000 opportunities (a typical full season for a catcher) in order to convert them into a rate and allow a more even playing field for both full-time and part-time players. What the study seems to have uncovered is that the Yankees have already been on the right track for years and now we can see what they were thinking this whole time.

The Past

They were fine with Jorge Posada because of his bat, but as his career ended, the game changed, and their values differed, they brought in Jose Molina, Chris Stewart, and Russell Martin, finally leading us to Brian McCann. It seems that the Yankees have routinely employed some of the best pitch framers in the game. One thing we can probably say about all this is that the Yankees might have actually been ahead of the curve for once:

Screen_shot_2014-03-04_at_12Screen_shot_2014-03-04_at_12

Remember, they let Molina go because of Francisco Cervelli. You'll also note that while Posada was one of the worst framers in 2010, it was also his last season behind the plate. Oh, and look, ex-Yankee prospect Dioner Navarro was pretty bad in 2008. If Jonathan Lucroy was a free agent, you better believe the Yankees would be all over him.

After all the talk of the Yankees being stuck in the past when it comes to free agency and extensions, it's nice to see some forward thinking coming out of the front office.

The Present

Their love of pitch framing trickles into their internal options as well. Take a look at the backup catcher battle going on in spring training right now:

PlayerFraming Runs per 7000Blocking Runs per 7000Total Receiving Runs per 7000
Francisco Cervelli (Career)12.32.815.1
J.R. Murphy (2013)21.3-0.321.0
Austin Romine (2013)3.3-1.1-0.7

Say what you want about his bat, but Cervelli has done a great job behind the plate. There was some talk that he was too aggressive at times, but overall he's been pretty solid at pitch framing and blocking. While this is a very small sample size, Murphy's results in 2013 more or less jibe with scouting reports about him being an excellent game caller and pitch framer, but is still working on his abilities behind the plate. The stick in the mud looks to be Romine, who was ok at framing in 2013, but was not good at blocking pitches in the dirt.

It's hard to say anything definitive about either Murphy or Romine without a larger body of work, but I figured I'd throw it out there for you to see. For this, and many other reasons, Cervelli is still the likely favorite for the backup role, but his defense certainly isn't the game changer that Chris Stewart's (32.5) seems to be (at least for the Yankees).

The Future

With McCann, not only did they get one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, which will be a welcomed change after Chris Stewart, but they also have one of the best pitch framers as well. This will only add to his value for the Yankees over the next five years, but it could also change how they approach their prospects.

Many believe that with McCann now in the picture, the Yankees might trade Gary Sanchez. Others believe Sanchez can still fit into the picture in a few years if McCann moves to first base. But seeing what the team values, are they really going to move one of the best defensive catchers in the game for a rookie who might not even be all that good behind the plate? It might make more sense to install Sanchez as the first baseman, and in that case, maybe it would be better to trade their catching prospect before it comes to that. There's obviously no reason to rush now, but as long as everyone stays healthy I just don't know if the Yankees will be willing to trade that defensive ability. Defense behind the plate seems to be important to them and maybe it's not as crazy as we initially thought.

Some of their implementation may not have worked out so well, like Chris Stewart as the starting catcher, but the forward thinking was there. Now that there's a means to quantify a catcher's defensive value, hopefully it won't be too long before we figure out what league-average pitch framing is and how that can be calculated into WAR. I'd like to see how valuable pitch framing is compared to offensive abilities, and whether it's better to have an elite pitch framer with a weak bat or a slugger who can't frame. Then we can finally see if Stewart's glove was worth putting up with for an entire year.

2014 New York Yankees Consensus Top 58 Prospects

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What is the consensus ranking for each of the Yankees' top prospects?

Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

-Proverbs 11:14

Prospect lists are a tricky animal. Every prospect guru has his or her own biases, favorite prospects, sources, and philosophy, leading to quite a variety in the placement of specific players on his or her list. I like making lists and I like prospects, but I'm no scout and I have no inside connections, so my list wouldn't hold any particular weight. Instead of spending loads of time ranking the players with my own biases, I decided a few years ago to instead assemble a consensus list for each team. You can view all of the previous lists here. Hopefully this will bring safety from a multitude of counselors.

How do I do this? Each time a prospect appears on a list, he gets a number of points (51 minus his ranking). The prospect with the largest amount of points is ranked first.

This year, I made a few changes to the list. First off, I included as many lists as I could possibly find. This includes list from team-specific sites, not just from sites that post a list for every team. Second, I created a separate list for fantasy rankings. Fantasy baseball sites rank their prospects with a different flavor and so there are two rankings: one for real baseball and one for fantasy.

Also, not many sites ranked Masahiro Tanaka as a prospect, for very good reasons. But, some did and some people may be interested in where he fits in reference to the Yankees' minor league players. Of the three sites that did rank him, each put him as number one. So in the consensus list, I gave him a ranking of number one in each of the lists that did not rank him, but left the other rankings the same.

You can also view the 2013 New York Yankees top prospect list.

Sources

Regular Lists

An A-Blog for A-Rod

Baseball America

Baseball Prospectus

Bleacher Report

Bronx Baseball Daily

Bronx Empire

Fangraphs

Grading on the Curve

Keith Law (ESPN)

MLB Draft Insider

MLB Prospect Portal

Pinstripe Alley

Pinstripe Pundits

Prospect Digest

Rant

River Ave Blues

Top Prospect Alert

Fantasy Lists

Dynasty Sports Empire

Fake Teams

Prospect 361

Razzball

The List

The "Change" column describes how the prospect’s status changed from 2013. A positive number means the prospect moved up in the list, while a negative number means he moved down.

Here is a spreadsheet that contains all of the 2014 New York Yankees top prospect rankings in one place. I have removed Keith Law's as his lists require a subscription, though his list is included in the final tally.

RankFRankPlayerTotalFToChange
11Masariho Tanaka850200Japanese signing
22Gary Sanchez848198-1
34Mason Williams794184-1
45Slade Heathcott748183-
58Tyler Austin741138-2
63Eric Jagielo6781901st Round
7NAIan Clarkin63801st Round
812J.R. Murphy606867
99Greg Bird60213113
106Aaron Judge5951801st Round
1113Jose Ramirez53644-1
127Rafael De Paula475173-
1311Manny Banuelos431124-5
14NALuis Severino3990Unranked last year
15NAJose Campos3940-10
16NATy Hensley3690-9
1710Gosuke Katoh3351292nd Round
18NAAbiatal Avelino2450Unranked last year
19NAMark Montgomery2260-10
20NALuis Torrens22404
21NANik Turley1930-6
22NAPeter O'Brien1920Unranked last year
23NABryan Mitchell1740-9
24NAMiguel Andujar1550Unranked last year
25NARamon Flores1210-8
26NARobert Refsnyder1070Unranked last year
27NAShane Greene910Unranked last year
28NAAngelo Gumbs690-22
29NAGabe Encinas530Unranked last year
30NADellin Betances520-6
30NAVidal Nuno520Unranked last year
32NABen Gamel480Unranked last year
33NATyler Wade4404th Round
34NADante Bichette Jr.400-21
35NAJordan Cote360-9
36NARookie Davis340Unranked last year
37NACito Culver270Unranked last year
38NACorban Joseph260-11
39NADan Camarena250Unranked last year
40NATyler Webb24010th Round
41NACesar Cabral220Unranked last year
41NAChase Whitley220Unranked last year
41NABrady Lail220Unranked last year
44NACesar Vargas180Unranked last year
45NARony Bautista150Unranked last year
46NAMatt Tracy140Unranked last year
47NAGiovanny Gallegos130Unranked last year
48NAJoey Maher120Unranked last year
49NAAngel Rincon100Unranked last year
50NANick Goody90-22
51NADallas Martinez80Unranked last year
52NAJames Pazos70Unranked last year
53NAThairo Estrada60Unranked last year
54NACaleb Smith5014th Round
55NADanny Burawa40Unranked last year
56NAJake Cave30Unranked last year
57NAKendall Coleman2011th Round
58NAFred Lewis10Unranked last year

2013 prospects not on 2014 list

Graduated:

Austin Romine, #19
Adam Warren, #20
Zoilo Almonte, #21
David Adams, #23

Traded:

Corey Black, #18 - To the Cubs for Alfonso Soriano

Rule 5:

Ravel Santana, #28 - To the Astros
Tom Kahnle, #30 - To the Rockies

Dropped off:

Brett Marshall, #11

Visual Representation

Here is a chart of the Yankees' prospect rankings. The error bars represent the minimum and maximum rankings for each prospect.

Yankeesprospects2014

It appears that clicking the above graphic makes it slightly larger

. . .

Chris St. John is a writer at Beyond The Box Score. You can follow him on Twitter at @stealofhome.

Rethinking MLB's qualifying offer system

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It's March and free agents attached to draft pick compensation, Stephen Drew, Kendrys Morales and Ervin Santana are still looking for jobs. Is the qualifying offer system unfair to players?

It's hard to feel bad for someone who turned down $14.1 million. That's more money than most of us see in our entire lives. But this past November, thirteen major league free agents declined the opportunity to make that much in a single season when they rejected qualifying offers made by their 2013 clubs. The offers - an average of the top 125 player salaries earned last season - were handed out in accordance with MLB's now two-year-old system that requires teams to pony up that set figure in order to claim draft pick compensation for their departing free agents.

Sympathy is tough to muster for Nelson Cruz, who eventually agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal, a sum significantly less than what he could have had from Texas had he accepted his qualifying offer, or for Stephen Drew, Kendrys Morales and Ervin Santana, who are still languishing in no man's land two weeks into spring training. But just because the general public can't relate to problems like these doesn't mean they aren't problems. The bottom line is that all of these guys, thanks to a fairly new-found value placed on the young, cost-controlled players available in the amateur draft, got majorly screwed.

Drew, Morales and Santana have watched some comparable free agents not saddled with draft pick compensation sign some pretty lucrative deals. The Tigers played it conservative and didn't make qualifying offers to free agent infielders Jhonny Peralta and Omar Infante, and both were able to score four-year pacts in the state of Missouri, Peralta's worth a surprising $53 million, even coming off a PED suspension. Neither Ricky Nolasco nor Matt Garza out-pitched Santana last year but both got four-year guarantees as well, each in the $50 million range.

The qualifying offer system was supposed to resolve this issue. Under the old rules, which were intact until 2011, notable players heading into free agency received "A" or "B" status from the Elias Sports Bureau, with only "A's" requiring the signing team to surrender its first round pick. Instead of a qualifying offer, teams only had to offer arbitration. Requiring a minimum offer at a mid-level salary was intended to make teams think twice about tagging their players with a draft pick price tag...but it hasn't. Over the past two years, twenty-one qualifying offers have been made and all of them have been turned down. As that trend continues, teams will only get bolder in which players they make the offers to, and free agents will keep getting judged on factors other than their on-field prowess. Whether you're a fan of how much professional athletes earn or not, that's simply not fair.

Should you really get a draft pick for not signing a player?

The idea of draft pick compensation for departing players is a long-held tradition in baseball, and the logic is obvious. More often than not, teams losing free agents have been of the small market variety, and extra draft picks are a way to help keep them competitive with the big-town monsters who are always stealing their players. But the qualifying offer system seems to favor those big markets, who are more equipped to take the financial risk of issuing a fairly expensive qualifying offer. Of the twenty-one offers made in 2012 and 2013, eleven were handed out by the Yankees, Red Sox and Rangers. In several cases, draft pick compensation wasn't exactly easing the burden of a loss. The Yankees had no intention of bringing back Rafael Soriano last off-season, or Curtis Granderson this time around, but they got their picks nonetheless.

Another issue is that pick compensation encourages teams to go on major spending sprees, signing multiple top free agents in a single off-season. In the winter of 2008-09, the Yankees signed the best hitter and the two best pitchers on the market and only ceded a second and a third round pick for the former two. Since they've already signed Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran this year, their cost, if they chose to sign Drew or one of the other qualifying offer free agents still available, would be less than for most other teams in baseball.

So what can be done? MLB has already installed a rule where impending free agents acquired during a season can't receive qualifying offers that winter, but that's not enough. They should extend that restriction to include off-season deals and deadline deals the year before so that a player would need to play for a given team for two full seasons before being eligible for draft pick compensation. Another idea would be to take high-payroll teams out of the equation entirely, since their getting extra draft picks sort of defeats the purpose of the whole exercise.

Install a tiered system for draft pick compensation

A major issue with the current qualifying offer system is that, as we've seen over the past two years, one year at the average of the top 125 salaries in baseball is not enticing enough to get well...anyone to stick around, especially when they have just a few days to make a decision. Free agency, at least prime years free agency, is a once-in-a-career opportunity for many players, and they aren't going into it looking for a one-year deal.

So why not have different levels of qualifying offers for different levels of free agents? Guys like Drew and Morales probably shouldn't be grouped in with Robinson Cano, after-all. Under a system like this, in order to get a first round pick, you'd need to offer three years at an average salary of what the top 25 players in baseball made the year before. This year that would have been a three-year deal worth $63.8 million, which would limit giving up a first round pick to the very top category of free agents - probably only Cano and Ellsbury would have gotten that. Going down the line, a two-year offer at an average of the top 75 would net you a second round pick and the one-year, top 125 offer we know now would earn you an extra selection after the third round.

Change which picks are protected

Under the current system, if a team has a top-ten pick in the draft, they surrender a second rounder instead of a first for signing a qualifying offer free agent. That's well and good for those teams, but the eleventh pick in the draft is still pretty valuable and the eleventh-worst team in baseball is still pretty bad. This is another way in which the system favors stronger organizations. The cost of signing a top free agent for the best team in baseball is significantly less than it is for a 75-win type club. Extending protected picks from the top ten to the top 20 would help.

At least prevent players from getting qualifying offers two years in a row

One of many reasons that free agents are reluctant to accept qualifying offers from their teams is the likelihood that if they do, they'll end up in the same boat a year later. Barring players who agree to the qualifying offer from getting one again would raise the risk level for teams, at least a little. The goal should be to stop clubs from sweeping up draft picks for doing and losing nothing.

Spring Training Game Eight: Yankees vs. Orioles

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In a rare evening spring training game, two AL East division rivals square off on the YES Network with Wei-Yin Chen starting against David Phelps.

In what might end up being the most-watched game of spring training simply due to its convenient start time, the Yankees take on the Orioles in an evening match-up at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. The starting pitchers will be David Phelps, who fanned four in two innings of one-run ball during his last start against the Pirates on Thursday, and Wei-Yin Chen, who will be making his first start of spring training for the O's following a fine sophomore campaign in 2013.

Tonight's game will be on YES Network and MLB.tv at 7:05. For those unable to access either but have Gameday Audio, there will be a WBAL feed on MLB.tv as well (the Orioles' radio station). Here's hoping you can catch it!



Ryan got drilled on the left hand by a line drive during batting practice, but he should reportedly be okay to play. Pray to Mo that the ghost of 2013 has not returned.

The regular lineup will likely be replaced by Gary Sanchez (C), Francisco Arcia (1B), Scott Sizemore (2B, making his first appearance of camp), Dean Anna (SS), Zelous Wheeler (3B), Ramon Flores (LF), Mason Williams (CF), Antoan Richardson (RF), and regular catcher Brian McCann (DH). Jose Gil, Pete O'Brien, John Ryan Murphy, Corban Joseph, Jose Pirela, Adonis Garcia, and Addison Maruszak will also be available off the bench if needed.

The lineup card also indicates that Matt Thornton, Brian Gordon, Cesar Cabral, Chris Leroux, Chase Whitley, and Preston Claiborne will likely make relief appearances. It will be new LOOGY Thornton's first bullpen outing as a Yankee. Bruce Billings, Graham Stonecutter Stoneburner, Jeremy Bleich, and switch-pitcher Pat Venditte will also be on hand, so there's an outside chance that they could make appearances as well.

Enjoy the game!

Orioles 3, Yankees 2: Big second inning powered by Cervelli's homer isn't enough

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A second inning rally seemed to portend a good evening for the Yankees, but solid Orioles relief pitching held the fort and the O's came back to win it.

The Yankees played their first night game of spring training against the Orioles at Steinbrenner Field, but a good start was spoiled by a quiet final several innings. Their four-game winning streak was snapped as a bad seventh inning from reliever Chase Whitley led to the Orioles both tying the ballgame and taking the lead.

Although starter David Phelps was not at his sharpest this evening, he displayed tenacity on the mound, escaping jams left and right. The game began with back-to-back singles by David Lough and Jemile Weeks, but the rally was stopped almost immediately, as Delmon Young bounced a pitch to second baseman Brian Roberts (playing against the O's for the first time in his life), who made a nice flip to shortstop Brendan Ryan for a 4-6-3 double play.

Another grounder ended the inning. Baltimore began its second inning in even better fashion by putting runners on second and third with no one out on a Steve Pearce single and a Ryan Flaherty double down the right field line. Again though, Phelps worked out of trouble by retiring Francisco Peguero on a pop up, sending Quintin Berry down looking (which inspired this outstanding comment from long time listener), and inducing a ground ball from Cord Phelps.

A leadoff walk by Jacoby Ellsbury in the bottom of the first inning against Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen was immediately erased on a ground ball double play by Derek Jeter. It's spring training and batting order is always wonky, but we can only hope that Jeter's not batting second by the time the game start to count. This has nothing to do with his current spring training performance. Recent studies have demonstrated that second is arguably the most important position in the lineup, and it's debatable to trust a 40-year-old in such a crucial lineup position at this juncture, especially since he’d be bouncing into double plays frequently anyway—that was one of the reasons he moved away from the second spot in the order a few years ago. /rant/

The Yankees broke through in the second inning for their only two runs of the game, though had it not been for Eduardo Nunez, there might have been more runs. Roberts led off with an infield single and was immediately erased on a Nunez double play. Catcher Francisco Cervelli promptly followed with a solo homer, the fourth of the spring already by Yankees backstops. They really want us to forget about Chris Stewart, don't they? Bless them.

They tacked on another run when Brendan Ryan, Russ Canzler, and Yangervis Solarte all singled consecutively to drive home another run. Take note that Nunez almost killed the inning and Solarte hit a two-out single with a runner in scoring position. Hell, he killed another rally in the third inning against Josh Stinson, popping out with runners on first and second and one out. I don't think too many people actually think that the likes of Solarte or Dean Anna are legitimate bench options with a lot of hope, but at least they inspire more confidence than Nunez, who has done basically nothing to promote his cause during his four years with the team.  At some point, you just have to try something different. If not Solarte or Anna, then maybe Scott Sizemore, who appeared in his first game of the spring in relief of Roberts and notched a single while making a pair of nice plays in the field. /rant two/

By the third, Phelps had run into one jam too many. Lough led off with a triple to right-center and scored on a Weeks ground out to cut the Yankees' 2-0 lead in half. He got Young on a called strike three, but after a two-out walk to catcher Steve Clevenger, Phelps's day was done. Lefty free agent signing Matt Thornton came in from the bullpen for his first game of the spring and needed just one pitch to get out of the inning thanks to a Pearce grounder to short. One pitch, one out, day over for Thornton.

The last several innings were a snooze. Brian Gordon and Chris Leroux surprised by pitching scoreless ball from the fourth through the sixth until Whitley entered the game in the seventh. What followed was not pretty: Flaherty single, Peguero hit by pitch, a game-tying RBI single by Berry, and a walk to Phelps to load the bases with no one out. Whitley sent Orioles prospect Jonathan Schoop down on strikes, but even though Sizemore made a nice play toward the first base side of second to get the out and save a second run from scoring, the go-ahead run came home from third. The Orioles had a 3-2 lead and that was about it for the game. Cesar Cabral and Preston Claiborne threw scoreless innings in the eight (aided by a terrific diving catch from Mason Williams) and ninth, but the Yankees combined for just three baserunners during the last six innings.

The Yankees will hit the road and take on the Rays tomorrow afternoon at 1:05. There won't be a video feed of the game, but radio of the game should be available for MLB.tv subscribers.

Box scoreHighlights.

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 3/5/14

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Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

Yankees News

Beyond the Box Score | Chris St. John: The consensus top 58 prospects in the Yankees system.

Pinstripe Pundits | Chris Mitchell: A new study into pitch framing shows that Brian McCann and Chris Stewart might be worth more than previously believed.

It's About the Money | Brad Vietrogoski: Looking at potential extensions for David Robertson and Ivan Nova.

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: Andy Pettitte believes that CC Sabathia will adjust to his lowered velocity.

CBS Sports | Jon Heyman: The Yankees, Jacoby Ellsbury, Masahiro Tanaka, and Brett Gardner appear to be just some of this year's offseason winners.

Beyond the Box Score | Bryan Robinson: Where do the Yankees fit when it comes to the price of a win?

NotGraphs | Mississippi Matt Smith: Contrary to what Joe Namath says, Derek Jeter has made a few errors.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: It's possible that Francisco Cervelli is being lined up to be Masahiro Tanaka's personal catcher.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch:Brendan Ryan is ok after having a ball hit off his hand before yesterday's game.

Michael Pineda to make his spring training debut Friday after a successful simulated game

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Michael Pineda will make his spring training debut on Friday. Fellow teammates have had great things to say about how he's been pitching so far.

We've reached the second week of spring training games, and the competition for the 5th spot in the rotation is well under way. Vidal Nuno, David Phelps and Adam Warren have each already had a chance to start a game, and Michael Pineda is finally going to get a chance to throw his hat into the ring. Pineda will make his spring training debut in Friday's game, where he is expected to pitch three innings. No word yet on whether he will actually start the game or come out of the bullpen in the 4th inning, as Hiroki Kuroda is also set to pitch three innings on Friday.

Pineda threw two simulated innings on Sunday, pitching to Scott Sizemore and Zoilo Almonte. Sizemore actually played against Pineda during the latter's rookie year in Seattle, so he is familiar with the pitcher that Pineda was prior to the shoulder injury. Following the simulated game, Sizemore had nothing but good things to say. "...today the ball was popping out of his hand. He has different movement on his fastballs, almost...Sometimes he cuts it, sometimes he sinks it, sometimes it's a true four-seamer." Catcher Peter O'Brien also commented that Pineda is getting sharper, and that he isn't afraid to go in on lefties or righties. He added that, "Every time I caught him, I was telling one of the other guys, it looks like he’s turned it up a notch every single time."

Larry Rothschild was calling balls and strikes behind the mound during the sim game, and they weren't using a radar gun, but Sizemore said he believed that Pineda was throwing in the low to mid-90s. With the Mariners in 2011, Pineda's fastball averaged 94.2 mph. Though he only threw them about 6.8% of the time according to FanGraphs, his two-seamer averaged 96.7 mph, and his cutter averaged 95. What Sizemore had to say about Pineda obviously doesn't count for much in the realm of things (I mean, what is he, a human radar gun?), but it is still nice to hear and makes me feel cautiously optimistic that Pineda might finally make it into some games at the major-league level this season.

Friday's game will be against the Tigers at 7:05 PM, so you might want to consider cancelling your plans in order to stay home and watch listen to Pineda fight for a spot in the rotation.


An interview with former Mets stat guru Ben Baumer, Part 1

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Former Mets' statistical analyst shares insight on his time with the Mets, his view on sabermetrics, and his newly released book.

Professor Benjamin Baumer, now a professor of statistics at Smith College, spent eight years in the Mets organization as a statistical analyst. One of his recent baseball-related projects is openWAR, a package in the statistical language that gives an open-source calculation of Wins Above Replacement, which is available on Github. Baumer, along with fellow Smith professor Andrew Zimbalist, has also recently released The Sabermetric Revolution, a book that revisits Michael Lewis’s Moneyball and assesses the state of analytics in the game today.

Professor Baumer was kind enough to take part in an interview with Amazin’ Avenue. Below is the first part of our interview, which deals with Baumer’s time with the New York Mets.


You were brought into the Mets organization in 2004 and left in 2012. What was the adjustment like for your first season? How did your role evolve over the years?

The Mets, like most teams at the time, never really had anyone working full-time on statistical analysis, so there wasn’t any statistical infrastructure in place when I arrived. Moneyball had just been published (in 2003), and so they were probably ahead of the curve in hiring someone to do statistical analysis. However, I don’t think they had many fixed notions of what they hoped to get out of that person. This was great for me, because it meant that I had near-total freedom to do what I wanted. On the other hand, there was nothing in place, so I had to start from scratch. This was both a blessing and a curse.

One of the first things that I did was to set up a MySQL server to store statistics, and start working on a web front-end to display what I wanted. I realized quickly that the easier I made it to see the statistics that I wanted, the faster I could answer questions and the more valuable my analysis would be. Within a few months, I had other members of the baseball operations department accessing my server on their own, and things really took off from there. By the time I left we had multiple dedicated servers running multiple websites fed by dozens of databases accessible to hundreds of users.

As far as my role, maintaining the aforementioned statistical infrastructure was always a priority and took a lot of time, but TJ Barra (Manager of Minor League Operations and Baseball Information) was able to help out with that after he was hired, and Joe Lefkowitz (Coordinator of Baseball Systems Development) is extending that infrastructure now. That part didn’t change much, except that the scope of what we were doing and how many people depended upon it only increased over time. On the one hand, my role as a statistical analyst changed naturally with the regimes.

I was hired by Jim Duquette, but I was still in my first season when Omar Minaya become the GM. Jim was obviously interested in my input, but it wasn’t immediately clear that Omar would be. To his credit, Omar engaged me in a conversation about statistics on his first day on the job, and he was one of my biggest supporters over the years. Even though statistics was not the prism through which he naturally understood the game, he always valued my input and would always consult with me before making a major decision. Sandy Alderson has command of sabermetrics in a very different way, and had I stayed with the Mets I think my role probably would have expanded, but Ian Levin (Manager of Baseball Analytics) is continuing that work now.

What was the transition from Minaya at the helm to Alderson for both you and the organization? Was the organizational philosophy different? The day-to-day protocol? The personnel?

I think most people would be surprised at the extent of the similarities between the Minaya and Alderson regimes, at least when I was there. The changes in personnel at the top are well-documented, but much of the front office staff was the same (John Ricco, Adam Fisher, Jon Miller, TJ Barra, Ian Levin, and me). There is no question that Omar and Sandy view the game differently, but they are both trying to make the best decision possible based on the best information they can get. Both of them are incredibly well-connected, passionate about baseball, and always thinking about their next moves.

Right. Like you’ve indicated in the past, there are a bunch of moving parts, and it requires a lot of forward thinking and improvising. I’d imagine that environment would sort of make them converge. I think there is a temptation to paint Minaya as sort of the old guard and perhaps reckless, but there were distinct advantages that he brought to the table. Can you comment at all on how they viewed players on the scouting side? Obviously, Minaya was a phenomenal scout in the Dominican Republic, and Alderson was never a scout.

I’m glad you asked about that! That is probably the biggest difference between the two. Omar is a former player turned scout, and he cut his teeth scouting. Ultimately, his personal evaluation is going to color any decision that he makes about a player. Most people working in baseball are like that—including analysts like me. [I can’t scout, but I do trust my own evaluations of players.] On the other hand, Sandy is neither a scout nor an analyst, so I get the sense that his decisions are really not based on his own personal evaluations. So both Sandy and Omar have a similar process that leads to a decision: They try to collect as much useful information from their advisors as they can; but the way that they weight that information in order to make a decision is different. Omar, like just about everybody else, is going to—subconsciously or otherwise—also include input from his own evaluation of that player. But it always seemed to me that Sandy was able to remain very impartial when weighing the evidence. That may be Sandy’s greatest strength as a GM.

Omar’s greatest strength is his ability to read people and the market. Early in the Johan Santana sweepstakes, when all anyone was talking about was the Red Sox and the Yankees, Omar told us that he was going to fall in our lap, without having to give up our top prospect (Fernando Martinez at that time). Nobody believed him, but over the next few months it played out pretty much exactly as he said.


(photo credit: George Napolitano/FilmMagic)

As someone who worked in the front office, what was your relationship with coaches, players, and scouts? Were you relatively isolated or did you interact or collaborate with them often?

I didn’t interact much with the players. I would see them around, but I’d be surprised if more than a couple knew my name. On the other hand, I spent a fair amount of time with the coaches and scouts. When I started, Rick Peterson was the pitching coach, and he had very specific statistical information that he wanted from me. We had a great deal of interaction over those first few years as we built up the advance scouting reports. Rick was always very inquisitive and his attention to detail was remarkable. More than once he found mistakes in the reports I had created for him that would trace back to a not-so-obvious bug in the code I had written.

There were certainly some scouts who weren’t interested in statistical analysis or what I was doing, but they were in the minority. —Ben Baumer

Manny Acta and Dave Hudgens were also particularly interested in statistical information and open to thinking creatively about new ideas. For whatever reason Jerry Manuel and I always had a great relationship, even though it was adversarial at times. He’s a bit old-school and loved to give me a hard time, but always in a good-natured way.

There were certainly some scouts who weren’t interested in statistical analysis or what I was doing, but they were in the minority, especially as time went on. When I first started, Bill Livesey and Al Goldis took me under their wings and I learned a lot about baseball from them. Bryan Lambe was my scouting godfather in that he actually took me on a few advance scouting trips and showed me the ropes. Like most people whose playing experience tapped out in high school, I knew very little about scouting when I first started working in baseball, but I learned a ton from those guys, Sandy Johnson, J.P. Ricciardi, and others.

At this point I feel like I understand scouting, but I also know that I can’t really do it. And this comes after having tried to scout, and having the opportunity to learn from the best teachers, but it just isn’t the way that the game makes sense to me—I’m not able to pick up on all of the things that a good scout does. And for this reason I have tremendous respect for the people who are able to scout well. They provide invaluable information to their teams.

It’s funny that you mention isolation, because I’m now part of a group called "Isolated Statisticians" that is comprised mostly of statistics professors at small colleges who have few or no colleagues on campus. But in that sense working for the Mets was far more isolating. I never felt isolated socially, and our front office was always a very collegial group, but I was isolated professionally in the sense that there wasn’t anybody else working on the same problems as me. Moreover, I also couldn’t talk to the people who work for other teams that were working on those same problems! So there really wasn’t anywhere to go for help. That feeling of having to do everything by yourself was tough at times. But that really only applies to the more technical parts of the job. There were lots of situations in which I collaborated with others in the front office, and we were a pretty inclusive group for the most part.

Okay, last question in this part, and then we’ll move on to the second of the three, which is openWAR. What inspired the move into academia after eight years with the New York Mets?

There was a lot of thought that went into this. The first thing is that academia was always something that had been attractive to me, but I never had the opportunity to be a full-time professor until I finished my Ph.D., and that didn’t happen until May of 2012. Working in baseball is not for the faint of heart. It can be magical—there are spectacular moments where you are simply dumbfounded to find yourself doing what you are doing (e.g., listening to Willie Randolph tell Rickey Henderson anecdotes, being in meetings with Rickey Henderson, walking to a helipad in the D.R. with Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz, etc.). Feeling like you are part of a winning team that millions of people care about is an incredible feeling that you just can’t get in most jobs. But there a lot of long hours, at nights and on weekends, and everyone who works in baseball pays the "baseball tax."

Feeling like you are part of a winning team that millions of people care about is an incredible feeling that you just can’t get in most jobs.

For me, a big part of it was time and task management. What I like best about my job now is that I have near total freedom over my own time. I basically do whatever I want every day, year round. This is not to say that teaching is easy. Most of those days, that means I’m in the office early in the morning, working and/or teaching all day until late, and then I spend a few more hours at night prepping for class in the evenings. Working on weekends is also now pretty much a given. So the total workload is no lighter (and may even be heavier), but sometimes I’ll play basketball at 12:30 on a Wednesday, or run errands at 10 AM on a Tuesday, and I don’t have to miss work, ask permission, or feel like someone is keeping track of my hours. Most jobs don’t offer that kind of flexibility, and that has become really important to me.

I also work on whatever I want now. That was also true with the Mets to an extent, but I was part of a team and the team had a common goal, with direction coming from the top. Now, I’ll succeed or fail based on my publication and teaching records. There are very real consequences—tenure and promotion are not easy to get. But I’ll have a say in what I teach and how I teach it, and no one will try to dictate what research problems I tackle. Again, this freedom is really valuable to me.

But in a larger sense, I’m not obsessed with baseball. I love baseball! I can talk about it and watch it for hours on end, even days on end. But there are other things that I find interesting and like to talk about. After a while I could see that the people who really succeed within baseball are truly obsessed, and I mean that in the most complimentary way. Baseball is not a job for them—their lives are just intertwined with it. The game is so competitive, and there are so many people eager to do the work, that you can’t reach the top without giving yourself over completely to the game. Some people are lifers (I met a lot of them), but I’m just not one of them. I have the best of both worlds now, because I can spend as much time thinking about baseball as I want, and still be able to contribute something professionally, but I don’t have to devote my entire life to it.

Know Your Enemy: New York Yankees

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Cracks have appeared in the Yankee armor. Which direction will that take them?

The New York Yankees missed the playoffs in 2013. That's big news in New York. As Cubs fans we'd have probably loved an 85-77 season in 2013.

Truth be told, the Yankees probably shouldn't have been even that good. They had a negative run differential (-21), outperformed their Pythagorean win estimate by six games and finished 10th in the American League in runs scored.

In large part, that was due to injuries to key players. The Yankees were starting guys like Chris Stewart , Jayson Nix and Lyle Overbay most of the year. One of the reasons they were even in the playoff conversation was an excellent 30-16 record in one-run games. That, of course, was led by now-retired closer Mariano Rivera. David Robertson, Rivera's fine setup man, will take over at closer... but could that create a domino effect with the relievers behind him?

The Yankees have attempted to fix the trouble with their offense by reconstituting the 2007 All-Star team. No, seriously. Three of their four free-agent signings (Brian McCann, Brian Roberts, Carlos Beltran) were All-Stars in 2007, and Jacoby Ellsbury, the fourth, was only a couple of years from joining them. Ellsbury will help the Yankees, though that leaves them several outfielders (Alfonso Soriano, Ichiro Suzuki, Vernon Wells) that they'll have to sit on the bench for long periods of time, use as DHs, or platoon. (Incidentally, Soriano and Ichiro were also 2007 All-Stars and Wells was one in 2006.)

If you're getting the idea that this is an old team, you're right. Not one of the projected starters is under 30, and at least two of them (Roberts and Mark Teixeira) are attempting comebacks from serious injuries.

Then there's the starting pitching. CC Sabathia has reportedly lost a lot of weight; he had the worst year of his career in 2013, so maybe that will help. Of course, as we all know, Masahiro Tanaka was added to the Yankee rotation at a very high cost. No one yet knows whether he'll be worth it, although his first spring outing was quite impressive.

Perhaps the best thing for the Yankees this year is that the Alex Rodriguez saga is settled, at least for 2014. He's suspended and the court cases are over and he won't be around. No A-Rod circus. The Yankees signed Kelly Johnson, who is a decent enough player, to play third base, replacing A-Rod. That could get interesting defensively, as Johnson has played just 16 big-league games at third base, all of them last year.

For a team with so many former Cubs in coaching and management (Girardi, Larry Rothschild, Mick Kelleher, Jim Hendry), the roster is almost ex-Cub-free. Soriano is the only former Cub on the New York 40-man roster, and the only non-roster invitee who has any Cubs connection is Robert Coello, who spent 2011 in the Cub organization at Tennessee and Iowa.

I really don't know what to think about the Yankees. Maybe they can get one last gasp out of all these old players and return to the postseason. Maybe that's why Joe Girardi re-upped for four more years of the Steinbrenner Circus.

Somehow, though, I think this is the year it all starts to fall apart in the Bronx.

The Yankees are likely to be relatively healthy, anyway, when they first play the Cubs. The teams will play a pair of two-game series, first in Yankee Stadium April 15-16, then at Wrigley Field May 20-21, where the Cubs will likely honor Derek Jeter, who is retiring at the end of 2014.

Mark Teixeira and juice: A love story through GIFs

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Everyone's favorite bizarre juice fanatic took a YES reporter into his juicing lair. The world may never be the same.

It's no secret at this point. Mark Teixeira is a juicing fiend.

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YankeesGIFs.com

Yes... quite the juicing fiend, indeed. How many other players, nay, human beings would pose with such loving adoration of what they are about to consume? Tex is one of a kind. Tex is pushing the juice revolution forward with reckless abandon. He recently gave YES Network reporter Jack Curry a glimpse into his off-diamond work, which threatens to destroy his playing career given how much it has consumed him. The consumer has become the consumed.

"...the hell did you make me wear"

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"We all look so gosh darn spiffy in these juicing uniforms! I call them juiciforms! It's a bit of humor, you see!"

All smiles!

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Tex's thoughts:
please talk to me about juice
yes continue talking about juice
never stop talking about juice, I am erupting with neverending joy

Mark Teixeira Bobblehead Millenia

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"oh mother of God, this friggin' guy."

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Someone direct this poor woman to Idealist.com. Or the Classifieds. Or those street vendors around Times Square. Or to the Yankees' infield. She needs help, they need help. It's a perfect match. If you can successfully do so, I think that's a legitimate reason to request a tax write-off.

Yeah, sure. That's juice. Uh-huh.

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My eyes.

God, if only

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Pain.

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Seriously, someone help her. She seems like a nice girl.

"To the downfall of a nation!"

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Here, Tex acts so kindly in offering a cheers with Curry while our young friend looks on with anguish. He's happy to have spread his love of juice to another soul. And yet...

back the hell away from my juice

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Those aren't the eyes of joy. Those are the eyes of wanting to drink all the juice in the world. We are at a dangerous point in the history of civilization. Someone. Anyone. Send help.

Rays vs. Yankees GDT: (not a) TELEVISION GAME!!!

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Cesar Ramos, Erik Bedard and Jake Odorizzi will all audition for the No. 5 role.

Okay. Now that that's jinxed, what else have we got going on?

Hey! It's Mikie... Mahtook... Mu-toook... Mahhh-tuk... Maah-ain't-gonna-work-here-anymore--HAHAHAHAHA!

So this supposed five-man competition for the fifth-man rotation spot? Let's look at the early favorites:

Spring Training Stats

PLAYER        W  L  S  ERA   G  IP    H   R  ER
------        -  -  -  ---   -  --    -   -  --
J Odorizzi    0  0  0  0.00  1  1.0   1   0   0
N Karns       0  0  0  0.00  1  1.0   0   0   0
C Ramos       0  0  0  0.00  1  1.0   0   0   0
A Colome      0  0  0  0.00  1  1.0   1   0   0
E Bedard      0  1  0 27.00  1  1.0   3   3   3
PLAYER       HR  BB  SO  HB  WP   BK
------       --  --  --  --  --   --
J Odorizzi    0   1   1   0   0    0
N Karns       0   0   2   0   0    0
C Ramos       0   0   1   0   0    0
A Colome      0   0   1   0   0    0
E Bedard      0   2   1   0   1    0

Career FIPs


Source: FanGraphs -- Erik Bedard, Cesar Ramos, Jake Odorizzi

I've got my money on Erik Bedard. These are all not *great* options; or rather: No option is the obvious option. But I can imagine the Rays FO and Maddon preferring the grisly veteran.

So I lied earlier. Today's game is not on television. But you can listen on the radio.

TV Day is Friday!

Spring Training Game Nine: Yankees vs. Rays

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The Yankees will face their third division rival this week as they travel to Port Charlotte, Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. Adam Warren gets the start as he competes with David Phelps, Michael Pineda, and Vidal Nuno for the fifth starter spot.


Lineup

NEW YORK YANKEESTAMPA BAY RAYS
Brett Gardner LFBen Zobrist 2B
Eduardo Nunez 2BDesmond Jennings CF
Ichiro Suzuki CFEvan Longoria 3B
Russ Canzler 1BMatt Joyce DH
Kelly Johnson 3BRyan Hanigan C
Yangervis Solarte SSVince Belnome 1B
Austin Romine CJayson Nix SS
Zoilo Almonte RFBrandon Guyer LF
John Ryan Murphy DHMikie Mahtook RF

Bench options will include Peter O`Brien (C), Jose Gil (1B), Corban Joseph (2B), Dean Anna (SS), Zelous Wheeler (3B), Antoan Richardson (LF), Mason Williams (CF), and Adonis Garcia (RF). DH options include Jose Pirela, Gary Sanchez, Addison Maruszak, and Ramon Flores.

Tonight's bullpen will include Dellin Betances, Matt Daley, Yoshinori Tateyama, Robert Coello, Jim Miller, Danny Burawa, and Mark Montgomery. Caleb Cotham and Manny Barreda have come up from minor league camp as well.

So who has everyone been impressed with so far? Who have you been disappointed in?

Yankees 4, Rays 5: Coello ruins everything

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For the first few innings of the game, the Yankees were somewhat in control. Not necessarily dominating, but the game was going well for them. Adam Warren, one contestant for the fifth starter spot, pitched fine, giving up four hits and striking out two, surrendering one run on a Ben Zobrist home run in 2.1 innings. It's hard to say that he put any distance between himself and David Phelps, though.

The Yankees took the lead in the first inning thanks to former Yankees legend Jayson Nix. After Eduardo Nunez and Ichiro Suzuki hit back-to-back singles, Russ Canzler drove in one run and then Nix threw away a potential double play ball to allow another run to score. They scored again in the fourth with Grant Balfour in the game. Kelly Johnson was hit by a pitch, Yangervis Solarte singled, and Zoilo Almonte walked to load the bases, then Brett Gardner hit a two-run single to make it a 4–1 game.

Non-Roster Invitee Robert Coello entered the game in the fifth inning and ruined everything. He gave up a total of four runs on a three-run home run from Desmond Jennings and a solo homer from Matt Joyce. He completed the day getting only one out, but managing to hit a batter and give up four hits in that time. Matt Daley came in to salvage the game and managed to get out of the inning after two hits and a strikeout.

Dellin Betances was impressive, striking out two (one of which being Evan Longoria) and walking one in 1.2 innings. Yoshinori Tateyama was also pretty solid, pitching two innings, striking out two and walking one. Someone (Caleb Cotham according to the announcers, Jim Miller according to Gameday) pitched a clean eighth inning with two strikeouts.

As for the offense, it was mostly quiet when they weren't scoring runs. Nunez went 3-for-3 (LOL) with a single, double and bunt base hit. Canzler and Almonte both collected a hit and a walk each, and Zelous Wheeler, Jose Pirela, and Antoan Richardson each came off the bench with a hit (a double for Wheeler).

Eduardo Nunez and hope eternal

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Sometimes all you need is one chance. And then a few more. Maybe one after that, too.

It's been addressed many times before, and will probably come up more times in the future, but there's not a lot of quality depth projected to be in the Yankees infield. Brendan Ryan stands as the only backup infielder that is assured a spot on this team, so there looks to be some space for a couple of players to impress in Spring Training. Of course, the coaches might already have their favorites, but I suspect that none of the candidates are that far ahead of the others. That's spells opportunity for the much-maligned and often helmet-less Eduardo Nunez, who always seems to manage to be a brief injury away from getting a start for the Yankees. And unless someone else stands out this Spring, it's probably going to be the case again in 2014.

I've always thought Eduardo Nunez being one of the worst Yankees of all time spoke so much more to the franchise's failings with their minor league development than just a player who isn't very good. You don't get to be in the team's top five worst-performing position players ever (-1.9 fWAR over 270 games) if there's somebody clearly better behind you. We're now in the fifth season of "The Eduardo Nunez Experience", and the latest round of would-be usurpers isn't really any more impressive than in the past. Dean Anna, Yangervis Solarte, Scott Sizemore: they all have their own issues which could prevent them for burying Nunez once and for all. Sizemore can say he's the only competent major-leaguer among them, but of course he's only here because he has injury issues.

Speaking of burying, it does almost feel like Nunez is some unassailable horror villain at times. Now matter how close it feels like you are to never seeing him on the roster again, it just works out so that he's still in the mix. But none of that matters now, because he's here and he's getting a look. Sure, yesterday's poor performance didn't do him any favors, but he's got that coveted "veteran status" and Joe Girardi seems to like him, so it certainly won't be his death knell.

It's all part of what makes his situation so interesting to me. A brand new start to his career is still right within his grasp. Hundreds and hundreds of other players have seen their chances at the majors go by the wayside without getting nearly the number of chance granted to Nunez. Some of them were likely better players, too. But because there hasn't been anyone nipping at Eduardo's heels in this organization, he's still got a crack at it. All the words here at PSA and elsewhere that have been written lamenting the seemingly Teflon nature of 'ol Eddie's standing with the Yankees could be rendered wholly irrelevant with a surprising level of competent performance. I certainly wouldn't expect it, but it's all right there for your taking Eduardo.

So make the most of it, good sir. As the years go by you're closer and closer to spending your days languishing in AAA. But they haven't come just yet, so grab that roster spot with gusto. I'd rather you not just sort of stumble into it undeserving.


Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 3/6/14

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Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

Yankees News

New York Post | George A. King III: The Mariners are reportedly scouting David Phelps.

Baseball Prospectus | Sam Miller: The best GIFs from the 2014 season that haven't happened yet.

It's About the Money | Michael Eder: Projecting what Matt Thornton can do for the Yankees in 2014.

Fox Sports | Jimmy Traina: Comedian Chelsea Handler ripped Alex Rodriguez apart.

SB Nation | Grant Brisbee: The Pirates' acquisition of Chris Stewart and the Yankees signing Jacoby Ellsbury could be some of the worst transactions of the offseason.

Pinstripe Pundits | Chris Mitchell: Finding players who could be comparable to Eric Jagielo.

The Times-Tribune | Donnie Collins: Which players are hurting the team and which are helping

New York Times | Tyler Kepner: The Yankees hope that Brian Roberts will work out well for them.

It's About the Money | Michael Eder: Could Oliver Perez be the answer the Yankees are looking for in the bullpen?

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: Is Mark Teixeira a Hall of Famer?

Baseball Prospectus | Ben Lindbergh & Sam Miller: The 400th BP "Effectively Wild" podcast previewed the Yankees' season with Sports on Earth writer Emma Span and Wall Street Journal beat writer Dan Barbarisi

Yankees spring training: Hitters' Making the Team Meter - Week One

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Examining where players without guaranteed spots on the Yankees' Opening Day roster stand in their quest to make the team after one week of Spring Training.

Today marks one week since spring training games got underway, which means it's still pretty early to be making judgments about where the players stand in terms of trying to make their way onto the Yankees' 25-man roster when the club heads north. For a lot of players, their role on the team is already clearly defined. Derek Jeter will be the team's shortstop on Opening Day and four of the spots in the pitching rotation will be filled by CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, and Masahiro Tanaka in some order. Other players have to fight their way onto the team with their performance in spring training. This will serve as a way to keep up with their progress and their chances of being with the team when they open in Houston for the first game of the season.

This first post will feature the hitters and Jason's subsequent post will profile the pitchers in competition. We graded out where each of the players stand with the following legend:

Obviously everything is an extremely small sample size at this point. While Gary Sanchez could bat 1.000 for the entirety of spring and still not make it onto the roster, players like Brian Roberts are almost certainly not playing their way off the roster with their results in spring training games. The players that fall somewhere in between are the truly interesting cases.

All of the catchers have been hitting very well in spring training so far, but Francisco Cervelli almost certainly has the inside track to the backup job if he isn't traded before Opening Day. The Yankees have plenty of depth at the position, including Austin Romine and John Ryan Murphy, and scouts from other teams are definitely present to check out what might be on display. If they all continue to hit well, it's possible that the Yankees could use one of them in a package for a much-needed infielder.

Pretty much anyone with two arms and a glove with knowledge of playing the infield is an option to make the team at this point. The favorites might be Dean Anna, due to his 40-man roster spot, or Yangervis Solarte, who has been impressing with his bat so far this spring. Eduardo Nunez might be the favorite because he's been there before, but there could be enough bench spots to share if some of the other options can put up impressive numbers over the next few weeks.

The outfield is arguably the hardest place for a hitter without a defined role on the team to break through. The Yankees have outfielders to spare and will probably keep Ichiro Suzuki around as their fourth or fifth outfielder, depending on what you define Alfonso Soriano as, just because of how much they are paying him. Slade Heathcott is the prospect closest to the majors, but injuries have kept him out of spring training games to this point. The team will likely want him playing every day at Triple-A anyway. Zoilo Almonte and Adonis Garcia are likely major league-ready, but really have no place on this team as currently constructed with all three starting roles and multiple backup roles already pretty much cemented in place.

How do you think this chart will change over the course of the next week of games? Which player do you think has the best chance of turning things around and snagging a spot on the team?

Jonathan Gray - Aces Up!

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Gray has everything in his favor. A huge frame. Two knockout pitches. Do what you can to get him on your dynasty team, NOW!

Jonathan Gray would like to introduce himself to you. Perhaps you may have heard of him. The #3 overall pick in the 2013 draft, the Colorado Rockies were thrilled to get the big righty. And by big, I mean BIG. A strapping 6'4" and 255lbs. packed on his frame scream "workhorse." They also scream innings eater. But let's give Gray some due. He is a lot more than just an innings eater. He is a lot more than a workhorse. He is everything an organization would want in an ace, and to make it even sweeter, everything you would want as your #1 ace-front-of-your-dynasty-rotation. Let's investigate the "Why?"

Basics:

Gray has been under close watch since graduating high school. Drafted not once, not twice, but three times, by three different teams. Once by the Royals in 2010, once by the Yankees in 2011, and the final time by the Rockies in 2013, when he signed for $4.8 million dollars and became the best prospect in the organization the minute the ink dried. Additionally, all the prospect guru's seem to think pretty highly of Gray as well:

Keith Law: "The Oklahoma product's stock took a small hit when he tested positive for Adderall in MLB's predraft testing program, but after signing he made rapid improvement in the Rockies' system as Colorado made him throw the changeup more, to the point where it was flashing plus by the end of the summer."

BA: "Gray has three very good pitches, and the Rockies expect that all will be above-average offerings."

Tools:

Fastball - A fastball that tops out at 102? Ummm, yea, that would be an 80, which make dynasty owners happy!

Slider - Another swing and miss offering Gray throws from 85-88 throwing a 70 grade on it from scouts. Sign me up!

Change - As Keith Law stated, flashes plus even though he barely started throwing it due to being able to overmatch hitters in college. Currently a 60 grade would make Gray everything you would want as your #1, even in a bad ballpark.

Here is where the excitement builds(and if you haven't noticed, yes I do have a mancrush on Gray!):

Very clean mechanics with not a lot of effort. Has an immensely strong, fully grown frame which allows him to generate a ton of velocity.

Command - Gets plus marks here, too. Has made huge strides in conditioning and cleaning up his mechanics to get to the 60 marker for command and delivery.

Outlook:

Gray has one of the highest floors even if his change never gets any better. The 95-102 fastball, along with the 85-88 mph wipeout slider are more than enough to make him the closest thing to a sure bet that exists currently in the pitching prospect world. At his peak, Gray could be the next generation Max Scherzer with more velocity. Grab him if you can!

As he signed early enough to give us a taste of what he has to offer, Gray didn't surprise with these stellar statistics:

K:BB 6.38

K/9 12.3

If there is one red flag about Gray, it is the aforementioned Adderall snafu. Since you have to have a medical waiver for it in MLB, he will now have to be tested for it through his career. This is not exactly a huge worry, but more a red flag, character wise, when millions of dollars are on the line. Teams might have questioned his character and although he was drafted third overall, no one really knows if the Astros or Cubs would've taken him first or second, thus possibly costing him millions. But I digress.

ETA: September 2014 or sooner if Rockies are in a playoff race

Comps:

Being as bullish on Gray as I am, along with the current school of thought that he has a very high floor, I am putting these comps on Gray:

Upside/Best Case Scenario: Tom Seaver. A workhorse who had great command within the strike zone. Yup, I just threw a HoF comp on a guy who has never thrown above A ball. Seems asinine until you realize that Gray has tree trunk legs, an Aroldis Chapman fastball, and the explosiveness and clean mechanics that make him just as likely as any other pitcher to have a injury-free career.

More Likely Scenario: The aforementioned Max Scherzer who can paint, throws a filthy slider, and has very clean mechanics.

Worst case scenario: Suffers a major shoulder injury and never reaches his full potential. Awful? Yes. But also possible.

All things being equal though, Gray's mechanics, ability to paint, and Aroldis Chapman fastball velo in a starters body make this dude one very hard to resist prospect. Grab him early, and watch him give you ace production for cheap for years. I know I am.

Yankees spring training: Pitchers' Making the Team Meter - Week One

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Examining where players without guaranteed spots on the Yankees' Opening Day roster stand in their quest to make the team after one week of Spring Training.

Going into the 2014 season, the Yankees have questions surrounding both the rotation and bullpen. They are currently holding a competition between Vidal Nuno, David Phelps, Adam Warren, and Michael Pineda to decide who should be the fifth starter in the rotation. Now that Mariano Rivera has retired, there are only three relievers (David Robertson, Shawn Kelley, Matt Thornton) who are guaranteed jobs, and the other four spots will go to the players who earn it.

I will start off by tracking 25 pitchers through the first week of spring training. As players are cut from camp, so will they be cut from my tracker, Tanya has done the same for hitters. Players will be evaluated on how likely they are to make the team, which I will determine from both performance and logical upside.

Here is the grading system:

The only two players guaranteed spots on the roster are Phelps and Warren. Regardless of who wins the fifth starter competition, all four pitchers could end up on the team, so the competition for the bullpen will be directly impacted by the fifth starter competition.

Dellin Betances and Preston Claiborne are likely the favorites among those looking to score a bullpen job. Mark Montgomery, Danny Burawa, Matt Daley, Chase Whitley, Yoshinori Tateyama, Cesar Cabral, Chris Leroux, and Jim Miller could all push their way into the picture with the right combination of performance and injury.

There are plenty of prospects in camp that are looking to make a name for themselves, but won't necessarily make the team. Unfortunately, most of them have been dealing with injuries. Manny Banuelos and Jose Campos came to camp in order to rehab, but Jose Ramirez, Nik Turley, and Francisco Rondon have all suffered injuries in the last week. Bryan Mitchell, Shane Greene, and Fred Lewis could end up getting longer looks, but they're likely headed back to the minors.

Mark Teixeira injury: Yankees 1B 'ticked' by lack of swings in camp

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Teixeira was hoping to get some work in at the cages, but the Yanks shut him down after a short batting session.

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Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira was ready to test out his wrist this spring after dealing with an injury for over a year, but the team's pitching coach, Larry Rothschild, shut him down after a 21-pitch session, according to the New York Daily News' Mark Feinsand.

Teixeira, who turns 34 next month, was simply irritated that he didn't get to put more work in. A rift between the Yanks and their first baseman is far from the result of the abbreviated game simulation.

The Yankees are bringing Tex along slowly to avoid any more complications in his recovery from the injury that kept him out for most of the 2013 season.

While he might want to accelerate his return to regular team activities, the Yankees are being cautious, because as Feinsand puts it, they "have no contingency plan if Teixeira’s wrist troubles him again."

MLB Depth Charts currently has Teixeira listed as the team's cleanup hitter, and they don't appear to be prepared to enter the 2014 season with a utility infielder that regularly plays first. At this point it looks like they will rely on Eduardo Nunez and Brendan Ryan as their bench infielders.

The most likely players in the organization to see time at first in Teixeira's absence are non-roster invitees Russ Canzler and Yangervis Solarte, so the Yanks are "keeping their fingers crossed" in regard to Teixeira's wrist.

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