Yankees Spring Training Open Thread 3/15

So what happened today down at Yankees spring training camp? Let's get caught up!

Apparently I missed this yesterday, and I apologize for that, when Vicente Campos was optioned from Yankees spring camp back to High-A Tampa. This comes as no surprise since Campos was a long shot to make the Yankees roster, especially after the team announced that he would be converted and tried as a starting pitcher rather than a relief pitcher after undergoing a Tommy John surgery.

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are currently airing on MLB Network with David Price going for Boston, although he may be out of the game by the time you read this, and Ivan Nova, see Price, facing off head-to-head. 

Landis Sims Not the First Child to Sign with Yankees

The New York Yankees organization has been referred to as the Evil Empire by some over in the Boston area but in my opinion that couldn't be the farthest thing from the truth. For example, New York didn't disappoint last week and didn't leave a dry eye in the room when they signed Landis Sims, a young man who was born without any hands or any lower legs, to a one-day contract that invited him to the Yankees spring training camp. This is not the first time the organization has signed a child to a one-day contract to set the tone and lead the charge, it has actually happened three times before Mr. Sims did it.

The Yankees organization signed three children during HOPE Week 2014 after all three were diagnosed with brain cancer. Ryan Tucker (12), Sean Callahan (11) and Quinn Ostergen (4) signed with the Yankees when the club showcased the Friends of Jaclyn organization during their annual HOPE Week.

The three signed their one-day contracts at the same table that players like Masahiro Tanaka and Brian McCann signed their contracts and even participated in stretching and batting practice before staying in the dugout for a game. Ostegren was the first female to ever sign a professional contract with the Yankees and is still fighting the disease along with her cousin, Tucker. Unfortunately Callahan lost his battle with the disease at age 15 in 2015.

Yankees Have Second Hardest Schedule in MLB in 2016

The NL graph in case you were wanting it as well. 

Every season Fangraphs and Jeff Sullivan post their projections on which team has the easiest and the strongest schedules in the upcoming MLB season. This season is no different although the projections are so tough to nail down on a consistent basis. Injuries happen, trades happen, free agents are signed, prospects break through etc. so take these predictions with a grain of salt. It's still fun to look at them though, well unless your favorite team has the third hardest schedule in all of MLB like my beloved New York Yankees do in 2016.

Looking at the graph over at Fangraphs you can see that the Baltimore Orioles have the toughest schedule in the American League while the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have the second toughest schedule in the AL. The Yankees, Rays and Athletics have the third toughest schedule in the AL while Indians, Red Sox and Tigers have the three easiest schedules in that order.

To explain, the Yankees are projected to lose one more game with their current schedule then they would if they had an average schedule. They take the schedule of all 15 AL teams and average it out to a number, we'll call X, so the Yankees would lose one more game than X. The Orioles would lose two more games than X while the Indians would far exceed the average. Get it? Me either, but it is what it is.

Yankees ST: New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox 3/15

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will face off for the second time this spring as a part of their Grapefruit League schedules this afternoon inside JetBlue Park. The Yankees will get their first glimpse of David Price in a Red Sox uniform this weekend as they send Ivan Nova to the mound to oppose their old foe.

The game will be played at 6:05 pm ET and can be seen on MLB Network, MLB TV and it can also be seen on NESN if you live in the Boston area. Go Yankees, especially today!

My Own Superstitions and My CPU Desktop

This all started back in the spring before the 2009 season. The New York Yankees had made a huge splash in the free agency and trade markets acquiring Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, Nick Swisher and AJ Burnett in separate deals and the team was ready to make a deep run into the postseason. I have made it no secret that Burnett was my favorite pitcher at the time, there's something about throwing a no hitter with nine walks that can turn a guy on, and I was ecstatic to have him finally on the team. What did I do to celebrate? I placed the above image on my desktop to showcase to the world, or anyone in the room watching me type over my back anyway.

I don't need to tell you how the 2009 season went not only for the Yankees but for Burnett in particular. It was magical and it ended with a World Series championship, a championship that may not have happened had Burnett not pitched so brilliantly in Game 2 of the World Series. I of course took all the credit for that because of my own superstitions and I decided to make this a yearly tradition going forward.

In 2010 it was Phil Hughes and 18 wins later I had Mariano Rivera on the desktop in 2011. In 2012 I had Derek Jeter donning my CPU while in 2013 it was Robbie Cano, don't ya know? In 2014 the Yankees went on another spending spree so I decided to think long and hard about who would get the honor of gracing my desktop much like NFL players salivate over the Madden NFL cover and I stopped on one of the newest Yankees, Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury had a relatively healthy and productive season in 2014 so I decided to let Masahiro Tanaka grace my computer last year with his presence with another good turnout... so who gets it in 2016?

The votes have been tallied and the results are in.... and the winner is.... no Steve Harvey stand back, I got this.... and the winner is...... Starlin Castro! Congratulations to him and his family on the award and the prestige that comes along with staying on my desktop all season long. Good luck!

Quick Hit: The Yankees NBA Pickup Team

Many fans of Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees in specific are solely baseball fans but other enjoy other sports. I've seen many of my Twitter follows tweet #KnicksTape or #LGR or tweet about the firing of this Jets coach or this Giants coach and that got me thinking, how would these Yankees stack up against other leagues in other sports? The Knicks and Nets are the home teams so let's compare them to these Yankees but not in the way you would think. It would be impossible to compare how Carmelo Anthony would do with a bat in his hand and it would be impossible to judge how Aroldis Chapman would do down in the paint at Madison Square Garden but we can see how they stack up another way, literally.

Yankees:
Lane Adams 6'4"
Greg Bird 6'4"
James Kaprielian 6'4"
Chasen Shreve 6'4"
Aroldis Chapman 6'5"
Ivan Nova 6'5"
CC Sabathia 6'6"
Tyler Webb 6'6"
Aaron Judge 6'7"
Andrew Miller 6'7"
Michael Pineda 6'7"
Dellin Betances 6'8"


Knicks:
Jose Calderon 6'3"
Arron Afflalo 6'5"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo 6'7"
Carmelo Anthony 6'8"
Robin Lopez 7'0"
Kristaps Porzingis 7'3"



Nets:
Jarrett Jack 6'3"
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 6'7"
Thaddeus Young 6'8"
Willie Reed 6'10"
Brook Lopez 7'0"

This Day in New York Yankees History 3/15: Yankees Honor Mo Rivera in Panama

On this day in 2014 the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins began a two game spring training series at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama to honor the legacy of the great Mariano Rivera. Rivera was born in a fishing village in Puerto Caimito and was honored by the Yankees show of respect. These two games were the first to be played in Panama since the Yankees and the Dodgers played in an exhibition game in 1947.

Also on this day in 1999 the Yankees named Don Zimmer the team's interim manager while then manager Joe Torre received treatments for prostate cancer. Zimmer was the Yankees bench coach at thew time and recorded a 885-858 (.508) record during his time as a manager in San Diego, Boston, Texas, and Chicago.

Finally on this day in 1960 the Southern Association announced that the New Orleans Pelicans, for the first time since 1901, will not be part of any AA affiliates inside Major League Baseball. The Pelicans were an affiliate of the New York Yankees in 1958 and were essentially replaces by the Little Rock Travelers.

Yankees Spring Training Open Thread 3/14

This space was left intentionally blank to drive home a point of emphasis.

What happened down at Yankees spring training camp today? Let's get caught up!

There is nothing to get caught up on. Nobody worked out, nobody was optioned to the minor leagues and no games were played. Carry on. Full day off for the Yankees.

2016 Predictions - AL East

    The 2016 MLB season is almost upon us. With that in mind, it's time to make some predictions. Over the next several days I will offer my predictions for the upcoming season, division by division. So, let us begin with the AL East:

5. Baltimore Orioles
     The Baltimore Orioles went into the off-season with a considerable number of question marks,  most notably their rotation.  Though they did sign Yovanni Gallardo, they still do not have a true number one. They might not have noticed, but that strategy did not work out so well for the Boston Red Sox last season . And yes, they did re-sign Chris Davis, but, I don't believe it's going to be enough to land them any higher than dead last.

4.  Tampa Bay Rays
     As is the case for most offseasons, the Rays made a myriad of moves in order to fill spots and address needs. I love the additions of Corey Dickerson, Brad Miller and Logan Morrison, although they did have to give up quite a bit, Nate Karnes & Jake McGee, to get them.  Chris Archer is one of the top 10 starters in all of Major League Baseball, but, the back end of the rotation and bullpen could be the reason they may come up short.

3. Toronto Blue Jays
     Although, like the Baltimore Orioles, the Jays do not have a true ace.  Marcus Stroman may be one of the best up and coming pitchers in the game, at least, that is what David Price said of the 24-year-old before he departed for Bean Town.  The jury is still out on how effective Toronto's new rotation additions, J.A. Happ, Jesse Chavez & Gavin Floyd, will be.  However, they still have former Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, the afore mentioned Stroman, and Marco Estrada, who had a pretty spectacular season last year. Not to mention, one of the most daunting lineups in all of baseball.  With their ability to bash their way back in to any game, they should be in the hunt all season.

2. New York Yankees
     Health is the primary focus for this team in 2016. If they can keep Mark Teixeira, Jacoby Elsbury, Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda from any major stints on the DL, this team could be electric. After his breakout season, Nathan Eovaldi looks like he is ready to pick up right where he left off, before departing from last year's season with an injury.  Aaron Hicks appears to be ready to fill in the shoes left by Chris Young and Starlin Castro is poised to have a monster year now that he no longer has to worry about his playing time being in jeopardy.  Oh, and by the way, five words:  back end of the bullpen.  If healthy, we could see some special things from this team this year.

1. Boston Red Sox
     Although it kills me to do it, I have to go against my Yankee loving gut. The addition of David Price provides that number one that Boston so desperately needed.  As he has done in the prior three cities for which he has pitched, he makes everyone around him better. Bucholtz is as good a number two as there is, and, Porcello has shown some signs of brilliance, even if he is the highest-paid number three in all of baseball.  The transition to first base will be much more seamless to Hanley Ramirez than most think.  And, even if that doesn't work out, the plethora of talent they have in their outfield and at the Triple-A level is more than enough to make a move for whatever they find themselves lacking.  Craig Kimbrel forces Koji to a set up role, which, when you say it out loud, is pretty unfair.  In the swan song of David Ortiz's career, Boston seems poised to make a run at another title.

 Let the debating begin!

ICYMI: Hey, Corey Hart... The Future's So Bright Shades Won't Help You

From Bryan Van Dusen originally seen HERE.

Earlier today I wrote on Twitter about how excited I am about this team's future. Daniel has written about how things today remind him of the pre-1996/dynasty Yankees. We've already seen young players Didi Gregorious Greg Bird, and Luis Severino have an impact in Major League Baseball. This season we may very well see Aaron Judge, Rob Refsnyder, Gary Sanchez, and James Kaprielian join them in Yankee pinstripes. Not long after this season we'll see Jorge Mateo bring his game to the big leagues.

"I'm getting ready to steal your hearts."

That list of young players here or on their way up is impressive enough, and I haven't even brought up others such as Ian Clarkin, Dustin Fowler, Slade Heathcott, and Mason Williams.

Although I gave up on the payroll stuff a while back, I couldn't help but think about it again when it came to what this team could look like in 2019.

Why did I think about 2019? Well, the offseason before that one just happens to have a few good players that are currently scheduled to become free agents. Off the top of my head I can think of Bryce Harper and Jose Fernandez.

You may have heard of them.

I want to point out that some of the players scheduled to be free agents by 2019 may very well not be there. Clayton Kershaw could  be a free agent, but that would mean having to opt-out of his current deal with the Dodgers. Manny Machado is also a possible free agent at that time, but there's a solid chance Baltimore and him come to agreement on an extension. And you can never ignore the fact that injuries can happen.

Furthermore, we're talking about a season three years away. We can all predict what the Yankees of 2017 and 2018 will look like, but if you're doing so for anything other than entertainment then you may very well be out of your mind.

Speaking of 2017 and 2018, if what you're about to read were to happen, then be prepared for two more boring offseasons. Brian McCann and/or Gary Sanchez are there to catch, Mark Teixiera (if re-signed) and/or Greg Bird can cover first, Starlin Castro is there at second, Didi Gregorious is looking like the shortstop of the future, Chase Headley and/or Rob Refsnyder can hold down third, and the outfield could be held down by a combination of Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Slade Heathcott, Mason Williams, and Aaron Hicks.

The pitching situation is pretty much good for the next two years as well, assuming the Yankees re-sign Masahiro Tanaka should he opt-out of his current contract after the 2017 season. Personally, I believe that he will, and the Yankees will bring him back. 'Hiro will be entering his age 29 season in 2018, and after leaving three years on the table (what would remain if he hadn't opted out) he could be given a seven-year deal and only be under contract through his age 35 season.

So the rotation for 2017 could consist of Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi, and CC Sabathia (aka "the same rotation as this coming season"). The 2018 season will see some changes as that could include Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, James Kaprielian, Ian Clarkin, and... I don't know... Bryan Mitchell.

Now for what you're all reading this for... 2019!

Let's say that the Yankees sign Bryce Harper and Jose Fernandez.

We'll give Bryce a 14 year contract, which will take him through his age 40 season, for a grand total of $500 million (AAV of $35.71 million). That may seem a bit high, but keep in mind that Giancarlo Stanton was signed for 13 years and going into his age 25 season.

Meanwhile, Fernandez will be signed for eight years and $264 million (AAV of $33 million), eclipsing the current largest contract for a pitcher by David Price and his seven year/$217 million deal (AAV of $31 million).

This would mean the Yankees have signed three free agents between now and the 2019 season. "Only three free agents between now and then?" you ask? Yep. Just three.

But before I show you the entire starting lineup and rotation that I can see for the 2019 season, including how much those starters would cost, I want to show you what this season's starters look like and how much they will cost.

"This is going to hurt."

Catcher - Brian McCann $17 million
1st Base - Mark Teixeira $23.125 million
2nd Base - Starlin Castro $7.857 million
Shortstop - Didi Gregorious $2.425 million
3rd Base - Chase Headley $13 million
Left Field - Brett Gardner $13.5 million
Center Field - Jacoby Ellsbury $21.143 million
Right Field - Carlos Beltran $15 million
Designated Hitter - Alex Rodriguez $21 million

Starting Pitchers
- Masahiro Tanaka $22 million
- Luis Severino $.6 million
- CC Sabathia $25 million
- Michael Pineda $4.3 million
- Nathan Eovaldi $5.6 million

The grand total for those 14 players is $191.55 million.

Now for what the 2019 New York Yankees could look like, along with the players age that season in parenthesis, and my horrible predictions for the arbitration cases...

Catcher - Gary Sanchez (26) $5 million (arbitration eligible)
1st Base - Greg Bird (26) $8 million (arbitration eligible)
2nd Base - Jorge Mateo (24) $.7 million (pre-arbitration)
Shortstop - Didi Gregorious (29) $5 million (arbitration eligible)
3rd Base - Rob Refsnyder (28) $3 million (arbitration eligible)
Left Field - Bryce Harper (26) $35.71 million
Center Field - Dustin Fowler (24) $.7 million (pre-arbitration)
Right Field - Aaron Judge (27) $8 million (arbitration eligible)
Designated Hitter - Jacoby Ellsbury (36) $21.143 million

Starting Pitchers
- Jose Fernandez (26) $33 million
- Luis Severino (25) $6 million (arbitration eligible)
- Masahiro Tanaka (30) $27 million
- James Kaprielian (25) $.7 million (pre-arbitration)
- Ian Clarkin (24) $.7 million (pre-arbitration)

The grand total cost for these 14 players clocks in at $153.653 million. If you're like me and can't do that type of math in your head, and don't feel like pulling out a calculator, this team would cost $37.897 million less than the 2016 team. That's enough to re-sign Andrew Miller to pair again with Dellin Betances (he will be in his final arbitration year), sign Craig Kimbrel (another huge free agent) to create another three-headed monster, and still be under $190 million.

Will all of this happen? Probably not. Heck, Starlin Castro would actually still be around for the 2019 season, and in my scenario he'd be a bench player, which is something I don't see happening. So Rob Refsnyder could end up being traded, meaning you'd just slot Castro into third base instead of Ref (which would cost the team about $8 million more to do). One of Mason Williams or Slade Heathcott could take Dustin Fowler's spot, although that wouldn't really change the total payroll at all.

Like I said, this is just for fun. But isn't it eerie how this isn't that far-fetched?