Meet a Prospect Special Edition: Brandon Drury

The New York Yankees and their General Manager Brian Cashman did what the New York Yankees and GM Brian Cashman do during the winter months, they stuck to their guns. What do I mean? In recent years the Yankees have presumably been difficult to negotiate with when it comes to offseason and hot stove trades because when Cashman says something, he generally sticks to his guns. Cashman made it very clear that he was interested in then Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Brandon Drury but refused to succumb to the demands of the Diamondbacks GM for much of the offseason. A few weeks back, though, the Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks attempted to strike a deal that would have included Steven Souza Jr. going from Tampa Bay to the desert, these two teams could not make it work so they called into the Bronx for a little bit of help. Long story short, the Diamondbacks got Souza Jr. to replace JD Martinez and the Yankees and Cashman got their man in Drury for two good prospects who didn’t appear to have a future with the Yankees MLB team. Where I am from they call that a win, win, and win the Yankees will with their new infielder Drury. Let’s meet him. This is Meet a Prospect Special Edition, the Brandon Drury Edition.

Brandon S. Drury was born on August 21, 1992 and is currently playing third base for the New York Yankees, his second Major League team. Drury came over to the New York Yankees in a three-team trade involving the Arizona Diamondbacks, Drury’s former team, and the Tampa Bay Rays. New York gave up RHP Taylor Widener and 2B Nick Solak in the deal to acquire Drury who comes with four years of team control and a pre-arbitration salary through the 2018 season.

Drury attended Grants Pass High School in Grants Pass, Oregon where he played shortstop for the school’s baseball team. Drury caught the attention of the Atlanta Braves in 2010 leading the team to draft him in the 13^th round of the 2010 MLB First Year Players Draft. Drury signed with the Braves and almost immediately made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Braves finishing his first season with a .198/.248/.292 triple slash with three home runs in 192 at-bats. Drury spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons in the Braves minor league system including the 2011 season where the infielder won the Appalachian League MVP Award where he hit .347/.367/.525 with eight home runs n 265 at-bats. The Braves loved what they had in Drury but in 2013 the organization decided they liked Justin Upton a little better leading the team to trade him alongside Martin Prado, Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill and Nick Ahmed to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson.

Drury made a great first impression with his new team in 2013 batting .302/.362/.500 with 15 home runs in 134 games with the South Bend Silver Hawks leading the team to promote him to Double-A during the 2014 season. Drury was on the fast track to the Major Leagues, which was never more evident than it was when the team announced that Drury would be one of the team’s representatives in the Arizona Fall League following the 2014 season. Drury was on the radar with the big league club and his efforts both in the Minor Leagues and in the Arizona Fall League earned him an invitation to Spring Training camp in 2015, although Drury was eventually reassigned to a minor league camp back in Double-A. Drury eventually made his way to Triple-A during the 2015 season after being called up to the Reno Aces on June 23. Drury was added to the Diamondbacks 40-man roster and was called up to the Major Leagues on September 1, 2015 making his debut the same day.

In Drury’s MLB debut the right-handed faced the Colorado Rockies and Jon Gray who gave up Drury’s first MLB hit, a single. Drury would hit his first home run 21 days later on September 22, off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Adam Liberatore. Drury opened eyes with the Diamondbacks in 2015 and his efforts earned him another invitation to Spring Training camp with Arizona to start the 2016 season, an opportunity Drury took full advantage of. Drury made the team out of spring training and despite being listed as the team’s backup outfielder on the roster, Drury also found at-bats at second base and third base in order to keep his bat in the lineup. Drury did find himself back in the Minor Leagues for a week during 2016, the team needed to find a spot for Shelby Miller who was coming off the disabled list, but he was immediately called back after an injury to outfielder Socrates Brito occurred.

Drury spent the 2017 season with Arizona and did Brandon Drury things. Drury hit for a good average slashing .267/.317/.447/.764 while hitting 13 home runs and showing “doubles” and gap power inside what is considered to be a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Drury also spent time at three different positions including second base, third base and the DH position while the Diamondbacks were in an American League park. Drury had a Drury-type season showing consistency across the board and an ability to handle himself at any position and on all sides of the game.

The efforts of Drury caught the eye of Yankees GM Brian Cashman who sought his services for much of the winter via a trade. Arizona was quite fond of Drury and refused to part with him for less than a King’s ransom until the Tampa Bay Rays dangled outfielder Steven Souza Jr. in front of their eyes, forcing the hand of the Diamondbacks to include him in the three-team trade including the Yankees. The Diamondbacks got Souza Jr. in the trade to replace the recently departed JD Martinez and the Yankees, and Brian Cashman, finally got their man in Drury. Now Drury will be manning the hot corner inside Rogers Centre on Opening Day 2018 as the starting third baseman for the New York Yankees. No pressure, Brandon. I am sure you will do fine. Welcome to the team, welcome to the city and most importantly welcome to the family!!

Painful Experience: TV Games Thru NESN-Colored Glasses...

However, the End Result is all that matters…

Despite fielding a team with primarily high numbers (on their jerseys; not their stats), the Yankees accomplished the objective on Saturday. Beat the Red Sox. The Yankees came away from their only visit to JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, FL with a 5-3 victory. I know, it means nothing but as I said yesterday, I wanted to beat the Red Sox regardless of the significance of the game. Hanley Ramirez, who promised the Red Sox Nation that they’d “step on everybody’s neck” when the Sox signed J.D. Martinez, was 0-for-3, with a strikeout.

Since the game was televised by the MLB Network and it was at Boston’s ballpark, we were subjected to the NESN broadcast crew of Dave O’Brien, Tim Wakefield and Steve Lyons. Maybe it was just me, but I found their telecast to be one of the most myopic experiences that I’ve ever witnessed. If you believed what you heard (no worries, I did not), you would come away thinking the Red Sox are an extraordinary team, made more powerful with the presence of J.D. Martinez, while the Yankees have numerous questions and are a “one-dimensional team”. They also took shots at CC Sabathia for no reason, leaving you with the impression that CC is held together by duct tape. I didn’t mind the guests they featured regarding the Red Sox Foundation and other notable causes, but it seemed like they disregarded the game at times and it was as if the NESN broadcasters knew nothing about the Yankees players in the game. As Charles Barkley would say, “That’s turrible”. I am not impressed by NESN or the Red Sox.

Miguel Andujar continued his hot hitting. He didn’t start the game but entered later as a replacement for Brandon Drury. His eighth-inning single scored Jeff Hendrix with an insurance run after the Yankees had taken a one-run lead on the Sox. The day was an enjoyable experience for Andujar who got to meet one of his childhood heroes, former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. Although Andujar and Ortiz are both from the Dominican Republic, I was not aware they were from the same hometown.  No wonder Andujar emulates Big Papi’s swing.

The Yankees improved to 8-1, best in the Grapefruit League.  Today, they’ll face an old friend in Nathan “Nasty Nate” Eovaldi and the Tampa Bay Rays.  Nick Solak, one of the Yankees prospects involved in the trade for Brandon Drury, will start at second base for the Rays.

Here is the scheduled lineup for the Yankees at home in Tampa against the visiting Rays (sorry, I always find humor in that statement):

Brett Gardner, CF

Aaron Judge, RF

Giancarlo Stanton, LF

Gary Sanchez, C

Brandon Drury, DH

Danny Espinosa, 3B

Billy McKinney, 1B

Ronald Torreyes, 2B

Tyler Wade, SS

Chad Green will be the starting pitcher. Aroldis Chapman is also scheduled to pitch.

Russell Wilson left camp today but gave the players signed NFL footballs before his departure. Even though I am not a Seahawks fan, I knew that Wilson was a great guy. But his time in Training Camp and his words left me with the greater perception that his character exceeds his talent, which is no small task. I remain convinced that his time at Steinbrenner Field was a worthwhile experience although he struck out in his lone at-bat. His winning attitude and desire to be great is infectious. I think the Yankees players learned a great deal from the champion QB.  

Clint Frazier was held out from workouts on Saturday but, fortunately, his MRI on Friday came back clean. He’ll meet with a doctor today. Hopefully this not more serious than it appears to be and he’ll be back on the field in the not-so-distant future. Jacoby Ellsbury remains sidelined with the right oblique strain which is fine. That’s certainly one injury you don’t want to rush given the risk of further setback if you try to come back too soon.  

Recent photos of Chase Headley and Dustin Fowler are the latest evidence the Yankees should revisit their facial hair policy.  I am not a fan of the wild Justin Turner look, but cleanly groomed beards should be acceptable.

Bryan Mitchell, yet another example...

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Matt Kartozian)

Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com has a very nice write up this morning about my favorite Yankees pitching prospect (with no offense to Justus Sheffield or Chance Adams). Albert Abreu, recovering from recent emergency appendectomy surgery, should be able to resume his throwing program soon. It will be fun to watch this very talented right-hander continue his ascent through the Yankees farm system.  I am a huge Abreu fan and I look forward to the day he takes the mound at Yankee Stadium.

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Elsa)

Go Yankees!

Booking a Flight from Phoenix to Tampa...

Photo Credit: The Arizona Republic (Michael Chow)

Please, stop with the Judge & Drury jokes…

Yankees fans were waiting for some news but Tuesday’s announcement that the Yankees had acquired 2B/3B Brandon Drury from the Arizona Diamondbacks brought, surprisingly at least to me, mixed reactions.

The news first broke late afternoon that the Yankees had sent 2B prospect Nick Solak to the Tampa Bay Rays. There were a few minutes of no updates so I tried to speculate. I didn’t think Solak alone would be enough to entice the Rays to move starting pitcher Chris Archer so I figured it had to be a middle or corner infielder. The only players that came to mind were infielders Christian Arroyo, acquired in the trade that sent Evan Longoria to San Francisco, and Matt Duffy, also a former Giant. Arroyo would have been a decent option but I didn’t think the Rays would move him so soon since he is the favorite to replace Longoria at third. While starting to worry that a potential trade might involve Duffy, word came that the Yankees had acquired Drury from Arizona, with Solak going to the Rays and reliever Taylor Widener headed to the Desert. The D-Backs acquired Steven Souza Jr from the Rays, while Arizona sent pitcher Anthony Banda and two players to be named later back to the Rays. To make room for Drury, the Yankees designated outfielder Jabari Blash for assignment. Blash, acquired from the San Diego Padres in the salary-dumping deal that sent Chase Headley and Bryan Mitchell to Southern California, seemed like an odd fit from the start with a team full of talented outfielders. 

Personally, I like the move. Nothing against the rookies (Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar) but I’ve felt all along the Yankees would bring in a veteran to help ease the transition for them. Earlier in the off-season, I had hoped that guy would be Todd Frazier but it was not meant to be as the Toddfather ended up in Queens with the Mets as their new third baseman. Many, including this blog, were starting to talk about free agent 2B Neil Walker as a possibility.  

Although Drury played more second base last year (114 games versus only one at third), he is considered a natural third baseman who was blocked by D-Backs starting third baseman Jake Lamb. During his MLB career, the 25-year-old has played 41 games at third so he does have experience. 

Photo Credit: The Arizona Republic (Tom Tingle)

Drury is not arbitration-eligible until next year and under team control for four years. He’ll make no more than $700,000 for the 2018 season. He played 135 games in 2017, hitting 13 home runs and 63 RBI’s. His batting line was .267/.317/.447 with an OPS of .764. He hit 16 dingers in 2016 so he clearly has some pop in that bat.  

The nice thing about Drury is that he won’t block Andujar and/or Torres when they are ready. But he’ll help with the transition and will remove some of the pressure off the younger players. I can see the scenario where both Andujar and Torres start the year at Triple A, with Tyler Wade or Danny Espinosa heading north to the Bronx as the starting second baseman while Drury takes third. But regardless of what happens, we will see both Andujar and Torres in the Bronx this year and at least one (or both) of those guys will be the starter at some point in the not so distant future. I think Torres is closer to the bigs than Andujar but the gap is probably not that great. 

Photo Credit: NorthJersey.com (Chris Pedota)

Eventually, I think the odd man out could be Ronald Torreyes. Drury is incredibly versatile. During his short three season MLB career, he’s played every position except center field, catcher and pitcher. The Grants Pass, OR native is very excited about the opportunity that awaits him. Drury told the New York Post on Tuesday night, “Oh man, I am pumped and can’t wait to get there.  I am thinking about the opportunity I have.  Playing for the New York Yankees is a dream and I have to take advantage of it. I was a Yankee fan (as a kid).”  He is expected to arrive in Tampa today.

I saw free agent Neil Walker as the most obvious choice for veteran help after Frazier signed with the Mets. But Walker’s age (32), and limited experience at third, concerned me. The Yankees have multiple options at second behind Torres.  Tyler Wade, Ronald Torreyes, Danny Espinosa, and Jace Peterson are the most notable. At third, there really wasn’t much standing behind Andujar. Torreyes was probably the most experienced but he’s not an ideal starter. For me, I’d much rather have the youth and upside with Drury who knows how to play third versus an aging middle sacker. Alright, 32 is not old but Walker, at least to me, is starting to show signs of decline with his recurring back problems.  

I will admit that there was a part of me that wanted the Yankees to find a way to sign free agent third baseman Mike Moustakas. I really wanted to see one year of Moose Tacos taking his shots at the short right porch in Yankee Stadium. I loved the idea of mixing his lefty bat into the lineup with fellow lefties Didi Gregorius and Greg Bird to break up the right-handed hitters. But signing Moustakas would have required a trade (most likely either Brett Gardner or David Robertson) if the Yankees are committed to staying under the $197 million luxury tax threshold as we’ve been led to believe. It also would have eliminated the possibility of adding a quality starter to the rotation. There was one Kansas City Royals blog yesterday (before the Drury trade) that pitched a trade idea to acquire Jacoby Ellsbury (along with Miguel Andujar and $27 million in cash) for a Royals prospect as a way to open up salary space for the Yankees to add Moustakas.  No idea if Ellsbury would consider waiving his no-trade clause for that idea but the Royals do train in Arizona and he would have to clear path to the starting center field job since last year's starter, Lorenzo Cain, recently signed with the Milwaukee Brewers.

I know, every time the issue of trading for or signing a free agent starting pitcher is mentioned, many of you get defensive. Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Sonny Gray, CC Sabathia, and Jordan Montgomery represent a quality staff, I know. But, I am concerned about the depth. At this point, we simply do not know if Chance Adams is ready and capable for the Major Leagues. We think he is but we don’t really know for sure until he takes the mound at Yankee Stadium. Justus Sheffield is perhaps the best arm in the system but he’s never played above Double A. At the moment, neither Adams nor Sheffield are on the 40-man roster. I like Luis Cessa but he does not excite me as a starter. We’ve been down that road enough to tell me that I don’t want to pin replacement rotation hopes on Cessa. I certainly would not want to pull Chad Green from his valuable bullpen role to start. I’d prefer to add a quality starter and push Montgomery to Triple A for a few starts. Even adding a starter, Monty is almost certain to get more than 20 starts for the big league team this year. I like Monty as the insurance card so much better than Cessa. Later in the year, perhaps Adams or even Sheffield can become options. The likelihood that all of the starters remain healthy this year is slim. The Yankees are in position to add either Alex Cobb or Lance Lynn now if the price is right or wait until the trading deadline to add reinforcements. Options, I love options.  

Photo Credit: St Louis Post-Dispatch (Chris Lee) 

At the end of the day, the Drury trade simply shows us that GM Brian Cashman has a plan (as if we needed to be reminded). He is not going to overpay and is not afraid to walk away from “his” guy if necessary. But, he will be diligent to ensure that the moves he does make will improve the team. He understands that the stakes now are as high as they’ve been during his 20-year career as the team's GM. He has a very talented Major League team, backed by a tremendously strong farm system. Rare is the organization that has that deadly combination.

The Yankees chief rival significantly improved themselves over the weekend when the Boston Red Sox signed free agent slugger J.D. Martinez (Drury’s former teammate). The Red Sox Nation were back to puffing out their chests this week after a winter of feeling inferior. So, I really like the timing of the “we’re not done” message that Cashman sent out to American League competitors. Going back to TV/Radio personality Casey Stern’s words, “Prospects are cool, parades are cooler”. Brian Cashman is not done nor should we expect him to be. He has his sights set on the 28th World Championship in franchise history. Trust the Master.

Go Yankees!

BREAKING: Yankees Acquire Brandon Drury in Three-Team Trade

The New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks pulled off a three-team trade tonight that will send outfielder Steven Souza from the Rays to the Diamondbacks, infielder Brandon Drury to the Yankees from the Diamondbacks and prospects to the Rays from both Arizona and New York.

Yankees Receive: 

Brandon Drury


Yankees Trade: 

Nick Solak to the Rays
Taylor Widener to the Diamondbacks



Rays Receive: 

Nick Solak from Yankees
LHP Anthony Banda from Arizona
Two players to be named later from Arizona


Rays Trade:

Steven Souza to the Diamondbacks




Arizona Trades:

Brandon Drury to New York


Arizona Receives: 

Steven Souza from Tampa Bay
Taylor Widener from New York



Taylor Widener was last season in Class-A Advanced ball last season tossing 119.1 innings pitched over 27 starts with a 3.39 ERA. Widener was starting to open some eyes inside the Yankees system finally after succumbing to injuries in the past including a ulnar transposition surgery back in 2015 but the loss of an A-Ball pitcher for a versatile infielder/outfielder like Drury is a no-brainer in my opinion.  Widener could turn into a middle-of-the-rotation type starter, but he has yet to prove in his professional career that he can handle the workload of a starting pitcher.

Drury will likely be the team's starting second or third baseman on Opening Day, I am leaning towards the latter more than the former to be completely honest. If anything else, and possibly later on in the season, Drury could become a super utility player for Aaron Boone and company while keeping the likes of Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar fresh and ready to go day in and day out. Drury hit .267/.317/.447 with 13 home runs last season and heads to New York with four more years of team control and a pre-arbitration salary, both of which the Yankees coveted this offseason more than ever. Drury has over 1000 innings at second base at the Major League level as well as over 300 innings at third base, his likely starting point on Opening Day 2018.

Minor League Ball’s Top 20 Yankees Prospects!!

My apologies for the completely unprofessional “!!” at the end of the post title but I can’t help it, I’m me and I love Yankees prospects. Who needs professionalism anyway? I highly doubt you’re here reading my work because I am the most professional writer, you are here because you like my work and you like the way I do things. When I started this blog I always said I would do things my way and if that meant never making it “big” or being well-known that I would be okay with that, and those words still ring true today. So, without further ado, Minor League Ball’s Top 20 Yankees Prospects List!!! There, I did three exclamation points that time. Ban professionalism.

1.       Gleyber Torres

2.       Chance Adams

3.       Estevan Florial

4.       Justus Sheffield

5.       Miguel Andujar

6.       Domingo Acevedo

7.       Jorge Guzman (not updated since the trade)

8.       Albert Abreu

9.       Freicer Perez

10.   Thairo Estrada

11.   Nick Solak

12.   Dillon Tate

13.   Domingo German

14.   Billy McKinney

15.   Luis Medina

16.   Matt Sauer

17.   Trevor Stephan

18.   Taylor Widener

19.   Nolan Martinez

20.   Nestor Cortes (TAKEN IN RULE 5 DRAFT)

For the complete write-ups on the prospects and such head over to Minor League Ball and check out their post. They put in a lot of work over there and provide a ton of great content and they deserve all the views they get and many more. Head over there, be the good guy, and give them some clicks for their awesome content. Thanks in advance guys and girls. Go Yankees!!

New York Yankees Organizational All Stars

MiLB.com released the New York Yankees organizational All-Stars at every position this week so here is a quick glimpse into the future of the team. Congratulations to all on the list and join me in salivating at the thought of the future here in the Bronx. Enjoy your day!

Yankees 2017 Organization All-Stars

Catcher: Donny Sands

First Base: Mike Ford*

Second Base: Nick Solak

Third Base: Miguel Andujar*

Shortstop: Thairo Estrada*

Outfielder: Estevan Florial

Outfielder: Jake Cave*

Outfielder Billy McKinney

Honorable Mention: Isiah Gilliam

Utility: Tyler Wade*

LHP: Caleb Smith*

RHP: Chance Adams*

RP: Anyelo Gomez

Next Baby Bomber to Watch: Thairo Estrada

Two Baby Bombers to watch in one day, boy is it your lucky day or what? I kid, a little bit anyway, but really I am just so excited over the future of this Yankees team and farm system. I have salivated for years at the thought of the likes of Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird knocking bombs over the wall while Luis Severino and others pitched and closed out those games and now that those dreams have come to fruition it’s time to keep moving forward. It is time to keep looking towards the future as the second wave of reinforcements is coming for the Bronx Bombers, and one of those such players is named Thairo Estrada.

Estrada is likely to be added to the 40 man roster this offseason to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft but with that not set in stone let’s take a look at the decision that is looming and the man that it affects for the Yankees. Estrada was signed out of Venezuela back in 2013 and the infielder made his debut at just 17-years old. Now Estrada is 21-years old and is coming off his first All-Star Game appearance for the Double-A Trenton Thunder, and not a moment too soon for Estrada either.

Estrada is considered to be a contact hitter with little power, although he is a strong guy because of all the different gloves that he carries around. Estrada has played second base, short stop and third base during his tenure with the Yankees and the small right-hander, Estrada stands just 5’11” and 185 lbs., is already drawing comparisons to Ronald Torreyes. Estrada is a career .287/.347/.392 hitter with eight career home runs who doesn’t take a lot of walks but he doesn’t strike out a ton either. Again, he is considered to be a contact hitter.

Estrada, like Nick Solak, will also face an uphill climb to the Major Leagues with the amount of youth, talent and depth the Yankees already have in the middle infield. It would totally be within the realm of possibilities to see Estrada traded this offseason since the Yankees already have a super utility player in Tyler Wade that the team is pretty high on but at the same time Wade could easily be traded leaving the door open for Solak or Estrada. The Yankees have options and that’s what a deep and talented farm system can do for a team. It is a sight for sore eyes and it’s been a long time coming and no one is happier than I am about it, except maybe the Steinbrenner family of course. 

Next Baby Bomber to Watch: Nick Solak

The New York Yankees have far exceeded anyone’s expectations here in 2017 with a young team that was not expected to make a serious playoff run until next season. With the Yankees magic number to clinch a playoff spot now under 10 with just a couple weeks to go left in the regular season a return to the postseason looks like an almost guarantee for the boys in pinstripes. This is great news if you’re a Yankees player or a fan of the Bronx Bombers as the “now” looks bright but what should make you even happier is the outlook towards the future. This team’s farm system is still plentiful and deep and one such member of that farm system is a young man we will showcase as our next Baby Bomber to watch, his name is Nick Solak.

Solak was a second round pick for the New York Yankees back in the 2016 MLB First Year Players Draft out of the University of Louisville as a second baseman. Solak was drafted with the intention of moving him through the system quickly and that is exactly what is happening right now with the former Cardinals infielder. Solak made his professional debut with the Staten Island Yankees in 2016 before having a breakout type season here in 2017 splitting time between the High-A Tampa Yankees and the Double-A Trenton Thunder. Solak has spent much of this season in Tampa but since his promotion to Trenton the Yankees second base prospect has seemingly not missed a beat.

Combined this season Solak hit .297/.384/.452 with 12 home runs and 26 doubles, that’s power the Yankees would love to get out of a middle infielder going forward. Solak did see his strikeout numbers increase in 2017 striking out 100 times but the team also saw Solak walk 63 times, a 12% clip this season. With this kind of production Solak is not long for Double-A and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the right-hander in Triple-A earlier rather than later during the 2018 season. Whether that trip to Scranton sets up Solak to be the everyday second baseman or a bench piece like Ronald Torreyes has been remains to be seen but one thing is for certain, Solak is on the path to the Major Leagues and you better get off the tracks… because he’s coming.

One thing I will say about Solak with the Yankees and his path to the Majors is this, New York has so much depth at the middle infield positions right now that could very well work against Solak in his journey to the show. Dare I say, trade bait this offseason? Who knows, stay tuned. 

Gray's "Errorable" Yankees Debut...

Credit:  David Dermer-AP

Indians 5, Yankees 1...

Actually, Sonny Gray pitched very well.  Sadly, he had no support from Yankees team offense or defense.  Todd Frazier made his Yankee Stadium debut by hitting into a triple play, but Gray topped him, admittedly through no fault of his own, as three first inning defensive errors led to an early 2-0 Indians lead as the Tribe sailed to the easy victory.  

Credit:  Getty Images

Facing one of the AL's best pitchers in Corey Kluber, there was no margin for error.  Unfortunately, the first inning looked like Keystone Cops.  Bradley Zimmer hit a grounder to first that should have been the first out, but Chase Headley was unable to field it cleanly which allowed Zimmer to reach base.  Francisco Lindor grounded out with Zimmer moving to second.  Michael Brantley hit a grounder to Tyler Wade that should have been the second out, but the ball got away from Wade and Brantley was safe at first.  Zimmer to third.  Jose Ramirez hit a liner to right that Clint Frazier stopped cleanly but then he must have been throwing to the fans in the first or second row of the third base stands as the threw sailed over the head of third baseman Ronald Torreyes into the camera well for the third error, which allowed both Zimmer and Brantley to score.

Meanwhile, the Yankees could barely touch Kluber, mustering just three hits off the Indians' ace.  Clint Frazier picked up the Yankees first hit in the fourth inning with a double to right.  He made it to third on a subsequent fly out, but like any Yankee on third base these days, he was left stranded.

The Indians picked up a couple of insurance runs in the sixth.  With two outs, Carlos Santana walked on four straight balls.  Brandon Guyer lined a single to right, moving Santana to second.  Yan Gomes doubled off the left field wall, scoring both Santana and Guyer.  It was 4-0 Indians.  Gray got the final out of the 6th, but it was the end of his debut.  His final line was 6.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO.  If he continues to pitch like that, he'll pick up his share of wins for the Yankees.  

Credit:  Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees finally scored their one and only run in the top of the 7th when Gary Sanchez blasted a home run to center.  Unfortunately, it would be the last hit off Kluber who went the distance.  With Chasen Shreve pitching in the bottom of the 7th, Francisco Lindor answered El Gary's home run with a shot of his own over the left field wall.  From there, the Yankees went quietly.  Kluber picked up his ninth victory of the season.  He struck out 11 Yankees, the 9th time in his last 10 games he has struck out 10 or more batters.  Gray (6-6) took the loss.  The only other Yankee to get a hit, besides Clint Frazier and Gary Sanchez, was Ronald Torreyes who singled in the 5th inning. 

Credit:  Chuck Crow-The Plain Dealer

The Yankees (57-50) fell two games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.  Boston beat the Chicago White Sox, 9-5.  The Tampa Bay Rays moved 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees with a 5-3 victory over the Houston Astros.  The Detroit Tigers stopped the Baltimore Orioles' winning streak, 7-5, so the O's remain 4 1/2 games behind the Yankees.

Brett Gardner was hitless in four at-bats to snap his 14-game hitting streak.  It had been the longest current streak in MLB.  He also struck out twice.

Manager Joe Girardi took heat for benching Aaron Judge, Todd Frazier and Matt Holliday but I had no issue with the rest days for those guys.  They haven't been hitting and it was unlikely they would have had any better results against Kluber.  Hopefully, the rest day helps them today when they return to the lineup.  Jaime Garcia could use the run support (and defense) that Sonny Gray failed to get.  On the bright side, the Yankees won't see Kluber again this series. 

Credit:  Chuck Crow-The Plain Dealer

Odds & Ends...

According to MLB.com, OF Dustin Fowler ranks as the Oakland A's third best top prospect, while SS/OF Jorge Mateo is #5 and RHP James Kaprielian is #11.  Fowler will be given every opportunity to break camp next Spring with the A's as their starting center fielder. I guess we are going to be "Ben Gameled" quite often in the future.  

Credit:  John Shea

Speaking of top prospects, 2B Nick Solak is now in the Top 10 for the Yankees (according to MLB.com) and seems to be shooting through the system.  He was called up to the Double A Trenton Thunder a couple of days ago from the High A Tampa Yankees.  For Tampa, the 22 year old Solak hit .301/.397/.460 with 10 HR's and 44 RBI's.  He also had 17 doubles and 13 steals.  Solak was the Yankees' 2nd round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft.   

Credit:  Mark LoMoglio

The Yankees should be getting some help soon.  Aaron Hicks is currently on rehab assignment at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  He is 2-for-6 in two games, with an extra base hit and a run scored.  Greg Bird is traveling with the team and slowly beginning baseball activities.  There's hope that he can return by early September.  Starlin Castro will soon begin a running program as he recovers from the hamstring strain that landed him on the DL.

Have a great Friday!  Here's hoping for better results with Jaime Garcia's Yankees debut.  Go Yankees!

Final Review on 2016 Yankees Draft

The 2016 Minor League Baseball season is officially over. The championships have been won, the games have been played and the rookies that were drafted this June can now be evaluated. When the 2016 MLB First Year Players Draft was all said and done I thought the Yankees had initially done well with their picks of Blake Rutherford, Nick Solak and others but now with half a season under their belts will I change my mind? Not likely but let’s find out.

Blake Rutherford, and call me bias if you want to, was the biggest steal of the MLB Draft. Rutherford was once thought of as first overall talent and he did nothing to make anyone believe any different in 2016. Rutherford fell because of signability concerns and the Yankees got him signed. It’s as simple as that. Rutherford is already considered to be a Top 50 prospect in all of baseball by many lists published online including Minor League Ball’s John Sickels and for good reason.

I also really like the Nick Solak pick although some didn’t. Some thought he was simply signed and drafted because the Yankees could save money on their slot recommendation with him to give to Rutherford. While that is true that doesn’t mean Solak was an empty pick either by any means. Solak proved that in his pro debut in Staten Island posting a .321/.421/.421 with a 155 wRC+ and eight stolen bases, 30 walks and just 39 strikeouts. I also like the Dom Thompson-Williams pick because many experts had the outfielder going in the third round. The Yankees stole him in the fifth round and the Brett Gardner comparisons began almost immediately.

The one thing the Yankees needed more than anything though was pitching and they drafted a few key arms to look out for including closer/reliever Brooks Kriske. Kriske may be moved from closer to starter a la Chance Adams but either way his arm is strong and the talent is there. Taylor Widener is another arm I see a lot of potential in after reading up on him from his years at South Carolina. Widener finished the season with a 3-0 record, 0.47 ERA, 1.50 FIP and an insane 13.9 K/9 strikeout ratio in 38.1 innings in his professional debut. Widener, another reliever, will get his chance to showcase his 97 MPH fastball, slider and secondary pitches in the rotation once again a la Chance Adams in 2017 and could turn out to be a special arm for the Yankees in the future.

All this without mentioning High School pick Nolan Martinez. New York did well for themselves this draft and the final stat lines this season prove that. Now’s the hard part, development. 

Weekly Prospects Check In: Nick Solak

The penultimate weekly prospects check in for the 2016 regular season. That’s a lot of pressure on me to pick the final two prospects to be showcased, no? So who did I go with? A player that ended his season in Triple-A with a championship? A player at Double-A or down in Tampa who saw their season end prematurely in the postseason? Nope, I went with something a little different today and decided to showcase one of the Yankees who finished the season down in Staten Island after being the Yankees second round pick in the draft this year. Nick Solak.

Here is the stat line that Mr. Solak finished with this season. Looks like he should be a fast mover if all goes well in 2017 for him and the Yankees. 

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	Staten Island	64	279	48	77	13	3	25	8	30	39	.321	.412	.421	.833

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table