Friday, September 22, 2017

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 9/22


Friday night baseball in Canada, eh, tonight between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. This series will be a series of two entirely different stories as the Yankees try to clinch a playoff spot this weekend while the Blue Jays look to simply play spoiler. Masahiro Tanaka will head to the mound for the Yankees looking to push that magic number down some more for New York while the Blue Jays will counter with Marco Estrada. The game will be played at 7:07 pm ET inside the Rogers Centre and can be seen on WPIX channel 11 and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by tuning into the WFAN broadcast.

Follow us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes and enjoy the game. Need a win, get a win all while crushing another team’s hopes and dreams along the way. Sounds like a great Friday night to me. Go Yankees!


Prediction: Yankees win 4-2

Why is getting under the Luxury Tax threshold an issue?

While I was once big into the team's payroll I shied away from it the past couple of years. I just couldn't spend any more time thinking about money after years in which the team didn't seem to care about it at all. At least while the team still had large contracts such as those for Alex Rodriguez around.

Sorry, Alex. No more Yankee money for you.

Once the contracts for ARod and CC Sabathia finish up, to go along with the emergence of guys like Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, and Luis Severino, it seemed inevitable that the Yankees were going to get under the Luxury Tax threshold for 2018. With that, their luxury tax percentage would reset, allowing them to sign future free agents such as Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, or Clayton Kershaw without having to worry about the tax hit they would take.

Earlier this season I was thinking about all of this and took a quick look to see if it would really happen. Hell, the Yankees have been talking about getting under the Luxury Tax threshold for years with no success. Would that change this time? Especially seeing as how the team is not at all in "rebuilding mode"?

Let's start by looking at the projected active roster, along with the player's salaries, for 2018......
Note: I'm not good with projecting arbitration salaries, but I feel my numbers are not that far off.

C- Gary Sanchez ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
1B- Greg Bird ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
2B- Starlin Castro $10.857m
SS- Didi Gregorius ~$8m (made $5.1m in his second year of arbitration this season)
3B- Chase Headley $13m
LF- Brett Gardner $11.5m
CF- Jacoby Ellsbury $21.143m
RF- Aaron Judge ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
DH- Clint Frazier ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

BE- Aaron Hicks ~$3m (made $1.35m in his first year of arbitration this season)
BE- Austin Romine ~$1.5m (made $.805m in his first year of arbitration this season)
BE- Ronald Torreyes ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
BE- Garrett Cooper ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

SP1- Luis Severino ~$.7 (pre-arbitration)
SP2- Sonny Gray ~$6m (made $3.575m in his first year of arbitration this season)
SP3- Jordan Montgomery ~$.7 (pre-arbitration)
SP4-
SP5-

CL- Aroldis Chapman $17.2m
RP- Dellin Betances ~$5m (made $3m in his first year of arbitration this season)
RP- David Robertson $13m
RP- Tommy Kahnle ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
RP- Chad Green ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
RP- Adam Warren ~$3.5m (made $2.29m in his second year of arbitration this season)
RP- Bryan Mitchell ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

Before adding those numbers up there are a couple of more things to add. One is that the Yankees will still owe the Houston Astros $5.5 million as part of the trade that sent Brian McCann their way. The second thing is that the team payroll for luxury tax purposes is based on the 40-man roster, therefore you need to add about $9 million (assuming the final 15 spots are filled by players making the league minimum).

Therefore, at this point, the Yankees are on the hook for around $137.9 million next season. I should note that any team will want to have some money set aside for mid-season pickups, which most often occur via trades (see the trade for Sonny Gray as an example).

Now for some questions about this projected roster...

1. How will the Yankees fill the last two starting spots? 

I believe one of them will be filled from within. One man that I can see getting the call is Chance Adams, who has started 21 games in AAA and ERA of 2.89. Or we could see Caleb Smith or Domingo German. Maybe even Domingo Acevedo. As for the other spot... more on that later.

2. Can Greg Bird stay healthy? 

I'm not ready to give up on Bird being able to stay healthy, but after missing all of 2016 and a large chunk of this season, I wouldn't feel totally comfortable relying on him to take over first base regularly next season. However, I can see him platooning with Garrett Cooper, which should help Greg stay healthy.

And don't forget that should Bird get injured, and Cooper can not be relied upon to play regularly, the Yankees could move Chase Headley to first base and call up Miguel Andujar to take over third. Not to mention that Ronald Torreyes did a good job filling in for Starlin Castro while he was on the DL this season.

3. Will the Yankees trade away Brett Gardner and/or Jacoby Ellsbury?

This seems like a certainty... at least for one of those two. Clint Frazier is more than ready to play regularly, and to get that done I believe at least one of those two players needs to go. While I lean towards Gardner getting dealt, I can't say for sure as dealing away Ellsbury should be something the team really wants to get done, and doing that after his solid season in 2017 would probably be the best bet.

A trade of Gardy or Ells would also open up more playing time for Aaron Hicks, who I believe deserves more than being a 4th outfielder.

4. Will Masahiro Tanaka opt-out?

Remember how I left the first question? Yeah, this is where the rest of the answer to that question lies.

This will probably be the biggest question the Yankees will face heading into the off-season. However, I don't think the answer will negatively effect the Yankees at all.

Either 'Hiro (why am I the only person that calls him this?) opts out, leaving the team to find his replacement to go along with  the aforementioned starter from the first question, or Tanaka stays and rounds out what would be a very nice starting rotation (Severino, Gray, Tanaka, Montgomery, and ?). No matter what, though, I believe the Yankees will spend big on Tanaka, or a free agent like Jake Arrieta or Yu Darvish (mind you, the free agents would likely cost more than the $22 million the team would have to pay Tanaka if he doesn't opt-out).

That's right, Hal... somebody's getting paid.

That's the thing! The Yankees should be able to spend big on that rotation spot without having to worry about the Luxury Tax threshold. Let's take a look at that roster again, only this time I'll include those pitchers...

C- Gary Sanchez ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
1B- Greg Bird ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
2B- Starlin Castro $10.857m
SS- Didi Gregorius ~$8m (made $5.1m in his second year of arbitration this season)
3B- Chase Headley $13m
LF- Brett Gardner $11.5m
CF- Jacoby Ellsbury $21.143m
RF- Aaron Judge ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
DH- Clint Frazier ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

BE- Aaron Hicks ~$3m (made $1.35m in his first year of arbitration this season)
BE- Austin Romine ~$1.5m (made $.805m in his first year of arbitration this season)
BE- Ronald Torreyes ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
BE- Garrett Cooper ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

SP1- Luis Severino ~$.7 (pre-arbitration)
SP2- Sonny Gray ~$6m (made $3.575m in his first year of arbitration this season)
SP3- Masahiro Tanaka/Jake Arrieta/Yu Darvish $27m (I'll go big on money here just in case)
SP4- Jordan Montgomery ~$.7 (pre-arbitration)
SP5- Chance Adams/Domingo German/Domingo Acevedo ~.7m

CL- Aroldis Chapman $17.2m
RP- Dellin Betances ~$5m (made $3m in his first year of arbitration this season)
RP- David Robertson $13m
RP- Tommy Kahnle ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
RP- Chad Green ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)
RP- Adam Warren ~$3.5m (made $2.29m in his second year of arbitration this season)
RP- Bryan Mitchell ~$.7m (pre-arbitration)

After the $9 million for the final 15 spots on the 40-man roster, that gives us a total of $165.6 million. If you want to figure $10 million for mid-season pickup money, that still leaves the Yankees with $21.4 million to spend on a possible regular DH. And that's without figuring in any savings the team would get should they trade away Gardner and/or Ellsbury (I assume their replacements on the roster would cost less, even if the Yankees picked up some of the remaining salaries).

Honestly, I feel like I'm missing something, because every other writer doesn't see the Yankees getting under the Luxury Tax threshold next season as a certainty at all. Especially if they were to pay upwards of $27 million for a starting pitcher. So please go easy on me if I missed something.

Otherwise, the future of the Yankees is looking better than I already thought it did.

Yankees Statistical Leaders Through 152 Games


The Yankees just took their final off day of the regular season after sweeping away the Minnesota Twins and before beginning a three-game weekend set with the Toronto Blue Jays. New York is on the verge of clinching a playoff spot, whether it be as a division winner or as a Wild Card winner has yet to be determined as of today, so let’s take a look at whose big arms and even bigger bats guided the Yankees to where they are today. Enjoy!




The Yankees Offense







At Bats:

Brett Gardner – 569



Games:

Aaron Judge - 146





Hits:

Brett Gardner - 152



Doubles:

Chase Headley – 30





Home Runs:

Aaron Judge - 45



RBI:

Aaron Judge - 101






Batting Average:

Starlin Castro - .298










The Yankees Pitching







Wins:

Luis Severino – 13



Losses:


Masahiro Tanaka - 11





ERA:

Starters: Luis Severino - 3.03
Bullpen: Chad Green - 1.93





Strikeouts:

Starters: Luis Severino - 221
Bullpen: Chad Green - 99






Saves:

Aroldis Chapman - 20






Shutouts:

Masahiro Tanaka - 1

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 9/22


The New York Yankees head to Toronto and head into the weekend with one thing on their minds, winning games and clinching a playoff spot. The Boston Red Sox, the team the Yankees are chasing in the AL East Division, clinched a playoff spot on Wednesday night and now it’s the Yankees turn to do the same this weekend inside the Rogers Centre. Donned with the task of knocking another game or two off New York’s magic number is Masahiro Tanaka who will be on two extra days of rest tonight while the Blue Jays, who look to play spoiler, will counter with Marco Estrada. I’d love personally to clinch a spot at another AL East opponent’s expense so let’s get this done, Yankees style. Enjoy the game.




Tanaka heads into this start fresh off a good start against the Baltimore Orioles in his last start giving up two solo home runs in seven innings of work. Tanaka struck out eight in the Yankees victory, something the Japanese-born right-hander did the last time he faced off with the Toronto Blue Jays as well on August 9.




Estrada expected things to go much easier for himself here in 2017 but unfortunately, like I always say, you can’t predict baseball. Estrada has been better of late though for the Blue Jays allowing three earned runs or less in nine of his last 11 starts including a two-run over eight innings effort against the Minnesota Twins last time out.




The game will be played at 7:07 pm ET inside the Rogers Centre and can be seen on WPIX channel 11 and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Need a win, clinch a playoff spot this weekend, and get a win. Go Yankees!


Comparing Didi Gregorius’ 2017 Season to Derek Jeter’s 1999 Season


In case you missed it or were at work like I was when it happened Didi Gregorius set a little bit of Yankees history on Wednesday afternoon in the Bronx against the Minnesota Twins. Gregorius hit his 25th home run of the season passing Yankees legend Derek Jeter for the most by a Yankees shortstop in a single season. Any time you pass Derek Jeter on any list it’s a good thing so I wanted to take the opportunity this morning to not only honor Didi for his incredible achievement but also wanted to take the time to compare the two seasons for no other reason other than I think it would be interesting. Thanks to Baseball Reference here is Didi’s 2017 campaign compared to Jeter’s 1999 season. Enjoy and leave any thoughts or comments below in the comments section. Also, before I begin comparing, I want to point out that I am comparing the two seasons and not necessarily the two players because there is only one Derek Jeter. Thanks for reading.

Jeter:
Standard Batting
Year Age G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
199925158739627134219379241021991116.349.438.552.989

Gregorius:
Standard Batting
Year Age G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
20172712853750170146270258422567.291.325.495.820





Pretty damn close, isn’t it? Obviously Gregorius won’t play in nearly as many games as Jeter did as Jeter missed just three games that season while Didi began the 2017 campaign on the disabled list but overall Gregorius has done well for himself here this season. Jeter stole more bases, had more RBI and tops Didi in most every stat here but one must remember that at this time Jeter had 30 more games on Gregorius. Jeter was at the top of his game here in 1999 and so were the Yankees as the team was headed to their third World Series championship in four seasons but Didi isn’t that far behind. Are his Yankees though? I guess you’ll have to just stay tuned to the blog and to the games to find out. 

So it Seems...10 Games to Go


Good morning everyone and Happy Friday. Another week down in the season and only 10 more games to go before the postseason. The season is no longer a marathon and the season is no longer a sprint either, it's a full-blown race to the end. 10 games between heading to the postseason and playing golf for the rest of the winter. 10 games come between winners and losers. Who is going to be the most aggressive, who is going to be the most opportunistic and who is going to make the postseason? Stay tuned.

HEY YOU, good morning. I love you.

How to Draft for Fantasy Football

Fantasy football is a great game to play for NFL fans. Fantasy football works by drafting a team of players at different positions. Each week, a player will score points based on how many yards or touchdowns they have in a game. The people who drafted the players will accumulate these points with a total. Depending on who they are matched up against, they may win or lose.

Fantasy football started over ten years ago as a small fringe of people who played on a regular basis. However, it has turned into one of the biggest aspects of the NFL season. Here are some tips on drafting a great fantasy football team and increasing your odds of success.
Do Your Homework

Perhaps the biggest mistake that new fantasy football players make is a lack of preparation. In order to have a good draft, you have to plan ahead. Many people make the mistake of drafting a player that they like. This is not the best strategy if you want to build a great team.

You should know what number you are picking in the first round. With that knowledge, you should already have one or two guys who you know you want on your team. The first round is the most important because that is your key player throughout the year. Make sure to draft someone who has a history of completing an entire season. Some players put up great stats when they are healthy, but they miss a ton of games based off of their injury history.
Do Not Panic

There are going to be times in your
fantasy football draft when your plans do not work. Someone is going to draft the quarterback you really wanted, and then you will have to start making tweaks to your plan. The best advice for successful drafting is to stay calm. Many people struggle to stay calm because they want to draft the best team possible. The decisions that separate the average teams from the elite teams come into play later in the draft. This is where you find the best value players from your team.
Throw Away Bias

Most fantasy football players have a favorite NFL team. When drafting for your team, make sure to take away any bias you may have. It is never a good idea to fill your team full of your favorite players. Not only will this be difficult on the bye weeks during the season, but it also clouds your judgement. Instead, draft players based on how you think they are going to perform in the upcoming season.

Waiver Wire

Some people wrongly assume that they are done with building their team once the draft is over. However, you need to look at the waiver wire throughout the year in order to grab quality players.

There are many people who do not spend enough time on this aspect of the game. Finding a great rookie or breakout player can make a huge difference in the points you score during the season.

This Day in New York Yankees History 9/22: Sori, Right Number


Alfonso Soriano was not always a middle of the lineup type hitter for the New York Yankees like we saw the second half of the 2013 season. At one point Soriano was a lead off hitter for New York and on this day in 2003 Soriano hit his 13th lead off home run of the season establishing a new major league record. Soriano would break the tie with the Baltimore Orioles Brady Anderson after he hit 12 leading of the game in 1996.

Also on this day in 1969 the great Willie Mays joined exclusive company when he joined Babe Ruth in the 600 home run club. It's not really New York Yankees history but the Giants Hall of Fame hitter achieved the feat with a seventh inning pinch hit two run home run off Padres pitcher Mike Corkins.