The Power of Lefties...

  

Photo Credit: Eric Espada, Getty Images

Busy Trading Deadline for Yanks…

This was the type of trading deadline I had hoped for in 2019 that didn’t come to fruition. The Yankees were heavily involved this year, adding all left-handers. We’ve been screaming for lefty bats (a glaring weakness since the departure of guys like Didi Gregorius) and were gifted two of the most powerful lefty bats on the market. The long-anticipated bat of Joey Gallo and the surprise acquisition of Anthony Rizzo. The moves on the pitching side lacked the substance of the offensive additions but the Yankees also acquired lefty pitchers Joely Rodriguez and Andrew Heaney.

I know the complaints about Gallo (too much like other hitters in the lineup, strikes out too much) but he is a good baseball player. The batting average doesn’t mean anything. His ability to crush baseballs and get on base, to go with excellent baserunning instincts and Glove Glove level defense make him a tremendous addition. The fact he’s not a rental is that much sweeter. I’d rather have Joey Gallo playing for me than against me. For as much talk as I’ve heard how he’ll like the short porch in right at Yankee Stadium, I was a little surprised when I heard that he has not hit a home run at Yankee Stadium. I looked it up and he has one career homer against the Yankees. It was a second inning home run off Masahiro Tanaka at the old Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas on May 21, 2018 (Yankees won that game, 10-5).

As much as I am excited about the addition of Anthony Rizzo, I am less enthused about a rental for this year’s team. If I felt better about the team’s chances this year, it would be one thing, but I do not. Kevin Alcantara was my favorite outfield prospect outside of Jasson Dominguez and I feel he has tremendous potential. I was excited about a future outfield featuring Alcantara and Dominguez. Not trying to “prospect-hug” but sacrificing such a promising player for 2-3 months of Rizzo seems like a huge risk. If the Yankees surprise me and win the World Series this year, no doubt it will have been worth it. But if not, it will be tough to watch Alcantara achieve future Major League success. Nevertheless, now that Rizzo is a Yankee, I am happy. I love superior defense at first base…something that has been missing since Mark Teixeira retired. I’d love to see the Yankees find a way to re-sign Rizzo in the off-season, but not sure if that’s in the cards. Now that the Los Angeles Dodgers have shortstop Trea Turner, it seems like there is a good chance they might let Corey Seager walk at the end of the year. I’d love to see either Seager or Trevor Story take over shortstop to push Gleyber Torres back to second base. This of course would push D.J. LeMahieu to first base and he obviously needs to play. I suppose the Yankees could trade Torres for pitching, sign either Seager or Story AND Rizzo, keeping LeMahieu at second. After one game and listening to Rizzo talk, he seems like he could become such a fan favorite in the Bronx like he was in Chicago. Team chemistry is so important and Rizzo is clubhouse glue.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

There’s no question the Yankees will need to reconstruct the team this off-season. Good for them to stay below the luxury tax penalty but they need to use the savings to help rebuild a team that can be a force in the AL East and not a marginal Wild Card team like they are now. 

I was probably more excited about initially speculated reliever John King as part of the Gallo trade than I was the pitcher who was actually acquired, Joely Rodriguez. The Yankees saw something in the medicals for King (shoulder issue) which caused the restructure of the trade. On the bright side, the step down from King to Rodriguez meant the Yankees were able to hang on to outfield prospect Everson Pereira, another one of my favorites. I am sure the Yankees did their homework on Rodriguez and I am hopeful he’ll find success in the Yankees bullpen.

Photo Credit: Smiley N. Pool, Staff Photographer, The Dallas Morning News

I think all of us wanted the Yankees to acquire former Minnesota Twins ace Jose Berrios. It was a little disappointing a division rival (Toronto Blue Jays) acquired him, but I can’t fault the Yankees. The Blue Jays gave up two top five prospects. Not sure I’d want to see the Yankees pay that price. Given the strength of Toronto’s farm system, the bright side is they depleted some of it. Sure, I’d rather have Berrios than not, but it’s not the end of the world. 

It felt a little underwhelming when it was announced the Yankees had acquired former Los Angeles Angels starter Andrew Heaney. I know he has become a journeyman pitcher, but there was a time when he was considered one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in the game back during his days in the Miami Marlins organization. Perhaps the Yankees can find something in him to help position him for great rotation depth as the team’s “sixth” starter, pushing Nestor Cortes, Jr back into a more traditional bullpen role. 

Welcome to the Yankees family, Joey, Anthony, Joely, and Andrew!  Your mission is simple…get us to October baseball and just win.

Yankees fans have been calling for Kyle Schwarber for years. I guess we’ll painfully see that swing in Yankee Stadium more often now that he is a member of the Boston Red Sox. I am glad Boston was unable to make any significant pitching upgrades at the deadline. I would have hated to see them get Max Scherzer although that was never realistic given Max’s geographical preferences. Unfortunately, the Red Sox will soon get a pitching upgrade in the form of a healthy Chris Sale, but Boston is far from our worry right now. As Buck Showalter said last night, the Yankees may be 3 ½ games out of the Wild Card chase, but if you look at the loss column only, they are two games out. I say this from a biased point of view, but I do feel strongly the Yankees are a better team than the Oakland A’s or Seattle Mariners. Now that they have balance in the lineup, and will soon get help from Luis Severino and Corey Kluber, there is a very strong chance that the team will get hot and go on an extended winning roll with the newly improved roster.

The jury is still out on Aaron Boone. If the Yankees do fail to achieve the playoffs or make the Wild Card game and bow out, his time as Yankees manager must end. Let’s not waste the best years of Gerrit Cole’s career with poor managerial decisions. Time for a pro to handle the reigns. 

As always, Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins 4/24

And just like that Yankees fans we are back in the Bronx as New York and Yankee Stadium get ready to play host to the Minnesota Twins in the second of a four-game set this week. In the start tonight the Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with Jose Berrios for the Twins. The game will be played at 6:35 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app or by tuning into the Yankes radio broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Follow us on Twitter, @GreedyStripes, and “Like” us on Facebook, The Greedy Pinstripes, to keep up with us and the Yankees all season long. Enjoy the game, continue the beatdown on the Twins, and go Yankees!!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins 4/24

The New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins will be back at it again tonight in the Bronx, and back to that weird start time, with the second game of their four-game set this week inside Yankee Stadium. Last night was Tanaka time and tonight the Yankees watch as the veteran CC Sabathia heads out to the mound to face off with Jose Berrios for the Twins. CC looked good in his first start since coming off the disabled list, but the Yankees will need a little more length out of the veteran southpaw before he is truly relied upon here in 2018.

Sabathia will make his fourth start of the 2018 campaign tonight here in the Bronx and will be looking to pitch past the fifth inning for the first time in this young season. Sabathia has been effective tossing a 2.70 ERA and is fresh off a start against the Toronto Blue Jays where he allowed just two unearned runs I 4.1 innings pitched but will need to provide some length tonight against the Twins if at all possible.

Berrios had a breakout season for Minnesota in 2017 posting a 14-8 record with a 3.89 ERA and will look to improve on that here in 2018. Berrios is off to a good start this year with a 2-1 record and a 1.63 ERA and will look to improve on his career numbers against the Yankees which currently sit at 1-1 with a 3.62 ERA. However, Berrios is 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA in his only trip to Yankee Stadium in his career, where he makes his return to tonight.

The game will be played at 6:35 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network locally and MLB Network outside of the Yankees market. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Enjoy the game, the Yankees are the Twins daddies, and go Yankees!!

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins 9/19

And just like that it is game time once again in the Bronx as the New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium are just about ready to play host to the Minnesota Twins. If the season ended today these two teams would face off head-to-head in the American League Wild Card Playoff Game and the consolation prize of facing off with the Cleveland Indians in a five-game series. Oh joy. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound looking to take one step closer while shaving a game or two off the Yankees magic number to clinch a postseason spot while the Twins will counter with Jose Berrios who looks to keep Minnesota in front of teams like the Rays, Orioles, Rangers, Mariners and Angels to name a few who are chasing them down for that final playoff spot. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on WPIX channel 11, ESPN and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by tuning into the WFAN broadcast.

Follow us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes and enjoy the game. Need a win, make things even more interesting in the Wild Card race, and get a win. Go Yankees!

Prediction: Yankees win 5-3

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins 9/19

The New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins are back at it again tonight in the Bronx in what is likely to be a preview of the American League Wild Card Game here in 2017. The Yankees are currently set to host that game if the season ended today much like the team is set to host the Twins tonight inside Yankee Stadium. The Yankees did some starting pitching juggling this weekend, more on that later, leaving CC Sabathia to start for the Yankees tonight while the Twins will counter with Jose Berrios. Leave a bad taste in these Twins mouths, enjoy the game.

Sabathia wasn’t long for his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays lasting just 4.1 innings on September 11. The reasoning? The Yankees didn’t want Sabathia to face the Rays most dangerous hitter in Evan Longoria for a third time despite the fact that the veteran lefty has posted a 2-0 record with a 3.14 ERA since returning from the DL with knee pain.

Berrios was good in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays allowing just one run on five hits in 5.2 innings of work striking out five and walking four. That was a home game for Berrios and the Twins where Berrios has been dominant with a 2.45 ERA. The road has been a different story for Berrios this season though as the Twins youngster has a 5.14 ERA on the road here in 2017 which is not an encouraging stat when you’re about to square off with Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and the Yankees prolific offense.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on WPIX channel 11, ESPN and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with the legendary John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Keep watching that magic number drop and keep that pressure up on the Boston Red Sox in the AL East Division, all at the poor ole Minnesota Twins expense, just like old times. Need a win, get a win. Go Yankees!

So it Seems…. Wow What a Weekend

Wow what a weekend it was so you’ll have to excuse us as we once again play catch up here on the blog. My future sister-in-law got married over the weekend so I spent much of my weekend at that and let me say, wow what a weekend. Wow, what a wedding. The wedding they planned and pulled off was amazing and it was so beautiful and fun. I even, for literally the first time in my life, danced with my beautiful Kari. Yes, that’s not a typo. I have never danced in my life. Not at a school dance, never.

The Yankees played well over the weekend essentially putting the nail in the coffin of the Orioles season which was always entertaining to watch as well. What a weekend. What a weekend full of fun, family, friends, love and happiness. Just like life is supposed to be, and if you don’t have all those things then you are doing something wrong. Only you can change it and only you can find true happiness, so find it.

Good morning everyone, I hope you all have the very best day. Especially you. HEY YOU. I loves you. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Minnesota Twins 7/19

Let’s make this a game that Brian Cashman could be proud of. I mean, it is his day on the blog after all. Go out there and win it for the Cashman! In all seriousness though it is game time between the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins. In the finale of their three-game set the Yankees will send Jordan Montgomery out to the mound to take on Jose Berrios of the Twins. The game will be played at 1:10 pm ET inside Target Field in Minnesota and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars, while you’re at work like I am and on the radio by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

5K followers on Twitter was nothing, now I want 6K. Come on Greedy Pinstripes family, unite. Follow us by following @GreedyStripes and tell your friends. Go Yankees!!!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Minnesota Twins 7/19

The New York Yankees really needed to come out and make a statement here in this series with the Minnesota Twins and I am not entirely sure that one can say that definitively. The Yankees can go a long way to getting back on track with a victory tonight in the finale but the Twins are a team that New York has owned over the years. A sweep would have been ideal, how sweep it would have been, as the losses continue to pile on but the great thing about baseball is that every day is a new day. Every game is a new game. Every series is a new series. Let’s end this series on a high note and let it flow into the next series, that’s all you can do. In the finale today the Yankees will send Jordan Montgomery to the mound to square off with the Twins starter Jose Berrios.

Montgomery was not sharp during his last start against the Boston Red Sox allowing a two-run home run and a third run in just four innings of work inside Fenway Park. That game marked the first time in the lefty’s short MLB career that he failed to complete five innings in consecutive games. Growing pains.

Berrios wasn’t long for his last start either lasting just 1.2 innings against the Houston Astros. In the start Berrios allowed a whopping seven runs, although just two of them were earned, on four hits raiding his ERA substantially. In Berrios’ last four starts the Twins pitcher has allowed 20 runs, 14 of them earned, in a total of 19 innings. Ouch.

The game will be played at 1:10 pm ET inside Target Field in Minnesota and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along at work like I will be this afternoon, in your cars and on the radio by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Enjoy the game Yankees family and as always, Go Yankees!!

Early 2016 Rookie of the Year Award Hopefuls

Times are slow so I am looking ahead a bit to the 2016 Major League Baseball season. I'm excited for 2016 after seeing the 2015 season form into the Year of the Rookie with a multitude of young guns making not only their MLB debut's but huge impacts on their respective teams. Could we see a similar outcome in 2016? Judging by the early lot of potential Rookie of the Year candidates for the 2016 season it could be another year for the young guys.

This is a Yankees blog so we naturally start with two guys the Yankees could have competing for the honor, backup catcher Gary Sanchez and second baseman Robert Refsnyder. As it stands today it looks like Sanchez will get the opportunity to build off a huge Arizona Fall League and 2015 season while Refsnyder looks to be your Opening Day second baseman against a LHP Dallas Keuchel. At bats, games played and opportunities sometimes make or break a ROY season, see Francisco Lindor from 2015, and both of these men should get plenty of reps and opportunities. Refsnyder should play three or four times a week while Sanchez could back up Brian McCann and Alex Rodriguez at the DH position all season long.

The Nationals have a pair of rookies that could make a huge impact in 2016 as well with infielder Trea Turner and RHP Lucas Giolito. Turner has 20-home run power or more and ranks 80 on a 20-80 scouts scale in speed while Giolito throws a mid-90's fastball and dominated Double-A and the All Stars Futures Game in 2015.

Corey Seager was the top overall prospect in all of Major League Baseball at the end of the 2015 season before the Los Angeles Dodgers called him up. Seager still has his rookie status and looks to make an impact with the team with the highest payroll in Major League Baseball history, and he has the talent to do so.

Jose Berrios is filthy, throws hard and is making opposing batters look absolutely foolish in Triple-A for the Minnesota Twins affiliate. He will be up in 2016 and could take the team, the AL Central Division and the league by storm.

There are always guys that aren't mentioned during the offseason that come up by mid-season and make an impact. Happens every year and it will likely happen again in 2016. This is your leading crop of rookies as it stands right now though in my opinion.