Team X to acquire Cole (sorry, didn’t say “Simon Says”)…

To Trade or Not To Trade…

Just when you thought that things couldn’t get any crazier with the Gerrit Cole trade rumors, they took another wild curve today when it was reported that the Houston Astros had acquired Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Some sports reporters were saying the trade was imminent and MLB Trade Rumors posted their usual ‘to acquire' headline with Houston Astros to acquire Gerrit Cole. But minutes later, the news of false reports circulated and it was announced that a trade was not imminent and the teams were not close. Huh, what?...

So, as I type this post, Cole is still a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  I think.   

My position remains that the Yankees should not trade for Cole. When the rumors of the potential Astros trade began swirling, there were reports that the Yankees had shut down any further discussions with the Pirates. I like Cole and I think the Yankees, through coaching and environment, could bring out the best in the talented pitcher. But at this point, I do not feel that he is worth the cost of Clint Frazier, Miguel Andujar and a top pitching prospect.  However, I do not want to see Cole go to Houston. The strong only get stronger.  Cole on that pitching staff would be scary.  Dallas Keuchel, Justin Verlander, Cole, Lance McCullers, Jr and Charlie Morton (with Brad Peacock and Colin McHugh on standby). The Astros pitching staff would certainly be more formidable than the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, other teams that have very stro`ng staffs.

I think the Yankees should reserve any decisions for pitching additions until the July trading deadline. They’ll be looking at pro-rated salaries (helpful to meet the goal to stay under $197 million) and will have a much better idea of needs. For me, it’s sign Todd Frazier to a two-year deal and let’s see everyone next month in Tampa.  

I’d love to add Yu Darvish or Alex Cobb but those two are not considerations as long as #22 is occupied. The Yankees could gain so much flexibility with payroll if they could move Jacoby Ellsbury, even if it includes paying as much as $15 million per year on what’s left. But it’s tough when Ellsbury seems content to collect his paycheck as the team’s fifth outfielder and no desire to relinquish his right to veto any trade.  

The Yankees obviously have a very strong bullpen. I like some of the younger names with potential like Cody Carroll, Ben Heller and Jonathan Holder. This could open some flexibility to trade a more established name later in the season. Someone like David Robertson, whom I would hate to see go, if the Yankees feel they are not going to re-sign him after the season or Dellin Betances who most certainly will be traded at some point if/when he re-establishes his value. Sellers will be more desperate at the trading deadline and the Yankees will have greater strength with potential trade bait.

I think the official position of this website is ‘Get Chris Archer Now!’…

Photo Credit: Chris O'Meara-AP

I am not quite on the ‘Chris Archer or Bust’ train but if I see any indication that the Tampa Bay Rays might be willing to trade him, I wouldn’t be opposed to jumping on the bandwagon. I personally love Marcus Stroman, a native New Yorker, who would fit seamlessly into the Bronx. But admittedly, the chances the Toronto Blue Jays would trade a star pitcher to the Yankees are more remote than even the Rays.

Unless the Yankees can clearly upgrade their starting five, it’s better to stand pat and make air reservations for Tampa.

See ya, Cito...

It’s tough to see former top prospects leave the organization. Granted, when they leave on their own, they were unable to make their mark. Such is the case for former top draft pick Cito Culver. The shortstop was drafted in the first round (32nd pick) of the 2010 MLB Draft.  Unfortunately, the bloom faded and Culver could never hit for average. He did manage 12 home runs last year in Triple A but carried a .223 batting average. The organization obviously has many better second base/shortstop types so Culver was never going to realize his dream in Pinstripes. Instead, he has signed a free agent contract with the Miami Marlins who seem to be collecting Yankees prospects. It’s a minor league deal that does not carry an invitation to MLB spring training. I wish Culver the best and hopefully he can insert his name into the picture of the rebuild currently underway on Team Jeter.  

Two other former Pinstriped first-round draft picks signed elsewhere in recent weeks. Dante Bichette, Jr (2011) signed with the Colorado Rockies organization and Slade Heathcott (2009), who spent last year in the San Francisco Giants organization, signed with the Oakland A’s. It is kind of sad when you look back over the past decade of Yankees first-round picks and only Clarke Schmidt (2017), Kyle Holder ( 2015), and Aaron Judge (2013) are still part of the Yankees family. Granted, guys like James Kaprielian and Blake Rutherford were parts of major trades last summer but it does show the ratio of first round draft position to MLB team success (with the original team) is very small.  

Angel in the Infield...

While you can argue that the big offseason winners so far are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (signing of Shohei Otani and infield rebuild with acquisitions of Ian Kinsler and Zack Cozart) or the New York Yankees (the trade for the NL MVP), the biggest winners, to me, are the international prospects freed from the Atlanta Braves organization after being penalized by MLB. They retained their bonuses from the Braves but then were free to sign with new teams and new bonuses. Considering a few of these guys (or more) will eventually wash out, the lyrics of “money for nothing and chicks for free” from that old Dire Straits song echo through my head. Notwithstanding the risk, the Yankees finally signed one of the former Braves prospects when they inked SS Angel Rojas for $350,000. Rojas had received $300,000 from the Braves during the 2017-18 signing period. Welcome to the Yankees family, Angel!

Yanks on Fire...

MLB.com recently posted this pic. If this doesn’t get you fired up for the return of baseball next month, nothing will…

Manny Reasons to make a trade...

I haven’t given a lot of thought to the talent the Yankees might consider offering for Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (primarily because I don’t think the O’s will trade him to the Yankees for obvious reasons). But to acquire Machado now rather than wait until after the season to try and sign him through free agency, would you offer a package of Dellin Betances, Chance Adams, Thairo Estrada and Miguel Andujar? I don’t know but it’s one that I would have to think about. I gotta admit that Machado looks pretty good in Pinstripes…

Yankees Announcement...

Thank you to the New York Yankees for extending the protective netting at Yankee Stadium. The team issued the follow release on Wednesday:

Expanded Netting to be installed at Yankee Stadium for 2018 Season

The New York Yankees today (Wednesday, January 10th) announced details regarding the additional protective netting that will be installed at Yankee Stadium for the start of the 2018 regular season. Increased coverage will include partially retractable netting attached to the roofs of both dugouts and stationary netting extending beyond the far ends of the dugouts toward the foul poles.

During the design and engineering process, the Yankees consulted with the architecture firm Populous along with netting company Promats Athletics.

Netting attached to the roofs of both dugouts will extend to a height of nine feet above each dugout during games. The bottom portions of these nets will be upwardly retractable by up to three feet, allowing fans the opportunity to fully interact with players during batting practice when the protective batting cage is being employed around the home plate area of the field. Prior to the start of the game, the nets will connect to the dugout roof, where they will remain in place throughout the game.

Beyond the dugout, netting will extend to Section 011 on the first-base side and Section 029 on the third-base side. The netting in these locations will rise to eight feet above the playing field (approximately 5.5 feet above the wall surrounding the field of play), and will remain in place from the start of batting practice through the end of the game. These sections of netting may be removed for soccer matches or other events held at Yankee Stadium.

Dyneema fiber Ultra Cross 1.2 mm-wide knotless netting -- the same as was used for Yankee Stadium backstop netting in 2017 -- will be utilized for all netting in the 2018 season. Additionally, all netting will be "field green" in color to minimize its visible impact for those in attendance and viewers watching on television.

Installation will begin in February, and will be completed in time for the Yankees' scheduled 2018 home opener on Monday, April 2 vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.

In addition, a similar protective netting system at George M. Steinbrenner Field is being installed and will be operational for the start of Yankees spring training (Tuesday, February 13).

Source:  yankees.com

The fan experience at the Stadium is important but the safety of the fans is the greatest concern. This is an excellent move by the Yankees.

Sooner or later, this off-season has to get busy, right? Waiting…

Go Yankees!

Yankees Re-Sign Culver, Release O’Neill

According to our friends over at Pinstriped Prospects, shout out to Robert Pimpsner and his crew for a continued year of great success and even better work by the way, the New York Yankees made a couple minor league deals that I think are noteworthy. The Yankees signed Cito Culver to a minor league deal and they also released outfielder Michael O’Neill from his contract.

Culver is still somehow just 24-years old after being the Yankees first round draft pick in 2010. The Yankees promoted Culver to Triple-A for the 2015 and 2016 seasons but never made the call to bring him to the Major Leagues. Culver has always been considered to be a top notch defensive shortstop but his bat has always lacked which has kept him from taking the big step to the Bronx.

O’Neill, son of former Yankees star Paul O’Neill, is also 24-years old and was a third round pick for the Yankees in the 2013 MLB Draft. O’Neill reached Double-A with the Trenton Thunder this past season but his bat lacked in 60 games after a strong start to the season in Tampa. O’Neill will now look to latch on with another team to continue his dream of reaching the show.

Good luck to both. Oh, and good morning Yankees family. We’re back!

Yankees Have Ten Minor League Free Agents

Matt Eddy at Baseball American has the full list of 534 minor league free agents that will hit the market this offseason and that list included ten members of the New York Yankees. There are a couple names that are household names to even the most casual of Yankees fans while others are in the lower levels of the farm. Let's take a quick look at this list of free agents and see how it will potentially affect the Yankees farm system going forward.

RHP Tyler Cloyd
INF Cito Culver
RHP Claudio Custodio
INF Jonathan Diaz
RHP Gabe Encinas
C Santiago Nessy
OF Cesar Puello
C Eddy Rodriguez
UTIL Jose Rosario
C Sebastian Valle

Cito Culver and Cesar Puello are probably the most notable players on the list but truly Culver hasn't been on the Yankees prospects radar for quite some time. How far the once might have fallen. Puello is an outfielder in a system stocked full of outfielders so while he is talented he likely won't be a significant loss in the grand scheme of things.

Luis Cessa Opening Eyes in Yankees Camp

I have to admit that I was one of many to be pretty down on the New York Yankees when they traded left-handed reliever Justin Wilson to the Detroit Tigers for prospects. Like we do with every new arrival, and especially with prospects, we did our research and introduced you to them in our Meet a Prospect series of posts but I have to admit I was pretty down on the return for Wilson. The Yankees got a pair of right-handed starters for Wilson in Chad Green and Luis Cessa and I went as far as to call Green an organizational prospect while I left Cessa completely off my radar during Prospects Month. Cessa is seemingly taking this personally and is opening some eyes finally in Yankees camp.

I say finally because Cessa has been traded multiple times in his young career and no one seemingly knows what to do with him. Cessa was first traded to Detroit in the deal that sent Yoenis Cespedes to the New York Mets and was again traded back to New York in the deal that sent Wilson out of Yankee Stadium so there is obviously some talent there and intrigue that I apparently missed. There is talent with Cessa, no one ever denied that, but his potential hang up may surround the question of whether he is a starting pitcher or a reliever in his future. The Yankees acquired him hoping for some pitching depth in the rotation at Triple-A and thus far, and granted it’s extremely early I know, he hasn’t done anything to make the team think that won’t be the case.

You have to remember and keep in mind that during Cessa’s first two professional season with the Mets under then GM Omar Minaya the right-hander was an infielder trying to break through in New York. After struggling in his first two seasons to the tune of a .178/.319/.229 triple slash the Mets did with Cessa what the Yankees should have done, in my opinion, with Cito Culver and turned him into a pitcher. Cessa has since made 86 minor league starts since the 2011 season, his first as a pitcher, and has produced solid numbers for as raw as he is. Cessa has struck out 419 batters and walked 110 in 513.2 innings pitched and has showcased great command on both sides of the plate. Cessa can throw his 93 MPH fastball whenever and wherever he wants and compliments that with a changeup, slider and curve ball combination.

What’s been opening eyes is the addition or tweaking of one of his pitches, Cessa has been seen throwing a slurve this spring. No matter what pitch he throws Cessa is a strike thrower and has shown an extreme durability in his career as a pitcher, something that may be all the more important in the Bronx in 2016. Cessa, I doubted you at first and I apologize. Now consider me rooting for you. Good luck!

TGP Prospects Night Open Thread featuring Cito Culver

Cito Culver may be on his way out of the New York Yankees organization sooner rather than later. Culver will hold his final stand in 2016 with the organization as he runs out of minor league options and the options behind him get stronger and stronger. Once thought of as a top prospects Culver just never seemed to come around with bat unfortunately and is in danger of being overtaken by the likes of Jorge Mateo, Kyle Holder, Abi Avelino, Thairo Estrada and others. 

In what could be Culver's penultimate stand we bring you this interview that was conducted in September of 2015. Enjoy because Prospects Month is almost over.

Congratulations to Robert Refsnyder!!

#monicagotrobbed pic.twitter.com/Gne9YbWrYW

— Aaron Judge (@TheJudge44) December 12, 2015

We want to start out this morning by wishing one of my very favorite players and one of the Yankees top prospects Robert Refsnyder a big congratulations. Refsnyder married his fiance this past weekend and while he stayed quite about it for the most part Aaron Judge was there to keep us fans in the loop. Judge, Mason Williams, Greg Bird and others were in attendance while Refsnyder married. Cool and congrats to Refsnyder!

#monicagotrobbed pic.twitter.com/79qN7yv2iv

— Aaron Judge (@TheJudge44) December 13, 2015

Looking Back at 10 Years of Yankees #1 Draft Picks

2006 – Ian Kennedy RHP

Round- 1st

Overall Pick- 21

MLB Debut: 2007 

2007 – Andrew Brackman RHP

Round- 1 

Overall Pick- 30

MLB Debut: n/a

2008 – Gerrit Cole - RHP (did not sign)

Round- 1st

Overall Pick- 28

MLB Debut: 2013 (Pittsburgh)

2009 – Slade Heathcott - OF

Round- 1st

Overall Pick- 29

MLB Debut: 2015

2010 – Cito Culver SS

Round- 1st

Overall Pick- 32

MLB Debut: n/a

2011 – Dante Bichette Jr. 3B

Round- Compensation A

Overall Pick- 51 

MLB Debut: n/a

2012 – Ty Hensley RHP

Round- 1st

Overall Pick- 30

MLB Debut: n/a

2013 – Eric Jagielo 3B

Round- 1st

Overall Pick- 26

MLB Debut: n/a

2014 – Jacob Lindgren LHP

Round- 2nd

Overall Pick- 55

MLB Debut: 2015

2015 – James Kaprielian RHP

Round- 1st

Overall Pick- 16

MLB ETA: Late 2016/Early 2017

Yankees Send 10 Back to Minor League Camps

The New York Yankees have announced that they have sent down a total of ten prospects down to minor league camp as a part of their first spring cuts. Among the prospects were the Yankees top two prospects in Luis Severino and Aaron Judge.

The remaining eight prospects the Yankees sent down were C Trent Garrison, RHP Nick Goody, C Juan Graterol, LHP James Pazos, RHP Diego Moreno, LHP Tyler Webb, OF Jake Cave and SS Cito Culver.

None of these players expected to make the team out of spring training but I honestly thought the team would take a longer look at Goody, Pazos, Webb and Culver specifically. Goody is as close to MLB ready as they get and Pazos and Webb figured to fight with Justin Wilson for a little longer. Culver is running out of time and was left unprotected from the Rule 5 Draft but all can benefit from regular at bats and playing time in minor league camp so it's good for them in the long run.

Predicting First Round of Spring Cuts

Any day now, honestly I don't know the exact date but I know it has to be soon, minor league spring training camps will start opening up which means a ton of Yankees prospects will leave camp and head there. I am going to take a snag at predicting those players right here, can I do it? Probably not. Let's try anyway, it's Friday the 13th, because we may get lucky.

Gary Sanchez

Cito Culver

Jake Cave

Tyler Wade

Taylor Dugas

Michael O'Neill

Jaron Long

Dante Bichette Jr.

Mark Montgomery

Zach Nuding

These players have no shot at making the team and can benefit more from consistent at bats than riding the Yankees crowded bench. It's in their best interests honestly so let's see if it happens or not.

Yankees Still Yet to Finalize non-roster Invitations to Spring Training

Some teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers have already finalized and announced their non-roster invitees to spring training camp this year but the Yankees have not. Who the Yankees will invite is anyone’s guess but there seem to be more than a few obvious choices for New York.

Nick Noonan, Cole Figueroa, Robert Hernandez, and Slade Heathcott have all signed minor league deals with invites to spring training so we shouldn’t be surprised to see these three names. Joining them, besides the 40 men that currently occupy the 40 man roster, will likely be Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, Luis Severino, Robert Refsnyder and Taylor Dugas. We may see a Jake Cave, Cito Culver or Kyle Roller signing as well but that’s merely speculation on my part.

I expect New York to invite a ton of pitching this spring as many men battle it out for the last remaining bullpen slots and maybe a rotation spot if Chris Capuano is not up to snuff. It’s going to be an interesting spring with tons of competition, just the way Brian Cashman envisioned it and Joe Girardi wanted it. 

Ignoring the $$ Arruebarrena is Better Than Ryan

Jeff Levin and I had a lengthy discussion in the comments section of the site, which by the way I personally recommend you check out because some of the best minds across the web that don't write for a blog are in there in my very humble and bias opinion, about Erisbel Arruebarrena, Brendan Ryan and the last Yankees bench spot. I was on the side of the 24 year old Cuban defecting shortstop that still has four years and $20 million on his contract that the Dodgers gave him in 2014. On the other side Mr. Levin had a combination of Cito Culver and Ryan as suitable options. While I respect and thoroughly enjoy talking to Jeff, and this is in no way mean't to bash him, call him out etc., I think a lot of the information was missed by many since it was not in a formal blog post. I am basically going to go over the information from both sides here and leave you, the reader, to make your decision on who your pick would be.

Jeff mentioned the Yankees have Ryan and Culver who could hit for the low batting average and play a slick defense in the minor leagues that won't cost $4 million a season. Agree. My response was by playing Devil's advocate and asking who we would rather see on the field 81 times a year (if a platoon were to happen while using an even number for simplicity sake) or on the field if Didi Gregorius were to go down, Ryan, Culver or Arruebarrena.

Jeff replied with the fact that like Arruebarrena, Culver is just 24 years old and has upside and room to grow offensively although I quickly dismissed that Arruebarrena cleared as many minor league stops, four, in one season than Culver has since being signed out of High School. Culver's offensive upside has stalled if that term is even applicable with the amount of production that Culver has provided. Jeff replied by mentioning Ryan's minor league stats which immediately made me think of Arruebarrena's numbers in Cuba (which was a much larger sample size then his time in the USA's minor leagues since he was being rushed by LA). Many consider Cuba to be the USA's equivalent to Triple-A or AAAA so I thought it was fair to make the comparison, maybe it wasn't though.

Ryan hit .300 multiple seasons in the minors, sure, but never did above A Ball. Ryan's career minor league average in Double-A in parts of four seasons is .291 which is still good but falls off dramatically when he hit Triple-A. Again in parts of four seasons Ryan has managed just .252./303/.341 in Triple-A while it also worth mentioning that Ryan's career A and AA numbers are skewed however slightly by his rehab assignment with New York in 2014. Arruebarrena's numbers looked a little something like this in Cuba:

2010-2011 - .280/.314/.484

2011-2012 - .320/.367/.520

2012-2013 season cut in half due to WBC - 

first half: .275/.324/.366 

second half: .317/.415/.495

.375/.444/.375 in the latest WBC

With numbers like this I personally believe it's a lot easier to take Arruebarrena's upside and age on the Yankees bench while ignoring his 41 MLB at bat sample size and $4 million price tag then the "sure thing" in Ryan or the relative unknown in Culver. What say you?

Join us in the comments section and we can do a lot more posts and banter like this here on the blog. I thank Jeff for his opinion and for him sharing it here on a daily basis. I'm not saying I am right or he is wrong or vice versa with this post, we're all opinionated and none of us would know until the season played itself out. I just want the information out there because it was a fun and respectful debate and I hope it leads to more here on the blog with some new blood.

Yankees 2014 Rule 5 Draft Recap

No news is good news, right? I always believed that was a contradictory statement as if there isn’t anything then there can’t be anything, right? So no news is no news. I’ve always wanted to start a petition to say “no news is good” instead of no news is good news, kind of like how people “could” care less instead of couldn’t care less, but I never got around to it. Maybe next year.

ANYWAY, the New York Yankees left Kyle Roller, Mark Montgomery and others unprotected and none of them were claimed. They will all spend at least the 2015 season with the New York Yankees as of right now. New York had three open spots on their 40 man roster and did not pick anyone either. So no news is good I guess, carry on. 

40 Man Roster Deadline For Rule 5 Players Comes Today

The deadline for the team to finalize their 40 man rosters as far as the Rule 5 Draft is concerned happens today and the Yankees have some decisions to make. Currently the Yankees 40 man roster sits at 36 players but that could easily be extended with a non-tender or DFA of Eury Perez, Zelous Wheeler, David Huff, or Esmil Rogers. The players New York has to protect this winter include Matt Tracy, Mark Montgomery, Cito Culver, Angelo Gumbs, Mason Williams, Kyle Roller, Danny Burawa, Tyler Austin, Branden Pinder, and Zach Nuding.

Personally I can see New York protecting Montgomery in hopes that he returns to his 2012 and 2013 form in the bullpen. Same can be said for Austin and Culver as I cannot imagine a scenario where these two are not protected. I truly believe New York will leave Tracy, Gumbs, Williams, Roller, Burawa, Pinder, and Nuding unprotected heading into the draft.

Tracy is far from major league ready and has struggled at Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton Wilkes Barre. The same can be said for Pinder and Nuding although Buraw is definitely on the line of needing to be protected or not. I think Burawa could be hidden in a bullpen much like Tommy Kahnle was last season in Colorado after being left unprotected. With the injuries and the depth ahead of them I cannot see Gumbs or Williams being protected and I also cannot see them being taken either.

Roller is an interesting aspect because he is old as far as prospects go but the guy has flat out hit as a career minor leaguer. There aren't many true first base backup players in the majors anymore as teams look for more versatility and flexibility in their roster construction but Roller could add a big power threat to a team like Miami's bench in 2015. I think he ultimately gets left unprotected and selected this December.

What say you?

ICYMI: Yankees Add Seven To MLB Spring Camp

In case you missed it yesterday the New York Yankees added seven minor league players to major league camp as insurance in case they are needed. The list includes first basemen Kyle Roller, shortstop Cito Culver, third basemen Zach Wilson, RHP Joel De La Cruz, RHP Charley Short, RHP Graham Stoneburner, and shortstop Dan Fiorito. These men were called up just to fill in for all the split squad games the Yankees are playing lately but it was still cool to see Culver in Panama last night, even if the Yankees got no hit.

Prospects Month: Top 28 Yankees Prospects List #22

Continuing our look at The Greedy Pinstripes Top 28 prospects list as a part of Prospects Month we name our #22 prospect, Cito Culver!

Here is the complete up to date list. Check back every day as the list fills out and we continue our look at the prospects in the New York Yankees system during Prospects Month here on TGP.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22. Cito Culver
23. Ramon Flores
24. Mark Montgomery
25. Rookie Davis
26. Jake Cave
27. Ben Gamel
28. Angelo Gumbs

RiverDogs to Conclude 2013 Season with a Bang

RiverDogs to Conclude 2013 Season with a Bang

Final home stand features four games, two fireworks shows, Mascot Mania and Kids Club Sunday

CHARLESTON, SC - The Charleston RiverDogs return home to Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on Friday to begin their final home stand of the 2013 season. Charleston welcomes in the Rome Braves to Riley Park for four games to conclude what has been a memorable year of baseball at The Joe.

Saturday, August 31, 6:05 pm: Roller Derby Night / Baseball Bingo via Smartphone / Craft Beer Saturday / Blood Alliance Blood Drive: It's Roller Derby Night at The Joe! There will be roller derby-themed promotions throughout the night and the Lowcountry Highrollers team will be at the game. The RiverDogs will offer Baseball Bingo with a new twist to the classic game as it will be available to be downloaded as an app to your smartphone so you can follow the action and go for the win simultaneously via your mobile device. Fans can also enjoy craft beer specials that will be on tap including Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, Third Shift Amber Lager and more. The Blood Alliance team will be on-site from 4:30-7:30 pm and everyone who registers to donate will receive a FREE 4-pack of RiverDogs tickets. Plus, kids get the chance to have fun and run the bases after every Saturday home.

Friday, August 30, 7:05 pm: General Dynamic Land Systems-Force Protection Red Shirt Friday / Silent Auction for Uniforms / Piggly Wiggly Postgame Fireworks / Miller/Coors Aluminum Pint Nite: It will be the final Red Shirt Friday of the year as fans who wear red to the box office can save $1 off their ticket OR donate that dollar to local charity Canines for Veterans. "Titus the Wonder Dog" will be on hand to show off his batboy skills and multiple tricks during the game. As part of the final Red Shirt Friday there will be a silent auction during the game to win the unique red, white and blue digi-camo jerseys off the backs of the RiverDogs players. Fans of Dante Bichette, Jr., Greg Bird and Cito Culver can bid online at www.RiverDogs.com until Saturday. After the contest, we will again light up the sky over the scenic Ashley River with another Piggly Wiggly Postgame Fireworks show. It's also a Miller/Coors Aluminum Pint Nite as fans can enjoy $2 specials on aluminum pints.

Sunday, September 1, 5:05 pm: Kids Club Sunday / Mascot Mania / Irish Heritage Night: It is another Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission and Crews Subaru Kids Club Sunday. Every Sunday game features FREE PARKING, members of the Kid's Club get FREE entry to the game and kids eat for FREE (kids 12-under will receive a coupon for a hot dog, Pepsi and chips). Hang out with Charlie, Chelsea and the whole crew as tons of their mascot friends from all over the Lowcountry and beyond take over the park. It is also Irish Heritage Night where we salute all our friends with ties to the Emerald Isle.

Monday, September 2, 6:05 pm: Free Parking / Season Finale Fireworks / Last Supper with Dollar Hot Dogs and Dollar Beers: Don't miss our last game of the 2013 season! We provide FREE parking for our final game and will conclude the night and season on a high and colorful night with one final fantastic fireworks show. Come for the Last Supper that features $1 hot dogs and $1 draft beers of always-smooth Keystone Light.

For tickets or information, please contact the Riley Park Box Office at (843) 577-DOGS (3647) or online at www.riverdogs.com.

Being posted with permission from the Charleston Riverdogs organization. The original article can be seen HERE. 

Cito Culver & Ben Paullus Promoted to Tampa Yankees

Cito Culver & Ben Paullus Promoted to Tampa

Bichette, Jr. also activated from DL 

CHARLESTON, SC – The New York Yankees have announced that shortstop Cito Culver and All-Star closer Ben Paullus have been promoted to High-A Tampa.  Both were in their second season with the Charleston RiverDogs.

In a corresponding roster move, third baseman Dante Bichette, Jr. was activated from the disabled list.

Culver, who hails from Rochester, NY, was batting .232 with eight home runs and 29 RBI in his 104 games as a RiverDog this season.  Last year with Charleston, he led all South Atlantic League shortstops with 194 putouts and was part of a league-leading 80 double-plays.  He was selected by the Yankees in the first round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft (32^nd overall pick) out of Irondequoit High School in Rochester, N.Y.

Paullus, a right-hander who earned SAL All-Star honors as a reliever, recorded nine saves and had a 6-3 record and 2.54 ERA in his 32 appearances. Surrendering only a pair of homers, Paullus walked 26 while striking out 60.  A native of Olive Branch, Miss., he was selected by the Yankees in the 19th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Memphis.

--RIVERDOGS--

Being posted with permission from the Charleston Riverdogs organization. 

Cito Culver Makes An Amazing Defensive Play

Cito Culver, ugly uniform and all, makes an amazing defensive play that ended up being #2 on Sportscenter's Top Plays over the weekend. Watch the entire video here as we get ready for tonight's game against the Angels.

Yankees MLB Draft 1st Round Picks Since 2000

The MLB First Year Players Draft starts on June 6th on MLB Network with the New York Yankees owning three first round picks in the draft. I wanted to take a look at these picks since the year 2000 and see if it tells us anything on whether we should be optimistic about the picks or should we still be cautious in the biggest crap shoot of a draft in all of sports.

2000

David Parrish - C

2001

John Ford  Griffin - RF

Bronson  Sardinha - SS

Jon Skaggs - RHP

2002

- No 1st Round Pick-

2003

Eric Duncan - 3B

2004

Phil Hughes - RHP

Jeff Marquez - RHP

Jonathan Poterson - C

2005

CJ Henry - SS

2006

Joba Chamberlain - RHP

Ian Kennedy - RHP

2007

Andrew Brackman - RHP

2008

Gerrit Cole - RHP

Jeremy Bleich - LHP

2009

Slade Heathcott - CF

2010

Cito Culver - SS

2011

Dante Bichette Jr. - SS

2012

Ty Hensley - RHP

Let's get the obvious out of the way by saying that the 2009-2012 drafts are obviously still works in progress as every one of the players drafted is still in the lower to mid levels of the Yankees system. Slade Heathcott is in AA with the Trenton Thunder, Cito Culver is in Low A with the Charleston Riverdogs with fellow first rounder Dante Bichette Jr. Ty Hensley is set to miss the entire 2012 season but was playing in Gulf Coast League with the Yankees team there.

Gerrit Cole did not sign in 2008 with the Yankees so we cannot really grade him here but Jeremy Bleich was a complete bust. Jeremy spent six seasons in the Yankees system including missing all of the 2011 season and never made it above AA before flaming out. Andrew Brackman was always considered to be a project with his big tall right handed frame but the project never seemed to be completed as he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds where he was later released. Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy may be the most attractive parts of this series as Joba has turned into a huge part of the Yankees bullpen and Ian Kennedy, although he did it in Arizona after being traded, is a former 20 game winner. CJ Henry was one of those cant miss prospects that was traded in the Bobby Abreu trade that later got released by the Phillies, resigned with the Yankees, only to bust and flame out again for the Yanks. We all know Phil Hughes contributions as a Yankees pitcher, mainly in the middle or back end of the rotation, so I wont spend much time here but let's just say he has been the best starting pitcher we have developed in many years and that may be sad if you think about it. Jeff Marquez bounced around a lot after being released from the Yankees before getting to the majors with the Chicago Whitesox before flaming out again. The rest of the first rounders were complete busts being highlighted by Eric Duncan who was thought to be the next big thing at the hot corner for the Yankees only to fizzle out early.

The MLB draft is, again, the biggest crap shoot in all of sports when it comes to the draft and I think this list only exposes that fact more. The Yankees have had more luck in the later rounds than they have the early rounds in recent memory surprisingly. The Yankees may have three first round picks this season but unless they spend them on very polished four year college pitchers or hitters they expect to fly through the system I would not bank on selling these guys rookie cards as a retirement plan just yet. 

Yankees Announce Latest Roster Cuts

The Yankees have announced their latest round of roster cuts this spring and it includes Gary Sanchez, Tyler Austin, David Adams, Cito Culver, Rob Segedin, Francisco Arcia, and Kyle Higashioka. None of these men had a legit shot at making the team so with all the competition going on I can understand them all going down. I just hate to see the future like Austin and Sanchez go down.