Welcome to Spring Training 2018...

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Kim Klement)

Now arriving at Steinbrenner Field…everybody!  

Today is the full reporting date for the New York Yankees with the arrival of all remaining position players. It’s an exciting day for the Yankees Universe as the Pinstripers begin preparations for what hopefully will lead to the 28th World Championship for MLB’s most storied franchise and our favorite team.

Even though the Yankees were not in the news, it was a very active Saturday night around Major League Baseball last evening. 

The evening started with news that the Tampa Bay Rays had acquired first baseman/DH C.J. Cron from the Los Angeles Angels. The Cron move, from the Angels perspective, makes sense.  Shohei Otani is expected to take DH time away from Albert Pujols, which will force Pujols to play more first base than he did last year (143 games at DH, 6 games at first). Luis Valbuena has the ability to handle both infield corners, whereas Cron was strictly 1B/DH, making the latter the more expendable of the two. I honestly do not understand the move from the Rays perspective. They have a need at first base given that Lucas Duda and Logan Morrison, last year’s first basemen, are both currently free agents and not expected to re-sign with the Rays. But to make room for Cron, they designated outfielder Corey Dickerson, the Rays’ sole representative on last year’s AL All-Star team, for assignment.  Dickerson hit .282 last season with 27 home runs and 62 RBI’s (carrying a respectable .815 OPS). The Rays either have a specific trade in mind or they know they have good trade alternatives to consider for Dickerson who will never see the waiver wire.  

The Rays weren’t finished. They followed the Cron trade by sending starter Jake Odorizzi to the Minnesota Twins for shortstop Jermaine Palacios. While I did not want a fly ball pitcher like Odorizzi pitching for the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, I was surprised by the low cost for Minnesota to acquire the pitcher. Zack Littell, one of the prospects that the Yankees sent to the Twins in last year’s head-scratching trade for Jaime Garcia, is rated significantly higher among prospects in the Twins organization than Palacios. Good move by the Twins, but apparently, Tampa Bay Rays GM Erik Neander was drunk-dialing his friends last night. His first words this morning probably were, “OMG, I did what?”  Maybe Yankees GM Brian Cashman should have called Neander last night to ask about Chris Archer.

The evening was capped by the long-awaited and much-anticipated free agent signing of first baseman Eric Hosmer by the San Diego Padres. Hosmer joins the now bearded former Yankee Chase Headley in lovely San Diego.  Hosmer’s deal has two components. 5 years guaranteed for $105 million, with an opt-in for an additional 3 years and $39 million after 2022. Agent Scott Boras ensured that the contract was front-loaded for his client in what has been a very stagnant free agent market. The Hosmer signing has ramifications for several other players.  Hosmer was viewed as a potential fall-back for the Boston Red Sox if they are unsuccessful in their stare-down with free agent outfielder J.D. Martinez. The move also increases the likelihood Mike Moustakas re-signs with the Kansas City Royals. The Royals preferred Hosmer over Moustakas but now that Hosmer is off the table, the Royals will most likely attempt to bring back Moose Tacos, eliminating any thoughts that the third baseman might accept a one year pillow contract with the Yankees.  

It’s only been a few days but I am very impressed with how Gleyber Torres has handled himself this spring. He’s so young (21) but he shows maturity beyond his years. He has made a very strong effort to converse in English which is never an easy thing to do. Most of us raised with English as our primary language struggle with it. Torres wants to make the Opening Day roster but he has stated he would understand if he has to go to the minors to start the season.  His words, from what I’ve seen, are team-oriented and not selfish like some players. He is my favorite to be the Yankees starting second baseman, either on Opening Day or within a few weeks after the season has started. Even though the Yankees have publicly stated that service time will not be a consideration, I am convinced the Yankees, given a choice, would wait to start Gleyber’s service time clock to delay free agency by a year. He is an exciting player and once he grabs second base, he’ll be a long-term fixture in the Bronx.  

Photo Credit: New York Post (Charles Wenzelberg)

It may be inevitable that Manny Machado and the Yankees join forces after the season, but I have reservations. Manny will head into the season as Baltimore’s starting shortstop, his preferred position, and is making comments that he expects to player there for a very long time. According to Machado, “This is where my heart has always been, this is what I’ve wanted to do.  This is what I’ve always wanted to do. This what I came into this world to do — to play shortstop at the big league level. Finally, Buck and the Baltimore organization are giving me the opportunity to go out there and do what I can at that position and show myself. That’s been my dream all along. I’m really looking forward to it.” Machado added, “Once I do it this year, it’s not something that’s just switching off. I’m making the transition. Hopefully, I want to stay there and continue doing it. This is where my heart has always been. Finally getting an opportunity to do it for a full season. I’m looking forward to it, and hopefully I can continue playing [shortstop] for a long time.” I’ve seen comments say the Yankees would/should move Didi Gregorius to third base to accommodate Machado. I am sorry but that’s not a price I think the Yankees should pay. Didi has earned the right to be the team’s starting shortstop. He’s such a team guy that I am sure he’d make the move if asked, but why should he? I like Machado but there are other options. I really hope that Miguel Andujar grabs third base this year and runs with it, eliminating the need for Machado. The plan for next offseason should not be ‘Machado or Bust’ unless he recognizes that the only path to the Bronx is and should be third base. Andujar has the ability to make this entire issue moot.

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Jonathan Daniel)

Here are the number assignments for the Yankees coaching staff (thanks to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com):

17-Aaron Boone, Manager

59-Josh Bard, Bench Coach

60-Mike Harkey, Bullpen Coach

64-Carlos Mendoza, Infield Coordinator/Quality Control Coach

53-Phil Nevin, Third Base Coach

63-P.J. Pilittere, Assistant Hitting Coach

58-Larry Rothschild, Pitching Coach

62-Marcus Thames, Hitting Coach

50-Reggie Willits, First Base Coach/Outfield Instructor

It’s going to be fun to watch the coming days at Steinbrenner Field. Granted, it will be a disappointment if this year’s team falls short of its quest for a World Championship, but the ride is going to be magnificent. Welcome Yankees, one and all!  Let’s get to work.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Go Yankees!

Recap: Yankees 3, Rays 2

During their recent cold streak, the Yankees have been desperately searching for someone to spark their offense.

They found him Saturday in the form of Brett Gardner.

Gardner crushed a walk-off solo home run off Erasmo Ramirez in the ninth, lifting the Yankees to a 3-2 win over the Rays at Yankee Stadium.

Gardner went 3-for-4 on the afternoon, tying the game with a bases-loaded infield single in the seventh. The hit likely would have plated another run had it gotten through to center, but Rays lefty Xavier Cedeno was able to deflect it.

Gardner's late heroics helped the Yankees overcome nonexistent hitting in the early-going.

The Yanks' bats managed just one earned run -- coming on a wild pitch in the first -- on two hits in five innings against rookie Blake Snell, who was making his major-league debut.

But thanks to a second straight strong start by Masahiro Tanaka, New York kept it close.

Tanaka surrendered just two earned runs across seven innings, yielding five hits while walking one and striking out seven. He allowed an RBI double to Corey Dickerson in the fourth and a solo shot to Kevin Kiermaier in the fifth, but never let Tampa Bay extend its lead.

And with the Yankees' bullpen as good as it is this season, that's all the team really needed.

Dellin Betances fanned two in a 1-2-3 top of the eighth, and Andrew Miller worked around a one-out single to put up his own zero in the ninth.

The Yankees then began the bottom of the frame with a couple of weak groundouts, before Gardner ended it by clubbing a 3-1 fastball into the upper deck in right.

WHAT IT MEANS: The Yankees clinched their first series victory since taking two of three from the Astros Opening Week. They are now 7-9 on the year, 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Orioles.

NEXT UP: The Yankees go for the three-game sweep on Sunday. Michael Pineda (1-1, 5.29 ERA) and Drew Smyly (0-2, 2.91 ERA) are slated to be your starters, with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. ET.

Spring Training Competitions & Fantasy Baseball

Pitchers and catchers have reported to their various spring camps and first workouts are already underway as we inch closer to the 2016 regular season. As we inch closer to the 2016 regular season we also inch closer to the 2016 Fantasy Baseball season and your fantasy baseball drafts if you haven’t had yours already. I tend to like to wait until March, sometimes even late-March, before having my draft because so many things can happen between the beginning of spring training and the beginning of the regular season with injuries and spring training competitions being at the top of my precautionary list. You can’t predict or analyze injuries for the most part but you can analyze and take a stab at predicting the spring training competitions though and I will attempt to do just that in hopes of helping you with your upcoming fantasy baseball drafts.

We’ll start in the American League East with the Toronto Blue Jays and their closer situation. Will it be Roberto Osuna or will it be recently acquired Drew Storen? Storen could close and the Blue Jays could opt to place Osuna in the starting rotation or they could place Aaron Sanchez in the rotation and let Osuna and Storen battle it out for the 9^th inning. In my opinion I think the team attempts their own dominant back end of the bullpen and at least starts the season, barring one disaster or amazing spring training from either one of these men, with Storen in the 8^th and Osuna in the 9^th.

Sticking with the AL East theme we head down to Tropicana Field with the Tampa Bay Rays to try and sort out their outfield, first base and DH position battle they have going on. As it stands now Kevin Keirmaier is a lock for the team with Corey Dickerson, Steven Souza, Desmond Jennings, Steve Pearce, Logan Morrison and Mikie Mahtook vying for playing time. The team also has James Loney at first base but with capable first base options like Morrison and Pearce his job may be on the line as well. This is going to be one of the tougher ones to predict but you have to think Dickerson gets one of the starting spots with Keirmaier and Jennings while Loney stays at first base and Morrison spends much of his time at the DH position. Pearce should see plenty of time off the bench though and is eligible at multiple positions this season once again.

I’ve said many times this winter that even the worst team is going to have around 30-50 saves throughout a season. Even a team that loses 100 games is going to have 62 wins so giving a team 30-50 saves is not out of the realm of possibilities. The real question is will all those saves go to one person, which is ideal in fantasy, or to multiple people, which obviously is not. This is the question you should be asking if you’re in need of a closer and trying to decide who will close games for team’s like the Miami Marlins, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers to name a few. Spring competitions are all over with Will Smith battling Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress in Milwaukee, David Hernandez battling Ernesto Frieri and Edward Mujica in Philadelphia, AJ Ramos battling Carter Capps in Miami and Jason Grilli battling former Yankees prospect Arodys Vizcaino in Atlanta. If I had to pick a winner in each of these competitions I would have to go with Will Smith in Milwaukee, David Hernandez in Philadelphia, AJ Ramos in Miami and Jason Grilli in Atlanta but all will have extremely short leashes on from Opening Day on. If you’re set elsewhere and you absolutely need a closer it may be worth grabbing two options from one team just to make sure you have the saves situation handled, one can easily be traded or passed through waivers to the free agent market later on.

So there you have it, the spring competitions that could impact your fantasy baseball draft and league this season. There are more, the Yankees bullpen, the Washington Nationals shortstop situation, the Tigers center field situation, whether Hanley Ramirez will stick at first base in Boston, various starting pitching competitions around the league and almost the entire Atlanta Braves team is up for grabs. Spring training is close and I can’t say how excited I am to be talking about it and how excited I am to be talking about fantasy baseball. That means real baseball is near and that makes me smile. Hope this information helps and if it does pass it on!

Fantasy Baseball: Who are the Tampa Bay Rays?

The Tampa Bay Rays are a team in transition and a team that is constantly rebuilding. The team is absolutely stacked on the pitching side of things with Chris Archer leading the way but injuries set the team back in a major way in 2015. The team will now look to have a healthier and more productive 2016 after adding a couple new faces and after getting a couple old faces back from the disabled list with their eyes on the prize that is the American League East division. While the Rays have their eyes set on October in real life those same Tampa Bay Rays can help you reach the same October playoff goal, just in your fantasy baseball league of course. 

The first new face in Tampa is former Colorado Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson who leaves the friendly confides of Coors Field to come to a more pitching friendly ballpark in Tropicana Field. For that reason alone he may not be worth where he is going to be ranked or taken but he will still likely give you 20-25 home run power at an outfield position and that’s never bad. He’s one that will likely be taken before I feel comfortable taking him but if he’s there and in your comfort level then go for it, he’s a good ball player with a lot to like. 

Another new face is Brad Miller who is not going to put up ungodly numbers at the dish but at an anemic position offensively like shortstop his .258 average, 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases is near the top of the second tier player list at the position. Miller is only 26-years old and is technically entering his prime so you may see those numbers tick a bit higher in 2016. 

A stalwart in the Rays lineup lately is outfielder Kevin Kiermaier who had a solid 2015 campaign that not too many outside of the AL East really knew about. Kiermaier can get you 15 home runs and steal you 20-30 bases in a season while adding Gold Glove caliber defense to the squad. 

Finally you have to look at the prospects currently coming out of the Tampa Bay system. They always seem to have one or two that burst onto the scene in a big way and besides, it’s Prospects Month so we’re almost obligated to talk about them here today. The Rays best pitching prospect in the system is Blake Snell and he just may break camp with the club this season. The Rays will try to piece together a solid rotation behind Archer and Matt Moore until Alex Cobb returns from Tommy John surgery and a combination of Drew Smyly and Snell are likely going to do it for Tampa. Meanwhile the best and closest positional prospect is first baseman Richie Schaffer who is also eligible at third base. Schaffer would likely have to be a DH in Tampa or replace an injured first baseman but in 74 at bats with the club last year he belted four home runs showing off his raw power. If Shaffer gets a shot he could deliver some big home run and RBI numbers for the Rays and your club, just don’t expect a high average or a terribly high runs scored stat to go along with it. 

There you have it, the young guns and the prospects that are likely going to make or break the Tampa Bay Rays season and that can also make or break your fantasy draft this season. I hope the information helped and if it did pass it along to someone else in need. If it didn’t help then I apologize, but I have a feeling that it will. Enjoy and thanks for reading. 

HOT SEAT FANTASY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: COREY DICKERSON

Rising MLB star, Corey Dickerson was recently traded from the Rockies to the Rays. Fantasy players had high hopes for Corey's 2015 season but chronic plantar fasciitis and rib fractures limited him to 224 AB. He still managed to bat .303 with 10 HR in limited duty.

Manager Walt Weiss has been quoted as saying, "this kid could hit underwater." His talent is not being questioned. We're going to look at the long term implications of his 2015 injuries and see if he is worth the gamble in 2016.

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