Saturday, August 29, 2015

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves 8/29




Greetings from Turner Field ladies and gentleman as the contest between the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves is set to kick off. I cannot put into words how excited I am to be seeing my boys in Yankees pinstripes tonight live for the first time since the 2012 season. I also cannot put into words how excited I am to be watching Luis Severino make his fifth start of his Major League career tonight against Matt Wisler for the Braves. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET and can be seen on Fox Sports One and MLB TV.

New York has one more game inside Turner Field tomorrow afternoon before making the trip to Boston to face off with the Boston Red Sox for three games inside Fenway Park. After another off day and the conclusion of this road trip the team returns home to Yankee Stadium to continue their push for the playoffs and the American League East Division crown. Watch it all unfold this season in the Bronx by clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog and getting your seats reserved for the remainder of the season. You can also follow us Twitter, although it may be a little slow tonight with me and my son in the ballpark tonight, by following @GreedyStripes.

Ellsbury and company are ready to hit some home runs and lead New York to another victory and I’m ready to become Atlanta’s own version of Zack Hample. Let’s get to it, Go Yankees!

Discussing a Potential 2016 Contract for Chris Young


In separate posts we have already discussed potential contracts for the 2016 season for both Stephen Drew, who got a “yay,” and Chris Capuano, who got a “nay,” and this evening we will discuss the potential future of Yankees fourth outfielder Chris Young. Young was signed in September of 2014 after having a horrendous season with the New York Mets and came across town to the Bronx with his big bat and glove in hand. Young did nothing but have clutch hit after clutch hit and walk off heroics in his month with the team earning him another contract for the 2015 season. Has he done enough and will he be fortunate enough to do the same in 2016?

If you would have asked me a month ago I would have said absolutely without blinking an eye but right now I’m not so sure. Young is the only true right handed outfielder the Yankees have since Carlos Beltran switch hits and both Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner bat left-handed which is a fact that is hard to ignore. That’s hard to ignore much like his ability to come in as a defensive replacement in right field, as a pinch runner late in games or his ability to hit home runs off the bench when all the spotlights are on him. What’s also hard to ignore is the imposing figure standing in the shadows patiently waiting his turn in Triple-A, Mr. Aaron Judge.

Sure, Judge has looked overmatched a bit since moving up to Triple-A leaving many to believe that he isn’t ready but that’s not what I took from it all. Judge may be scuffling a little but he also battled a back injury in Scranton that has coincidentally, or not coincidentally whatsoever, flared up right around the time his stat line went down steadily. A full offseason mixed in with a full spring training could do wonders for Judge, so could a trip to the Arizona Fall League, leaving him ready to make a difference on the ball club and in the lineup in 2016.

If the Greg Bird situation has taught me one thing it’s that the Yankees can mix and match and move players in and out of a lineup to keep everyone fresh almost as well as anyone around the league. With two center fielders on the team in Ellsbury and Gardner the Yankees could easily move Judge in and out of the right field, left field and DH position next season getting him enough at bats to justify his development while keeping the legs of Gardner, Ellsbury and Beltran fresh and healthy for the entire season.


If the Yankees allow Judge to be the next Bird and allow him to lead the charge of the next wave of Yankees prospects then I think the team has to wave goodbye to Mr. Young. If the team thinks Judge needs a full season, or at least another half season, in Scranton then I guess a new deal for Young wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world as long as the AAV was kept relatively low. New York could always designate Young for assignment in June or July and bring up the Judge I guess. 

UPDATED: Predicting the Yankees September Call Ups


The New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman spoke on many things this week including the team's playoff chances, August trade rumors and September call ups. We did one of these posts already this season with a promise that the post would likely be updated once we got closer to September and I am a man of my word. I am more or less confirming what Cashman said in his interview, that Aaron Judge would not come up and neither would Jacob Lindgren because of health while Robert Refsnyder was coming up on September 1st, but here is the list regardless.

Outfielders:

Rico Noel
Slade Heathcott


Infielders:

Robert Refsnyder
Jose Pirela



Catchers:

Gary Sanchez (assuming health, left game this week w/ hamstring injury)
Austin Romine (if Sanchez is deemed unhealthy on September 1st)


Pitchers:

Branden Pinder
Nick Rumbelow
Caleb Cotham
Nick Goody
Chris Martin
Andrew Bailey
Johnny Barbato

On this list we added Johnny Barbato, the team has to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft anyway, and Andrew Bailey that finally seems healthy for the first time in almost three years. We also added the possibility of Austin Romine finding his way back onto the 40 man roster assuming that Gary Sanchez and his injured hamstring are done for the 2015 season. Cole Figueroa was removed from the list because he is a DFA candidate to make room for Barbato, Bailey or who Mixe Axisa from River Ave Blues called "the designated pinch runner" Rico Noel. Noel fits the mold of Antoan Richardson from 2014 and many players in years past whose job is to solely come off the bench and steal a base late in a game. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves 8/29


The New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves continue their three game set tonight inside Turner Field with Mr. Greedy Pinstripes myself in the building. The Yankees have done well against the Braves in their short list of Interleague head-to-head matchups and New York looks to keep that going tonight with another key victory. The Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound tonight looking for his second career victory while Atlanta counters with Matt Wisler. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on Fox Sports One and probably MLB TV.

  • Severino heads into his fifth start of his Major League career tonight looking for his second victory of his young career. Severino earned his first win in his last start against the Cleveland Indians where he went six innings allowing just one run and three hits on August 22. Severino threw a career high 107 pitches last time out and could be good for more if needed tonight inside Turner Field.


  • Wisler has been as home run prone as they come this season giving up eight home runs in just 22.2 innings pitched during the month of August. Wisler is in the midst of his rookie campaign with Atlanta and has struggled commanding both his fastball and his slider thus far which could be a recipe for disaster tonight against the Bronx Bombers.



I’m sitting in the right field outfield just over the fence and the Yankees are facing off against a guy that is giving up a home run every three innings or so, I may pull a Zack Hample tonight. With Mark Teixeira expected to be ready for tonight’s matchup and Jacoby Ellsbury hopefully back in center field as well it should be a great matchup for the Yankees tonight. I hate to say this out loud but in my 29 years of Yankees fandom I have never seen the team lose while I was in the stadium, never. The streak is on the line, Go Yankees!

Discussing a 2016 Contract for Chris Capuano


Yesterday I probably shocked over 90% of our readers and Twitter followers, shameless plug alert... follow @GreedyStripes on Twitter, when I actually defended a 2016 contract for the Yankees second baseman Stephen Drew. Yes, that Stephen Drew and no he doesn't have naked pictures of me or dirt on me that I am trying to keep from my wife and off the internet. Could I possibly do the same thing for Chris Capuano? In a word, nope.

While I appreciate Capuano taking one on the chin more than once this season I think the need for his veteran arm in 2016 is quickly deteriorating. The New York Yankees learned and proved this season that where the team lacks in producing positional players and starting pitchers they more than make up for it in the bullpen department. The Yankees have a shuttle bus running back and forth from Yankee Stadium to Scranton/Wilkes Barre this season bringing up and sending back viable relief pitcher after viable relief pitcher. Capuano's only saving grace has been his ability to give the team multiple innings, something he may lose the more he loses his routine and starting job.

I'm not going to bad mouth Capuano, he's given his all for the Yankees and continually taken his DFA's quietly and come right back to the team when he could easily elect free agency and latch on elsewhere. That doesn't mean I'd rather the Yankees waste another 25 man roster spot on him for 2016 thus sending one of Nick Goody, Nick Rumbelow, Caleb Cotham, Branden Pinder, Bryan Mitchell or another back to Triple-A.

There's no such thing as a bad minor league deal, mind you, but if the deal comes with a 40 man roster commitment I would have to pass. Sorry Cap.

My Son’s First Yankees Game is Tonight!


Tonight is the night that my first born, Evan, gets to see the New York Yankees live for the very first time. He was a little young to see them live the last time they came to Atlanta in 2012 in my opinion but he’s a big boy now, he’s started Kindergarten and he’s ready. We went to an Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals game at the end of last season just to make sure he could sit through a game without going wild just to be sure and tonight is the night he sees a real team.


So every time a Yankees player hits a home run over the right field fence tonight in Atlanta and you see a little five year old jumping up and down you’ll see me right beside him. I can’t wait. Go Yankees!

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo


The New York Yankees minor league affiliates will see their season’s end here in just about two weeks meaning many of the Baby Bombers have just a few weeks left to leave an impression on their clubs. That list includes the Yankees best shortstop prospect Jorge Mateo who has a very outside shot at stealing over 100 bases in one minor league season after eclipsing the 80 stolen base plateau earlier in the week.

With the August revocable trade waivers deadline ready to expire in a couple of days Mateo has to be holding his breathe a little. After being dangled at the last minute to San Diego for Craig Kimbrel and Jedd Gyorko as a player you always have to worry about the team revisiting the deal later on before the deadline. I can’t see it happening though, the Padres seem content with standing pat and Brian Cashman seems content with watching his young 20-year old shortstop flourish and blossom inside the Yankees system.


Just as a side note, do you think the Yankees would or could eventually move Mateo, Tyler Wade, Abi Avelino or Kyle Holder to second base since the team is now so stacked at the position? May be something to think about. 

YearLevGPARH2BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
2015A-A+1164986612523240824398.280.346.394.740
2015A96409519818233713680.268.338.378.716
2015A+2089152750711718.329.382.463.845

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/29: Derek Jeter Sets The Mark For Yankees Shortstops


Derek Jeter has set many marks and records not only in New York Yankees history but in baseball history as well but on this day he was making his mark for shortstops in Yankees history. Jeter would connect for his 17th home run of the season on this day in 1998 setting a new Yankees record for home runs from a New York shortstop. The 24 year old would pass Roy Smalley's previous record set in 1982 when he hit a home run off Bob Wells in an 11-6 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Also on this day in 1985 Don Baylor was hit for the 190th time of his career. The Yankees DH would pass Minnie Minoso for the most hit by pitches in the history of Major League Baseball when the Angels' pitcher Kirk McCaskill kit him in the first inning.