Thursday, August 20, 2015

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians 8/20


The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians begin a big four game series tonight with the Indians looking to play the role of spoiler and the Yankees looking to hold onto the top spot in the American League East Division. The Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound looking for another good start while the Indians send Josh Tomlin to the mound to oppose him. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The HOPE Week is almost over and the home-stand inside Yankee Stadium is well on its way to being over so be sure to click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog and grab a pair of tickets while you still can. Also be sure to jump on twitter and give us a follow @GreedyStripes to interact with us during each and every Yankees contest.

Nova is ready to put the doubts behind him after taking a comebacker off his ring finger and I am ready to watch it. Go Yankees!

Twitter Poll: Does Dombrowski To Boston Scare You?

The New York Yankees GM seems to play favorites when it comes to which teams and opposing GM's he will trade with at any given time. One team Cashman has on speed dial is the Arizona Diamondbacks while another is the Seattle Mariners and Mr. Jack Z. Cashman's favorite GM to call and probably his "I.C.E" contact in his personal cellphone was former Detroit Tigers GM and current Boston Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski. Should the Yankees and their fans be worried?





This is a hard question to answer personally. Dombrowski has won everywhere he has been but he has also fleeced Cashman, in my opinion, on more than one occasion. The three team trade that saw Curtis Granderson come to the Yankees, Ian Kennedy and others heading to the Diamondbacks and Max Scherzer, Phil Coke, Austin Jackson and others heading to Detroit. Sure 40 home run power hitters are hard to find and Granderson had his good years with the Yankees but Scherzer, Jackson and Coke led that Tigers team for years. That group almost led Detroit to a World Series victory in 2012 and did lead the team over the Yankees in a sweep in the ALCS.

To be involved in our next Twitter Poll head over to the app and give @GreedyStripes a follow. Once you're following us simply keep you eyes out for our next Twitter Poll tweet. We will not use your responses without letting you know first!

The Non-Trade: Luis Severino vs. David Price


Being a fan of the New York Yankees seems like it is the biggest roller coast ride in all of sports, take this past July 31st trading deadline for example. Cashman was being pleaded with in the weeks leading up to the deadline to hold onto the top and best prospects in the farm system, and he did that. When Cashman stood pat he was killed for doing nothing to counteract the Toronto Blue Jays shopping spree before the deadline that saw David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, Mark Lowe and LaTroy Hawkins to the club. When the Blue Jays began to streak and the Yankees hit the inevitable bump in the road many fans were calling for Cashman's head, and then he called up Luis Severino.

Cashman held onto the likes of Severino, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird who is looking great in the absence of Mark Teixeira lately and Jorge Mateo while Price has been the ace that the Blue Jays needed all along. Did Cashman make the right decision to hold onto and call up Severino or should he have traded his top prospect at his disposal for two months of Price?

Severino:
Year Tm W L ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9
2015 NYY 0 2 3.18 3 17.0 14 7 6 2 4 18 126 3.40 1.059 7.4 1.1 2.1 9.5
Price:
Year Tm W L ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9
2015 TOR 2 0 1.61 3 22.1 17 4 4 1 5 24 249 2.21 0.985 6.9 0.4 2.0 9.7
I posted the stats as a courtesy more than anything because in my opinion the cost was not worth the reward in this trade. Price was going to be in New York for two months and would be unlikely to sign an extension or a new deal beyond the 2015 season. Price has stated as much and does not agree with the Yankees facial hair policy among other rules and regulations. Severino could be with the team the next 20 years and if he looks as great for those 20 years as he has in his first three starts of his Major League career then the Yankees made an absolute steal in this non-trade for Price. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians 8/20


The New York Yankees begin a huge four game series with the Cleveland Indians tonight after a nice series victory over the Minnesota Twins earlier in the week. New York trailed basically the entire series against the Twins but continually found ways to win the ballgame showing the character of a playoff team and the character of potential World Series winner, you can never count this team out of a game. That bodes well for tonight as the Yankees send Ivan Nova to the mound to face off against Chris Tomlin for the Indians. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.


  • Nova has looked sharp in his last three starts or so but I am curious to see how he will react after taking a come-backer off his right ring finger last time out. Nova stayed in the game and finished off seven innings against the Blue Jays in a Yankees victory but I'm curious to see how he reacts when he doesn't have that adrenaline pumping through his veins. 




  • Tomlin is set to make his second start of the season tonight in the Bronx after missing the first three months of the season with a shoulder injury. Tomlin struck out five batters in his first start while pitching 6.1 innings against the Minnesota Twins. 



Cleveland has been a thorn in the side of the Yankees over the past three or four years. No matter what the Indians record is, much like no matter what Jose Ramirez is sporting in his batting average line, they tend to bring their "A" game against New York. We won't even mention Michael Brantley... true Yankee killer. This has all the makings of a tough series, especially after the Indians took the series last week in Cleveland. It begins to turn around today, Go Yankees!

2016 Yankees Free Agency Fact or Fiction


I thought we would have a little fun this morning and play a little fact or fiction regarding the 2016 Yankees and their pending free agents. In this post we will focus on the players currently wearing pinstripes and discuss whether they will be returning for the 2016 season on a new contract. This is all for fun and obviously a lot can happen between now and then so let’s please remember this post was made in a bubble and inside a perfect world on paper. Enjoy and leave your opinions in the comments sections below.



Stephen Drew – Fiction


I think Drew needs to go away and go away now. Drew has been a defensive upgrade over Robert Refsnyder but has somehow managed to downgrade the team offensively. While Drew may be the best option at shortstop to backup Didi Gregorius currently on the roster I can see the Yankees upgrading the lineup and the bench significantly by letting him go.


 

Chris Young – Fiction


Young has been more than what the Yankees could have asked for or hoped for but the problem for Young has been the emergence of Aaron Judge. Young also doesn't help out his own cause when hitting against right-handed pitching but even if he did you can't stop a Trane, and you can't stop a Judge either.




Chris Capuano – Fiction


Lord, please no. We got the best we could have hoped for out of Capuano now he can leave. There is no such thing as a bad minor league deal but there is such a thing as holding onto a player too long. Please send Capuano back to Boston. Or Colorado. Or Triple-A. That is all.

Looks like it's going to be another relatively quiet winter for the Yankees in the free agent market but hey, there is always the trade market. 

Goodbye to Knoda.com & The TGP Daily Poll


So i had full intentions of doing a TGP Daily Poll this morning when I went to Knoda.com and saw the post that I never wanted to see, Knoda has been shut down. We had a good run there posting our daily predictions and it sucks to see the site go down. Here is the goodbye letter from the Knoda crew.



Hello Knoda friends and family,

We are saddened to announce that we will be shutting down Knoda as of Tuesday, August 18th. This includes the iPhone app, Android app and the website here at knoda.com.

We want to thank everyone who supported us in our vision of making it easy to make and track your predictions. The support of the Knoda community is what made it such a fun and great place to interact. We are extremely disappointed we weren’t able to realize the vision we had for it.

Please contact us at support@knoda.com if you have any questions.

Knoda may be shutting down, but predictions are a key part of life. May you all have great luck in the future!

Thanks,
Kyle, James and the rest of Team Knoda

Weekly Check In: James Kaprielian


Wow, is it Thursday already? This week is flying by for my much like the season must be flying by for James Kaprielian. Kaprielian was the first round pick for the New York Yankees in the 2015 MLB First Year Players Draft and after taking his signing down to the wire he recently made his professional debut with the team.

Kaprielian, a Scott Boras client, is expected to be a fast mover inside the Yankees system and could see the Major Leagues as soon as September 2016 if all things go well. Obviously the 2017 season is more likely of a target for Kaprielian but either way he is quickly becoming an exciting prospect inside the Yankees system.

Kaprielian won't get many more turns this season with most minor league affiliates ending their season in two or three weeks but as long as he makes the most of the starts he does get I think he, and the Yankees, will be just fine.

YearLgWLERAGIPHRERHRBBSOWHIPH9HR9BB9SO9
2015GULF0011.5722.12430221.7147.70.07.77.7

Quick Hit: Checking In W/ Dustin Ackley


Dustin Ackley lasted just five days and three at bats with the New York Yankees before being placed on the disabled list with a lumbar strain. Ackley was acquired from the Seattle Mariners for outfielder Ramon Flores and right-handed pitcher Jose Ramirez and was held hitless in three at bats before potentially undergoing season ending back surgery. Ackley is not simply willing to give up on the season though and is at least going to attempt to work his way back to the club.

Ackley started baseball activities this week for the first time since the injury. Ackley played catch which is not much but any progress is still progress in my opinion. Ackley was expected to also swing off a tee sometime yesterday and could start swinging at balls thrown from his coaches as soon as today.

Ackley is reportedly pain free and is eyeing a September comeback with the club. Get well soon Dustin!

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/20: Whitey Ford Day


The Yankees are honoring many of their greats of the past this season including Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte this weekend in a trend that has become quite the tradition for the New York Yankees. On this day in 2000 it was Whitey Ford Day at Yankee Stadium. At the time of the ceremony Ford led the Yankees all time in wins with 236, innings pitched with 3,170.1 innings, strikeouts with 1,956 K's, and shutouts with 45.

Also on this day in 1938 Lou Gehrig would hit the 23rd and final grand slam of his career in an 11-3 rout of the Philadelphia A's. Gehrig would connect in the first inning with the bases loaded against the A's Buck Ross to extend his major league record for career grand slams.