Betances: Yankees will welcome back A-Rod in 2015

Yankees infielder Alex Rodriguez probably isn't the most popular guy in the clubhouse after his recent steroid scandal, but the veteran is nonetheless being welcomed back by one of his teammates. 

"I'm looking forward to playing with A-Rod again," Yankees reliever Dellin Betances said Tuesday, via The New York Daily News.

Betances played with Rodriguez briefly in 2011 and 2013, short periods during which the two likely didn't bond much. Betances didn't spend a full season in the majors until last year, when Rodriguez was suspended.

But Rodriguez does have a notable amount of big-league experience, possibly the reason Betances is viewing his return so positively.

"We welcome him back with open arms," Betances said. "We just want everybody to contribute and help us get back to the playoffs."

Rodriguez, who hasn't appeared in a game for New York since September 2013, is expected to be the Yankees' starting DH this season, presumably hitting near the bottom of the order.

The majority opinion seems to be he will also compete for the third base job in spring training, though after the re-signing of Chase Headley, chances are he's not the favorite for it. Headley's new contract is worth four years and $50 million, a rather large sum for a backup. 

Still, Betances is excited to work with him again, and doesn't think Rodriguez will be a distraction come Opening Day.

"He's a great guy," Betances said. "I can only speak for myself, but I'm defintely looking forward to seeing him play and helping us win."

USA Today’s AL Offseason Report Cards

USA Today is one of my daily bookmarks that I frequent when looking for inspiration for a blog, for news or sometimes just to pass the time. The reason I come back every single day is because the content on the site is always top notch, especially when earlier in the week they graded all of the American League’s offseasons for each team. CLICK HERE to see the entire write up but just for you guys I will include the American League East here as an excerpt.

FYI the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim got the two best scores

A-

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays lost GM Andrew Friedman as the offseason began, but newly installed Matt Silverman scarcely missed a beat, as a whirlwind of moves fulfilled the club's never-ending younger/cheaper mandate while fielding a representative club for 2015. There are many question marks — can Steven Souza be an everyday outfielder, for one — but also a ton of upside. The Rays could win 75 games, 90 games or something in between.

B+

Boston Red Sox: They swooped in to corner a thin market on hitters, spending big — but not wildly — on Pablo Sandoval ($95 million) and Hanley Ramirez ($88 million) after an aggressive makeover at the July 31 trade deadline. Boston now has depth, trade chips and a solid rotation with little long-term liability. But can it win the East with Rick Porcello, Wade Miley and Justin Masterson leading the way?

B

Toronto Blue Jays: Another solid step forward, particularly if the slight overpay for catcher Russell Martin (five years, $82 million) doesn't hinder future spending. Trading for four seasons of Josh Donaldson should be a significant coup. Yet with the reliance on so many developing pitchers, why not bring in one more veteran starter?

C

New York Yankees: Avoided big-ticket items and got aggressive on the trade market. Didi Gregorius replaces Derek Jeter at shortstop, Nathan Eovaldi makes the rotation younger and Garrett Jones provides depth at designated hitter and first base should Mark Teixeira or Alex Rodriguez get hurt. With so many pitchers facing health issues, are the Yankees penny-wise and pound-foolish for failing to land a rotation anchor? Perhaps.

C-

Baltimore Orioles: It's hard to fault them for failing to commit $101 million to retain outfielders Cruz and Nick Markakis. You can fault them for failing to replace them, along with key reliever Andrew Miller, who defected to the Yankees. The Orioles are clearly counting on huge rebounds from infielders Chris Davis and Manny Machado, but that might not be enough.

Exclusive Interview W/ Yankees Gosuke Katoh

Today we are very excited to bring you an interview with Yankees second round pick in the 2013 MLB First Year Players Draft Gosuke Katoh! Katoh burst onto the scene in a big way with huge power numbers out of High School after signing quickly out of the draft. Without further rambling from me here is the interview with Mr. Katoh. Enjoy!

TGP:  How cool was it to meet Ichiro, among the other Yankees players, last season? Is he someone that you looked up to as a young baseball player?

Gosuke Katoh: Ichiro was definitely someone I looked up to as a kid and I became a lefty hitter because of him. I modeled my swing after him as well as his lifestyle and work ethic. I obviously grew up watching the bronx bombers on TV so I was extremely nervous when I met them at Angels Stadium after the draft. However as stupid as this might sound, they are all human. They are all very nice and treated me like I was one of their own. It made me want to play along with them.

TGP: Can you share some of your memories with Jerry Coleman? We saw your touching tweet about following in his footsteps.

GK: I met Mr. Coleman unexpectedly through my agent because they both reside in San Diego. Although our meeting was short, I learned many life lessons from his experiences both on and off the field. 

TGP: Do you have a girlfriend/wife waiting for you at home while you are on the road so much?

GK: No but my family and goldfish are waiting :)

TGP: What are you doing this offseason to improve on your 2013 season?

GK: I gained 20 pounds from the end of the season and I also worked on being more balanced and making consistent contact offensively

TGP: What do you do during the offseason to keep yourself occupied?

GK: During my free time I like to just relax, listen to music, and spend time with my family and friends.

TGP:  What were your thoughts when the Yankees lost out on the Robinson Cano sweepstakes?

GK: Contrary to what everyone believes, I was actually very saddened when Cano left the Yankees. I was always a fan of him because we had a lot in common; we were both second basemen that hit lefty. I took many notes from him both defensively and offensively and even wore his number through high school. When I met him in Anaheim he was the funniest and kindest player there. He had me laughing all the time at second base when we were taking ground balls together. He kept me relaxed in front of all the other players and spectators. Even though this scenario might have been impossible, I always dreamed of being his teammate and playing together. But now that he has left I would like to fill in that spot and take the Yankees to another World Series title. 

TGP: Favorite restaurant to eat at?

GK: Chipotle

TGP: Have you seen much of Masahiro Tanaka pitching in Japan?

GK: He was a high school sensation so I had always watched him on tv during his teen years. I also watched him play at USC when Team Japan played USA in a friendly high school classic. I don't remember much but I remember how explosive his fastball was. 

TGP:  As a recent draft pick I am curious as to your thoughts on the new draft rules, draft slots, and such?

GK: I was never too worried about money to begin with. I knew that I couldn't sign because I want the money; I had to sign I wanted to start my career out of high school. The slots definitely brought the pay stubs to some players but in my opinion it was a lot less stressful because I knew what I would get if I got picked. No negotiations and a lot less work for both the advisers, players, and organization. 

TGP: I think this answer may be obvious but in my time around social media I have noticed there are two kinds of fans when it comes to prospects. You have the "prospect humpers" (myself being a self professed prospect humper) and a name yet to be determined (due to my lack of creativity) describing those who want to sell all the prospects off for the 37 year old "sure thing." Which category do you think yourself as a fan falls into?

GK: I like both. When I think of prospects I think of young energetic players like Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Yasiel Puig. However they are also obviously immature. These young prospects can learn from the veterans' experiences and wisdom so I think a good balance of both is a necessity for a championship team.

TGP: What current Major League player do you think you compare to the most?

GK: Orlando Hudson

TGP: I know you probably don't think of things like this but how long before you think we could see you in the Major Leagues? I have your ETA down as late 2016, is that accurate?

GK: Obviously the sooner the better but I will do what it takes to get to Yankee Stadium. I've been working hard to make my dream come true

TGP: If you could be the Yankees GM for a day what would you do? Don't have to really be realistic here. 

GK: Permanently change the team name to the Bronx Bombers and sign Mariano to a 1 day contract and put him in center field :)

TGP: Were you a Yankees fan growing up? If not what team did you root for?

GK: I was never a fan of one team; but I always followed all the Japanese players in the league. When Hideki Matsui was signed by the Yankees I quickly hopped on the bandwagon. Ichiro and Kuroda followed so I followed the Yanks even more. 

TGP: Where in the world did all that power come from in the GCL? 

GK: A lot of people assume that a larger frame translates to power but that is not always the case. As we all know, Force=Mass x Acceleration from newtons law of motion. From this we can see that force also comes from quickness or acceleration and not just mass or a large frame. Even though a combination of both is fantastic, I was not necessarily given the gift of mass therefore I try to be as quick as I can to the ball to put more force on the ball.

TGP: Most famous person in your cell phone?

GK: Joe Girardi (can we maybe get that Gosuke?)

TGP: Most embarrassing song in your iPod?

GK: I am proud of every song in my playlist 

TGP: We'll finish with this one, where do you see yourself in life and your career in five years?

GK: No one will ever know my future but I would definitely love to be playing at Yankee Stadium in the next couple years and bring home another World Series title. 

Thank you once again for taking the time Gosuke, there were some great answers here that the readers are sure to enjoy. We wish you nothing but luck this season and nothing but the best with your career and your life both on and off the field. You can follow Gosuke on Twitter by following @GosukeKatoh.  

Greedy Pinstripes Top 28 Prospects List: #25

Prospects Month is in full swing and we're already up to our 25th best prospect in the farm system, Gosuke Katoh

Here is the write up from Kyle McDaniel on Katoh:

Gosuke Katoh, 2B Video: Katoh was seen as an advanced lefty bat out of high school and early in pro ball, but really struggled in his first full season. He went in the 2nd round in 2013 as a plus runner that’s at least average at second base, has average raw power and advanced feel to hit, so the tools are still here for an everyday guy if the offensive numbers tick up next year. Yankees’ player development saw some progress in the 2nd half on 2014 and don’t seem too concerned that this will become an ongoing offensive struggle.

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28. Johnny Barbato

Meet a Prospect: Andrew Miller

Andrew Mark Miller signed a four year deal with the New York Yankees taking less money and less years over teams like the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros. Miller will join a Yankees bullpen that already has the likes of Shawn Kelley, Adam Warren, Dellin Betances, Justin Wilson and others but not before he is introduced right here on the blog. Let’s meet a prospect, the Andrew Miller edition.

Miller was born on May 21, 1985 and had spent time with the Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles before coming to New York. Miller played his college ball at the University of North Carolina and even won the Baseball American National Player of the Year and Roger Clemens Award in 2006.  When Miller left UNC he was the single season record holder for the school in IP (133) and strikeouts (325) while finishing his career with 27 wins.  That warranted Miller with being the sixth overall pick in the 2006 MLB First Year Players Draft when the Tigers selected him.

Miller wasted no time in making his debut as the big lefty was already in the show in 2007 conveniently making his major league debut against the New York Yankees. It was after he made his debut in that season that the Tigers traded him along with Cameron Maybin, Mike Rabelo, Dallas Trahern, Eulogio de la Cruz and Burke Bradenhop to the (then) Florida Marlins for Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera.  Miller’s stay in Florida was overall an uneventful one that led up to him being traded to the Boston Red Sox before the 2011 season.

It was in Boston that Miller scrapped the idea and dream of being a starting pitcher in lieu of being a relief pitcher and the idea stuck. While it didn’t happen right away, Miller won three of his first four starts with the Red Sox, it was an injury before the 2012 season that eventually caused the move. Miller battled injuries in 2012 and torn ligaments in his foot in 2013 that caused him to miss half a season before really breaking out and taking a step forward in 2014. Miller would begin the campaign with Boston before being traded to Baltimore on July 31^st before the trading deadline. Miller did nothing but post a 1.04 ERA with Baltimore and was on the mound in the game where the Orioles clinched their first American League East division title in 17 years. The Orioles were defeated in the ALCS by the Kansas City Royals but not before the team swept the Detroit Tigers behind 3.1 IP from Miller not allowing a hit or a run to score with three strikeouts.

Welcome to New York Andrew and welcome to the family! 

Looking at the 2015 Draft: 25th Best Prospect

Continuing our look at the 2015 MLB First Year Players Draft we take a look at the #25 ranked prospect expected to enter the draft. As always we will include the mini scouting report from MLB.com as we introduce the #25 prospect, Beau Burrows. Burrows is a RHP from Weatherford High School in Texas. 

Here is the write up from MLB.com:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

Outside of Justin Hooper, Burrows threw consistently harder than any other pitcher on the high school showcase circuit during the summer. He came out averaging 94 mph and peaking at 96 mph at the Perfect Game National in June and was still firing 94-95 mph bullets at the World Wood Bat Association World Championship four months later.

Burrows lacks prototypical size at 6-foot-1, but he generates his velocity with a quick arm and works down in the strike zone thanks to his high three-quarters arm slot. His delivery also helps him stay on top of his power curveball, which can be a plus pitch. His changeup has its moments as well.

Though Burrows doesn't have much physical projection remaining, he already has enough stuff and just needs more consistency. He's committed to Texas A&M, as has Ashe Russell, one of the other top right-handers in the 2015 high school class.

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ICYMI: Jorge Mateo 4th Best Prospect in GCL

The New York Yankees have two players in the GCL Top 20 prospects list from Baseball America and they are shortstop Jorge Mateo and shortstop Angel Aguilar. Mateo was ranked as the fourth best prospect in the GCL while Aguilar was ranked 15th. Both players were in their age 19 season in 2014.

Mateo hit .276/.354/.397 with 11 steals and Aguilar hit .331/.373/.536 with seven home runs.

This Day in New York Yankees History 2/4: Toby Harrah

On this day in 1984 the New York Yankees obtained third basemen Toby Harrah and minor leaguer Rick Brown from the Indians for Dan Boitano, rookie outfielder Otis Nixon, and minor leaguer Guy Elston. Harrah will only play one season for the Yankees and hit just .217 while Nixon, as we all know, had a very good 17 year career with a few teams including the Atlanta Braves. Nixon finished his career with a .270 career average after he retired in 1999 and Harrah was never heard from again.