Who Needs Hot Stove Talk When It's Officially Prospect Season?

Okay, so admittedly I am being extremely sarcastic here with the blog post title. Of course we all need and want that big hot stove story to break, even if it is JD Martinez heading to the Boston Red Sox for an exuberant amount of money for probably far too long, but there are still a lot of us that are more inclined to read about the prospects as the calendar inches closer to February. I know we used to run Prospects Month here on the blog during the month of February, something I worked on off-and-on for like two months prior to February and all month long during February, so you know I am excited about a couple key sources of prospects information releasing their respective Top Prospects lists for the 2018 season. Baseball America released all 100 of their top prospects today while Keith Law released half his list and we will take a look at both lists here in this blog post. For the complete lists head over to Baseball America and Keith Law respectively.

Let's start with Baseball America since they released all 100 of their prospects all at once this morning. The Yankees had a total of six prospects in the Top 100 this season including Gleyber Torres (6th overall), Estevan Florial (38th overall), Justus Sheffield (41st overall), Miguel Andujar (59th overall), Albert Abreu (77th overall) and Chance Adams (81st overall).

I hate that Shohei Otani is considered a rookie and a prospect on this list, and by the way he is ranked 2nd overall, but I get it I guess. Meanwhile the Atlanta Braves outfield prospect Ronald Acuna is the top prospect in all of baseball according to BA while there are a few familiar and notable names to mention on the list including Vlad Guerrero Jr. (3rd ranked overall with the Toronto Blue Jays), Bo Bichette (8th overall and son of former MLB star Dante Bichette with the Toronto Blue Jays), Fernando Tatis Jr. (9th overall with the San Diego Padres), Jorge Mateo (64th overall and former Yankees farm hand traded for Sonny Gray to the Oakland Athletics), Jorge Guzman (87th overall and former Yankees farm hand traded to the Miami Marlins for Giancarlo Stanton), and Dustin Fowler (88th overall and former Yankees farm hand traded to the Oakland Athletics for Sonny Gray).

Meanwhile Keith Law released his 51-100 top prospects for the 2018 season and the Yankees that made the list were Miguel Andujar (54th overall), Freicer Perez (73rd) and Albert Abreu (99th overall). Law expects to release the rest of his Top 100 list tomorrow so check back for that! Even after trading away all the prospects the Yankees did in the Giancarlo Stanton and Sonny Gray deals the team is still stacked, and that is scary for the rest of the league in my opinion.

STATEN ISLAND YANKEES RELEASE 2018 SEASON SCHEDULE

STATEN ISLAND YANKEES RELEASE 2018 SEASON SCHEDULE

Opening Day scheduled for Friday, June 15, against Brooklyn

STATEN ISLAND- The Staten Island Yankees are excited to announce the team's 2018 season schedule. The Baby Bombers kick off another action-packed summer for a 20th season of baseball on Staten Island, and it all begins at Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George on Friday, June 15, as cross-bridge rival Brooklyn takes a trip over the Verrazano Bridge.

New for the upcoming season, two of the team’s five Sunday home games (June 17 – Father’s Day and Sept. 2 – Final Regular Season Home Game) will have a 1:30 p.m. first pitch. Also new for 2018, the Staten Island Yankees host a “Businessperson’s Special” with a unique 2 p.m. first pitch on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The Baby Bombers host three Camp Days with two 11 a.m. first pitch dates (Monday, July 16, and Thursday, Aug. 9) and one noon first pitch date (Wednesday, Aug. 1). Standard first pitch times for home games are 4 p.m. on Sundays and 7 p.m. on Monday through Saturday. Gates for Richmond County Bank Ballpark open to fans one hour prior to first pitch.

Along with a few new start times, highlights of the 2018 schedule include games on Father’s Day, Fourth of July, and six home contests against arch-rival Brooklyn.

Fans can reserve season tickets, partial plans and group outings for the 2018 season by contacting a Staten Island Yankees ticket rep at (718) 720-9265 or by email at tickets@siyanks.com. Contact us today to reserve your tickets or for more information about the 2018 season.

The Staten Island Yankees are the Single A-Short Season Affiliate of the New York Yankees and play at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George. The Staten Island Yankees are six-time New York-Penn League Champions (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011). For more information, visit siyanks.com.

-SIY-

The 2018 Tampa Yankees Schedule is now available

We are 150 Days Away from the 2018 Home Opener!  The 2018 Tampa Yankees Schedule is now available. Print or download it to all of your devices. We look forward to seeing you back at George M. Steinbrenner Field to battle for the 2018 Florida State League Championship! CLICK HERE TO PRINT SCHEDULE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SCHEDULE

Meet a Prospect: George Steinbrenner

George Michael Steinbrenner III is the final Meet A Prospect post that we will do for Prospects Month on The Greedy Pinstripes. The Boss was born on July 4, 1930 and passed to hang with the baseball Gods on July 13, 2010. George bought the New York Yankees organization in 1973 and held the ownership for 37 years until his death and subsequent transfer of ownership to his sons Hank and Hal, who we also showcased in our Meet A Prospect series this week. George would see the Yankees win seven World Series championships and 11 American League pennants in his tenure as the Yankees owner, the longest tenure in club history. George was not always the "hands on" owner, fiery figure head, and one to meddle in every day operations, drive up players prices, and investigate free agents before signing them. George was not always the one to hire, fire, and re-hire managers at an alarming rate. Let's meet George Steinbrenner before he was known as "The Boss."

George was born in Bay Village, Ohio as the only son of Rita Haley Steinbrenner and Henry George Steinbrenner II. His mother was an Irish immigrant who had her name changed from O'Haley to Haley and his father was of German descent who eventually made his name in the freight shipping business. George III was named after his paternal grandfather, George Michael Steinbrenner II, and had two younger sisters growing up, Susan and Judy. George spent his college years at the Culver Military Academy starting in 1944 and graduated in 1948 only to go back to college to get his B.A. from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1952. George was quite the social butterfly and athlete in school with highlights such as being a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, being a very successful hurdler on the varsity track and field team, played piano in the band, played halfback on the football team his senior year, and served as the field editor for The Williams Record. After college George immediately joined the United States Air Force and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. George would have an honorable discharge in 1954 and would go back to school to complete his masters degree in physical education at Ohio State University.

While at Ohio State George would be the coaches assistant in the year the Ohio State Buckeyes would go undefeated and win the Rose Bowl and National Championship in 1954.George would meet his soon to be wife, Elizabeth Joan Zieg, in Columbus, Ohio in 1956 and would marry and have two sons, Hank and Hal Steinbrenner. They also had two daughters Jessica Steinbrenner and Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal. In 1957 Steinbrenner would join the Kinsman Marine Transit Company, a company his great grandfather Henry purchased in 1901, and would be rebuilt and revitalized before George would purchase the company a few years later from his family. George would later buy the American Shipbuilding Company and see annual revenue sales soar over $100,000,000. Steinbrenner did not initially use that new found wealth to get into baseball though because his first sports team investment was the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League against the advice of his father. The Pipers would hire the first African American coach in professional basketball in John McClendon and would see an ABL Championship in the 1961-1962 season before the ABL folded in 1962. Steinbrenner paid his debts and took his talents to Broadway briefly in a 1967 play named The Ninety Day Mistress, the 1974 Tony Award nominated Seesaw, and the 1988 Legs Diamond play.

In 1971 George Steinbrenner attempted to buy the Cleveland Indians and failed but would buy the New York Yankees from CBS, with help from investors, in January of 1973. The original sale of the organization was $10,000,000 but the deal included two parking garages that CBS bought back after the deal was final for $1,200,000 making the final total for George and company coming in at $8,800,000. George wasted no time causing controversy and hiring and firing personnel as he went through 20 managers in his first 23 seasons including hiring and firing Billy Martin five times and went through 11 general managers in 30 seasons. George did win two World Series in 1977 and 1978 behind Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson though while the Bronx was Burning. George also ruled with an iron fist creating the policy that all Yankees players, managers, and male executives were forbidden to have any facial hair other than a mustache and Yankees players hair was not allowed to touch the collar of the shirt, which is still the Yankees policy today. George and his policy is the reason that Goose Gossage grew, and still has to this day, the extreme mustache that he has now after George forced Gossage to shave the beard that he was growing in 1983. Don Mattingly was even benched in 1991 after refusing to cut his mullet hair cut that did not fall within Yankees policy which causes a media backlash. Mattingly would not learn from the incident though as he would be back in the Yankees facial hair spotlight as he started to grow a goatee in 1995 and saw Mattingly trim it to just a mustache.

George also caused a ton of talk after handing out Dave Winfield a 10 year contract worth $23,000,000 making him the highest paid player in the game at the time. George bashed Winfield in the 1985 season after a poor September performance calling Winfield "Mr. May" and saying that the Yankees needed a "Mr. September or Mr. November, not a Mr. May." This criticism would cause players like Ken Griffey Jr. to publicly state that he would never play for the New York Yankees because of George Steinbrenner. On July, 30 1990 George was officially banned from the game permanently as far as day to day operations go by MLB commissioner Fay Vincent for paying a gambler to "dig up dirt" on Winfield. Winfield was suing the Yankees because they did not contribute $300,000 to his foundation which was a stipulation of his 10 year contract. These were just some of the reasons that Winfield went into the Hall of Fame as a San Diego Padre and no a member of the New York Yankees. With George out of the game how would baseball, and specifically the Yankees, respond you ask? Keep reading...

George was reinstated back into baseball in time for the 1993 season and it was just in time for the 1994 MLB strike and the beginning of a Yankees dynasty. George was willing to leave the day to day operations to Gene Michael these days and even got behind a Yankees farm system and letting players like Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada to develop rather than be traded for veteran players. George saw this new found patience pay off as the Yankees were in the AL East chase all the way until September before losing the title to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees were also leading the AL East before the 1994 strike wiped all the hard work away, the season, and for the second time ever the World Series. Obviously anyone reading this knows the rest as we saw the Yankees make the playoffs for the first time since 1981 when they were the first Wild Card winner in the 1995 season and saw the Yankees win World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009. The Yankees made the playoffs ever year from 1995 - 2009 except for the 2008 season, Joe Girardi's first season, and saw World Series losses in the 2001 and 2003 Fall Classics.


George would officially retire from being the Yankees principal owner and would transfer the day to day operations to his sons, Hank and Hal, in 2006. From 2006 until his eventual death in 2010 George spent most of his time at his home in Tampa, Florida while rarely showing his face at the stadium or giving interviews and sound bites. George did make a special appearance at the 78th Annual MLB All Star Game which was held in Yankees Stadium in it's final season in 2008 in the Bronx. George was wearing dark sunglasses and walked slowly onto the field with the help of many people helping him walk. George would get one last ring in 2009 and was presented with the ring in person by Derek Jeter and manager Joe Girardi on April 13, 2010 in his stadium suite leaving, according to reports, Steinbrenner almost speechless. Steinbrenner, if anyone, deserved this private ceremony as he built the Yankees brand to the first sports team to have a net worth over $1,000,000,000 plus having a $1,200,000,000 television network aptly named the Yankees Entertainment and Sports network, or the YES Network.



George died on July 13, 2010, the same day as the 81st annual All Star Game, at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Tampa due to a heart attack. His death came just nine days after his 80th birthday and just two days after long time Yankees announcer Bob Shepard passed away. The Yankees would wear a patch honoring Steinbrenner and Shepard from July 14th until the end of the 2010 season to commemorate these two Yankees legends. The Steinbrenner family also added a monument in Monument Park to honor their late family member in September of 2010 to honor George. George was buried at Trinity Memorial Gardens in Trinity, Florida. The Boss, Manager George, George Steinbrenner, whatever you call him or known him as you know he will never be forgotten, replaced, or emulated. May George rest in peace now.

We want to take this time to honor and thank George Steinbrenner for everything he did as the owner of the Yankees. If it were not for Steinbrenner the Yankees would not be who they are today, both in class and in championships, and we would not be the site that we are today. The Yankees would not be the financial super power they are today, would not be as respected league wide as they are today, and may have went by the wayside in the 70's and 80's if it were not for the boss. Thank you George and I hope you are reading this from up in Heaven, we love you!

This Day in New York Yankees History 2/23: Nothing So...

Why not listen to some good music. It truly is my favorite thing.

Meet A Prospect: Hank Steinbrenner

Henry George "Hank" Steinbrenner III was born April, 2 1957 in Culver, Indiana to parents George and Elizabeth Steinbrenner. Hank is the older son of former Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner and is currently involved in the day to day operations as owner of the Yankees today. Steinbrenner's little brother Hal is the other half of the Steinbrenner duo that inherited the team when The Boss passed away in 2010 and Hank also has two sisters in Jessica Steinbrenner and Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindall. Henry, or Hank, was named after his grandfather, Henry George Steinbrenner II, who made the family fortune in the shipping business.

From 2007 to the present George Steinbrenner stepped down from the day to day operations of the New York Yankees and the job was left to both Hank and Hal Steinbrenner. It would take until November, 8 of the 2008 season before Major League Baseball owners approved the shift of power to the Steinbrenner Brothers. Hank is more like his father in the fact that he is the more outspoken Steinbrenner brother and is considered to be a bit of a hot head. He also likes to talk without speaking a lot as seen below in this quote from Hank in a 2008 interview:

"Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of bullshit that is...That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans...Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."

Hank would receive a Red Sox nation membership card a few days later from Red Sox owner John Henry and also received team newsletters, bumper stickers, pins, Green Monster seats, and a Boston Red Sox hat autographed by none other than David Ortiz. I have to say that is a pretty awesome gesture by the Red Sox and even generated a laugh from a Yankees fan, good work.


Hank has disappeared from the front of the stage in recent years while his brother Hal has taken full control over the team and the organization. Hank was last seen on a gold course smoking cigarettes and about 50 lbs. lighter, no exaggeration. I'm not quite sure what's going on with Hank but I truly wish he's okay both mentally and physically. He's still a Steinbrenner and he's still a Yankee.

Rob Refsnyder the Third Baseman?

Hey guys, remember like just last year when I said that the New York Yankees should try Robert Refsnyder out at third base? Well this was originally stated before the Yankees acquired Starlin Castro and before Chase Headley had yet another down season at third base in 2016. So here I am once again putting the most obvious of situations down on paper because apparently the New York Yankees organization cannot see it themselves. So here it is, as slow as I can type it, one last time for you. The Yankees need a third baseman of the future and a third baseman for the now and that third baseman should be Robert Refsnyder.


Some will say that the Yankees aren’t high on Refsnyder or that they don’t trust his defense but those same people are ignoring the fact that the team called him up not once, but twice during the 2015 season while keeping him in the show for much of the 2016 season. The second call-up also resulted in him starting at second base in the AL Wild Card Playoff Round against the Houston Astros, an eventual 3-0 loss to Dallas Keuchel. The bat looked like it could stick, albeit in a short sample size, as he batted .355 in September and .302 overall in both call-ups while his defense looked to be adequate. Refsnyder got to the balls he was supposed to and he made the plays he was supposed to, anyone who doesn’t think that’s sufficient at 25-years old and with just two years of experience at second base professionally should just turn in their Derek Jeter jersey’s now.



The possibility of Refsnyder learning and playing the third base position is still up in the air. Brian Cashman seems adamant that the team will keep him at second base only while Refsnyder is said to be open to the idea. Then again Refsnyder is “up for anything” as long as it means he is sticking with the MLB squad. We already know that Starlin will be playing some third base this spring but keep your eyes out for Refsnyder, if he starts playing third base some then you know the plan is in motion. The plan I originally set forward and the plan Joel Sherman will once again get all the credit for. And that’s okay.

This Day in New York Yankees History 2/20: Just Another Manic Monday

There is surprisingly no notable news that has happened on this day in Yankees history. Not much to talk about here. Pitchers and catchers have reported and they've even had their first workouts together. Today is just another day unfortunately. Maybe caption this picture for fun?

Meet a Prospect: Tyler Austin

As recently as the beginning of the 2015 season Tyler Austin was graded by scouts as a B-, which anyone with a High School diploma, a GED, or an equivalent diploma can tell you... that is pretty darn good. He is a 3B by trade but also can play first base, where he'll likely start this season with the RailRiders, and the outfield while also being a potential DH type as well down the road. As a 19 yr. old he had one of the more polished bats in all of the New York Penn League (NYPL), the same NYPL that Mason Williams tore up in Staten Island. This is probably an anomaly but he was 18 for 18 in base stealing opportunities that season as well.


Drafted in the 13th round of the 2010 draft he broke his wrist in his 2nd pro game and missed basically the entire season. In his first season in extended spring training, the Gulf Coast League (GCL), and the NYPL in Staten Island Austin had a triple slash of .354/ .418/ .579 in 47 combined games including 26 extra base hits.


At 6'2" and 200 pounds his frame is athletic and speedy for a guy his size. He has shown that he can spray the ball to all fields although he needs to develop more power. He has nothing left to prove at the "lower" levels of the minor league systems and looks to bring his tools with him to the Bronx as he is knocking on the door as soon as 2016 after the injury to Greg Bird. The biggest concern with Austin is going to be what position will he play and can he find some consistency with his bat. The scouts are wondering whether he can be adequate enough to stay at the 3B position, although his lack of power thus far scares most away from having him be a 1B. Does Austin have the speed, the range and the arm to play right field? Honestly I think he can play any position he so chooses to, the guy is that talented. My biggest concern is the bat, can he find the consistency? He is very hit-or-miss and he's either on or off and unfortunately it's been more off than on in recent seasons.


Keith Law, insider required or I would link, even placed him on his "sleeper" prospects for the 2012 season saying “Third baseman Tyler Austin has turned himself into a pretty good defender over there, defying earlier predictions he’d have to move to first,” said KLaw of his sleeper pick for the Yankees. “[He] has a whole-field approach to hitting with pull power right now, and runs well for his size with a perfect stolen-base record in the pros.”


Austin will likely start the season in Scranton with the RailRiders in 2017 but may not be long for the minor leagues. Austin is more losing to a numbers game than he is a talent game at this point. Austin has minor league options while others like Chris Carter and Matt Holliday simply do not. Period. It's business. Austin is ready defensively and will try to make strides with the bat next season. If Austin's wrist injuries are behind him, which I truly believe that they are, there is nothing stopping this young man from making it back all the way to the Show. I've always been one of the biggest Austin fans around and I continue to be until he proves me wrong, and he hasn't yet.

Meet a Prospect: Jorge Mateo

The New York Yankees went out and signed a relatively unknown international free agent back in 2012 for a mere $250,000 and boy was that one of the greatest decisions the team and organization ever made. Mateo has grown from an international free agent that the Yankees signed out of the Dominican Republic to the top prospect in the entire organization according to many prospects lists released last winter before becoming the underdog here as we inch towards the 2017 season.

Mateo makes he way on the basepaths as the Yankees top shortstop prospect stole 82 bases in 2015 in 99 attempts. While Mateo is described as having "nervous feet" at shortstop he has the ability, the arm strength and the range to play either short, third base or second base in the future. New York even had Mateo work out at second base in the Instructional League as the team decides where Mateo will play in the future. At the moment Didi Gregorius is the shortstop of the present and the future in the Bronx so Mateo will either have to force at bats with the organization, move positions or become trade bait.

Jorge Mateo
6'0" - 188 lbs. - shortstop and DH

Year	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2012	Yankees 2	14	69	15	14	2	1	1	8	4	12	11	.255	.382	.382	.764
2013	Yankees 1	64	299	50	74	9	6	7	26	49	34	52	.287	.378	.450	.828
2014	Yankees 1	15	65	14	16	5	1	0	1	11	7	17	.276	.354	.397	.750
2015	2 Teams	117	500	66	125	23	11	2	40	82	43	98	.278	.345	.392	.737
2015	Charleston	96	409	51	98	18	8	2	33	71	36	80	.268	.338	.378	.716
2015	Tampa	21	91	15	27	5	3	0	7	11	7	18	.321	.374	.452	.826
All Levels (4 Seasons)		210	933	145	229	39	19	10	75	146	96	178	.279	.359	.410	.769
FRk (2 seasons)		78	368	65	88	11	7	8	34	53	46	63	.281	.379	.438	.816

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Mateo broke out in 2015 which caused him to have all the eyes of the organization on him in 2016. For some that's a good thing, some players thrive off the pressure and attention, while for some they can be their own worst enemies. Unfortunately for Mateo it seems like he was the latter as he struggled for much of last season but in 2017 Mateo will be back to being that kid that can just have fun again, and that may be the best thing not only for Mateo but for the Yankees as well.

So It Seems I'm Feeling Young Again

Yes, yes I am. I'm feeling young again. Why? Well I'm back to writing, life is good all things considered and it's almost my favorite time of the year. Opening Day and baseball season. Not many things can top baseball for me and if they do they make me feel alive and young again. So with that theme in mind I am going to focus on prospects throughout the day and specifically I'd like to introduce you to a few.

You've been warned. Or enjoy. Whichever you prefer.

Most Popular Article of the Week: Three Yankees Prospects You May Not Know Yet But You Will

Every year we, the fans of Major League Baseball, enter the new season with a new set of expectations. Either we think our team is going to win it all, we think our team is going to take the next step towards the ultimate goal, we think we're one year closer to getting some of these clunky contracts off the books and we're one year closer to seeing our favorite prospect on the field wearing our favorite team's uniform. This is especially the case with prospects and it goes for the prospects we know but also the prospects we don't quite know yet. We all know by the now the names of Jorge Mateo, Robert Refsnyder, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and James Kaprielian but do you know these three names? If you don't yet you likely will by the end of 2016.

Outfielder Carlos Vidal has been a member of the New York Yankees for more than two seasons now and at age 19 he is primed to break out in a big way as soon as 2016. In short season league's Vidal has hit .362 in two seasons and has had more walks than strikeouts in his professional debut. Vidal showed average but he also showed power hitting 15 doubles and nine home runs with the Pulaski Yankees last year. Vidal isn't a blue chip prospect by any means but he has the potential to have a long and promising career if he continues on the path and trend he is currently on.


Right-handed pitcher Joey Maher is another player that many probably never gave a second thought to when they noticed he was drafted in the 38th round of the 2011 season but he has done everything to make us all look like fools. Maher came out of the draft with a solid sinker and changeup combination but was derailed by injuries until the 2015 season when he finally stayed healthy enough to put it all together. When drafted Maher threw in the high-80 MPH range with a fastball and a curveball to compliment his sinker and changeup but recently Maher has seen an uptick in velocity hitting as high as 95 MPH consistently in 2015. Maher also made strides with his curveball last season making him a legitimate four-pitch pitcher going forward. Maher may start the season in Tampa or may head back to Charleston with the Riverdogs.



The final prospect you may not have heard of yet but will by the time Prospects Month 2017 comes around is Simon De La Rosa. De La Rosa is a right-handed pitcher that has thrown plus stuff but like a ton of pitchers before him he lacks the control to put it all together. De La Rosa averages 95-97 MPH on his fastball and it has late life that resembles a bit of Mariano Rivera's famous cutter that he made his name on for all those years. De La Rosa has struck out 180 batters in his first 140 professional innings and possesses plus breaking stuff, especially for someone as young as he is, but the walks will always be the main concern for the Dominican-born right-hander. De La Rosa walked 37 batters in 53.1 innings this year but if he can cut that in half or more he may be something special that flies through the lower levels of the Yankees system this season.

Meet a Prospect: Chris Denorfia

The New York Yankees need another outfielder in the organization like they need another hole in the head but that didn’t stop the team from making another minor league signing this week for one. This time the Yankees added outfielder Chris Denorfia on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training this week so we’ll introduce him to the Yankees family the only way that we know how. This is Meet a Prospect: The Chris Denorfia Edition.

Christopher Anthony Denorfia was born on July 15, 1980 and if he makes the New York Yankees he will be playing for his sixth MLB franchise during his career. Denorfia’s amateur career began in Connecticut where he was born and attended Choate Rosemary Hall High School. Denorfia played second base and shortstop in high school until moving to the outfield in college at Wheaton College where he caught the attention of MLB scouts. Denorfia hit .467 in his senior year and did enough for the Cincinnati Reds to come calling with the 19^th pick in the 2002 MLB First Year Players Draft.

Denorfia toiled around the minor leagues until reaching the Major Leagues as a September call up in 2005 with the Reds. Denorfia stuck around for the month of September and for 49 games in 2006 as he bounced around between Triple-A and Cincinnati before having Tommy John surgery on his elbow in 2007 costing him a year of development. While rehabbing from the surgery he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Marcus McBeth, Ben Jukich and cash considerations despite missing the entire season. Denorfia was back in 2008 and even made the A’s Opening Day roster as a center fielder before a back injured derailed his season in early May. Denorfia did not return to the majors that season until rosters expanded again in September of 2008 getting just 62 at-bats for the A’s. Denorfia only played in four games for the big league A’s in 2009 before the team decided to remove him from their 40-man roster at the end of the season. Denorfia was a free agent for the first time in his career.

In December of 2009 Denorfia signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres and much like with his current Yankees deal he received an invitation to spring training camp. Denorfia did not make the team out of camp and was once again optioned to Triple-A but he was not down for long as the Padres called him in on May, 17 of that season to replace an injured Scott Hairston. Denorfia remained with the Padres for the remainder of the season and finished the season with a .271 average with nine home runs in 44 games. Denorfia remained with the Padres for the 2011 season after signing a new one-year deal and for the first time Denorfia got a full season to prove himself playing in 111 games for San Diego. Denorfia signed a similar one-year deal for the 2012 season as well with the Padres and played in a whopping 130 games that got him an extension with San Diego through the 2014 season. Finally some security for Denorfia.

Denorfia rewarded San Diego once again for their patience with him in 2013 playing in 144 games and by putting up a .279/.337/.395 triple slash. Denorfia also won the Padres Defensive Player of the Year Award and the team’s Heart & Hustle Award for the month of September leaving his mark in Padres history. Denorfia was traded to the Seattle Mariners on July 31, 2014 for minor league outfielder Abraham Almonte and pitcher Stephen Kohlscheen ending his tenure in San Diego and ending his tenure of hitting inside Petco Park.

Denorfia signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs for the 2015 season before coming to New York for the 2016 season. Denorfia has represented Team Italy in the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classic and will now represent, in my very bias yet humble opinion, the greatest MLB franchise this world has ever seen. Welcome to the team Chris and more importantly, welcome to the family. 

MLB, Rookies and Fantasy Baseball

Have you had your Fantasy Baseball Draft yet? If not we have a couple more tips, tricks and potential sleepers to send your way before you do. We slacked off a bit last month on the Fantasy baseball discussion only because I had so much prospects related content to use as a part of Prospects Month that something had to give and these posts got the axe temporarily. Have no fear though as they are back and keeping with the prospect spirit we will bring you a handful of rookies and prospects to keep on your watch list as you prepare for your draft. Some can help on Opening Day and some won’t likely help before July so keep this post bookmarked all season long just in case, you might need it.

Corey Seager is expected to be the Los Angeles Dodgers starting shortstop on Day One in 2016 and like I say with any National League player he should see what I like to refer to as some “cupcake” competition next season. The NL will boast two or three of the worst teams in MLB next season with the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers while teams in the Dodgers own division, the Padres especially, are planning on tearing things down and building back up slowly. Get Seager if you can because he is going to be a great shortstop for you in 2016.

The same can be said for fellow shortstop Trea Turner of the Washington Nationals. While Seager will see enough of those teams much of the NL expects to beat up on Turner will see them around 20 times per season each. Turner made a nice debut with Washington in 2015 batting .322/.370/.458 and he possesses 30 stolen base potential as well making him a potential bargain for fantasy owners.

Everything I said about Seager can be applied to the Minnesota Twins future center fielder and top prospect Byron Buxton with the exception of the fact that Buxton will play in the American League in one of the tougher divisions in baseball. Buxton is lightning quick though and you don’t get named top prospect in all of baseball twice if you’re a slouch everywhere else, Buxton is going to be special.

Is Steven Matz still considered a prospect? If so you have to have him on your radar as he fits in with the rest of those aces and #2’s in the New York Mets rotation. He’s finally back and healthy from Tommy John surgery and is primed to make a huge impact in 2016 both in fantasy and in the NL East Division.

I guess the same could be said for Byung-Ho Park of the Minnesota Twins and Hyun-soo Kim of the Baltimore Orioles. They are both technically rookies but at 29-years old and 28-years old respectively Park hit 50 home runs in back-to-back seasons in Korea before coming over to the states and is expected to be either the every day first baseman or DH while Kim will showcase his keen batting eye and outrageous contact skills to channel his inner Ichiro Suzuki.

The final prospect we cover today will miss at least 50 games this season with a drug suspension, the St. Louis Cardinals top pitching prospect Alex Reyes. Reyes is already overpowering hitters with a 95+ MPH fastball that can reach as high as 100 MPH when he really reaches back for it. Reyes failed a test for marijuana and not steroids but either way he could be a bargain and an absolute steal in your fantasy draft.