Saturday, June 22, 2019

The Joy of Winning...

Photo Credit: Kathy Willens, AP
Yankees on 7-Game Roll…

The “fun” is back in the New York Yankees. After a highly successful May, June just didn’t start like it would be enjoyable but now the team is on a seven-game winning streak after last night’s 4-1 victory over the Houston Astros and the ‘fun’ is certainly back in style around Yankee Stadium.  

When the Friday night lineup was posted featuring Aaron Judge atop the order, there were so many dissenting fans. Since it was a scheduled game off for early season MVP D.J. LeMahieu, I had no problem with Aaron Boone’s decision to put Judge in the leadoff spot. ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained’ as the saying goes. Boone could literally put all the names in a bag and shake them up to determine the lineup order and he wouldn’t be wrong. From top to bottom, even on days when Luke Voit and D.J. LeMahieu take a blow, the Yankees are scary good.  

Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton may have been a combined 0-for-8 last night with five strikeouts, but the one thing that stood out to me is how incredibly talented Gleyber Torres is. It’s not like it was a revelation yesterday but I continue to be amazed by the play of the 22-year-old.  He homered for the third consecutive game (a feat matched by Gary Sanchez, making them the first Yankee teammates to hit home runs together for at least three straight games) but the cherry on top was the incredible glove flip in the top of the 8th inning which started an inning-ending double play when it looked like the Astros were in position to add a few runs against Zack Britton. I’ve seen a few Yankee fans post on Social Media that the Yankees should include Torres in a trade to acquire an ace like Max Scherzer.  No, thank you. Torres, I hope, will be a Yankee for the rest of his career. To me, he is in the same untouchable category as Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and Luis Severino. I don’t realistically think GM Brian Cashman would ever trade him, but it’s foolish there are fans who believe he should. 

Photo Credit: Paul J Bereswill, The New York Post
I think if there is an infielder I am worried about, it is Didi Gregorius. A free agent at the end of the year, I could see the Yankees letting him walk and inserting Torres as the team’s starting shortstop. D.J. LeMahieu provides a superior bat and glove at second base and the role of super-sub could certainly be filled by Thairo Estrada. I don’t want to see Gregorius leave and I’d like to see the team lock him up on an extension but until it happens, there is a chance Sir Didi could be moving on after the season. Didi’s throws don’t seem to have the same zip as they once did. It could just be a time process as he further distances himself from last fall’s Tommy John surgery but I don’t like any potential excuses that might allow Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner to save a few pennies.

Our happiness that Cameron Maybin’s roster spot was safe with the activation of Aaron Judge and the demotion of a pitcher (Nestor Cortes Jr) instead of Maybin sure was short-lived. After suffering a calf strain last night while running around third base on Gary Sanchez’s homer, Maybin has been placed on the Injured List. After the game, Aaron Boone said that his stay on the IL could be awhile. Bummer. He’s been playing so well for the Yankees and I like how he mixed into the team’s chemistry. Although the Yankees have not announced who will be taking Maybin’s spot as I type this post, it is expected to be outfielder Mike Tauchman (not Clint Frazier) for defensive purposes. Nothing against Tauchman, but it’s a huge drop-off from Maybin to him if for no other reason than clubhouse presence.

Photo Credit: Al Bello, Getty Images
I am a little worried about Aaron Hicks’ shoulder. He was forced to play center field last night after Maybin left the game. After having a couple of games off for inflammation in his right shoulder, Aaron Boone hadn’t planned to insert Hicks back into the lineup until today. Hopefully the cortisone shot helps and the inflammation is not indicative of greater problems. It’s been such a challenge to keep Hicks on the field this year (even if he’s played more than Stanton or Judge).  

Six Yankees have moved into the final voting phase for the MLB All-Star Game which will be held on Wednesday and Thursday.

First Base: Luke Voit
Second Base: D.J. LeMahieu
Shortstop: Gleyber Torres
Third Base: Gio Urshela
Catcher: Gary Sanchez
Outfield: Aaron Judge

While I think Gary is a shoo-in, I really hope that Voit, LeMahieu and Torres are named American League starters. I like the job Urshela has done but I honestly cannot say he is the best third baseman in the league. Judge, to me, has missed too much time this year. All-Star recognition should be based on this year’s performance and not merely be a popularity contest. So, as much as I love Aaron Judge, he is not one of the three best outfielders in the league this year (so far anyway).

I think I am officially tired of the Max Scherzer trade rumors. The Washington Nationals and the Lerner family are not going to trade their ace. It simply is not happening. The Nationals have won five games in a row and are currently 2 1/2 games out in the NL Wild Card chase. Even if the Nats were to fall out of contention, I feel Scherzer will remain a Nat. He will not be a Yankee. In my opinion, the more likely trade targets are Matthew Boyd of the Detroit Tigers or Mike Minor of the Texas Rangers. The Rangers are only 1 1/2 games out in the AL Wild Card chase so Boyd, to me, stands as the most probable target. I can’t say that he is the pitcher I want most, but he’s the one I feel could be trying on the Pinstripes within the next month.  


In 16 starts, Boyd, a lefty, is 5-5 for the lowly Tigers. His K/9 is 11.22 (striking out 118 batters in 94 2/3 innings), with 3.61 ERA and 3.36 FIP.  He is currently carrying the best WAR of his career at 2.6. Boyd, 28, was acquired by the Tigers in the 2015 trading deadline deal that sent David Price to the Toronto Blue Jays. I know that we went a few years with speculation the Yankees would acquire another Tigers starter (Michael Fulmer, currently recovering from Tommy John surgery) and that has turned out to be the best trade never made, but I think the odds are greater the Yankees can consummate a Boyd deal. 

I like Toronto’s Marcus Stroman but I don’t want the Yankees to keep sending talented prospects to the Blue Jays to supplement the great young talent they have already accumulated. I guess it’s inevitable somebody will, but I’d rather not see multiple former Yankees helping the Blue Jays become a beast in the AL East.  

It was reported yesterday that former Yankees manager Buck Showalter is in talks with the YES Network for a “fill-in” analyst role that could lead to a permanent gig next season. I went through my years where I despised Showalter but I’ve grown to have an appreciation of him over the last few years. I think I realized that Showalter’s intense desire to beat the Yankees was driven by his “love” for the organization. He knows and understands Yankees history as well as anyone, and I think he’d be a good voice in the booth for Yankees telecasts. Willie Randolph is also expected to be a guest analyst before the end of the season. Of the fill-in’s we’ve seen so far, I think David Wells has been my favorite. With the loss of Al Leiter who left YES earlier this season and Ken Singleton’s winding down of his broadcast career, the YES Network lineup could certainly use new blood. I like the names we’re hearing and I hope that one or more join the broadcast team. 

I think it would be awesome if the Yankees can win at least one of the next two games against the Astros. A sweep would be incredible but I will set expectations at a more realistic level. The Astros, despite their current six-game losing streak, remain one of the AL’s best teams. They’ve fought back in both of the past two games and put themselves in position to tie or win those games. The Astros are simply too good to keep losing. Nevertheless, I hope their losing streak is extended for at least one more game today. It is a great day to see Edwin EncarnaciĆ³n walk the parrot and/or for Aaron Judge to give the Judge’s Chambers reason to exuberantly wave their gavels. If the Yankees get a homer today, they will match the team record of homers in 25 consecutive games set by the 1941 New York Yankees who were led by a trio of thirty-homer plus outfielders, Charlie Keller (33), Tommy Henrich (31) and Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio (30). It could be a history making kind of day…another great story for baseball’s most storied franchise. 

As always, Go Yankees!