Yankees Valued at $3.2 Billion According to Forbes

The New York Yankees are still the most valued franchise in all of Major League Baseball after Forbes released their valuations of every team this season. The Yankees came in worth $3.2 billion, up from $2.5 billion last year, after the Yankees estimated revenue sat at $508 million. Coming in second was the Los Angeles Dodgers who are worth $2.4 billion while the World Series champion San Francisco Giants are third at $2 billion.

The average MLB team is worth $1.2 billion, an increase of 48% since the 2014 season. Money is coming into the game quicker than they can spend it and with the Yankees making over $500 million in the 2014 season alone it makes you wonder why the team couldn’t go an extra $5 million or so extra on Yoan Moncada….

Utility Players Valuable in Fantasy Baseball

Major League Baseball is constantly changing and constantly evolving for better or worse and the utility player is becoming more and more important these days. We’re all Yankees fans here and we can see how this team is constructed and how Joe Girardi likes to carry his roster. The team loves players that can play multiple positions, see Jose Pirela and Martin Prado before he was traded, and you should love these same players if you’re serious about winning your league this season in Fantasy Baseball.

Utility players or players that qualify for multiple positions are especially important when factoring in days off, injuries etc. I don’t know about you but I hate it when I have one player at third base and he is off during the day game after a night game and I have to take a zero in points for that game. With that in mind I looked at and ranked the best players eligible at multiple positions for you before your fantasy draft. If I missed one, overvalued or undervalued one please leave me a comment in the comments section because I am far from a fantasy guru and always appreciate the feedback.

Whenever I see Ben Zobrist available in the later rounds I always try and grab him because he is eligible to play so many different positions including shortstop, second base and the outfield. Another player that reminds me of Zobrist is Josh Harrison of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Harrison broke in as a bench player in 2014 and ended up playing the outfield, second base and shortstop for Pittsburgh and hit too much to be taken out of the lineup. While I don’t expect another All Star game appearance nor do I expect a .315 average with 13 home runs I expect solid production at least for a shortstop or second baseman in fantasy.

Ryan Zimmerman is another player that can play multiple positions but comes attached to a ton of injury question marks. The Washington Nationals had to move Zimmerman from third base after his shoulder surgery in 2014 and has him learn the outfield. With Zimmerman now learning first base in 2015 he may be eligible to play all over the diamond for your team this season. If he’s healthy he’s an awfully good player that can provide a lot of power and a ton of RBI in that lineup in Washington. Alexi Amarista is eligible at four different positions this year although he would likely be available after any draft is over and may be a name to keep in the back of your mind if your team gets ravaged by injuries this season. He won’t provide substantial value but he’s better than taking zero points for a few days while you wait on a waiver wire deal to go through.

Other names to keep in mind are Anthony Rendon, Buster Posey, Todd Frazier, Carlos Santana, Evan Gattis, Mark Trumbo, Chris Davis, Brett Lawrie, Xander Bogaerts, Martin Prado and Danny Santana as all are eligible for at least two positions in 2015. These players, outside of Posey and maybe a couple others, won’t necessarily win your league for you but they may save your team in the long run when it comes to injuries…. You’re welcome. 

Joe Girardi Keeps Feeding The Hate

Joe Girardi is not doing a good job at changing the minds of his haters.

"Hated it!"

"I definitely think [Alex Rodriguez]’s swung the bat pretty good,” Girardi said. “I just think his at-bats are more consistent; his timing is more consistent."

Girardi actually went on to say that he believes he could use ARod at third base, should Chase Headley need a day off. An idea that sounds even worse than having him be the regular DH, although probably a better idea than Alex playing first base with any regularity.

Rodriguez doesn't have to have an MVP-type season in order to exceed expectations this season. His .286/.394/.536 triple-slash so far in Spring Training (before today's game against the Mets) is likely higher than what he'll hit by season's end, but anything above replacement level would be nice.

The Yankees' manager is known for giving very political answers in his interviews, meaning you can take them with a tiny grain of salt. And what should he say? It's not like Girardi, even if he feels this way, would come out and say that ARod is a shell of his former self, and probably wouldn't make the team if it wasn't for the three years and $61 million remaining on his contract.

I mean, Joe wouldn't say that. Me on the other hand? Umm...yeah.

Spring: New York Yankees vs. New York Mets 3/25

The New York Yankees and the New York Mets face off for the second time in less than a week as a part of the Grapefruit League and Spring Training. The last game had the Bombers as the road team but this time around the Yankees are at home playing host to the Mets inside George M. Steinbrenner Field.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB Network. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound to face off with the Mets Rafael Montero. It’s not CC Sabathia against Matt Harvey but it will do, I guess.

Go Yankees!!

Louisville Slugger sells out to Wilson

I can remember growing up as a kid in little league, in my neighborhood and all the way through school thinking I was something else when I went up to the plate holding a Louisville Slugger. I don’t know what it was looking back, maybe it was the fact that it was the same bat brand that the likes of Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Derek Jeter and others held but I always held a sense of pride when I held one in my hands. This sense of pride, achievement and accomplishment is something that my son will not be able to enjoy or understand as Louisville Slugger is no more after the company sold its rights to Wilson for $70 million.

Hillerich & Bradsby Co. has made the Louisville Slugger bat for 130 years now while also making gloves, golf clubs and other sports equipment but now all that merchandise is moving over to Wilson Sporting Goods Co. About 60% of Major League Baseball players reportedly use Louisville Slugger bats and more than 100 million bats have been sold in the company’s lifetime according to reports.

This is honestly probably not going to be a big deal in the long run. The same stamp will be put on the bats and the same procedure and workers will likely still make the bats themselves. The only major difference will be the company who owns the rights and the merchandise but I think it’s the nostalgia that makes this a difficult pill to swallow. Hopefully, like many times before them, Wilson doesn’t take a good thing and try to change it only to make the product worse because that would break a piece of my childhood and rip it out of my heart. 

Batters Still Refuse to Beat the Shift

"Bro, just hit home runs. It's simple."

Yesterday we discussed how I personally am growing up in an era that many people love to hate, the era of shifting in baseball and sabermetrics. We covered the fact that teams shifted just 2,357 times in 2011 and that numbers has steadily climbed up to 13,296 in 2014 and is expected to rise in 2015, so why do batters still refuse to beat the shift?

Mark Teixeira has already announced and unwillingness to beat the shift this season and instead will focus more on home runs and doubles. Teixeira is paid to hit in the middle of the order and hit home runs and doubles anyway so basically in a nutshell what he is saying is that we should expect another season long flirt session with the Mendoza Line from the Yankee first baseman. The numbers don’t lie Teixeira but when you decide to blame it on your wrist and lack of upper body strength please read this first.

David Ortiz’s batting average against the shift in 2014 was .201 while Ryan Howard hit .167 and Chris Davis hit .121 with three infielders on the right side of the infield. All three of these men look to hit home runs and doubles and all three of these men refuse to hit against the shift. The one thing that separates these current and former All Star’s is that their upper body strength was up to par and their wrists were healthy. Why do you think you will be more successful than them Mr. Teixeira?

Speaking of Yankees Brian McCann was the fifth most shifted against player in 2014 and saw his number of pulled ground ball singles drop down to just three last season. THREE. Drop a bunt, at least show a bunt but you have to do something to beat the shift. The shift is here to stay and the simple notion of walking more and hitting home runs, something you were already doing anyway when the issue arose, is not going to cut it.

Rob Manfred, you want more offense in the game? Tell your players to beat the shift. 

TGP Daily Poll: New York Yankees Extract Their Revenge

The last time the New York Yankees and the New York Mets faced off in a Spring Training game Matt Harvey and the Mets got the best of the Yankees. This time around the Yankees will extract their revenge and come out on top.

Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com

I've Lost All Respect for Roy Halladay

I recorded my first strike out since retirement! Time for a comeback? She has a better swing then Arod! No steroids pic.twitter.com/98ytAyTUy0
— Roy Halladay (@RoyHalladay) March 23, 2015

Sounds like someone is bitter about Alex Rodriguez having a career .299 average with a .349 OBP, one home run and 14 RBI against him. More commonly known as owned.

Yankees Sandlots Bloopers

This Day in New York Yankees History 3/25: Enter Pat Malone

On this day in 1935 the Chicago Cubs sold Pat Malone to the New York Yankees. The right hander will go 12-4 in 1936 for New York but will only post a 19-13 record in his three years in the Bronx.