Sunday, May 22, 2016

Greedy Pinstripes Weekend Finale Open Thread


Another weekend bites the dust. These things go by far too fast, don't they? The Yankees had a great weekend out in Oakland and I had an even better weekend in my own personal life. Life is good, the Yankees are good, everything is good. This is the way it should be every weekend.

I leave you tonight with this open thread for the weekend finale. Talk about whatever you'd like but may I suggest Jose Bautista getting knocked out... I mean they are coming to town Tuesday night and it was pretty epic.

Also vote Rougned Odor for the 2016 All-Star Game. He deserves it. Enjoy what's left of the weekend.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Oakland Athletics 5/22


The New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics will face off in the fourth game, the finale, of their four-game series this weekend on the west coast. The Yankees offense has woken up against the best the Athletics had to offer in Sonny Gray and Sean Manaea and today they will look to learn how sweep it is with the series sweep. Looking for the series sweep and looking to turn his season around will be Michael Pineda who will take the ball for the Yankees while the Athletics will counter with Jesse Hahn. The game will be played at 4:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and of course MLB TV.

After this game this afternoon the Yankees head back to the east coast and the friendly confides of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to play host to the Toronto Blue Jays. New York will have an off day for travel though tomorrow before that series and you always, ALWAYS, want to go into an off day and a travel day with a victory. Always. Get it? So follow along this afternoon on Twitter by giving @GreedyStripes a follow and click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to get your Yankees tickets for the Toronto Blue Jays series.

How sweep it is? Let's find out. Go Yankees!

Weekly Prospects Check In: Chris Parmelee


The New York Yankees have very little to nothing in the terms of depth at the first base position behind Mark Teixeira with maybe the sole exception being Chris Parmelee. Parmelee was signed to a minor league deal this winter with an invitation to spring training and decided to stick around with the organization after not making the team. Now Parmelee is spending his time powering his way through Triple-A pitching down with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders.

Let's check in with him:

Year Age Lg G PA R H 2B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
2016 28 AAA 33 131 17 28 6 5 14 0 16 23 .243 .336 .426 .762

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Oakland Athletics 5/22


The New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics will finish off their four game set this afternoon on the west coast with the finale of the series. The Yankees have won the first three games of this series and it hasn't been close in many of the starts. This afternoon the Yankees will go for the sweep with Michael Pineda on the mound looking to turn his season around. With their eyes on spoiling the Yankees sweep the Athletics will send Jessee Hahn to the mound to oppose him.

Pineda has had one big struggle in 2016 with one exception, an April 19th start against the Oakland Athletics earlier this season in the Bronx. In the start Pineda allowed just two runs and seven hits in six innings pitched while striking out seven batters. Pineda is 2-1 in his career with a 2.25 ERA in four starts against the Athletics. 


Hahn hasn't been back from the minor leagues long and has faced a pair of tough opponents since his return to Oakland. In his first start against the Texas Rangers he allowed three runs on 10 hits in 6.2 innings and will face New York in the second start since his promotion this afternoon inside the Oakland County Coliseum.


The game will be played at 4:05 pm ET inside the Oakland County Coliseum and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The Yankees want to know how sweep it is and so do I. No clever antics or writings here, get the victory and let's go home. Go Yankees! All Business!!

Meet a Prospect: Neal Cotts


The New York Yankees boasted their pitching depth and bullpen this offseason as a reason for why the team ultimately added nothing to the starting rotation. The rotation was littered with question marks heading into the season but the addition of Aroldis Chapman left the Yankees feeling comfortable about their chances this season. The team still had the Scranton Shuttle to keep their three-headed monster fresh but that depth has taken a big hit already this season. Nick Rumbelow is gone, Bryan Mitchell is gone, Phil Coke is gone, Branden Pinder is gone and a whole slew of others I'm likely forgetting leaving New York scrambling. This scrambling landed them a left-handed reliever this week and a LOOGY for manager Joe Girardi to potentially use in Neal Cotts. Let's meet the veteran. This is Meet a Prospect: The Neal Cotts Edition.

Neal James Cotts was born on March 25, 1980 and began his amateur career with the Illinois State University baseball team. While at the school Cotts earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors and was named to the ABCA All-Midwest Region team. These milestones caught the attention of the Oakland Athletics eyes who drafted him 69th overall in the 2nd round of the 2001 MLB First year players draft. Cotts was only the second player to ever be drafted out of Illinois State and left with the fifth highest strikeout total in the school's history.

Cotts spent a year with the Athletics before the team traded him to the Chicago White Sox in a six-player deal that included both Keith Foulke and Billy Koch. Cotts was not long for the minor league's though as he made his MLB debut in 2003 against the Anaheim Angels pitching 2.1 innings in a no-decision. Cotts, then a starter, was converted to the bullpen by then manager Ozzie Guillen before the 2004 season and that is where you can find the lefty today. As a member of the White Sox bullpen Cotts pitched in the 2005 World Series run for Chicago winning his first World Series ring of his career.

Cotts quickly had to pack his bags and his newly minted World Series ring before 2006 though as the White Sox sent him across town to the Chicago Cubs in a deal that brought back David Aardsma and minor league pitcher Carlos Vasquez. Cotts tenure with the Cubs was a rocky one that included being optioned to Triple-A in favor of Sean Marshall in 2007 where he would also begin his 2008 season. Cotts was back with the big league club in 2009 before feeling some discomfort in his pitching elbow and eventually going down with Tommy John surgery. Cotts was non-tendered before the 2010 season and was a free agent for the first time in his career.

Cotts latched on with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010 after signing a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training and made the team out of spring camp. Cotts felt like he was back on the fast track until June of that season when he fell victim to a hip surgery that would end his season and his tenure with Pittsburgh. Cotts was released by the Pirates after the 2010 season and almost immediately signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees with a similar invite to spring training for 2011. Cotts could not pass his physical though and was released from his contract leaving him without a single pitch thrown for the second consecutive season.

In 2012 Cotts latched on with the Texas Rangers and finally made his return to the mound on June 11, it just wasn't a major league mound and was instead a mound in Triple-A. Cotts remained with the organization for the 2013 season but failed to make the team out of spring training. Instead Cotts went back down to Triple-A Round Rock before getting the call back to the Major Leagues on May 21. Cotts remained with the Rangers until 2015 when he signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Not surprisingly his tenure in Milwaukee was not for long though as the team traded him to the Minnesota Twins in August of 2015 for a player to be named later.

Cotts finished the 2015 season with Minnesota before signing a minor league deal with the Houston Astros to begin 2016. Cotts was released in March and quickly signed another minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Cotts deal included an opt-out clause which he exercised this week becoming a free agent once again. The Yankees jumped on the opportunity to bring Cotts back to the Bronx by signing him to another minor league deal this week welcoming his back to the organization and the family. Welcome Neal, I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon enough.

Weekly Prospects Check In: Ian Clarkin


The New York Yankees lack starting pitching depth in their minor league system and they especially lack it from the left side of the pitching rubber. Ian Clarkin is the Yankees one saving grace in that department so let's take a look at what the Yankees former first round pick has been up to since the 2016 season has began.

Just as an FYI Clarkin missed the entire 2015 season with an unidentified elbow injury and got his work in with the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League. Now Clarkin is biding his time in Tampa waiting on that call from the Yankees that sends him to the Double-A Trenton and beyond.

YearAgeLevWLERAGGSCGIPHRERHRBBSOWHIPH9HR9BB9SO9
201621A+343.4388144.2511917111321.38810.30.22.26.4
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/21/2016.

This Day in New York Yankees History 5/22: Roger Clemens Wins 18 Consecutive Games


On this day in 1999 after a disabled list stint and a rain out Roger Clemens finally breaks the American League record with his 18th consecutive win. Johnny Allen had the record previously with the Indians in 1936-1937 as did Dave McNally with the Orioles in 1968-1969. Clemens had ten no decisions mixed in with the 18 consecutive victories.


Also on this day in 1990 Andre Dawson for the Cubs was walked intentionally five times in one game to set a new major league record. The previous mark of four was held by the Yankees Roger Maris in 1962 and by the Padres Gerry Templeton in 1985.


Also on this day in 1977 the Boston Red Sox (6) and the Milwaukee Brewers (5) combined for 11 home runs to tie a major league record. The 11th home run matched the Yankees and Tigers in 1950 and the Cubs and the Mets in 1967 who also had 11 round trippers.


Also on this day in 1963 Mickey Mantle once again almost became the first person to hit one out of Yankee Stadium. Mantle hit the home run off the A's Bill Fischer and it was just a few feet below the facade down the right field line in an 8-7 Yankees victory.


Also on this day in 1962 Roger Maris is intentionally walked four times in a game to establish a major league record. Four different Angels pitchers intentionally walked Maris in New York's 2-1 victory in Yankee Stadium.


On this day in 1933 the Yankees third basemen Joe Sewell is struck out for the first time of the season. Cleveland's Wes Ferrell was the man to strike out Sewell and Sewell would only strike out three more times the entire season, his final season, in 524 at bats. That's insane by today's standards.


Also on this day in 1930 Babe Ruth tied a major league record by hitting five home runs in two games and six home runs in three games when he hit three homers in the second game of a double header the day before, two more in game one of this day's double header, and one more in the second game of the double header on this day. Lou Gehrig also went deep three times in the second game of the double header and the Yankees would beat the Philadelphia A's 20-13.


Finally on this day in 1922 The Yankees begin construction on Yankee Stadium after sharing the Polo Grounds with the New York Giants since 1913. The stadium will unofficially be called the "House that Ruth Built" due to Babe Ruth's popularity with the team in the early 1920's.