With Great Disappointment Comes Great Opportunity

Two weeks is a long time. I mean, so much can happen. For instance, somebody such as myself can spend a week in central Florida and go to Universal Studios, swim with manatees, visit a sister he rarely sees, go to a handful of beaches/parks, search for alligators (but sadly fail... it's still too cold), and walk around George M. Steinbrenner Field.

And two weeks ago I thought I had the Yankees Opening Day roster figured out. Perhaps you could take out somebody from the bullpen and add a bat to the bench, but the lineup was a sure thing. Here's what I had...

Starting Lineup
C-Gary Sanchez
1B-Greg Bird
2B-Neil Walker
SS-Didi Gregorius
3B-Brandon Drury
LF-Brett Gardner
CF-Aaron Hicks
RF-Aaron Judge
DH-Giancarlo Stanton

Bench
Austin Romine (C/1B)
Ronald Torreyes (2B/SS/3B)
Jacoby Ellsbury (OF) *If Ellsbury is not ready then I believe Tyler Austin will be on the bench instead.

Starting Rotation
1. Masahiro Tanaka
2. Luis Severino
3. Sonny Gray
4. CC Sabathia
5. Jordan Montgomery

Bullpen
Aroldis Chapman
David Robertson
Dellin Betances
Chad Green
Tommy Kahnle
Chasen Shreve
Adam Warren
Jonathan Holder

While guys like Austin Romine had good springs (he hit .394/.447/.545), the one man many fans wanted to see get a shot was Tyler Wade. Wade didn't hit for much power (his slugging percentage was .391), but his batting average (.283) and especially his on-base percentage (.404) really caught people's eye. But there was nowhere to play.

Sure, Tyler could have platooned at second base with Neil Walker, but personally I really didn't like that idea. I don't like when high-ceiling prospects like Wade are stuck in part-time roles. I'd rather see them play regularly in AAA, and hone their craft at the same time, than spend a significant amount of time on the bench.

On that note, I believe catchers are a different animal. Catchers are responsible for so much on the field, from working with pitchers to communicating with fielders, that sitting on the bench and watching/learning is necessary to their development. Pitchers are kind of the same, as they can learn and develop while working as relievers before starting again.

But players at other positions need to play regularly. I suppose they can learn from watching on the bench, like they do when watching video, but the vast majority of their learning comes from playing.

So that's why Tyler Wade was not a part of my Opening Day roster. I wanted him playing nearly every day.

Well, here we are two weeks later, and things have certainly changed.

As I sit here typing today I'm excited. Not because we won't see Greg Bird for a couple of months (or more), but because Tyler Wade now has a shot.

It seems likely that Wade and Neil Walker will share duties at second base. It's not the "every day" role I'd like for him, but I believe Tyler will play enough to make his time with the Yankees worth it. And now it's time for him to expand on what he did this spring, and move further away from the guy we saw that hit .155/.222/.224 in his first taste of the show.

From here on out this is how I see things going...

1. Fans will start screaming for Aaron Boone to play Tyler Wade most days at second base over Neil Walker. Not so much because Wade is hitting better than Walker, but because fans will believe that with regular playing time Tyler would bat better. I'm not so sure.

2. Gleyber Torres is going to own AAA. He hit .309/.406/.457 in 23 games at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, and while he may start off a bit slow after his injury and time off it won't be long until he's putting up similar numbers again. And that will lead to many Yankees fans clamoring for him to be promoted to the Yankees.

3. Brandon Drury will be slightly below average. He'll get some hate from fans that expect him to help the team the way Didi Gregorius does now, except they will forget that Didi was a below average batter in his first two seasons on New York. But the fact will remain that he won't keep anyone down.

4. Miguel Andujar will build off of his 2017 season with the RailRiders. This is significant not only for him, but it will also keep Torres at second base, and the whole "Gleyber the 3B" thing we once saw will remain a thing of the past.

5. Andujar will be the first promoted from AAA, and will take over for the "good but not good enough" Brandon Drury at third base. By the way, Drury may not play as often, but he will get a decent amount of playing time while giving other infielders a day off here and there.

6. While the demand for Torres to be promoted will start in a month, it'll be nearly June before Gleyber will be pushing too hard to ignore. This will lead to Tyler Wade being pushed aside... losing his playing time to Gleyber at second base, and eventually demoted as there is no room on the big league roster for him.

7. I don't see Greg Bird returning any time soon. We won't see him in six weeks, we won't see him in eight weeks, heck... we won't see him in 10 weeks. The Yankees will take their time with Bird because not only do they want to make sure he's healthy when he returns, but they'll want to keep giving Neil Walker playing time at first base.

8. By June 1st the regular infield will include Miguel Andujar at 3B, Didi Gregorius at SS, Gleyber Torres at 2B, and Neil Walker at 1B. Meanwhile, Tyler Wade will be sent to AAA to make room on the bench for Drury (along with Torreyes, Ellsbury and Romine).

9. The Yankees will push Greg Bird's return back until late July (he will be eased back into action so Neil Walker still gets significant playing time) when they will make a trade for a starting pitcher. Tyler Austin could be involved in a trade as he's already spent 133 games in AAA, but the Yankees lack of good 1B depth will keep him around. Here's my big prediction here... based on the roster construction I think the Yankees will flip Brandon Drury. So it'll be Brandon Drury, Tyler Wade, Chance Adams (who will be ready more than ready to step into a starting role in MLB), and another piece or two for a starting pitcher.

10. After the trade deadline the Yankees roster will look like this...

Starting Lineup
C-Gary Sanchez
1B-Greg Bird
2B-Gleyber Torres
SS-Didi Gregorius
3B-Miguel Andujar
LF-Brett Gardner
CF-Aaron Hicks
RF-Aaron Judge
DH-Giancarlo Stanton

Bench
Austin Romine (C/1B)
Neil Walker (2B/1B)
Ronald Torreyes (2B/3B/SS)
Jacoby Ellsbury (OF)

Starting Rotation
1. Luis Severino
2. New Guy (sorry, don't have a prediction for who... yet)
3. Masahiro Tanaka
4. Sonny Gray
5. CC Sabathia

Bullpen
Aroldis Chapman
David Robertson
Dellin Betances
Chad Green
Tommy Kahnle
Chasen Shreve
Adam Warren
Jordan Montgomery (I think he'll take a step back after last season, and will lose his starting role so he can find himself again out of the bullpen... a la Luis Severino)

I didn't think too hard about the bullpen, so it's quite possible that guys like Domingo Acevedo, Domingo German, and others work there way in there.

Funny, this all started with me wanting to simply point out that Tyler Wade was going to get an opportunity that he otherwise would not have had if Greg Bird weren't injured. And this is what it turned into. What can I say? It's easy for me to go off on tangents when it comes to the Yankees. Hopefully that's a good thing.

Thanks again for reading, and let's go Yanks!

By the way, I took a total of 29 pictures at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Let me know if you want me to post them all here for you.

Can Ellsbury Provide the Missing Spark for the Offense?

Most of the games during the Yankees’ recent 1-7 slide have followed a familiar pattern. Very few of the losses were blowouts. New York’s pitching has not been spectacular, but they’ve kept them in games. The real issue has been the inability of the offense to muster more than 2-3 runs per contest. The result has been a number of frustratingly close defeats. The first half of Friday night’s matchup against the Rays followed this pattern. The Yanks were down 3-2 in the fifth. Although they had two runners in scoring position, they also had two outs. The team’s struggles with RISP have been well documented in the early going, so the odds seemed against a clutch hit.

With a full count to Brett Gardner and two outs, Jacoby Ellsbury made a bold call that resulted in easily the most exciting and memorable play of 2016. He stole home against the deliberate Matt Moore, something he hadn’t done since April 2009, ironically against

the Yankees. After the game, Girardi expressed his admiration, telling reporters, “It's not a play you see every day. The last time I saw it, he did it against Andy Pettitte. That kept me up a few nights. It's good to be on this side." The decision was daring because there was two strikes on Gardner. If Moore threw him a pitch down the middle, he would have to swing, possibly putting Ellsbury in danger of being hit with bat or ball. Of course, the gamble paid off, and the run tied the game at three. The play completely reversed the momentum of the night and began the rally that led to an eventual 6-3 victory.

Despite his hefty salary and lengthy commitment, Ellsbury has been looking more and more like a platoon option (at best) in 2016. The only reason he was in Friday’s game at all was because Aaron Hicks, who started in centerfield, had to leave the game with a sore shoulder. With Hicks day-to-day, Ellsbury will have the next few games at least of playing regularly, even though the team will be facing several left-handed starters in a row. Ellsbury got off to a miserable start to the season (a 54 wRC+ in his first 51 PAs), but has started to turn things around the last three games, going 6-12 with two doubles and two RBI.

Friday’s steal of home felt like a statement. Ellsbury was signed to be the spark at the top of the Yankees lineup. They are at their most dangerous when he and Gardner are healthy and causing havoc at the top of the lineup. The further he gets from the knee injury that hobbled him in the second half of 2015, the better the chances are that fans will see that dynamic player return. An aggressive Ellsbury who is fighting to regain his everyday job may be the catalyst the Yankees need to reverse this losing streak and  dig themselves out of the AL East cellar.

My Plan to Fix the Offense & Win the Division

The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays are in an absolute dogfight now for the American League East Division and then dog the Yankees are backing is losing. The offense is struggling, the pitching has been good but has had to be perfect, the bullpen is overworked and the team is losing. This team can be fixed and it can be fixed without trading away the team’s top prospects for bulky contracts and aging veterans. Brian Cashman sent a statement to the rest of the league, the Yankees team and their fans this July by standing pat and holding into the team’s prospects but that only works if the team now utilizes them. Have no fear Mr. Cashman, as I know you’re reading, for I have a plan to fix this offense, win some games and win the division. Will you comply?

You know where I’m starting this off with, the same place I always start it off with. Robert Refsnyder is such a superior hitter to both Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan that the offense could only go up with him in the 8^th or 9^th position in the lineup. Adding Refsnyder to the bottom of the order with a  red hot Didi Gregorius leaves runners on base for the table setters and the big boppers in the middle of the lineup giving the Yankees plenty of RBI chances. At worst some of these solo home runs turn into two and three run home runs.

The second move you make to fix the offense is to move Alex Rodriguez out of the #3 hole. I’m not saying you drop the guy back to #7 or so just because he hasn’t hit a home run in a couple weeks but I am suggesting you mix and match in the lineup depending on who is hot and who fits the bill. Carlos Beltran has been hot lately and is quietly having a nice bounce back season in 2015 and right now batting him 3^rd and batting Alex 5^th or even 6^th just makes sense right now. Alex is trying to hit home runs, you can tell by his body language and you can tell by the way he swings, and that is never a good sign for a guess hitter.

The final adjustment needed is to fix Jacoby Ellsbury by any means necessary. The YES Network had a nice image of his batting stance post-DL and his stance prior to the DL and it has changed just enough to affect him. Whether Ellsbury closed off his stance a bit to help protect against a foul ball off his knee or is it’s a simple mechanical adjustment that the hitting coach needs to catch remains to be seen but whatever it is, fix it now. As Ellsbury and Brett Gardner go, so do the Yankees.

Fix Ellsbury, add Refsnyder to the bottom of the order and switch A-Rod and Beltran. It sounds simple, maybe too simple, but it could mean another run or two a night and another win or two a week and every run and every win means so much at this point in the season. Make the change Cash or you’re essentially pulling the trigger on the 2015 season.

Examining the Possible Opening Day Lineup

Yesterday afternoon the New York Yankees played host to the Tampa Bay Rays at home inside George M. Steinbrenner Field with a pretty interesting spring lineup. Joe Girardi posted what could be his Opening Day lineup yesterday against the Rays although he wouldn't confirm that. Let's assume this is the Opening Day lineup, how would this lineup stack up?

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Carlos Beltran RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Brian McCann C
Chase Headley 3B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Stephen Drew 2B
Didi Gregorius SS

I thoroughly enjoy seeing Jacoby Ellsbury at the top of the order. Ellsbury steals more bases and has better instincts as a leadoff hitter. Without having Martin Prado or Derek Jeter in the lineup Gardner makes a ton of sense in the second hole followed by Beltran, Teixeira and McCann. Me personally I am putting McCann in the four slot and Teixeira in the fifth slot but I'm not willing to really put up much of a fight on that one.

Having Rodriguez hitting seventh could be amazing if he can still turn on the fastball and hit 15 or so home runs. Stephen Drew could hit another 15-20 home runs out of the #8 spot and Didi Gregorius could be the best #9 hitter in the league if he hits like he did at the end of 2014.

The lineup all depends on health and production but this could be a playoff starting lineup. We're not the 2000's Yankees and we're especially not the 2009 Yankees but the second Wild Card could easily be within reach if who needs to bounce back bounces back.

The New Yankees Infield & Lineup After Friday

The New York Yankees were busy on Friday adding Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Jones while sacrificing David Phelps and Martin Prado so let's take a quick look at the defensive alignment and lineup. We are assuming that Brian Cashman is not in on Asdrubral Cabrera or Stephen Drew at second base and are willing to give the job to either Robert Refsnyder or Jose Pirela.

C: Brian McCann
1B: Mark Teixeira
2B: Refsnyder/Pirela
SS: Didi Gregorius
3B: Chase Headley
LF: Brett Gardner
CF: Jacoby Ellsbury
RF: Carlos Beltran
DH: Alex Rodriguez

BN: Brendan Ryan
BN: John Ryan Murphy
BN: Garrett Jones
BN: Chris Young


It is worth mentioning that now Jones is on the bench backing up Mark Teixeira at first base, Carlos Beltran in right field and Alex Rodriguez at DH there will not be enough room for both Pirela and Refsnyder. Like it or not this is what we are likely looking at on Opening Day 2015. On to that lineup:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury
2. Brett Gardner
3. Carlos Beltran
4. Brian McCann
5. Mark Teixeira
6. Chase Headley
7. Alex Rodriguez
8. Didi Gregorius
9. Refsnyder/Pirela

Masahiro Tanaka Feels Good, Carlos Beltan Feels Bad

Some day the Yankees will get some good news without bad news coming with it.

About the same time we learned that Masahiro Tanaka came through his 35-pitch session without any problems, we also learned that Carlos Beltran was scratched from tonight's lineup after feeling a twinge in his elbow after a swing last night.

It's looking more and more like that 3 year/$45 million contract the Yankees signed Carlos Beltran to is going to be a problem. I wouldn't be surprised to see them pull an Alfonso Soriano and let him receive a paycheck for nothing.

Spending A Lot, But Not Getting A Lot

While I've moved away from constantly talking about the Yankees' payroll, as that used to be the basis for the majority of what I wrote around here, I'm still fascinated by the Dollar value that Fangraphs gives players. 

Here's a little foreshadowing for you.

Now, we all know that the Yankees haven't lived up to their payroll, but I couldn't help myself from seeing just how much they've come under that number. And that's where the Dollar value from Fangraphs came into player. So here are the Opening Day lineup and starting rotation, along with the player's actual salary (not the Average Annual Value of their contracts), and how much they've earned so far this season...

C - Brian McCann $17 million/$7 million

1B - Mark Teixeira $22.5 million/$6.6 million

2B - Brian Roberts $2 million$/.3 million

3B - Kelly Johnson $3 million/$3.4 million

SS - Derek Jeter $8 million/$.5 million

LF - Brett Gardner $5.6 million/$18.8 million

CF - Jacoby Ellsbury ~$21.1 million/~$14.5 million

RF - Carlos Beltran $15 million/$-2.2  million

DH - Alfonso Soriano $18 million/$-6.3 million

CC Sabathia $23 million/$.9 million

Hiroki Kuroda $16 million/$12.3 million

Masahiro Tanaka $22 million/$16.9 million

Ivan Nova $3.3 million/$-2.1 million

Michael Pineda $.538475 million/$4.6 million

Here are the players that have cost the team money so far this year, and just how much...

Alfonso Soriano - $24.3 million
CC Sabathia - $22.1 million
Carlos Beltran - $17.2 million
Mark Teixeira - $15.9 million
Brian McCann - $10 million
Derek Jeter - $7.5 million
Jacoby Ellsbury - ~$6.6 million
Ivan Nova - $5.4 million
Masahiro Tanaka - $5.1 million
Hiroki Kuroda - $3.7 million
Brian Roberts - $1.7 million

And here we have the only three players that have actually earned more money on the field than is shown on their paychecks...

Kelly Johnson - $4 million
Michael Pineda - ~$4.6 million
Brett Gardner - $13.2 million

Now, to be fair, here are a couple of notes...

• The only players that I can see earning enough money on the field to make their contracts pay off for the Yankees are Jacoby Ellsbury, Hiroki Kuroda, and Masahiro Tanaka. However, I wouldn't bet on Tanaka as I don't see the team bringing him back early enough to get it done. If they were in the playoff hunt then I might say otherwise, but as things stand now (both in the standings and seeing what the team is doing on the field) I wouldn't count on it.
• Yes, the Yankees were only on the hook for $5 million of Soriano's $18 million salary for 2014. However, even if you look at it that way, Soriano still cost the team $11.3 million this season.
• Did anybody actually believe that Kelly Johnson earned his money? Wow.

Let's hope that the Yankees do a better job of constructing a lineup before the 2015 season than they did before. And at the same time, let's hope that Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, CC Sabathia, and Mark Teixeira play better. Oh, not to mention Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, and CC Sabathia (again) staying healthy.

Boy... that's a lot of hope. 

Predicting Tonight's Lineup In Boston

New faces wearing pinstripes tonight for manager Joe Girardi to pencil into the lineup. Let's have some fun on this Friday morning before we get back to work tonight in Fenway Park.

1. LF Brett Gardner

2. SS Derek Jeter

3. CF Jacoby Ellsbury

4. 1B Mark Teixeira

5. RF Martin Prado

6. C Brian McCann

7. DH Carlos Beltran

8. 3B Chase Headley

9. 2B Stephen Drew

I am probably way off base with this but I don't mind. In all actuality Beltran will probably be switched with Prado which still makes for a pretty balanced lineup. I like this lineup a lot better than I did two weeks ago that's for sure. It would look better with Yoenis Cespedes in the middle, I hate you Boston, but what can you do. 

Predicting the 2015 Yankees Lineup

Earlier today we took a look at whether the Yankees had enough at bats and baseballs to go around throwing both Alex Rodriguez and Chase Headley in the same infield next season and that got me thinking. What would next year’s lineup look like assuming everyone is healthy and back with the club next season including Headley and A Rod.

The thought intrigues me as having three switch hitters in the lineup reminds me a lot of the dynasty Yankees and the 2000’s Yankees where the success was there, just not in October. Having the right handed bat of Rodriguez, again assuming health and productivity, balances out of a pretty lefty heavy lineup as well which looks more like the Bronx Bombers of old then what we have seen for the past two seasons.

This was just for fun really but this is the lineup I came up with. I assumed that the Yankees would replace Brian Roberts at second base with the right handed Robert Refsnyder and did not even attempt to make a prediction at the Derek Jeter replacement. Let’s just assume he hits 9^th and is Brendan Ryan at this point but if it were Troy Tulowitzki or Hanley Ramirez then obviously this lineup changes a lot.

Brett Gardner

Jacoby Ellsbury

Carlos Beltran

Mark Teixeira

Brian McCann

Chase Headley

Alex Rodriguez

Robert Refsnyder

That guy replacing Derek Jeter

I love having the two leadoff hitters at the top of the lineup before the absolute barrage of switch hitters and McCann. If you wanted to make things realty difficult for opposing managers to match up you could plug in Headley, Rodriguez, or even Refsnyder in the second spot to break up the lefties and become even more balanced. Either way you look at it that’s one tough lineup to run through four times a night without giving up too many runs and that’s just what the Yankees need after two years of dismal offenses and less than stellar lineups. 

Quick Hit: Imagining The Yankees Lineup w/ Headley

The New York Yankees acquired Chase Headley from the San Diego Padres about two seasons too late yesterday afternoon in case you missed it and have been living under a rock. Headley adds some legitimate infield defense to a team that is severely lacking in that department and a switch hitting bat that could be a big upgrade over Kelly Johnson.

Let's take a look at the lineup I think manager Joe Girardi will put out with his newly acquired third baseman:

LF Brett Gardner

SS Derek Jeter

CF Jacoby Ellsbury

1B Mark Teixeira

C Brian McCann

DH Carlos Beltran

3B Chase Headley

2B Brian Roberts

RF Ichiro Suzuki

This is not exactly the lineup that I would put out there but this is my guess for what the binder would spit out tonight against Yu Darvish if Teixeira were healthy. Personally I think I would bat Headley a little higher in the order, maybe behind Teixeira, and switch Ellsbury and Gardner but maybe it's just me.

Lineup Analysis: Angels @ Yankees 4/25

The date is April 25th 2014. Today the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are in the Bronx to face off against the Bronx Bombers; a nickname that should be taken quite literally today after having scored 45 runs in the last 7 games. These 45 runs were scored against two teams with good offense; the Red Sox and Rays, the latter having one of the best pitching staffs in the big leagues.

Tonight the Yankees face the ostensible Angels ace in C.J. Wilson. To be fair, C.J. Wilson's stats since linking up with the Angels back in 2012 are far from crummy but they just don't quite seem like Ace numbers. Despite this, he IS the ace and he IS hurling the ball tonight against the Bronx Empire. So far my pitcher analyses, rather predictions, haven't been too great. His WAR since joining the Angels is 5.4, not including this year. He averaged a 7.84 K/9, 3.82 BB/9, 0.75 HR/9, .291 BABIP since 2012. This year his K/9 is up at 9.82, his BB/9 rate is still high at 3.16 but so far is the best he has had it in his career, obviously it is very early so that will be something to watch. His 1.40 HR/9 and .323 BABIP are quite a bit higher than his average, something else to watch. His ERA is at 4.21 while his FIP indicates it should be around 3.94.

So with that said, tonight's lineup fabricated by none other than the mastermind in Joe Girardi
cumulates as such:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Carlos Beltran, RF
4. Alfonso Soriano, DH
5. Mark Teixeira, 1B
6. Brian McCann, C
7. Brett Gardner, LF
8. Brian Roberts, 2B
9. Yangervis Solarte, 3B

Jacoby Ellsbury is 4-14 vs. Wilson with a .286 AVG, 1 XBH in a 2B and 1 RBI. Jeter, 8-21 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 3 BBs and 6 K's. Beltran just 1 AB and 1 hit vs Wilson which went for an RBI single. Alfonso Soriano rakes against Wilson smacking him around for 5 hits in 9 ABs amounting to a .556 AVG with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 1 BB. The walk is notable as it is Soriano. Tex is 2-17 with a .118 AVG with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB and 2 K's. McCann is 0-1 vs Wilson with a popout. Brett Gardner is 2-13, a .154, against the lefty with a triple and 4 K's. Brian Roberts hits .263 against C.J. with 1 of each of the next 3: double, homer and a walk. He has also drove in 2 RBI. Solarte obviously has no ABs vs the 33 year old lefty as he is a rookie.

It seems like Joe is set with this lineup for the next few days and i say see why as it has provided some decent results. Yesterday's stats back this up. Ellsbury was 3-6, Jeter 2-5, Beltran 1-6, Soriano 2-5, Teixeira 1-3, McCann 1-5, Gardner is on a bit of a cold streak; he went 0-3, Roberts is picking it up; 2-5, Solarte is getting it going again after going 2-5 as well.

My reappraised lineup for shapes up like this:
1. Brian Roberts, 2B
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
4. Alfonso Soriano, DH
5. Carlos Beltran, RF
6. Yangervis Solarte, 3B
7. Brian McCann, C
8. Mark Teixeira, 1B
9. Brett Gardner, LF

The guys the Yankees got this year have an optimal effect on slotting in in almost any spot in the lineup and doing well.

Brian Roberts with decent numbers against Wilson and decent numbers over the last few games he has earned the leadoff spot. Derek Jeter's numbers speak for them self and they are perfect for the number 2 spot. Ellsbury is 4-14 vs Wilson and has continued his great hitting to start the season off, as the best hitter on the roster right now he should stay at 3rd. Soriano is perfect where Joe put him going oppo-taco lately plus whilst having sparkling numbers against the ace. Beltran is 1-1 and i have him down at 5th instead of 3rd or 2nd is thanks to a very limited sample size against C.J. and hasn't been too too great from the right side of the plate. Solarte is flashing his discipline which i love and has picked it back up so i slotted him at 6th. McCann is McCann, he went 1-5 last night and is 0-1 vs Wilson. I feel bad for Teixeira but his numbers have been horrid to say the least vs Wilson. His 1 HR is nice but it doesn't overpower the .241 season AVG and .118 Wilson AVG. Gardner's numbers vs CJ are pretty bad and his AVG on the year at .243 is average.

Brett Gardner NEEDS to be in either the number 1 or number 9 spot for the sake of his game, Michael Kay along with other analysts have said Kevin Long has been trying to change up the 5'11 LF's game but having him pull more balls and to try and hit for power but that is not Gardy's game. Gardner is a gritty AB, BB, Slap hitter type guy. He is almost like a mini Ellsbury except less AVG ability, less power, less RBI but more walks/discipline, speed, around the same SB ability and a better fielder. Brett Gardner is one of my favorite guys to watch and it's no fun when he is struggling in a bad offense lineup spot like 7th.

Ichiro is not much better against CJ going 9-49 with 2 2B, 1 RBI, 4 BBs and 12 K's. Johnson is 1-6 with 3 K's and 1BB. Ichiro playing for Gardner for the night in LF wouldn't be too much better and Johnson for Tex wouldn't be too good for defense OR offensively either.

As always, it’s a long season so remember that one game doesn’t make the season! Enjoy 
the game everyone!

Lineup Analysis: Yankees @ Red Sox 4/24

Not a good day offensively for the Bombers yesterday mustering just 1 run against a surprisingly dominant John Lackey and not so surprisingly dominant Koji Uehara. Tonight they face the hard throwing lefthander in Felix Doubront. Felix's ERA is 5.48 and adjusted should be around 4.24. While his K/9 is down so is his BB/9 and HR/9. He has posted an early record of 1-2 in 4 games started.

Tonight's Yankees lineup stacks up as follows:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Carlos Beltran, RF
4. Alfonso Soriano, DH
5. Mark Teixeira, 1B
6. Brian McCann, C
7. Brett Gardner, LF
8. Brian Roberts, 2B
9. Yangervis Solarte, 3B

As i am a little strapped for time ill give you my revised lineup:
1. Brett Gardner, LF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
4. Carlos Beltran,DH
5. Brian McCann, C
6. Mark Teixeira, 1B
7. Ichiro Suzuki, RF
8. Yangervis Solarte, 3B
9. Brian Roberts, 2B

I've made my case for why i like to slot people in certain areas. Yangervis Solarte is pretty cold right now so hitting him 8th is good, i still think his good ABs and high contract rate shows that he deserves to be in the lineup just about every day. Carlos Beltran should be cleaning up, again to pad his team leading total in big flys and clutch hits with runners in scoring position. Tex had looked good before yesterday but now im not entirely sure what to expect from him, so i put him 6th. Ichiro should hit behind him, and just be in the lineup in general. Before sitting down yesterday and today Ichiro had been hitting the ball to almost all fields and flashing his famous speed. Brian Roberts is starting to pick up the pace and if he keeps it up i might actually slot him leadoff. Brett Gardner should be leading off today and Ellsbury third. Not much to say about McCann, an average stretch for him. The catcher isn't really slumping or tearing the cover off the ball.


As always, it’s a long season so remember that one game doesn’t make the season! Enjoy 
the game everyone!

Lineup Analysis: Yankees @ Red Sox 4/23

Game 2 of the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry from Fenway starts tonight. Last night i showed my first tailored lineup of the year along with some predictions for hitters and let's just say it wasn't my finest set of predictions, but the Yankees won and that's all that matters! Nice night last night for most of the lineup except for the guy i had leading off in Yangervis Solarte who struggled.

Game 2 will have a regressing John Lackey on the mound to shoot off against the Yankees booming offense; there has hardly been a stretch this year where the hitters looked terrible and the Pinstripers look to keep this thunderous start going tonight.

John Lackey this year has not been better than his average numbers state from 2011 to 2014, Lackey has a 5.25 ERA and his FIP indicates that it should be around 4.70 which is still an above (or below) average and not very good ERA. Whilst John's K/9 rate is higher than in the past his BB/9 rate is also higher along with HR/9 and BABIP. Lackey is .500, albeit his season is only 4 games in, at 2-2 in 24.0 IP averaging around 6 IP per outing. The Highlanders will look to get to Lackey early and get to a bullpen that has been overworked since Patriots' Day, 2 games ago, with their 'pen having thrown 11 IP since then.

The Yankees lineup stacks up like this tonight:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Carlos Beltran, DH
4. Brian McCann, C
5. Alfonso Soriano, LF
6. Mark Teixeira, 1B
7. Brett Gardner, RF
8. Brian Roberts, 2B
9. Kelly Johnson, 3B

Joe Girardi slotted the same three batters to lead off the game as last night. Soriano is batting fourth instead of fifth and Big Mark Teixeira will be batting sixth instead of fifth. McCann moves from sixth in the lineup up to the cleanup spot against Lackey. Yangervis Solarte and Ichiro Suzuki who started yesterday at the seventh and eighth spots respectively. Brian Roberts moves from the ninth spot yesterday to eighth tonight and Solarte is replaced by Kelly Johnson.

I agree with the benching of Solarte, the kid as been struggling lately and after last night against Lackey, in which he did not put up much of a fight at the plate, i think it's best for his confidence, mindset, strikeout total and batting average that he sits tonight even if it is against a declining pitcher.

I still would prefer to see Ellsbury hit third in the order and i think his 2-5 performance with 2 XBH (1 triple and 1 double) with 2 RBI rest my case. Carlos Beltran will hit third with his .296 AVG. Carlos leads the Yankees with 5 HR AND 13 RBI. Brett Gardner after the night off at the plate is back in the lineup hitting in a spot im not too fond of, seventh, Gardy should aways be at the very bottom or the very top of the lineup thanks to his speed and grinding ability. Ichiro whom has remained hot with sit with Soriano playing in LF again. Alfonso, while hitting .270 on the year, went only 1-5 last night. Ichiro, while he doesn't qualify thanks to a limited number of ABs this year, leads the Yankees with a .371 average after another 2 hit performance last night in 5 plate appearances; also drawing 1 walk.

The 39 year old shortstop remains hot and is hitting .298 so far this year. Brian Roberts is hitting .118 points lower with a staggering, sadly not in a good way, .180 average. Mark Teixeira has looked pretty good off the DL with an April slump, so far, nonexistant. Kelly Johnson is playing third for Solarte, slotting his 0.4 WAR and .226 AVG into the lineup. Brian McCann will round out the infield cleaning up. McCann as the everyday catcher also has a 0.4 WAR and a .262 AVG.

My revised lineup for maximum success tonight looks like this:
1. Brett Gardner, RF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
4. Carlos Beltran, DH
5. Brian McCann, C
6. Mark Teixeira, 1B
7. Alfonso Soriano, LF
8. Kelly Johnson, 3B
9. Brian Roberts, 2B

Not too much to say today as a lot was covered yesterday or above. Brett Gardner should be leading off and Jeter is 
always best at the number 2 spot, after all he wears number 2! Ellsbury, the best hitter on the team right now, should be 
hitting 3rd. Carlos Beltran has been the most productive RBI and HR man for the Bombers this year so cleaning up is 
optimal. Tex and McCann are interchangeable but it's hard for me to slot Tex too high fearing the slump, although April is 
winding down and closing out soon; this is why i kept Tex where Joe put him. McCann has been flashing some opposite 
field pop lately, a promising sign indeed, so i like him along with his better plate discipline over Soriano batting fifth. 
Soriano seventh, no disrespect to him but with everyone hitting at the same time it is quite tough to keep a solid lineup, i'd 
have him seventh tonight and in the future until he gets a little more consistent with RISP. He has been showing some
pop lately though, so we'll watch Alfonso closely. Kelly Johnson will hit eighth as a lefty and the inept and ineffectual bat 
of Brian Roberts would be slotted ninth.

As you guys will soon find out i never like to stack batters although it may help vs the starter it may not when the 'pen 
comes in. Tonight's lineup has the effect of lefty-righty-lefty-switch-lefty-switch-righty-lefty-switch. It might not be too 
effective some days but it should get the job done.

As always, it’s a long season so remember that one game doesn’t make the season! Enjoy the game everyone!

Lineup Analysis: Yankees @ Red Sox 4/22

So begins another series to add to the illustrious Yankees vs. Red Sox rivalry. Tonight the Yankees face Jon Lester. Lester is off to one of his best starts in his career posting a solid 9.00 K/9 rate along with 1.24 BB/9, 0.62 HR/9 rates. His .308 batting average on balls in play is right in line with his 
career BABIP. A 2.17 ERA is what has been posted where his FIP shows his ERA should be around 2.35, still very good. 
The Yankees will send out the following lineup to try and tackle Lester and his great numbers:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF L
2. Derek Jeter, SS R
3. Carlos Beltran, DH S
4. Alfonso Soriano, LF R
5. Mark Teixeira, 1B S
6. Brian McCann, C L
7. Yangervis Solarte, 3B S
8. Ichiro Suzuki, RF L
9. Brian Roberts, 2B S
 
All the Yankees' switch hitters will go against Lester tonight; along with that three left handers and 
two right handers will bat. Now to analyze the lineup:

Interesting choice to have left hander and former Red Sox CF Jacoby Ellsbury lead off against the lefty starter. 
Since 2010 Ellsbury has flip flopped in batting average vs leftys but this year he is hitting well over .400 in these 
situations. Ellsbury has not seen much of Lester at the plate but should know a decent amount about him. Jeter 
will bat second and not much to say about him other than that second is a good slot for him pretty much all the time.
Carlos Beltran has been locked in at the plate from the left side of the plate but tonight he is batting right handed, where 
he has recently been picking up the pace. Alfonso Soriano has been on and off but against Tampa Bay 
he seemed to start getting his swing down driving balls to the opposite field and the gap. This is a good 
sign for Alfonso to get hot now during a tough stretch of games for the Yanks. Teixeira is batting fifth and with only one 
game down off the DL he looked pretty good driving the ball deep, Joe should still be cautious as Tex is known to slump 
in April. Brian McCann is hitting seventh against the lefty, probably not too good a night for him as his career stats show 
he favors a right handed starter. Solarte is putting together some nice ABs and making decent contact, at seventh 
he'll make Lester work for his outs. Ichiro is hitting well and so he will be slotted in at the 8th spot and a struggling 
Brian Roberts will hit 9th.

My revised lineup for maximum success tonight would look a little like this:
1. Yangervis Solarte, DH
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
4. Mark Teixeira, 1B
5. Alfonso Soriano, RF
6. Carlos Beltran,DH
7. Brian McCann, C
8. Ichiro Suzuki, RF
9. Dean Anna, 2B S

Before you go crazy, I originally had Beltran leading off which would've had a couple of benefits. Beltran has a 
notoriously good eye as his career .358 OBP indicates, and he also has the team's second best batting average. 
I swapped him with Solarte because Solarte is second on the team with a .328 average and like mentioned earlier, 
he has grinded out some great ABs; his switch hitting also helps his own cause and he has been a HUGE source 
for RBIs lately. Everything else should look pretty normal. Tex over Soriano as im not sure if Soriano is fully in one 
of his amazing stretches yet. Beltran at sixth will put together a nice platoon effect so no bats will stack. I'm not 
expecting too much from McCann tonight so i slotted him at seventh as Ichiro gets to hit eighth and Anna ninth. 
Ichiro has speed and has been hot so i'd keep him in even against the left hander and Anna should start over 
Roberts as Brian has had a really bad time to start the season out.

As always, it’s a long season so remember that one game doesn’t make the season! Enjoy the game everyone!

Quick Hit: Scott Feldman Astros Opening Day Starter

Just a quick hit to get your Tuesday started, the Houston Astros have announced that Scott Feldman will be their Opening Day starter. Why do we care? The Yankees will face the right handed starter on Opening Day on April, 1, and that is not a joke. CC Sabathia will be on the mound for the New York Yankees to face off with Feldman.

With a righty on the mound I can see a very left heavy Yankees lineup which may or may not look a lot like this:

Jacoby Ellsbury
Derek Jeter
Carlos Beltran
Brian McCann
Mark Teixeira
Alfonso Soriano
Kelly Johnson
Brian Roberts
Brett Gardner

Game Thread: Yankees @ Astros 9/29

The marathon is over, the sprint is over, and after this afternoon the season is over for both the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. It all comes down to this as the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros play in game 162 of the 2013 season with neither team headed to October baseball. This also marks the end of both Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera's storied careers. The pitching match up is David Huff for the Yankees and Erik Bedard for the Astros and the game can be seen at 2:10 pm ET on the YES Network and MLB TV.

Here is the final Yankees lineup of the season:

Eduardo Nunez 3B
J.R. Murphy C
Curtis Granderson CF
Vernon Wells LF
Mark Reynolds 1B
Travis Hafner DH
David Adams 2B
Brendan Ryan SS
Zoilo Almonte RF

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Game Thread: Yankees @ Astros 9/28

Tonight in Game 161 we will see the end of Andy Pettitte after 18 years of pitching for both the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. Conveniently Pettitte will make his final start in Houston against the Astros after making his last start in Yankees Stadium on Mariano Rivera day. Paul Clemens will be on the mound for the Astros to face off with the retiring Pettitte. Pettitte had a perfect game into the sixth inning in his last start and looks to build on that confidence in his final start of his career.

Here is the Yankees lineup:

Curtis Granderson CF
Eduardo Nunez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Zoilo Almonte RF
Ichiro Suzuki DH
Brendan Ryan SS
Chris Stewart C

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Game Thread: Yankees @ Astros 9/27

The New York Yankees travel to Minute Maid Park in Houston to take on the Houston Astros in the final series of the 2013 season for both teams. Neither of these two teams are heading to October baseball so this is the grand finale for both squads. The pitching match up is Adam Warren for the Yankees and Brett Oberholtzer for the Astros and it can be seen at 8:10 pm ET on the YES Network and MLB TV. Andy Pettitte was originally slated to pitch this game but he has been pushed back to tomorrow nights game for whatever reason. Let's hope the Yankees do not just lay down right here at the end since these games are meaningless.

Here is the Game 160 lineup:

Curtis Granderson CF
Eduardo Nunez 3B
Robinson Cano DH
Alfonso Soriano LF
Mark Reynolds 1B
David Adams 2B
Zoilo Almonte RF
Brendan Ryan SS
J.R. Murphy C

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Game Thread: Rays @ Yankees 9/26

The New York Yankees host the Tampa Bay Rays in the final game to be played at Yankees Stadium this season. The Yankees made a hell of a run at a wild card and playoff spot and showed amazing heart until the very last day but it just came up too short. We can throw blame around but honestly that is for another day and another post. Today I would rather talk about how this is going to Mariano Rivera's last home game of his career. There is no doubt in my mind that Mo will be in this game no matter what the score is as a final goodbye to the fans and from the fans. The pitching match up will be Ivan Nova for the Yankees and Alex Cobb for the Rays and the game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on the YES Network and MLB TV.

Here is the final home game lineup:

Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Alfonso Soriano DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Zoilo Almonte LF
Brendan Ryan SS
J.R. Murphy C

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Game Thread: Rays @ Yankees 9/25

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays play their second game of their three game set this week as the Yankees say goodbye to Yankees Stadium for the 2013 season. The pitching match up is the combo formerly known as Phil Hughes and David Huff facing off with the Rays David Price and the game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on the YES Network, ESPN, and of course MLB TV. The Yankees will sorely and surely miss CC Sabathia who was supposed to make this start but was shut down due to a grade II strain of the hamstring. David Price has not won a game since August 24th and has not pitched seven full innings in his last two starts so there is always that. Price is 1-1 against the Yankees this season but has not played us since we had some resemblance of an offense so let's end this on a high note and beat Price tonight.

Here is the Yankees lineup:

Eduardo Nunez 3B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Vernon Wells RF
Mark Reynolds 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Brendan Ryan SS
Chris Stewart C

Follow us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes. After tonight we only have one more home game this season so get your Yankees tickets here and now!