Yankees Off Night Open Thread

The Yankees game is in the book for the evening and so is my evening, 5:00 am comes early here on the East Coast. New York is taking a much needed day off tomorrow before making the trip down to my back yard in Atlanta. For the next three games the Yankees will be inside Turner Field taking on the Atlanta Braves. For a man that was born in the Bronx, New York and moved to metro-Atlanta unwillingly as a teenager I hate that the Yankees and Braves only face off once every three years but I try to cherish the moments just the same. I used to be able to go to all three games but two kids, a mortgage and a wife later I have to settle for just one. The Saturday game.

That’s enough of me going on and on about it though, that’s not the point of this post. I’m going to leave you tonight with this open thread to talk about whatever you’d like, the Presidential debates and race, the August no-trade deadline, the Mets actually being good again, whatever. Go crazy. I will also leave you with this song, “You Got Spirit, Kid” by Coheed and Cambria. Enjoy. 

Armchair Quarterback: Should New York Have DL'd Mark Teixeira?

Mark Teixeira missed over a week’s worth of baseball with a bruised bone in his leg after fouling a pitch off it at possibly the worst time in the season. Teixeira may be the most indispensable part of the Yankees offense and defense this season and to miss over a week without a disabled list stint not only leaves the offense searching for others to step up but it also leaves the team with a short bench. It’s really a moot point now and there isn’t much sense in second guessing and playing an arm chair quarterback after the fact but I felt all along that it would be wise to immediately DL Teixeira and call up Robert Refsnyder, here's why.


The Yankees are in the midst of a dog fight in the American League East Division race with the Toronto Blue Jays and cannot afford Teixeira sitting at all during the rest of August, September or October because his leg is sore. The team, in my opinion, should have immediately DL’d Teixeira and called up Refsnyder to add another option to the lineup and the bench. Teixeira cannot simply “take a day” unless the team is ready to let the division go by the wayside and settle for a Wild Card. It is imperative to get Teixeira 100% healthy and if he’s going to miss over a week anyway why not just be sure? You know?


The Yankees have been able to survive without Teixeira and if he's 100% at this point then whatever, I just don't believe that he is. I hope I'm wrong and I hope this is a moot point come October but the pessimist in me won't allow myself to believe it. What say you? Leave your thoughts in the comments section of the site.


Hat tip to Jeff Levin in the comments section of the blog for coming up with the idea for this blog post!

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 8/26

The New York Yankees and the Houston Astros are set to face off for the third and final time during this three game series inside Yankee Stadium with an off day on the horizon. New York is set to finish off their 16^th game in 16^th days this afternoon before taking a well needed breather tomorrow before traveling to Atlanta, my home town, for the weekend. The Yankees have officially activated Michael Pineda off the disabled list and he is ready to face off with Collin McHugh for the Astros. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees, as I said earlier, head to Atlanta for the weekend and then travel to Boston next week before returning home to the Bronx to continue their playoff push. Click the Yankees Tickets link like I did to grab your tickets in hand to see the team live when they return home to New York. While they are in Atlanta and Boston be sure to jump on Twitter and give @GreedyStripes a follow to root for the home team from afar and interact with us during each and every Yankees game.

Pineda is ready to return to action, shut down the Astros and give the Yankees yet another victory. Go Big Mike and Go Yankees!

The Yankees & The August No-Trade Deadline

Disclaimer: This is not a rant, this is a legitimate question and concern.

The New York Yankees watched as the Toronto Blue Jays geared up for a potential playoff race in 2015 and watched as the team has passed them by twice already in the American League East Division race. We know the list of names that GM Alex Anthopoulos added; Troy Tulowitzki, David Price, Mark Lowe and LaTroy Hawkins after adding Josh Donaldson in the offseason. In a word the Jays are stacked while the Yankees stood pat and decided to roll the dice with prospects Luis Severino and Greg Bird. I have no problem with living and dying with the prospects, I have clamored for it for two seasons now, but if the right deal comes along that helps the squad you have to make it. If the July 31st trade deadline and what has happened thus far in August is any indicator of the future we may be looking at an August no-trade deadline coming up here in less than a week.

So many players are clearing waivers that could potentially help the Yankees and players are being traded at an accelerated pace for the month of August but the Yankees remain quiet. Again, I have no problem with remaining quiet but I do have a problem with keeping players that are not part of the best 25 players on the team. Having Brendan Ryan and Stephen Drew both on the roster is redundant in my opinion, especially with Robert Refsnyder down on the farm. Having Chris Capuano still on the team seems unnecessary to me when there are so many better options available via trade or call up. Having so many outfielders that are speed and defense first and less about their offense, Ben Gamel, Slade Heathcott, Mason Williams when healthy and Jake Cave come to mind, with glaring needs on the team seems ignorant to me.

I'm okay with a August no-trade deadline but I am not okay with not bringing the best 25 players, within reason, on the roster in the middle of a pennant race. I'm patient and I'm cautiously optimistic but only for so long.

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 8/26

The New York Yankees and the Houston Astros will finish their three game set this afternoon in the Bronx before the Yankees get a much needed day off on Thursday. This series has been nothing short of great with good pitching matchups and timely hitting with more likely to come this afternoon inside Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will welcome Michael Pineda back to the rotation this afternoon as they are activating him off the disabled list to face off with Collin McHugh for the Astros. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV.

Pineda will make his first since going on the disabled list on July 30^th with a strained right flexor muscle in his forearm. Originally it was thought that Pineda would be out until at least September but two rehab starts later on August 16^th and August 20^th and Pineda is ready to be activated and improve on his 0-1 record career against the Astros.

McHugh is stepping in today for Mike Fiers after Fiers needed an extra day of rest after throwing his no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers. McHugh was the tough luck loser last time out as he faced off against Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays. McHugh allowed just five hits, all singles, over seven innings but Archer had a one-hit shutout to top the Astros.

This contest marks the 16^th game the New York Yankees have played in the last 16 days, more if you include the extra inning affairs the team dealt with during the stretch, and are one game away from a much needed and much deserved day off. Pineda is back and the Yankees offense hopefully is two after taking another short hiatus lately, will it be enough for a victory? We hope so. Go Yankees!

The Yankees, the AL East & Strength of Schedule

The Major League Baseball season is a grind. It's a 162 game marathon where even the best teams have their ups and they have their downs. Even the best teams can lose to the worst teams and you're only as good as your next day's starting pitcher. There comes a point in the season, and we're fast approaching this, where the year stops being a marathon and starts becoming a sprint towards the playoffs. The Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles are in a fight for not only the American League East Division but for one of the two available Wild Card playoff spots in the American League as well. The winner of these divisions and races when they are this close usually comes down to who is the hottest, the Blue Jays right now, and who has the most help by their strength of schedule, is that the Yankees?

As you can see the easiest schedule of the three goes to the Blue Jays while the Orioles have the toughest schedule. New York and Toronto have 10 more head-to-head match-ups while the Yankees and the Orioles face off just three more times. Toronto and Baltimore go at it six more times meaning this division is going to come down to those games head-to-head.

Weekly Check In: Kyle Holder

The Wednesday morning check in has been reserved for the Yankees top first base prospect Greg Bird all season long but with him getting playing time every single day here in the Bronx we had to move on. We're happy for Bird and we're more than happy to check in with another prospect, that prospect will be the Yankees first round pick in the 2015 MLB First Year Player's Draft Kyle Holder.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman caught a ton of flack from the fans and around the league for drafting Holder with their second first round pick of the draft but I think many have eased off of the second guessing. MLB.com has Holder listed as the Yankees 13th best prospect in the system and they have a ton of great things to say about him, seen below:

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 30 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 65 | Overall: 50

Holder attended Grossmont (Calif.) JC with the intention of playing baseball and basketball before opting to focus on the diamond. That decision paid off as he blossomed into a first-round pick after a year at Grossmont and two at San Diego, going 30th overall to the Yankees in June and signing for $1.8 million.

Holder was the best defensive player in the 2015 Draft, and the best defensive shortstop from the college ranks in recent memory. The same athleticism that made him a quality guard in basketball translates well to baseball. His range, hands and footwork are all outstanding, and he also has a solid arm.

While he's a potential Gold Glover, Holder may not contribute much offensively. He makes contact at the plate, but he doesn't drive the ball or draw walks very often. An average runner, he'll almost certainly bat at the bottom of a big league order.

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	A-	43	201	16	35	2	0	9	4	15	25	.194	.263	.217	.479

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/26: MLB TV is Born!

This day in Yankees history in 2002 was quite the day for New York players and fans as we were treated to a trio of historic events. First and foremost fans were finally able to watch the Yankees on their computers as MLBTV was born on MLB.com. Sixty three years after the first Major League Baseball game was televised the first live video streaming game took place on the internet. The New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers would face off in a game that approximately 30,000 fans saw on MLB.com and also 42,000 fans saw at Yankee Stadium.

In the Yankees 10-3 victory over Texas Alfonso Soriano hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to set a new team record for home runs by a second baseman. Soriano's 31st home runs passed Joe Gordon's previous mark of 30 home runs by a second baseman hit in 1940. Also on this day Derek Jeter became only the third player to score at least 100 runs in his first seven major league seasons. The Yankees captain joins Ted Williams (Red Sox) and Earle Combs (Yankees) as the only other two big leaguers to begin their careers with 100 runs scored in seven straight seasons.

What a day for Yankees fans and players alike.

Also on this day in 1991 the Yankees reluctantly agreed to a signing bonus with first overall pick Brien Taylor. Taylor agreed to a $1.55 million contract at age 19 at the dismay of suspended owner George Steinbrenner. This came two days after Steinbrenner told the media that "if they (Gene Michael) let him (Taylor) go, they ought to be shot."

Talk about bidding against yourself.