Saturday, July 23, 2016

Weekly Prospects Check In: Blake Rutherford


We’ll end this Saturday night not with an open thread, which for whatever reason get underutilized on this site, but with another weekly prospects check in. There are just so many prospects that I want to check in with each and every week and not enough time in the day to check in with them all. That’s where great sites like Pinstriped Prospects, run by my friend Robert Pimpsner and his talented crew, and Baseball Reference come in. So let’s use this evening and this thread to check in with the Yankees top pick from the 2016 MLB Draft Blake Rutherford.

Rutherford has already conquered the Gulf Coast League and now finds himself in Pulaski. For some reason I have a feeling that is the first of many call ups and promotions for Rutherford while this will be one of many check in posts for the future Yankees star.


YearAgeLgGPARH2BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
2016192 Lgs16667185260715.316.394.544.938
201619APPY836412413039.375.444.6561.101
201619GULF83036113046.240.333.400.733

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giants 7/23


Afternoon baseball is back in the Bronx and back inside Yankee Stadium as the New York Yankees welcome the eventual 2016 World Series Champion (sarcasm at its best here people) San Francisco Giants to town for the second of a three-game set. In this afternoon’s matchup the Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound looking for another good start and maybe looking for the right-hander to get back on a roll while the Giants will counter with a familiar face for New York in Johnny Cueto. The game will be played at 4:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network locally and MLB TV anywhere you are.

You have one more shot to see the Giants and the Yankees in the Bronx tomorrow in the finale so click the Yankees Tickets button at the top of the blog and secure your seats right now before it is too late. Also look the part of a crazed Yankees fan while at the game by clicking the TGP T-Shirts link at the top of the blog and support the blog while you do it. Thank you in advanced.

Follow along during this game and any game this season with us by either liking us on Facebook or by giving @GreedyStripes a follow on Twitter. Nova vs. Samardzija with the wind blowing out in right field in the Bronx. This should be fun. Go Yankees!


Yankees Trade Partner: The Toronto Blue Jays?


Yeah, you read that correctly and no that is not a typo. The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays could potentially line up for a trade before the August 1st trading deadline if all the stars align and all the right cards fall into the right place. The Blue Jays are looking to defend their American League East Division crown but they will need some starting pitching if they want to do it and scouts for the team were inside Yankee Stadium watching and taking notes this week and they were specifically looking at Yankees veteran CC Sabathia. Yes, again you read that correctly and no, again, that is not a typographical error. The Jays might want to take on Big CC.

Now there are quite a few obstacles that the Yankees and Blue Jays would have to hurdle to accommodate such a trade which makes this unlikely to happen but I feel like it’s still worth a discussion. First CC Sabathia has a full no-trade clause and even if he didn’t he has ten-and-five rights so he can refuse a trade to all of the other 29 teams in Major League Baseball and there isn’t much the Yankees can do about it. Let’s say New York does approach CC about a trade and he does accept a potential deal to Toronto, do the Blue Jays have what it takes to land CC or would New York simply be selling low on Sabathia. And one final question I don’t have an answer for yet, would it be worth it for New York to deplete their pitching depth even more and add even more of a strain on their already over-worked bullpen?

This is a developing story but it may be just a developing story due to due diligence. I can’t see Sabathia accepting a trade out of New York, especially to Toronto after the debacle in the streets and on the balcony of his hotel room last season, and this trade just doesn’t pass the sniff test. I know the pitching market is expected to be thin this trading season and I know Sabathia has looked much improved in 2016 over his last two-or-three seasons but that is an awful lot of money and an awful lot of risk for Toronto to take on as long as the likes of Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, Rich Hill are still on the board.


Stay tuned. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giants 7/23


The New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants are back for Round Two today in the Bronx as they continue their three-game weekend set in the Bronx. The Giants laid down a bit against the Boston Red Sox towards the end of the week and now send their best three pitchers to the mound against the Yankees this weekend, lucky us. Last night it was Madison Bumgarner taking the mound for San Francisco and today it is Jeff Samardzija while the Yankees counter with Ivan Nova.


Nova has had just one start in his career against the San Francisco Giants and it was arguably the best start of his career. Now while this is an entirely different Giants offense today Nova did toss a shutout back in September of 2013 allowing just six hits and striking out seven San Francisco Giants. Yeah, more of that today please.

Samardzija has not been the greatest pitcher when it comes to Interleague Play during his career which is evident by his 15 career starts, 3-9 win/loss record and his 5.28 ERA. Samardzija has also been pretty home run prone lately allowing 12 home runs in his last eight starts which doesn’t bode well when you are set to pitch inside Yankee Stadium in an afternoon game.

Johnny Cueto moves up a day and will start this afternoon, Samardzija will start tomorrow.



The game will be played at 4:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Coming into this series I had this game as the easiest or most likely to win for New York which means if the past is any indicator of the future New York will get no-hit today. In all seriousness though New York has had success against right-handed pitching this season and have especially had success against Samardzija during his career and most recently while he was with the Chicago White Sox so there is always that to build on. Get a victory, make me look intelligent. Go Yankees, I need all the help I can get here lately. 

Yankees Trade Partners: The Chicago White Sox Redeux


We’ve already discussed the Chicago White Sox as potential trade partners for the New York Yankees once this season but that was when many of us were under the impression that the Chi Sox were in the hunt as buyers at the August 1st trading deadline. Recent comments from their GM Rick Hahn state otherwise as the team is now prepared to once again rebuild so we have decided to give the White Sox a redeux, or remix, to their trade partner post to see if the team still matches up with New York on a potential trade this season.

If the White Sox decide to totally blow up the team the most attractive, and most expensive, pieces Chicago has will be left-handed starting pitchers Chris Sale and Jose Quintana. Both would also fit into the plans for the Yankees as they search for controllable players beyond the 2017 season. Sale is under contract through the 2019 season while Quintana is an absolute bargain, in my opinion, through the 2020 season. The problem, which has been the problem in New York for quite a few years now, is whether Brian Cashman would be willing to part with the prospects that it would take to land one or both of these arms.

You would have to think that Jose Abreu would at least be discussed in a deal if Chicago were to start selling off everything that isn’t tied down and the general consensus is that New York will be in the market for a first baseman this winter. Whether that first baseman is intended to start or serve as insurance for Greg Bird will obviously be determined by how Bird progresses from shoulder surgery but if the team were to land a talent like Abreu, which again would be expensive and because of that unlikely, you have to think Brian Cashman at least has that conversation with Rick Hahn. Abreu is just 29-years old and under contract through the 2019 season.

The final piece the Yankees would possibly be interested in, with an extension anyway, is third baseman Todd Frazier. Now I know what you’re thinking, the Yankees already have Chase Headley. You’re right but in a perfect world who would you rather have going forward? Headley or Frazier? Yes, Frazier. Frazier is a free agent after the 2017 season and is 30-years old so he isn’t the ideal candidate but like I alluded to earlier he is a major upgrade over Headley in my opinion. Also Headley has been much better of late and his contract isn’t like an Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira contract that is close to unmovable as possible.


Will the Yankees get any of these players from Chicago if they decide to sell? Stay tuned and find out.

Weekly Prospects Check In: Tyler Austin


The New York Yankees may have found something in Tyler Austin but it was possibly at the worst time for the young first baseman. Austin has been played all over the diamond since being drafted by the Yankees and was called up and given the first base duties basically out of necessity and thankfully for the Yankees Austin caught fire and the team may have found some lightening in a bottle. The bad news for Austin is that Mark Teixeira is attempting, and successfully attempting thus far, a rehab program with his knee, Chris Parmelee is almost back from his hamstring injury and the road to the Major Leagues is just as blocked as ever for Austin.


It’s a shame that in New York the injuries have to pile up and the player has to voice his opinion loudly enough o warrant a two week suspension before the moves that so obviously need to be made get done. We’re still rooting for you Tyler, keep proving them wrong! You beat cancer, you can beat a couple ignorant front office people in the Yankees organization. 

YearAgeLevGPARH2BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
201624AA-AAA89377529126156645187.283.379.509.889
201624AA5021022461042913046.260.367.395.762
201624AAA39167304516113732141.310.395.6481.043

This Day in New York Yankees History 7/23: Gehrig’s Grand Slams


During the 2013 season Alex Rodriguez became the all-time leader in career grand slams in Major League Baseball history when he hit his 24th grand slam of his career. Rodriguez tied fellow Yankee Lou Gehrig with his 23rd grand slam of his career in June of the 2012 season against the Atlanta Braves. Gehrig had been the all-time grand slam leader for over 60 seasons before Alex tied and passed him. It all started way back on this day in 1925 when Gehrig hit his first grand slam of his career.

The Yankees would beat the Washington Senators 11-7 on this day with Gehrig's grand slam as the difference. Gehrig would hit 22 more grand slams during his 17 year tenure as the Yankees Captain and Iron Horse.