Here Comes The Judge!*

In the bottom of the 9th inning of today's game vs. the Phillies, Aaron Judge hit a game-tying three run home run. That was all the offense could muster, though, leading to the game ending in a tie. But that's hardly why I'm writing, despite a broken hand making doing so extremely difficult.

Judge split his time last year, almost exactly in half, between single-A Charleston and single-A+ Tampa. He had a combined batting line of .308/.419/.486, which included 17 bombs in 131 games. I'm not sure what level he'll end up in this season, but either way I believe the 22 year old will be ready to jump into the Majors in 2016. Which means we'll no longer see the name "Carlos Beltran" in the lineup with the number "9" next to it.

Will that mean Beltran is the new regular DH while ARod is relegated to a bench role or released? Will Beltran be the highest paid 4th outfielder in MLB? Will the Yankees release Carlos? Or... will Beltran be dealt away this season?

Maybe I'm overreacting to a silly Spring Training home run, but I think that dinger is the first of many this year and for years to come.

*sorry for the silly title. I let me inner John Sterling shine through.

Yankees Invite 26 Players to Spring Training Camp

The New York Yankees have finally announced their list of players they are inviting to Spring Training and the list includes 26 players. In total New York will have 66 players in Spring Training including their 40 players on the 40 man roster.

Starting pitchers:

Scott Baker

Luis Severino

Relief pitchers:

Andrew Bailey

Jacob Lindgren

Nick Rumbelow

Tyler Webb

Nick Goody

James Pazos

Vicente Campos

Diego Moreno

Wilking Rodriguex

Infielders:

Cole Figueroa

Jonathan Galvez

Nick Noonan

Robert Refsnyder

Greg Bird

Cito Culver

Kyle Roller

Outfielders:

Aaron Judge

Jake Cave

Slade Heathcott

Catchers:

Juan Graterol

Eddy Rodriguez

Trent Garrison

Kyle Higashioka

Francisco Arcia

Yankees pitcher Nova "feeling good" about his injured elbow

When Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova finally steps back onto a pitcher's mound, it will have been a long time since he had previously done so.

Nova, 28, will have likely missed over a year due to a severe elbow injury, the same one which forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery last season. Nova isn't expected to return until sometime between May and July this summer, and it's likely even when he does it will be with much caution. 

Still, the veteran is managing to stay positive as the Yankees' 2015 campaign grows nearer, and had nothing but good things to say about his current recovery when asked about it Tuesday.

"I am feeling great," Nova told The New York Daily News' Wayne Coffey. "[The rehab] is going good. I just have to keep the process going."

As mentioned earlier, exactly when Nova will be able to put on pinstripes again is presently a mystery, and it seems one can only guess the approximate date for the moment. It usually takes around 9-12 months for hurlers like Nova to get back from Tommy John, a rather vague timetable.

Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild appears to be looking favorably at Nova's progress, but did acknowledge it will still be a while before he can compete again.

"He's doing fine, progressing through all the steps he has to, [but] he still has a ways to go," Rothschild said. "When he gets to be where he's supposed to be in a game, that's when we'll have a better idea."

While Nova is out, veteran lefty Chris Capuano is expected to occupy his spot in the rotation, probably serving in the no.5 role. In front of him, presumably, will be Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia and Nathan Eovaldi in that order, each of whom is considered a question mark. 

Yet Nova is confident that group can contend, and believes the Yankees are strong as they head into spring training. 

"We have enough pitching. We have good starters. The bullpen is great," he said. "The team is in great shape."