Monday, July 20, 2015

Yankees Off Night Open Thread


The Yankees are off tonight as the club remains home in the Bronx to prepare for a three game series inside Yankee Stadium against the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees are fresh off a series with the Seattle Mariners and still hold a somewhat commanding lead in the American League East Division. Enough of that talk though, this is an open thread to talk about whatever you'd like. The July 31st trade deadline is coming and so are the fake rumors, the fake Twitter accounts and the fake news that will make it all across the blogosphere and the internet before it's all said and done.

So we once again leave you with a music recommendation out of my own personal collection. The name of the song is "Dead Inside" by Muse. It's a little out there for most, and myself included sometimes, but what can you do.

Most Popular Article of the Week: Post Draft Top 10 Prospects List


The deadline to sign draft picks from the 2015 Major League Baseball First Year Players Draft will come and go today at 5:00 pm ET and the Yankees are not expected to sign another player before then. The team signed the vast majority of their draft picks this season including every player from the first ten rounds of the draft. Yesterday afternoon the Yankees signed their top pick, James Kaprielian, to a slightly above slot deal worth $2.65 million to begin his professional career with New York but where does the former UCLA product rank as far as the top Yankees prospects go? Will Kyle Holder, the Yankees other first round pick and college shortstop, crack the Top 10 as well? Sounds like the perfect time for a post-draft Top 10 Yankees prospects list.

  1. Luis Severino 
  2. Aaron Judge 
  3. Jorge Mateo 
  4. Robert Refsnyder 
  5. Greg Bird 
  6. Gary Sanchez 
  7. Jacob Lindgren
  8. Luis Torrens 
  9. James Kaprielian 
  10. Kyle Holder

Severino and Judge are more 1A and 1B at this point but I feel like Severino is closer to major league ready and more likely to contribute sooner than Judge giving him the edge for me. If anyone has Judge first and Severino second I wouldn’t put up a fight, it’s a good problem to have and it’s that close to judge (no pun intended). Mateo has had a great season, as we see weekly with our weekly posts, and moved up to the Yankees third best prospect for me while Refsnyder jumps from the 5th position he held before the 2015 season to the 2014 season. Bird has earned a promotion to Triple-A but has seen an injury presumably steal some of his power and hitting for average this season while Sanchez, Lindgren and Torrens fall into line on the list.


I couldn’t think of anyone I wanted to place here in front of Kaprielian. He’s not an ace, he’s probably more of a #3 starter ceiling wise, but he should be a fast mover and could reach the majors as soon as September, 2016 and that means something to me. Also with John Ryan Murphy and Bryant Mitchell nearing innings limits that would make them ineligible for these lists I went ahead and went with Holder at the #10 spot. I like Holder a lot more than others do because of his bat and his projected “elite” defense. I truly think his bat will come around and continue to grow, he hasn’t been playing full-time baseball during his college career and is still somewhat raw in the offensive department. Even so, and granted in a very hitting friendly league, he put up monster numbers before being drafted and I just get excited thinking what he could do with professional instructors, hitting coaches and a focus on baseball 100% of the time. Holder excites me and while he may not excite others that’s what makes these lists so subjective, fun to read and fun to do.


What’s yours? Leave it below down in the comments section.

ICYMI: Girardi Implies Rob Refsnyder Is The Regular Second Baseman

By: Bryan Van Dusen

EDIT: What a sham this turned out to be

In his pregame press conference, Joe Girardi shed some light on the second base situation.
"We have to do something here."

After 81 games with AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, in which he put up a batting line of .290/.387/.413 with 7 home runs and 10 stolen bases, the Yankees called up second baseman Rob Refsnyder. Many Yankees fans have been begging to see Rob called up for some time, especially after Stephen Drew hit .182/.257/.372 in the first half of the season.

Since then people have been trying to figure out what the Yankees were going to do once Brendan Ryan and Carlos Beltran came back from the disabled list. The biggest fear has been that Ref would be sent back down, and we'd have to deal with the all-glove/no-bat Drew for the remainder of the season.

But earlier today Girardi said this...

We want [Drew] to be able to play all three positions, second, short and third. We’ve asked our middle infielders to be able to do that if you want to give Headley a day off, if you want to give Didi a day off, obviously he’s going to play some second as well. Those sort of things. He’s prepared to go in anywhere.

That doesn't sound to me like Drew is going to be the everyday second baseman anymore. And something tells me Brendan Ryan is not that guy either. So it looks like Rob Refsnyder will get regular playing time at second base, while Stephen Drew will be the team's utility infielder.

Personally I love this news. Drew has value as a late-inning defensive replacement, has some pop in his bat, and can defend well at second, shortstop, and third base.

So does that mean Brendan Ryan's time in pinstripes is up when Beltran returns? What about the rarely seen Garrett Jones? A reliever? I don't know... stay tuned.

Yankees Final 2015 Draft Pool Tracker


The New York Yankees had quite the haul in the 2015 MLB First Year Players Draft which included signing -- of their 41 draft picks. New York signed each of their first 19 draft picks and 33 of their first 36 draft picks as the team continues to rebuild the farm system from the inside out. Here is one last final look at the draft pool now that everything is finalized. Enjoy the future.

*bold denotes a player that did not sign

1. RHP James Kaprielian - 16th overall
1. SS Kyle Holder - 30th
2. LHP Jeff Degano - 57th
3. RHP Drew Finley - 92nd
4. CF Jeff Hendrix - 123rd
5. RHP Chance Adams - 153rd
6. 2B Brandon Wagner - 183rd
7. RF Jhalan Jackson - 213th
8. 3B Donny Sands - 243rd
9. 1B Ryan Krill - 273rd
10. LHP James Reeves - 303rd
11. LHP Josh Rogers - 333rd
12. CF Terrance Robertson - 363rd
13. CF Trey Amburgey - 393rd
14. RHP Will Carter - 423rd
15. RHP Bret Marks - 453rd
16. RHP Kolton Mahoney - 483rd
17. RHP Brody Koerner - 513th
18. LF Zack Zehner - 543rd
19. RHP Mark Seyler - 573rd
20. 1B Isiah Gilliam - 603rd
21. RHP Josh Roeder - 633rd
22. RHP Cody Carroll - 663rd
23. RHP Garrett Mundell - 693rd
24. RHP Patrick O'Brien - 723rd
25. C Austin Afenir - 753rd
26. RHP Icezack Flemming - 783rd
27. 1B Michael Hicks - 813th
28. RHP David Sosebee 843rd
29. 1B Kane Sweeney - 873rd
30. RHP Chad Martin - 903rd
31. RHP Hobie Harris - 933rd
32. RHP Alex Robinett - 963rd
33. RHP Christian Morris - 993rd
34. LHP Andrew Miller - 1023rd
35. RHP Alex Bisacca - 1053rd
36. RHP Dustin Cook - 1083rd
37. 3B Matthew Schmidt - 1113th 
38. 2B Mike Garzillo - 1143rd
39. SS Deacon Liput - 1173rd
40. C Will Albertson - 1203rd

Jonathan Papelbon to the Yankees?


It happens every single year, the All-Star Game is played and all the Major League Baseball news and attention turns to the July 31st trading deadline. The pretenders start selling off their high priced veterans and aging stars while the contenders continue to stockpile with the hopes of making a deep October run. The Yankees are always linked to every top player on the market regardless of realism or the state of the roster every single season and 2015 will be no different. The Yankees will undoubtedly be linked to Cole Hamels, David Price, Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Brandon Phillips, Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Papelbon.

Despite the Yankees having arguably the best bullpen in the American League this season New York is still linked to the Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon. While Papelbon is the highest paid closer in the game right now he's not the best closer and wouldn't be the best reliever on the club with Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances on the roster, but that doesn't mean Papelbon would be bad. Papelbon still strikes out enough batters, 9.4 K/9, has great control, 1.9 BB/9, has great peripherals with a 2.75 FIP and a 2.60 ERA and would make the Yankees bullpen awfully dangerous.

Taking either Branden Pinder/Bryan Mitchell or Chris Capuano out of this bullpen, making Adam Warren the long relief pitcher, and adding Papelbon makes this bullpen awfully dangerous. Having three closers in the bullpen is like the Yankees having three center fielders in the outfield, which they do in Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Chris Young, which makes the team awfully flexible but would the cost be worth it?

Yes and no. The Yankees don't necessarily need Papelbon or any other relief pitcher this season but every other team in the American League East Division does, especially the Toronto Blue Jays. Keeping Papelbon out of Boston, Tampa, Baltimore or Toronto helps the Yankees in the second half while putting some distance between the clubs in the division even more. If the Yankees could get Papelbon for a pair of mid-level prospects or prospects not named Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird or Jorge Mateo I say pull the trigger and shorten these games from six inning games to five inning games while winning an American League East Division title, an American League pennant and possibly another World Series.

Yankees Off Day Walk Up Music Recommendation


With every Yankees off day this season we have been looking at the walk up music for every Yankees offensive player and today is no different. While looking through the list of Yankees offensive players it looks like we're running low on players. Garrett Jones is one of those players left on this roster and with Jones you get a four for one special. It seems like Jones uses a different song every time he comes up to the plate so his diversity is your gain this morning. Enjoy.

Pearl Jam - Animals


James Alan Johnston - Unstable


Metallica - Whiskey in the Jar


Macklemore - White Walls



Weekly Check In: Gary Sanchez


Gary Sanchez has taken over the Monday check in posts from Jacob Lindgren and much like many of the prospects who are showcased in these posts has garnered a promotion shortly after. When Austin Romine went on the disabled list with a thumb injury this week Sanchez packed away his Double-A Trenton Thunder uniforms and his Futures Game Team World baseball cap and turned them in for some Scranton Wilkes-Barre attire.

Sanchez joins the like of fellow top Yankees prospects Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird and others to receive a promotion this season as New York continues to be aggressive with their farm hands.

YearLevGPARH2BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
2015AA58254336114123661850.262.319.476.795
2015AAA1412013000.500.5001.2501.750

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/20: Don Mattingly Puts Out



On this day in 1987 Yankees first basemen Don Mattingly tied a major league mark when he was credited with 22 put outs in one game.


Also on this day in 1965 Yankees pitcher Mel Stottlemyer hit an inside the park grand slam against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees would win this game 6-3.