Article Revisit: My Second Trip to AT&T Field to Watch the Chattanooga Lookouts

So you all may or may not remember, or you may be new to the blog so if so… welcome, but last year my son Evan won an annual award from his school for being the Most Improved Student. What you get for this besides the obvious learning ramifications is a free ticket and food at the Chattanooga Lookouts AT&T Field. Well Evan won again this year so we made our second trip to Chattanooga on Wednesday night to watch the Lookouts take on the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.


Last year Evan’s little brother, Hayden, was a little too young to attend the game but this time around he made the trip with us for his first baseball game. Boy did Hayden have a good time. The chants, the mascots, the game and of course the hot dogs and ice cream he was a huge fan of. Plus at Minor League games the kids can be kids and aren’t confined to a small, cramped seat surrounded by thousands of people. It was nice and the boys had a great time. Evan almost caught a foul ball too but he missed it by about 10 feet, maybe next time kid!


It really is a great time. They have lots of things to keep you entertained in-between innings and such and the atmosphere is just nice. I love it there. I loved seeing old Yankees in new places like Angelo Gumbs, Matt Tracy, Nik Turley, Eric Jagielo and others along with new faces that I had never seen before. Nick Gordon was the starting second baseman for the Lookouts and Paul Clemens started the game which was cool to see live.





It was just a really enjoyable experience and I fully recommend it for anyone who is in the neighborhood. Next time though it’s going to be with you. Hey you. I love you.

So it Seems the Yankees Could Have Had Clay Bellinger

Could you imagine a lineup that had some combination of the Los Angeles Dodgers star Cody Bellinger and the Yankees stars Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge hitting in the middle of it? Talk about that being the dream. Well according to a new report that was released this week that could have been a reality for the Yankees as the organization had a chance to draft Bellinger, son of former Yankee Clay Bellinger, during the 2013 MLB First Year Players Draft.

Before the 2013 MLB Draft the Yankees had Bellinger inside Yankee Stadium after inviting him to a pre-draft workout for some of the top amateur players. During the workout they had a game for the players and Bellinger hit a three-run home run to right field, the first home run Bellinger would ever hit inside of a big league park. The Yankees instead took LHP Ian Clarkin and Aaron Judge with their pair of first round picks in that draft passing on Bellinger. Instead the Dodgers took Bellinger in the fourth round with the 124^th overall pick with what might soon be the steal of the draft.

All told the Yankees drafted Clarkin, Judge, Eric Jagielo who is still in Double-A within the Cincinnati Reds organization at last check, center fielder Michael O’Neill and second baseman Gosuke Katoh. Yeah, looking at that list hurts when you see what Bellinger has done thus far for the Dodgers in 2017.

In the Yankees defense every team passed over Bellinger at least three times, sometimes four times, during that draft and for good reason. Bellinger had just one home run during his senior season and didn’t show the pop that he has at the big league level. As a first baseman with little-to-no power you can see why teams would be weary of using an early draft pick on him. The Dodgers took the chance and the Dodgers caught lightning in a bottle. Say what you will about the Dodgers scouts and system being better than the Yankees, and it very well may be but not because they drafted Bellinger, but any team that drafted Bellinger did not expect him to be lighting the world on fire and being among the league leaders in home runs before the All-Star Break. Nobody.

One last thing before we go. Kris Bryant was also drafted in that draft class, ahead of Bellinger obviously, leading me to wonder if that draft class may go down as one of the best in recent memory when all the dust settles and when this trio stops hitting home runs. Food for thought on this Thursday. 

My Second Trip to AT&T Field to Watch the Chattanooga Lookouts

So you all may or may not remember, or you may be new to the blog so if so… welcome, but last year my son Evan won an annual award from his school for being the Most Improved Student. What you get for this besides the obvious learning ramifications is a free ticket and food at the Chattanooga Lookouts AT&T Field. Well Evan won again this year so we made our second trip to Chattanooga on Wednesday night to watch the Lookouts take on the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

Last year Evan’s little brother, Hayden, was a little too young to attend the game but this time around he made the trip with us for his first baseball game. Boy did Hayden have a good time. The chants, the mascots, the game and of course the hot dogs and ice cream he was a huge fan of. Plus at Minor League games the kids can be kids and aren’t confined to a small, cramped seat surrounded by thousands of people. It was nice and the boys had a great time. Evan almost caught a foul ball too but he missed it by about 10 feet, maybe next time kid!

It really is a great time. They have lots of things to keep you entertained in-between innings and such and the atmosphere is just nice. I love it there. I loved seeing old Yankees in new places like Angelo Gumbs, Matt Tracy, Nik Turley, Eric Jagielo and others along with new faces that I had never seen before. Nick Gordon was the starting second baseman for the Lookouts and Paul Clemens started the game which was cool to see live.

It was just a really enjoyable experience and I fully recommend it for anyone who is in the neighborhood. Next time though it’s going to be with you. Hey you. I love you. 

Meet a Prospect: Gleyber Torres

The New York Yankees have essentially turned little into something and then something into a whole lot in less than a calendar year and it all revolves around left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman. The Yankees sent a little, most notably Rookie Davis and Eric Jagielo, into Aroldis Chapman this winter only to turn him around before the August 1^st trading deadline for the Chicago Cubs top prospect Gleyber Torres, Adam Warren and two others. The other three will have their day on the blog but Torres is the centerpiece of the deal so let’s meet him Yankees family. This is Meet a Prospect: The Gleyber Torres Edition.

Torres is a 19-year old shortstop prospect that was ranked at the top of the Cubs farm system at the time of the trade. You would have to think that Torres will also rank at the top of the Yankees farm system as well but I am compiling my list now and will likely bring that post-Chapman trade prospects list to you tomorrow. Until then Keith Law had Torres ranked 26^th overall on his most recent prospects list while Baseball America had him ranked 41^st overall before the season.

Torres has a quick right-handed swing and uses great pitch recognition, patience and maturity to spray the ball all over the field. Torres is still growing into his body and still working on pulling the ball but when he does he could hit 15-20 home runs inside Yankee Stadium. Torres, even with this growth, should still be able to stick at shortstop but could always move to third base due to his strong arm and average speed.

Torres will head to A-Ball with Jorge Mateo and look to improve on his .275 batting average, 19 stolen bases and nine home runs he has put up thus far this season. Torres joins a talented group of shortstops in the Yankees system but he just may tower over them all at this point in their careers. This is an exciting grab from Brian Cashman. I’m very excited to welcome Gleyber Torres to not only the organization but to the Yankees family as well.

More to come as we learn more about our new top prospect. Enjoy. 

The Last 20 Yankees First Round Draft Picks

With the MLB Draft tonight, which can be seen on MLB Network, I figured now would be a good time to look at the Yankees recent draft successes and failures, especially in the first round. Now for the sake of simplicity and time I had to go with the Yankees first overall pick in a few of these because the Yankees surrendered their first round pick so keep that in mind while reading. Despite me being a human I am well aware that Jacob Lindgren was a second round pick. Thank you for reading and let me know who you think will be selected 18^th overall by the New York Yankees.

2015 – James Kaprielian, Kyle Holder

2014 – Jacob Lindgren (2^nd round pick, no first round pick)

2013 – Ian Clarkin, Eric Jagielo, Aaron Judge

2012 – Ty Hensley

2011 – Dante Bichette Jr.

2010 – Cito Culver

2009 – Slade Heathcott

2008 – Gerrit Cole, Jeremy Bleich

2007 – Andrew Brackman

2006 – Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain

2005 – CJ Henry

2004 – Phil Hughes, Jonathan Poterson, Jeffrey Marquez

2003 – Eric Duncan

2002 – Brandon Weeden (2^nd round pick, no 1^st round pick)

2001 – John-Ford Griffin, Bronson Sardinha, Jon Skaggs

2000 – David Parrish

1999 – David Walling

1998 – Andy Brown, Mark Prior

1997 – Tyrell Goodwin, Ryan Bradley

1996 – Eric Milton

The Case For and Against Trading Aroldis Chapman

If the New York Yankees are going to trade Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran and Nathan Eovaldi (hypothetically since those are the players we have covered thus far in this series) then you almost have to trade Aroldis Chapman as well, right? The Yankees basically stole Chapman away from the Cincinnati Reds with a lesser prospect package this winter because of his ties to a domestic violence case and have rode out his 30 game suspension. With that now behind him and the club and after enough of a sample size that shows Chapman is healthy, back and can handle closing out games in the Bronx the Yankees could lose Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo, Tony Renda, Caleb Cotham and others and turn them indirectly into a whole lot more. That’s only if it makes sense to trade him this summer.

 

The case for trading Aroldis Chapman:

His contract expires after the season and the Yankees aren’t going anywhere in 2016. 

He would likely fetch much more in a July trade than the Yankees gave up to acquire him this winter. 

I’ve said it four times now but it’s true, the Yankees would finally admit to rebuilding. 

Brian Cashman could buy a couple brownie points back by buying low and selling high. 

The case against trading Aroldis Chapman:

If the Yankees compete for a Wild Card or make a historic second half run the bullpen would be thin and weaker without Chapman. 

The Yankees can’t offer him a qualifying offer after the season and get a draft pick as compensation. 

This may affect a potential and completely hypothetical chance for him in free agency before 2017. 

I can’t think of all that many reasons not to trade the Cuban Missile this summer as long as the Yankees are out of it. His contract is expiring, he’s making a ton of money for a relief pitcher and he would presumably fetch much more than the Yankees gave up for him this winter. If the Yankees continue to fall I can absolutely, 100%, see Chapman packing his bags and wearing his third ever uniform in his short MLB career. 

Nolan Arenado Is One Guy You Sell the Farm For!

If the New York Yankees need a third baseman and the Colorado Rockies start shopping theirs, Nolan Arenado, he may be one of the exceptions that you sell the farm for. No flashy introduction to this post and no creative little tie in here, straight to the meat and potatoes. Arenado is a leader and a hell of a ball player and he is one guy I am giving up Jorge Mateo and/or Aaron Judge for. He’s that special.

The New York Yankees have very little in the way of third base depth right now down on the farm with Chase Headley leading the way in the major leagues and Robert Refsnyder looking like his Opening Day backup. The trades of Rob Segedin and Eric Jagielo have left the Yankees a little thin at the position but that can all be made right again if Arenado becomes available in the near future. And no, I’m not saying he is available and there’s no possible way for me to know if he will ever become available, I’m just preparing for the day if he is.

Look, Colorado is a small market team that doesn’t look like it’s going to compete before Arenado gets expensive. The team has shown a willingness to spend before, see the Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki contracts of recent years, but the team may also be a little gun shy since neither of them truly worked out for the organization all that well.

Arenado, Coors Field or not, is an absolute beast. He hit 42 home runs last season in a league that is zapped of its power and has hit over .600 for much of this spring. While spring training stats are meaningless in the grand scheme of things a .600 batting average and 1.662 OPS in any sample size is impressive. What’s most important maybe is the fact that this spring Arenado has struck out just twice all spring at the time of this writing, twice in almost 40 at bats.

Arenado has played in less than three seasons and already has three Gold Glove Awards on his mantle and has led every third baseman in almost every defensive category since breaking into the league. He does it on the offensive side of the ball, the defensive side of the ball, in the locker room by all accounts and interviews of his former teammates and coaches and he does it off the field as well. He does it in Coors Field, 20 home runs in 2015, and out of Coors Field, 22 home runs in 2015, and he is just good or spectacular at almost literally everything. It’s impressive and it’s worth emptying the farm for if that opportunity ever comes up. Those are just my two pennies on the situation though, what are yours? Leave them below in the comments. 

Familiar Faces in Different Places

The New York Yankees did not add a single major league free agent to their team this offseason and much of the reason why was the fact that New York did not have much coming off the books in terms of players and dollars. While the Yankees did add Aroldis Chapman and Starlin Castro is separate trades the team remained virtually the same from 2015 in many key areas. The Yankees lost three free agents this season in Chris Young, Stephen Drew and Chris Capuano while the team also lost Jose Pirela, Adam Warren, Brendan Ryan, Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo and others in the Castro and Chapman deals. We've seen the new faces don Yankees pinstripes on Yankees photo day and today we look at those familiar faces who are sporting uniforms in different places. As painful as it may be please try to enjoy.

Adam Warren - Cubs

Justin Wilson - Tigers

John Ryan Murphy - Twins

Jose Pirela - Padres

Brendan Ryan - Reds

Chris Young - Red Sox

Chris Capuano - Brewers

Chase Whitley - Rays

Rookie Davis - Reds

Stephen Drew - Nationals

Jake Cave - Reds

What If Chase Headley Cannot Remember How to Play Defense?

Continuing our “What If” series for the 2016 season we head out to Yankees camp to see what the team has in store and what the team has planned if Chase Headley cannot remember how to play defense in 2016.

It is not out of the realm of possibilities that Chase Headley can 100% forget how to play defense next season, we’ve seen it before in New York and there is no reason we won’t see it again in New York on a long enough time line. Headley was an elite defender at third base during his time in San Diego but when he came to New York he seemingly forgot how to make the routine plays and throws to first base. We’ve seen it before, remember Chuck Knoblauch in the late-90’s with the Yankees for a reference point, and the Yankees failed miserably at snapping Knoblauch out of his funk so what do they do if the same happens to Headley?

The Yankees plan to snap Knoblauch out of his defensive funk was to move him from second base to left field which proved to be an act in futility. The difference between Headley and Knoblauch though is that Headley has experience at other positions, the outfield, first base and even at shortstop as an amateur, where Knoblauch had none. Headley could conceivably be moved elsewhere but the only position you would truly want him at would be first base. If the Yankees have a healthy Mark Teixeira that’s not an option so what is Plan B?

Do you bench Headley thus opening the door for Starlin Castro at third and Robert Refsnyder at second? Ideally that’s not ideal but it’s a Plan B for a reason. Castro has about as much experience at third base in his professional career as I have a professional career in Major League Baseball, I don’t, so you would think having him take reps there in real game experiences would be somewhere down the priority list for the Yankees and Joe Girardi. You can’t play Refsnyder there either because he has less experience than Castro or you can’t call up a prospect unless it’s Tyler Austin, who hasn’t played third in quite some time, after trading away Rob Segedin and Eric Jagielo.

So what do the Yankees do if Headley can’t play defense, and keep in mind his bat isn’t going to carry him or justify his place in the lineup and on the field either, and they feel like they need to make a move? Are we ready for the Ronald Torreyes era at third base? The Donovan Solano era? Do we make a trade for Martin Prado, again, and hope for the best, again? I truly don’t know but I know one thing, I truly am worried. Hopefully Headley used the offseason to clear his head and get out of his own way because if he can’t play defense in 2016 then the entire team is in a world of hurt. 

Prospects Have Never Been More Important in MLB

Prospects have never been more important to Major League Baseball than they have been over the past few seasons. The prospects inside your farm system are either used for cheap talent to keep your team relevant and under the luxury tax threshold, they are used when one of your big stars goes down to injury or they are used via trade to bring in what you hope is the final piece to the puzzle. A slew of prospects were traded this winter already including the four that were sent from the New York Yankees in the Aroldis Chapman trade with the Cincinnat Reds and Baseball America looked at those prospects in a little bit of a different way. Baseball American actually ranked the prospects who were traded this winter in a sort of top prospects list and at least two of the former Yankees farm hands made the cut.

For the entire write up CLICK HERE to see the BA post but I will sample the Yankees related material below and the general list that is topped by Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson.

• Rookie Davis was ranked 14th while Eric Jagielo was ranked 17th coincidentally. I finally found someone else who thinks higher of Davis than Jagielo. Refreshing. 

• Luis Cessa was 23rd, he was one of the two prospects the Yankees received from the Detroit Tigers in the Justin Wilson trade.

• Caleb Cotham is the last prospect on the list ranked at #25.

ICYMI: Predicting the Spring Training Invitees

It's just about that time of the year Yankees family, the time where we're still digesting Christmas both emotionally and physically and where we're approaching a brand new year. Some are making New Years resolutions, others are buying out their local liquor stores while some are preparing for a quiet night at the house with friends and family. The Yankees are no exceptions but they do have one major task left to do presumably this week or next and that is to announce who they are inviting to Spring Training this March.

We know the entire 40 man roster will be invited to camp but who else? Honestly, I don't know but I am going to take an educate guess at it. If I missed anyone leave it below in the comments section.

Pete Kozma
Vinnie Pestano
Domingo German
Luis Cessa
Chad Green
Diego Moreno
Kyle Higashioka
Ronald Herrera
Francisco Diaz
Sebastian Valle
Jorge Mateo
James Kaprielian
Cesar Puello
Tyler Austin
Aaron Judge
Brady Lail

Most Popular Article of the Week: Analyzing The Aroldis Chapman Trade

Bryan Van Dusen Analyzes the Aroldis Chapman Trade HERE:

When I started writing this I wanted to talk about the reports of Aroldis Chapman choking his girlfriend and pushing her into a wall. Not to mention shooting his gun eight times in his garage afterwards. I wanted to say that what happened doesn't make Aroldis into a horrible person, who shall be shunned forever. Good people are capable of doing horrible things. But it's impossible to put my thoughts into words when I really don't know what to think about the whole thing.

So... yeah...


Major League Baseball is investigating the incident, and Rob Manfred will make a decision on a possible suspension, fine, or whatever. And I believe Brian Cashman didn't just say "meh, whatever" and trade for Chapman. The New York Yankees are one of the most well-known sports entities in the World, and to believe Cashman doesn't know that and is willing to harm their "good" name is ridiculous.


So I'm going to stop there when it comes to the off the field stuff. And when looking beyond the off the field stuff this trade is a total steal.


According to Baseball America's Top 10 Prospect list, none of the prospects traded to Cincinnati are in the Top 5. Rookie Davis is actually the #6 prospect in the organization, But Davis has only thrown 33.1 innings above A-ball, and I wouldn't say he "killed it" in his short time at AA Trenton (he went 2-1 in five starts, with an ERA of 4.32).


I wasn't happy to see Eric Jagielo included in the trade, but I'm certainly not heartbroken over his loss. Jagielo is a third baseman, who some think is destined for first base, and corner infielders aren't that difficult to replace. Plus there's the fact that Miguel Andujar, who is a better fielder and finished strong at high A Tampa last season, could be a future third baseman. Meanwhile, Greg Bird looks to be the Yankees' first baseman of the future.

"Yep. I'm the man."

Caleb Cotham is the third prospect that the Yankee sent to the Reds. Cotham threw 9.2 innings for the Yankees this season, giving up 7 runs and 14 hits (four of which were home runs). Caleb could have possibly been a part of the Yanks bullpen in the future, but I don't think it would be a significant part at all.


The last part of the trade was Tony Renda, who the Yankees acquired when they traded David Carpenter to the Washington Nationals. Mind you, Carpenter had been designated for assignment, so Renda wasn't looked at as much more than minor league filler. Renda hit .269/.330/.358 in AA last season, and I have yet to hear anybody saying anything along the lines of "he'll be missed".


Now, I don't have to tell you what Aroldis Chapman can do for the Yankees. I begged for the Yankees to re-sign David Robertson, so that they could deploy the three-headed monster out of the bullpen. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but almost a year later Brian Cashman came through for me. Chapman, Dellin Betances, and Andrew Miller will scare the bejesus out of any and all Yankees opponents next season. If the Yankees have a two run lead going into the 7th inning you may as well say "game over". Heck, even having a one run lead will be pretty darn good.


But will the Yankee starters be able to hand a lead over to the killer threesome?


Although Masahiro Tanaka was the only starter to average at least six innings per start, I'm confident that Michael Pineda will have a better season than last knowing that his shoulder can hold up over an entire season.


Luis Severino is looking at pitching only around 150 innings, so he won't be totally let loose next year. But for the most part the team can count on him to hand over a lead to the three-headed monster.


Nathan Eovaldi averaged 5.7 innings a start in 2015, so I can see the bullpen needing a couple more outs from the bullpen when he starts. Chapman threw more than an inning four times last season (twice in the last month), Miller threw more than one inning eight times, and of course we all know Betances is capable of giving the team more than an inning at a time.


And then there's CC Sabathia. Daniel recently posted about Sabathia, and reasons to be optimistic about him next season, so I'll just direct you over there. If that's too much for you, let's say that he could be a fine starter next season, and hand over plenty of leads to the three-headed monster next season.

"I think you're a little too trusting."

When speaking of Nathan Eovaldi I mentioned that Dellin Betances is well-known for throwing more than one inning, which led to him throwing a ton of innings the previous two years. Many people rightfully see that as a problem, especially after seeing Dellin's effectiveness go down towards the end of last season. With Aroldis on board, chances are Dellin will not be leaned on nearly as much to giving the team more than an inning at a time.


It would be nice if Cashman could acquire a better starter, but I have a feeling it won't happen. I hope to be proven wrong, and it wouldn't be the first time, but after talking about those five above I just don't see a strong enough need to pay the price that a young/good starter would cost.


In fact, I'm not holding my breath for anything else "big" to happen this offseason. There are a few teams out there that would probably love to have Brett Gardner, but it doesn't seem like Cashman really wants to deal away Brett, and I don't see any team offering enough for acquire him.


It would be a shame if this was the last "big" thing to happen, but as things stand right now I kind of like this team's chances of making a run next year.

So What Did the Yankees Give Up Exactly for Aroldis Chapman?

The New York Yankees gave up four prospects for at least one season of team control for Aroldis Chapman but what did they really give up? You all know the names. Rookie Davis, Tony Renda, Eric Jagielo and Caleb Cotham but many don’t watch the prospects as closely as the next guy and may not know what the Yankees truly gave up in the deal. I will try to educate you a bit the best I can on this deal so you can make your own determination of whether the Yankees and GM Brian Cashman did well in this deal or not.

Rookie Davis is a big guy and a hard thrower, he was also one of my personal favorites out of the Yankees farm system. Davis stands 6’5” and is 22-years old. That’s the good of it, the bad of it was that he’s barely pitched above A-Ball despite being in the Yankees system for what feels like forever. Davis is not a huge strikeout guy, 129 strikeouts in 130.2 innings in 2015 will show you that, but he was a control guy, which was evident by his 26 walks. Rookie, or William Davis, saw his K/9 ratio drop to 6.5 in his six appearances with the Trenton Thunder last season, his first stint in AA. While Davis is a loss in the depth department he wasn’t on many Top 10 Prospects lists and he is very replaceable inside the organization. The Yankees have a ton of right-handed starting pitching depth in the minor leagues and much of it is in Triple-A. Davis will be missed by fans but the organization will go on without him, that’s baseball unfortunately.

Eric Jagielo is probably the best piece given up by the Yankees in this deal but he is one I am not personally real high on. Jagielo is now 23-years old and was a former first-round pick by the Yankees in the 2013 Draft. Jagielo finally reached Double-A last season despite being showcased as a polished college bat. If this tells you anything the Reds came out and said Jagielo would likely be a bench and utility player for them. They think about as highly about him as I do it seems.

Caleb Cotham is a relief pitcher that appeared in 12 games for the Yankees last season. Cotham posted a 6.52 ERA in those 12 games and gave up a ton of home runs coming out of the pen. You all know the list of names that could potentially replace him in the bullpen this season, he’s expendable and the Yankees traded from a position of strength. Somehow they traded the player they seemingly liked the least, based on usage, and still got some value out of him. Good trade.

The final piece in the trade was second baseman Tony Renda. Renda was acquired from the Washington Nationals in the David Carpenter trade. New York essentially got something for nothing with the trade for Carpenter after the team designated him for assignment and then was able to flip him for Chapman. Renda was left unprotected from the Rule 5 Draft this season and was not taken at 24-years old. Renda has not yet reached Triple-A in his career.

So basically, in closing, the Yankees gave up very little in the grand scheme of things and got a huge closer back in return, Chapman. If Chapman is suspended for 45 days or more he will be under team control for the 2017 season as well leaving the Yankees with even more of a victory in my eyes. 

Quick Hit: Robert Refsnyder the Yankees Version of Ben Zobrist?

Apparently I’m not allowed to suggest that the New York Yankees trade a second base prospect that is blocked for at least the next four seasons. What about potentially moving his position again and turning him into a super utility player? Is that suggestion allowed?

I poke a little fun here but I was serious about potentially moving Refsnyder around to a few more positions to increase his versatility. Refsnyder was drafted as a right fielder and was moved to second base due to concerns with his arm strength. You have to wonder if Refsnyder could handle third base specifically, especially after the Yankees traded away their closest and possibly their best third base prospect in Eric Jagielo.

Refsnyder is young and athletic and I truly believe, with some practice, he could learn the hot corner, maybe some first base and get reunited with the corner outfield spots in the Bronx. Would he be Mr. Versatile like Ben Zobrist but he could become a useful part that could force his way onto the Yankees roster rather than hope that Brian Cashman doesn’t block him again.

I wonder if the Yankees have thought of this?

Predicting the Spring Training Invitees

It's just about that time of the year Yankees family, the time where we're still digesting Christmas both emotionally and physically and where we're approaching a brand new year. Some are making New Years resolutions, others are buying out their local liquor stores while some are preparing for a quiet night at the house with friends and family. The Yankees are no exceptions but they do have one major task left to do presumably this week or next and that is to announce who they are inviting to Spring Training this March.

We know the entire 40 man roster will be invited to camp but who else? Honestly, I don't know but I am going to take an educate guess at it. If I missed anyone leave it below in the comments section.

Pete Kozma
Vinnie Pestano
Domingo German
Luis Cessa
Chad Green
Diego Moreno
Kyle Higashioka
Ronald Herrera
Francisco Diaz
Sebastian Valle
Jorge Mateo
James Kaprielian
Cesar Puello
Tyler Austin
Aaron Judge
Brady Lail

The New York Yankees Top 10 Prospects List After the Chapman Trade

The New York Yankees gave us all a late Christmas present and an early New Years present yesterday when the team acquired All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman. As you know you have to give something to get something in most cases and what the Yankees gave up for Chapman's services was RHP's Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis along with infielders Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda. Cotham and Renda weren't on anyone's Top 10 Yankees Prospects lists but Jagielo and Davis were on most so here is an updated list after the Chapman trade.

1. Aaron Judge
2. Jorge Mateo
3. Gary Sanchez
4. James Kaprielian
5. Robert Refsnyder
6. Drew Finley
7. Jacob Lindgren
8. Dustin Fowler
9. Ian Clarkin
10. Domingo Acevedo

After you get to the 5th spot these prospects become so interchangeable in my opinion. I wanted to include Brady Lail in my Top 10 but I am much higher on Domingo Acevedo than Baseball American is for example. Dustin Fowler is probably better than 8th on the list but I am trying to right a wrong by including Jacob Lindgren. He's still a prospect and he's still a top prospect, an elbow injury derailed his season and he will be back in 2016. This is not the issue here though, this just goes to show you how stacked the Yankees system is getting. It's not so black and white anymore, there is true talent coming out of the Yankees system now and it's a sight for sore eyes.

Analyzing The Aroldis Chapman Trade

When I started writing this I wanted to talk about the reports of Aroldis Chapman choking his girlfriend and pushing her into a wall. Not to mention shooting his gun eight times in his garage afterwards. I wanted to say that what happened doesn't make Aroldis into a horrible person, who shall be shunned forever. Good people are capable of doing horrible things. But it's impossible to put my thoughts into words when I really don't know what to think about the whole thing.

So... yeah...

Major League Baseball is investigating the incident, and Rob Manfred will make a decision on a possible suspension, fine, or whatever. And I believe Brian Cashman didn't just say "meh, whatever" and trade for Chapman. The New York Yankees are one of the most well-known sports entities in the World, and to believe Cashman doesn't know that and is willing to harm their "good" name is ridiculous. 

So I'm going to stop there when it comes to the off the field stuff. And when looking beyond the off the field stuff this trade is a total steal. 

According to Baseball America's Top 10 Prospect list, none of the prospects traded to Cincinnati are in the Top 5. Rookie Davis is actually the #6 prospect in the organization, But Davis has only thrown 33.1 innings above A-ball, and I wouldn't say he "killed it" in his short time at AA Trenton (he went 2-1 in five starts, with an ERA of 4.32).

I wasn't happy to see Eric Jagielo included in the trade, but I'm certainly not heartbroken over his loss. Jagielo is a third baseman, who some think is destined for first base, and corner infielders aren't that difficult to replace. Plus there's the fact that Miguel Andujar, who is a better fielder and finished strong at high A Tampa last season, could be a future third baseman. Meanwhile, Greg Bird looks to be the Yankees' first baseman of the future.

"Yep. I'm the man."

Caleb Cotham is the third prospect that the Yankee sent to the Reds. Cotham threw 9.2 innings for the Yankees this season, giving up 7 runs and 14 hits (four of which were home runs). Caleb could have possibly been a part of the Yanks bullpen in the future, but I don't think it would be a significant part at all.

The last part of the trade was Tony Renda, who the Yankees acquired when they traded David Carpenter to the Washington Nationals. Mind you, Carpenter had been designated for assignment, so Renda wasn't looked at as much more than minor league filler. Renda hit .269/.330/.358 in AA last season, and I have yet to hear anybody saying anything along the lines of "he'll be missed".

Now, I don't have to tell you what Aroldis Chapman can do for the Yankees. I begged for the Yankees to re-sign David Robertson, so that they could deploy the three-headed monster out of the bullpen. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but almost a year later Brian Cashman came through for me. Chapman, Dellin Betances, and Andrew Miller will scare the bejesus out of any and all Yankees opponents next season. If the Yankees have a two run lead going into the 7th inning you may as well say "game over". Heck, even having a one run lead will be pretty darn good.

But will the Yankee starters be able to hand a lead over to the killer threesome? 

Although Masahiro Tanaka was the only starter to average at least six innings per start, I'm confident that Michael Pineda will have a better season than last knowing that his shoulder can hold up over an entire season. 

Luis Severino is looking at pitching only around 150 innings, so he won't be totally let loose next year. But for the most part the team can count on him to hand over a lead to the three-headed monster. 

Nathan Eovaldi averaged 5.7 innings a start in 2015, so I can see the bullpen needing a couple more outs from the bullpen when he starts. Chapman threw more than an inning four times last season (twice in the last month), Miller threw more than one inning eight times, and of course we all know Betances is capable of giving the team more than an inning at a time. 

And then there's CC Sabathia. Daniel recently posted about Sabathia, and reasons to be optimistic about him next season, so I'll just direct you over there. If that's too much for you, let's say that he could be a fine starter next season, and hand over plenty of leads to the three-headed monster next season.

"I think you're a little too trusting."

When speaking of Nathan Eovaldi I mentioned that Dellin Betances is well-known for throwing more than one inning, which led to him throwing a ton of innings the previous two years. Many people rightfully see that as a problem, especially after seeing Dellin's effectiveness go down towards the end of last season. With Aroldis on board, chances are Dellin will not be leaned on nearly as much to giving the team more than an inning at a time. 

It would be nice if Cashman could acquire a better starter, but I have a feeling it won't happen. I hope to be proven wrong, and it wouldn't be the first time, but after talking about those five above I just don't see a strong enough need to pay the price that a young/good starter would cost.

In fact, I'm not holding my breath for anything else "big" to happen this offseason. There are a few teams out there that would probably love to have Brett Gardner, but it doesn't seem like Cashman really wants to deal away Brett, and I don't see any team offering enough for acquire him. 

It would be a shame if this was the last "big" thing to happen, but as things stand right now I kind of like this team's chances of making a run next year.

Image: Aroldis Chapman in a Yankees Hat

The picture isn't official but it will give you something to think about and drool over until the pictures are official and the pinstripes are donned. Have a good evening Yankees family. Go Aroldis!

Baseball Prospectus Top 10 Yankees Prospects

Baseball America started the domino effect of postseason top prospects lists and Baseball Prospectus was not far behind. Recently they released their Top 10 Prospects list for the New York Yankees and there were a few familiar faces and a few new faces from the Baseball America list. Check it out!

1. Aaron Judge

2. Jorge Mateo

3. Gary Sanchez

4. James Kaprielian

5. Dustin Fowler

6. Robert Refsnyder

7. Drew Finley

8. Eric Jagielo

9. Brady Lail

10. Ian Clarkin

I love Fowler and Finley as much as the next guy but not nearly as much as Baseball Prospectus does. I can't say I think Fowler is a Top 5 prospect in what I consider to be a pretty underrated system. Also including Lail and not Rookie Davis is a whiff if you ask me. I rank Rookie above Ian Clarkin at this point but that's just personal preference, I am higher on Davis than most me thinks. Jagielo, despite having a strong season before injuries derailed his campaign, has fallen out of my Top 10 probably while Drew Finley is probably more like an 11 or 12 in my opinion.

Nothing really to argue about here though, the list is solid.

MLB.com's Top 30 Yankees Prospects List

The New York Yankees lost two of their biggest prospects due to either 50 IP or 125 at bats in Greg Bird and Luis Severino which will likely affect all the offseason top prospects list across the league. We already released our list about a month ago, and will update it again in February when we play host to Prospects Month here on the blog, and recently MLB.com released theirs. CLICK here to see their write up on all 30 men and the list or just see below for the rankings. Enjoy.

1. Aaron Judge
2. Jorge Mateo
3. James Kaprielian
4. Robert Refsnyder
5. Gary Sanchez
6. Eric Jagielo
7. Ian Clarkin
8. Jacob Lindgren
9. Tyler Wade
10. Rookie Davis
11. Kyle Holder
12. Brady Lail
13. Drew Finley
14. Mason Williams
15. Bryan Mitchell
16. Jake Cave
17. Hoy Jun Park
18. Dustin Fowler
19. Luis Torrens
20. Miguel Andujar
21. Juan De Leon
22. Dermis Garcia
23. Abi Avelino
24. Slade Heathcott
25. Jordan Montgomery
26. Cale Coshow
27. Domingo Acevedo
28. Leonardo Molina
29. Thairo Estrada
30. Ben Gamel