Let's Secure The Machine...

Photo Credit: AP

Time to Focus on D.J. LeMahieu…

I have to say this baseball off-season has been more eventful than years past, and has been nice to see the big free agents off the board before Christmas. Last year, it seemed like free agent signings and trade activity were frozen while the World waited to see where Manny Machado and Bryce Harper would land. The Yankees had started early with their trade for James Paxton but it was relatively quiet for them until January. Even then, their signing of D.J. LeMahieu in 2019’s first month was met with indifference from the Yankees fan base, maybe some frustration for those who really wanted to see Manny Machado suit up in Pinstripes.

Nearly a year later, we see how invaluable the acquisition of D.J. LeMahieu really was. Many felt that he was the team’s MVP and warranted consideration for the AL MVP Award (he finished a disappointing fourth). I felt he should have been at least third in the voting with no offense to Marcus Semien (being a Yankee always seems to be a negative factor with these types of awards). 

LeMahieu, who will turn 32 in July, enters the final year of his two year, $24 million contract with the Yankees. I’d really like to see the team sign him to an extension now rather than wait until after the season. I think LeMahieu proved his worth in his first Bronx season. He showed he was not a product of Coors Field and actually improved his power numbers away from the Mile High City. His final batting line was .327/.375/.518 with ..375 wOBA and 136 wRC+. He had 26 home runs, eclipsing his previous high of 15 with the Colorado Rockies, and 102 RBIs. His K% was only 13.7%, in line with his career numbers. A superior defender, he is slated to be the Yankees starting second baseman in 2020 with the move of Gleyber Torres to shortstop. Setting the numbers aside, it felt like LeMahieu was always coming up with the big hit when the Yankees needed him the most, almost singlehandedly solving the Yankees’ problem with runners left in scoring position. 

Photo Credit: Tim Warner, Getty Images 

For whatever reason, the Yankees are less aggressive with their own free agents than they are when enamored with an outsider like Gerrit Cole. That’s probably a false generalization but I remember how difficult it seemed for Derek Jeter to get new contracts in his later years, with negotiations very tenuous at times. We saw it this Winter when the Yankees let Didi Gregorius walk and to this date appear ready to let Dellin Betances leave. While I am not sure the Yankees had any intention of bringing back Didi (if they had, they would have given him the qualifying offer), Gregorius said at his Phillies introductory press conference that he had only heard from Brian Cashman once and he was told the Yankees were focused on Gerrit Cole. To me, unless a player is very invested in Pinstriped legacy like Jeter or Mariano Rivera, it is easy for a Yankee free agent to go elsewhere if things get contentious. 

Last off-season, the Yankees gave extensions to Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks. Unfortunately, both subsequently missed significant time with injuries. Maybe that gives the Yankees pause when considering extensions this off-season.  With the need for Torres at short, the Yankees need to stabilize the future of second base and lock up LeMahieu while they have exclusive negotiating rights. Treat him right.  He is a very valuable part of this team and he has proven his worth. As it sits right now, the Yankees need to add a potential left-handed bat, perhaps in a utility infield role. I know, it is well documented the Yankees’ right-handed hitters hit lefties as well as they do righties, and the need for a left-handed bat is overrated. Still, with the departure of Didi, the only left-handed bats are Mike Ford, Mike Tauchman and Tyler Wade. Of course, when he returns next summer after completion of his rehab from Tommy John surgery, the switch-hitting Aaron Hicks can hit from the left side too.   

Slowly, some of the free agent options I’ve liked are starting to come off the board, I thought former Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez might have been a decent option although he has only really played second base. But there are more than a few critics with his game, and he is no longer an option after signing with the Cleveland Indians yesterday. Another guy I really liked as a bounce-back candidate, Travis Shaw, signed in the division with the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Going into the season, I see Tyler Wade as the primary backup for shortstop. He’ll be challenged in Spring Training by Thairo Estrada but when camp breaks toward the end of March, I feel the difference-maker will be Wade’s speed. So, perhaps the best current free agent option for left-handed infield help appears to be former Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis. I know Kipnis, 33 in April, is not the player he once was. But the Yankees would not be asking him to play a major role.  He was some pop as evidenced by his 17 bombs last year even if he is not going to hit for average (.245/.304/.410 in 2019). It’s probably more likely the Yankees bring in a guy like Joe Panik on a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, if anyone at all. 

Photo Credit: George Nitikin, AP

It appears the Yankees will be going with Kyle Higashioka as the backup catcher. I thought they might make a play for Gerrit Cole’s 2019 personal catcher, Martin Maldonado, but he re-signed with the Houston Astros. Another possibility, former Yankee Francisco Cervelli, signed with the Miami Marlins. Considering Cervelli signed for only $2 million, it seems like the Yankees could have easily had him if they had wanted, which reinforces their ‘all or nothing’ approach with Higgy. I am a little uneasy if Gary Sanchez misses considerable time due to injuries but it is time for Higgy to show that he is ready. He has literally spent years training and waiting for this opportunity. I hope we do not see the 39-year-old Erik Kratz in the Bronx but unfortunately, at this point, it appears inevitable we will for at least some stretches next season.

The last spot to be addressed is the bullpen. Despite the rumors continuing to flurry about Josh Hader, I’d still prefer to see the return of Dellin Betances.  I know, he’ll be delayed by his Achilles Heel injury which has been addressed only by rest and not surgery, and carries great risk entering the 2020 season. I guess I am not really ready to see Betances leave and I continue, or at least try, to think optimistically about his recovery. It’s not that I am against Hader, it’s just the incredibly high cost it will take to bring him to the Bronx. The Yankees are almost guaranteed to lose Miguel Andujar in any deal for Hader, as well as some very good and high-ranked prospects. As much as I appreciated Gio Urshela’s breakout last year, I am not 100% convinced the late bloomer can sustain his performance into the new season. No doubt I prefer Gio’s glove over Andujar at third, but if hecan’t hit, it makes more sense to return Andujar to third despite his defensive shortcomings because we know the man can roll out of bed and hit bombs. To his credit, he is trying to get better with the glove and that’s all we can ask. 

The Yankees were connected with Kansas City Royals reliever Tim Hill earlier this off-season and it’s probably more likely the Yankees pursue a lesser name like Hill than one of the best in the game for the bullpen need. Speaking of the Royals, they acquired Chance Adams from the Yankees yesterday. Adams had been designated for assignment last week when the Yankees officially announced Gerrit Cole. When I first heard that Adams was going to the Royals, I was a bit hopeful he was part of a bigger deal to bring Hill to New York, but getting anything more than a “slapdick prospect” (using Blake Snell’s words) for Adams was asking too much. Straight up, the Yankees received a lower level infielder with no power (Cristian Perez). There was a time when we thought Adams was going to be something special for the Yankees but sadly it was not meant to be. I still think he can be an effective reliever so we’ll see if he thrives with the Royals, a lesser pressurized environment for sure. 

It’s nice to know that pitchers and catchers report to Tampa in less than two months. I am ready for MLB’s return (especially after last night’s disappointing loss by my Minnesota Vikings which handed the NFC North division championship to the hated Green Bay Packers). It will be fun to watch the arrival of Gerrit Cole to camp and the barrage of media it is sure to bring when the Yankees highest paid player makes his debut at Steinbrenner Field, surrounded by his new teammates. James Paxton, Luis Severino, and Masahiro Tanaka will almost certainly go unnoticed as they prepare for the 2020 season. 

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy the time with friends and family, and take the time to appreciate all we have with this life. 

As always, Go Yankees!

The Sweet Sound of Victory...

Photo Credit: Mary Altaffer, AP

As John Sterling said, “David John makes long gone!”…

Finally, the Yankees solved the A’s even if it took eleven innings and a few innings of bases juiced with stranded Oakland runners (the A’s left a total 15 men on base, which seems like a 2018 Yankees stat). 

Sure, the Yankees should have called for replay of Matt Chapman’s “double” to left that temporarily gave the A’s a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning. TV replay clearly showed the ball landed outside the left field foul line even if by a fraction of an inch. The entirety of the ball’s imprint in the dirt was on the other side of the chalk line. After the game, Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged he should have asked for replay but the speed of the moment and some uncertainty caused the missed opportunity. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, all’s well that ends well. 

DJ LeMahieu’s lead-off first pitch home run to right in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Yankees the win, 4-3, and snapped the Yankees’ losing streak to the A’s.  The 11th inning happened with such lightning speed. No sooner than I had let out a groan when the A’s Matt Olson led off the top of the frame with a single to center, a quick double play and a pop out ended the inning for Oakland before I could even exhale and set the stage for The Machine’s rapid fire ending.  

Living in Denver, I can remember DJ’s bottom of the ninth, two-out two-run come-from-behind home run as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-4, on September 12, 2018. Clearly, big moments do not phase this man. I am sure that more than a few Rockies fans were wishing the Big Fundy was wearing purple yesterday.

Photo Credit: Andy Cross, The Denver Post

The Yankees scored all of their runs on solo homers. Two, his 31st and 32nd, by the  so-called ‘fat and lazy’ Gary Sanchez (leaving him one short of his own team record) and a game-tying dinger by Aaron Judge in the bottom of the eighth which set the stage for LeMahieu’s late game heroics. The four home runs in the game gave the Yankees 74 homers for the month, setting a new MLB record for most team homers in a single month. For the record, I do not think El Gary is fat and lazy and he’s had my support from the start of his career.  

I was worried the Yankees had lost another player to a critical injury when Zack Britton left the game in the eighth inning with a slight limp. With a ‘glass is half empty’ view, I immediately thought there might be issues with the achilles he tore a couple of years ago. Fortunately, it was reported after the game to be nothing more than cramps and no further tests are scheduled. Whew! We need a healthy Britton in the March to October. Losing Britton would have placed greater urgency on getting Dellin Betances ready to pitch for the first time this year.

Photo Credit: AP

The win gives the Yankees (89-48) the best record in MLB. The Houston Astros lost, 6-4 to the Toronto Blue Jays, to fall a game behind the Yanks. Their record is 88-49.  The Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5 losers to the Arizona Diamondbacks, dropped to 88-50.  

I was optimistic after the game that the Yankees could win this series against the A’s today, but then realized the starting pitcher will be J.A. Happ.  Oh well. I really wish I had more confidence in Happ but unfortunately any confidence has left the building. My only hope is that Happ proves me wrong. Oakland’s Sean Manea will make his 2019 season debut after recovering from left shoulder arthroscopic surgery last September.  

He’s back! Clint Frazier has returned to Yankee Stadium and will be in the Yankees lineup today at DH. I am glad to see Frazier back in Pinstripes. A couple of months ago, I thought he had worn them for the final time. I am hopeful he takes advantage of the latest opportunity to show that he belongs here. With rosters expanding today, the Yankees also recalled RHPs Ryan Dull and Chance Adams. They also moved RHP David Hale to the 60-day IL and signed LHP Tyler Lyons to a MLB contract and selected him from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. I am glad to see the former Cardinals reliever get a shot. Poor Adams has to take a chance on a new number since the last two he has worn are taken. Jonathan Loaisiga has 43 and Mike Mussina “lookalike” Cory Gearrin has Moose’s number 35. I’d call Gearrin ‘Mussina’s Clone’ but that would imply he has the same set of skills which couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s too bad that today, a day Mike Mussina will be honored for his induction into MLB’s Hall of Fame, his number will be active and worn by a journeyman reliever. I love Don Mattingly but I’ve long believed the Yankees should have the same policy as the Los Angeles Dodgers to only retire numbers for Hall of Fame players. Moose now fits that criteria. Well, I guess that I should preface that by saying I am glad nobody will ever wear 15 again. 

Last year, the Yankees set the Major League record for most team home runs with 267 long balls. Sadly, the record was erased yesterday when the Minnesota Twins hit six home runs. Mitch Garver’s second bomb of the game, in the ninth inning of Minnesota’s 10-7 loss to the Detroit Tigers, gave them 268. The Yankees are within striking distance, with 254 home runs, but time is running out to make up ground on the 14 dinger shortage. It really makes you wonder where the Yankees would be if health had been their friend in 2019. No doubt a healthy Giancarlo Stanton could have been the difference maker.  

The Yankees made a minor trade yesterday when they sent Triple A first baseman Ryan McBroom to the Kansas City Royals for international signing bonus pool money and a player to be named later or cash considerations. I realize that McBroom was buried behind more talented players and at 27, he’s not really a prospect anymore. But I liked the guy and he was tearing up Triple A pitching this season with a batting line of .315/.402/.574 and 146 wRC+ (26 home runs and 87 RBIs). The Yankees acquired McBroom from the Toronto Blue Jays on July 23, 2017 for Robert Refsnyder. I’m happy for McBroom. I was hopeful he’d get a shot with the Yankees but it was not meant to be. With rosters expanding today, he should get a shot to make his Major League debut this month with the Royals. Or at least I hope he does. He’s earned the opportunity.

Photo Credit: Tim Dougherty, The Free Lance-Star

I didn’t see how much international signing bonus pool money the Yankees acquired but it’s too bad it came too late to save the signing of talented international outfield prospect Jhon Diaz, who grew tired of waiting for the Yankees to make room for his   $1.4 million signing bonus and signed with AL East rival Tampa Bay. Of the international prospects linked to the Yankees, Diaz was second behind only outfielder Jasson Dominguez who was the head of the class and recipient of most of the year’s allocated bonus pool money. 

Okay, let’s hope our favorite team will HAPPen to find victory today.

As always, Go Yankees!

By Royal Decree, the Yankees are Awesome!...

Photo Credit: Jamie Squire, Getty Images

Yanks Take Two from the KC Royals…

The Yankees made Saturday quite the enjoyable day with two wins in the day/night doubleheader although they had to hold on for dear life in the second game after building an early five-run lead. No matter, a 6-5 win counts the same as 6-1. The Yankees won the first game, 7-3, which had represented a comeback after the Royals had tied the game at 3 in the sixth inning with, surprise, a three-run homer off J.A. Happ. Actually, to Happ’s defense, he pitched better than that and was able to walk away from the game with a win thanks to the power of Luke Voit and good ‘penmanship’ by Adam Ottavino and Luis Cessa.

At 34-17, the Yankees are one game better than they were last year after 51 games. A year ago, at 33-18, they trailed the Boston Red Sox by 2 1/2 games after dropping a 5-1 game to Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros. Their lone run was a homer off the bat of the legendary Greg Bird. The loser that day was Domingo German. He was still in search of his first win as his record fell to 0-3 to go with his 5.45 ERA. What a difference a year makes. This year, the Yankees lead the AL East by 3 games over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays won yesterday but the Yankees were able to gain ground, thanks to the doubleheader sweep. Meanwhile, it was the Boston Red Sox losing to the Astros this year. After a two-run single by Christian Vasquez to tie the game for Boston in the top of the ninth inning, the Astros walked it off in the bottom of the ninth, courtesy of a bases-loaded single by Carlos Correa. The Red Sox are 27-25, and 7 1/2 games behind the Yankees. 

Nice two-run bomb by Luke Voit in the seventh inning of the first game to break the tie. After the ball had landed beyond left field fence, YES Network announcer David Cone called the distance, 470 feet, after commenting that former Royals outfielder Bo Jackson had once hit one into the same area. For the Yankees, it was the longest team home run since Aaron Judge (remember him?) hit one 471 feet in Texas against the Rangers on May 23, 2018. Well, Louis Linwood Voit III is a Missouri native and the state’s motto is “Show-Me”. There’s no question he showed us.

Photo Credit: Charlie Riedel, AP

I was impressed with the job done by Chance Adams in the second game in relief of “opener” Chad Green. While the final line for Adams was not impressive due to defensive miscues in the outfield that were surprisingly not called errors, he held his own and did not buckle under pressure. He gave the Yankees four solid innings despite the three ‘earned’ (yeah, right) runs. Often criticized during his minor league career for a lack of control, he walked only one batter, throwing 45 strikes in 66 pitches. He was attacking the strike zone. It was enough to give Adams his first Major League win. I should add a much deserved win. Up only as the 26-man for the doubleheader, Adams has to return to Triple A. He was previously optioned to Triple A on May 19th so he has a few more days until he is eligible for recall to the big league roster. In my opinion, he should be recalled as soon as he is eligible. He’s earned the right to be on the Major League roster.

Photo Credit: Anthony J Causi, The New York Post

Listening to the Royals announcers talk, I think the one thing that bothered me was their comments the Yankees “paid” for their depth. That makes it sound like they went out and paid millions for replacement players, grabbing an All-Star at every turn. It could not be further from the truth.

Based on the active 25-man roster as it stands right now, these are the currently active so-called “replacement” players. The adjusted salaries are provided by spotrac.com. 

PITCHERS

Jake Barrett

Barrett signed a one-year deal for $555,000 guaranteed (MLB’s minimum salary for 2019) with the Pittsburgh Pirates in March 2019 after he had been claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. The Yankees claimed him on waivers from the Pirates on April 4, 2019. His adjusted salary for the Yankees is $411,792. 

Nestor Cortes Jr

Cortes Jr was originally drafted by the Yankees in the 36th round of the 2013 amateur draft. He is also signed for a one-year, minimum salary deal. His adjusted salary with the big league club is $420,744.

David Hale

Hale re-signed with the Yankees in January 2019 for the minimum one-year, $555,000 in guaranteed money. He had played in South Korea following his release by the Yankees in May 2018. His adjusted salary with the big league club is $393,888.

INFIELD

Thairo Estrada

Estrada was signed as an international amateur free agent on August 2, 2012. Signed to a one-year minimum salary contract, his adjusted salary with the big league club is $489,376.

Gio Urshela

Urshela was originally acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on August 4, 2018 for cash and spent the duration of the 2018 season in Triple A. He was re-signed by the Yankees as a minor league free agent in the off-season and is currently working under the one-year minimum salary contract. His adjusted salary for the Yankees is $528,168.  

OUTFIELD

Clint Frazier

I am only calling Frazier a replacement player because he wasn’t on the Opening Day roster, but he’s obviously more than just a replacement. Frazier was acquired, along with J.P. Feyereisen, Ben Heller, and Justus Sheffield, on July 31, 2016 in the deadline deal that sent Andrew Miller to the Cleveland Indians. Frazier had been picked in the first round, fifth choice overall, of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Indians. For this season, he signed a one-year, $563,300 deal with the Yankees. His adjusted salary for the big league club is $551,096.

Cameron Maybin

Maybin is playing with his third team this year alone. He was signed for the MLB minimum salary by the San Francisco Giants in March 2019. He was released by the Giants about a week before the end of Spring Training, and subsequently signed with the Cleveland Indians where he was toiling in the minor leagues when the Yankees acquired him for cash on April 25, 2019. His adjusted salary with the Yankees is $471,472.

DH

Kendrys Morales

Morales is in the last year of a three-year deal originally signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. When he was acquired by the Oakland A’s on March 27, 2019, the Blue Jays agreed to pay all but $2 million of the $12 million he was owed for the final year of the contract. When the A’s dealt Morales, after designating him for assignment, to the Yankees on May 13th, they included an undisclosed amount of cash which covers the majority of the $9 million is owed for the remainder of the year. According to Spotrac, Morales’s adjusted salary with the Yankees is $1,494,624.

According to my math, that’s a total of $4,761,160. If the Royals announcers want to say the Yankees paid for their depth, I guess you could say the Yankees made a helluva investment for barely more than the Royals are paying Reds castoff Billy Hamilton ($4.25 million). Even with the money being paid to Kendrys Morales, the average adjusted salary for the above listed replacements is $595,145.  What were the Yankees supposed to do when the truckload of Yankee stars were sent to the Injured List? Call up a bunch of Single A players to cover? I take exception to the comments that the Yankees paid their way to this success. They are winning despite NOT foolishly throwing money away. With no offense to this blog’s name, there’s nothing greedy about the Yankees’ approach to treading water until the big boys return. They are doing more than just treading water, they are lapping the pool with smart, economical decisions. 

After I finished writing the above section, it was announced that Jake Barrett had been optioned to Triple A and placed on the Injured List with right elbow inflammation. His spot on the active roster was taken by reliever Joe Harvey who carries an adjusted salary of $477,440 which doesn't really change the scope of my analysis, except the total payout increases to $4,826,808 when you drop Barrett and add Harvey, or an average of $603,351. Regardless of how you look at it, the Yankees are not spending an overabundance of cash to find fill-in players.

It was great to see the clips of Didi Gregorius playing for the Single-A Tampa Tarpons last night. He may have been 0-for-3, but he made a few sparkling defensive plays. At the plate, he had a couple of groundouts and a fly out but it was so great to see a bat in his hands again. I can’t wait for him to get his timing down.  All hail Sir Didi! Soon, very soon, we’ll see #18 in Pinstripes again. I can’t wait.

Photo Credit: Chris O'Meara, AP

Hopefully the Yankees can sweep the KC series today with a win as Domingo German goes for his tenth win (it’s still May, by the way). Some great KC barbecue and a trio of wins would make for a fantastic weekend in the Greater Kansas City Area for the Bronx Bombers. Get a win and head for Yankee Stadium. Sounds like a wonderful plan to me.

As always, Go Yankees!

Yankees back in 1st place

Yankees won their 2nd series against the Rays in 1 week. They take 2 out of 3 games & have moved back into 1st place an 0.5 game up on Tampa. It was a great series & a lot of fun to watch!

Yankees went with the opener today & Chad Green started it off. He went 1 inning but gave up 2 runs along with 2 strikeouts. Yankees then turned to Cortes Jr, he went 4 innings giving up a big 3 run-shot. He settled down striking out 6 with 2 walks. Adam Ottavino & Chance Adams both combined for 3 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts. Big confidence builder for Adams throwing those scoreless innings, as he looks to re-gain his stock.

Yankees offense broke out in the 6th inning scoring 7 runs in that inning. DJ LeMahieu keeps hitting with 3 hits one being a solo shot. Gardner also had 3 hits one bring a solo shot as well. Offense scored 13 runs on 12 hits today. Estrada had a huge pinch-hit bases clearing double.

It was a fun series as the Yankees look to stay in 1st place as the go to Baltimore to face the Orioles in a 4-game set. Since April 16th, the Yankees are 22-8, best in all of baseball. Yankees have J.A Happ going tomorrow as he looks to find his way to get back to the pitcher he was last year when he was acquired by New York.

      

Photo credit: (NY Post/Dan Martin)

Meet the 2019 Yankees: Larry Rothschild

While some things change, other things just stay the same. While there have been tons of movement this offseason with the Yankees and their coaching staff some things have just kept chugging along like it always has. With a new manager and bench coach, among other positions, hired by the Yankees in 2018 the team needed a familiar and proven face to lead the pitching staff, and that face (as grumpy as it always looks) belongs to pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Larry is back in the same position here in 2018, so let's get reacquainted. This is Meet a Coach, and Meet the 2019 Yankees: The Larry Rothschild Edition.


Lawrence Lee Rothschild was born on March 12, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois. Rothschild attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School before heading off to college with the Florida State Seminoles. While with the Seminoles Rothschild was a pitcher before signing with the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent in 1975. Rothschild spent 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs as a relief pitcher from 1975 to 1985, only reaching the Major Leagues with the Tigers. In the Minor Leagues Rothschild compiled a 66-46 record before retiring and entering the world of coaching an MLB team.


From 1986 to 1993 Rothschild worked as a coach with the Cincinnati Reds, winning a World Series ring in 1990 as the team’s bullpen coach. After taking a season off Rothschild returned back to work in 1995 as a pitching instructor with the Atlanta Braves before joining the Florida Marlins later in the 1995 season. Rothschild stayed with the Florida Marlins through the 1997 season winning another World Series ring as a coach before being offered the managerial job with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the 1998 season. Rothschild remained the manager of the Devil Rays until early into the 2001 season when he was fired as the result of three consecutive losing seasons and a 4-10 start to the 2001 season. Rothschild latched on with the Florida Marlins as a consultant for the remainder of the 2001 season before having a bit of a homecoming in 2002 when his hometown Chicago Cubs hired Larry to be the team’s pitching coach.

Rothschild was the Cubs pitching coach from the 2002 season through the 2010 season and even committed to a 10th season in the Windy City before a certain team from the Bronx came calling hoping to land the great pitching and baseball mind.


Before the 2011 season the New York Yankees offered Rothschild a three-year deal to become part of joe Girardi’s staff after firing then pitching coach Dave Eiland. Obviously, Rothschild accepted and has been the Yankees pitching coach ever since. Under Rothschild’s tenure the Yankees pitching staff has pitched to a 4.05 ERA or under every single season. Rothschild has been signing one-year contracts to remain with the Yankees every year since the 2016 season and will hopefully remain with the team for years to come as we have seen pitcher after pitcher flourish under his tutelage. Rothschild has been a major part of and contributor to the recent success with the likes of Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino and could potentially be a huge part of the next wave of Yankees pitching reinforcements as well, namely Jonathan Loaisiga and Domingo German.

Rothschild was a huge “get” from the Chicago Cubs before the 2011 season and has been a huge part of the organization ever since over the past eight seasons. Here’s to another eight seasons, Larry. Thank you for everything that you are and thank you for everything that you do.

Meet the 2019 Yankees: Chance Adams

One of my favorite Yankees prospects coming through the system was and is Chance Adams. Adams was drafted as a relief pitcher and was converted to the starting role down in the Minor Leagues with varying degrees of success. Chance took off as a starter but fell on hard times at the end of the 2017 season and throughout the 2018 campaign as well. I, personally, am not ready to give up on such a promising arm and I fully expect him to bounce back here in 2019 as a starter for the Yankees. Let’s meet him, Mr. Chance Adams.

Chance Adams, 24-years old, is a right-handed starting pitcher out of the New York Yankees organization. Adams’s repertoire consists of a 93 MPH four-same fastball, a 79 MPH curveball, an 85 MPH slider, and a rarely thrown 85 MPH changeup. Adams’ fastball is considered to be average, with little movement, and is used as a pitch-to-contact pitch rather than to strike out opposing batters. Adams uses his slider to generate groundballs to get the majority of his outs. Adams is 6’1” and weighs in at 220 lbs., unless of course he is sporting that impressive beard that he was seen with during the offseason. That has to add a pound or two, you would think.

Chance Adams, no middle name like myself, was born on August 10, 1994 in Scottsdale, Arizona where he attended Chaparral High School. Adams played college baseball at Yavapai College for two years before transferring to Dallas Baptist University. After one year there, the New York Yankees drafted the right-hander in the fifth round of the 2015 MLB First Year Players Draft. Adams made his professional debut with the Staten Island Yankees and finished his first professional season with the High-A Tampa Yankees.

Adams was converted into a starting pitcher beginning in 2016 and saw immediate results from the conversion. Adams started the 2016 season with a 5-0 record with a 2.65 ERA in 12 games before being promoted to Double-A with the Trenton Thunder. Adams finished the season in Trenton with an 8-1 record and a 2.07 ERA. Adams continued to destroy AA pitching in 2017 and quickly earned a promotion to Triple-A before finishing the season with a combined 15-5 record and a 2.45 ERA in 150.1 innings pitched.

Adams would struggle for a lot of the 2018 season, but he was called up to make his MLB debut against the Boston Red Sox inside Fenway Park on August 4. Now, Adams will look to build on the positives from last season and move forward in his path back towards the big-league level. I’m not ready to give up on you Chance, and I’m sure there’s plenty of fans backing you that feel the exact same way as I do. Good luck to you this season and I look forward to seeing you back in the Bronx at some point here in 2019.

Predicting the Yankees 2018 September Call Ups

Tomorrow marks the end of August and the August 31^st trade deadline, but it also marks the beginning of the month of September and the subsequent September call ups that we will see around Major League Baseball. Who will the Yankees call up on September 1^st and throughout the month of September? Let’s take a stab at predicting it.

Justus Sheffield will be in the Yankees bullpen in September. All signs point to it and Aaron Boone himself said it would happen, so you can count on it. Sheffield has posted a 2.55 ERA across Double-A and Triple-A this season in 112.2 innings pitched and he needs a 40-man roster spot anyway to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft after the 2018 season, may as well take the plunge now. Bye, AJ Cole.

The entire 40-man roster is eligible to be called up too which, assuming health, includes:

Tyler Wade, Clint Frazier, Jonathan Loaisiga, Luis Cessa, Ryan Bollinger, Domingo German, Chance Adams, Albert Abreu, and Thairo Estrada.

Remember that Gary Sanchez will likely be back in September as well as Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius and Aroldis Chapman. Fingers crossed.

Top 20 Yankees Prospects Pre-August 31st Trade Deadline

Roansy Contreras - Photo credit Pinstriped Prospects

The countdown is on as the August 31^st trading deadline is now less than two weeks away. Will the Yankees make a significant move? Who will be this year’s Justin Verlander? Will the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners add more pieces? So many questions and not enough answers. Here is an even better question, will the Yankees trade any more notable prospects before the trading deadline? And if so, who are those notable prospects? Again, more unanswered questions, but I think I can help with the last question. Here are my Top 20 Yankees prospects before the August 31^st trading deadline. Enjoy.

(1)    Justus Sheffield

(2)    Estevan Florial

(3)    Jonathan Loaisiga

(4)    Albert Abreu

(5)    Domingo Acevedo

(6)    Anthony Seigler

(7)    Clarke Schmidt

(8)    Trevor Stephan

(9)    Luis Medina

(10) Matt Sauer

(11) Everson Pereira

(12) Thairo Estrada

(13) Garrett Whitlock

(14) Deivi Garcia

(15) Chance Adams

(16) Domingo German

(17) Josh Breaux

(18) Michael King (not a popular opinion, and I am okay with that)

(19) Ryder Green

(20) Roansy Contreras

Saving Private Britton...

Photo Credit: AP (Rich Schultz)

Yanks Overcome Weather & Rangers for the Win…

It was raining and we had a closer with a bum knee on the mound who has shown an inability to consistently throw strikes (recently). A walk, a single, and a hit by pitch had the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the ninth inning for Aroldis Chapman. He fell behind the next hitter, Jurickson Profar, on a 3-1 count. With the Yankees leading by two, a misplaced pitch could have brought the Rangers within one and the bases still juiced. Fortunately, the Cuban Missile rose to the occasion and delivered two well-placed four-seam fastballs to send the Rangers back to their NYC hotel on a losing note. Yankees win, 5-3.

Credit to Lance Lynn. I can’t say I was too excited when the Yankees acquired him last month (it felt kinda like ‘Jaime Garcia Revisited’) but this guy has a mental toughness that I did not know or expect. I guess if I had been paying better attention to the St Louis Cardinals the last few years, I would have known but the Cards are not exactly high on my priority list. Lynn didn’t provide the Yankees with length since he was gone after five innings and 99 pitches, but at least he held the Rangers to only one run on five hits. He issued three free passes but at least he struck out eight. If he had given up three or four runs, the Yankees most likely would have lost this game. He may not have gotten the win (thanks to Zach Britton’s meltdown), but he put his team in position to win. That’s all you can ask.  

Photo Credit: NY Post (Corey Sipkin)

As for Britton, I am not going to rip the guy. He missed most of the season after rupturing his right Achilles while sprinting during an off-season workout last December. He was still working himself back to form when the Yankees acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles. With the Yankees, his role changed from closer to basically seventh inning setup. The other night, after Chad Green had given up a couple of runs, he placed some of the blame on his role change. The same can be said for Britton. He’s a pro, and he is only a couple seasons removed from being the most elite reliever in baseball before injuries derailed him. I think as he rounds back into form, he’ll give the Yankees the pitcher they thought they were acquiring from the O’s.  

Nevertheless, the seventh inning was ugly. After retiring the first two batters, Britton loaded the bases on a couple of hits and a walk. He then walked future Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre to cut the Yankees’ lead to 3-2. Exit Britton and enter Dellin Betances. A balk on the big guy tied the game and removed Lynn’s ability to get the win.  

There will be better days for Britton. I have faith and confidence he’ll get this right. Although Britton is quick to admit that his troubles have been “self-inflicted”, Manager Aaron Boone remains in his corner (as he should). If the Yankees make it to October, I have no doubt Britton will come up huge.  

For most of the season, I’ve been supportive of Gleyber Torres for AL Rookie of the Year over Shohei Otani of the Los Angeles Angels. But yesterday showed the real ROY should be Miguel Andujar. His two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh restored the Yankees’ two-run lead which ultimately gave the Yankees (and ironically Dellin Betances) the much-needed win. 17 homers, 55 RBI, .296/.329/.511, .841 OPS, all those extra base hits. And to think I actually wanted the Yankees to re-sign Todd Frazier last winter.  ESPN projects Andujar’s final stats to read 24 homers and 77 RBIs with the nearly .300 batting average. Sign me up all day long. That’s better production than we’ve seen out of third base for a long time or before age caught up with Alex Rodriguez.  

Photo Credit: AP (Bill Kostroun)

Despite the win, the Yankees (73-43) lost a half-game to the Boston Red Sox and now trail the AL East leaders by 9 1/2 games. The Red Sox took two from their 2018 punching bag, the lowly Baltimore Orioles, yesterday and they have Chris Sale on the mound for today’s series finale at Camden Yards. The Red Sox have forgotten how to lose. The Yankees maintained their 4 1/2 game lead on the Oakland A’s and 6 games on the Seattle Mariners in the Wild Card standings.  

The return of Chance Adams to Triple A did not go so well. After holding his own against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in his last start, he imploded in Durham, NC against the Bulls. Even though he wasn’t the loser, his final line was enough to keep him away from Yankee Stadium for awhile. 3 1/3 innings, eight hits, seven runs, four walks, two home runs allowed (including one to former Yankee Rob Refsnyder). The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders rallied in the ninth to take the lead but the Bulls won it with a walk-off two run homer by former Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Austin Meadows. Meadows, who came to the Tampa Bay Rays organization in the Chris Archer deal, had two home runs on the day.  

The Luke Voit acquisition has been a head-scratcher for most of us. I’ve seen the references that he is basically Tyler Austin but with an extra year of control. But he is not really doing anything for me. He has two hits in twelve at-bats for the Yankees and a couple of RBI’s. Meanwhile, Tyler Austin homered on Saturday in his debut with the Minnesota Twins. I haven’t seen anything to lead me to believe Voit deserves a spot on the active roster. With Neil Walker’s ability to play first base, I’d rather see Ronald Torreyes back in the Bronx. Another name that probably deserves stronger consideration over Voit is first baseman Ryan McBroom. The downside, and enough to keep him away from the Bronx, is that he does not have a place on the 40-man roster. McBroom got demoted to Double A when the Yankees acquired Voit, but he was elevated back to the RailRiders when Voit got the call for the Show. Between Double and Triple A, McBroom, acquired from the Blue Jays organization last summer for the aforementioned Rob Refsnyder, has hit .312/.354/.482, .836 OPS. He has 15 home runs and 54 ribbies with his time in Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 26 year-old is much more deserving of the Pinstripes than the weight room junkie Voit.   

Photo Credit: Todd Hiller

I’d love to see the Yankees dump outfielder Shane Robinson but that’s not going to happen as long as Giancarlo Stanton is nursing a tight left hamstring that has relegated him to strict DH duties. If the Yankees are not going to trade for outfield help, I can only hope that Clint Frazier gets healthy soon. At this point, I’d prefer Zack Zehner (SWB) or Trey Amburgey (Trenton) over Robinson but that darn 40-man roster will keep them away.   

I’ll be heading out to Coors Field soon to watch the Colorado Rockies host Manny Machado and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last night was a tough game to watch. The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but with no closer (Kenley Jansen was sent back to LA on Friday night with an irregular heartbeat), the Dodgers bullpen collapsed to set the stage for Rockies rookie infielder Ryan McMahon’s walk-off three-run bomb. So, despite our bullpen woes yesterday, it could have been much, much worse as the Dodger fans will attest. Hopefully today is a better day for the Dodger Blue.

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Joe Mahoney)

For the Yankees, they have a chance to take three of four from Texas with a win today. We want a win and we need a win. CC Sabathia (6-4, 3.49 ERA) gets the call. He’ll be opposed by Martin Perez (2-4, 6.15 ERA). Keep Ronald Guzman from crossing home plate and put more runs on the board than the Rangers, that’s all I ask. After the Yankees conclude today’s game, they’ll prepare for a classic pitcher’s duel tomorrow at Yankee Stadium when the New York Mets come to the Bronx for a single makeup game. Luis Severino against Jacob deGrom. It should be a great one. I am really hoping Sevy has put his recent struggles behind him.  

Go Yankees!