Friday, October 17, 2014

Magadan Claims Yankees Will Hire New Hitting Coach This Weekend

Rangers' Hitting Coach Dave Magadan claimed that the Yankees will hire a new man for the same position sometime this weekend.

Magadan, who has worked for Texas for one season after being with the Red Sox for six, is currently one of many candidates for Kevin Long's former job. He was interviewed by the Yanks Wednesday, but said that he won't be the only who has done so by the beginning of the World Series.

"They told me they were going to interview a couple of other candidates," Magadan recently told The New York Post's George A. King III. "I don’t know if that was going to happen Thursday or Friday. They said they would make a decision shortly thereafter."

Magadan said that he thinks the meeting went nicely.

"I thought it went well," he said. "But they are the ones who need to think it went well.’’

That's certainly true, as Magadan isn't the only guy the Yankees seem to like right now. Oakland's Chilis Davis, for example, also talked to the team yesterday, and is always a possibility for the occupation due to his notable playing past.

Cashman: Girardi Talked to A-Rod About Playing First

It appears the Yankees really are serious about having Alex Rodriguez play first.

In a conference call team GM Brian Cashman had Friday, it was revealed that Manager Joe Girardi has talked to the veteran about the idea. Rodriguez, 39, is coming off a suspension that kept him out all of last season, and is a major question mark when it comes to his defensive abilities.  

"Joe Girardi conveyed to me he talked to him, briefly, about him getting some work at first base," Cashman told Newsday. "Joe had a conversation recently about that. How extensive that conversation was, I don't know, but he conveyed it to me." 

Cashman said that he thinks Rodriguez wants to start at third next season, but that he wants to have "protections" available in case he can't.

"I expect if you talk to Alex, he's going to push hard and compete hard and focus hard and expect to be the everyday guy at third," he said. "I just need to make sure I have the protections in place to provide alternatives.''

Among those possible alternatives are Chase Headley and Martin Prado, who were both traded to the Yankees in July. Headley, a current free agent, was used primarily at the corners, while Prado usually got his work in at second.

NJ.com's Top 20 Yankees Prospects List


NJ.com released their Top 20 Yankees prospect list and here it is. Click the link to see the write ups and to give those guys a view or two, they do great work and deserve it. Here is the list:


  1. Luis Severino
  2. Gary Sanchez
  3. Aaron Judge
  4. Robert Refsnyder
  5. Ian Clarkin
  6. Eric Jagielo
  7. Jacob Lindgren
  8. Manny Banuelos
  9. Butch Wynegar (this must be a mistake)
  10. Tyler Austin
  11. Bryan Mitchell
  12. Jake Cave
  13. Greg Bird
  14. Ramon Flores
  15. Jose Ramirez
  16. Slade Heathcott
  17. Gosuke Katoh
  18. Mason Williams
  19. Ty Hensley
  20. Austin DeCarr


Roberto Clemente’s World Series Hitting Streak


Roberto Clemente was one of the pioneers of the game of baseball for the Latin community when he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clemente was a force to be reckoned with on the field in the regular season but in the postseason and the World Series Clemente seemed to take it up another notch or maybe even two.

On this day in 1971 Clemente hit a fourth inning home run off the Baltimore Orioles pitcher Mike Cuellar to put the Pirates ahead 1-0 and break the scoreless tie in Game 7. Clemente had hit safely in all seven games of the 1971 World Series, a feat that he also accomplished last time he was in the World Series in 1960.


In 1960 Clemente had a seven game World Series hitting streak and was rewarded with a World Series ring. In 1971 Clemente extended his World Series hitting streak and was rewarded with a second World Series ring. Just get Clemente to October and he will take care of the rest. 

’14 Royals Are Reason Why Yankees Should Keep Robertson


The Kansas City Royals went into the postseason as the second Wild Card and ultimately came from behind to beat the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card Playoff round. Their reward was the top ranked and best record holding Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Kansas City swept the Angels. Their reward was the second best record in the American League and the AL East champion Baltimore Orioles. Kansas City swept them too. Kansas City has done it off timely hitting and a completely and utterly dominant bullpen, a strategy that the Yankees should employ if they intend to contend in 2015. This philosophy and way of thinking makes David Robertson more and more valuable with every victory the Royals get.

The three headed monster in Ned Yost’s bullpen in Kelvin Hererra, Wade Davis, and Greg Holland. The three are the only relievers on the same team to ever have pitched at least 60 IP and had an ERA below 1.50. Hererra had a 1.41 ERA, Davis had a 1.00 ERA, and Holland had a 1.44 ERA as the team’s closer. Herrera has pitched 8.1 IP and allowed just one run this postseason, good for a 1.08 ERA, while Davis has allowed just one run in 9.1 IP, good for a 0.96 ERA, while collecting two wins in the ALCS. Holland had four saves against the Orioles and has allowed just one run in 8.0 IP, good for a 1.13 ERA. Holland has six saves overall in the Royals eight wins this postseason and sits just one save behind the all-time postseason record for saves by a closer.


While the Yankees cannot expect to match or exceed this talent they are pretty close with Robertson closing games, Dellin Betances setting up, and a combination of Adam Warren and Shawn Kelley pitching in the 7th. If the Yankees want to match or emulate this performance they have to upgrade over Warren and Kelley not let one of the best closers in the game walk away. Brian Cashman better be paying attention and taking notes because a team can make the postseason and a team can make it to the World Series without the bigger names, the bigger contracts, the home run ball, etc. All they need is timely hitting, the ability to manufacture runs, and a dominant back end of the bullpen. New York is two thirds of the way there with the bullpen they just need to keep Robertson and add a piece, not let him walk. 

Watch the Entire “Bucky F’in Dent” Game


It’s the offseason and the New York Yankees are not in the postseason but we can pretend like we are here on The Greedy Pinstripes. Yesterday we watched the entire Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS when we were supposed to be working, well I did anyway, and today we watch the 1978 play-in game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, or better known as the Bucky F’in Dent game. Enjoy. 

TGP Daily Poll: Kansas City Will Lose a Game in the World Series



Kansas City can’t run the table this postseason, can they? They are already the first second Wild Card team to make it to the World Series after sweeping the Playoff Game, ALDS, and ALCS, but they won’t sweep the World Series.


Vote in our poll. 

Quick Hit: NY Post Fails


As we remembered yesterday Aaron Boone hit that dramatic walk off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox to cap off an improbable comeback for the New York Yankees. The NY Post didn’t share the same enthusiasm and confidence as the team apparently as the newspaper released early editions of the paper claiming that the Yankees had fallen to the Red Sox in Game 7. The game was over shortly after 11:00 pm… whatever. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 10/17: David Justice Strikes Again


Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman took over the reins of the New York Yankees in 1998 and immediately helped build one of the best teams of all time in Major League Baseball. The Yankees were looking for their third consecutive World Series title when Cashman acquired David Justice before the season ended hoping his impact would help in the postseason. It did help on this day in 2000 when Justice hit a three run home run to propel the Yankees to their 37th American League pennant and a trip to the Subway World Series as New York beat the Mariners 9-7.

Also on this day in 1985 Billy Martin was fired and/or replaced by the Yankees for the fourth time and replaced by Lou Piniella. Martin managed the Yankees to a 97-64 record this season and a second place finish two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays.

Also on this day in 1978 the Yankees would win their second consecutive and 22nd World Series championship overall beating the Los Angeles Dodgers by the score of 7-2. Bucky Dent was named World Series MVP.


Finally on this day in 1964 the Yankees fired manager Yogi Berra after a 99-63 record and loss in seven games in the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals. Johnny Keane, the Cardinals manager that season, was named the new Yankees manager after he resigned from the Cardinals after the World Series victory.