Thursday, July 11, 2013

Alex Rodriguez Only Plays Half Inning In Rehab Game


Today marks the half way point in Alex Rodriguez's 20 day rehab assignment and was only able to play in a half of an inning before having to leave the game. Don't worry though because the game was washed out and postponed by the rain and Alex is still healthy. Alex fielded a ground ball cleanly in the top of the first inning before rain washed the game away. With A Rod set to meet with MLB tomorrow about Biogenesis I am not sure that he will play in tomorrow's game after he was originally slated to be off. Stay tuned.

Travis Hafner Injury Update


Not that I needed any more confirmation that the Yankees have been cursed for the last three seasons or so with the injury bug but this one takes the cake. This one beats out Nick Johnson getting hurt in the whirlpool and may even rank up there with the entire Yankees career of Carl Pavano, okay maybe that was going too far. We learned yesterday that Travis Hafner was day to day with a foot contusion and today we learned why. Travis Hafner was hit with a ball in the foot by a pitching machine while hitting in the cage last night. Really?? How does that happen? A curse, that's how so remember that you heard it here first.

HOPE Weeks Presents Birthday Wishes


The latest stop in the New York Yankees HOPE Week stop is spending some time with an organization called Birthday Wishes. Birthday Wishes throws birthday parties for homeless and less fortunate children in an effort to raise self esteem and help their families.


Homeless children that have birthdays this month spent the day at Yankees Stadium as the Yankees special guests. The children arrived at Gate 2 and entered through the center field entrance to walk to warning track and went into the Yankees dugout. In the dugout was Yankees manager Joe Girardi, Mariano Rivera, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes, David Phelps, and bullpen coach Mike Harkey. The children were then given a surprise birthday party including live music, games, cake, and food.

CLICK HERE to read Chad Jennings write up about the Birthday Wishes organization.

The Yankees Are Interested In Kendrys Morales


I feel like I have ESPN or something right now because way back in January of 2012 when The Greedy Pinstripes was first getting its start I wrote about how I thought Kendrys Morales would make a ton of sense for the Yankees. I still hold on to that claim and now it seems like a few people are jumping on the bandwagon. Morales can play first base and outfield as well as DH so he can split time and platoon with the likes of Ichiro Suzuki, Lyle Overbay, and Travis Hafner. Morales is a switch hitter that can break up the left handed batters and has put up a triple slash of .279/.339/.462 with 13 home runs this season for the Seattle Mariners. Trade made sense back then and the trade makes sense now but will Brian Cashman be able to pull the trigger?

Travis Ishikawa Designated For Assignment


I know I am a little behind on this but the Yankees career for Travis Ishikawa is now all but over after being designated for assignment this morning. This move created the 25 man and 40 man roster spot for Derek Jeter to return to the big league club. Ishikawa will probably clear waivers and might go to AAA but if he doesn't... oh well.

Former Yankees Update Chad Gaudin


For Yankees starting pitcher Chad Gaudin is in some legal trouble and hot water after being accused of improperly touching a woman in Las Vegas. The San Francisco Giants pitchetr Guadin was arrested and charged with lewdness late Wednesday evening. Gaudin was said to be drunk and telling a woman on a gurney that she was gorgeous as he touched her face and her breast which is what caused the police being called.

Derek Jeter Removed From Game With Tightness In Quad

Well, it didn't take long for Derek Jeter to suffer an injury after his return. Although the severity of the injury is unknown.

When Brett Gardner pinch hit for Jeter in the 8th inning I didn't give it much thought. The game seemed to be in hand, so why not take DJ out? It may only be one at bat, but things can happen to even the healthiest of players when swinging, so being careful with somebody just returning from a long stint on the DL was fine by me.

Now we've learned that Derek felt some tightness in his right quadricep. Joe Girardi didn't seem worried about it, and I'm not overly concerned either, but the team sent the Captain for tests as a precaution. Jeter didn't play a whole lot before tonight's game, so having some tightness here or there is not a surprise at all. Let's just hope Jete is okay.

Meet A Prospect Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees used their second pick and 32nd overall pick in the first round in the 2013 MLB First Year Players Draft to pick outfielder Aaron Judge from Fresno State. Judge is a huge guy standing 6'7" and weighing in at 255 lbs mashing the ball from the right side. In his final season before the draft Judge went on to hit .369/.461/.655 with 12 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts. For such a big guy he will surprise you with his speed and athleticism to go with a strong throwing arm and unmatched power in this years draft.

Judge, even as big as he is, was athletic enough to stick at center field for the Fresno State baseball squad. Judge was so athletic that he was a three sport athlete and garnered many offers to come play college football and be a tight end before following his love of baseball all the way to Fresno State where both his parents attended. This is not the first time that Judge was drafted as he was previously drafted in the 35th round of the 2010 draft by the Oakland Athletics before taking his talents to Fresno State for three seasons.


Judge does not project to be a big time average guy but does not get the Adam Dunn comparisons quite yet either. Across the board many scouts see Judge as a .250 type hitter with project-able power but he will take his fare share of strike outs on the chin in the majors. Judge's power is undeniable, whether it has translated into college games or not, as it was apparent when he won the College Baseball Home Run Derby last season with eight home runs in the final round. Judge is a polished college bat that should move through the Yankees system rather quickly. Judge could be manning right field for the Yankees with his average speed, above average arm, and amazing power in just a few seasons and many years to come if he plays his cards right.

ETA 2016

Game Thread; Royals @ Yankees 7/11


The Yankees and the Royals are ready to finish up their four game set as the Yankees look to salvage something out of this series. Andy Pettitte and Ervin Santana is the pitching match up and it can be seen on YES, MLB Network, and MLB TV.  Pettitte ended his three game losing streak last time out but he still struggled and is really worrying me lately. Ervin Santana has not won in his last four outings but has been pitching his butt up with a sub three ERA. It is going to be a tough win especially with this offense lately but go Yankees!

Follow us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes

Kansas City Royals @ New York Yankees 7/11


The New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals will finish up their four game series today at Yankees Stadium in the Bronx. The Yankees will send Andy Pettitte to the mound in this getaway game and the Royals will send Ervin Santana to the mound. The game will be televised at 1:05 pm ET on YES, MLB Network, and MLB TV.

Vote David Robertson Into The All Star Game Today


I want to start this off by saying that I apologize for feeding you some wrong information yesterday. I was confused as to the voting for the final All Star game spot and thought that tweeting using the hash tag #HighSocksForVote would count any day but apparently they only count today. With that said get to twitter and tweet #HighSocksForVote to send David Robertson to the All Star game next week in Citifield in New York. Retweets also count towards the vote total so if you see some of your fellow tweeters tweeting this then please give them a simple and quick retweet. There is no maximum number of times you can vote so vote as much as you can or are comfortable with. If your not on twitter you should go get your brain examined and then head over to mlb.com, Yankees.com, or text the word "A3" to 89269 to vote for David. We will be posting the hash tag #HighSocksForVote all day long so follow us on twitter @GreedyStripes and let's send one of our own to the All Star game!

Game 92 Lineup: Royals vs. Yankees

It's the series and season finale between the Yankees and Royals. Look closely at the lineup. There's a name that might interest you.

Ichiro Suzuki CF
Derek Jeter DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells RF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Zoilo Almonte LF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Luis Cruz 3B
Austin Romine C

Andy Pettitte LHP

Some Notes:

-- Brett Gardner and Travis Hafner are unavailable to start today. Travis Hafner fouled off a ball onto his foot during batting practice yesterday and Brett Gardner was drilled in the ankle with a pitch during the game. Both are day-to-day.

-- Today is the last day to vote for the AL Final Vote. David Robertson is a candidate and if you have a Twitter, I suggest you get off this site, go to Twitter and tweet #HighSocksForVotes until 4 p.m.

-- Derek Jeter will speak to the media after the game. Not before. Not in the middle. After. Sorry, have to be clear about these things.

-- Joe Girardi admits that he brought Derek Jeter back early after the injuries to both Hafner and Gardner.

Staten Island Yankees Autism Awareness Fund Raiser


Contact: Jill Wright
(718) 313-1316
jwright@siyanks.com

Join One On One PT, Staten Island University Hospital, and the Staten Island Yankees for their
second annual High School Senior Scholarship Baseball Game and Fundraiser for Autism
Awareness.

On Saturday, July 13, One On One Physical Therapy, Staten Island University Hospital, and the
Staten Island Yankees are hosting their second annual high school senior scholarship baseball
game and autism fundraiser at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. We will be honoring two local
Staten Island children, David Kuhn and Andrew DeSoye and the money raised will benefit
multiple organizations on Staten Island.

Admission for this event is $10 and kids 10 & under are free.

Approximately 40 high school seniors from Staten Island public and private schools will be
participating in the baseball game. Based on a criteria set forth by One On One Physical
Therapy, one player from the game will be awarded a $2,500 scholarship. Gates open at 12:00
pm and the game will start at 1:00 pm.

During the event, there will be great raffles and prizes some of which include New York
Yankees tickets, autographed David Wright memorabilia, New York Mets tickets and much
more! In addition, there will be inflatables like a bounce house, face painting, prize wheel, and
in-game entertainment that the whole family will enjoy. The concession stands will be open for
business as well.

Be sure to bring out the entire family to Richmond County Bank Ballpark for a great day of
baseball, fun, and generosity will benefit multiple organizations on Staten Island.

About One On One Physical Therapy
One On One Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation is a group of physical therapist owned
practices, with locations throughout Brooklyn and Staten Island. Their multi-specialty staff has
been serving the area for over 15 years. One On One has developed a top quality network of
care, bringing together the elite therapists in the area. To find out more about the services One
On One Physical Therapy provides, please visit www.oneonone-pt.com or call
(866) GO-2-1ON1.

About the Staten Island Yankees
The Staten Island Yankees are a Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees and play at the
Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George. The Staten Island Yankees are six-time New
York-Penn League Champions (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2011). The Staten Island
Yankees are looking forward to an exciting 2012 Season and hope you will join us for a game.

The Return Of Derek Jeter Starts Today


Yesterday here on The Greedy Pinstripes we reported that Derek Jeter would be back with the team Friday to start in the Twins series but plans change once Travis Hafner got banged up last night. Derek Jeter is expected to be activated and in the starting lineup as the DH today in the afternoon game against the Kansas City Royals. Jeter went 0-3 in his final rehab game last night and has not looked great at the plate as you can expect but the Yankees need him now so they are rushing him back. The Yankees will have to make both a 40 man roster move and a 25 man roster move to bring Jeter back which could get interesting. I fully expect an Alberto Gonzalez DFA to clear a spot on the 40 man roster though so stay tuned.

Aaron Judge Officially Signs For Over Slot


Aaron Judge has officially signed with the New York Yankees for an over slot recommended deal worth $1,800,000. The slot only recommended Judge getting $1,680,000 but Judge held out for the 6th largest signing bonus the Yankees have ever given out. Welcome to the team Aaron now let's do work!

Morning Bits

Good morning everyone!

The Yankees put an end to their losing streak with an 8-1 victory over the Royals.

The Yankees are now 3-3 in the second of three ten-game homestands they will host this year.

Robinson Cano's home run in the third inning gave the Yankees a commanding 4-0 lead. Cano was 3-4 with 3 RBI's and a stolen base. Cano is now 6-6 on stolen base attempts this year.

Lyle Overbay's grand slam in the sixth inning put the game away by giving the Yankees an eight-run lead.

Ivan Nova was great again, tossing eight innings of five hit, one run ball to run his record to 4-2 and drop his ERA down to 3.63.  Nova's fastball was consistently humming between 95 and 97 MPH and his curve made opposing hitters look foolish.

Unless there is a trade before David Phelps comes off the DL, Phelps has as much chance of taking Nova's spot as I do, which is none.

Nova's stuff is incredible and Yankee fans may be watching the turning point of his young career as far as maturity goes.  Nova has looked more composed, calmer, and appears to be throwing effortlessly on the mound instead of overthrowing.

The Yankees and Royals wrap up this series in a game that begins at 1:05 PM ET and will be televised by YES.

Andy Pettitte(6-6, 4.37 ERA) will face Ervin Santana(5-5, 2.90 ERA).

Opposing teams have scored four or more runs off of Pettitte in his last five outings and in six of his last seven outings.

Now on to today's news links:

ESPN.com reports that Derek Jeter will make his return to the Yankees today.

Bill Madden of the New York Daily News says A-Rod will never play another game for the Yankees and cares only about collecting every penny of the 100 million dollars he is still owed on his contract.

Jon Heyman of CBSSPORTS.com writes that the Yankees are shopping Phil Hughes for a hitter in return.

Have a great day everyone!

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/11


On this day in 1939 the Yankees hosted the All Star Game in a big way. The American League scored three runs, all three runs drove in by Yankees players, in a 3-1 victory over the National League.


On this day in 1999 Major League Baseball showcased their first Future's Game and Yankees farm hand Alfonso Soriano stole the show. Soriano went 2-3 with two home runs in a 7-0 victory for the World Team over Team USA. Soriano would win the MVP Award for the game


On this day in 2010 Yankees legend Bob Sheppard dies at age 99. The Voice of God was part of over 4,500 sports contestants during his 56 years working in the Bronx.


Robinson Cano won the Home Run Derby in 2011 on this day beating out Adrian Gonzalez with 12 home runs in the competition.