Telling It To The Judge...

Credit:  Sean M Haffey-Getty Images

Yankees 5, Angels 3…

One of the greatest highlights of this game were the chants of “MVP!” for Aaron Judge from the Anaheim crowd.  It was incredible to get that type of response from the park that Mike Trout calls home.  Judge is certainly deserving of the accolades but it is not something that you’d expect on enemy turf.    

When Kole Calhoun, the second batter in the bottom of the first inning, homered with no one on, I had fears that Masahiro Tanaka was going to get rocked once again.  But fortunately, the old Tanaka re-emerged and kept the Angels off the board until the 7th inning.  

Credit:  Randy Miller-NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The Yankees built up a 3-1 lead through the top of the 7th.  Following a couple of two-out walks of Matt Holliday and Starlin Castro in the third inning, Didi Gregorius singled to left, scoring Holliday and tying the game at 1.  The Yankees took the lead in the 5th, thanks again to another two-out hit from Gregorius.  After Aaron Judge walked and Starlin Castro singled, Gregorius singled to center which scored Judge.  In the 7th, Judge singled and moved to second on a groundout by Matt Holliday.  Castro followed with a ground out to the pitcher, bringing Gregorius up again with two outs.  The Los Angeles Angels took no chances and intentionally walked Didi to put the bat in the hands of Chase Headley (ugh!).  Despite my lack of excitement about Headley, he delivered with a single, scoring Judge.  The Yankees subsequently loaded the bases, but Austin Romine hit a grounder for the final out of the inning.  

Tanaka pitched well enough to win but it was not to be.  In the bottom of the 7th, after Andrelton Simmons had flied out, Eric Young, Jr reached base as a result of a fielding error by Chase Headley (his 11th of the season, one more than he had last year in 140 games at third).  The next batter, Martin Maldonado, struck out but Young advanced to second on a steal.  Former Washington National Danny Espinosa lined a single to right, scoring Young.  Aaron Judge mistakenly threw the ball home on an overthrow which allowed Espinosa to take second.  Manager Joe Girardi pulled Tanaka (hand clap for #19) and brought in Tyler Clippard.  Clippard promptly gave up a double to Cameron Maybin, scoring Espinosa for a run charged to Tanaka and the game was tied at 3.  He struck out Kole Calhoun for the final out, and the game moved to the 8th inning.

After Brett Gardner flied out, Aaron Hicks doubled to left.  The Angels made a pitching change to bring in their interim closer, Bud Norris.  On a 2-0 count, Judge showed the Anaheim crowd the magic that we’ve been experiencing in the Bronx with a home run to right center, giving the Yankees a 5-3 lead and the eventual margin of victory. 

Credit:  Randy Miller-NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

With two outs and a runner at first thanks to a walk in the bottom of the 8th, Girardi took no chances and brought in Dellin Betances to get the final out of the inning.  It was a much cleaner than the last time Betances entered an inning with two outs (when he loaded the bases and threw 17 pitches to record the necessary out).  This time, it was three pitches and a fly out.

In the 9th, Betances was on his game as he struck out the side.  Yankees win, 5-3.

This was a great game for the California Central Valley native Judge.  He finished 2-for-4 with a walk, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI’s, while increasing his batting average to .347, in front of family, friends and James Kaprielian.  Yankees fans are everywhere and they certainly made themselves known on this night with the "MVP!" chants.

Gregorius was 4-for-4 with the 2 RBI’s.  

It may be a down year for the Angels, but they’ve always played well against the Yankees so this was a satisfying victory.  It would have been nice for Tanaka to pick up the win, but still, it had to be a confidence-booster for him.  His final line was 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER,  2 BB, 8 SO.  I hope to see more of this and less of the Tanaka starts we saw over the past month.  Clippard, responsible for costing Tanaka the victory, took the win, thanks to Judge’s timely homer.  

The Yankees (38-23) maintained their four-game lead over the Boston Red Sox.  The Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5, in extra innings.  The Tampa Bay Rays (who had the night off) remained in third, but dropped to 6 1/2 games back.  The Baltimore Orioles lost again (10-7 to the Chicago White Sox), sliding to 7 1/2 games behind the leaders.  The O’s are now just a half game from falling into the AL East Cellar.  

Odds & Ends…

I hate to say that I am disappointed with the MLB Draft because Yankees scouts know a heck of lot more than I do, but I was not enthused with the first round selection (16th pick) of right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt.  Schmidt had Tommy John surgery earlier this Spring and will be unavailable to pitch until sometime in late 2018.  I couldn’t help but get flashbacks to the pick of Andrew Brackman a number of years ago.  Taking a chance on an injured but high ceiling pitcher who never rose to the level of his potential and is subsequently out of baseball.  I hope this is not the same situation with Schmidt.  I thought first baseman Evan White or lefty pitcher D.L. Hall (the choice of TGP's Daniel Burch) would have been great picks at that spot, or even lefty David Peterson (who was later picked by the Mets).   

Damon Oppenheimer,  Yankees VP of Domestic Amateur Scouting, had these words for Schmidt (who is from the University of South Carolina like Jordan Montgomery):  “Schmidt’s got four pitches that at times are all plus.  He has command, he has makeup.  We really like his delivery.  He’s got a chance to be a top end of the rotation type of guy who combines pitchability with power stuff.  And you always like it when they’re the Friday night guy, pitching and having success in that conference.”  A few of the pitchers taken in the first round sound better suited for relief work so I suppose if you have a chance for a top of the rotation guy, you take it.  I hope this one works out.

In the second round (with the 54th pick), the Yankees chose a high school pitcher (Matt Sauer).  I like this pick, perhaps more so than Schmidt.  Sauer is right-handed and just 18 years old, he is already 6’4”.  He a product of an appropriately named Righetti High School (CA) even if the school is named for a guy named Ernest Righetti and not former Yankees closer Dave “Rags” Righetti.  Oppenheimer offered these words about Sauer:  “Sauer is a projectable high school right-hander who is athletic, with a ‘now’ fastball and a plus slider.  He really has a good way about his aggressiveness and makeup on the mound.  We see a chance there for a starter with power stuff.”

Credit:  The Tribune (San Luis Obispo)

Welcome to the Yankees Family, Clarke and Matt!

Have a great Tuesday!  It should be a fun day as the Yankees try to keep this winning streak alive and MLB Draft continues with rounds 3 through 10.  

Most Popular Article of the Week: Meet a Prospect: Blake Rutherford

With the 18th pick in the 2016 MLB Draft the New York Yankees selected Blake Rutherford, an outfielder from Chaminade College Preparatory School in Chatsworth, California. Boy Damon Oppenheimer loves his Southern California players doesn’t he? The Yankees may have gotten one of the best bats in the draft with this pick and one of the very best prospects in the entire draft class so it’s all the more important to get Rutherford to sign. Let’s meet him. This is Meet a Prospect: The Blake Rutherford Edition.


Rutherford is a left-handed hitting power hitting outfield who can do just about anything in the field and at the plate. Rutherford is projected to have above-average contact and above-average power when he reaches his full potential and his speed will allow him to wreak havoc on the basepaths while keeping him in center field as a professional. Rutherford may outgrow the center field position and some question whether he may be a right fielder when he reaches the Major Leagues but with his bat you let him play any outfield position he wants, his offense is potentially a game-changer.


Rutherford, a potential game-changer at just 19-years old. Rutherford is committed to UCLA and will likely have to sign an over-slot deal to forego that commitment and begin his professional career. The slot recommendation for Rutherford is $2.44 million but the Yankees have a knack for signing cheaper college seniors in rounds two through ten, see Nick Solak as an example of this, to save cap money. Expect to see that happen this season as well as it may take $3 million or more to lure Rutherford away from SoCal.


Rutherford was considered by many to be the best pure hitter in the 2016 Draft and some even thought he would go first overall before the Philadelphia Phillies took Mickey Moniak. Keith Law had Rutherford listed as his 6th best prospect overall while MLB.com had him 8th and Baseball America had him 9th. Welcome to the organization, unofficially, and welcome to the family Blake! I know a ton of people that are excited to potentially have you.

Meet a Prospect: Nolan Martinez

The 2016 MLB Draft is in the books after the New York Yankees selected 40 potential prospects to add to the farm system. We've already met the first two in Blake Rutherford and Nick Solak so this morning we meet the Yankees 3rd round pick, a High School right-handed pitcher named Nolan Martinez.

Martinez was drafted in the third round by the Yankees out of Culver City High School in California, yeah another California pick for Damon Oppenheimer and the Yanks. Martinez was drafted as a pitcher but in High School he could hold his own with the bat as well standings at 6'3" and 165 lbs. Martinez brings a fastball that sits between 87-93 MPH but it can tough 95 MPH with plenty of room to grow into his frame and into his body adding movement and velocity. Martinez also throws a power slider, seemingly the Yankees favorite pitch for a player to throw in their system, that can hit around 78 MPH and that he can command for strikes. Martinez also owns a changeup but it is considered to be raw at this point which is not uncommon for High School pitching. Especially pitching that fell to the third round.

On the scout's scale of 20-80 Martinez has a 55 ranked fastball while his curveball and control are both ranked at 50. His changeup was graded at a 45 and his overall game and repertoire was also ranked as a 45 which made him the 10th best pitcher in the state of California. Again you must remember the Yankees have drafted a High School pitcher and not a college pitcher that is polished and MLB ready. Martinez is a project and he has projectability, that's why New York drafted him in the third round.

So Martinez comes with two above-average pitches and a repeatable delivery that should lead to some durability in the big show. Baseball America ranked Martinez 67th on their rankings while MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus had him 99th and 108th overall respectively. Either way Martinez was said to be excited about joining the organization and that's the type of players we need here. Players that want to be here. Congratulations Nolan and, unofficially of course, welcome to the family!

Meet a Prospect: Blake Rutherford

With the 18^th pick in the 2016 MLB Draft the New York Yankees selected Blake Rutherford, an outfielder from Chaminade College Preparatory School in Chatsworth, California. Boy Damon Oppenheimer loves his Southern California players doesn’t he? The Yankees may have gotten one of the best bats in the draft with this pick and one of the very best prospects in the entire draft class so it’s all the more important to get Rutherford to sign. Let’s meet him. This is Meet a Prospect: The Blake Rutherford Edition.

Rutherford is a left-handed hitting power hitting outfield who can do just about anything in the field and at the plate. Rutherford is projected to have above-average contact and above-average power when he reaches his full potential and his speed will allow him to wreak havoc on the basepaths while keeping him in center field as a professional. Rutherford may outgrow the center field position and some question whether he may be a right fielder when he reaches the Major Leagues but with his bat you let him play any outfield position he wants, his offense is potentially a game-changer.

Rutherford, a potential game-changer at just 19-years old. Rutherford is committed to UCLA and will likely have to sign an over-slot deal to forego that commitment and begin his professional career. The slot recommendation for Rutherford is $2.44 million but the Yankees have a knack for signing cheaper college seniors in rounds two through ten, see Nick Solak as an example of this, to save cap money. Expect to see that happen this season as well as it may take $3 million or more to lure Rutherford away from SoCal.

Rutherford was considered by many to be the best pure hitter in the 2016 Draft and some even thought he would go first overall before the Philadelphia Phillies took Mickey Moniak. Keith Law had Rutherford listed as his 6^th best prospect overall while MLB.com had him 8^th and Baseball America had him 9^th.  Welcome to the organization, unofficially, and welcome to the family Blake! I know a ton of people that are excited to potentially have you. 

Mark Newman, VP of Baseball Operations, To Retire

Mark Newman is the vice president of baseball operations with the New York Yankees and is believed to be retiring after this season. Newman has been with the Yankees for 26 seasons and has spent the last 15 seasons as the head of the team’s minor league development system. Whether this was a forced retirement or Newman’s decision remains to be seen as if you remember last offseason Hal Steinbrenner vowed to review all aspects of the Yankees minor league system after a disappointing 2013 season. With the Yankees likely headed towards their second straight season without a playoff berth, although the Yankees system produced many more MLB caliber players this season than last, the heat may have been on Newman and company.

With Newman retiring the Yankees system may be in for a bit of a shake up with Newman being the first domino to fall. It’s no secret that since the 2009 World Series Championship team, the team that had the highest percentage of homegrown talent on the active 25 man roster, the Yankees have struggled to produce much in the way of MLB talent out of their system. That 2009 stat is also a little skewed as that included much of Gene Michael’s work with the Core Four and Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte on the team. That team, and about every team since then, has relied heavily on the free agent market and international market and news rules in the Collective Bargaining Agreement have changed the game and affected the way the Yankees do business.

No longer can teams just spend heavily and expect to win as free agents in their prime are not hitting the free agent market anymore. A definite importance has been placed on the farm system and cost effective full time players and the Yankees are not producing many of those outside of the plethora of bullpen arms they have shot to the Bronx over the last few seasons. This and other factors may have led to Newman’s retirement, although his contract was set to expire at the end of the season anyway.

Former Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman is being considered for the job as well as Damon Oppenheimer, the team’s vice president and director of amateur scouting. One member of the organization that does not seem likely to succeed Newman is Pat Roessler, the director of player development, as his job is likely to be vacant soon as well. 

New York Yankees 2014 Draft Strategy

I think the New York Yankees draft strategy and strategy going forward to rebuild the farm system is pretty simple and it won't take them long. The Yankees drafted 39 players between the three days of the draft and 32 of them were from college, only seven from High School. The Yankees want their players polished and in need of as little seasoning and development as possible. The people in charge may finally be aware of the shortcomings of the personnel in the organization and the lack of developmental success over the last few seasons.

Of the 39 players the Yankees drafted 24 of them were pitchers, nine of them were infielders, four were outfielders, and two were catchers. The Yankees plan to spend heavily on the International market and may replace the lack of high upside players they didn't draft this season.

The Yankees will rely on the college talent to make impacts now while they wait on every 16 year old from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela to come up through the system later. It's not a bad plan and it may buy Damon Oppenheimer and crew a few more seasons with the club.

Damon Oppenheimer Will Not Be Replaced

Early in the offseason for the Yankees Hal Steinbrenner and company sat down to discuss a plethora of things, namely the Yankees farm systems and lack of impact talent to come out of it lately. Almost immediately the speculation on whose heads were ready to roll and Damon Oppenheimer was one of the initial names released but Oppenheimer seems to be coming back for 2014.

According to Mark Feinsand of the Daily News the 50 year old Oppenheimer will keep his job as the teams amateur scout director until his contract expires at the end of this season. If the Yankees had not had the third best draft this season according to Baseball America I believe this post could have been written in a totally different direction but the Yankees seem to be willing to let Oppenheimer have one more shot at it.

Yankees Making Changes To Scouting & Development

According to Nick Cafardo's twitter account and his column on the Boston Globe the New York Yankees are set to make significant changes to their player scouting and development parts of the organization. This news breaks on the heels of many people inside the organization, Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner specifically, saying that a change was needed within the departments.

The Yankees Vice President of Baseball Operations Mark Newman and scouting director Damon Oppenheimer are reportedly going to be the first to go if there are any personnel changes so with this news dropping expect those two to get the ax. Honestly I cannot agree with making those moves as it is hard to develop a farm system picking at the end of the draft every season and when you do get someone who can make a significant impact, Jesus Montero for example, he is traded away. The Yankees have had a bad run of luck in the draft system as well which should not go unnoticed but if anyone should be under the microscope it should be Brian Cashman and not Newman or Oppenheimer. Just my two cents.