This Day In New York Yankees History 7/20: Don Mattingly Puts Out

On this day in 1987 Yankees first basemen Don Mattingly tied a major league mark when he was credited with 22 put outs in one game.


Also on this day in 1965 Yankees pitcher Mel Stottlemyer hit an inside the park grand slam against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees would win this game 6-3.

Remembering a Muggy Night in 2012

As many of you know, or you may not know, I moved to metro Atlanta, Georgia from the Bronx, New York back in 1999 and get to see the Yankees live very few times these days. The Yankees came down to Atlanta in 2009 and of course I attended as many games as I could so I was excited to see them come back down in 2012. I am a very superstitious person in my nature so my line of thinking was “the last time the Yankees came to Atlanta they won the World Series” in 2009 so that made me all the more excited for 2012 trip to Turner Field. We all know the history of that season, Derek Jeter's ankle, the offense going to sleep in October and the eventual loss in the American League Championship Series in 2012 but that's not what this story is about.


I remember a warm and muggy night on this day in 2012 when the Yankees were playing in the second game of a three game set at Turner Field in Atlanta. The Yankees had the bases loaded and Alex Rodriguez was at the plate while I sat in my usual box seats, fourth row Yankee side of the field. The Braves were winning 4-0 and my phone was blowing up with texts and Facebook posts about the Braves whooping the Yankees, the Yankees suck, omg Braves, Braves, Braves while I was there at the stadium and how the streak was ready to come to an end. That streak involves the Yankees win/loss record with me in attendance. I am 29 years old and I have seen tons of Yankees games live in the Bronx, in Tampa and now in Atlanta and the team has never lost a game while I was in attendance. While I have to admit my hopes were low at that point and my phone was one more #RISPFAIL away from being thrown onto the field before a funny thing happened, the Yankees rallied.


The Yankees loaded the bases with Rodriguez coming to the plate while I was wearing my A Rod jersey, something I was reluctant to do after the steroid admission but I was saving my Cano jersey for the next night, which seemed like fate to me. The Braves had shutdown reliever Jonny Venters on the mound which made me far from confident, Venters was awesome, which was only compounded when the count went full. Then something amazing happened, A Rod connected.... pandemonium.


Alex had hit his 23rd career grand slam tying a 74 year old major league record held by the Yankees Lou Gehrig. A Rod tied the game in the 8th inning and the Yankees ended up winning the game 6-4. The Facebook posts stopped, the texts went silent and I witnessed history. While I was at the next game the next night I ended up talking to the camera man at the stadium and he gave me the press release for the game the night before. Truth be told the only reason I think he gave us the release was because my wife was in a low cut dress and he thought she was hot, but hey I'll take it and took it as a compliment. I saw history and now have history in my hands and it all happened on a muggy night in Atlanta on this day in 2012. It was Craig Kimbrel bobblehead night as well which was awesome because my two sons now have a bobblehead of the Braves all-time saves leader.

How Underrated is Didi Gregorius?

The title is a pretty straight-forward question, just how underrated is the Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius? I’m not talking about just on the field either, I’m talking about off the field as well. How damn lucky did the New York Yankees get when they made that trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Detroit Tigers a few seasons back bringing Gregorius to the Bronx? Do they even know how lucky they are with the acquisition? If the organization doesn’t they will after they get done reading this post I assure you.

Let’s start with what is quantifiable, the on-the-field version of Sir Didi. Gregorius is having another great season here in the Bronx for the Yankees and no one can notice because of the monster home run after monster home run from Aaron Judge this season. Quietly Didi has knocked Yankees great and former captain Derek Jeter from the Yankees record books here in 2017 with his 25^th home run of the season, most ever by a Yankees shortstop in a single season. Didi has always been an absolute wizard defensively and is slowing showing more and more power with every passing season with the Yankees making him one of the most valuable assets that New York has every single game. Imagine if Didi hadn’t missed the first three weeks of the season with a shoulder injury, he may have 30 home runs, 100 RBI and still be pushing an on-base plus slugging over .800. If it weren’t for Judge the Yankees shortstop would be their MVP here in 2017, and it wouldn’t be much of a discussion.

Off the field the Yankees shortstop runs a charity and organization called DIDIsDEEDs helping those in need and generally doing good deeds around New York City as the name implies. Didi has been seen handing out free tickets to Yankees games on the subway and even in the CN Tower this season as a part of DIDIsDEEDs meaning the left-hander fits the mold of a Yankee off the field as well. Looking for your next Yankees captain, Didi may fit the mold. I know he didn’t come through the system and I know the captain-ship would be handed to Judge or Brett Gardner first but I’m just saying that Didi wouldn’t be a bad choice for the job either. Didi bleeds Yankees pinstripes and represents the team and the organization very well, on and off the field.

Didi for Captain, 2018. Flame me below in the comments section.

So it Seems… Five Yankees and 50 Homers

On Monday afternoon we all watched as Aaron Judge launched a home run to right field for his 49^th home run tying Mark McGwire for the single-season home run record for a rookie. We all also watched as a couple innings later Judge launched another to left-center field to break the record which was an absolutely awesome sight to see. To put what Judge has done into perspective would likely take pages upon pages of writing and I’m not sure I could still convey what exactly the Yankees right fielder has done, but that doesn’t mean I won’t attempt to anyway.

Instead of writing you page after page with stat after stat and reason after reason I will leave you with one line. Before I drop that one line I want everyone to think about the New York Yankees franchise and organization. I want you to think about all the teams that have donned the Yankees pinstripes, all the players that have been Yankees, all the legends, all the feats, all the history. Then I want you think about Aaron Judge and just how many Yankees have ever hit 50 home runs in a single season. Not as a rookie, ever.

Aaron Judge, Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. That’s it.

HEY YOU. I loves you Kari!! Have a great day everyone. 

Aaron Judge Passes Mark McGwire for Single-Season Home Run Record by a Rookie!!

A huge congratulations goes out to Aaron Judge who with his 50th home run of the season passes Mark McGwire for the single-season home run record by a rookie. All rise!!

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 25^th 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
1999	25	158	739	627	134	219	37	9	24	102	19	91	116	.349	.438	.552	.989

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Gregorius:

Standard Batting

Year	Age	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2017	27	128	537	501	70	146	27	0	25	84	2	25	67	.291	.325	.495	.820

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

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. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/20: Don Mattingly Puts Out

On this day in 1987 Yankees first basemen Don Mattingly tied a major league mark when he was credited with 22 put outs in one game.


Also on this day in 1965 Yankees pitcher Mel Stottlemyer hit an inside the park grand slam against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees would win this game 6-3.

Taking the Time to Honor Cal Ripken Jr.

I know we usually run a "This Day in Yankees History" post every morning and I know this didn't technically happen until tomorrow, September 5th, but since we're set to face the Baltimore Orioles in a couple of hours I figured what the hell. Let's go for it and let's honor the great Cal Ripken Jr. here on the blog this morning.

It was 20 years ago today that Cal Ripken Jr. went out onto the field in Oriole Park at Camden Yards against the New York Yankees like he had for the better part of over 2,000 games. Ripken had played in 2,129 consecutive games in his career before heading out for the bottom of the fifth inning. When Ripken went out to take his position the game became official, his 2,130th consecutive game. This is significant because Cal would tie the Yankees legend and "Iron Horse" Lou Gehrig.

Ripken received a standing ovation for over five minutes from the sellout crowd when he tied the record. Love or hate the Orioles but you just can't hate Cal Ripken Jr. Have a good Sunday afternoon Yankees family and a nice, long weekend.

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/20: Don Mattingly Puts Out

On this day in 1987 Yankees first basemen Don Mattingly tied a major league mark when he was credited with 22 put outs in one game.


Also on this day in 1965 Yankees pitcher Mel Stottlemyer hit an inside the park grand slam against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees would win this game 6-3.

Have We Heard the Last of Alex Rodriguez?

The New York Yankees have done something over the past week or so that I have said on Twitter and on this blog many times that they would never do, the team has benched Alex Rodriguez due to production. As a fan of Alex’s and as a fan that has stood up for his forgiveness and playing times many times here, maybe more than anyone and certainly before it was “cool” back in 2015, it’s bittersweet for me because I know he’s hurting the team as an automatic out and as a black hole in the middle of the lineup but at the same time it still hurts to see the players you have watched all your life grow old and let father time catch up to them. Rodriguez is saying all the right things though including a statement that resonated with me. Alex said that “you haven’t heard the last of me” so I beg the question, have we heard the last of Alex Rodriguez?

Honestly I don’t think so. So many times we’ve heard the stories of Alex being done and that Alex needs to retire only to take a few games off and come back hitting like a 31-year old again instead of a 41-year old. That may not be the case this time around but I don’t think we’ve heard the last of him regardless. He’s a proud man and a loyal student to the game and he will not simply ride off into the sunset because of a bad stretch. Michael Kay told a story on the YES Network the other day that really cemented this thought process home for me. He said he was driving home from the stadium and he was listening to Suzyn Waldman on the radio and in the background a “crack” could be heard every 10 seconds or so. Suzyn commented that the sound they were all hearing was Alex Rodriguez taking batting practice in the cage. Forty five minutes after the game had come to an end Alex was still in the cage working, tweaking and adjusting with hopes of getting back into the lineup and making a contribution.

This really stuck with me because I am currently reading a book called “Boycott the Yankees” by Mike DeLucia (have no fear, when I am finished I fully plan on doing a review of the book) and in the book DeLucia mentions what I have mentioned many times on this blog. A lot of players don’t have the incentives to do well or to even give a crap in the world of guaranteed contracts and bloated MLB salaries. What does Alex have to gain? He’s five home runs away from the 700 home run club and despite anything he says he wants that in the worst way. In fact he wants Barry Bonds all-time home run record but I don’t think taking batting practice before, during and after a game is driven by his own personal goals and admirations. It’s not because he’s working towards a salary either. It’s because he loves the game, he loves New York and he wants to help his teammates. 

Alex could ride off into the sunset if he wanted to with his millions and live happily ever after. But he won’t. He’s too proud to go out like that and he wants to help this team win so no, we haven’t heard the last of Alex Rodriguez. Not by a long shot. Given the next opportunity he will prove to you all once again what I already know and understand. He’ll be back, mark my words. 700 home run club here we come. 

Meet a Prospect: Ike Davis

The New York Yankees are currently weathering the storm that we will call the “First Base Curse” after losing Mark Teixeira, Chris Parmelee, Greg Bird and Dustin Ackley to injuries already this season. New York has flushed Robert Refsnyder into the position and while his bat has been surprisingly quiet his defense has been more than adequate for a man just learning the position in my opinion. Despite this and despite naming Refsnyder as the everyday first baseman the Yankees couldn’t help themselves when they saw an outcast veteran on the free agent market and they signed Ike Davis to a deal over the weekend. Let’s meet him.

This is Meet a Prospect: The Ike Davis Edition. Isaac Benjamin “Ike” Davis was born on March 22, 1987 and has spent time on the major league roster with the New York Mets, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Oakland Athletics before being signed by the New York Yankees. Davis was born in Edina, Minnesota to Millie and Ron Davis and was born with baseball in his blood. Ike’s father, Ron, pitched 481 games in his 11-year Major Leaguer career as a power relief pitcher and even had a 1981 All-Star Game appearance under his belt with the New York Yankees. Davis, senior and junior, have the fighters instincts in their blood as one of Ike’s great aunts on his mother’s side was a Holocaust survivor while Davis’ grandfather on his father’s side was a paratrooper for the United States army and was one of the brave souls who stormed the beach in Normandy on D-Day in 1944.

Davis spent his high school years at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona where he won three state titles from 2003-2005. While there Davis set the school record for batting average in a single season hitting .559 as a sophomore beating out Paul Konerko by the slimmest of margins who hit .558 in 1994. Davis also broke Konerko’s single season doubles record with 23 in a season all while doubling as a pitcher as well. In 2003 while still in High School David pitched for the USA Youth National Team who won a gold medal in the International Baseball Federation World Youth Championships in Taiwan. Winning was in Davis’ blood and he took that winning mentality and spirit to Arizona State University where he continued his amateur career.

While with Arizona State Davis played DH, first base and corner outfield while pitching on Friday nights (traditionally the ace of the staff pitches on Friday night) as a freshman and continued that throughout his Junior year. Davis finished his collegiate career with a .353 batting average, 244 hits, 33 home runs, 69 doubles and 202 RBI as a hitter. As a pitcher and the Sun Devils closer Davis totaled a 7-5 record with 4 saves and 78 strikeouts while winning two Pac-10 Championships with a trip to the 2007 College World Series thrown into the mix as well. In the 2008 MLB First Year Players Draft the New York Mets selected Davis with the 18^th pick overall and Davis decided to sign rather than return to ASU for his senior season thus beginning his professional career.

Davis was not long for the minor leagues as he spent half a season in 2008 with the club before being invited to spring training before the 2010 season by the Mets. Despite leading the team in hitting with a .480 average and three home runs Davis was optioned back to the minor leagues at the end of spring but by April 19^th Davis was back in the Mets set to make his MLB debut despite only 65 games above A-Ball in his career. Davis debuted against the Chicago Cubs and wasted no time hitting a single in his first MLB bat before finishing with a 2-4 night in a Mets victory. Davis had a pair of multi-hit games in his first four games and showcased an underrated and strong glove at first base for New York.

Davis was back for his sophomore season in the majors in 2011 and he picked up right where he left off in 2010 with at least one RBI in nine of his first 10 games of the season. An ankle injury was the only thing that could slow Davis down and one did just that on May 10, 2011 limiting him to just 36 games. Injury and disease was holding Davis back again in 2012 as well as Davis was diagnosed with valley fever, a rare dust-borne fungal infection endemic that was seen mainly in the American southwest. Davis started slow after the diagnosis before waking up in July just in time to become only the 9^th Met in their history to his three home runs in a game against a former Yankee and current Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy. Davis eclipsed the 30 home run plateau in 2012 but one again started slow in 2013 prompting him to be demoted to Triple-A in June of that year.

Davis would come back in July of 2013 but he never again reached the marks he did previous in his career which was highlighted by his benching in 2014. Davis found himself playing in the backup role to Lucas Duda in New York until the Mets traded Davis to the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 18^th in exchange for Zack Thornton and a player to be named later. Davis enjoyed a good season in Pittsburgh but he was ultimately designated for assignment by the club in 2014 and traded to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for bonus slots for use in signing international free agents. How far the mighty have fallen.

Davis had a lackluster 2015 campaign with the A’s that ended with a torn hip labrum and another season ending surgery for the former ASU star and another offseason where Davis found himself on the free agent market. This time the Texas Rangers came calling signing him to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training before releasing him once again on Jun 12, 2015. Now Davis is looking to latch on with the Yankees after signing a Major League deal and looking to harness some of the potential that made him so special for so long. Welcome to the organization Ike and most importantly welcome to the family.

Remembering a Muggy Night in 2012

As many of you know, or you may not know, I moved to metro Atlanta, Georgia from the Bronx, New York back in 1999 and get to see the Yankees live very few times these days. The Yankees came down to Atlanta in 2009 and of course I attended as many games as I could so I was excited to see them come back down in 2012. I am a very superstitious person in my nature so my line of thinking was “the last time the Yankees came to Atlanta they won the World Series” in 2009 so that made me all the more excited for 2012 trip to Turner Field. We all know the history of that season, Derek Jeter's ankle, the offense going to sleep in October and the eventual loss in the American League Championship Series in 2012 but that's not what this story is about.


I remember a warm and muggy night on this day in 2012 when the Yankees were playing in the second game of a three game set at Turner Field in Atlanta. The Yankees had the bases loaded and Alex Rodriguez was at the plate while I sat in my usual box seats, fourth row Yankee side of the field. The Braves were winning 4-0 and my phone was blowing up with texts and Facebook posts about the Braves whooping the Yankees, the Yankees suck, omg Braves, Braves, Braves while I was there at the stadium and how the streak was ready to come to an end. That streak involves the Yankees win/loss record with me in attendance. I am 29 years old and I have seen tons of Yankees games live in the Bronx, in Tampa and now in Atlanta and the team has never lost a game while I was in attendance. While I have to admit my hopes were low at that point and my phone was one more #RISPFAIL away from being thrown onto the field before a funny thing happened, the Yankees rallied.


The Yankees loaded the bases with Rodriguez coming to the plate while I was wearing my A Rod jersey, something I was reluctant to do after the steroid admission but I was saving my Cano jersey for the next night, which seemed like fate to me. The Braves had shutdown reliever Jonny Venters on the mound which made me far from confident, Venters was awesome, which was only compounded when the count went full. Then something amazing happened, A Rod connected.... pandemonium.





Alex had hit his 23rd career grand slam tying a 74 year old major league record held by the Yankees Lou Gehrig. A Rod tied the game in the 8th inning and the Yankees ended up winning the game 6-4. The Facebook posts stopped, the texts went silent and I witnessed history. While I was at the next game the next night I ended up talking to the camera man at the stadium and he gave me the press release for the game the night before. Truth be told the only reason I think he gave us the release was because my wife was in a low cut dress and he thought she was hot, but hey I'll take it and took it as a compliment. I saw history and now have history in my hands and it all happened on a muggy night in Atlanta on this day in 2012. It was Craig Kimbrel bobblehead night as well which was awesome because my two sons now have a bobblehead of the Braves all-time saves leader.

WATCH: Documentary 56: The Streak

It seems like the older I get the less “fun” I like to have. Sure I still love to have fun but I think my idea of sun has changed since turning 30 and having children. No longer do I want to drink and stay up all night being rowdy and such since now my idea of fun is taking my son to a baseball game or popping some popcorn and watching a movie with my family. I said all that to say this, and no I’m not just rambling believe it or not, I know what I will be doing on Sunday, May 15^th. It will be fun, at least in my opinion, because it’s Yankees related. I’ll be sitting on my couch watching a documentary surround Joe DiMaggio and his 56 game hitting streak.

This Sunday at 8:00 pm ET on MLB Network Ed Burns will narrate the latest documentary to be showcased on “MLB Network Presents” when he narrates “56: The Streak.” This day is important because it marks the 75^th anniversary of the day that DiMaggio began the streak and record that may never be broken.

I’ll be watching and I thought many of my fellow Yankees fans would like to watch as well so I thought I’d pass along the news. Enjoy!

ICYMI: Yankees Broke a 103-Year Old Record in 2015

The New York Yankees broke a Major League record that has stood for 103 seasons in 2015 when they sent catcher rookie catcher Gary Sanchez up to the plate. The first at bat for Sanchez last season was also the first at bat of his MLB career and his Major League debut. Sanchez was the 18th member of the New York Yankees to make his Major League debut which is an MLB record that passed the 1903 New York Highlanders. 

The 2015 season can easily be described as the Year of the Prospect as many top prospects have made their way to the Major Leagues this season. The Cubs seemingly have a new stud rookie starting at every position this season, the Twins called up MLB's top prospect Byron Buxton and the Dodgers called up new MLB top prospect Corey Seager this season and the Yankees even called up their top prospect in Luis Severino. In fact the Yankees have called up a lot of prospects this season and let a slew of them make their Major League debut's with the team, 18 of them to be exact setting a new MLB record that stood for over 100 seasons.


Back in 1912 the New York Highlanders watched as a whopping 17 rookies made their Major League debut's including George Batten, Curt Coleman, Iron Davis, John Dowd, Benny Kauff, Ray Keating, Jack Little, Pat Maloney, Jack Martin, Bill Otis, Del Paddock, Al Schulz, George Shears, Klondike Smith, Dutch Sterrett, Homer Thompson and Tommy Thompson.

The impressive list of Yankees players to make their MLB debut's with the team in 2015 included Matt Tracy, Branden Pinder, Slade Heathcott, Jacob Lindgren, Ramon Flores, Mason Williams, Danny Burawa, Jose De Paula, Diego Moreno, Nick Rumbelow, Robert Refsnyder, Caleb Cotham, Nick Goody, Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez, James Pazos and Rico Noel.


Any time a team gets this close to breaking a record I sort of hope for it to happen, I can't lie. I am a sucker for history. The main difference between the 1912 New York Highlanders and the 2015 New York Yankees is that the Highlanders only won 50 games while the Yankees would have finished a mere 50 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox had it not been for a September collapse of sorts. The latter may be a slight exaggeration but it goes to show you just how far the Yankees farm system, as underrated as it is, has come in recent seasons.

ICYMI: Yankees Broke a 103-Year Old Record This Season

The New York Yankees broke a Major League record that has stood for 103 seasons on Saturday afternoon when they sent catcher Gary Sanchez up to the plate. The first at bat for Sanchez this season was also the first at bat of his MLB career and his Major League debut. Sanchez was the 18th member of the New York Yankees to make his Major League debut which is an MLB record that passed the 1903 New York Highlanders. Here is the original post below that we wrote when the Yankees had just 16 MLB debuts, since then we've seen Sanchez's and the Major League Debut of LHP James Pazos. Enjoy as we head into the final off day before the AL Wild Card Game tomorrow.

The 2015 season can easily be described as the Year of the Prospect as many top prospects have made their way to the Major Leagues this season. The Cubs seemingly have a new stud rookie starting at every position this season, the Twins called up MLB's top prospect Byron Buxton and the Dodgers called up new MLB top prospect Corey Seager this season and the Yankees even called up their top prospect in Luis Severino. In fact the Yankees have called up a lot of prospects this season and let a slew of them make their Major League debut's with the team, 16 of them to be exact. If the Yankees allow one more rookie to make their Major League debut this season the team will tie one of their own records that they have held for 103 seasons.

Back in 1912 the New York Highlanders watched as a whopping 17 rookies made their Major League debut's including George Batten, Curt Coleman, Iron Davis, John Dowd, Benny Kauff, Ray Keating, Jack Little, Pat Maloney, Jack Martin, Bill Otis, Del Paddock, Al Schulz, George Shears, Klondike Smith, Dutch Sterrett, Homer Thompson and Tommy Thompson. New York is one rookie away from tying that and have called up left-handed pitcher James Pazos to the Major Leagues as a September call up leaving the team one blowout away from tying the record.

New York could also call up another player to the Major Leagues in an emergency much like they did last season with (Gary Sanchez anyone?) Jose Pirela to potentially break the record assuming Pazos gets into a game before the end of the season. Pazos and a new hypothetical rookie would join Matt Tracy, Branden Pinder, Slade Heathcott, Jacob Lindgren, Ramon Flores, Mason Williams, Danny Burawa, Jose De Paula, Diego Moreno, Nick Rumbelow, Robert Refsnyder, Caleb Cotham, Nick Goody, Luis Severino, Greg Bird and Rico Noel as Yankees rookies who made their Major League debuts in 2015.

Any time a team gets this close to breaking a record I sort of hope for it to happen, I can't lie. I am a sucker for history. The main difference between the 1912 New York Highlanders and the 2015 New York Yankees is that the Highlanders only won 50 games while the Yankees may finish 50 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. The latter may be a slight exaggeration but it goes to show you just how far the Yankees farm system, as underrated as it is, has come in recent seasons.

Weekly Check In: Gary Sanchez

El Gary Sanchez was activated off the disabled list this week and was assigned to Triple-A to assist the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders in their chase for the Governor’s Cup. Sanchez battled with a hamstring injury a week before September call ups and has been on the disabled list ever since with the injury. Sanchez is apparently healthy enough to bat and run the bases a little but he’s not been cleared to play catcher as he has instead played the DH position. If Sanchez isn’t healthy enough or able to play catcher than it seems unlikely that New York would bring him up to the Major Leagues as a September call up when Scranton wraps up their postseason play.

New York has tied their own record for the most players to make their Major League debut’s in one season in 2015 and could break the over 100-year old record with one more debut. The only player currently on the 40 man roster that has not made his MLB debut is Sanchez so the stars have definitely aligned it’s now up to Yankees GM Brian Cashman to pull the trigger and break the record. Why wouldn’t you at this point? Nothing to lose bringing up Sanchez to sit on the bench and get into a blowout late, right?

Break the record, call up Sanchez. 

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	AA-AAA	93	400	50	100	23	18	62	7	29	78	.274	.330	.485	.815
2015	AA	58	254	33	61	14	12	36	6	18	50	.262	.319	.476	.795
2015	AAA	35	146	17	39	9	6	26	1	11	28	.295	.349	.500	.849

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo

Jorge Mateo, one of the four untouchable Yankees prospects at this season’s trading deadline, has been stellar this season to say the least. His bat is light years ahead of what it was at this point in 2014 and his stolen base totals are going through the roof with every passing game. Mateo has run and hit his way onto the top of most every Yankees prospects list and has also run his way all the way to the High-A Tampa Yankees after being promoted from the Low-A Charleston Riverdogs.

Mateo has a very outside shot at stealing over 100 bases combined this season between his time in Charleston and Tampa, although he would really have to pick up the pace in order to do so, and at one point this season had an outside shot at chasing down Billy Hamilton’s all-time stolen base record for a single season in Minor League Baseball. While the stolen base record would have been nice a fully, healthy and productive season will have to do for Mateo.

Congratulations on the call up Jorge and keep up the outstanding work!

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	A-A+	98	419	54	102	18	2	33	74	37	82	.273	.342	.385	.727
2015	A	96	409	51	98	18	2	33	71	36	80	.268	.338	.378	.716
2015	A+	2	10	3	4	0	0	0	3	1	2	.444	.500	.667	1.167

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo

Jorge Mateo is stealing bases like (insert some catchy analogy here). Mateo has now eclipsed the 60 stolen base plateau with the Charleston Riverdogs and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Could Mateo conceivably steal or approach 100 stolen bases in 2015? Maybe.

Mateo has slowed down his pace a bit from when he was chasing down Billy Hamilton’s single-season stolen base record in minor league baseball but has still been stealing bases at an impressive clip. Mateo is likely to finish the season at Charleston before making the jump to Class-A Advanced in 2016 with the Tampa Yankees although New York could decide to get aggressive with the 20 year old and bring him up sooner. If the team does that though they will have to do it soon as the second half of the season in MiLB is well underway.

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	A	87	371	48	92	15	7	2	31	66	33	68	.279	.349	.385	.734

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/20: Don Mattingly Puts Out

On this day in 1987 Yankees first basemen Don Mattingly tied a major league mark when he was credited with 22 put outs in one game.


Also on this day in 1965 Yankees pitcher Mel Stottlemyer hit an inside the park grand slam against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees would win this game 6-3.

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo

The minor league All-Star Games are over, the All-Star break is over and it is back to work as usual for everyone in Major League Baseball and the lower affiliates in the farm system. This includes the Yankees top shortstop prospect Jorge Mateo as he continues his chase at 100 stolen bases in a single season. Mateo’s pace his lowered in recent weeks, well after crossing the 50 stolen base plateau, but the batting average is on a steady rise and so are many of his offensive numbers.

The defense has never really been an issue as Mateo leads an impressive group of Yankees shortstop prospects in the lower levels including Tyler Wade, Abi Avelino and others. Mateo may not steal 100 bases but it is looking more and more likely that the 20 year old won’t be spending much more time in Charleston either. Mateo seems primed, and more importantly ready, for a promotion to Tampa.

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	A	81	346	44	84	13	7	2	31	60	30	64	.273	.342	.380	.722

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table