Thursday, April 28, 2016

Yankees Off Night Open Thread


The day has come and gone and now we are here left in the darkness with no Yankees game to speak of and nothing to do. I don’t know about you but as a father of two with a full time job, a wife and this blog I take full advantage of these off days by going to sleep! So I’m off to sleep soon enough, truth be told not really I’ll probably do something until 11:00 pm and regret it in the morning, but not before I leave you with an open thread for the night and a musical recommendation out of my own personal music collections first.

The name of the song is Famous by Kanye West. I really need to find some new music so if you have any suggestions leave them below in the comments section or tweet them to me on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes and/or @DanielBurch. I feel like I am becoming what I used to make fun of, an old person who only listens to what they liked back in High School and that doesn’t recognize or like the new stuff. Help!


Goodnight Yankees family! We’re back at it again tomorrow. 

Update on the Yankees “Scranton Shuttle”


Here is the latest happenings with the New York Yankees and the Scranton Shuttle. Check back next off day for another update and be sure to check out our post from earlier in the week describing how the Scranton Shuttle is not as empty as we all may think. Enjoy the off day Yankees family!

4/15/16:
Yankees option RHP Luis Cessa to Triple-A. Yankees call up LHP Tyler Olson.


4/16/16:

Yankees option LHP Tyler Olson to Triple-A. Yankees call up RHP Branden Pinder.

4/22/16:

Branden Pinder placed on the 15 day DL with an elbow strain that would eventually lead to Tommy John surgery. Nick Goody has been called up in his place.

Yankee Stadium Off Day Walk Up Music Recommendation


The New York Yankees are off today as they travel back to the East Coast from Texas but unfortunately they aren’t headed home to the Bronx and Yankee Stadium but are instead headed to Boston and Fenway Park. While things would be better if the team were headed back to New York we can still pretend like we are there with this Yankee Stadium off day walk up music recommendation.

For the past couple of seasons now we have gone over and showcased the walk up music for members of the New York Yankees when they walk up to the plate or enter the game out of the bullpen and this year will be no different. With today’s showcase we will focus on an integral part to the Yankees success this far this season, the seemingly rejuvenated Carlos Beltran.

I don’t know if it’s the upbeat and fast tempo music he walks up to if he’s found the fountain of youth but him and his knees have looked great this far this season. It’s a great sign going forward for the Yankees. Anyway, here is his walk up song Echa Pa'lla by Pitbull.


Enjoy and we’ll be back to all business tomorrow!

The Yankees Offense vs. the Red Sox Pitching This Weekend


The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are set to face off head-to-head in a three-game series this weekend inside Fenway Park so we are going to use today's off day to prepare. Like most games in series between these two teams it all comes down to the pitching so I wanted to take a quick minute to see what the Yankees have done against the three starting pitchers that they will see this weekend in Boston.




Henry Owens:




Rick Porcello:





David Price:


All stats and images courtesy of ESPN.com

Luis Severino & His Hypothetical Leash


The New York Yankees have a history, at least during my lifetime, of having an obvious bias against and preference towards veteran players over young guys and prospects. Say what you will about the Core Four coming through the minor league system or the flood of young guys that came up in 2005 but on the grand scheme of things the Yankees prefer the veterans. It was the veterans getting hurt in 2005 that forced the hand of Brian Cashman that brought us Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner and Chien-Ming Wang. With another possible youth movement headed towards the Bronx and with their poster child and leader Luis Severino struggling out of the gates this season you have to wonder what it means and how long Severino’s leash will be this season. 

Severino has struggled this season and you have to wonder just how much more patience the Yankees have in them. The starting rotation as a whole is struggling and there is just one man in it with a minor league option left and that’s Severino. Now I am a huge believer that you have to let a young guy figure it out in the Major Leagues but this is not my opinion that I think the Yankees will send Severino down or should send Severino down I’m only using history and common sense as a way to figure this thing out. Ivan Nova is pitching well in the bullpen and he’s in a contract year while Severino is struggling with minor league options remaining, it seems like a no brainer if you’re trying to compete in 2016 like the team says they are.

There is nothing to say that Severino couldn’t go down to Triple-A and figure it out for a few starts before coming back in late May or June. There’s no shame in it either. I don’t think it should come to that though and here’s why. If you watch the games and not just read the box score the next day you will see that Severino shakes off Brian McCann far too much. Now there is believing in your stuff and there is being foolish and the difference is probably about as big as an inch. If you believe in your stuff and you win with it, great, but when you shake off a veteran catcher known for calling great games and get hit hard like he did on Tuesday night you have to think that the problem is not with Severino’s stuff but with his head.


Someone needs to sit down with Severino and tell him to not only trust the stuff and the work ethic that got him to the Bronx but to trust his catcher as well. If he can’t trust his catcher then he will likely be sent down for a few weeks to send a message and open some eyes that this is the way it needs to be. If that doesn’t fix it then the leash may get shorter and shorter as the Yankees have never shown much patience with their young prospects, especially their pitchers. 

Weekly Check In: Aaron Judge


The New York Yankees have a gluttony of outfield options and prospects on their roster right now and in their minor leagues but none of them stand ahead of the class like Aaron Judge. I mean that figuratively and I mean that literally. Judge is easily the top outfield prospect and he’s also probably playing center if the Yankees ever decide to put together a pick-up basketball game or team. The dude is huge and he is intimidating at the plate and has put to bed any rumors thus far that he cannot handle Triple-A pitching or the Major Leagues.

Judge has come out of the gates hitting well and hitting well even when the box scores don’t always reflect it. I’ve read numerous reports from Donnie Collins and others that he altered his stance a little and it’s showing great dividends. He is getting to balls inside a little better thus far this season and he is also laying off the breaking stuff that hampered his development a bit last season. Judge made the adjustments he needed to in order to compete at the next level and beyond and no one is happier than the New York Yankees organization.


One day, and it may be one day soon, the Judge will be unleashed on the rest of the league and we will be able to look back at posts like this and posts from others who doubted his ability in the top minor league stop before the show and laugh. Well I’ll laugh because I had him making it all along. 

YearAgeLevGPARH2BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
201624AAA17778204291423.282.312.423.734

This Day in New York Yankees History 4/28: Yogi Berra Fired, Billy Martin Hired (Again)


On this day in 1985 Yogi Berra was fired as manager of the New York Yankees after starting the season 6-10. Billy Martin is hired to replace Berra who would be managing the Yankees for his fourth time. Berra vows to never return to Yankee Stadium for as long as George Steinbrenner is the owner of the team and he didn't for 14 years. Eventually Berra and Steinbrenner reconciled and Berra is now a mainstay at Yankee Stadium and in spring training camps.