Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Kansas City Royals 8/29

Here we go ladies and gentleman as the New York Yankees make the trip to Kauffman Stadium tonight to take on the defending World Series Champion Kansas City Royals. In the first of the set this week the Yankees will send Michael Pineda looking to harness some of those "Big Mike" magical powers while the Royals will counter with Dillon Gee. The game will be played at 8:10 pm ET inside Kauffman Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

Follow along during the game and for the remainder of the 2016 season by either liking our page on Facebook or by giving @GreedyStripes a follow on Twitter. Pineda vs. Gee. Let's go boys! Go Yankees!

ICYMI: The Yankees & The 2017 Rule 5 Draft

EDIT: After being handed the smack down in the comments section and delving a little deeper into some stats and research I found that both Gio Gallegos and Dietrich Enns have done far better than I originally thought. I still don't think they are protected because of the 40 man crunch that is going on in the Bronx right now but I cannot say anymore that they are 100% locks to not be protected either. Hat tip to Jeff Levin from the comments sections for the heads up and the correction.

The New York Yankees youth movement is in full effect and with the excitement of seeing the likes of Tyler Austin, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and others comes the tough decisions that come along with stockpiling talent down in the minor leagues. The toughest decision of all tends to always come down to who should you protect and who should you leave unprotected from the Rule 5 Draft every winter. The Yankees have quite a few notable prospects that could be up for grabs this winter so here is who they are and who I think the Yankees will and should protect. If you disagree or if I miss anyone please leave it below in the comments section.


The list of Rule 5 Draft eligible players this winter include Miguel Andujar, Jorge Mateo, Jake Cave, Kyle Higashioka, Dietrich Enns, Gio Gallegos, Brady Lail, Tyler Webb, Dante Bichette Jr., Rashad Crawford, Cale Coshow, Cito Culver, Ty Hensley, Mark Montgomery and Luis Torrens. It’s also worth mentioning that both Higashioka and Culver are set to become minor league free agents at the end of the season as well so the Yankees are at risk of losing them all together if they are not Rule 5 protected. So who gets protected and who doesn’t?


You have to think that both Andujar and Mateo are givens to be protected. I highly doubt either are technically MLB ready but they are also loaded with talents and I could see a team sacrificing their development for a year to keep them on the bench as a pinch hitter, pinch runner or defensive replacement just to keep them within their organization. Those are the easy ones. The list of players I don’t believe will be protected due to being at low risk of being taken are Bichette, Crawford, Coshow, Culver, Hensley and Montgomery. Those also seems close to being locks for me. Now for the hard part, the players stuck in the middle.


Cave was left unprotected last year and was taken by the Cincinnati Reds only to be handed back after spring training and with the absolute log jam in the Yankees outfield right now (barring an offseason trade) I can see him being left unprotected once again this offseason, and taken once again this offseason. Dietrich Enns, Gio Gallegos and Brady Lail remind me a lot of Rookie Davis who was protected last year and then traded. They aren’t blowing competitors away and knocking on the door in Triple-A but they are some of the best pitching prospects the Yankees have so any of the three could be protected, or maybe they won’t. I believe the toughest decision though will come down to the two Yankees catchers Luis Torrens and Kyle Higashioka.





Higashioka seems to be a late bloomer and has become a legitimate prospect for the Yankees while Torrens remains one of, if not the, top Yankees catching prospect in all of the farm affiliates. The problem with Torrens is that he is a good two or three years away from the Major Leagues. The talent is there, see what I said above about Andujar and Mateo, so he could be protected but I just can’t see it. I would personally protect Torrens and try to work out something on the side with Higashioka, see Mason Williams and Slade Heathcott for recent examples of this type of “release” then re-sign tactic the Yankees have employed to circumvent the 40 man roster, if at all possible. If not I think Higashioka will be protected and Torrens will be left out there for anyone to snatch up.

Most Popular Article of the Week: Alex Rodriguez to Work w/ Gleyber Torres & Jorge Mateo

When the New York Yankees and Alex Rodriguez announced that his final game would be played in the Bronx against the Tampa Bay Rays many wondered what the future would hold for the Yankees former 3B and DH. The team announced they would immediately sign Alex to a front office contract to serve as an advisor for the club but many wondered if that was just an empty promise and an empty job title just to get him off the roster. Now we are learning that Hal Steinbrenner has big plans for the man that will retire with 696 home runs, to work with the Yankees two top shortstop prospects Gleyber Torres and Jorge Mateo specifically.


Many of you should remember that when Alex flew through the Seattle Mariners system he was a shortstop prospect, a position he not only played but played exceptionally well until a trade to the New York Yankees pushed him to third base. Many of you should also remember that Alex is an absolute student of the game and has drawn rave reviews from anyone and everyone you talk to about his knowledge and understanding of this game. Who better than Alex, or maybe Derek Jeter, to teach and work with the Yankees two top studs at the position down in the minor leagues?


Alex is a Miami, Florida resident and currently both players are occupying the middle infield for the Yankees High-A affiliate, the Tampa Yankees, which makes things easier on the now retired slugger.


One last thing you should remember before we go. Remember when Didi Gregorius was acquired and was struggling at the shortstop position for the Yankees? Remember the “Daily Dammit Didi” tweets on Twitter? It was Alex Rodriguez that worked with Gregorius in the infield and boom, six months later Gregorius was being robbed of a Gold Glove at the shortstop position. It’s not a coincidence. If he can do that for Didi imagine what he can do to help mold and shape young guys like Torres and Mateo. The sky is the absolute limit right now for both and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Kansas City Royals 8/29

The New York Yankees have a lot of teams ahead of them if they want to make the playoffs this season either as a Wild Card or as a division winner and one of those teams in the mix is the team the Yankees will square off with tonight in the Kansas City Royals. The Royals are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now so hopefully the Yankees young bats and youthful talent that doesn't know any better or know to be nervous in the middle of a playoff push can cool them down. If not it may be season over for the Yankees, their playoff lives are unfortunately that delicate at this point. In the start tonight the Yankees will send Michael Pineda, who was pushed back a day and supposed to start yesterday, to the mound to square off with Dillon Gee for the Royals.

Pineda took a bit of a step back in his last start as he gave up five earned runs in just 5.1 innings pitched against the Seattle Mariners. Pineda was not helped by his bullpen or Anthony Swarzak in specific in the 7-5 loss for New York but despite that Pineda has still racked up 10 losses in what has become a disappointing season.
Gee looks to start a string of good starts tonight after struggling a bit in his last start against the Miami Marlins. Gee pitched well enough to win in most cases giving up three runs in just 5.1 innings pitched but the game resulted in a loss for Kansas City, something they cannot afford too many more of if they want to make the postseason in 2016.


The game will be played at 8:15 pm ET inside Kauffman Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The Yankees have for whatever reason played the Royals tough over the last few years whether Kansas City was down or well on their way to their first World Series in 20-years and I expect nothing less from the boys tonight in the contest. Go Yankees!

Tyler Wade, Jordan Montgomery Selected to EL Post-Season All-Star Team

The Eastern League announced that Thunder INF Tyler Wade and LHP Jordan Montgomery have been selected to the league's post-season All-Star team.

Wade, who was selected as the shortstop for the East Division team at the League's mid-summer All-Star game in Akron, Ohio, has been a key cog in the offensive attack for the Thunder with outfielder Dustin Fowler. Wade is hitting .271 with 16 doubles, seven triples, five home runs and 25 RBI's this season. His 24 stolen bases leads the team. With 63 walks, Wade ranks second in the Eastern League and is tied for second in runs scored with 86. Wade has been named to a post-season All-Star team fro the second straight year, following his selection to the Florida State League's team in 2015.

LHP Jordan Montgomery was also an Eastern League All-Star selection and earned the victory for the East Division's win. Montgomery, who was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following his start on July 28th against Altoona, went 9-4 with a 2.55 ERA in 19 starts for the Thunder. At the time of his promotion, Montgomery led the Eastern League in ERA and twice with the Thunder had double-digit strikeout games.

The full post-season All-Star team is below:

1B: Rhys Hoskins, Reading
2B: Erich Weiss, Altoona
3B: Eric Wood, Altoona
SS: Tyler Wade, Trenton
C: Chance Sisco, Bowie
OF: Dylan Cozens, Reading
OF: Raimel Tapia, Hartford
OF: Aneury Tavarez, Portland
DH: Rowdy Tellez, New Hampshire
Utility: Garabez Rosa, Bowie
Right-handed SP: German Marquez, Hartford
Left-Handed SP: Jordan Montgomery, Trenton
Relief Pitcher: Matt Carasiti, Hartford

The Thunder return to ARM & HAMMER Park on Friday, September 2 for a four-game series with the Reading Fightin Phils. The weekend features great giveaways, a pair of fireworks shows and specials on food and drinks. For more information and tickets, click here.

Weekly Prospects Check In: Clint Frazier

The New York Yankees have an absolutely loaded outfield not only in the Bronx but in Triple-A as well and at the top of that list sits today's showcase and check in player, Clint Frazier. Frazier is likely MLB ready now but with the plethora of options in the Bronx already and mixed with the fact that Frazier recently came over in a deal involving Andrew Miller from the Cleveland Indians the Yankees are being understandably slow and cautious with him. The Yankees have a 40 man roster crunch as it is and they don't need to protect Frazier yet which explains why he is still in Triple-A and not with the big league club.

With that said I can't see Frazier becoming a September call up for the Yankees but like the New York Lottery, hey you never know. Here is what he would be bringing with him to Yankee Stadium if he were to be called up today:

Year	Age	Aff	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	CLE-NYY	118	515	74	121	27	15	54	13	48	119	.264	.336	.443	.779

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

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.