Sunday, June 14, 2015

Alex Rodriguez Sued... Again


Alex Rodriguez is doing everything he is supposed to this season and then some but that doesn't mean that the past is forgotten. We all know the story behind the whole Biogenesis scandal and such where Alex essentially purchased confidential information and shared it with certain third parties including the United States Government, federal prosecutors and the DEA. Essentially Alex snitched. Some say snitches get stitches but apparently some get sued as well.

Alex is being sued by a former University of Miami pitching coach Lazaro Collazo who was also a defendant in the Biogenesis criminal case. Here is the official report from the New York Daily News:

In a bombshell lawsuit filed in Miami state court, Lazaro Collazo — a former University of Miami pitching coach and a defendant in the Biogenesis criminal case — alleges that Rodriguez, a business associate and the private investigation firm A-Rod used in his bitter arbitration battle with Major League Baseball violated Florida law by buying confidential medical records and sharing them with third parties, including federal prosecutors and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Twitter Poll: Were You Happy w/ Yankees 2015 Draft?

The 2015 MLB First year Players Draft is now officially in the books with the New York Yankees taking 41 players in the 40 rounds of the draft. The Yankees went college heavy once again in this draft after taking 34 college players and just seven high school players in this year's draft including 10 college players in their first 12 picks. Are you happy with the draft and specifically the picks of James Kaprielian (16th overall) and Kyle Holder (30th overall) or were you disappointed in the Yankees strategy? You guys will soon enough know my stance on the whole thing, surprise there I know, but today I was more interested in what you thought. Hello, Twitter poll:







To be involved in our next Twitter poll head over to the app to give @GreedyStripes a follow and be on the lookout for our next Twitter poll tweet. We will not use your responses without informing you first.

Finding Ways To Keep Scoring

The Yankees current losing streak made me take another look at the stats. And while I was originally looking to see why the Yankees seem to be so streaky, in both a good and bad way, things unsurprisingly went a different direction.

"Hey, look at that!"

I've done this before, too. I'll start to see some of the things that have gone good or bad recently, which may explain why things are going the way they are, but inevitably I drop that subject because it's pointless. Not because what I found is right or wrong, but because I'm falling into the small sample size trap.

I can say "the Yankees offense stinks recently because they aren't making as much contact as they should." Which is all well and good, but I'm talking about maybe a sample size of eight to ten games, and that sample size is hardly something to get worked up over. Whether we're talking about the worst hitters or the best hitters, each of them can get hot or cold for a week or two. So what's the point?

Then why do I keep falling into the same trap? Simple... because eventually I stumble across something that makes me say "a-ha!"

What I found this time is what the Yankees' offense needs to do to improve.

While the pitching isn't always stellar, I'm not worried about them. At least I'm not worried about what Yankee pitching can do when healthy, and since it's nearly impossible to predict injuries I see no point in wasting my time worrying about it.

"No, I don't want to talk about that elbow."

However, scoring runs has been a concern for the Yankees long before the season actually began. And sure, it seems to be okay, seeing as how the team is 3rd in Major League Baseball in runs scored. but I think that hides the fact that it could still be the thing that spells doom to their season.

The Yankees have scored the bulk of their runs thanks to power. While the team is ranked 4th in both Slugging Percentage and Isolated Power, they are 17th in Batting Average and 12th in On Base Percentage.

EDIT: When copying and pasting parts of this article, this bit got lost...

The team leaders in home runs are Mark Teixeira (17), Alex Rodriguez (12), Brian McCann (9), and Stephen Drew (9). That means Teixeira is on pace for over 40 home runs, ARod is on pace for around 30, McCann could hit around 25, and Drew could end the season with over 20. Out of all those things, the only one I'd bet anything on happening would be McCann reaching 25. So counting on the team being able to score like they have been would not be smart.

Another thing to consider when thinking about the Yankees offense is their swing percentage, which is 27th in the league. Whether it's pitches in the strike zone, or pitches outside the strike zone, this team doesn't like to swing a lot. And while some may say that they simply have to swing at more pitches, allow me to point out that their contact percentages when they do swing are among the league's worst too. So I don't think we want them to swing more.

The Yankees are not going to raise their batting average enough to make their offense a threat. Mark Teixeira is not going to hit much higher than he is now. Nor will Brian McCann, Alex Rodriguez, and just about everybody else in the lineup.

What the team needs to do is get on base more often, and be able to steal bases or take the extra base at every opportunity.

That's the biggest reason why Carlos Beltran is such a detriment to this team. Because not only does he have the second worst OBP out of the regular players, but he's also a station-to-station runner when he does get on (only takes the extra base 25% of the time, and doesn't steal). Combine that with horrible range on defense, and you have a guy that should rarely step foot on the field.

Another problem player, which should come as no surprise to anybody that's been watching Yankee baseball this season, is Stephen Drew. Not only is the guy doing next to nothing at the plate (lowest batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS+ among the regulars), but he only takes an extra base 8% of the time.

So besides something drastic, like cutting those two and dealing for somebody else, here's what the Yankees should do...

First of all, keep Didi Gregorius at shortstop. His offense and defense have improved lately, and he's no slouch on the basepaths. He'll take an extra base 54% of the time. So as long as he gets on base the chances of him scoring a pretty good.

Secondly, Gregorio Petit should start at second base over Stephen Drew. He might not hit much better than Drew, especially in the home run department, but Petit is a great runner. He actually leads the team in taking the extra base, as he does so 60% of the time, which is so much higher than Drew that the team is bound to score more with Gregorio.

On that note, with the right match-up, I can see starting Drew since he can pop a homer every now and then. But most of the time Petit should be the man.

Finally, Joe Girardi should put Slade Heathcott back into the lineup for Carlos Beltran as soon as possible. Not only has Slade out-hit Beltran in every way conceivable since being promoted, but he's also a far superior runner, having taken an extra base 50% of the time.

"Oh, yeah... and his defense is a touch better than Beltran's too."

By putting Heathcott, Gregorius, and Petit at the bottom of the order, there's a very good chance that somebody that can run well will be on base for the team's best hitters... Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury (hopefully he'll return soon), and the heart of the order. Which should lead to more runs, and most importantly more wins.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 6/14




In your typical Sunday afternoon getaway game the New York Yankees travel to Oriole Park and Camden Yards to face off with Buck Showalter's Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees will travel down to Miami to face off with the Miami Marlins after sending Adam Warren to the mound this afternoon to face off with Mike Wright for the Orioles. The game will be played at 1:35 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees head to Miami for two games before returning home for two games as they face off with the Miami Marlins. Be sure to have your Yankees tickets in hand for those Yankee Stadium battles by clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog. If all goes according to plan CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda will be on the mound for those two games with Ivan Nova thrown in the mix somewhere. If you can't make it live then join us on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes to interact with us during each and every game.

That's enough babble out of me for a day let's let Mr. Warren have the stage. Go Yankees!

Meet a Prospect: Tony Renda


Tony Renda was traded from the Washington Nationals to the New York Yankees this week in exchange for recently designated RHP David Carpenter. It’s not very often that a team can snag a former second round pick and a decent second baseman for a player that was recently designated for assignment but the Yankees did just that when they acquired Renda. The team seems to be stockpiling minor league middle infield talent in the draft, in free agency and especially via trade and Renda is just the latest depth addition to the team. With a little bit of addition by subtraction the Yankees have a solid middle infielder that will now begin his Yankees career in Double-A with the Trenton Thunder, let’s meet him.

Anthony Renda was born on January 24, 1991 in Hillsborough, California to mother Laree and father Frank Renda. Renda started out as a bagger at the grocery store “Safeway Inc.” before working his way all the way to an executive position. At age 19 he lost his father Frank, a construction worker at the time, and it totally changed his life. Renda went on to college at the University of California, Berkeley and played college baseball for the California Golden Bears but not before the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in the 42nd round of 2009 MLB Draft. Renda did not sign out of high school and followed through with his commitment to Cal leading the Washington Nationals to select him in the 2nd round of the 2012 Draft. Renda received a $500,000 signing bonus and immediately made his professional debut with the Class-A Short Seasons Auburn Doubledays.

In Renda’s first professional season he played in 71 games before being called up to Class-A Ball with the Hagerstown Suns. During that 2013 season Renda posted a .294 batting average with 99 runs scores, 51 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 135 games while winning the Bob Boone Award. The Bob Boone Award is handed out to the player with the most “professionalism, leadership, loyalty, passions, selflessness, durability, makeup, intangible and tremendous work ethic” in any minor league season. With the award and the second most doubles in all of Minor League Baseball in 2013 in hand he got promoted to the High-A Potomac Nationals for the 2014 season and an invitation to join to the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League where he was named to the AFL All-Star Game.


Renda began the 2015 season in Double-A with the Harrisburg Senators and hit .267 through 54 games before the trade that sent him to the Yankees. Now he’s currently in the Yankees Double-A affiliate with the Trenton Thunder and will look to continue his dream of one day reaching the major leagues. Hopefully he realizes that dream while wearing pinstripes, welcome to the family Tony. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 6/14


For the final time this weekend the New York Yankees will make the trip out to Oriole Park and Camden Yards to face off with the red hot Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees will send Adam Warren to the mound in possibly his final start of the season to face off with the Orioles TBA. The game will be played at 1:35 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.


  • Warren may be making his final start of the season with the impending return of Ivan Nova off the disabled list. Warren is 3-3 coming into the contest with a 3.30 ERA in his last seven starts after picking up his fourth win of the young season last week against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. 



TBA

The Yankees are heading down to Miami and taking their talents to South Beach after the contest to face off with the Miami Marlins in a quick two game Interleague series before returning home to Yankee Stadium for two more games with Giancarlo Stanton's team. The schedule softens up a bit this month so let's hope the team takes advantage of that starting this afternoon with a victory. Go Yankees!

TGP Daily Poll: ARod3K


Alex Rodriguez is under 10 hits away from 3000 hits in his career begging the question "where will you be when Rodriguez reaches 3000 hits?" I think this happens inside Yankee Stadium next week in front of the home crowd.

Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com

Weekly Check In: Luis Severino


Luis Severino has made three starts now in Triple-A this season as he continues his march towards the major leagues and comes into this weekly check in fresh off his first victory with Scranton. If you use the past as a possibly precursor to the future you see that Severino may not be long for this final minor league affiliate. Between the 2014 and 2015 seasons Severino spent just 63 IP with the Trenton Thunder after spending just 20.1 innings in High-A Tampa with the Tampa Yankees. Severino spent 85.1 IP in Charleston and just 90.2 IP with the Yankees 1 Dominican Summer and Gulf Coast Yankees teams.

If the Yankees are truly leading Severino in the fast track through the minor leagues, and it sure looks like it with a 21 year old with just four seasons of experience in Triple-A, then we may see Severino as a September call up this season. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though as it's just June, not September, but if he keeps up with these stat lines he'll be there no doubt.

YearLevWLERAGGSIPHRERHRBBSOWHIPH9HR9BB9SO9
2015AA-AAA323.13111154.2452219215561.0987.40.32.59.2
2015AA223.328838.0321714210481.1057.60.52.411.4
2015AAA102.703316.213550581.0807.00.02.74.3

This Day In New York Yankees History 6/14: 1998 Yankees Win



On this day in 1998 the Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 4-2 to tie a major league record by winning or splitting their 24th consecutive series this season. The Yankees equaled the record shared by the 1912 Red Sox and the 1970 Reds.


Also on this day in 1969 the Yankees traded Tom Tresh to the Detroit Tigers for the 1962 Rookie of the Year Ron Woods. The outfielder, who grew up in Detroit, would retire at the end of the 1969 season.


Finally on this day in 1933 both the Yankees manager Joe McCarthy and their first basemen Lou Gehrig were thrown out of a game. McCarthy was suspended for three games while Gehrig was not keeping his consecutive games streak at 1,249 straight games.