Quick Hit: Billy McKinney to Learn First Base This Winter

The New York Yankees presumably teach a lot of things down on their farm systems and in their various minor league affiliates but one thing more than anything this team may teach is versatility. Flexibility is the name of the game here in Major League Baseball these days and the Yankees are trying to keep pace, whether it be for usefulness on the field or whether it be to boost a prospects trade value is anyone’s guess but nonetheless the efforts are there. These efforts will be on full display once again this winter in the instructional leagues when one of New York’s up-and-coming prospects learns a new position, first base. His name is Billy McKinney and he is one of the many outfielders currently being blocked by the wall that is Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner, Clint Frazier, and Jacoby Ellsbury to name a few.

The Yankees announced this week that the 23-year old will learn first base this winter in the instructional league as well as playing both corner outfield positions. McKinney was sent to the Yankees from the Chicago Cubs last summer in the Aroldis Chapman trade along with Gleyber Torres and has paid immediate dividends for the Yankees, especially since New York ultimately ended up getting Chapman back this winter via free agency. Now McKinney faces the possibility of playing for a third team in his minor league career as New York is faced with the decision to protect McKinney and add him to their 40 man roster or leave the outfielder unprotected for any team to snatch him up in this December’s Rule 5 Draft.

McKinney, a left-handed bat, broke out in a big way this season after being promoted to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre and has opened a lot of eyes not only within the Yankees organization but outside the organization as well. Is this a power move for the Yankees as they prepare to trade McKinney in lieu of a roster crunch or does the team truly want and need another left-handed compliment to Greg Bird? The things that make you go hmmmmm. Stay tuned.

Meet a Prospect: Garrett Cooper

The New York Yankees made a relatively minor trade yesterday trading left-handed relief pitcher Tyler Webb to the Milwaukee Brewers for a first bas prospect named Garrett Cooper. Cooper was immediately assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre with the RailRiders so at least for now this move doesn’t seem like the last New York will make potentially at first base but it’s an interesting trade nonetheless if you ask me. Let’s meet the man that the Yankees just acquired for Webb. This is Meet a Prospect: The Garrett Cooper Edition.

Garrett Cooper was born on December, 25 1990 in Auburn Alabama but spent much of his childhood growing up in California. It was California and specifically El Camino Community College where Cooper’s amateur baseball career begun before he transferred to the University of Auburn for his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility. While at Auburn the Milwaukee Brewers drafted the right in the 6^th round of the 2013 MLB First Year Players Draft as a first baseman. It is worth mentioning that Cooper can also play some outfield in a pinch which makes him all the more versatile for a team like the New York Yankees.

Cooper is a huge guy standing 6’6” and weighing in at 230 lbs. Cooper hits right-handed so he could be the right-handed platoon partner the Yankees thought they were getting in Chris Carter when they signed the former Milwaukee Brewer to a one-year deal this offseason.

In 75 games at Triple-A this season Cooper has hit .366 with a 1.080 OPS, 17 home runs and 82 RBI for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. With numbers like that it makes you wonder why Milwaukee would part with him for a frivolous left-handed reliever. Am I missing something? Did the Yankees just steal an awesome first baseman and a huge part of their future for a left-handed relief pitcher? Maybe I am, if I am leave it below in the comments section.

Welcome to the family Garrett! I have a feeling we will be seeing you really, really soon.

So it Seems Miguel Andujar is Learning First Base

The New York Yankees have a good problem on their hands, the team has too many good prospects and not enough positions to play them all at. The Yankees have Gleyber Torres scratching at the door of the Major Leagues presumably at third base leaving their next best third baseman to potentially learn a new position. Miguel Andujar, once thought to be the future in the Bronx at the hot corner, was seen last Friday taking reps at first base before his game with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders.

The Yankees have the third-worst production at first base this season and Andujar may be the Yankees answer to the potential problem rather than acquiring someone outside the organization. With prospects you have to make the organization see you and you have to force the organization’s hands by producing and Andujar has done just that as he crushed the ball in Double-A.

Let’s be real, the long term plan for Andujar can’t be first base. His arm and defense is just too strong and too good (eventually anyway since he does lack true consistency in the field) to be wasted at first base. I truly think Andujar would be traded before he was moved to first base full time. Part time first base? Maybe, especially given the Yankees dire needs this season. I guess we will all just have to stay tuned.

So it Seems Gleyber Torres is Done for 2017

The New York Yankees top prospect Gleyber Torres learned this week that his 2017 season is over. Torres will see his 2017 season end in Triple-A after learning that he will require Tommy John surgery in his left elbow. This should be a relatively minor surgery, all things considered of course, for Torres as the left elbow is his non-throwing elbow. Not to say that this couldn’t affect his hitting but I feel confident that he should be fine by the start of the 2018 season. Torres was on the short list of possible candidates to bump or replace Chase Headley at third base this season so like Bryan Van Dusen said yesterday, Headley can breathe a little easier now.

Have no fear though Yankees fans. All signs point to Torres being back and better than ever in 2018 and all at the ripe age of 21-years old. There’s a long road ahead of Torres in Yankees pinstripes, this is nothing more than a speed bump.

I hope everyone has a great day, especially you my wife. Hey you. 

The Chris Carter Countdown Has Begun

*cue the music*

It’s the final countdown…… Yeah I’ll stop there but really we could be all witnessing the final countdown of Chris Carter in Yankees pinstripes. The New York Yankees announced on Monday that first baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin had been activated off the 60-day disabled list and had been optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre. Chris Carter, you’re on the clock.

Austin broke a bone in his foot back in February and has been sidelined ever since but has finally worked his way back to live game action. The Yankees first baseman have struggled for the majority of the 2017 season and Austin may be the remedy to the problem. Having Austin on the roster, even when Greg Bird is deemed healthy enough to return, takes a one-dimensional player off the team that is only there for his right-handed power and adds a versatile player with right-handed power. It really is a win-win for the Yankees since the cost of Carter’s contract is already a sunken cost.

At the time of this writing Carter was hitting .180/.279/.333 with four home runs in 129 plate appearances which is a far cry from his 2016 campaign when he led the National League in home runs. Austin can do that and play defense too. Make the move, it’s a move for the now and for the future. 

Who Let the Kids Out?

The New York Yankees may need reinforcements at the trading deadline this season and unlike in years past the Bronx Bombers have a couple of choices. They can go out and get that big named rental by trading away prospects for the win now or they can stick to the plan, continue the youth movement and call up their own players for the playoff push. The Yankees have done this before, remember when Luis Severino was called up back in 2015 after the July 31^st trading deadline? The only way this can happen though is if you have MLB-ready talent sitting and developing in Triple-A so let’s focus on those Scranton RailRiders players now that could help the Yankees in the second half of this season and beyond.

The Yankees system starts and ends with Gleyber Torres and we all know that. We have spent extensive time talking about him so I won’t spend too much more time here. Sources close to the New York Post have New York grooming him to eventually take over at third base for Chase Headley this season or next so it seems like we will be seeing the 20-year old sooner rather than later.

The Yankees second best prospect is Clint Frazier and after a slow start to his Yankees tenure in 2016 the red-headed outfielder who was the subject of so much drama and attention in spring training has put all that behind him and is putting together a strong 2017 campaign. At the time of this writing Frazier has nine home runs and is hitting the ball all over the place and for extra bases. Frazier has cut down on his strikeouts, although his strikeout tendencies will likely keep him from ever hitting above .300 consistently, while keeping a steady walk rate. Frazier is shifting to left field in Triple-A leading me to believe that a Brett Gardner trade may at least be discussed at this year’s July 31^st trading deadline.

The man that has unseated Frazier in center field and moved him to left is also in Triple-A and also seems ready for the bright lights in the Bronx. Dustin Fowler is a name we have been hearing for years now and the time for all fans of the Yankees, not just the ones who follow the minor league system, may be coming in 2017. Fowler was drafted in 2013, the same season the Yankees drafted Aaron Judge, and has only gotten better since being drafted. Fowler also strikes out more than you would like but he walks, he hits for power and for extra-bases and he steals bases once he gets on. His defense is more than adequate and he is just an all-around good player. He reminds me a lot of the dynasty Yankees that weren’t necessarily “great” at anything but good at everything. Talent wins out and so does hard work and Fowler has and does both.

The final prospect we will showcase today is Tyler Wade, another prospect we have spoken of quite a bit here on the blog. Wade is a prospect that I have admittedly been extremely hard on and skeptical of during his tenure with the Yankees but he has done nothing to make me feel the need to post an “I told you so.” Wade is 22-years old and has been playing the field while with the Yankees, literally. Wade was drafted as a second baseman but the left-hander has played all over the infield and all across the outfield as the Yankees try to turn him into their own version of Ben Zobrist. Wade seems to be developing more power at the plate, although he will never be a huge home run hitter, but he can find gaps and use his speed to take extra bases. Wade already has 13 stolen bases at the time of this writing and has been wreaking havoc on the basepaths all season long. Wade may finally be to the Yankees what they wanted Rob Refsnyder to be, a player that can handle any position change, a player that just hits or gets on base and goes out and does his job on a nightly basis no matter what. Wade should be on the Yankees bench relatively soon if I were a betting man, and lately I have become one.

Keep an eye out for these men around July and August of this season. The July 31^st trade deadline may allow us to see one or all of these men in the Bronx this season. Stay tuned.

Oh, and before I forget, do you guys want to hear about how much I am in love with Chance Adams in the starting rotation for the RailRiders? I mean I could go on and on again here on the blog about him and extend this post another few thousand words if you’d like. I just have a sneaking suspicion my stance on the Yankees right-hander is well known by now but I would feel remiss if I didn’t include him here on this list because he will definitely be in the Bronx very, very soon.

Justus Sheffield to Triple-A?

The New York Yankees youth movement is in full swing as the team boasts a number of MLB-ready or soon-to-be MLB-ready players in Triple-A. More on those Triple-A players later, for now we will focus on a Double-A player that may be ready to join said Triple-A players. His name is Justus Sheffield and he came to the Yankees last season from the Cleveland Indians alongside Clint Frazier in the Andrew Miller trade.

In his first nine starts of the 2017 season Sheffield has posted a 4-2 record with a 3.28 ERA. Sheffield has struck out 44 batters and walked just 18 in 49.1 innings. Sheffield has been especially strong lately giving up just one run combined in his last two starts earning him the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week Award for May 22 – May 29. All this at just 21-years old. Can this carry over to Triple-A and how soon can it? Yes, and very soon.

Sheffield boasts a mid-90’s fastball that gets as high as 96 MPH, a slider that he throws around 85 MPH and a developing changeup that keeps batters off-balance at the plate. The Yankees have shown a willingness to be aggressive with their prospects lately, although they are still a bit cautious with their arms and the last two seasons for James Kaprielian will only make the team more cautious, so it is not out of the realm of possibilities to see Sheffield reach Scranton at some point this season if he continues to pitch well.

Scouts say Sheffield has all the makings of a middle-of-the-rotation type starter but warn that he has plenty of room to grow and develop into more. Sheffield has a simple delivery and great command which are two things that many coaches struggle to teach. All the makings of a great MLB starter are there he just has to put it all together first. Well that and reach Triple-A first which could be coming sooner than we all expect or think. Stay tuned. 

Source: Gleyber Torres Could Unseat Chase Headley THIS SEASON

According to an unnamed source, and you all reading this likely know my thoughts on the whole unnamed source thing but it’s Friday so just roll with it, the New York Yankees are grooming Gleyber Torres not to come up sometime in 2018 but to come up with the Major League club as soon as July of 2017. Yes. Next month! Which position would Torres play and which current Yankees bomber would he bounce out of the starting lineup? Well reportedly that player will potentially be Yankees third baseman Chase Headley.

Torres, just 20-years old, is seemingly being groomed and fast-tracked to the Major Leagues by the Yankees and could be up with the team as early as July of this season. Torres is a natural shortstop but has been playing short, third base and second base all season long in Double-A and Triple-A as the team looks to add versatility and flexibility to his game. If the Yankees call Torres up it would likely be at the expense of Headley who would be demoted to utility infielder playing third base and first base off the bench.

Torres is off to a slow start in Triple-A with the bat, at the time of this writing he was barely above the Mendoza line of .200, but was hitting .273 with five home runs and 18 RBI in 32 games for Trenton leading me to believe that this is more of an anomaly than anything.

Torres is ready defensively at any of the three positions described above and the source claims that the Yankees organization feels as though Torres will be MLB ready in the next two months. Could we see Torres by the end of July? Could Torres be one of potentially many Yankees additions at the July 31^st trade deadline a la Luis Severino from a couple seasons back? Well if you believe in anonymous sources found on the internet…. Then yes. Stay tuned. 

So it Seems Gleyber Torres is ONE Step Away

The New York Yankees are being super aggressive with their top prospect and honestly it is a sight for sore eyes. The Yankees organization announced over the weekend that top prospect Gleyber Torres was promoted from Double-A Trenton to Triple-A Scranton leaving the infielder just one step from the Major Leagues. Congratulations to Gleyber.

Torres is just 20-years old and at the time of his promotion was hitting .273/.367/.496 with five home runs, 17 walks and 21 strikeouts in just 32 games with the Trenton Thunder. That includes him missing a little over a week with a shoulder injury.

Just in case you have been living under a rock and haven’t heard of or don’t know much about Torres here is the scouting report from MLB.com who ranks Torres as the second best prospect in all of Major League Baseball behind Chicago White Sox star Yoan Moncada.

Torres has exceptionally quick hands that allow him to excel at the dish and in the field. He's very advanced at the plate, recognizing pitches well, displaying patience and using the entire field. His power projections seem to increase each year as he adds strength and experience, and he now looks like he'll deliver 20-plus homers on an annual basis in his prime.

Scouts also seem to gain a greater appreciation for Torres' defense with each passing season. Though he's just an average runner, he definitely has the actions, hands and arm strength to play shortstop for a long time. Chapman may have helped Chicago win the World Series, but Torres may help New York win the trade.

With this promotion is it out of the realm of possibility that Torres could be an injury away from a call up to the show? Or at the very least a September call up? I would think that Tyler Wade would stand ahead of him on the depth chart but honestly I won’t be the one to count him out. Not anymore.

Have a great day everyone. Especially you. Hey you. 

Meet a Prospect: Giovanny Gallegos

The New York Yankees youth movement continues and it is not only for positional players but for some of the young arms down on the farm as well. During the Yankees off-day yesterday rumor had it that the team would be sending down Chad Green to Triple-A, which they did, only to call up a fresh arm in Giovanny Gallegos. Gallegos is set to make his debut in the Bronx this week against the Houston Astros so since it’s his first weekend in the bigs we may as well meet him, right? This is Meet a Prospect: The Giovanny Gallegos Edition.

Gallegos was added to the team’s 40 man roster this winter in order to find protection from the Rule 5 Draft after posting impressive numbers at every stop during his minor league tenure. The 25-year old pitcher is currently pitching to a 3.86 ERA in Triple-A at the time of this writing along with a 16.7 K/9 ratio with Scranton. Batters are slashing just .189/.271/.358 off him this season after impressive numbers in High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton in 2016. At both stops last season Gallegos posted sub-2.00 ERA’s and struck out nearly 15 batters per nine innings.

Gallegos sports a 92 MPH fastball that can touch 95 MPH when he needs it to along with three different off-speed pitches including a high-70 MPH slider, a low 80 MPH curveball and a changeup. Gallegos has four pitches he can get you out with and has solid command to go along with it making him an intriguing part of the Yankees future either as a reliever or as a starter.

I’m not exactly sure how long Gallegos will be here as the Yankees are running with a short bench right now so enjoy him while you can. Welcome to the big leagues Giovanny and more importantly, welcome to the family.

So it Seems the World Finally Caught Up on Jordan Montgomery

Two “so it seems” in one day. How did you all get so damn lucky? But seriously, something this awesome and potentially big is exciting and deserving of such an honor in my very bias, yet oh so humble, opinion because it seems like the rest of the world and especially the Yankees blogosphere is finally catching up to the idea of loving them some Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery was thought to be a long shot in the Yankees starting rotation battle this spring but as we stand here less than two weeks away from Opening Day the lefty is still in Yankees camp and still working on securing that 5^th spot. Montgomery has impressed the Yankees this spring and now that he’s popular to write about he is impressing a lot of sports writers as well, just don’t tell that one guy from that one publication that I’ve been writing about Montgomery for a while now or he will find another way to block me on another format for having “his” idea first.

Montgomery has some stiff competition for the Yankees starting rotation battle this spring including right-handers Luis Severino, Bryan Mitchell, Chad Green, Luis Cessa and Adam Warren but none of them have stood out in camp this spring leaving Girardi to add the lefty Montgomery into the mix. Montgomery hasn’t merely been added into the mix because of the struggles of the others though, Montgomery has pitched his way onto the Yankees radar this spring and has pitched well enough to where he cannot be ignored any longer. Montgomery has only pitched in relief this spring but the highlight of his Grapefruit League schedule was when he threw four perfect innings against the Detroit Tigers to finish the Yankees spring combined no-hitter. That opened some eyes apparently.

Montgomery had a strong 2016 campaign as well posting a 14-5 record with a 2.13 ERA in 25 starts between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton. While that stat line is impressive on its own when you look at his Triple-A stats, 5-1 record with a 0.97 ERA albeit in just six starts, you can see that Montgomery has little-to-nothing to prove in the minor leagues at this point in his development.

Will that lack of need for development lead him to the Yankees bullpen on Opening Day, remember the Yankees will only need four starters for the first two weeks or so of the season due to all the off days, and eventually into the Yankees starting rotation in mid-April? Will Montgomery be the Yankees fourth starter while the uber-talented Luis Severino heads into the bullpen? Or will Montgomery start the season down in Triple-A polishing up his skills? Your guess is as good as mine at this point but at the very least Montgomery is opening eyes everywhere now and that’d due to an immense amount of talent and hard work and that alone makes me happy and proud. Congrats to him no matter where he ends up on April 2^nd. 

Is It Time for Me to Eat Crow on Tyler Wade?

If you guys and girls have been reading me long enough you know that I am not all that high on Yankees infield prospect Tyler Wade. To be completely honest I have never been that high on Wade as I feel like, at the time anyway, he was just another run-of-the-mill defensive-minded shortstop with little in the way of power and hitting in general. In terms of the future and blue chip prospects I still feel this way about Wade but the New York Yankees organization may have found a way to make him useful again, even in my skeptical eyes, and that may be the reason that the team is now so suddenly willing to part with Robert Refsnyder. The Yankees ultimate plan may have been to make Wade the super utility player that Refsnyder simply failed to be defensively.  

So is it time for me to eat crow on Wade and my thoughts of him as a top Yankees prospect? I mean, maybe, but that doesn’t mean I am going to. I’m stubborn like that and I still don’t see the “need” for a guy who can’t hit but can defend at multiple positions. The Yankees have that in Refsnyder already and they also have Ronald Torreyes on the roster making three types of “no-bat but plus-defense” players redundant in my opinion hence the Refsnyder trade rumors. To be completely honest though I am not sure I am ready to eat crow on Wade just yet, not because the Yankees think highly of him. I would eat crow when I think highly of him, and I still don’t. 

At the time of this writing the Yankees had played in 18 spring training games as a part of their Grapefruit League schedule and Wade has been in 13 of them collecting a .429/.478/.524 triple slash. That’s great, don’t get me wrong, but when a veteran on a minor league deal does this the media is the first to temper expectations and remind us that spring training stats don’t matter and yada, yada, yada. Why isn’t that the case with Wade? Because those same media outlets and journalist want you to click their articles that tease the Refsnyder trade rumors and the idea of the “next big thing” prospect in New York, that’s why. Wade isn’t even ready for the Major League level after spending the entire 2016 season at Double-A with the Trenton Thunder so I don’t get the direct correlation between him and Refsnyder, yet, but hey… what do I know? I’m just a guy with a blog that’s watched baseball since I was two-years old and who has watched religiously since 1994. 

I get the idea and mindset behind Wade, I truly do. He is a skilled shortstop who has played third base and all three of the outfield positions but the fact remains that I could probably get out from behind my computer and hit the ball better than Wade does over the course of a 162-game season. That’s not me bragging that’s just me exaggerating heavily to show my point that Wade just isn’t projected to be and hasn’t been a huge hitter at the minor league or major league level. Period. Refsnyder has struggled since his first season in the majors but he was at least a near .300 hitter in the minor leagues before coming up to the show. Wade cannot say that and likely never will. 

This isn’t the National League people, the Yankees need offense. Even late in games and even off the bench. That’s not Wade. That’s not Refsnyder right now either to be fair but at least Refsnyder projects to show some offensive prowess in his career and has at least shown an ability to handle MLB caliber pitching. Wade hasn’t and until he does I will not admit defeat on Refsnyder nor will I admit I was wrong on Wade, because I wasn’t. 

Kyle Higashioka Learns Japanese Just to Talk to Masahiro Tanaka

Yesterday I discussed a few men that could be vying for open roster spots with the New York Yankees this spring training, especially as many key members of the team are off representing their respective countries in the World Baseball Classic, and one such player I specifically mentioned by name was catcher Kyle Higashioka. Well here we are in a new day but we are once again talking about Higashioka and for a whole new reason. Apparently Higashioka, born in California but obviously of the Japanese decent, learned the language of his grandfather and family before him this winter and into the spring with one main goal in mind…. Talking to Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka.

Now while I may be embellishing just a little when I say he learned the language to talk to Tanaka, his father has reportedly pushed him for years to learn Japanese, having Tanaka this year and potentially players like Shohei Otani next season and beyond the Yankees catching prospect thought it could only help his chances in reaching the Major Leagues with the club.

Higashioka, a seventh round draft pick by the Yankees in the 2008 MLB First Year Players Draft, lost an important year of development in 2014 after undergoing Tommy John surgery but seemed healthy in 2016 when he finished his age-26 season with 21 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. Higashioka is out to prove that the power spike is not a fluke in 2017 and is well on his way to doing that after hitting a home run in his first spring training at bat of the Grapefruit League this season. Higashioka altered his swing before last season and has definitely seen an uptick in power and his line drive hitting which should only improve this season as Higashioka continues to put himself on the Yankees map.

Also, since I am feeling educational this morning, if you ever wanted to know how to say a few key words in Japanese for a catcher like Kyle Higashioka you’re in luck. Daniel is here. Enjoy and you’re welcome.

sutoreeto (fastball)

suraidaa (slider)

supuritta (splitter)

kattaa (cutter)

takamei (high)

hikamei (low)

nikakoo (inside)

gikakoo (outside)

Bring Back Peter O’Brien

The New York Yankees are in the midst of a youth movement so wouldn’t it make sense to bring back one of the young guys they traded away not too long ago? I mean, it makes sense to me as there is no such thing as a bad minor league deal so what are the Yankees waiting for? Bring back Peter O’Brien.

O’Brien was the Yankees second round pick back in the 2012 MLB First Year Players Draft and he toiled around in the Yankees farm system until the 2014 season when Yankees GM Brian Cashman traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Martin Prado deal. Prado was nice for the half-season he was in the Bronx but O’Brien was full of potential with his heavy bat and impressive batting average numbers in the minor leagues so losing a talent like his hurt a bit.

O’Brien destroyed Triple-A pitching in 2015 which led to his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks and continued to crush minor league pitching in 2016 but for whatever reason that never translated into much success at the MLB level. Sure in eight games in 2015 he finished with a .400 batting average but in 2016 the former catcher and third baseman managed just a .141 batting average with a .571 OPS with five home runs in 64 at-bats leading to the team designating him for assignment this winter.

O’Brien’s numbers at the MLB level are ugly, no one can deny that, but he’s still just 26-years old and won’t be 27-years old until the heat of the summer in 2017 leaving some upside for the former Yankees prospect. With O’Brien having experience at the catcher position as well as first base, third base, right field and left field the Yankees may want to keep him around at the Triple-A level just in case an injury or three happens this coming season. The Yankees, and specifically manager Joe Girardi, love flexibility and versatility and O’Brien brings a ton of both with his heavy, power-hitting bat.

What’s the worst that could happen with a minor league deal with an invite to spring training? He flops? So what? Now what’s the best thing that could happen? Well he could beat out Tyler Austin for one of the final Yankees bench spots and he could take advantage of the small dimensions inside Yankee Stadium giving the Yankees a legitimate power hitting threat off the bench. All for a minor league deal and potentially $507,500. Sounds like a win-win to me. Get it done.

ICYMH: Nick Goody

The Cleveland Indians have acquired Nick Goody from the New York Yankees in a relatively minor trade earlier this offseason so here is a short blurb about the right-hander. You know, just in case you miss him. Enjoy all!

Nicholas Gunnary Goody was born on July 6, 1991 in Orlando, Florida and a member of the New York Yankees MLB team. Goody attended the University High School in Orlando where he played for the school's baseball team as a shortstop. Goody's strong arm and defense earned him a spot with the State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota's baseball team but not as a shortstop but as the pitcher we see him as today. Goody served as the team's closer in his freshman year before making the transition to the starting pitcher. Goody did well as a starter posting a 6-2 record with a 1.29 ERA while posting 114 K's in 84 IP including a 19 strikeout game before being named the Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year. 

Goody's arm was attractive enough that the New York Yankees came calling in the sixth round of the 2012 MLB First Year Players Draft making the right-hander the 217th overall selection. Goody was immediately assigned to the Staten Island Yankees but by the end of his first professional season he had made stops in Charleston with the Charleston Riverdogs and Tampa with the High-A Tampa Yankees. Goody saved seven games with posting a 1.12 ERA making an immediate impression with the team. 

Goody was invited to spring training in 2013 but had to undergo the dreaded Tommy John surgery essentially ending his season. Goody returned to the mound on May 6, 2014 where he earned a promotion to the Double-A Trenton Thunder. Goody earned another invitation to the Yankees spring training camp in 2015 after his comeback season in the minor leagues in 2014 although he did not make the team out of camp. Goody was back in Trenton to begin the 2015 season where he was named an Easter League All-Star. Goody was not able to participate in the game though because the Yankees were more concerned with him being promoted to the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. 

Goody spent time in and out of the Yankees bullpen in 2016 before being designated for assignment earlier this winter. The team decided to trade him to the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later or cash considerations up to $50,000. Goody will pitch out of the Indians bullpen in 2017, good luck to him. 

Learn the Name Giovanny Gallegos

The New York Yankees may be done with their heavy lifting on the free agent market but that does not mean the team is done improving their roster at the big league level. If the free agent spending is done, and Yankees GM Brian Cashman says it is unless the team can move some payroll around, which leaves the team two options in order to improve. They can make trades, and subsequently sign more free agents if they move money in those deals, or they can simply continue building from within. One such name and arm that they could build from within with is a name that a lot of people and fans may not know now, but you should get to know him. His name is Giovanny Gallegos, learn the name.

The 25-year old relief pitcher was added to the Yankees 40-man roster this winter making arms such as Nick Goody, who was traded to the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later or cash considerations, expendable. The Yankees must be high on him but who is he?

Gallegos is another big-framed right-handed pitcher for the Yankees standing at 6’2” that signed with the team out of Mexico in 2010. Gallegos had a rough and rocky road to his career that included a knee injury and a Tommy John surgery but has since found his niche as a reliever after being moved there full time in 2015. Gallegos is the Yankees stereotypical low ERA, low WHIP, high strikeouts and low walk type reliever they seem to be pumping out in excess lately. Gallegos is a big command guy while surviving with enough velocity and movement to be effective.

Gallegos is a former starting pitcher so he is not a two-pitch pitcher like most relievers. Instead Gallegos has three off-speed pitches alone that he uses at will against batters. That in itself is something special. Gallegos has been nothing but dominant in the Yankees minor league system and reached Triple-A in 2016 where he posted a 1.40 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with a 5-1 record. Gallegos is a ground ball pitcher, which can only help inside Yankee Stadium, and is poised to make a run at the final spot in the Yankees bullpen a la Johnny Barbato in 2016. Stay tuned to see if he can do it. 

Gary Sanchez 2016 Yankees Highlights

Gary Sanchez had a hell of a season in 2016. Not only did he do well in Triple-A  this season but he also came up to the Major Leagues and took the league by storm hitting home run after home run after home run. Sanchez became the quickest player in MLB history to hit 19 home runs and had 20 home runs in just about a third of the MLB season. It was simply amazing so let's relive that all over again... shall we?

Yankees Rank Two in Baseball America’s Top 20 Triple-A Prospects

Every season the crew over at Baseball America ranks their top 20 prospects for each league in Minor League Baseball. The Yankees are usually pretty absent from these rankings but after restocking their farm system with a few mid-season trades New York sent more than a few to each list for Baseball America including two for the International League, or more commonly known as Triple-A.

Gary Sanchez was the #3 ranked International League prospect behind the Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner and Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton. Sanchez and what he did with the big league club this season was ultra-impressive but he also did well in Triple-A in 2016 which a lot of people aren’t talking about. As Sanchez grows out of prospect eligibility this season names like Tyler Glasnow, Austin meadows and J.P. Crawford will slide in where Sanchez once stood.

The other Yankees prospect to make the list also reached the Major Leagues this season, right fielder Aaron Judge. Judge ended 2015 in Triple-A and had some holes found in his swing which left him statistically wavering a bit to end the season. Judge seemingly plugged those holes this season and will look for history to repeat itself this coming season in the Bronx after being exposed a bit in 2016 at the Major League level.

You have to think if Clint Frazier had more at bats in Triple-A he would have made the list but there is no excuse for Ben Gamel not to be on this list. Gamel, now a member of the Seattle Mariners, was the league’s MVP for goodness sake. How does he not make the list at least at #20? 

The Finale Weekly Prospects Check In: Clint Frazier

Started from the bottom now we're here. The final weekly prospects check in for the 2016 regular season ends with the Yankees top prospect in the system, Clint Frazier. Frazier came over in a mid-season trade with the Cleveland Indians and immediately got acquainted with Triple-A and more importantly got acquainted with winning.

The season is over the Triple-A Champions are the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders. Clint Frazier was a part of that team so let's end this regular season showcase with a bang. A redheaded bang.

Year	Age	Aff	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	CLE-NYY	119	520	75	122	27	16	55	13	48	122	.263	.335	.447	.782

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Article Revisit: Raising Up & Defending Gary Sanchez's Prospect Status

Originally posted one year ago to the day HERE: 

This has been something that has been on my mind for quite some time but I’ve always struggled to put it into words without coming off as condescending, cocky or downright rude. I have been content to simply roll my eyes and pass by tweets, comments and articles stating that Gary Sanchez has no future with the team, he’s the next Jesus Montero, he’ll never catch a game with the New York Yankees etc. but I received an email over the weekend that I simply cannot ignore, one that I cannot simply bite my tongue and roll my eyes at because it was absolutely ridiculous.


The email, from a person who will remain nameless but a reader of the blog obviously, asked me what I thought the team would do with Sanchez over the winter. In the handful of emails we exchanged back and forth, because I am a nice guy and I believe in putting the social back into social media, I heard the usual grumblings that Sanchez has been in the organization forever and he’s blocked by John Ryan Murphy and Brian McCann but the final email put the icing on the cake. The emailer, who I respect and I’m not calling out whatsoever here, stated that Sanchez was merely an organizational prospect and that he needed to be packaged away with Rob Refsnyder and Ivan Nova for a “real second baseman this offseason.”


Whoa there pal, Sanchez is an organizational prospect? First and foremost you are correct, Sanchez has been in the organization for what feels like forever. Most international free agents that sign at age 16 feel like they have been in the organization forever after five years, that’s the name of the game. Also you hit another nail right on the head, in a perfect world Sanchez is blocked by both Murphy and McCann and may never get into a meaningful game with the team without a devastating injury or disabled list trip but to say he’s merely an organizational prospect or a filler is a stretch and one that I don’t feel comfortable with letting slip by.


Sanchez is 21 years old, if he had not been an IFA and your run of the mill college student he would have graduated college this summer. Name one college senior that can not only hit Triple-A pitching but dominate them as well as lead a pitching staff from behind the dish. I’m sure there’s probably at least one but would that prospect be considered an organizational prospect or a top prospect? I’d lean towards the latter despite claims that the Yankees “over-hype” their prospects for trades or the fact that the Yankees prospects simply “aren’t that good.” Sanchez is a fine prospect and since you obviously haven’t been watching I’ll be quick to point out that Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Dellin Betances, and a slew of other “not so good” prospects have done quite well for the team despite being “over-hyped.”


I, as a blogger and as a fan with some would say a relatively large following, am held to a higher standard than most and I subsequently I hold myself to a higher standard because I want to lead by example. I’ll tell a Toronto Blue Jays fan as quick as I’ll tell a Yankees fan that the crap talking and trolling is unnecessary and not needed but sometimes a troll is simply a troll. I believe, well I hope, this email was a troll. If it was, you win…. I fed the troll. If it wasn’t then at least know what you’re talking about or at least be passionate about what you’re talking about because when you call a 21-year old catching prospect who dominated Triple-A pitching and is currently sitting on the bench for the Yankees a “organizational prospect” you just look silly.


Thank you for listening to my rant. I admit that sometimes I get a little too worked up over prospects, I love prospects and I can’t help it, and I’ve tried to temper those expectations and my words a bit because of it. This one I couldn’t let pass, not because I’ve had conversations or a connection with Sanchez but because I feel like it is the right thing to do. To educate, that’s all I want to do whenever I can. This post was not intended to be malicious or to call anyone out as much as it was intended to put everything into perspective, I hope. I hope you enjoyed it, I hope everyone learned something and I hope that we can at least agree to disagree on the matter because I will in no way, shape or form agree to the fact that Sanchez is anything less than a TOP prospect for the New York Yankees.