Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Yankees Minor League Shuffling Has Begun


The World Series ended about 48 hours ago and the Yankees are already shuffling their minor league systems and rosters around. That's not uncommon for the minor league decisions to be made relatively early and more are to come as the winter gets colder and the days get shorter.

Kyle Roller has been released.

Eddy Rodriguez has re-signed to presumably backup Gary Sanchez in Triple-A in 2016.

Gregorio Petit and Kyle Davies have elected free agency.

YES Network: Exit Interview for Rico Noel


For the entire interview CLICK HERE and see below for a short excerpt from the guys over at the YES Network. Lou DiPietro, a friend of the blog, conducted the interviews so definitely give him a click or two, he's great at what he does and an even better person. Thank you!

The New York Yankees' 2015 season ended at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night, thanks to a 3-0 loss to the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Game.

Following the game, many Yankees players, coaches, and officials were in a reflective mood, beginning both the look back on this year and the look ahead to 2016 - so much so that the YESNetwork.com team was able to conduct a series of "exit interviews" on the subjects.

Here now is the brief exit interview with a Yankees speedster who was on the roster for but did not play in the Wild Card Game, outfielder Rico Noel.

Q. Your first major-league experience ended with your first postseason game, and you did it all with the most successful franchise in baseball. What was that like for you?

NOEL: It's been great, and we have a great group of guys here. There are a lot of savvy veterans to learn from here, and I couldn't ask for a better experience or group of guys. It stinks we didn't get this win (in the Wild Card Game), but it's been a pleasure having them show me the ropes.

Q. Pinch-running has become an art form of late, especially in September. How did you prepare knowing you have such a specialized role on the team?

NOEL: It was just about accepting and embracing the role. The Yankees gave me an opportunity to come up here, and because all the guys are already established, I felt like I had to come up here and embrace the role. It's also a clutch role, where I'm only going to be coming into close games, so I had to really mentally prepare for that - but that's what I live for, coming through in the clutch.

Welcome Back Ryan


Brendan Ryan, as expected, exercised his player’s option for the 2016 season and will return to the New York Yankees for at least one more season. The team and Ryan had a mutual option that would have paid Ryan $2 million if the team exercised their option, $1 million if the team declined their half and Ryan exercised his (which he did) and the deal would make him a free agent if both sides declined the option.


The New York Yankees could always designate Ryan for assignment, leaving them without a true backup shortstop, and eat the money but that seems unlikely at this point. It looks like at least for one more season Brendan Ryan will be a New York Yankee. Welcome back bud!

Most Popular Article of the Week: Cespedes Would Complete the Yankees, No?


With the playing days for Yoenis Cespedes in a New York Mets uniform coming to a close the speculation is already beginning as to where the outfielder may end up for the 2016 season. I personally predicted that Cespedes would win the American League MVP Award in 2015 with the protection of Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera in Detroit and I would pick him again in 2016 if he had the protection of Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran and the rest of the New York Yankees.


Cespedes would be expensive undoubtedly but we didn't start a blog titled The GREEDY Pinstripes because we worry about spending other people's money. We worry about winning and putting the best team on the field one dollar at a time and that route starts and ends with Cespedes. The Yankees love having multiple center fielders in order to keep everyone fresh and rotated along with Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner and Cespedes fits that mold. The most attractive part about about Cespedes is the fact that he's right handed.


The obvious problem is finding a roster spot and enough playing time for him, the Yankees starting three outfielders are basically set in stone right now, but if Joe Girardi can come up with a plan to make it work then I'm all for it. Rotating Cespedes in and out of the lineup keeps Ellsbury healthy and Gardner fresh and effective not only through the month of June or July but through the months of September and October. Adding Cespedes to the lineup makes pitchers like David Price and Dallas Keuchel less intimidating and could possibly give the Yankees an offense potent enough to compete with the Toronto Blue Jays juggernaut of an offense.


Ellsbury, Cespedes, Beltran. Teixeira, Rodriguez, McCann, Gardner, Gregorius, Refsnyder. That may not be the 1929 Yankees but it's close enough for me.

2015 Major League Baseball Playoffs Recap



WORLD SERIES (Best-of-7)
Game 4: Royals 5, Mets 3 
Game 5: Royals 7, Mets 2, 12 innings (Royals win series 4-1)



AL Championship Series (Best-of-7)
Game 6: Royals 4, Blue Jays 3 (Royals win series 4-2)


NL Championship Series (Best-of-7)
Game 1: Mets 4, Cubs 2
Game 2: Mets 4, Cubs 1 
Game 3: Mets 5, Cubs 2
Game 4: Mets 8, Cubs 3 (Mets sweep 4-0)



AL Divisional Series


Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Best-of-5)
Game 5: Blue Jays 6, Rangers 3 (Blue Jays won series 3-2)


Houston Astros vs. Kansas City Royals (Best-of-5)
Game 5: Royals 7, Astros 2 (Royals won series 3-2)


NL Divisional Series


New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (Best-of-5)
Game 5: Mets 3, Dodgers 2 (Mets won series 3-2)


Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Best-of-5)
Game 4: Cubs 6, Cardinals 4 (Cubs won series 3-1)


AL wild card


NL wild card

How "Old" Are the 2016 New York Yankees Looking?


As many of you may or may not have realized yesterday I had a birthday, a milestone birthday. My 30th birthday. My Facebook page was littered with you're generic happy birthday messages as was my cell phone but one common theme came across in most of them, that my youth was over. Naturally you had a clear 50/50 split between the "30-years old is old" camp and the "30 is the new 20" camp but it got me thinking, as it usually does, just how "old" are the New York Yankees looking as we head into the 2016 offseason and regular season.

Using the entire 40 man roster, because why not, we'll see just how "old" the Yankees will be entering the offseason and maybe we'll revisit this before the regular season after all the offseason moves have been made. Remind me.

"OLD" 

Brian McCann - 31
CC Sabathia - 35
Andrew Bailey - 31
Chris Capuano - 37
Andrew Miller - 30
Sergio Santos - 32
Stephen Drew - 32
Chase Headley - 31
Brendan Ryan - 33
Mark Teixeira - 35
Alex Rodriguez - 40
Carlos Beltran - 38
Jacoby Ellsbury - 32
Brett Gardner - 32
Chris Young - 32

Young

Luis Severino
Nathan Eovaldi - 25
Domingo German - 23
Ivan Nova - 28
Michael Pineda - 26
Masahiro Tanaka - 27
Dellin Betances - 27
Chase Whitley - 26
Caleb Cotham - 27
Nick Goody - 24
Jacob Lindgren - 22
Chris Martin - 29
Bryan Mitchell - 24
Diego Moreno - 28
James Pazos - 24
Branden Pinder - 26
Nick Rumbelow - 24
Chasen Shreve - 25
Adam Warren - 28
Justin Wilson - 28
John Ryan Murphy - 24
Austin Romine - 26
Gary Sanchez - 22
Greg Bird - 22
Didi Gregorius - 25
Jose Pirela - 25
Robert Refsnyder - 24
Dustin Ackley - 27
Slade Heathcott - 25
Rico Noel - 26
Mason Williams - 24

*bolded players likely off the team before December




Korean 1B Byung Ho-Park To Be Posted


Here is the post I released early in the month of September, 2015. Now that Park has been posted we will see just how much the New York Yankees like and think of Greg Bird. CLICK HERE for the original post on the blog.

The New York Yankees are reportedly scouting Korean slugging first baseman Byung Ho-Park according to many news outlets in Korea. Park is 29-years old and plays first base for the Nexen Heroes in the Korean Baseball Organization and has won the KBO MVP Award as recently as 2012 and 2013, but is he a fit for the Yankees?

In eight seasons in Korea Park has slashed .281/.387/.563/.950 and has hit .351 with 47 home runs and 134 RBI thus far this season. Park currently sits at 205 career home runs in the KBO with 134 doubles and 593 RBI. His bat is great, but where does the glove translate into the Major Leagues?

Mark Teixeira is under contract for the 2016 season and the Yankees seem confident in the emergence of Greg Bird so is DH a possibility? Well, not really. Not unless the team is willing and able to rid themselves of the contract of Alex Rodriguez, and after 2015 why would they want to?

Park's bat would be nice but this seems like either Brian Cashman is doing his due diligence and scouting the slugger or the typical situation where the Yankees are linked to almost every free agent whether they are truly interested or not just to drive up the price. I'm willing to go with the latter.

Weekly AFL Check In: Ian Clarkin


Ian Clarkin is back to building his stock and his value with the New York Yankees after a mystery elbow injury essentially wiped out his 2015 regular season. The Yankees sent Clarkin to the Arizona Fall League with the idea of getting some innings and question marks on and off of the left arm of Clarkin and thankfully for all parties both are happening with the Surprise Saguaros.

Clarkin's stats are less impressive, and important truth be told, than the fact that he's worked his way all the way back and is getting the work in. Getting through the Arizona Fall League healthy is more important at this point then throwing complete game shutouts and no-hitters and Clarkin is doing just that.

Ian Clarkin

G: 3
GS: 3
IP: 12.1
W/L: 1-1
ERA: 5.11
K: 8
BB: 9
WHIP: 1.95

This Day in New York Yankees History 11/3: Enter Paul O'Neill


It was on this day in 1992 that the New York Yankees finally acquired right fielder Paul O'Neill. The Cincinnati Reds traded O'Neill and minor league player Joe DeBerry to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly. This trade works out for the Yankees as O'Neill was an integral part of four World Series championships before retiring after the 2001 season.

Also in this day in New York Yankees history that we probably don't want to remember a pair of World Series milestones happened against the Yankees in the World Series. On this day in 2001 in Game 6 of the World Series the Arizona Diamondbacks collected 21 hits in the first six innings establishing a new record for most hits in a World Series game. Also on this day in 2009 Chase Utley tied Reggie Jackson's 1977 record with his 5th home run of the World Series.