Brian McCann and Going Against the Shift

Second time today Brian McCann has gone the other way. Two base hits, each one a single to left field.

— Lohud Yankees Blog (@LoHudYankees) March 7, 2016

The shift is here to stay in Major League Baseball. Too many teams have found out how effective it is and the league is not going to ban it, how could they anyway? Some hitters have adopted this and started to try and beat the shift while others have simply seen their batting averages dip 60-70 points in lieu of extra power. The latter is referring to the Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira but the former may finally be referring to the Yankees catcher Brian McCann.

At times we raged at the fact that Teixeira absolutely refused to beat the shift and would rather hit for doubles and home runs instead (Too Many Damn Home Runs!) while McCann at least tried to beat the shift. If was visible in some at bats for McCann and he even attempted a bunt or two in order to beat the shift but he never truly looked comfortable doing it. Now I haven’t seen much spring training baseball this season as most of the games are played while I am at work but I have noticed a trend thus far with McCann, he’s trying to beat the shift again.

It seems like every at bat I’ve seen either live or via Sportscenter, MLB Network etc. has showcased McCann trying to go the other way. The power will be there for McCann when he needs it and he’s no longer trying to knock it over the short porch for the Yankees, it looks like he is making a legitimate choice to go the other way and turn what used to be a ground out into a single or a double. Even Chad Jennings of LoHud has mentioned it on Twitter as McCann went the other way in a Grapefruit League game not once but twice for singles so it’s not just me pulling something out of thin air.

If McCann can go the other way and not only have his 25 home runs and 90+ RBI power but if he can add even a .265 average to go with it we may be talking MVP considerations for the Yankees catcher. He won’t win the award with those stats but the Yankees could potentially win a whole lot more games as they get away from too many damn home runs and get back to seeing the ball, and hitting the ball… the other way.

Hit it where they ain’t McCann!

Yankees Spring Training Open Thread 3/1

So what happened today in Yankees Spring Training camp?

Aroldis Chapman got suspended for 30 games. Much more on this later but spoiler alert, I don't like it. This sends a scary precedence that the league is a better police nation than the actual police. The police found zero evidence of domestic violence in this case but MLB found enough to warrant a suspension? And don't give me the jazz about him firing a weapon, a registered weapon, in his own home. That's a second amendment right, an anger management discussion and an idiotic move in my opinion. Especially with a kid in the house. It's still not domestic violence.

There was no workout today, just a team bonding event like we hear about ever year. Here is the exact quote from manager Joe Girardi thanks to Chad Jennings of Lohud:

“They’re communication activities, in a sense,” Joe Girardi said. “You play games to learn how to do different things as players and get to know each other. I think that’s important. We had 31 pitchers in camp last year and we used 31 pitchers during the course of the season. The big thing that I want is, when the players come up – because obviously at some point you’re going to need more players than what you leave with on the 2nd — that they’re comfortable and that they know their teammates. That they feel good in their surroundings and feel safe, know they can trust the guys next to them. That’s the important thing.”

Three Yankees In Running for Gold Glove Awards

Three members of the New York Yankees are in the running for the American League Gold Glove Awards in 2015. Those three players are shortstop Didi Gregorius, first baseman Mark Teixeira and left fielder Brett Gardner. Here is the rest of the field courtesy of Lohud. 



AMERICAN LEAGUE

Pitcher: Mark Buehrle (Blue Jays), Sonny Gray (A’s), Dallas Keuchel (Astros)

Catcher: Jason Castro (Astros), Russell Martin (Blue Jays), Salvador Perez (Royals)

First base: Eric Hosmer (Royals), Mike Napoli (Rangers), Mark Teixeira (Yankees)

Second base: Jose Altuve (Astros), Brian Dozier (Twins), Ian Kinsler (Tigers)

Third base: Adrian Beltre (Rangers), Evan Longoria (Rays), Manny Machado (Orioles)

Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts (Red Sox), Alcides Escobar (Royals), Didi Gregorius (Yankees)

Left field: Yoenis Cespedes (formerly Tigers), Brett Gardner (Yankees), Alex Gordon (Royals)

Center field: Kevin Kiermaier (Rays), Kevin Pillar (Blue Jays), Mike Trout (Angels)

Right field: Kole Calhoun (Angels), J.D. Martinez (Tigers), Josh Reddick (A’s)

—

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Pitcher: Jake Arrieta (Cubs), Gerrit Cole (Pirates), Zack Greinke (Dodgers)

Catcher: Yadier Molina (Cardinals), Buster Posey (Giants), Wilson Ramos (Nationals)

First base: Brandon Belt (Giants), Paul Goldschmidt (D-backs), Adrian Gonzalez (Dodgers)

Second base: Dee Gordon (Marlins), DJ LeMahieu (Rockies), Brandon Phillips (Reds)

Third base: Nolan Arenado (Rockies), Matt Duffy (Giants), Todd Frazier (Reds)

Shortstop: Brandon Crawford (Giants), Adeiny Hechavarria (Marlins), Andrelton Simmons (Braves)

Left field: Starling Marte (Pirates), Justin Upton (Padres), Christian Yelich (Marlins)

Center field: Billy Hamilton (Reds), Andrew McCutchen (Pirates), A.J. Pollock (D-backs)

Right field: Curtis Granderson (Mets), Bryce Harper (Nationals), Jason Heyward (Cardinals)

While We Wait:By the numbers: A break is (almost) always good for A-Rod

While we wait on tonight's Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN I wanted to take an opportunity to bring you a great article written by Chad Jennings over at Lohud. Jennings looks at Alex Rodriguez in this article to see whether the days off the Yankees have been giving him, like the three games in a National League park against the Mets and the off day on Thursday, affect his production at the plate or not. CLICK HERE to read the entire article at Lohud and see below for a sample blurb while we wait. Enjoy. 

Last week, when he hit his fourth home run in five days, Alex Rodriguez talked about perspective.

As a younger player, he’d never liked days off. He played all 162 games three times in his 20s, but Rodriguez’s late 30s taught him the value of rest and recuperation. Durability is no longer be taken for granted, and strength in September is no longer a given.

Four home runs in five days? Rodriguez pointed to the week before when he’d more or less taken four days off in a National League park.

“I’ve felt much better,” Rodriguez said. “One of the good things about getting old is you have some perspective. I talked about that in Atlanta, and the days off for me have been good.”

In almost every case, taking at least two days off has paid immediate dividends for Rodriguez. An extended break has been helpful for the 40-year-old, and he should get one more break this weekend when the Yankees play at Citi Field. An off day Thursday followed by three games in a National League park should leave Rodriguez with an extended break leading into the final 14 games of the season.

And those final 14 games start with three against Toronto, so this would be a fine time to continue the pattern of being productive right after a few days off.

“I think one thing is, Joe (Girardi) deserves a lot of credit,” Rodriguez said. “He’s been very disciplined. He’s rested me. I took a day off after the three homers in Minnesota, and I think that has been good. Obviously I’ll have a break against the Mets. I’m in a position now where I can find the strength.”

Here’s every example of Rodriguez being kept out of the lineup at least two days in a row this season.

April 30-May 1Off day, at Red Sox
One pinch-hit appearance
Ten games before: .135/.319/.270
Ten games after: .286/.341/.657

This was A-Rod’s first extended break of the season. He was kept out of the lineup April 28, took an 0-for-6 April 29, April 30 was an off day, and he was back on the bench May 1. On that May 1 game, Rodriguez hit a pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning, which would be the start of another hot streak.

May 19-20at Nationals
Two pinch-hit appearances; one inning in the field
Ten games before: .297/.364/.730
Ten games after: .405/.452/.514

This was early in the season, at a time when it seemed the Yankees had to find a way to get Rodriguez into these National League games. He came back from the short break to have a hit in his next 11 games in a row, including five multi-hit games. Didn’t necessarily need the break, but the time off didn’t seem to hurt him.

June 15-16at Marlins
One pinch-hit appearance
Ten games before: .205/.367/.333
Ten games after: .400/.500/.686

Had eight hits in his previous 10 games, and half of those came in one game, so his slump was perhaps a little worse than the slash line suggests. He was cheered at home in Miami, got into only one of those two games, then returned to hit a home run in three of his next seven games.

Daniel "pinch-hitting" on the LoHud Blog

Everybody in TGP family needs to go check out this thought provoking article written by our very own Daniel Burch on the LoHud Yankees blog this morning! Good work Daniel!

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2014/02/07/pinch-hitting-daniel-burch-2/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter