In a recent interview on MLB.com, Steinbrenner discussed the excitement about the club’s mix of young and veteran players for the 2017 season.
“It’s a great mix and I think the veterans are going to be great dealing with the kids, mentoring them. We’ve seen that in the past. But they’ve got to prove themselves, a number of these guys. This is their big chance and they’re going to get it this year.”
Read the article at MLB.com
The Yankees may very well be the most famous sports franchise in the United States, and perhaps the world. They have established themselves as a successful club that continues to find success decade after decade. While being widely known, here are some facts you may not know about the Yankees.
With 27 championships, the Yankees are the most successful sports franchise in North America. Out of all these titles, the following five were the best teams the Yankees have ever had.
This team was stacked with players that had been established as perennial All-Stars including Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Marian Rivera, Alex Rodriguez, and CC Sabathia to name some of them. This most recent title ended a nine-year drought and returned the Yanks to baseball’s pinnacle.
After Number 4 retired to start the season, Joe DiMaggio took over as arguably the best player in the game. He batted .381 with 30 homers and only struck out 20 times in 524 plate appearances. With a 411 run differential, other teams cringed when they saw the Yankees on their schedule.
Mickey Mantle had a monster season, and he was not even the best player on the team. Roger Maris clubbed 61 homeruns to set the single season record. Whitey Ford also went 25-4 to push the Yankees to yet another World Series title.
This team did not have the long list of Hall of Famers like other Yankee squads, but they just knew how to win going 125-50 including the postseason. Sure Jeter and Mariano are first ballet Hall of Famers, but it was guys like Scot Brosius, Tino Martinez, and Bernie Williams that came through again and again.
Babe Ruth in 1927 hit 60 home runs, it should be noted that 12 other teams did not hit that many. Following Ruth was a brutal lineup consisting of Gehrig, Earl Combes, and Bob Meusel. With their ace Waite Hoyt going 22-7 with a 2.63 ERA and Wilcy Moore getting 19 wins out of the pen, Murder’s Row is not only the best Yankee squad ever, but the best team in baseball history.
The Yankees are set to be the team to beat in 2017 with position players including Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Jorge Mateo, Gleyber Torres, and Tyler Austin all under 25 years old. While the Yankees do not have top-tier pitching prospects, they do have depth with players such as Jordan Montgomery, Dillon Tate, Chance Adams, Justus Sheffield, James Kaprielian, Albert Abreu, and Ian Clarkin with other young arms in the majors already. This is why the Yankees made the wise decision to not pick up a starting pitcher in free agency. It was a thin market so let’s look at why the Yankees made the right decision to pass on certain free agents.
Rich Hill: He wanted a multi-year deal and got that with 3-years for $48 Million with the Dodgers. He is always hurt and with no long-term proven success, he was not worth signing through his age 39 season.
Ivan Nova: Inconsistent and seemed to need a change of scenery. While he was very effective with the Pirates this does not mean it would transition back to the Bronx where Ivan struggled. He could very well have a better career in Pittsburgh than New York (See A.J. Burnett).
Charlie Morton: He pitched only 4 games in 2016, and has not had an ERA under 3.70 since 2013. A player on the downward trend is not worth $14 million per year and the Yankees are better off using Bryan Mitchell or Luis Severino.
I would have like to have seen the Yankees go after Jeremy Hellickson but with him surprisingly taking Phillies qualifying offer, he was off the market. With Masahiro Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia, and Michael Pineda looks to be in the starting rotation, and a bunch of young arms competing for 2 rotation spots, the Yankees were wise to not overpay any of these free agents.
~Gregory Hold
Source: Today’s Knuckleball
The Yankees have begun rebuilding and with that the current roster is sub-par at best. Yankee fans should be excited about the future as they have created maybe the best farm system in baseball. Instead of ranking off potential or current performance, here are the five prospects Yankee fans should be the most excited about.
1) Clint Frazier – Recently called up to AAA, the Yankees should see Frazier by next year or maybe as soon as September when the rosters expand. His outfield range, base running ability, and lightning quick bat should excite Yankee fans. He is the Yankees best prospect and he is already playing well in AAA. He has a small hitch in his swing but if he fixes this issue it should be no surprise if Frazier is an All-Star.
2) Aaron Judge – Yankee fans have been hearing about Judge for a couple years now. He may have made his debut if he did not get hurt this season. Regardless, Judge resembles Giancarlo Stanton with a big frame along with a powerful bat and strong arm. Judge is the closest to being called up out of any prospect the Yankees have that has not made his MLB debut yet.
3) Gary Sanchez- Even though he was recently called up, Gary Sanchez should be included in this list. It seems almost anyone that has worked with Sanchez says the same thing – the kid can hit! Demonstrating a solid arm in his brief time in the majors, and a vast improvement behind the plate, the Yankees may have found their future starting catcher.
4) Gleyber Torres – This list is ranking excitement, not eventual talent, or else Torres would be higher. The fact he is still in A-ball hurts him here as any player low in the system should be watched carefully. A lot can change from A-ball to the big leagues. Torres is by far the best player the Yankees received from the Cubs in the Aroldis Chapman deal. It is hard to find a weakness as he is talented across the board. He can throw, field, run, and hit at a major league level. He doesn’t truly excel at most of these tools so he is not a 5-tool player per say. However, he does have the chance to be an all-star infielder for the Yanks.
5) Jorge Mateo – Another one hurt on this list by the fact his is still in High-A, Jorge Mateo is another electric shortstop in the Bomber’s system. His smaller frame prevents him from hitting for power, but his speed is flat-out ridiculous. Many of his current teammates refer to him as the fastest player they have ever seen. With a solid range and a good arm in the field, the Yankees may have a perfect fit for their leadoff role in a few years.
Source: NJ.com
The Yankees recently signed left-handed reliever Tommy Layne to a major-league contract, and added him to the 25-man roster.
Layne, who was recently released by the Red Sox so they could open a spot for catcher Bryan Holaday, is known for almost exclusively pitching against lefties. The southpaw Layne has held lefties to a .175 batting average with only 7 extra-base hits in 265 plate appearances. This is a result of his special delivery abilities and his slider (one that same-sided hitters can’t seem to begin to even touch).
Layne pitched for much of last season with a pretty bad neck injury that affected his ability to throw secondary pitches. He received an epidural during the All-Star break in attempts to resolve the problems that were occurring as a result of his neck injury, and he could pitch through the pain when facing lefties, but consistently fell short when facing righties. Layne’s numbers were pretty good through May and June, but he’s allowed 6 hits and 2 walks in his past 2.1 innings and he hasn’t pitched since July 30.
Layne has spent five years in pro ball, 3 with the Red Sox and his first 2 seasons with the Padres. This season Layne has mostly thrown a sinker (at 91 mph) and cutter (at 87 mph) combo, with the occasional four-seamer, slider and change up.
The Yankees already have two left-handed relievers, Richard Bleier and Chasen Shreve, and it’s likely one of them will be returning to Triple-A as a result of Layne’s arrival.
Read more about Layne’s contract with the Yankees at http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2016/08/whos_yankees_tommy_layne_meet_newest_reliever.html
~Gregory Hold
Source: Knuckleball
Sources have revealed that New York Yankees catcher Brian McCann has cleared waivers thus making him eligible for a trade this month.
McCann left Atlanta for a five-year, $85-million deal with the Yanks before the 2014 season and he was part of the Yankees’ win-now move. Last year, McCann hit a career-high 26 home runs. He has, however, slipped a little behind the plate and the Yankees seem to want a change.
It’s been reported that both the White Socks and Braves (his former team) have expressed interest in McCann. Some reports suggest the Braves wanted the Yankees to eat some of McCann’s contract if they were going to acquire him, but the Yankees wanted impact prospects in return. Other reports state the White Socks felt the Yankees asking price for McCann was way too high. The Texas Rangers was another team that has reportedly shown some interest, but they already acquired star Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy.
McCann does have a full no-trade clause so he reserves the right to veto any trade.
I don’t think trading McCann should be a top priority for the Yankees. There’s already plans to give McCann work at first base to help to take a load off his legs and to give Sanchez a shot at catcher.
What do you think? Is a McCann trade a good idea right now?
Read more at http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2016/08/mlb_trade_rumors_why_yankees_could_still_deal_bria.html
~Gregory Hold
MLB.com writer Bryan Hoch reported the Yankees plan on keeping their spring training home in Tampa Bay through 2046, after announcing the extension of their licensing agreement to renovate George M. Steinbrenner Field.
The renovation is expected to cost over $40 million dollars and will include a new outfield concourse that will provide fans with a 360-degree view of the field. Improvements will also be made to the entrance of the stadium for easier access to fans. The funding for the project will be split evenly between the Yankees, Hillsborough County, and Florida’s Spring Training Retention Program.
I believe Tampa Bay is a great place for the Yankees to play their Spring training games and I’m glad that they are staying there for the foreseeable future. It’s a great atmosphere down there and I know there are a lot of Yankees fans down in the Florida area.
Read more at http://m.yankees.mlb.com/news/article/171731292/yankees-agree-to-terms-on-spring-training-home
Since it’s been a little over a year since the captain decided to hang up his cleats, I figure it’s a good time to take a look at his replacement, Didi Gregorius. Let’s start out by looking at his stats from the 2015 MLB season:
GP: 155
AB: 525
R: 57
H: 139
2B: 24
HR: 9
RBI: 56
AVG: .265
It’s hard to deny that Didi had a solid season last year. While these aren’t comparable to Jeter numbers (even in his first season as Yankee), it’s hard to complain. He hit .02 points above the average of all qualified shortstops last season, which is a promising statistics What I’d like to see from him is a little more power. He’s a big guy, standing at 6’3”, so the potential is certainly there for him to go off for a 20 home run season.
Didi Gregorius
So far this season Gregorius has gotten off to a hot start, hitting .333 through 5 games with 3 RBI’s and a homerun. I expect him to improve on most if not all of his numbers from last year as he should be settled in now and there’s less pressure for him to follow in Jeter’s footsteps.
~Gregory Hold
Anyone who has followed baseball in the last twenty years knows that, almost always, the Yankees end up being one of the biggest spenders every offseason. Every summer, it seems like it could be guaranteed that every big name in free agency gets linked to the Yankees at some time during the offseason. However, this offseason has been quite strange for the Yanks. Aside from adding a few pitchers via trade, the Yankees really haven’t made any big moves, especially in terms of free agent signings.
The only real notable signing the Yanks made this offseason was for Chicago Cubs young infielder Starlin Castro, who has many Yankees fans excited. Castro is a great fielder and versatile at the plate, with a good combination of speed, power, and contact. Castro hit .270 with the Cubs last season, adding 11 Home Runs and 59 RBIs. He will be an exciting player to watch play in Pinstripes and I look forward to his development with the team.
~Gregory Hold
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