Losing that Winning Feeling...

Credit:  Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports, via Reuters

Red Sox 5, Yankees 4...

I was not confident with Masahiro Tanaka on Tuesday night and he proved my concerns to be correct with yet another horrendous start.  Tanaka has become the National League's version of the pitcher batting (generally speaking)...an automatic out or in this case, an automatic loss.  

I did not like the thought of Tanaka opening the series with the Red Sox because of the fear that he'd put us at the disadvantage.  He's easily the weakest link in the rotation right now and I have no clue what can be done to turn him around.  If he's not hurt, there is no explanation for why he's become a batting practice pitcher on the mound during games.

The first two Red Sox batters at the start of the game both singled.  So, there were runners at the corner before Tanaka could even record an out.  It looked like it could have been a big inning for the Sox, but Tanaka was able to limit the damage to one run.  

The Sox scored three runs in the fourth.  After an inning opening walk to Xander Bogaerts, Mitch Moreland and Hanley Ramirez went deep for back-to-back homers.  

The Yankees had a threat going in the bottom of the fourth after two one-out singles, but Chase Headley hit into a double-play to kill the potential rally.  Headley was 0-for-3 for the game.

The next inning, Tanaka served up another home run, this time a solo shot by the youngster Andrew Benintendi.  The Sox were up 5-1 and it would be all the runs they would need on this night.

The Yankees tried to scratch and claw their way back.  Chris Carter opened the bottom of the fifth with a home run.  Aaron Judge doubled with two outs, but Matt Holliday struck out to strand Judge.

In the bottom of the sixth, Starlin Castro and Aaron Hicks both singled, bringing Didi Gregorius to the plate.  Didi hit into a double play, but Castro was able to score on the play to close the gap to 5-3.

The next and last opportunity for the Yankees would be in the eighth.  Matt Holliday opened with a double.  After the next two batters recorded outs, Didi was up again.  The Red Sox brought closer Craig Kimbrel into the game.  Kimbrel struck out Didi swinging, but it was a wild pitch and Didi beat the throw to first base to keep the inning alive and allow Holliday to score.  5-4, Red Sox.  Chris Carter could have rehabilitated his image in the eyes of Yankees fans with a key hit, but he struck out to end the inning.  Kimbrel would go on to strike out the side in the ninth to finish with five strikeouts in four outs, picking up his 17th save.

Credit:  Associated Press

The Yankees were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.  This was their 14th loss in 25 games since May 8th.  

Aaron Judge made a great catch in the second inning, jumping and crashing into the right field wall to take an extra base hit away from Jackie Bradley, Jr.  Although he had the game-ending strikeout, he was 2-for-4 with a walk.  He was trying.

The Yankees bullpen did an outstanding job to hold the Sox scoreless after Tanaka departed, but special acknowledgement goes to Chad Green for his 3 1/3 innings of perfect relief with 5 strikeouts.  

The final line on Tanaka (5-6) was 5 IP, 5 hits, 5 runs, 1 BB, 2 K, 3 HR.  This process of Tanaka trying to find his pitches in games is killing us.  

The Red Sox matched the Yankees (32-23) in total victories and moved to within one game of the AL East lead (the Sox have two more losses than the Yankees).  The Baltimore Orioles beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 in 10 innings so they moved to within 2 1/2 games.

Odds & Ends...

Major League Baseball released its first AL Update for the All-Star Game voting on Tuesday.  The leader is Aaron Judge with 1,251,543 votes.  He overtook the injured Mike Trout by 96,187 votes.  In the AL Outfield, Brett Gardner is 9th with 364,493.  In the 'I don't know what the heck they were thinking' category is Jacoby Ellsbury with 269,974 votes.  Aaron Hicks is far more deserving of those votes.

Other Yankees in the AL Results:  

Catcher:  Gary Sanchez (4th behind Salvador Perez, Wellington Castillo and Brian McCann) with 461,152 votes.  First Base:  Yeah, right.  Second Base:  Starlin Castro (2nd behind Jose Altuve) with 778,699 votes.  Third Base:  Oops, no one is covering.  Shortstop:  Didi Gregorius (3rd behind Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa) with 397,326 votes.  DH:  Matt Holliday (2nd behind Nelson Cruz) with 460,355 votes.  

This year's All-Star Game will be held at Marlins Park in Miami on Tuesday, July 11th.

Aroldis Chapman is targeting the upcoming A's series for his return.  The Yankees will be in Oakland for a four-game set starting Thursday, June 15th.  I am very anxious to show a showdown between Chapman and the A's Rajai Davis with the game on the line.  I feel that a healthy and rested Chapman is the superior competitor in that situation and I want to see Davis strike out to lose the game (as retribution for his home run off Chapman in Game 7 of the World Series).

On Monday, the Baltimore Orioles acquired infielder Ruben Tejada from the Yankees for cash considerations and assigned him to AAA.  On Tuesday, they elevated him to the Major League roster.  Things seem to have worked out for Tejada in his new home as he was not likely to see the Big Leagues in Pinstripes anytime soon.  I just hope this doesn't become a Steve Pearce situation where he starts crushing home runs for the O's.  

Chance Adams took the loss on Tuesday night in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders' 8-1 loss to the Rochester Red Wings.  He pitched six innings, giving up 3 hits and 3 runs.  He walked 4 batters, allowed one home run, and struck out 7.  The outing pushed his ERA to 2.17.  The winning pitcher for the Red Wings was former Yankees prospect Nik Turley (who had 15 strikeouts).

Have a great Wednesday!  On the bright side, Masahiro Tanaka is not pitching today.  Go Yankees!

The Power of a Good Third Baseman…

Credit:  Associated Press

Blue Jays 3, Yankees 2…

Two great offensive games and two not-so-great, so the Yankees go home with a split in Toronto.  Not the best case scenario with the Boston Red Sox on tap in the Bronx starting Tuesday night.  The Blue Jays used two late home runs to over take the Yankees in the series finale.

It was another good start by Luis Severino.  He was pitching a shutout until Justin Smoak connected for a two-run homer with two outs in the sixth inning to tie the game at 2.  Severino bent but he did not break.  Sadly, that was Tyler Clippard who served up the eventual game-winning home run by Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson in eighth.  For his effort in the no-decision, Sevvy went 7 innings, giving up 6 hits and the aforementioned 2 runs.  He only allowed one walk and struck out 7 while lowering his season ERA to a team-best 2.90 for starters.

Credit:  Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

As for Clippard (0-3), it is hard to blame anyone who gives up homers to Donaldson.  He has a knack for doing that against the best.  Still, the game might have looked different had Aroldis Chapman been healthy and active as it would have ensured the placement of Dellin Betances in the critical 8th inning.  

The Yankees only offense on this day was provided courtesy of Matt Holliday.  He had a run-scoring double in the fourth, and picked up another RBI in the sixth inning when he hit into a force play at second base that allowed Brett Gardner to score from third.

Credit:  Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

Sevvy pitched well enough to win.  Through the last run through the rotation, the only weak links were Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda.  Unfortunately, the former is on the mound for the opening game of the Boston series.  It’s sad when the rotation’s ace is the one you trust the least (at the moment).  Severino is starting to pitch like a guy who intends to supplant Tanaka atop the rotation one day.

The Jays have a very good third baseman.  I wish we had one of those…

Credit:  Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

With Boston’s 7-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, the Red Sox are just two games behind the Yankees (32-22) in the AL East.  The Orioles remain 3 1/2 games back.  

Odds & Ends…

The series finale on Sunday between the AAA-Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and the Toledo Mud Hens was rained out.  The RailRiders resume play tonight in Rochester, New York against the Red Wings, the top farm affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.  The game will feature the next start for Yankees pitching prospect Chance Adams (3-1).  He will be opposed by Yohan Pino (0-1).  

The RailRiders officially released reliever Ernesto Frieri yesterday after he had exercised a June 1st opt-out of his AAA contract.

The Yankees traded infielder Ruben Tejada, who was on the RailRiders roster, to the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations.  Tejada was batting .269/.345/.462 with 6 homers and 21 RBI's in 37 games.  Tejada had lost playing time with the arrival of Gleyber Torres and the recent activation of Donovan Solano off the DL.  Granted, Tejada is not the second coming of Cal Ripken, Jr, but I am not sure why the Yankees would want to help the Orioles in any way.  Tejada was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Greg Bird had a run-scoring single (driving in Jorge Mateo) in the High-A Tampa Yankees 9-1 win over the Jupiter Hammerheads.  Prior to the 7th inning hit, Bird’s other three at-bats ended with fly outs.  

Have a great Monday!  Hopefully it’s a restful one for the Yankees as they prepare for the Red Sox tomorrow night.

Do Any Non-Roster Invitees Have a Shot at Making the Team?

The New York Yankees originally invited 25 non-roster players to their spring training camp this offseason with competition being the theme of the spring down at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Do any of these 25 players have a shot at being the next Johnny Barbato and making the big league club out of spring training? Let’s analyze.

First you have to think about the potential roster spots that are available and up for grabs this spring. The first position that comes to mind is the Yankees bullpen, maybe two or three slots are up for grabs, while the Yankees bench also seems wide open at this point for one or two slots.

You can immediately cross of names like Chance Adams, James Kaprielian, Jordan Montgomery, Nick Rumbelow, Justus Sheffield, Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier for a plethora of reasons. Innings in Adams case, innings and injury concerns in Kaprielian’s case, Tommy John surgery in Rumbelow’s case, inexperience in Torres and Frazier’s case, etc. leaving 18 players vying for no more than five possible slots on the Yankees team, although that number could be as low as two spots. Who sticks out as a potential hopeful for making the team?

Ruben Tejada may make the team as a utility infielder thus pushing Ronald Torreyes back to the minor leagues or off the team entirely. The former New York Mets second baseman, still somehow just 27-years old, can play adequate defense at second base, third base and shortstop while potentially carrying a bit of a heavier stick than Torreyes and other spring hopefuls including Pete Kozma and Donovan Solano. Obviously he did not show that heavy stick in his small sample size last season with the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants but he has been a 2.0 WAR player twice during his career with the New York Mets showing that the talent is there. He just has to put in the work.

I have to admit that I shook my head a bit when I saw that the New York Yankees sent relief pitcher J.P. Feyereisen to the Arizona Fall League. Not because he isn’t talented or was undeserving but I guess I let my own ignorance get in the way. Once I actually sat down and did the research on the third piece that came back from the Cleveland Indians in the Andrew Miller trade I saw that Feyereisen actually had a pretty great season in Double-A this season. Feyereisen finished Double-A, presumably anyway, with a 1.70 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP with 78 strikeouts in 58.1 innings of work. Feyereisen was equally as strong in the Arizona Fall League posting a 2.57 ERA and could be at the head of the long line of pitchers looking to fill in the middle relief role for the Yankees this spring. Feyereisen, on second review, is probably my leading candidate for the job assuming he has a strong and healthy spring. Not that my opinion or vote counts for anything, but still. He has it.

And finally ladies and gentleman it’s time for my weekly plug of left-handed starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery. Because why not? I am going to continue to push him down everyone’s throats until he is in the Major Leagues because he is too talented and too close not to reach The Show in 2017, in my opinion of course. There’s nothing saying that Montgomery could not sneak in and steal one of the two Yankees starting rotation spots that could be up for grabs this spring and I’m definitely not going to be the one counting him out. Montgomery, just 24-years old, split the 2016 season between Double-A and Triple-A and seemingly has little to nothing left to prove in the minor leagues at this point. Montgomery finished the season with a 14-5 record and a 2.13 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 139.1 innings of work while an uptick in velocity resulted in 134 total strikeouts across both leagues. Montgomery’s delivery is fluid and his command is almost pinpoint so when you think about this uptick in velocity you stop thinking about his ceiling being that of a middle-of-the-rotation type starter and you start thinking how much more he can be going forward.

You have to remember that all these men got their invites for a reason. They are young, ready and able to do the job. They just have to go out and do it and if they do they may find themselves squaring off with the Tampa Bay Rays on Opening Day 2017 in some capacity. Good luck to all three men. 

Donovan Solano is Back, Now What?

The New York Yankees outrighted infielder Donovan Solano off their 40-man roster following the 2016 regular season but the team has now brought the former Miami Marlins product back to the organization with a new minor league deal. The Solano signing, along with the minor league deal for Ruben Tejada, should give the Yankees plenty of minor league depth and insurance for their middle infielders but much like yesterday I am left feeling “now what?” when it comes to the rest of the middle infielders in the organization, specifically Rob Refsnyder and Ronald Torreyes.

Solano is still somehow just 28-years old so he has his youth on his side and his prime in front of him after leading the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders to a Triple-A Championship in 2016 batting .319/.349/.436 in 546 at-bats. New York is obviously high on him, it was Solano who was called up last season during the stretch run to replace an injured Starlin Castro at second base, and will give him a shot to fight for a job once again this spring down in Tampa.

Solano will join Torreyes, Refsnyder and Tejada this spring as the four men competing for no more than two roster spots this spring. Unless of course a trade comes up and Refsnyder or Torreyes, or conceivably although less likely Solano or Tejada as well, come up in trade discussions. I guess you’ll have to stay tuned to find out.

Meet a Prospect: Ruben Tejada

The New York Yankees have signed former New York Mets product Ruben Tejada to a minor league deal and will presumably have him in spring training camp this spring fighting for a job. While this signing is not on the same level as the Matt Holliday or the Aroldis Chapman signings this could be significant nonetheless, especially with the release of Dustin Ackley and other key losses in the infield both at the Major League and Minor League level. So let’s meet the guy that could be up in the Bronx with an injury or two or a strong showing this spring down in Tampa. This is Meet a Prospect: The Ruben Tejada Edition.

Ruben Dario Tejada was born on October 27, 1989 in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama to Ruben Sr. and Donaji Tejada. Ruben Sr. was a pitcher in Panama for the Los Indios de Veraguas and that mixed with the fact that Tejada Jr. grew up mere feet from Omar Torrijos Herrera Stadium in Panama the middle infielder was destined for baseball. Growing up Tejada idolized the likes of Derek Jeter and Omar Vizquel leading Tejada to sign with the New York Mets in 2006 as a 16-year old international free agent and prospect. 

Tejada toiled around in the Mets minor league system through the 2009 season and it was the year 2010 when Tejada was invited to Mets spring training camp. Tejada impressed the Mets enough to become the youngest position player to make the New York Mets Opening Day roster since Tim Foli in 1971. Tejada was a part-time player and a player that bounced back and forth between Triple-A and the Major Leagues until becoming a fill-time player in 2011 after an injury to third baseman David Wright moved then second baseman Justin Turner to third base.

It was business as usual for Tejada from 2011 through the 2015 regular season but Tejada was in the spotlight again during the 2015 NLDS when Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman ended his season and ultimately his Mets tenure with a slide into second base that broke Tejada’s right fibula. That broken fibula ended his season and in March of 2016 the Mets places Tejada on waivers before releasing him the next day. Tejada latched on with the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants in 2016 but neither resulted in long tenures back in the big leagues unfortunately for Tejada.  

Now Tejada is back in New York, this time with the New York Yankees, and once again back to fighting for his MLB career. Good luck to him and we are very happy to have him. Welcome to the family Ruben. 

Does the Ruben Tejada Signing Make Rob Refsnyder & Ronald Torreyes Expendable?

The New York Yankees signed former New York Mets middle infielder Ruben Tejada to a minor league deal with a presumed invitation to the Yankees spring training camp down in Tampa this coming spring. We’ll meet the man the Yankees signed here in a few hours on the blog but before we get to that I want to share my initial response, impression and the major question that came along with the signing. I also want to explore whether such a signing by the Bronx Bombers now makes both Robert Refsnyder and Ronald Torreyes not only trade bait but expendable as well.

I’ll start slow with my initial response. My initial response to the signing was not a real major one. It’s a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. The Yankees will likely have many veterans and reclamation projects that they sign to similar deals this winter and spring so the fact that it’s Tejada is not a huge deal to me. I think it’s being made into a bigger deal than it is by most because he used to play for the Mets, and truth be told a little of it also has to do with the fact that news is slow right now around the Christmas holidays. This was merely a blip on the radar for me until I started thinking whether this was a precursor to something to come, something much bigger.

Let’s be honest, and this is coming from the biggest Rob Refsnyder fan besides his own mother, both Refsnyder and Torreyes are easily expendable. While I believe with constant and consistent at bats Refsnyder could become a line-drive hitter and an overall good hitter in the Major Leagues manager Joe Girardi has proven time and time again that this is not simply going to happen. With that said Refsnyder and Torreyes lend little to the team in terms of offense, their value is on defense at this point unfortunately and their versatility and ability to play multiple positions. Something that Tejada could also lend the Yankees in the middle infield.

Now we know the Yankees and their seemingly infatuation with having veteran players on the team, even in the midst of a rebuild on the fly, so it worries me that Tejada may get that 25^th spot and a young guy who still has some trade value like Refsnyder may be out the door in a deal for a starting pitcher. Of course Refsnyder alone, or Torreyes either for that matter, cannot fetch a pitcher on their own but when thrown into a package with someone else (Brett Gardner) you may have the makings of a deal on your hands. And that worries me if I am being honest. 

Ruben Tejada, YAY or NAY

EDIT: This was written before Tejada declined a minor league deal from the Yankees. Let's assume this article is for a Major League deal to avoid any confusion.

Spring Training is good for more than a few things as far as Major League Baseball is concerned. It means that games that actually mean something and count are right around the corner and it’s also the last chance for teams to get their rosters in order before the season starts. Every year we hear about spring competitions around the league and we hear about “out of options” players who have to make their respective clubs or be forced onto the waiver wire and free agency. The New York Mets had one such “out of options” player just clear the waiver wire and hit free agency in Ruben Tejada, should the New York Yankees be interested?

Truth be told I believe the St. Louis Cardinals will snatch up Tejada and turn him into a .300 hitter and an All Star but for the sake of the post let’s debate whether New York would be interested in Tejada. The former Mets second baseman can play second base, third base and shortstop so his versatility is something the Yankees would presumably like but his bat leaves much to be desired. Tejada finished the 2015 campaign with just a .261 average with three home runs, 28 RBI and 23 doubles for the Mets before being taken out by Chase Utley of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs. For the $550,000 he will presumably sign for, the major league minimum, that’s sufficient production for a bench piece but he’s definitely not worth the $3 million the Mets were about to be on the hook for.

The Yankees needed a legitimate back up third baseman entering the spring but the move of Robert Refsnyder to third base may have alleviated that situation. If Refsnyder showed he couldn’t handle the position or if Tejada had one of those bats you have to make room for it would be a different thing but Refsnyder has done a lot to impress not only me, his biggest fan aside from his mother, but the Yankees organization as well. Tejada is a good player and will likely latch on somewhere and do well but I don’t think that will be back in New York and I don’t think it will be with the New York Yankees unfortunately. 

Safety Netting, Slides and Streaming of MLB

Commissioner of Major League Baseball Rob Manfred came up just short of President Barack Obama in his “change we can believe in” speeches when he was first elected to the position of Commissioner a little over a year ago but not by much. Manfred has changed the games in many ways including revamps to the collision at home plate rule, instant replay, all Game 162’s starting at the same time for optimal scoreboard watching, his pace of play rules and many other aspects of the game including expanding the brand beyond just the United States. Manfred is not stopping there though as Manfred, the league and the Players Union are close to implementing more changes for the better to the game.

No longer is Major League Baseball known as traditional or archaic. Expanded netting at all Major League ballparks will be implemented in some way, form or fashion in 2016 to keep the fans safe without restricting their viewing pleasure.  

No longer will your in-market games that are shown on Fox Sports or an equivalent be blacked out, they will not be streamed for your viewing pleasure as long as you have a cable subscriber. You have to watch the game on the computer or on your phone but in years past you were forced to just keep up with the score via Twitter. 

ESPN is going to televise every playoff team on Opening Day (between April 3^rd and April 4^th) including a Sunday night game between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets to open the season. 

Baseball is returning to Puerto Rico in 2016. This will mark the first time in five seasons the sport has traveled to the island property of the United States and this will also mark only the second time in the past 11 seasons. The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Miami Marlins will play a two-game exhibition series on Roberto Clemente’s birthday to honor the former legend. 

The “Chase Utley” rule is likely on the way as well after the Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman injured Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada on a take-out slide in the World Series. Also Manfred is looking at the instant replay rule that can penalize a player for sliding into 2^nd base feet first and coming slightly off the bag with the tag applied. MLB does not want more players sliding head first and risking further injuries so this ruling is likely to come before Opening Day 2016 as well. 

Change is coming ladies and gentleman and it’s going to be for better or worse. If Manfred’s first season is any indication of his next four seasons (and beyond) though I think the game will look drastically different in 2020, and it will likely be for the better. 

The Chase Utley Rule Already Exists

On Friday Daniel wrote about the Chase Utley Rule. This, of course, refers to the play the other night where New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada suffered a broken leg thanks to Chase Utley sliding into him while trying to break up a double play.

This was clearly a legal play *rolls eyes*.

Ultey was suspended for two games, which he is now appealing. This has caused some commotion among Major League Baseball, as they must now come up with a way to avoid such a thing happening in the future.

Daniel mentioned that MLB must protect the players, and I totally agree. While it's bad enough that the Mets will have to try and win during the postseason without Tejada, it would be worse if the same thing happened to Ben Zobrist of the Royals, who is more valuable to the Royals than Tejada is to the Mets. And could you imagine the outrage if something like that had happened to Derek Jeter during the any of the Yankees' postseason runs. You would never hear the end of it. EVER.

So putting a rule in place to keep this from happening again is not some insignificant thing.

But that's the problem... there has been a rule in place, which could have helped avoid Tejada's injury and so many others in the past, which is rarely enforced. It's in Rule 6.01, part (a) (7.09)...

Any batter or runner who has just been put out, or any 

runner who has just scored, hinders or impedes any following 

play being made on a runner. Such runner shall be 

declared out for the interference of his teammate;

When was the last time you saw a runner going from first to second slide outside of the basepath and into a fielder trying to complete a double play, and having it lead to the batter-runner being called out as well?

"I believe it was in the year 'NEVER'."
This isn't a case of Major League Baseball needing to implement a new rule. This is a case of a rule, already being in place, being made a point of emphasis.

I'm a basketball official. Every year a new rule book comes out, and in it some rules... which have been there for years... are made points of emphasis, meaning we are to work to enforce that rule more so than in the past.

That's all that MLB needs to do next season. Make sure the rule is enforced, so fewer runners will go beyond the basepath to try and break up a double play. If the batter-runner is automatically going to be called out, meaning there's no chance of him beating the throw, things like we saw happen to Tejada are less likely.

Note that I said "fewer runners", along with "less likely". I did that on purpose, because there are still going to be instances where runners are going to slide outside of the basepath in an attempt to break up a double play. It could be because they know the batter-runner is slow, so completing the double play is easy. Or that runner could just get caught up in the moment, and will try too hard in that situation to make a play. Heck, it could be yet another "brain fart" by that player.

The point is that plays in which a fielder could get hurt when a runner attempts to break up a double play will still happen. For such a matter a new rule is not necessary.

The rule book also says that "the league president is the league official charged with enforcing these rules, fining or suspending any player". There are only two rules in which automatic suspensions are required, and that goes for a pitcher throwing at the head of a batter or a player defacing a ball (both are ten games). For any other rule it is up to the league president on the amount of the fine or length of the suspension.

So again, there's no need for a rule change, unless the league wants to come up with an automatic suspension or fine for this infraction. However, I believe that is unnecessary. 

Like they do for me in basketball, just make the "breaking up the double play" thing a point of emphasis next season with MLB umpires. If the league wants to write a memo to teams and players, stating that there will be more fines and/or suspensions for this rule infraction, then that would be wonderful. 

Just keep in mind that doing that does not require dozens of people in MLB to approve anything. No hearings are needed. The rule is already in the book, and that same rule book has already given the league president the power necessary to hand down fines and/or suspensions.

By the way, when I say "league president", I'm not just talking about Rob Manfred. Manfred is actually the commissioner of baseball. As for the "league president", I refer you to this part of the rule book...

With respect to the Major Leagues, the functions of the League President pursuant to these Rules shall be carried out by the designees of the Commissioner of Baseball. The Commissioner may designate different officials to carry out different functions of a League President pursuant to these Rules.

"Where did he find this alleged 'rule book'?" 

It's time for Major League Baseball to take some responsibility and do the right thing before something like this happens again.

The Chase Utley Rule is Coming

Ladies, gentleman and Justin Upton the Chase Utley rule is coming. Much like Major League Baseball, and specifically Commissioner of Major League Baseball Rob Manfred, vowed to protect the catchers in the game the league is now making strides towards protecting their middle infielders as well. We all know the back story by now, Chase Utley went hard and late into second base during the NLDS against the New York Mets sliding well past the bag in a play that resulted in a broken fibula for the Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada. The slide was dirty and it was late but the slide was no worse than any other in recent memory but despite all that Utley was suspended for two games, which he is appealing, for the play. The league, its fans and the players, Justin Upton I’m looking at you here, were immediately up in arms about the play voicing their opinions and those opinions have been heard.

The Chase Utley rule is coming. The rule likely won’t be called that but I think the nickname will stick. Manfred wants to meet with the owners, the players, the umpires and the unions to hammer out a plan to protect middle infielders before the beginning of the 2016 season. Manfred said he began contemplating a rule change as early as this summer, before the Utley and Tejada incident, before the Didi Gregorius and Jose Altuve incident, before the Jung Ho Kang and Chris Coghlan incident that also resulted in a broken leg for the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie and other incidents happened this season. The Utley and Tejada incident was just the icing on the cake for Manfred to work with the league to get a deal done in some capacity.

The league may be reactive instead of proactive here but with a union, the strongest union in the world mind you, and so many moving parts sometimes that can be impossible. Kudos to the league for doing something to protect their assets, MLB is a business first and foremost, and for protecting the young stars playing the game. Some may say the game is getting soft or following in the NFL’s footsteps (the No Fun League) but let them talk because Ruben Tejada’s not having any fun right now and neither is Chase Utley. 

If Tejada Isn’t Injured is Utley Suspended?

Hey looks it's the @mets David Wright "sliding" into Chase Utley. But that's none of my business...... @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/Z3wed7jvrz

— Greedy Pinstripes (@GreedyStripes) October 12, 2015

We all know what happened by now, even the ones living under a rock and the ones that don’t watch baseball surely know by now, Chase Utley slid late into second base on a play that resulted in a season-ending injury for Ruben Tejada. Joe Torre immediately reviewed the play and decided to suspend Utley, maybe for his own safety, for Game 3 and Game 4 of the NLDS that were to be played inside Citi Field in New York while Utley almost immediately appealed the decision and suspension. We have seen our fair share of late slides and “dirty” slides in Major League Baseball in our lifetimes but I can’t recall anyone ever getting suspended for it, did the suspension only come down because of the fact that Tejada’s postseason is now over due to the injury?

Look, the Utley slide was not only late but it was illegal as well but it was far from unprecedented. Take for instance the American League Wild Card Game from this season between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. Didi Gregorius was Chase Utley in this scenario sliding past the bag and making contact with Jose Altuve, or Ruben Tejada in this instance, but the difference here was that Altuve ate the contact and is still playing today. I couldn’t even find a link or a video to compare the two slides for you because that’s how insignificant the slide was to the general MLB fan base. Why? Because Altuve didn’t get hurt. The Yankees did the same thing just a week prior to the Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia without a comment made. Guess the rivalry gets a pass too.

I hate that Tejada broke his fibula and will miss what could be a deep and magical postseason run for the New York Mets, I do, but the rule is written pretty clear if you ask me. If you can make contact with the bag, which Utley did with his left hand, then the slide is legal. You’re allowed to disrupt the second baseman or shortstop to the point where you’re making “deliberate” interference, hence the whole touching the bag during the slide guidelines. The play was dirty, the slide was late and the injury was unfortunate but the suspension was complete and udder BS. If it works for one it works for all. If you suspend Utley you have to suspend everyone, and if you don’t suspend everybody then you can’t suspend Utley.

Just my two pennies, leave yours in the comments section. 

Will Rhymes, What Are Your Thoughts?

Much of the baseball world either went to sleep discussing or woke up to discuss the Chase Utley slide that ultimately ended Ruben Tejada's season for the New York Mets in the NLDS over the weekend. Utley slid late, bottom line, and whether the slide was dirty or technically in the rule book is being discussed around every water cooler this week but I'd prefer to focus on something else. As you remember when Jonathan Papelbon was seen on film choking Bryce Harper in the Washington Nationals writer and reporter CJ Nitkowski pooled many former and current MLB players asking their opinions on the situation in what quickly became a controversial article for Fox Sports.

I halfway expected to see a similar type article from someone out there either damning or defending Chase Utley and while I haven't seen a head-turner like CJ's I did see a tweet from a former member of the Washington Nationals organization, Will Rhymes. Rhymes hasn't seen the Major Leagues since the 2012 season but has been in the minor league system for Washington for the last two seasons and was one of the more vocal about the Utley slide.

Rhymes tweet can be seen above and his punishment would be pretty harsh if he were making the decisions, a suspension until Tejada is healthy again. Now in no way am I trying to compare the two instances, because they are different in almost every case, but I truly wonder what his opinion was on the choke of Harper. I asked him on Twitter but of course I have not received an answer as of the time of this writing.

Utley should be suspended until Tejada is healthy. In rugby they call it a duty of care for opponent. should be adopted by baseball.

— Will Rhymes (@willrhymes) October 11, 2015

Are the two instances in any way, shape or form similar? Should Utley be suspended for his late slide and for injuring Tejads? Honestly I don't know. The Utley slide wasn't all that much worse than Didi Gregorius's slide in the AL Wild Card game but the difference was Jose Altuve was not injured on the play. That may be the difference and I truly think Rhymes, being a second baseman, is a little sensitive to the subject since it could have been him. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe he will clear that up for me. If he does I'll update the post.

@willrhymes What were your thoughts on the Papelbon and Harper incident? Should Papelbon have been punished? Punished more/less?

— Greedy Pinstripes (@GreedyStripes) October 11, 2015