Disliking Off-Season Inactivity…

Baseball is such a rush. It starts in February when pitchers and catchers report, and then slowly builds over the course of the next eight months, reaching the adrenaline rush of the post-season, capped by the exhilarating World Series. Then, nothing. We can only wait and watch as the Yankees beat writers jump from one potential story to another without yielding much fruit. 

Things will pick up in a few weeks as we approach the Winter Meetings, but for now, we just have to sit around wondering when the Yankees will give us an indication who they might be considering for the job to lead the 2018 Yankees. 

Without much to really think about, here are some of my random thoughts...

Alex Rodriguez, Just Say No…

I can honestly say that I have no desire to see Alex Rodriguez named as Yankees manager. I do not dispute A-Rod’s baseball knowledge and I know that he’s been a positive influence on the younger players during Spring Training but neither of those attributes qualify him as a Major League manager. This is a man who was suspended an entire year for PED use after he had already been implicated with earlier use of performance-enhancing drugs. I was glad to see A-Rod’s time as an active member of the Yankees end and I have no interest in watching him don the pinstripes again (outside of brief Spring Training appearances).  As it is, I am tired of the daily “J-Rod” updates.  If Alex became the Yankees manager, those daily sightings of Jennifer Lopez and A-Rod would only worsen.  I lived through the Bronx Zoo of the 1970’s.  I am not willing to entertain the thought of The Bronx Zoo, Part II. So count me among those with no interest in seeing A-Rod become manager of the Yankees.

Jake Cave, Member of the 40-Man Roster…

It took awhile and included a detour through Cincinnati, but Jake Cave finally earned a spot on the Yankees 40-Man Roster when he was added on Monday. 

Cave was drafted by the Yankees in the 6^th Round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, VA.  He was left unprotected when he became Rule 5 eligible after the 2015 season and was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds.  He started 2016 Spring Training very hot for the Reds but by the end of camp had cooled considerably.  In the end, the Reds opted to keep a 30-year old outfielder (Jordan Pacheco), who was released by the Reds in June 2016, over the then-23 year old Cave. At the time of his return to the Yankees, Reds manager Bryan Price offered the following comments:  “He was and is a terrific young player, and we all saw him as a big-leaguer. There was just some limitations on how much playing time I thought I could get him over the course of this year. My big concern was the history with Donald Lutz and Neftali Soto, guys that have come up and really not played much at a very young age and how they were able to deal with that and when they returned to the minor leagues how they performed afterwards, and I would hate to see that happen to Jake as a guy who really got limited playing time early in the season and how that would have affected his long-term development.”

Credit:  MLB.com

Cave returned to the Yankees but rather than sulk, he continued to work on his craft.  He was left unprotected again in 2016 but was not selected in that year’s Rule 5 Draft.  His performance in 2017 exceeded expectations as he finished with 20 home runs and 56 RBI’s at AA/AAA combined.  His batting line was .305/.351/.542 with .893 OPS in 103 total games.  His hard work has been acknowledged by the Yankees and he’ll get an opportunity to go to the Major League Camp with the Yankees in February for the first time. 

Cave profiles as a fourth outfielder but he is clearly a success story among Yankees prospects.  With guys like Cave and Billy McKinney chomping at the bit, the Yankees need to clear out Jacoby Ellsbury and/or Brett Gardner to make way for the younger guys. I’d hate to see Gardner go but it is Clint Frazier’s time for left field.  Aaron Hicks is a better center fielder than Ellsbury.  So, I’d prefer to see Hicks and Frazier in the starting outfield with Aaron Judge, and guys like Cave and/or McKinney backing them up. 

The Yankees also added reliever Nick Rumbelow to the 40-man roster. Rumbelow had Tommy John surgery in 2016 and missed part of the 2017 season with his recovery. After pitching briefly for the Double-A Trenton Thunder, he was lights out for the Triple A-Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. In 17 games (covering 29 innings) for the RailRiders, Rumbelow was 5-1 and had a sterling 1.12 ERA with 5 saves. He struck out 30 batters, while walking only 8.  Rumbelow, like Cave, is a success story.  He was released by the Yankees in November 2016 (free to go anywhere like Nathan Eovaldi did when he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays).  Rumbelow opted to re-sign with the Yankees on December 15, 2016 and we’re glad he did.

Credit:  Thomas A Ferrara, Newsday

The Yankees still have a number of Rule 5 decisions to make but these were a couple of easy ones.  I have no doubt the Yankees will be forced to leave quality talent unprotected for this year’s Rule 5 Draft.  GM Brian Cashman, between his managerial interviews and negotiation of a new contract, has his work cut out for him. 

Free Agency is Upon Us…

Free Agents became available to talk to other teams on Monday afternoon. Most forecasts show the Yankees to be very limited players in the FA arena as they attempt to avoid MLB’s competitive balance tax and reset future penalties for going above the payroll threshold.  Sadly, the Boston Red Sox were able to do that this year, so they’ll be more aggressive this off-season. During the press conference yesterday to announce new Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Dave Dombrowski, President of Baseball Operations, was asked if the luxury tax would be limitation. He responded, “No, I do not”. The same question was posed to Red Sox owner John Henry and he replied with, “Well, (Dombrowski) answered the question. He said he could go over.”  I would not be surprised to see the Red Sox go hard and heavy after Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer. 

Most forecasts that I have seen only show the Yankees signing Japanese two-way star Shohei Otani and CC Sabathia. Without too many moves necessary, I’d be very happy to see the Yankees acquire Otani. There is uncertainty with the current dispute in negotiations between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball for a new posting agreement. However, Otani took a step in the positive direction by hiring Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to represent him if he is posted and made available to MLB teams this off-season. 

Credit:  Junko Ozaki, AP

I am not overly excited about the anticipated return of Chase Headley to third base for the 2018 season. The question will be whether Gleyber Torres or Miguel Andujar will be ready. I doubt either one breaks camp as the starter but it could happen sooner rather than later.  Headley runs too hot and cold for me. I’d prefer to see greater consistency out of the position to protect the big bats in the lineup. I’d love to see the return of Todd Frazier, but the timing is not right and the Yankees are not in a position to offer a free agent multiple years at third base. For the short-term, we’ll have to deal with Headley.

Dueling Airwaves… 

It was funny yesterday that both Yankees GM Brian Cashman and former Yankees manager Joe Girardi were giving interviews at the same time. It’s tough listening to Girardi as he really sounds like a guy who wanted to be a part of the next great Yankees dynasty. I am surprised that the Washington Nationals didn’t make a run at Girardi with their World Series-caliber roster. But then again, the Nats aren’t known for spending cash on the managerial position and perhaps they were too far down the road with new manager Dave Martinez. 

At this point, it appears that Girardi will sit out a year (perhaps taking a broadcasting position) and will emerge as a viable managerial candidate in the 2018 off-season. 

The more Cashman talks about communication as a primary reason that Girardi was not re-hired and in particular his relationship with the younger players, it leads me to believe that there are reasons at play that we will never know. Maybe one day when Cashman retires and writes his memoirs. 

I don’t know about you, but I am ready for some genuine Yankees news. These quiet days leading up to the Baseball Winter Meetings next month are tough. I am getting a little tired of watching Houston Astros show up on Saturday Night Live or Carlos Correa discussing how he decided to propose to his girlfriend immediately after the World Series had ended on the Jimmy Kimmel show. Justin Verlander’s wedding pics in Italy are nice, but I want to know about our guys.  It is time to get the Yankees back in the news. 

As always, Go Yankees!

Father Time Comes For Us All

Alex Rodriguez only has five days left in his tenure as a Yankee. He is the longest-tenured Yankees player at 11 years (one year was spent suspended). From Sunday to the end of the season you're sure to read a litany of articles about where he stands among the baseball greats. Just as a quick example I've pulled the "Career Highlights and Awards" from his Wikipedia page, but I highly recommend that page and his baseball reference page to truly understand his greatness.

• World Series champion (2009)

• 3× AL MVP (2003, 2005, 2007)

• 14× All-Star (1996–1998, 2000–2008, 2010,2011)

• 10× Silver Slugger Award (1996, 1998–2003,2005, 2007, 2008)

• 2× Gold Glove Award (2002, 2003)

• 4× AL Hank Aaron Award (2001–2003, 2007)

• 5× AL home run leader (2001–2003, 2005, 2007)

• 2× MLB RBI leader (2002, 2007)

• MLB batting champion (1996)

• 500 home run club

• 3,000 hit club

When you look at the pure numbers A-Rod is not only one of the best players to ever play the game but he is one of the best Yankees ever. Unfortunately for his perception and legacy with fans, many don't look at the numbers but rather how they believe they were achieved. Perhaps if A-Rod were not at the center of the Biogenesis scandal, he would be receiving the send-off David Ortiz (who was on the Mitchell Report) is receiving. Maybe if he hadn't taken shirtless pictures up against a mirror or in Central Park for magazines fans and writers would not be so eager to attack his personality. 

Alex Rodriguez is not a perfect role model, in his press conference, he mentions how he has fallen and gotten back up multiple times. With the 24-7 news cycle, social media and other news forms his misdeeds have been in the public eye. Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle were alcoholics who had multiple affairs. Mickey Mantle even brought his mistress to his jersey retirement ceremony. Whitey Ford has admitted to doctoring baseballs on occasion. I'm not trying to run down these players as I revere them too, but I want to demonstrate that there are no perfect role models. Every player is human and has faults.

Since his return from suspension, A-Rod has reinvented himself as a person and a teammate. If you 

follow him on social media you know the only thing, he loves more than his teammates are his daughters. He has taken on a mentorship role with the team, in 2015 when Didi Gregorius was struggling offensively and defensively A-Rod worked with him on his footwork.

It will be tough to say goodbye on Friday. I'll be in my season ticket seats in 420B and I expect an extremely somber mood. Rodriguez is a legendary player, and I wanted him to go out on top, not with the season he is having and this "retirement." I put retirement in quotes because he is not actually retiring. The Yankees are releasing him from his player contract. He has not actually indicated he would not suit up for another team. Perhaps a team like the Miami Marlins will pick him up and ride with him until he hits four more home runs to get him to 700 career home runs. However as a 41-year-old who can't play the field anymore and is not hitting this seems unlikely. In my opinion the Yankees are dressing up his release because of his outstanding career. 

The silver lining in Rodriguez no longer being an active player is his new role Special Adviser and Instructor. I hope that it is not a farce and he will be utilized. With the Yankees ongoing youth movement and top talent up and down the minor league levels to have them exposed to Alex Rodriguez's wealth of knowledge will help mold them into the players that will bring a World Series trophy to the Bronx for the first time since Alex Rodriguez did in 2009.

Recap: Yankees 8, Orioles 6

Ugly wins are still wins.

At least that's what the Yankees will tell themselves Saturday night, having done everything in their power to blow a big lead for the third straight game.

Up 7-0 on the Orioles, the Yankees were cruising through six and a half innings, but that was about the same time their pitching decided home runs were fun to give up. Indeed, the Orioles went deep three times in the seventh to pull to within a run, before the Yanks ultimately held on for an 8-6 victory.

Things began swimmingly for the Yankees against the Orioles' Tyler Wilson. New York's struggling offense, which has experienced a renaissance this week, tagged the right-hander for five earned runs over four innings, including a four-spot in the fourth.

Starlin Castro and Rob Refsnyder each logged an RBI double. Austin Romine plated two more with a single and a sac fly. Didi Gregorius got another man in with a grounder to second.

And following Wilson's early removal, the Yankees kept pouring it on. Castro drove in his second run of the evening with a single off Dylan Bundy, and Jacoby Ellsbury seemingly put the nail in the coffin with a steal of home in the sixth.

But the blowout wasn't real.

Mark Trumbo kicked off Baltimore's unexpected post-stretch rally with a solo blast off Ivan Nova, Pedro Alvarez lined a two-run shot of his own two batters later and after Nova's exit, Adam Jones crushed a Nick Goody offering for a three-run bomb to left.

Just like that, Nova had been charged with five earned runs and the Yankees found themselves having to squeeze nine outs from their bullpen without the help of Dellin Betances.

Fortunately for them, Andrew Miller was up for the challenge.

Miller retired all six hitters he faced in the seventh and eighth, retaining the Yankees' advantage long enough to calm everyone down. Miller fanned two while needing just 28 pitches, perhaps keeping him available for Sunday.

Alex Rodriguez provided some insurance with a run-scoring single in the ninth, and with a solid cushion to work with, Aroldis Chapman was able to complete the save. 

It could've been a lot smoother, but ugly wins are still wins. 

WHAT IT MEANS: The Yankees improve to 26-29 on the season, five games behind the Mariners for the second wild-card spot.

NEXT UP: The Yankees look to take this series in Sunday's finale. CC Sabathia (3-4, 2.85 ERA) and Kevin Gausman (0-3, 3.78 ERA) are slated to be your starters, with first pitch set for 1:35 p.m. ET.

Most Popular Article of the Week: It's Always About A-Rod

From Adam Hamburger:

With everything else going on during this young season so far, one would think the Yankees front office might want to turn their attention elsewhere, but alas, the A-Rod fracas does not let up.

During the offseason, word was circulating that the Yankees were going to refuse to honor some of their contractual obligations to Alex Rodriguez. At the time, I thought nothing of the reports. However, since then the reports have gained more traction considering A-Rod is performing much better than anyone expected.

A-Rod is only five home runs shy of tying Willie Mays and six shy of passing him on the all-time home run list. When A-Rod passes him, the Yankees will owe their troubled third baseman a six million dollar bonus. The Yankees have no interest in paying him the “bonus money” as they perceive the milestones tainted and not marketable anymore since he used (and just served the biggest PED-related suspension) in MLB history.

While the Yankees are right in the milestones are forever tainted, they still have no choice, but to pay him the money and honor the terms of his contract. The team has no legal grounds to not pay him the “bonus money” unless they specifically included a clause in his contract. Regardless, of how many home runs A-Rod hits in the rest of his beleaguered career, baseball purists still believe Hank Aaron is the all-time home run king. (A-Rod told Barry Bonds when they were training this past off-season that he wants to break his home-run record). The Yankees should just grudgingly pay A-Rod and avoid creating another witch-hunt. It does not the help their case that A-Rod is leading their struggling offense in the early stages of the season! But more about that later…

C’mon Yankees brass, let it go and turn your attention to the many other issues facing your not very effective team right now.

It’s always about A-Rod

With everything else going on during this young season so far, one would think the Yankees front office might want to turn their attention elsewhere, but alas, the A-Rod fracas does not let up.

During the offseason, word was circulating that the Yankees were going to refuse to honor some of their contractual obligations to Alex Rodriguez. At the time, I thought nothing of the reports. However, since then the reports have gained more traction considering A-Rod is performing much better than anyone expected.

A-Rod is only five home runs shy of tying Willie Mays and six shy of passing him on the all-time home run list. When A-Rod passes him, the Yankees will owe their troubled third baseman a six million dollar bonus. The Yankees have no interest in paying him the “bonus money” as they perceive the milestones tainted and not marketable anymore since he used (and just served the biggest PED-related suspension) in MLB history.

While the Yankees are right in the milestones are forever tainted, they still have no choice, but to pay him the money and honor the terms of his contract. The team has no legal grounds to not pay him the “bonus money” unless they specifically included a clause in his contract. Regardless, of how many home runs A-Rod hits in the rest of his beleaguered career, baseball purists still believe Hank Aaron is the all-time home run king. (A-Rod told Barry Bonds when they were training this past off-season that he wants to break his home-run record). The Yankees should just grudgingly pay A-Rod and avoid creating another witch-hunt. It does not the help their case that A-Rod is leading their struggling offense in the early stages of the season! But more about that later…

C’mon Yankees brass, let it go and turn your attention to the many other issues facing your not very effective team right now.

The Daily Dozen - July 11, 2014

THE DAILY DOZEN
(Twelve Takeaways from Tonight's Game - July 11th, 2014 Edition)

I must apologize for not getting to tonight's game until the 7th inning.  What a slacker I am! I worked until 7 pm tonight after getting home from the Yankees v Indians at 1:35 am.  Once I got home I set up our new dining room table and then saved three baby birds that are nested in our chimney.  Some morons came and placed a chimney cap on it today for the owners of our rental property...things almost died.  Alas, there are more important things than the Yankees game.  With that in mind....

1. LEBRON JAMES.  ESPN had an hour long special on ESPN RADIO tonight just for Lebron James information, gossip, etc...  The Cavaliers sold out their season tickets less than 8 hours after Lebron's essay was released.  Wow...maybe the same will happen after A-Rod writes his essay about returning to the BRONX!

Don't you miss him making great plays!?!

2. After getting to the game in the 7th inning I saw that the Yankees of course scored two runs early and then blew that lead in the 4th with spotty defense and some wild pitches.  Thanks for the update Burch and @SteveTech74 (if that is your real name).  Why am I not surprised at what happened?  It turns out I could probably skip over the first 4 innings every day and remove some of the heartbreak.

---9:13 pm---the mama bird is going freaking nuts in the chimney right now, which is approximately 10 feet from this computer so I'm a little off my game...

3. I like the feature on the ESPN GameCast that shows the likelihood of teams scoring runs based on the situation.  Right now Yangervis Solarte is up in the top of the 7th with 1 out.  The Yankees have a 7.26% chance of scoring 2+ runs in this inning.  It would be interesting to know what kind of program they use to predict this stuff.  I would say the likelihood is closer to 0%, but who the heck am I?  I am only watching via GameCast because I can't get MLB.tv to load for some reason, which is HorseShiite. It keeps loading to 33% and then freezes.  Holy crap...the curse of Nick Swisher!

4. Brian Roberts homered in his first AB back in Baltimore.  That has got to be a good feeling.  And I'm sure the fans there all cheered for him.  Through all of his injuries (ahem...and reported PED usage...ahem), he was always a lovable character for the Orioles organization and I am sure the good people of Maryland enjoy seeing him do well.  Kind of reminds me of Jeter's 1st AB after coming off the DL last year when he hit a home run...feel good story indeed.

Brian Roberts puts the Yanks on the Board with a solo HR in the 2nd

5. Holy Crap! The Bronx Bombers Have Returned!  Kelly Johnson now has SIX home runs.  Go for that record guys!  But seriously, it's good to see Yankees not named Teixeira hitting bombs.  Wheeler did it last night and now Roberts and Johnson.  And then of course Ichiro with two doubles in the 2nd and 4th innings.  The recent trend is a good sign that the Yankee bats may come alive.  They will have to in order to outscore the opponents every 4 out of 5 starts.

6. Speaking of every 4 of 5 starts.  The Yankees are now down to only ONE of the original starting rotation of Sabathia, Nova, Tanaka, Kuroda, and Pineida.  I knew having every starter's last name end with an 'A' was a bad idea.  I'm pretty sure I tweeted that to Cashman at the beginning of the season, but my plea fell on deaf ears.

"I don't need to apologize...I'm still pitching..."

7. A pop foul to the catcher has to feel worse than a bloop single that lands 5 feet in front of the plate.  You are just helpless to sit and watch the catcher stand there and seal your fate.  Two pop fouls so far tonight...not good wood guys, not good wood.  Almost as bad as watching a run score on a wild pitch...hmmmm....

8. Camden Yards is a great place to see a ball game.  I saw a game there a few years ago while I was in town for a conference.  Baltimore was playing the Red Sox..of course I rooted for the O's...they crushed the Sox that day...but didn't make the playoffs.

Camden Yards at Night - Source: MLB.com

9. When is the last time Baltimore was in 1st place this late in the season?  Well, it's the first time they have at least shared the lead going into the All-Star break since 1997.  Wow...good ol' Cal Ripken, Jr.  It's been awhile...I'm actually glad to see them be relevant.  They have some really good young talent (Machado, Wieters, Jones) that are waaaaaaay more exciting to watch then say....Solarte.

10. The walk to the "power hitter" Yangervis Solarte in the 9th inning was the first allowed by Oriole pitching.  This is why they are 50-41 and in 1st place.  Although, barring last night the Yankees have the best bullpen in the AL.  But you win games by not giving away bases.  Good for you Orange and Black!

11. If you were starting a franchise, who would you take...Jones or Ellsbury?  Of course the immediate conclusion would be Adam Jones due to his power numbers...but I'm not so sure.  I think Ellsbury is a transcendental player.  He does everything well.  It would be a toss-up I guess.  I still think he should be the next Captain (Bryan van Dusen).  A look at their stats for their careers reveals the following:

Adam Jones Stats (source: Baseball-Reference.com)

Jacoby Ellsbury Stats (source: Baseball-Reference.com)

Jones is two years younger but they both have about the same time in the majors.  Ellsbury has a 14-point lead in the batting average category, but Jones has 162-game average of 24 home runs to Ells' 14 and he has 12 more RBI per 162-games then Ellsbury.  It's crazy that their OPS is EXACT though.  I think the big difference between the two is the stolen bases.  I'll take speed on the base path any day, because ultimately their defense is close enough.  Ellsbury is pretty good in the clutch with World Series experience...the kind of leadership that is good for a clubhouse.

12. Of course the game would go extra innings! Thankfully, since I got to the game late.  Wait...as I write this the Orioles are scoring the winning run due to Machado's lead-off double to start the 10th.  I know who I would pick to start a franchise out of any of the guys playing tonight and it would be Manny...Ramirez...Machado.  Unbelievable talent.  The Orioles move to 51-41 and the Yankees are now mired in mediocrity at 46-46, only 5 games above the lowly Rays and Red Sox.