Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies 6/23


For the second time this week the New York Yankees are back at home inside Yankee Stadium, the ballpark that George Steinbrenner built, to play host to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound looking to recreate some of that 2009 World Series magic against Sean O’Sullivan for the Phillies. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees play host to this same Phillies team with Cole Hamels on the mound for Philadelphia tomorrow afternoon in the Bronx marking the last time on this home stand that you can see the Yankees live inside Yankee Stadium. Click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to get your tickets to see Hamels before he is presumably traded this summer away from Philadelphia. If you can’t make it to the stadium then that’s fine simply jump on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) or the comments section of the blog to interact with us during each and every Yankees contest.


Sabathia is on the mound ready to mow down the Phillies so I’ll let him have the stage, Go Yankees!

Hamels Would Accept Trade to New York or Texas, Not Houston


The Philadelphia Phillies are said to be open for business in the trade market and are already fielding offers for the likes of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Ben Revere, Jonathan Papelbon and Cole Hamels as the team finally begins their rebuilding process. While the market is pretty quiet on most fronts right now for all players the market for Hamels is just starting to simmer as many teams find themselves needing starting pitching help at this year’s trading deadline. No front runner for Hamels has been announced yet and one reason for that may be Hamels health situation, he missed his last start with a hamstring injury but looks to be in line to start tomorrow in the Bronx, and another reason may be the fact that the lefty has a full no-trade clause written into his contract.

Hamels spoke to KHOU 11 Sports in Houston recently after weeks of rumors that the Houston Astros would be interested in acquiring the LHP’s services and Hamels immediately shot down any idea of that. Hamels stated that he would not accept a deal to the Astros but would accept a deal to the New York Yankees or the Texas Rangers, both American League teams.

Hamels is just 5-5 this season but he does have a 2.96 ERA with 103 strikeouts pitching behind the worst team and the worst offense in all of Major League Baseball. Hamels would be a great, albeit expensive, addition to any contending team’s starting rotation but I can’t see that addition happening here in the Bronx. Hamels is owed $23.5 million this season and will make $70.5 million through the 2018 season which may be too rich for a Yankees team that is looking to be out from under those bad and lengthy contracts by the time the 2017 season comes to a close.


However unlikely a deal is to happen you never can 100% count the Yankees in or out of anything with GM Brian Cashman at the helm so I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned.

Another Day Another Flurry of Roster Moves


Another day in the Bronx brings another set of roster moves by the New York Yankees. The Yankees have used 21 different pitchers in the last 22 days coming into tonight's (possible) game with no end to the revolving door in sight. Just to catch up:

Jose Pirela was called up today while Stephen Drew was added to the paternity list which comes with a maximum of three games out.

Ramon Flores was also optioned back to Triple-A while the Yankees brought up a new long-man Bryan Mitchell. Capuano will likely be unavailable for two or three days giving Mitchell a couple opportunities to gain the trust of Joe Girardi.

In other Yankees news the team signed their second round pick LHP Jeff Degano to an under-slot deal worth $650,000.

Time to Temper Expectation for “New Core Four”


Ever since the old Core Four stopped winning World Series and all rode off into the sunset that we call retirement the New York Yankees and their fans have been searching for the next Core Four to lead the team. Many believe the Yankees have that core already in place now with the promotions of Luis Severino and Aaron Judge to Triple-A while players like Jacob Lindgren, Mason Williams, Ramon Flores, Danny Burawa, Branden Pinder and others are all making their major league debuts and sniffing around the major leagues. While the Yankees may or may not have a new core right here on the farm right now remains to be seen but whether they do or not it’s time now to start tempering our expectations for that new Core Four.

While Severino could come up and be the ace that Phil Hughes was supposed to be and that Andy Pettitte was for much of the dynasty but he could just as easily be a relief pitcher or a bust. Keith Law thinks Severino’s small frame will force him into the bullpen at some point in his career and he very well could be right. There are a lot more Severino types in the rotation then there were successful Johan Santana’s or Pedro Martinez’s.

With Judge being called up to Triple-A he could be the next middle of the order hitter for the Yankees that plays good defense and leads the charge, much like Jorge Posada. Or he could be too big to stick in the outfield and be stuck being a DH and defensive liability in the outfielder while never truly hitting for a high average in the major leagues. Sure he’ll always have the power but that means nothing when you’re hitting .150, unless you’re Stephen Drew.

With Lindgren’s call up to the Major Leagues and subsequent demotion and injury Yankees fans caught a quick glimpse into the future and possibly got a look at the team’s future closer, like Mariano Rivera. He could go on to dominate MLB hitters like he did college hitters and MiLB hitters or he could be the home run prone 90 MPH fastball throwing guy that flamed out early and often in his career.


I am not trying to be the Debbie-Downer here I am merely trying to temper some of the expectations that are coming along with this group of prospects. The Core Four and a group of minor league players that have this much success in their careers come once in a lifetime and I feel like we’ve already had this group in our lifetime. Not to say these men won’t be great but I think it’d also be a fool’s bet to think they bring four or five World Series Championships to the Bronx either. The era of the super teams is over and there is too much parity in Major League Baseball these days and that alone will keep the Yankees from having another Core Four any time soon. 

Twitter Poll: Yankees & the July 31st Trading Deadline


It is getting to be about that time in the MLB season where contenders distance themselves from the rest of the pack, the pretenders show their true colors and a whole slew of players change uniforms at the July 31st trading deadline. When I was a kid and a teenager, back in the George Steinbrenner era when “The Greedy Pinstripes” would have been an appropriate blog name for this team, this was the best time of the summer as I constantly refreshed MLB Trade Rumors and watched Baseball Tonight for the latest rumors, news and speculation. Now we stand here on June 23rd a little more than a month away from the trade deadline and I find myself wondering what the Yankees will do to add to this year’s team, if anything, which sounded like a good spot for a Twitter poll.


Johnny Cueto



If the New York Yankees were to acquire Johnny Cueto for Mason Williams, Ramon Flores and some prospects not named Luis Severino and Aaron Judge I would personally go shake the hand of Brian Cashman myself and congratulate him. Truth is though the Reds are banking on their rebuild coming from the trade of Cueto and that won’t fit into the Yankees plans. You may get Mike Leake for Williams and/or Flores but you won’t get Cueto, not even for two months of the season.

Troy Tulowitzki

Even with Didi Gregorius hitting better and defending much better lately this is a trade rumor I can get behind. Nice work Michael.

Martin Prado


Another rental and another familiar face. The tweet does pose an interesting line of thinking, we are paying the many already so why not? Here’s a better question, why not Robert Refsnyder?

Staying Put


This I normally can get behind but the window for THIS team to win is 2015 and it closes next season. While I don’t want to sacrifice the future for a playoff run in 2015 I think the team needs to take advantage of a weak AL East division and get the necessary pieces to hold off the Rays and the Blue Jays. I really don’t want to wait until the 2017 or 2018 season to make the playoffs again.

To be involved in our next Twitter Poll head on over to twitter and give @GreedyStripes a follow, then be on the lookout for our next Twitter Poll tweet. We will never use your tweet without your permission or without telling you first.


Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies 6/23


The New York Yankees continue their three game set with the Philadelphia Phillies this week when they play host to Chase Utley and the Phillies for the second of a three game set tonight in the Bronx. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound tonight to face off with the Phillies starter Sean O’Sullivan. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

  • Sabathia has faced off with the Phillies four times in his career in the regular season and owns a 2-1 record against them. Sabathia also faced them twice in the 2009 World Series taking the loss in Game One and the victory in Game Four. Sabathia is coming off a start against the Miami Marlins where he went six innings allowing three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in a loss for the Yankees in Miami.


  • O’Sullivan is coming off probably the best pitching performance of his 2015 season where he pitched five innings against the Baltimore Orioles in a victory. O’Sullivan struck out a career-high seven batters in the contest, a trend that hopefully does not continue tonight in the Bronx.


These are games that the New York Yankees need to take advantage of if they want to win the American League East division race in 2015. The Tampa Bay Rays are playing about as well as any team while the Toronto Blue Jays have seemingly forgotten how to lose making every winnable game for New York bigger than it should be for June baseball. The Phillies and teams like them, record wise, are teams that the Yankees absolutely have to pick off and take advantage of because that’s what good teams do. The Yankees are a good team, Go Yankees!


Analyzing the Yankees bullpen in 2015

By Eddie Sapienza
The Yankees were supposed to have the best bullpen in baseball. So far the bullpen hasn't really lived up to that. We all knew coming into the season that Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller would be our best guys. Yet we never found out who was the official closer. Manager Joe Girardi used Andrew Miller at the closer's role. So we know that he is the closer. Recently Miller went down with a forearm injury and went on the DL so Betances had to step up.

Justin Wilson is another guy in the bullpen who also had to step up with Miller's injury. He moved into the 8th inning role. In the beginning of the season he was struggling but has been better since. Wilson was acquired in a trade that sent backup catcher Francsico Cervelli to the Pirates. The Yankees had a great punch for the last 2 innings. It took them some time to figure out who could be the 7th inning guy.

Justin Wilson will most likely get that role once Andrew Miller comes back which I like. Another guy I think deserves the 7th inning role is Chasen Shreve . Shreve was in the trade that sent David Carpenter and him to the Yankees for prospect Manny Banuelos. Carpenter pitched awful for the Yankees and was then DFAd and traded to the Nationals for prospect Tony Renda. At first Joe Girardi  trusted Carpenter in situations like these and on Opening Day was probably going to be the 7th inning guy.

Another guy in the bullpen started the season as a starter and then was moved to the bullpen. Chris Capuano has struggled as a starter but I thought he has been better in the bullpen. He is used as the long man and was used when Nathan Eovaldi only went 0.2 innings and gave up 8 runs.

Esmil Rogers was absolutely awful throughout the whole season. Thankfully he was optioned down to Triple-A and hasn't done much better their. I don't expect to see Rogers back anytime soon. When Rogers was optioned Sergio Santos was called up. Santos pitched in a bases loaded jam with 0 outs and was able to get out of it. Then he was placed on the 15- Day DL and now has to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Rookies- The Yankees have used a lot of Rookies this year in the bullpen. They include Brandon Pinder, Diego Moreno, Jose Ramirez, Jacob Lindgren, Jose de Paula, and Danny Burawa. Nick Rumbelow was also called up but hasn't been used yet. Pinder has pitched well in his limited appearances. Moreno has also pitched pretty well since coming up in his 1 appearance. Jose Ramirez was awful and Jacob Lindgren wasn't great but I want to see Lindgren back soon. De Paula and Burawa both did bad and were sent down but only appeared in one game. They should give them a chcnace before sending them down.

The Yankees bullpen has been pretty good but it could always be better. I hope to see an improvement in some guys and others just need to keep up what they're doing.

USA Today’s Weekly MLB Power Rankings


After another strong week by the top three teams in the American League East, the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays, I was excited to see this set of rankings get released this week. New York lost a pair of games to the Miami Marlins before salvaging the series with a split with a pair of victories of their own and also took two out of three against a tough Detroit Tigers team to close out the week. New York has done well but have they done enough to hold on to or improve on their #7 ranking from last week and are the St. Louis Cardinals still the crème of the crop in Major League Baseball? Keep reading…

No better place than to start at the top of the rankings and at the top of this week’s power rankings are the St. Louis Cardinals once again. Despite the rumors, allegations and distractions that come along with the whole hacking the Houston Astros “Ground Control” computer system the team hasn’t seem fazed and continue to keep winning, much like the New York Yankees. The Yankees remained stagnant this week remaining at the #7 spot while the biggest riser, the Tampa Bay Rays, leap-frogged New York when they moved up four spots to the #6 position. The biggest fall this week went to the Toronto Blue Jays who fell six spots all the way to the #12 spot.

To round out the American League East the Baltimore Orioles climbed three spots to the #14 position as they continue to play well while the Boston Red Sox remain on their season-long slide. Boston came in at the #26 position this week despite David Ortiz finally waking up a little bit at the plate.

The Top Five teams in the rankings are the St. Louis Cardinals, the Kansas City Royals, the Houston Astros, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The bottom five teams in the rankings in descending order are the #26 Boston Red Sox, the Colorado Rockies, the Miami Marlins, the Milwaukee Brewers and the #30 ranked Philadelphia Phillies.

Many of these Top 10 teams are in the middle of fighting for their division titles while the middle of the order teams are preparing to either sell or buy at this year’s trading deadline. The Power Rankings may alternate from week to week by who is on a hot streak and who went cold in this particular week but the general gist stays the same, the top teams look likely to make the playoffs while the bottom teams will be selling this time next month. Pay attention, these rankings mean something now. 

TGP Daily Poll: Robert Refsnyder is Next


The New York Yankees have called up numerous prospects this season including Jacob Lindgren and Mason Williams and the call ups won’t stop there. Robert Refsnyder will be the next prospect to be called up to replace Stephen Drew.


Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com

Weekly Check In: Aaron Judge


In a bit of exciting news on Father’s Day the New York Yankees announced that their top positional player and prospect Aaron Judge would be getting a promotion from the Double-A Trenton Thunder to the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Judge is taking that next stop, and possibly the biggest step, to the major leagues with the promotion and many Yankees fans couldn’t be happier about the move. Carlos Beltran is stinking up the joint out in right field and isn’t exactly making the fans forget about his defensive shortcomings with his offense so Judge may be a sight for sore eyes sometimes later in the season while Beltran may learn to ride the bench.

Judge’s numbers don’t reflect how much of a great talent he is and how much of a great talent he could be in the major leagues. Judge has more than adequate defense in right field while he adds a great batter’s eye and monstrous raw power that rivals the likes of Giancarlo Stanton.


Whether Judge can ever shake the Giancarlo comparisons and become his own player and his own person remains to be seen but this call up will surely give the scouts, the Yankees and the fans the look they need to make the determination on their own. 

YearLevGPARH2B3BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
2015AA632803671163124412470.284.350.516.866

This Day in New York Yankees History 6/23: Cleveland ROCKED!


On this day in 1996 the Yankees showed how much of a "never count us out" team they really were when they behind early only to come back with nine runs in the sixth inning. The Yankees would win the game 11-9 at Jacobs Field over the Cleveland Indians and it would complete the first time the Yankees would sweep the Indians in Cleveland in a four game series since 1964.

Also on this day in 1950 the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees combined for 11 home runs in a nine inning game, a major league record for the most in a single game. Hoot Evers hit the historic home run as a walk off home to give the Tigers a very dramatic 10-9 victory over New York.


Finally on this day in 1915 the Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Bruno Hass made his major league debut against the New York Yankees at the very historic Shibe Park. The good news was the 24 year old southpaw, known as Boon, tossed a complete game in the contest and in the start established a post-1900 major league record. The bad news was the record was for issuing 16 walks during the nine inning game in a 15-7 loss to the Yankees.