Monday, February 29, 2016

Yankees Photo Day

Dellin Betances

Andrew Miller

Michael Pineda

Luis Severino

Masahiro Tanaka

Jacoby Ellsbury

Alex Rodriguez

Starlin Castro


Aroldis Chapman






This Has Been Prospects Month 2016


Wow, what a month. I love the month of February and I especially love the month of February when we get blessed with a 29th day like we did in 2016. It allows an extra day of research, an extra day of teaching and an extra day of Prospects Month! I love having Prospects Month in February because when most blogs are strapped for content or simply shoveling snow while the fans are hungry for news we get to bring you content all day long on a daily basis. I also love it that we don’t hide our material behind a pay-wall or anything like that like some other premium sites, which FYI it is worth the subscription I’m just saying in general some of us can’t afford it or justify it. I’m just grateful that we have people that come to the site, read our work and like what we do. Thank you for that.


So another month is gone and so is another Prospects Month here on the blog. Now we can turn all of our attention to Spring Training and the upcoming 2016 season. Let’s get to it. This has been Prospects Month 2016 and we hope you enjoyed it. 

Prospects Month ICYMI: 2016 Pre-season Top 30 Yankees Prospects (via The Bronx Empire)

by: Ben Embry from The Bronx Empire.com 

Ladies and gentlemen, it's prospect season! And every high profile baseball publication/website is in the process of issuing their Top 100 overall and top 10 system rankings. I like to publish my own and have been doing so for the past few seasons. Before I reveal my top 30 prospects in the Yankees system let me make this disclaimer: I'm not a scout, nor am I pretending to be one. These rankings do not reflect my personal opinion but rather the collective opinions of publications like Baseball America and ESPN as well as other blogs dedicated to the Yankees such as River Ave Blues and Bronx Baseball Daily. My only involvement is doing a weighted average of the source material. Without further delay, here's the top 30 prospects in the Yankees farm system:



I tend to agree with this board and in fact the first 6 picks match what I ended up with last Fall. I was way low on Fowler, which happens every year in some way or another. Sometimes when you're reading the tea leaves you just mis-interpret how well guys are liked or not liked. I thought two years ago the industry was relatively high on Jaron Long and ranked him 30th in my postseason rankings. Then the pundits weighed in and it was clear that was nowhere close.

I also do separate rankings for hitters and pitchers, which can be found here. First the hitters:

And now, the pitchers:




Any thoughts? Let me know at @thebronxempire on Twitter. I love the conversation. Have a good day!

Most Popular Article of the Week: Rob Refsnyder the Third Baseman?


Hey guys, remember like two or three days after the New York Yankees acquired Starlin Castro from the Chicago Cubs to be their everyday second baseman and I, Daniel Burch, suggested that Robert Refsnyder either learn the third base position or be traded? Well that was initially scoffed at and immediately dismissed due to defensive “concerns” for the kid who was drafted as an outfielder and still learning the second base position and the infield as a whole. Well until Joel Sherman of the New York Post says it, then it’s a brilliant idea.


Some will say that the Yankees aren’t high on Refsnyder or that they don’t trust his defense but those same people are ignoring the fact that the team called him up not once, but twice last season. The second call-up also resulted in him starting at second base in the AL Wild Card Playoff Round against the Houston Astros, an eventual 3-0 loss to Dallas Keuchel. The bat looked like it could stick, albeit in a short sample size, as he batted .355 in September and .302 overall in both call-ups while his defense looked to be adequate. Refsnyder got to the balls he was supposed to and he made the plays he was supposed to, anyone who doesn’t think that’s sufficient at 25-years old and with just two years of experience at second base professionally should just turn in their Derek Jeter jersey’s now.


The possibility of Refsnyder learning and playing the third base position is still up in the air. Brian Cashman seems adamant that the team will keep him at second base only while Refsnyder is said to be open to the idea. Then again Refsnyder is “up for anything” as long as it means he is sticking with the MLB squad. We already know that Starlin will be playing some third base this spring but keep your eyes out for Refsnyder, if he starts playing third base some then you know the plan is in motion. The plan I originally set forward and the plan Joel Sherman will once again get all the credit for. And that’s okay.

TGP Prospects Month Top 29 Prospects List - #1 El Gary Sanchez


We've made it Yankees family, all the way down to #1. It's bittersweet, you want to keep going but you also like closure. It's human nature. This is closure, this is El Gary Sanchez, the Yankees top prospect in their system according to The Greedy Pinstripes.

There is absolutely nothing I can tell you that I did not say yesterday in Jorge Mateo's Top 29 post and I cannot say anything that you don't already know so with that said I will simply say congratulations to Sanchez and say thank you to everyone for reading.

1. Gary Sanchez
2. Jorge Mateo
3. Aaron Judge
4. James Kaprielian
5. Robert Refsnyder
6. Domingo Acevedo
7. Dustin Fowler
8. Wilkerman Garcia
9. Ian Clarkin
10. Brady Lail
11. Jacob Lindgren
12. Bryan Mitchell
13. Drew Finley
14. Mason Williams
15. Slade Heathcott
16. Abi Avelino
17. Hoy-Jun Park
18. Luis Torrens
19. Cale Coshow
20. Chance Adams
21. Miguel Andujar
22. Jonathan Holder
23. Tyler Wade
24. Nick Rumbelow
25.Jordan Montgomery
26.Trey Amburgey
27. Ben Gamel
28. Austin DeCarr
29. Thairo Estrada
30. James Pazos

Meet a Prospect: George Steinbrenner

George Michael Steinbrenner III is the final Meet A Prospect post that we will do for Prospects Month on The Greedy Pinstripes. The Boss was born on July 4, 1930 and passed to hang with the baseball Gods on July 13, 2010. George bought the New York Yankees organization in 1973 and held the ownership for 37 years until his death and subsequent transfer of ownership to his sons Hank and Hal, who we also showcased in our Meet A Prospect series this week. George would see the Yankees win seven World Series championships and 11 American League pennants in his tenure as the Yankees owner, the longest tenure in club history. George was not always the "hands on" owner, fiery figure head, and one to meddle in every day operations, drive up players prices, and investigate free agents before signing them. George was not always the one to hire, fire, and re-hire managers at an alarming rate. Let's meet George Steinbrenner before he was known as "The Boss."
George was born in Bay Village, Ohio as the only son of Rita Haley Steinbrenner and Henry George Steinbrenner II. His mother was an Irish immigrant who had her name changed from O'Haley to Haley and his father was of German descent who eventually made his name in the freight shipping business. George III was named after his paternal grandfather, George Michael Steinbrenner II, and had two younger sisters growing up, Susan and Judy. George spent his college years at the Culver Military Academy starting in 1944 and graduated in 1948 only to go back to college to get his B.A. from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1952. George was quite the social butterfly and athlete in school with highlights such as being a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, being a very successful hurdler on the varsity track and field team, played piano in the band, played halfback on the football team his senior year, and served as the field editor for The Williams Record. After college George immediately joined the United States Air Force and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. George would have an honorable discharge in 1954 and would go back to school to complete his masters degree in physical education at Ohio State University.
While at Ohio State George would be the coaches assistant in the year the Ohio State Buckeyes would go undefeated and win the Rose Bowl and National Championship in 1954.George would meet his soon to be wife, Elizabeth Joan Zieg, in Columbus, Ohio in 1956 and would marry and have two sons, Hank and Hal Steinbrenner. They also had two daughters Jessica Steinbrenner and Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal. In 1957 Steinbrenner would join the Kinsman Marine Transit Company, a company his great grandfather Henry purchased in 1901, and would be rebuilt and revitalized before George would purchase the company a few years later from his family. George would later buy the American Shipbuilding Company and see annual revenue sales soar over $100,000,000. Steinbrenner did not initially use that new found wealth to get into baseball though because his first sports team investment was the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League against the advice of his father. The Pipers would hire the first African American coach in professional basketball in John McClendon and would see an ABL Championship in the 1961-1962 season before the ABL folded in 1962. Steinbrenner paid his debts and took his talents to Broadway briefly in a 1967 play named The Ninety Day Mistress, the 1974 Tony Award nominated Seesaw, and the 1988 Legs Diamond play.
In 1971 George Steinbrenner attempted to buy the Cleveland Indians and failed but would buy the New York Yankees from CBS, with help from investors, in January of 1973. The original sale of the organization was $10,000,000 but the deal included two parking garages that CBS bought back after the deal was final for $1,200,000 making the final total for George and company coming in at $8,800,000. George wasted no time causing controversy and hiring and firing personnel as he went through 20 managers in his first 23 seasons including hiring and firing Billy Martin five times and went through 11 general managers in 30 seasons. George did win two World Series in 1977 and 1978 behind Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson though while the Bronx was Burning. George also ruled with an iron fist creating the policy that all Yankees players, managers, and male executives were forbidden to have any facial hair other than a mustache and Yankees players hair was not allowed to touch the collar of the shirt, which is still the Yankees policy today. George and his policy is the reason that Goose Gossage grew, and still has to this day, the extreme mustache that he has now after George forced Gossage to shave the beard that he was growing in 1983. Don Mattingly was even benched in 1991 after refusing to cut his mullet hair cut that did not fall within Yankees policy which causes a media backlash. Mattingly would not learn from the incident though as he would be back in the Yankees facial hair spotlight as he started to grow a goatee in 1995 and saw Mattingly trim it to just a mustache.
George also caused a ton of talk after handing out Dave Winfield a 10 year contract worth $23,000,000 making him the highest paid player in the game at the time. George bashed Winfield in the 1985 season after a poor September performance calling Winfield "Mr. May" and saying that the Yankees needed a "Mr. September or Mr. November, not a Mr. May." This criticism would cause players like Ken Griffey Jr. to publicly state that he would never play for the New York Yankees because of George Steinbrenner. On July, 30 1990 George was officially banned from the game permanently as far as day to day operations go by MLB commissioner Fay Vincent for paying a gambler to "dig up dirt" on Winfield. Winfield was suing the Yankees because they did not contribute $300,000 to his foundation which was a stipulation of his 10 year contract. These were just some of the reasons that Winfield went into the Hall of Fame as a San Diego Padre and no a member of the New York Yankees. With George out of the game how would baseball, and specifically the Yankees, respond you ask? Keep reading...


George was reinstated back into baseball in time for the 1993 season and it was just in time for the 1994 MLB strike and the beginning of a Yankees dynasty. George was willing to leave the day to day operations to Gene Michael these days and even got behind a Yankees farm system and letting players like Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada to develop rather than be traded for veteran players. George saw this new found patience pay off as the Yankees were in the AL East chase all the way until September before losing the title to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees were also leading the AL East before the 1994 strike wiped all the hard work away, the season, and for the second time ever the World Series. Obviously anyone reading this knows the rest as we saw the Yankees make the playoffs for the first time since 1981 when they were the first Wild Card winner in the 1995 season and saw the Yankees win World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009. The Yankees made the playoffs ever year from 1995 - 2009 except for the 2008 season, Joe Girardi's first season, and saw World Series losses in the 2001 and 2003 Fall Classics.


George would officially retire from being the Yankees principal owner and would transfer the day to day operations to his sons, Hank and Hal, in 2006. From 2006 until his eventual death in 2010 George spent most of his time at his home in Tampa, Florida while rarely showing his face at the stadium or giving interviews and sound bites. George did make a special appearance at the 78th Annual MLB All Star Game which was held in Yankees Stadium in it's final season in 2008 in the Bronx. George was wearing dark sunglasses and walked slowly onto the field with the help of many people helping him walk. George would get one last ring in 2009 and was presented with the ring in person by Derek Jeter and manager Joe Girardi on April 13, 2010 in his stadium suite leaving, according to reports, Steinbrenner almost speechless. Steinbrenner, if anyone, deserved this private ceremony as he built the Yankees brand to the first sports team to have a net worth over $1,000,000,000 plus having a $1,200,000,000 television network aptly named the Yankees Entertainment and Sports network, or the YES Network.



George died on July 13, 2010, the same day as the 81st annual All Star Game, at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Tampa due to a heart attack. His death came just nine days after his 80th birthday and just two days after long time Yankees announcer Bob Shepard passed away. The Yankees would wear a patch honoring Steinbrenner and Shepard from July 14th until the end of the 2010 season to commemorate these two Yankees legends. The Steinbrenner family also added a monument in Monument Park to honor their late family member in September of 2010 to honor George. George was buried at Trinity Memorial Gardens in Trinity, Florida. The Boss, Manager George, George Steinbrenner, whatever you call him or known him as you know he will never be forgotten, replaced, or emulated. May George rest in peace now.
We want to take this time to honor and thank George Steinbrenner for everything he did as the owner of the Yankees. If it were not for Steinbrenner the Yankees would not be who they are today, both in class and in championships, and we would not be the site that we are today. The Yankees would not be the financial super power they are today, would not be as respected league wide as they are today, and may have went by the wayside in the 70's and 80's if it were not for the boss. Thank you George and I hope you are reading this from up in Heaven, we love you!

Leap Year Giveaway for February 29, 2016!!!


Good morning Yankees family and welcome to another week and another Monday. This Monday is a little different than most Monday's though because it is February 29, 2016 which is also known as Leap Year Day! Why is this important? Well besides the fact that this comes only once every four years it is also important because we are giving something away this morning!

The Saturday Evening Post has been gracious enough to give me a special collector's edition copy of their book "Baseball: The Glory Years." This book contains dozens of rare illustrations by Normal Rockwell and other great post artists as well as classic profiles of Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth and more. it also comes with a free poster inside so you can't really go wrong with that. The book is not just illustrations though it also has stories covering everything from the beginning of the game, the setting of the rules in the rule book, the Black Sox Scandal, Babe Ruth and so much more. This book is incredible!!

So how do you enter for the giveaway? We're not hard to please, we just want to know you're reading. If you're a follower of The Greedy Pinstripes on Twitter you're automatically entered and if you're not then head over and give @GreedyStripes a follow. Every tweet at us, like and retweet gets you an extra entry. Also if you subscribe to us via email or comment in the comments section you are also automatically entered. The final way is to send us an email at thegreedypinstripes at gmail dot com telling us you'd like to be in the running.

We will announce a winner Friday!

This Day in New York Yankees History: Holy Leap Year Batman!


Leap Year only comes once every four years so why limit ourselves to just Yankees history? Let's go!



On this day in 1903 Major League Baseball set the height of the pitcher's mount to a max of 15 inches. It has since been lowered while the amount of Tommy John surgeries has increased ten fold with the move. Coincidence?

Also on this day in 1967 Commissioner General William Eckert approved the BBWAA's plan to select a Cy Young Award recipient for the American and National League. Since 1956 the award had gone to just one pitcher from either league each season.

Also on this day in 1969 Mickey Mantle announced his retirement from Major League Baseball after hitting 536 home runs and batting .298 in 18 seasons. Why? Because he "can't hit when I need to."

Also on this day in 1993 George Steinbrenner was reinstated from his lifetime ban from the game after missing two-and-a-half seasons.

Also on this day in 2007 Arlington Park in Texas was announced for the Rangers organization.

Also on this day in 2012 Jason Varitek retired from MLB and the Boston Red Sox.

And finally on this day in 2012 Yadier Molina signed a five-year extension with the St. Louis Cardinals worth $75 million.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

TGP Prospects Night Open Thread featuring Cito Culver


Cito Culver may be on his way out of the New York Yankees organization sooner rather than later. Culver will hold his final stand in 2016 with the organization as he runs out of minor league options and the options behind him get stronger and stronger. Once thought of as a top prospects Culver just never seemed to come around with bat unfortunately and is in danger of being overtaken by the likes of Jorge Mateo, Kyle Holder, Abi Avelino, Thairo Estrada and others. 

In what could be Culver's penultimate stand we bring you this interview that was conducted in September of 2015. Enjoy because Prospects Month is almost over.

Three Yankees Prospects You May Not Know Yet But You Will


Every year we, the fans of Major League Baseball, enter the new season with a new set of expectations. Either we think our team is going to win it all, we think our team is going to take the next step towards the ultimate goal, we think we're one year closer to getting some of these clunky contracts off the books and we're one year closer to seeing our favorite prospect on the field wearing our favorite team's uniform. This is especially the case with prospects and it goes for the prospects we know but also the prospects we don't quite know yet. We all know by the now the names of Jorge Mateo, Robert Refsnyder, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and James Kaprielian but do you know these three names? If you don't yet you likely will by the end of 2016.

Outfielder Carlos Vidal has been a member of the New York Yankees for more than two seasons now and at age 19 he is primed to break out in a big way as soon as 2016. In short season league's Vidal has hit .362 in two seasons and has had more walks than strikeouts in his professional debut. Vidal showed average but he also showed power hitting 15 doubles and nine home runs with the Pulaski Yankees last year. Vidal isn't a blue chip prospect by any means but he has the potential to have a long and promising career if he continues on the path and trend he is currently on.


Right-handed pitcher Joey Maher is another player that many probably never gave a second thought to when they noticed he was drafted in the 38th round of the 2011 season but he has done everything to make us all look like fools. Maher came out of the draft with a solid sinker and changeup combination but was derailed by injuries until the 2015 season when he finally stayed healthy enough to put it all together. When drafted Maher threw in the high-80 MPH range with a fastball and a curveball to compliment his sinker and changeup but recently Maher has seen an uptick in velocity hitting as high as 95 MPH consistently in 2015. Maher also made strides with his curveball last season making him a legitimate four-pitch pitcher going forward. Maher may start the season in Tampa or may head back to Charleston with the Riverdogs. 


The final prospect you may not have heard of yet but will by the time Prospects Month 2017 comes around is Simon De La Rosa. De La Rosa is a right-handed pitcher that has thrown plus stuff but like a ton of pitchers before him he lacks the control to put it all together. De La Rosa averages 95-97 MPH on his fastball and it has late life that resembles a bit of Mariano Rivera's famous cutter that he made his name on for all those years. De La Rosa has struck out 180 batters in his first 140 professional innings and possesses plus breaking stuff, especially for someone as young as he is, but the walks will always be the main concern for the Dominican-born right-hander. De La Rosa walked 37 batters in 53.1 innings this year but if he can cut that in half or more he may be something special that flies through the lower levels of the Yankees system this season. 

Gary Sanchez 2nd Best Prospect Catcher by MLB.com


MLB.com ranked the Top 10 prospects at every position this offseason around the majors and Gary Sanchez made the list for catchers. Gary Sanchez is the second best prospect catcher in all of Major League Baseball according to the website and their list.

Here is the free write-up from MLB.com on Sanchez:

2. Gary Sanchez, Yankees


Sanchez resuscitated his prospect stock last season between the Double-A and Triple-A levels, and he made his big league debut in early October. He then showcased his huge power and cannon arm in the Arizona Fall League, pacing the circuit with seven home runs and a 62 percent caught-stealing rate. Despite Sanchez's improvement as a blocker and receiver last season, questions remain about whether he will be able to catch every day in the big leagues. However, there's little doubt that he's ready to make an impact at the plate.

And here is the Top 10 List originally seen HERE. 

1. Willson Contreras - Cubs
2. Gary Sanchez - Yankees
3. Jorge Alfaro - Phillies
4. Reese McGuire - Pirates
5. Tyler Stephenson - Reds
6. Elias Diaz - Pirates
7. Dom Nunez - Rockies
8. Jacob Nottingham - A's
9. Max Pentecost - Blue Jays
10. Aramis Garcia - Giants

TGP Prospects Month Top 29 Prospects List - #2 Jorge Mateo


Uh oh, I didn't follow the pack leader and put Jorge Mateo as the best and top Yankees prospect in the entire farm system. How many people do you think clicked off the site when they saw Mateo get less than first? I'll let you know tomorrow but really the top three are pretty interchangeable in my opinion so it's not meant to be a slap to Mateo. Mateo is great and he could be the Yankees best prospect and he may be ultimately. The thing with prospect lists though is it's all left up to interpretation. Some use the players ceilings as their main basis for the ranking and some factor in other factors like age, whether he was drafted out of High School or college and their proximity to the Major Leagues.

The latter is the reason for me having Mateo ranked #2 behind the obvious #1 prospect Gary Sanchez. Sanchez is in Triple-A and where Aaron Judge, a fellow RailRider, struggled Sanchez flourished. It's also worth mentioning that Sanchez flourished when he wasn't expected to. He was up to fill in for an injured Austin Romine and was expected to go back to Double-A when Romine returned, Sanchez made the Yankees give him a spot. He then got another opportunity to build his stock in the Arizona Fall League while Mateo is still in A-Ball.

A ton can happen between now and the time that Mateo presumably gets to the Major Leagues. Injuries, lack of production, who knows. If we were playing MLB The Show on Playstation Mateo is likely ranked higher because he is likely the better player but he's also the furthest away from the majors out of the Yankees Top 5. For that reason alone I place Sanchez ahead of Mateo, no disrespect intended. I love Mateo, but I love Sanchez too.

2. Jorge Mateo
3. Aaron Judge
4. James Kaprielian
5. Robert Refsnyder
6. Domingo Acevedo
7. Dustin Fowler
8. Wilkerman Garcia
9. Ian Clarkin
10. Brady Lail
11. Jacob Lindgren
12. Bryan Mitchell
13. Drew Finley
14. Mason Williams
15. Slade Heathcott
16. Abi Avelino
17. Hoy-Jun Park
18. Luis Torrens
19. Cale Coshow
20. Chance Adams
21. Miguel Andujar
22. Jonathan Holder
23. Tyler Wade
24. Nick Rumbelow
25.Jordan Montgomery
26.Trey Amburgey
27. Ben Gamel
28. Austin DeCarr
29. Thairo Estrada
30. James Pazos

Baseball Is Back, But Meaningful Stats Aren't

With Spring Training games right around the corner, I wanted to take this time to remind everyone not to get too worked up over Spring Training statistics.

"Baseball's back, baby!"

While most Yankees fans were disappointed with the season Chase Headley had in 2015, those that put any stock in Spring Training statistics were likely out-of-their-minds infuriated by the end of the season. That's because Chase finished the season batting a lowly .259, but in 21 Spring Training games that year he hit .305.

Speaking of Headley, he was actually tied with the team lead during the 2015 Spring Training with three home runs. One of the guys he was tied with is of no surprise... Alex Rodriguez. However, what if I told you that the two other players that also hit three homers during Spring Training 2015 were Stephen Drew and Chris Young?

One more bit of information regarding the Yankees' 2015 Spring Training...

Esmil Rogers pitched 15.1 innings and had a 2.35 ERA. But during the regular season his ERA was a bit higher. Okay, it was a lot higher... 6.27.

To really drive home the point that Spring Training statistics are a small step above "useless", I'm going to show you three non-Yankees who had great springs but poor regular seasons.

Taijuan Walker P SEA
2015 Spring Training: 6 GS, 25 IP, 3-0, 0.36 ERA
2015 Regular Season: 29 GS, 169.2 IP, 11-8, 4.56 ERA

CJ Cron 1B/DH LAA
2015 Spring Training: 74 PA, .426/.446/.779
2015 Regular Season: 404 PA, .262/.300/.439

Mike Zunino C SEA
2015 Spring Training: 51 AB, 7 HR, 1 HR/7.3 AB, .353/.431/.882 
2015 Regular Season: 350 AB, 11 HR, 1 HR/31.8 AB, .174/.230/.300

"Did he really have to show two players from the Mariners?"

Yes, it's great to watch baseball again, however we have to keep in mind that Spring Training games are nothing more than glorified practices. Pitchers are working on new mechanics and/or new pitches, hitters are working on tweaks to their swings. Guys like Rob Refsnyder and Starlin Castro are going to be taking reps at third base, a position pretty much unknown to them.

Even managers will dial things back a bit. For instance, instead of calling for a hit and run in some situations, they're going to let things go so players can just take regular at bats.

So enjoy watching the games (I know I will). If you're lucky enough to go to some of those games I'll be extremely jealous of you. But whether Dustin Ackley hits .400 (career .244 hitter), Alex Rodriguez fails to hit a single home run (he led the Yankees will 33 last season), or Luis Severino gets rocked (led Yankee starters with an ERA of 2.89 last season), remember that what you're seeing then is probably not what you'll see later.

"But it's baseball!"

Meet a Prospect: Jonathan Diaz



The New York Yankees are doing anything and everything they can to prepare for the 2016 season. New York's plan seems to be to have as much depth and insurance as possible in the minor leagues while relying on the farm system, finally, while waiting out these long and bulky contracts that have hampered the organization for so long. In just a couple years the contracts of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran and CC Sabathia will be gone and the names of Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez will be leading the next Yankees dynasty. That's the plan anyway and the best plans need Plan B and Plan C, one of those Plan B's or Plan C's include the latest minor league signing, Jonathan Diaz.

This is Meet a Prospect: The Jonathan Diaz Edition. Jonathan Diaz was born on April 10, 1985 and spent his High School years at Coral Gables High School. While at Coral Gables Diaz played aside fellow Major League players Yonder Alonso and Eddy Rodriguez who watched Diaz finish his High School career with a strong .323 average in his senior season with six doubles and a home run. Diaz went to NC State to continue his baseball career but struggled in his freshman year. Diaz improved during his sophomore and junior years at NC State and caught the eyes of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 12th round, 360 overall, in the 2006 MLB Draft.


Diaz was placed at the shortstop position to begin his professional career and spent the 2006-2012 seasons in the minor leagues with varying degrees of success for Toronto. Diaz was never known for his bat but it was his defense that led Toronto to invite him to Spring Training camp in 2011 where he almost made the team as one of the final cuts. Diaz was back with the club in the spring of 2012 as well but was cut after just 23 games despite hitting .405 with seven RBI and nine runs scored. Diaz finished the 2012 season still in the Toronto minor league system and never made the Major Leagues as a member of the Blue Jays.


Diaz moved on from Toronto after the 2012 season and moved to their AL East rival Boston Red Sox after signing a minor league deal on December 16, 2012. Another trip to spring training in 2013 and another late cut and assignment to the minor leagues. Boston did come calling on June 29, 2013 and promoted him to the Major Leagues to make his MLB debut against the team that drafted him, the Toronto Blue Jays. Diaz was called up because Brock Holt and Stephen Drew were injured while Will Middlebrooks was ineligible to get called back up due to the 10 day rule. Diaz lasted until July 6 of that season when Holt was ready to return and Diaz was sent back to Triple-A.


Diaz returned to Toronto for the 2014 and 2015 seasons and began the 2014 season with the big league club after a Jose Reyes injury gave him the opportunity. Diaz received his 2013 World Series ring during that 2014 season and was up and down between the minor leagues and major leagues before ultimately being designated for assignment. Diaz came back to the team in 2015 to give the team some insurance for Reyes and once again a Reyes injury allowed Diaz a trip back to the Major Leagues. Diaz appeared in just seven games in 2015 and batted .154 with two RBI before hitting free agency once again.


Diaz will now look to latch on with the New York Yankees during the 2015 season after signing a minor league deal with the club. Diaz will look to win a job in spring training or start the season in Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders. Welcome to the organization Jonathan and welcome to the family as well.

Meet a Prospect: Tyler Olson


The New York Yankees were in a pretty unique situation up until this week that gave the team the freedom to basically do as it pleased this offseason. The team was able to not only clear enough roster spots to accommodate all the 60 Day DL players on the roster but the team cleared a couple extra spots as well for flexibility this winter. Some of that flexibility allowed the team to add players like Lane Adams, Ronald Torreyes and a former member of the Seattle Mariners.... Tyler Olson. This is Meet a Prospect: The Tyler Olson Edition.


Tyler Ray Olson was born on October, 2 1989 in the state of Washington where he spent his High School days attending University High School in Spokane Valley, Washington. Olson then went to Gonzaga University and pitched for the Gonzaga Bulldogs baseball team pitching five years there including a redshirt season in 2010 due to a shoulder subluxation. Olson did enough to catch the attention of the Oakland Athletics in the 2012 MLB First Year Players Draft as the A’s drafted him in the 17th round. Olson did not sign and returned to Gonzaga for his senior year at Gonzaga posting a9-4 record with a 2.48 ERA in 101.2 innings. Olson won the West Coast Conference’s Pitcher of the Year Award which led the Seattle Mariners to draft him 207th overall in the 2013 MLB Draft with their seventh round pick. Olson almost immediately signed and began his professional career inside the Mariners organization and farm system.


Olson stayed in the Mariners farm system for two years before being invited to Spring Training camp in 2015 where he made Seattle’s Opening Day roster. Olson would injure his knee in May and land on the disabled list and when he came back he found himself without a spot in the Mariners bullpen. Olson was optioned back to Triple-A when he was activated and that’s where he stayed for the remainder of the season before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on December 18, 2015 for cash considerations. Olson lasted all of three weeks with the Dodgers before being designated again and traded again, this time to the Yankees.


Let me be the first to welcome you not only to the team but to the organization and most importantly to the family as well. Enjoy your stay Tyler!

This Day in New York Yankees History 2/28: Cocaine is a hell of a Drug


On this day in 2000 Yankees outfielder and DH Darryl Strawberry is suspended for one year after testing positive for cocaine last month. Bud Selig would not allow Strawberry back early from the suspension based on good behavior. This would essentially mark the end of Strawberry's career.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

TGP Prospects Night Open Thread featuring Mariano Rivera


We are almost done with Prospects Month 2016, thank the calendar Gods for Leap Year and the extra day, and we have to go out with a bang. What bigger bang was there in his day than Mariano Rivera, the Sandman? Mariano broke onto the scene as a starting pitcher in 1995 and found his true niche in the Yankees bullpen in front of John Wetteland. 

In this video Rivera throws 3.1 inning of scoreless baseball against the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS. Rivera struck out five and continued to put his name on the map for not only the Yankees but for the league as well. My Baseball Reference won't load right now but from what I remember he did pretty well after this 1995 season and playoff trip, no? If anything he was solid. 

Twitter Poll: Do the Yankees Fans Give David Ortiz his Standing Ovation?

David Ortiz doesn't need another painting and he doesn't want another rocking chair, all the 40-year old Red Sox legend wants is a standing ovation in his final game at Yankee Stadium from the Yankees crowd. Should we, the fans, give it to him? Assuming we get our real tickets in hand and don't have to rely on printing them and assuming the extremely wealthy allow us to sit with them in the Bronx? I can't really answer that so I left it up to you in our latest Twitter Poll.








To be involved in our next Twitter Poll head over to Twitter to give @GreedyStripes a follow. Then just be on the lookout for our next Twitter Poll tweet where we won't use your answers without your permission.

ICYMI: Yankees Broke a 103-Year Old Record in 2015



The New York Yankees broke a Major League record that has stood for 103 seasons in 2015 when they sent catcher rookie catcher Gary Sanchez up to the plate. The first at bat for Sanchez last season was also the first at bat of his MLB career and his Major League debut. Sanchez was the 18th member of the New York Yankees to make his Major League debut which is an MLB record that passed the 1903 New York Highlanders. 


The 2015 season can easily be described as the Year of the Prospect as many top prospects have made their way to the Major Leagues this season. The Cubs seemingly have a new stud rookie starting at every position this season, the Twins called up MLB's top prospect Byron Buxton and the Dodgers called up new MLB top prospect Corey Seager this season and the Yankees even called up their top prospect in Luis Severino. In fact the Yankees have called up a lot of prospects this season and let a slew of them make their Major League debut's with the team, 18 of them to be exact setting a new MLB record that stood for over 100 seasons.


Back in 1912 the New York Highlanders watched as a whopping 17 rookies made their Major League debut's including George Batten, Curt Coleman, Iron Davis, John Dowd, Benny Kauff, Ray Keating, Jack Little, Pat Maloney, Jack Martin, Bill Otis, Del Paddock, Al Schulz, George Shears, Klondike Smith, Dutch Sterrett, Homer Thompson and Tommy Thompson.

The impressive list of Yankees players to make their MLB debut's with the team in 2015 included Matt Tracy, Branden Pinder, Slade Heathcott, Jacob Lindgren, Ramon Flores, Mason Williams, Danny Burawa, Jose De Paula, Diego Moreno, Nick Rumbelow, Robert Refsnyder, Caleb Cotham, Nick Goody, Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez, James Pazos and Rico Noel.


Any time a team gets this close to breaking a record I sort of hope for it to happen, I can't lie. I am a sucker for history. The main difference between the 1912 New York Highlanders and the 2015 New York Yankees is that the Highlanders only won 50 games while the Yankees would have finished a mere 50 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox had it not been for a September collapse of sorts. The latter may be a slight exaggeration but it goes to show you just how far the Yankees farm system, as underrated as it is, has come in recent seasons.

TGP Prospects Month Top 29 Prospects List - #3 Aaron Judge


The first cookie has crumbled and his name is Aaron Judge. I have to be completely honest here I feel like the top three prospects in the Yankees system are completely interchangeable when it comes to these lists. Some will put Judge at the top of the rankings, others will have Jorge Mateo and some may even buy into what Gary Sanchez did last season in Trenton, Scranton and in Arizona with the Surprise Saguaros. Me personally I go with Judge only because of his struggles with the RailRiders in the second half of the season.

I truly believe that the struggles came along with that lower back "injury" he had last season because it coincides with the game logs you can find on Baseball Reference. With that said though I have the likes of Mateo and Sanchez ahead of Judge because those struggles could be a sign of whats to come as well. Judge has always struck out a little too much and he's always had a problem with chasing away and getting fooled by the soft stuff away. Back injury or not that may continue to show its ugly head in the future, not that this would keep Judge from being an All-Star caliber player for the majority of a long Major League career.

3. Aaron Judge
4. James Kaprielian
5. Robert Refsnyder
6. Domingo Acevedo
7. Dustin Fowler
8. Wilkerman Garcia
9. Ian Clarkin
10. Brady Lail
11. Jacob Lindgren
12. Bryan Mitchell
13. Drew Finley
14. Mason Williams
15. Slade Heathcott
16. Abi Avelino
17. Hoy-Jun Park
18. Luis Torrens
19. Cale Coshow
20. Chance Adams
21. Miguel Andujar
22. Jonathan Holder
23. Tyler Wade
24. Nick Rumbelow
25.Jordan Montgomery
26.Trey Amburgey
27. Ben Gamel
28. Austin DeCarr
29. Thairo Estrada
30. James Pazos

Meet a Prospect: Kirby Yates


The New York Yankees are not above taking a chance, especially in their bullpen, and the team is taking another chance this season with Kirby Yates. Yates was recently acquired by New York from the Cleveland Indians in a deal that saw cash considerations go back to Cleveland. Yates will presumably fight for and win a spot in the Yankees bullpen this spring although the possibility of starting the season down in Triple-A with the Scranton RailRiders is always there. Either way Yates is the newest member of the Yankees organization and the Yankees family so we here at The Greedy Pinstripes will welcome him the best way we know how. This is Meet a Prospect: The Kirby Yates Edition.


Kirby Kali Yates was born on March 25, 1987 and joined his brother Tyler Yates on their goal of playing in Major League Baseball. Both have made it to the big show and both have taken significantly different paths. Kirby was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 26th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball First Year Players Draft out of Kauai High School in Lihue, Hawaii. Yates did not sign and ultimately attended Yavapai College where he missed both the 2006 and 2007 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery. With this knowledge in the back of many teams and scouts heads Yates went undrafted in the 2009 MLB Draft.


Yates signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays to begin his professional career and almost immediately rewarded the team with a Triple-A All-Star Game nomination in 2013. This earned Yates the opportunity to be added to the team’s 40 man roster on November 20, 2013 and set him up to make his Major League debut on June 7, 2014.


Yates stuck around with the Rays through the 2015 season before the team ultimately designated him for assignment and traded him to the Cleveland Indians for cash considerations. Yates was not long for Cleveland though after undergoing the same treatment with the Indians. Another designation for assignment and another trade for cash considerations, this time to the New York Yankees. Kirby and his fiancée Ashley Rowe will now look to stick in the Bronx with the big league Yankees and not suffer the same fate three times in an offseason.


Welcome to the organization Kirby and welcome to the family. Aloha.

Randy Levine Battles StubHub, Makes Yankee Fans Look Bad


The ongoing battle between the secondary ticket market, specifically StubHub and the New York Yankees continued this week with the Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr., StubHub representative and the Yankees Randy Levine having a war of words over the Yankees print-at-home ticket ban. You would think that Diaz, a lifelong Yankees fan who confessed his favorite player of all-time was Graig Nettles, would side with the Yankees but like many of us the new policy and the recent comments by the Yankees COO Lonn Trost has left a bitter taste in many of our mouths.

To put the entire squabble in a nutshell and to paraphrase Diaz is upset that the Yankees fans are being disrespected and slapped in the face, and they are, while Levine thinks it’s all because the Yankees no longer “comp” tickets for Diaz to conduct business with at Yankee Stadium. Levine went on to say in an interview that “I guess there are no greater problems in the Bronx that he needs to spend time on than ticketing.” Naturally Diaz’s camp denies being comped tickets by the Yankees and now the Bronx borough president is considering siding with StubHub.


Not that my vote matters but I am on StubHub’s side too. Just saying. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 2/27: Pinstripes are Born, Almost Literally


On this day in 1985 Toby Harrah is traded by the Yankees to the Texas Rangers for outfielder Billy Sample and a player to be named later. The 36 year old veteran infielder was originally a member of the Texas Rangers and will become the club's manager for one year in 1992.


Also on this day in 1912 the Yankees announced that they would begin wearing pinstripes on their uniform, something they obviously still do today. The Yankees wouldn't actually start physically wearing them until April 22, 1915 but either way it became a reality.

Friday, February 26, 2016

TGP Prospects Night Open Thread featuring Marcus Thames


What's better than seeing a Yankees prospect come through the system, make an impact at the big league level and have a long career in the show? Coming back to the organization as a coach or manager, being re-introduced in a Meet a Prospect thread as a part of TGP's Prospects Month and then telling your own story from your MLB debut in the Prospects Night Open Thread on the same blog. Boy, the Yankees assistant hitting coach Marcus Thames has been busy. 

This is a video of Thames describing in his own words what happened and what was going through his mind when he made his MLB debut for the Yankees. Spoiler alert, he hit a home run off lefty Randy Johnson in his first MLB at bat. Enjoy it from his mouth, not mine.

Yankees Cleaned House on Farm Before 2016


The New York Yankees have absolutely cleaned house this winter in lieu of the 2016 MLB and minor league seasons. I never knew the Yankees released or traded away this many prospects (and players in Brendan Ryan and Adam Warren) this winter until I put it all on one single list and looked at it. If the only constant in this world is change then the New York Yankees are a constant because their minor league system and affiliates will look a whole lot different in 2016.

Released:

3B Glen Arias
C Isaias Tejada
2B Angelo Gumbs
SS Bryan Cuevas
OF Jordan Barnes
OF Griff Gordon
OF Jose Infante
OF Teodoro Martinez
RHP Gean Batista
RHP Francis Joseph
RHP Matt Borens
RHP Lee Casas
RHP Taylor Garrison
RHP Corey Holmes
C Rainiero Coa
1B Kyle Roller
SS Gregorio Petit (elected free agency)
RHP Kyle Davies (elected free agency)

Traded: 

RHP Rookie Davis
RHP Caleb Cotham
RHP Adam Warren
INF Brendan Ryan
3B Eric Jagielo
3B Rob Segedin
2B Tony Renda
LHP Evan Rutckyj (Rule 5)
OF Jake Cave (Rule 5)
RHP Yoel Espinol (Rule 5)
RHP Luis Niebla (Rule 5)
C Eduardo de Oleo (Rule 5)
OF Danny Oh (Rule 5)
2B Jose Pirela

Added:

OF Lane Adams
INF Ronald Torreyes
OF Jared Mitchell
RHP Tyler Cord
C Carlos Corporan
3B Deibinson Romero
RHP Wandy Soto
RHP Anthony Swarzak
LHP Tyler Olson
RHP Tyler Jones
2B Donovan Solano
SS Jonathan Diaz
RHP Vinnie Pestano
LHP Richard Bleier
C Sebastian Valle
SS Jose Rosario (re-signed)
RHP Domingo German (re-signed)
OF Cesar Puello
OF Juan Silva
RHP Diego Moreno (re-signed)
SS Pete Kozma
RHP Luis Cessa
RHP Chad Green
RHP Daniel Marten
RHP Spencer Mahoney
C Kyle Higashioka (re-signed)
RHP Johny Brito
C Francisco Diaz
RHP Ronald Herrera
C Eddy Rodriguez (re-signed)
OF Jhon Moronta

Quick Hit: The Venezuelan Summer League Has Officially Shut Down


I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I am just that this week, especially if you are a fan of prospects and summer league baseball, specifically the Venezuelan Summer League. While much of the focus is on the Dominican Summer League there have been successes in the VSL until it began to die down over recent years. The VSL will no longer open its doors in 2016 after the league fell to just four teams in 2015.

The four teams that were left in the VSL when the announcement was made were the Cubs, Phillies, Rays and Tigers. The Cubs announced their decision to pull out of the Venezuelan Summer League leading the league to completely shut down. Whether the ultimate decision to close down the VSL came down to the safety of their players and the league or if it came down to political reasons (like the potential of a Cuban Summer League for example) we will probably never know but while the country is stocked full of MLB caliber talent it is also a country that is currently in turmoil.

The VSL was the beginning of the road for more than a few Major League players including Avisail Garcia, Eugenio Suarez, Dixon Machado, Bruce Rondon, Jose Ortega and Jose Altuve most notably. At this point ten seasons ago a whopping 11 organizations had a team in the VSL so it's not out of the realm of possibilities of MLB returning to the country but presumably a lot will have to change both politically and socially in the country before it does.

TGP Prospects Month Top 29 Prospects List - #4 James Kaprielian


What can you say about the Yankees first pick, 16th overall, in the 2015 MLB First year Players Draft that hasn't already been said? James Kaprielian was taken 16th overall out of UCLA in last years draft and was deemed MLB ready out of the draft. New York needed a fast riser and they got one in Kaprielian who could reach the Major Leagues as soon as the 2016 season. Kaprielian did nothing last year to keep any of the Yankees brass up at night after spending time in the Gulf Coast League and in the New York/Penn League with the Staten Island Yankees.

Kaprielian was considered to be a middle-of-the-rotation type starter as his ceiling with a fastball that sat around 92 MPH but somehow Kaprielian has found a couple ticks in his velocity getting up to 94-95 MPH consistently. If Kaprielian can keep this velocity and cut down on the 7.7 BB/9 ratio he had with the GCL Yankees, and he did in Staten Island in a larger sample size, he could easily be a #2 starter if he reaches his ceiling.

By the way, because I've heard about every pronunciation of his name possible thus far, the Yankees 4th best prospect on our Top Prospects List is pronounced as if it was spelled Kaprilian.

4. James Kaprielian
5. Robert Refsnyder
6. Domingo Acevedo
7. Dustin Fowler
8. Wilkerman Garcia
9. Ian Clarkin
10. Brady Lail
11. Jacob Lindgren
12. Bryan Mitchell
13. Drew Finley
14. Mason Williams
15. Slade Heathcott
16. Abi Avelino
17. Hoy-Jun Park
18. Luis Torrens
19. Cale Coshow
20. Chance Adams
21. Miguel Andujar
22. Jonathan Holder
23. Tyler Wade
24. Nick Rumbelow
25.Jordan Montgomery
26.Trey Amburgey
27. Ben Gamel
28. Austin DeCarr
29. Thairo Estrada
30. James Pazos

Meet a Prospect: Marcus Thames


The New York Yankees went their separate ways with hitting coach Jeff Pentland after what was deemed a successful 2015 campaign by many and decided to promote Pentland’s assistant hitting coach Alan Cockrell to fill the void. The Yankees needed someone to fill the vacancy left behind by Cockrell and that man was former Triple-A hitting coach Marcus Thames. Marcus Markley Thames, born March 6, 1977, played with four different teams including the New York Yankees three separate times during his playing career from 2002 to 2011 and has since spent his time in the minor leagues with the club as a coach. During the 2013 season Thames was the hitting coach for the High-A Tampa Yankees and was promoted to the Trenton Thunder in the same position for the 2014 season drawing rave reviews from one of the Yankees top prospects Robert Refsnyder. So without further delay, and with a bit of irony, I bring you this Meet a Prospect: The Marcus Thames edition.


Thames was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 30th round of the 1996 MLB Draft but did not make a true impact in the minor leagues until 2001. Thames was with the Double-A Norwich Navigators that season and he batted .321 with 31 home runs and 97 RBI where he was named to Baseball America’s minor league All-Star team and where he put himself on the map for the Yankees. New York was so impressed with Thames that they called him up before a June 10 game in 2002 and Thames responded immediately. Thames, facing the Arizona Diamondbacks big left-hander Randy Johnson, hit the first home run of his career on his first at bat becoming just the 80th player in MLB history to do so. Thames earned his first curtain call from the Bronx faithful, what a moment if you were fortunate enough to see it live.


Thames’ tenure with the Yankees ended on June 6, 2003 when he was traded to the Texas Rangers for Ruben Sierra. Thames went on to hit a home run in his first at bat with the Rangers as well before moving on to the Detroit Tigers for the 2006 season. For the 2006 and 2007 seasons Thames spent time with Detroit and their Triple-A affiliate the Toledo Mud Hens due to the plethora of talent in the Detroit outfield. After injuries to Dmitri Young, Craig Monroe and others Thames worked his way into the rotation of outfielders and set career highs in every offensive category including a .256 average, 26 home runs and 60 RBI in just 348 at bats along the way. The Tigers tried to find at bats for Thames anyway they could in 2007 and had the lifetime outfielder learn first base in spring training and the team was rewarded in 2007 and in 2008 when Thames continued to impress with his power. Thames hit eight home runs in seven consecutive games from June 11 to June 17, 2008 becoming the first member of the Detroit Tigers to achieve the feat.


Thames spent the 2009 season in Detroit as well without any notable achievements but was back in the New York groove in 2010 when he signed a minor league deal with the club. Thames made the Opening Day roster and was set to be a platoon partner with Brett Gardner in left field before his defense forced him to accept a bench role. Thames was delegated to the bench behind Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher and Austin Kearns who was traded for before the trade deadline and ended up playing in just 82 games that season. In half of a season Kearns hit .288 with 12 home runs, mainly against left-handed pitching.


Thames elected free agency in November of 2010 but was right back with the team on July 22, 2011 after New York signed him to another minor league deal. Thames never played a game for the Yankees at any level that season and would retire from the game a member of the New York Yankees before pursuing his career in coaching with the ball club. Thames has continuously defied the odds and has defied the odds once again with his promotion to assistant hitting coach with the club. Congratulations to him and his family. You have to think that Thames is on the short list for hitting coach after Cockrell’s contract expires, no?


Quick Hit: Is Jose Bautista Kind of Being a D-Bag?


A little quick hit, primer and nugget for you this morning to start your day with and it’s not necessarily Yankees related directly. Jose Bautista told reporters this week that he has met with the Toronto Blue Jays management and organization over a potential contract extension this winter and has basically, in not so many words, said that this is the contract he will sign and there will be zero negotiation about it. Now I understand doing what you have to do to take care of you and your own but this almost seems like it has the potential to burn a bridge and it look like it’s the organization’s fault when truly Bautista is kind of coming off as an arrogant d-bag. IN MY OPINION.

The term “d-bag” may be incorrectly used here and may be used more for emphasis, again I get that he is trying to future proof not only his life but his family’s life and I can respect that, as I use the term loosely but the fact remains that he is kind of being a jerk. AGAIN IN MY OPINION. When I read quotes like the below I don’t exactly think “class.” What do you think? Leave your comments below in the comments section or tweet us @GreedyStripes.



"I don't think there should be any negotiations. I think I've proved myself, and the question has been asked — what will it take — and I've given them an answer," Bautista said. "I'm not going to sit here and try to bargain for a couple dollars."

Fair enough. No real comments out of line here. Keep reading though, it gets better.


"I think they know and realize the things that I say and agree with me. It's just a matter of, are they willing to go there?" Bautista said. "And it's not just necessarily Ross and Mark. I can't say that, I don't know. Some of that decision making, of a contract the size that I presented, has to come from ownership."

So if they have to go to ownership he’s going to want at least a nine-digit contract. That’s the way I personally read it, I by no means have a crystal ball, ESP or an inside source. He wants $150 million on a five-year deal is what's being circulated though.


"In a publicly traded company [Rogers Communication who owns the Blue Jays], everybody can track their performance fairly easy. It's not a secret. It's out in the public," Bautista said. "Stock prices are monitored very closely by the whole financial world, and I think there is a direct correlation with the success of their earnings-per-share after we start experiencing success. Are they going to put it out in the media and say because of the Jays, we made all this money? No. But everybody can read between the lines."

Pretty sure they were successful before your success but hey, you make the money you deserve some of it back. I feel like he is a bit out of line even mentioning it but hey, I’m a bias Yankees fan who hates all things Toronto according to some so what do I know.


"That doesn't exist. Not in my world," Bautista said. "In my eyes, I've given this organization a five-year hometown discount already."

Yes he has… but still…. You don’t HAVE to say everything that comes to your mind. Keep it to yourself, especially this early on in the year. This will linger in the clubhouse all season long not only with reporters but with teammates as well.


"I didn't want to waste their time or their effort, so they can start planning ahead, and if it's not going to happen, they have plenty of time to do so," Bautista said. "They asked me about two weeks ago, and I told them, and that's it. There's no negotiation. I told them what I wanted. They either meet it, or it is what it is."


No negotiation. Toronto vs. Everybody? Nope, Jose Bautista vs. Toronto. Check back and see who wins!

This Day in New York Yankees History 2/26: Yankees Release Babe Ruth


On this day in 1935 the Yankees granted Babe Ruth his unconditional release from the club to pursue a contract with another club. The aging superstar would go to play for the Braves after the 39 year old hit 659 home runs and batted .349 in his 15 seasons in New York.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

TGP Prospect Night Open Thread featuring Chance Adams


Chance Adams is a relatively unknown commodity in the Yankees farm system right now despite being drafted in the 2015 MLB First Year Players Draft. Adams was drafted as a reliever but the Yankees are giving him a shot at the starting rotation and the team has been rewarded with some great outings and innings from the right-hander. Adams absolutely tore up three minor league affiliates last season in his professional debut and will look to at least see one or two of those affiliates in his rear view mirror come this time 2017. 

Adams could be the first 2015 Draft pick to reach the Major Leagues for the Yankees. Not Will Carter, not James Kaprielian and not Kyle Holder. Chance Adams. Remember the name and remember this short video of him pitching in the Florida State League. Enjoy. 

Quick Hit: Don Mattingly, Marlins Channeling Their Inner Yankee


The New York Yankees are one of the few franchises in the four major sports in North American and one of the few Major League Baseball franchises that actually ban facial hair on their players. I say one of the few and not the only franchise because a new team is joining the fray for 2016, the Miami Marlins. Former Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly is the new manager of the Miami Marlins and he is bringing some of his “Yankee” with him.

Obviously this is a first for the Marlins and a first for Mattingly as a manager, the Los Angeles Dodgers did not choose to enact to facial hair ban while he was managing there. Manny Ramirez thanks you for it too. Now truth be told this is probably an organizational call and Mattingly is just the one enforcing it but still, most places won’t report it as such and Mattingly will get the brunt of the blame.


Facial hair or no facial hair the Marlins head into 2016 looking for their first winning season since the 2009 season and their first trip to the playoffs since their World Series victory in 2003. Whatever works, right?