The New Guy Goes Yard...

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Reinhold Matay)

The Battle of New York…

I am always the first to say that Spring games mean absolutely nothing but I have to admit it was fun beat the New York Mets on Saturday by 7 runs for the second time this year. The Yankees won 10-3 at Steinbrenner Field after beating the Mets 11-4 last Wednesday in Port St Lucie, FL.  

Rumor has it the new guy, Giancarlo Stanton, can hit bombs. We were finally treated to the first Pinstriped home run by the big guy and man, did it feel good to see that one go out.  It made me realize how much I like watching Aaron Judge and Stanton hit back-to-back, considering I have been an advocate for breaking them up with Greg Bird. It was exciting to see Judge reach base and then both guys celebrating at home plate after Stanton completed his home run trot, which included the faux football hand-off by third base coach Phil Nevin as Stanton rounded the base. John Sterling’s call of the home run was “a Stantonian blast”.  Unclear if that’s just a temporary Spring call or if it will be the tagline for the season.  

Photo Credit: New York Post (Charles Wenzelberg)

Another great moment in Saturday’s game was the first Spring appearance of David Robertson, who had recently been felled by food poisoning. Luis Cessa started the game and reaffirmed my concerns about his stature as the rotation’s sixth man when he got into trouble in the second inning. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with only one out. Enter D-Rob. Six pitches…two strikeouts…inning over. I really hope the Yankees do not allow Robertson to leave at the end of the season when he becomes a free agent. The guy was made to be a Yankee and it was hard enough to watch his years away in Chicago. Now that we have him back, I don’t want to lose him again.

There was a scare in the top of the 6th inning when Tyler Wade rolled his wrist while attempting to dive for an infield grounder by Jose Reyes. Wade left the game and although he iced the hand, no further tests were planned. It sounds as though Wade will be back out on the field by Monday. The current leader for Opening Day second baseman, it would have been tough to lose Wade for any extended period of time. I am glad he is okay. It was certainly a scary moment.

The game also featured a bit of miscommunication.  Dellin Betances pitched the fourth inning and then went to the clubhouse. No one told Adam Warren that he was scheduled to pitch the fifth, so it became a scramble after the Yankees completed batting in the bottom of the fourth. There was some apparent confusion in the dugout, and Warren quickly got up in the bullpen. After a brief delay, Betances came back out to face one batter, giving up a single, before departing for good. Aaron Boone held his usual 5th inning in-game conversation with the YES Network broadcasters but clearly did not want to talk about the incident. "We had some issues there. We'll just leave it at that." Some on social media were crucifying Boone for the miscommunication but I’d rather see Boone make mistakes in Spring training and learn from them before the season starts. 

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Reinhold Matay)

A fair amount of drama for a “meaningless” Saturday afternoon game.

The Yankees had a couple more cuts yesterday when flame-throwing RHP Domingo Acevedo was optioned to Double-A Trenton and RHP Brian Keller was reassigned to minor league camp.

The Minnesota Twins may have lost the Wild Card game to the Yankees last season, but they will be a stronger team when they take the field this year. Although top starting pitcher Ervin Santana will miss the start of the season after surgery on his finger last month, the Twins previously added Jake Odorizzi in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and yesterday they signed free-agent Lance Lynn (an innings-eater and a very good pickup) to a one-year, $12 million contract. The Lynn signing triggered today’s release of Anibal Sanchez (Lynn was clearly an upgrade, in a total statement of the obvious). I would have loved to have seen the Yankees sign Lynn.  The Twins have also added former Rays first baseman Logan Morrison, who slugged 38 home runs in 2017, to be their primary DH. I haven’t really been keeping up with the Twins, but they are quietly getting stronger. They also added Fernando Rodney and Addison Reed to their bullpen. I’ve never been a big fan of Rodney but Reed was a great signing.

With Lynn signing for much less than anticipated, I can’t help but wonder what it would take to sign free agent righty Alex Cobb in this environment of falling prices. You can never have enough starting pitching. I know that he’d never do it, but it would be cool if Jake Arrieta came to the Yankees with an offer to play for a pillow contract so that he can test the free agent market again next year. He does know and trust the Yankees closer. I know, I am just dreaming but whatever it takes to bring the 28th World Championship to the Bronx.

Lefty Joe Mantiply, 27, who spent last season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and was in camp with the Cincinnati Reds this year as a non-roster invitee underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on Friday. We wish Joe the very best as he begins his journey on the road to recovery and hopefully fulfilling his dream of one day making it back to the Major Leagues (he pitched briefly for the Detroit Tigers in 2016). 

Photo Credit: Cheryl Pursell  

I am bummed that today’s game against the Miami Marlins in Jupiter, FL will not be televised.  For the Yankees making the trip, be sure to say hello to our old friend, Starlin Castro.

Go Yankees!

Hearing Crickets at Yankee Stadium…

Waiting for breaking Yankees news...

We are moving into Day 3 of the GM Meetings but not much is happening in the Yankees Universe.

Managerial interviews were suspended while GM Brian Cashman participates in the Orlando, FL meetings.  But we do know that Hensley Meulens, currently the bench coach for the San Francisco Giants (formerly their hitting coach in the most recent season), will be interviewed when Cashman gets back to New York.  Meulens has managed Team Netherlands in the WBC Classic several times and the former Yankee has a good relationship with shortstop Didi Gregorius (both guys are from Curacao).  Meulens, like Didi, speaks multiple languages.  He is thought very highly of by the Giants organization and many believe that he is being groomed to eventually replace manager Bruce Bochy. 

Aaron Boone is also thought to be on the candidate list but no word when he’ll interview.  The latest name to be added to the list is Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward.  

The interest expressed by YES broadcaster John Flaherty and the very recently retired Carlos Beltran do not appear to be gaining any traction.  Among the potential candidates with no prior managerial experience, Beltran does seem to be a viable option.  He wants to manage one day and his leadership was evident during his time with the Yankees.  Perhaps he should take a coaching job first, but I’ve always believed that managerial experience is not necessarily a prerequisite for the right person.  The Boston Red Sox took a chance on a first-time manager with Alex Cora, but they ensured that Cora had a wealth of experience when former Brewers manager Ron Roenicke was named as his bench coach.  Beltran enjoys a good relationship with the New York media which is one of the requirements for the job.  He wouldn’t be my first choice as manager, but I wouldn’t object if he is hired.  

Credit:  Noah K Murray, USA TODAY Sports

The word is that Cashman has not yet reached out to everyone that he wants to talk to.  I still find it hard believe Cashman didn’t already have a plan when he made the decision to part ways with Joe Girardi.  Girardi, by the way, showed up at the GM Meetings yesterday as part of the MLB Competition Committee.  That must have been very weird for him, especially if he encountered any of the representatives for the Yankees.  I am sure that he and Cashman didn’t go grab a beer together after the day’s activities were over.

I thought it was interesting that the Yankees had asked for and were denied permission to speak with Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin.  

Even though a new manager has not been named, I was glad to see that the Yankees will be bringing back pitching coach Larry Rothschild for the 2018 season.  I’d like to see RailRiders manager Al Pedrique on next year’s coaching staff given his strong relationships with the Baby Bombers.  

Credit:  Jackie Shear, The Trentonian

Cashman did indicate this week that the future in the outfield is Aaron Hicks and not Jacoby Ellsbury.  With no apparent trade talks in play, it looks like Ellsbury will once again be Baseball’s highest paid pinch-runner. Hopefully things change and Cashman is able to use to cash to entice another team to take Ellsbury.  At this point, it would be addition by subtraction even if the Yankees have to pay the freight (a bulk of the remaining monies due on Ellsbury’s contract).  Cashman also stated that Gleyber Torres could make a run at the third base job next Spring.  That talk leads me to believe there will be absolutely no attempt to re-sign Todd Frazier.  We didn’t really expect Frazier to return but until he actually signs with another team, there’s always hope.  Unfortunately, those are odds that I’d never take despite how great the Toddfather fit with the Baby Bombers.  

The Yankees did have one free agent signing this week.  Well, it was a minor league free agent signing that may never have an effect on the Major League roster.  They signed former Phillies prospect, catcher Chace Numata, 25.  The organization has lost some catching depth through free agency this off-season and of course the Yankees parted ways with the great Erik Kratz.  Numata has never advanced above Double-A for the Phillies.  He was selected in the 14th round of the 2010 MLB Draft.  For AA-Reading this year, Numata batted .249 with 4 HRs and 28 RBIs in 84 games.  Even though Numata might not ever make it to the Bronx, the Hawaiian native will play a valuable role in the development of Yankees pitching prospects in the upper levels of the farm system.  

The Cincinnati Reds have signed lefty Joe Mantiply to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training.  Mantiply spent the 2017 season with the Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Entering the off-season, my favorite managerial candidate was Dave Martinez, formerly bench coach for Joe Maddon in Chicago and my favorite general manager choice was Alex Anthopoulos, formerly an executive for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Martinez was hired by the Washington Nationals as their new manager, replacing Dusty Baker, while the Atlanta Braves this week hired Anthopoulos as their new GM (with President John Hart rumored to have a lessened voice in the organization).  I had thought Anthopoulos would have been a great choice for the Yankees if they had decided to make a change.  I think both guys will do very well with their new jobs.  

Earlier it had been reported that the Boston Red Sox had interest in trading for Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton but it sounds as though Stanton does not want to play in Boston.  The Los Angeles Dodgers are now rumored as a possible destination.  The Dodgers certainly have the financial strength to absorb Stanton’s contract but the human cost to acquire him will be huge.  You can be assured that Marlins CEO Derek Jeter is not going to give Stanton away.  Stanton, protected by Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner, would be very scary in the Dodgers lineup.  But I wouldn’t rule out the Red Sox until if/when a trade for Stanton actually happens.  

How many more days until Spring Training?  I’m ready.  Go Yankees!

First Wave of Yankees Spring Cuts Are In

I know we are a bit late to the party but we had a scheduled day off or two this weekend so we are just getting caught back up. The first wave of spring training cuts are in and some of the Yankees top prospects are being assigned to minor league camps, as expected and as predicted by yours truly here on the blog just last week.

The Yankees cut 11 players over the weekend and assigned them to minor league camps including left-hander Justus Sheffield, right-hander J.P Feyereisen, RHP Brady Lail, RHP Nick Rumbelow, LHP Joe Mantiply, LHP Evan Rutckyj, LHP Daniel Camarena, LHP James Reeves, C Jorge Saez, C Francisco Diaz and C Kellin Deglan. I had Sheffield, Saez, Diaz, Deglan and Rutckyj going down but I totally whiffed on Feyereisen, Lail, Mantiply, Rumbelow and Reeves. I am also shocked to see Clint Frazier, James Kaprielian, Gleyber Torres and Jorge Mateo still in Yankees camp. Maybe after the World Baseball Classic? Who knows?

More cuts will come as the Yankees try to dwindle their roster down to just 25 players so stay tuned. When those cuts and assignments are made we will have them here for you on the blog. Stay tuned.

Expect to See Eovaldi & Rumbelow Back in Pinstripes

The New York Yankees did a bit of roster cleanup this week when the team decided to designate Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Rumbelow and Joe Mantiply for assignment. These three have cleared waivers and all were released on Monday. This should come as no surprise as both Eovaldi and Rumbelow will miss parts or all of the 2017 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery at some point in 2016 but the Mantiply decision did catch me off guard a bit if I’m being honest. Don’t fret though Yankees fans as I fully expect to see both Eovaldi and Rumbelow back in pinstripes in no time.

The Yankees have made this a habit lately of releasing minor league free agents or players only to sign them to new deals later which basically circumvents the collective bargaining agreement in a way. We’ve seen it with Slade Heathcott, we’ve seen it with Mason Williams and others in recent years and I believe we’ll see it again this year with Eovaldi and Rumbelow. All this does is buy the Yankees some time with Eovaldi while the team could easily hand Rumbelow a minor league deal without a 40 man roster spot attached to it in order to get him back into the organization. It’s actually probably already done truth be told and we just haven’t heard about it yet.

Expect these two back Yankees fans and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the team at least make an effort to bring Mantiply back as well. Stay tuned. It’s going to be a long offseason.

ICYMI: Meet a Prospect: Joe Mantiply Edition

The New York Yankees claimed a left-handed reliever from the Detroit Tigers named Joe Mantiply as the Yankees search and goal to restock their bullpen begins. Mantiply will likely be one of many members to join the Yankees bullpen in some way, shape or form this offseason so let’s meet him. This is Meet a Prospect: The Joe Mantiply Edition.


Joseph Newman Mantiply was born on March 1, 1991 and while playing amateur baseball in Virginia he caught the eye of the New York Mets in the 2009 MLB Draft with their 48th round selection. Mantiply decided to head to college rather than take the step from High School to professional baseball and ultimately attended Virginia Tech University where he was once again drafted by the

Philadelphia Phillies in the 28th round of the 2012 Draft. Another drafting and another decision to return to school for Mantiply but after his senior season the Detroit Tigers came calling in the 27th round of the draft in 2013.



In four seasons in the Tigers minor league system the left-hander has put up a 2.44 ERA including 13 starts while only giving up 11 home runs in 239.1 innings of work. Mantiply can start or be a reliever for the Yankees and his value comes with his ability to keep the ball in the ballpark and keep runs off the board, something any team needs.



In order to make room for Mantiply the Yankees designated Branden Pinder for assignment. He will likely miss most, if not all, of the 2017 season anyway so expect a new minor league deal to follow for the Tommy John recipient.


Welcome to the family Joe.

Meet a Prospect: Joe Mantiply Edition

The New York Yankees claimed a left-handed reliever from the Detroit Tigers named Joe Mantiply as the Yankees search and goal to restock their bullpen begins. Mantiply will likely be one of many members to join the Yankees bullpen in some way, shape or form this offseason so let’s meet him. This is Meet a Prospect: The Joe Mantiply Edition.

Joseph Newman Mantiply was born on March 1, 1991 and while playing amateur baseball in Virginia he caught the eye of the New York Mets in the 2009 MLB Draft with their 48^th round selection. Mantiply decided to head to college rather than take the step from High School to professional baseball and ultimately attended Virginia Tech University where he was once again drafted by the

Philadelphia Phillies in the 28th round of the 2012 Draft. Another drafting and another decision to return to school for Mantiply but after his senior season the Detroit Tigers came calling in the 27th round of the draft in 2013.



In four seasons in the Tigers minor league system the left-hander has put up a 2.44 ERA including 13 starts while only giving up 11 home runs in 239.1 innings of work. Mantiply can start or be a reliever for the Yankees and his value comes with his ability to keep the ball in the ballpark and keep runs off the board, something any team needs.



In order to make room for Mantiply the Yankees designated Branden Pinder for assignment. He will likely miss most, if not all, of the 2017 season anyway so expect a new minor league deal to follow for the Tommy John recipient.


Welcome to the family Joe.