Saturday, February 29, 2020

Yankees Shall Overcome...

Photo Credit: Seth Wenig, AP

Despite injuries, Yankees are very good…

The talk about the Yankees having the best starting rotation in baseball sure ended quickly. It was disappointing to lose Luis Severino for the season when his forearm tightness led to Thursday’s Tommy John surgery. We’ll be left to wonder what could have been.

I had really been excited to see what Sevy could do as the second best starter on the staff but now that job falls to Masahiro Tanaka (or James Paxton when he returns). I like Masa and Pax but they are clearly a step down from Sevy’s potential. Oh well, injuries are a part of life and although the Yankees always seem to have more than their share, Sevy is not going to be the last good pitcher in the Major Leagues to go down for Tommy John surgery this year. There will be a time with Gerrit Cole and Sevy pair to give the Yankees a fantastic tandem but for now, we move on.

While I had hoped the Yankees would acquire a good veteran starter (and probably still do), I get the excitement about the Yankees’ younger arms. I am glad, for now, the Yankees retained J.A. Happ. He had been the guy I wanted the Yankees to trade all winter (to clear out his salary), but he clearly becomes an important part of the rotation. His talk about wanting to stay with the Yankees certainly played a part in my change of opinion, but the bigger factor was his off-season work to make adjustments and the involvement of Sam Briend, the Yankees’ Director of Pitching, Driveline to help Happ become a better version of himself. I’d love to have a replay of late 2018 season Happ or the guy who won 20 games in 2016.

Photo Credit: Rich Schultz, AP

Even though the Yankees haven’t handed a starting spot to Jordan Montgomery, I think all of us believe he is ready to return and play a big role for this team.

So it leaves one spot open in the rotation until Paxton returns. Admittedly, I’ve been seduced by the arm of Clarke Schmidt, like everyone else, but considering he does not currently have a spot on the 40-man roster and has only pitched three games in Double A, I can’t see him breaking camp and heading to Baltimore next month. No doubt we’ll see Schmidt at some point this year, but I think it will be later this summer. Everybody loves to talk about Deivi Garcia and Jonathan Loaisiga but Michael King is the guy I’d like to see as the fifth starter to open the season. He is a brilliant strategist who embraced Driveline before Sam Briend joined the Yankees, and there’s part of his makeup that reminds me of David Cone. Who knows if he can have a Cone-like career, but I think he can be a good Major League pitcher. He may not have the front of the rotation potential like Schmidt but he doesn’t have to be to help the Yankees win. 

Photo Credit: Frank Franklin II, AP

Maybe Garcia is ready now. If the Yankees feel he is, then I obviously would support the decision so I rate him as my second choice. I personally think he needs a little more time in the minors for his MLB preparation, but there’s no denying the talent of his arm. 

Loaisiga scares me as a starter if for no other reason than his injury history. I see him as an effective bullpen weapon and that’s where I’d like to see him stay. 

If Chad Bettis or Nick Tropeano win the fifth spot, I’ll be disappointed. I feel bad. Bettis has overcome so much to get here. I know the Colorado Rockies fans, having lived in Denver the last four years, really like and admire Bettis. Tropeano is a New York kid who is getting a chance to play for the primary local team. Nevertheless, I do not see the upside play in either Bettis or Tropeano and would rather take a chance on one of the younger arms. 

Listening to CC Sabathia’s podcast this week, it was sad to hear Sonny Gray talk about the inability of the Yankees to help him. With the disclaimers both CC and Sonny gave about really liking former Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild, it was interesting to listen to them say Larry didn’t really have any answers. I guess I didn’t really understand how “behind” the Yankees were in current analytics and what drove the massive overhaul this past-offseason. I was dumping on Sonny Gray as much as anyone while he was a Yankee, but in retrospect, it would have been interesting to see what the Yankees current array of pitching coaches could have done with him.

I am not sure what to think about Giancarlo Stanton’s latest injury (calf) that will delay his start to the 2020 season. I am not ready to say he is ‘Jacoby Ellsbury Revisited’ but the injuries are disappointing. I am not going to blame Giancarlo for the injuries. They happen. But at this point, his contract looks like a sunk cost. If you could go back in time, there’s no doubt Brian Cashman should have snagged Christian Yelich instead of Stanton.  I remain hopeful Stanton can overcome these annoying injuries and be the player he was in 2017 when he won the NL MVP Award or in 2018 when he hit 38 homers for the Yankees. Yet, playing him anywhere except DH seems like a major risk at this point. We’ll see. For now I just hope he’s healthy soon and back on the field or rather the batter’s box.

This is a great opportunity for Clint Frazier to finally prove he belongs, but I am probably most excited about the limited work in left field by Miguel Andujar. With third base occupied by Gio Urshela, it would be fantastic to see Miggy grab left field for his own. Mike Tauchman will play a role but he’ll need to help Brett Gardner in center. I know many people would love to move Miggy for a quality starting pitcher and maybe I’ve been one of them, but with Stanton out, I want Andujar’s bat in the lineup. Last year, we had the Parrot. This year, we can have the Helicopter (a hat tip to Miggy’s swing).  As for Frazier, if he doesn’t make the team, I’d rather see the Yankees trade him than send him back down to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He really has nothing more to prove in the minor leagues. Love him or hate him, I’d like to see him get a big league opportunity even if it isn’t with the Yankees.

It’s funny how ex-Yankees always grow facial hair immediately after leaving the Yankees. Watching the Padres on MLB Network last night, it was weird seeing Larry Rothschild in San Diego’s dugout with a beard. I didn’t take a pic but thankfully James Kelly of ESNY did:

Photo Credit: James Kelly, ESNY, via Twitter @jkellyESNY 

I had caught Detroit’s game earlier in the day and Tigers catcher Austin Romine looks so different with his Civil War-like beard.



You kind of half expect Didi Gregorius to throw the razor away. 

With the fan uproar when the Yankees started the exhibition season with a couple of losses, I really hope the Yankees avoid a sluggish start to the regular season. Frankly, I didn’t care if the Yankees lost all of their 33 spring games so long as the players got the necessary work to get ready for the season. There are no trophies awarded for the best Spring record. It’s nice to see the team win like they have the last few days but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really mean anything. The pitchers are experimenting and not offering their full array of pitches and strategy. It’s more about readiness to play at the game’s highest level for an extended period over the course of a long season. But if the Yankees lose a few games in late March to the lowly Baltimore Orioles, there’s no doubt the Yankee fans will be on the ledge. I feel bad for Gerrit Cole when he gives up his first home run. Let’s embrace this team. Even with the injuries, they still have the potential to be the best of the American League with an excellent chance to have a dinner date with the NL representative in October.  As they say, don’t sweat the small stuff.  There will be bumps along the way, but we’ll be there in the end.

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports

It’s a good time to be a Yankees fan.

As always, Go Yankees!

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)