Look What The Scranton RailRiders Will Wear Tonight

Mountain Man's jersey! @swbrailriders will wear these tonight & auction them off! presented by Friedman Electric! pic.twitter.com/TXZuUwnA8A
— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) April 18, 2014

Take a look at what the Yankees AAA affiliate the Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders will be wearing tonight as a part of "Outdoors Night." Camouflage uniforms with hunter orange sleeves will have them sticking out and oddly blending in at the same time. Mountain Man from the A&E show Duck Dynasty will be there, hence the name on the back of the jersey in the tweet above. You really have to love minor league baseball, don't you?

Scott Sizemore Called Up For Yankees

As expected the Yankees have called up Scott Sizemore to add some insurance and a warm body to the infield. Sizemore was leading the AAA Scranton RailRiders in hitting so the move makes sense for New York. Also as expected, by me anyway, Francisco Cervelli was added to the 60 day DL to make room on the 40 man and 25 man rosters for Sizemore. Sizemore is likely to get some work at second base, especially if Derek Jeter is as healthy as we have been led to believe, which should be interested since he will be wearing the #24 for the Yankees.

Murphy, Not Romine, Called Up From AAA

Baseball source says JR Murphy will be called up Tuesday to take Francisco Cervelli's spot as backup catcher.
— Daniel Barbarisi (@DanBarbarisi) April 14, 2014

When Francisco Cervelli went down with a Grade 2 strain of his hamstring I think we all expected Austin Romine, who has already been called up once this season, would be called up from AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre to replace him but it seems we were all wrong. Instead John Ryan Murphy has been called up to replace Cervelli on the roster, presumably because of his versatility and experience playing positions other than catcher in his minor league career.

Seems like a waste of an option for both Romine and Murphy to make this call but Joe Girardi has proven more than once that he knows more than I do. We were all told that Murphy would only be called up to be the starting catcher if something, God forbid, happened to Brian McCann but it looks like plans have changed for Murphy.

Whether this was made to showcase Murphy in a trade, the Yankees do have an insane five catchers on the 40 man roster right now, or whether they just like Murphy more than Romine remains to be seen. Let's just hope Murphy can fill in well for Cervelli without hurting his trade value.

Quick Hit: Does Pineda's Start Today Matter

We all heard yesterday that manager Joe Girardi stated the fifth starter competition winner could be announced as early as Tuesday, does it matter what Michael Pineda does tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays? If Pineda got bombed would it force the hand of the Yankees to put David Phelps in the rotation at the expense of the bullpen? Would Adam Warren and Vidal Nuno get back into the discussion? Would Pineda be sent down to AAA to "figure it out?"

No, no, and no. Unless Pineda gets hurt the fifth starter job is his, bottom line. Enjoy your Sunday everyone.

Yankees Option Sanchez, Heathcott, & Turley To Minor League Camps

The New York Yankees have made at least three more cuts from Major League Spring Training camp today assigning Gary Sanchez to AA Trenton and Nik Turley and Slade Heathcott to AAA Scranton Wilkes Barre. This coming from Yankees.com transactions page, seen HERE.

Turley has been shut down with left arm tightness and has been inactive for most of the spring, supposedly the Yankees are just being overly cautious with him though. Heathcott has been moved along slowly, and I mean slowly, this spring after coming off a minor knee surgery in the winter to clean up his knee. Sanchez, while is fun to watch, has no chance of breaking camp with the Yankees so will benefit more from minor league camps when they open up soon.

Three more cuts today and none of them major yet, I don't expect we will see any of those until after the Panama series and all the players are back and rested.

ICYMI: SWB RailRiders Add Luis Sojo To The Staff

Moosic, Pa. - A slew of familiar faces and a blast from pinstripe past will make up the 2014 field staff for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A/New York Yankees). Manager Dave Miley, hitting coach Butch Wynergar, pitching coach Scott Aldred, athletic trainer Darren London and strength & conditioning coach Lee Tressel will again mentor, mend and develop the players that call NEPA home. The addition comes in the form of a former player and coach for the parent club, playoff legend Luis Sojo, who joins the team as a coach after managing Advanced-A Tampa for seven seasons. Sojo replaces Frank Menechino, who was named hitting coach for the Miami Marlins in November.

Miley, who was named Manager of the Year for all of minor league baseball in 2012 by Baseball America, enters his eighth season as the skipper in SWB and ninth with the Bombers' Triple-A squad. He also called the shots during the Yankees' final campaign in Columbus (2006). Wynegar, a two-time All-Star during his Major League playing days, enters his eighth season with the franchise as well. 2014 marks year six with the team for Aldred, who pitched in the bigs for 11 seasons. London, the International League's Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2006 and 2012, has spent more than two decades as the Yankees' Triple-A athletic trainer with this season marking his 22nd at the level and 26thin a row with the organization. Tressel enters his 11th year in pinstripes and his sixth with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Sojo may be the new man in Moosic, but is a well-known name to fans of the parent club. His résumé includes two seasons coaching for the big league Yankees (2004-05). The versatile infielder played parts of seven seasons with the Yankees (1996-2001, 2003) while helping the club claim four World Series titles (1996, 1998-2000). That included delivering what proved to be the World Series-clinching hit for a Game 5 defeat of the New York Mets in 2000. While managing Tampa, he led the team to the Florida State League title in 2009 and set the league's all-time wins record. He also skippered the Yankees' then-Double-A satellite, the Norwich Navigators, to the Eastern League crown in 2002.

"We think the world of our staff," said RailRiders president and general manager, Rob Crain. "Our fans get a true treat each night when they watch a team prepared by this bunch. It is one of the most talented and experienced staffs in professional baseball."

The RailRiders' 2014 season begins on Thursday, April 3 when the club kicks off a seven-game road trip at Syracuse against the Chiefs (Washington Nationals).The home slate commences a week later on Thursday, April 10 when the Chiefs visit PNC Field for a four-game series and homestand. For season ticket information or to book a ballpark group outing, call (570) 969-BALL (2255) or visit swbrailriders.com.

Being posted with permission from the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders organization. The original article can be seen HERE.

Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders 2014 Schedule Released

The 2014 schedule for the Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders team, the AAA affiliate for the New York Yankees, is in and being brought to you as a part of Prospects Month here on The Greedy Pinstripes. CLICK HERE to see the full schedule for the RailRiders as they head into their second season in their newly renovated PNC Field. The RailRiders season starts on April 3, 2014 and ends on September 1.

A Rod Hits Home Run In Rehab With RailRiders

Here is a video of Alex Rodriguez hitting a home run while on a rehab assignment with the Scranton Wilkes Barre Railriders.

Reggie Jackson Throws Out First Pitch For RailRiders

Reggie Jackson is throwing out the first ceremonial first pitch for the first time in the Scranton Wilkes Barre's new PNC Field.

Scranton RailRiders Thanks Their Fans For Great 2013

The Scranton Wilkes Barre Railriders thank you, the fans, for an amazing 2013 season. 

Derek Jeter Smokes A Single In A RailRiders Uniform

Watch Derek Jeter smoke a base hit during one of his many rehab assignments in Scranton with the RailRiders from the 2013 season.

PNC Field Wins New Ballpark of the Year Award

Ballpark Digest has named the best new ballpark of the year and the Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders $43 million renovated PNC Field has won the award this season. Here is the press release from the RailRiders:

PNC Field Honored by Ballpark Digest as Best Ballpark of 2013
A creative renovation plan that kept the International League in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in one of the most scenic sites in baseball earned recognition from Ballpark Digest for Best Ballpark of the 2013 season.

Building a new ballpark on the base of an old one is an enormous challenge: what made sense in the 1980s may not make sense for a modern ballpark. And doing it all during a single season – demolition, reconstruction while building around retained features – is even more of a challenge. For these reasons, PNC Field is the choice as Best New Ballpark of 2013 by Ballpark Digest, the leading guide to baseball and ballparks on the Internet.

“Going down to the concrete and building anew is quite the architectural and engineering challenge,” said Kevin Reichard, publisher of Ballpark Digest. “We’re not talking mere renovation here: we’re talking dramatic makeover – basically, a new ballpark. That’s why we’re honoring PNC Field as our best new ballpark of the year.”

Home of the International League’s Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, PNC Field reopened this season after the SWB franchise spent the 2012 season on the road. Opening in 1989, the original Lackawanna County Stadium was a two-deck monstrosity seating nearly 11,000, built at a time when the goal was to fill as many seats as possible and not worry about the amenities fans expect today.

“What a tremendous honor,” said RailRiders president/GM Rob Crain. “So many people made this dream a reality and on behalf of everyone that was involved and our fans here in Northeast Pennsylvania, sincere thanks to Kevin Reichard and Ballpark Digest. We believed the reconstructed PNC Field ranked among the best in baseball. This award cements that status.”

“We are delighted for PNC Field to have received this recognition,” said Mandalay Baseball CEO Art Martin. “We are extremely excited about what the new ballpark and the team mean to the community of Northeast Pennsylvania and appreciate the collaborative efforts of everyone who helped turn this dream into a reality for the great baseball fans across this region.”

The challenge, as undertaken by Philadelphia firm EwingCole, was to take a hulking pile of concrete and turn it into a fan-friendly venue. The plan was dramatic: take down the second deck, put in a 360-degree concourse, install new comfortable seating and second-level suites and club, add group spaces to outfield areas and spruce up virtually everything else, from concessions to restrooms. Again: it would have been easier to just bulldoze the old ballpark and put up a new one, but the decision was made to reuse where possible – so the end result was a new ballpark built on the base of the old one. The total cost of the renovations, as constructed by Alvin H. Butz, Inc., was $43.3 million. With new Triple-A ballparks now costing $60-million plus, there was a definite cost savings to the new ballpark/renovation plan.

In the end, the fans responded: the RailRiders drew 435,839 fans to PNC Field this season, the best year at the gate since 2008.

“The easy path would have been to bulldoze PNC Field and build somewhere else,” Reichard said. “The PNC Field site is one of the most scenic – and challenging – in all of baseball. Keeping the ballpark in its present spot and reusing what was appropriate is a welcome trend in architecture, and PNC Field is a prime example of building new on top of the old in a cost-effective manner.”

“We are delighted that the transformative renovation of PNC Field has been recognized as Ballpark of the Year,” said Craig Schmitt, RA, principal at EwingCole. “One of the main goals for both the county and the team was to design an intimate and fan-friendly ballpark. There is a legacy of baseball in this region and this ballpark will carry that forward for generations to come.”

ABOUT THE BALLPARK DIGEST AWARDS
Each year Ballpark Digest honors noteworthy accomplishments in the baseball world, whether it be Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, independent baseball, summer-collegiate baseball or college baseball. Readers are asked to submit nominations for awards in specific categories; Ballpark Digest editors then go though the submissions (numbering some 300 pages of documentation last year). The awards cover both individual accomplishments as well as team accomplishments. This is the fifth season for the Ballpark Digest Awards. A complete listing of Ballpark Digest Awards can be found at www.ballparkdigest.com/awards.

RailRiders Release 2014 Daily Promotional Schedule

As we all know, and probably love, the minor league affiliates will do just about anything to get you through the door especially on a week day and the RailRiders are no different. Our AAA affiliate down in Scranton Wilkes Barre released their 2014 promotional schedule with daily deals for you fans coming through the gates. Props to Donnie Collins on The Times Tribune for the list.

MONDAY: 
$1 Hot Dogs

TUESDAY: 
Free T-Shirt (1,500 each game; different shirt each game)

WEDNESDAY: 
Kids Eat Free (12 & under; Berks hot dog, Utz chips, small Pepsi product)

THURSDAY: 
Thirsty Thursday ($1 Bud Lights & Pepsi products; Pregame band)

FRIDAY: 
Postgame Fireworks (Pregame block party/band)

SATURDAY: 
Giveaways (Pregame band)

SUNDAY: 
Family FunDay (Player autographs, carnival entertainers before the game; Postgame kids run the bases)

Gotta love $1 hot dogs, free t shirt day, kids eat free, and fireworks, who doesn't right? So head out to a ball game this year and support the home team and get some free stuff while you're at it. 

JR Murphy Ranks 18th On Eastern League Top 20 List

Baseball America released its latest Top 20 prospects list this time covering the Eastern League where one familiar face made the list in JR Murphy. Murphy was ranked as the highest ranking catcher in the list and was ranked at #18 overall. We saw four Boston Red Sox including Xander Bogarts, four Pittsburgh Pirates including Jameson Taillon, and three Minnesota Twins including Josmil Pinto in the top 20, Murphy was the only Yankees player to make the list.

Murphy hit .268/.352/.421 with six home runs in AA before being called up to AAA and not missing a beat. Murphy hit .270/.342/.430 in AAA with six more home runs. Now Murphy will be vying for a starting job or a big league spot in 2014 after a breakout 2013 season.

Miller, Lillibridge, and Gonzalez Are Now Free Agents

The cookie is starting to crumble just a little bit on the off season as three Yankees minor league players declared themselves free agents today just a couple days after the Yankees took Mike Zagurski off the 40 man roster. Jim Miller, Brent Lillibridge, and Alberto Gonzalez all declared free agency for themselves and are able to sign with any team.

Miller pitched well for the Scranton team in his age 31 season and saw one inning of relief work with the big league club this season giving up three runs against the Boston Red Sox. Lillibridge played in 11 games for the Yankees fighting to stay above the Mendoza line while playing about every position on the infield. Gonzalez was brought up and sent off the 40 man roster two separate times this season and played 13 games as a 30 year old.

In other Yankees minor league news Roberto de la Rosa has been released and is also a free agent after throwing in one game way back in 2011 as an 18 year old rookie. If you feel like you should know his name but don't there is a good reason for that, de la Rosa has not pitched since that one game and is now 20 years old. Adios!

Jose Gil bounced around a little bit in 2013 after spending time in the Independent League and with the Baltimore Orioles before coming back to New York. Gil was a member of the Yankees minor league system from 2005 - 2012 and has resigned to be a member of the Yankees in 2014.

RJ Johnson was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers with their 36th round pick in the 2010 draft and is now a member of the New York Yankees farm system after signing a minor league contract. He was released by Milwaukee in 2012 after not having pitched since the 2010 Arizona Fall League but his twitter account says that he is an infielder now so the switch must have been made recently.

New York Yankees Outright Mike Zagurski To AAA

The New York Yankees have announced that they have outrighted left handed reliever Mike Zagurski to AAA today. Since Zagurski will not finish the season on the 40 man roster he will not be arbitration eligible this off season even though he has three years and 55 days worth of MLB service. Zagurski would not make much more than the league minimum anyway but every cent matters heading into the 2014 season for us. Zagurski can reject the outright to Scranton and elect free agency but I cannot see that happening after a less than stellar 2013 season in a small sample size. I expect Zagurski to get invited to spring training in 2014 with the New York Yankees.

Jim Miller Outrighted To AAA Scranton Wilkes Barre

Jim Miller has cleared waivers and has accepted an outright to AAA with the Scranton Wilkes Barre Railriders after being designated for assignment last week. Miller was DFA'd to make room for the recently acquired Brendan Ryan and has spent most of his age 31 season in the Yankees minor league system. Miller saw all of one game with the big club and will be a free agent after this season.

Chris Bootcheck Granted His Release From AAA

The Yankees still technically owned the rights to Chris Bootcheck for the next couple of weeks but they have still granted Bootcheck his unconditional release. Bootcheck has been the best starter the Yankees had on their Scranton RailRiders affiliate team in his age 34 season. Bootcheck only had one inning of a cup of coffee in the majors this season and will look for a major league deal after this season.

The Orioles Are Picking Up The Yankees Scraps Again

Remember last year when it seemed like every single guy that the New York Yankees released the Baltimore Orioles picked up a week later? Well it's happening again with the Orioles signing of Dan Johnson today. We reported last night that the Yankees released Dan Johnson after he had spent the entire season down in AAA with the Scranton Wilkes Barre Railriders and today he has already found a new set of teammates in Baltimore. I am a bit surprised because I figured the Yankees released him with the thought process of giving Johnson a shot at a September call up with rosters expanding but the Orioles signed him to a minor league deal so who knows. I guess we will find out just what Baltimore's way of thinking was regarding this deal on Sunday.

New York Yankees Release Dan Johnson

The New York Yankees signed Dan Johnson in the off season before the 2013 season and have had him stashed in AAA with the Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders until today when they released him. Johnson put up a .253/.379/.447 in 559 plate appearances this season playing a pretty good first base in his age 34 season.