This Day In New York Yankees History 8/12: Happy Alex Rodriguez Day 2016

No matter what happened before, what happens today and what happens years from now today is and will be known as Alex Rodriguez Day here on the blog. Say what you will about Alex, and I have said plenty both in favor of and against, but his tenure is New York is pretty much unmatched by most and today that playing career comes to an end. So Happy Alex Rodriguez Day Yankees family. Enjoy him one last time and let's embrace him tonight in the Bronx. He's earned it.


The best Yankees pitcher that gets little to no recognition and respect is Mel Stottlemyre and he made his major league debut way back when on this day in 1964 and got a little help from the Yankees All Star Mickey Mantle. Mantle would hit a home run from both sides of the plate 10 times in his career setting a new major league record.


Finally on this day in 1927 the Yankees acquired infielders Lyn Lary and Jimmie Reese from the PCL's Oakland Oaks for $125,000. Reese will immediately becomes Babe Ruth's roommate and be best known for his quote that he was "roomed with Ruth's suitcase."

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 4/12

Afternoon baseball in the Bronx and two young stud lefties are going head-to-head, ladies and gentleman it really just doesn’t get much better than this. This afternoon in the Bronx the New York Yankees will play host to the Tampa Bay Rays in the middle game of their three-game set this week inside Yankee Stadium with a pitching matchup that will make any self-proclaimed “prospect hugger” a little excited. This afternoon the Yankees will send Jordan Montgomery to the mound to make his Major League debut in the Bronx while the Rays will counter with a young southpaw of their own in Blake Snell. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network or on MLB TV on your phone while you’re at work because stupid adulting gets in the way of watching a young prospect you have been following and beating the drum for. Well if you’re anything like me anyway.

Enjoy the game everyone. Follow along if you can’t watch yourself on Twitter and interact with us all season long by giving @GreedyStripes a follow. Go Yankees!!!

Meet a Prospect: Jordan Montgomery

As you have read numerous times already on the blog this morning the New York Yankees are calling up left-handed starter to the Bronx to make his Major League debut here in just a few short hours. For whatever reason, even after his strong 2016 season and equally strong spring camp this season for the Yankees, many don’t know who Montgomery is, where he came from or what he brings to the table as the team’s fifth starter this season so that is why we do these special posts here on the blog. So without further ado let’s meet the Yankees new fifth starter, this afternoon’s starter and just the first step towards the future in Mr. Jordan Montgomery. Can you guys tell that I’m a wee bit excited for this one? This is Meet a Prospect: The Jordan Montgomery Edition.

Jordan Blackmon Montgomery was born on December 27, 1992 in South Carolina where he began his amateur baseball career. Montgomery attended Sumter High School in Sumter, South Carolina where he played for the school’s baseball team. As a senior there Montgomery earned the state’s player of the year which led him to continue his amateur career at the University of South Carolina after graduation. As a member of the Gamecocks baseball team Montgomery was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year once and was also named as a Freshman All-American. The New York Yankees had seen enough and after his freshman year the team made a very generous offer to the lefty after selecting him in the fourth round, 122^nd overall, in the 2014 MLB Draft and the rest, as they say, is history as he signed for the $424,000 signing bonus.

In his first season alone Montgomery pitched for two Yankees minor league affiliates including the Gulf Coast Yankees and the Staten Island Yankees leading to his promotion to Low-A with the Charleston Riverdogs at the open of the 2015 campaign. Montgomery wasn’t long for Charleston though as he was quickly promoted to High-A Tampa with the Tampa Yankees where he finished his 2015 due to the organization trying to limit his workload a bit. The 2016 season opened with Montgomery getting his first taste of Double-A ball with the Trenton Thunder and the lefty did not disappoint. Montgomery finished the season in Triple-A opening up many eyes as he continues to get stronger and better the higher up he climbed the organizational ladder leading to him receiving an invitation to spring training here in 2017.

Not many outside The Greedy Pinstripes blog knew of or talked about Montgomery much before this spring training but by the end of it the southpaw made sure that everyone knew his name, especially those making the organizational and roster decisions for the team. Montgomery won the fifth starter competition out of spring when hardly anyone had him pegged as even a candidate for the spot and will make his MLB debut this afternoon in the Bronx against division rivals in the Tampa Bay Rays.

Montgomery brings a four-pitch mix with him to the Yankee Stadium mound this afternoon that includes a fastball, a changeup, a cutter and a curveball. Montgomery’s fastball sits around 94 MPH and he can touch 96 MPH or above when he really reaches back, a vast improvement from the 88-91 MPH he threw in college with South Carolina, which only helps keep his second pitch, his changeup, deceptive as ever. Montgomery has a clean, consistent and clean delivery which should lead to consistency, location, command and durability throughout his career. Stability. That’s what Jordan Montgomery is going to bring this Yankees staff this season and for years to come and I personally absolutely cannot wait to watch it unfold.

Congratulations on winning the spot Jordan and welcome to the team, the organization and most importantly welcome to the family. Now stop reading this and go bring us back to .500 with a victory!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 4/12

After another off day the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are ready to resume their three-game set this week in the Bronx and inside Yankee Stadium. On Monday Michael Pineda pitched an absolute gem and if it weren’t for Martha Stewart and her jinxing tweet and loud mouth the Yankees right-hander would have 100% pitched a perfect game, please sense the sarcasm in this statement before sending me some hate mail and comments. This afternoon the Yankees will send Jordan Montgomery to the mound looking to do the same while the Orioles will counter with Blake Snell. The future is now ladies and gents.

Montgomery will be making his MLB debut this afternoon in front of the Yankee Stadium crowd after winning the Yankees fifth starter competition this spring. Montgomery is a 24-year old left-handed starter that went 14-5 with a 2.13 ERA across Double-A and Triple-A last season. More on him later in a special Meet a Prospect on the blog.

Snell will be making his second start of the young season after struggling a bit against the Toronto Blue Jays in his first start. Snell allowed five runs in 6.2 innings last Thursday against Toronto as it was the same old story for the young lefty. Snell was effective overall but walks continue to hurt him, he had five against the Blue Jays, as they did last year.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on television on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along on the radio on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Enjoy the game everybody and Go Yankees!

So it Seems…. OMG JORDAN MONTGOMERY OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

So yes I am a total fan girl right now and yes I am totally excited for this afternoon’s game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays if you can’t tell by the title of the blog post. Jordan Montgomery is being called up to make his Major League debut this afternoon against another young and exciting pitcher in Blake Snell. More on that obviously in our game preview and game threads but while I like to keep those semi-professional and non-bias I just can’t put into words, although as you guys know I will try my best to anyway because I am me, how freaking excited I am right now.

I love the feeling of watching something or someone for a while and watching it grow and blossom into something amazing. Children, projects, relationships, prospects… That statement could apply to them all. I love it and today, ladies and gentleman, is going to be a good day. Call it a guy feeling, call it a hunch but just don’t call it a coincidence because I don’t believe in those. Everything happens for a reason. Find your reason.

Have a great day everyone and good morning!

Weekly Prospects Check In: Tyler Austin

The time has come ladies and gentleman to usher in a new generation of players to the New York Yankees now that Alex Rodriguez has officially been released from his contract unconditionally and will no longer be in uniform for the club. What a bittersweet night last night was. While it was bittersweet for some and presumably awful for Alex to not go out on your own terms you have to think that players like Tyler Austin are quietly sitting in the corner fist pumping like crazy now that he, Aaron Judge, Ben Gamel, Clint Frazier and others will get a shot at the show.

Here is what Austin has done down at Triple-A since taking over the first base duties which goes to show you that if anyone deserved a call up and deserved to take Alex’s spot, it was him. Enjoy and Happy Saturday. 

Year	Age	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	24	AAA-AA	107	444	61	111	34	17	78	6	62	105	.294	.392	.524	.916
2016	24	AA	50	210	22	46	10	4	29	1	30	46	.260	.367	.395	.762
2016	24	AAA	57	234	39	65	24	13	49	5	32	59	.323	.415	.637	1.051

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/12: Happy Alex Rodriguez Day

No matter what happened before, what happens today and what happens years from now today is and will be known as Alex Rodriguez Day here on the blog. Say what you will about Alex, and I have said plenty both in favor of and against, but his tenure is New York is pretty much unmatched by most and today that playing career comes to an end. So Happy Alex Rodriguez Day Yankees family. Enjoy him one last time and let's embrace him tonight in the Bronx. He's earned it.


The best Yankees pitcher that gets little to no recognition and respect is Mel Stottlemyre and he made his major league debut way back when on this day in 1964 and got a little help from the Yankees All Star Mickey Mantle. Mantle would hit a home run from both sides of the plate 10 times in his career setting a new major league record.


Finally on this day in 1927 the Yankees acquired infielders Lyn Lary and Jimmie Reese from the PCL's Oakland Oaks for $125,000. Reese will immediately becomes Babe Ruth's roommate and be best known for his quote that he was "roomed with Ruth's suitcase."

ICYMI: Yankees Broke a 103-Year Old Record in 2015

The New York Yankees broke a Major League record that has stood for 103 seasons in 2015 when they sent catcher rookie catcher Gary Sanchez up to the plate. The first at bat for Sanchez last season was also the first at bat of his MLB career and his Major League debut. Sanchez was the 18th member of the New York Yankees to make his Major League debut which is an MLB record that passed the 1903 New York Highlanders. 

The 2015 season can easily be described as the Year of the Prospect as many top prospects have made their way to the Major Leagues this season. The Cubs seemingly have a new stud rookie starting at every position this season, the Twins called up MLB's top prospect Byron Buxton and the Dodgers called up new MLB top prospect Corey Seager this season and the Yankees even called up their top prospect in Luis Severino. In fact the Yankees have called up a lot of prospects this season and let a slew of them make their Major League debut's with the team, 18 of them to be exact setting a new MLB record that stood for over 100 seasons.


Back in 1912 the New York Highlanders watched as a whopping 17 rookies made their Major League debut's including George Batten, Curt Coleman, Iron Davis, John Dowd, Benny Kauff, Ray Keating, Jack Little, Pat Maloney, Jack Martin, Bill Otis, Del Paddock, Al Schulz, George Shears, Klondike Smith, Dutch Sterrett, Homer Thompson and Tommy Thompson.

The impressive list of Yankees players to make their MLB debut's with the team in 2015 included Matt Tracy, Branden Pinder, Slade Heathcott, Jacob Lindgren, Ramon Flores, Mason Williams, Danny Burawa, Jose De Paula, Diego Moreno, Nick Rumbelow, Robert Refsnyder, Caleb Cotham, Nick Goody, Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez, James Pazos and Rico Noel.


Any time a team gets this close to breaking a record I sort of hope for it to happen, I can't lie. I am a sucker for history. The main difference between the 1912 New York Highlanders and the 2015 New York Yankees is that the Highlanders only won 50 games while the Yankees would have finished a mere 50 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox had it not been for a September collapse of sorts. The latter may be a slight exaggeration but it goes to show you just how far the Yankees farm system, as underrated as it is, has come in recent seasons.

Recapping Chase Whitley’s Short Tenure w/ NY

Chase Whitley learned on Friday that he was claimed on waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays and would be switching his home. Despite staying in the AL East Whitley will throw his home games in front of the crowd in Tropicana Field rather than in the Bronx inside Yankee Stadium so I thought now would be as good of a time as any to recap the quick, yet eventful, Yankees tenure that Whitley had with the team.

Whitley was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 15^th round of the 2010 MLB First Year Players Draft out of Troy University and immediately began his professional career with the Staten Island Yankees. Whitley, then, was a closer for the club and made the All-Star Game for the New York-Penn League. Whitley earned the promotion to High-A Tampa in 2011, skipping Charleston all-together, and finished the season in Double-A with the Trenton Thunder. By 2012 Whitley was out of the closer’s role and into middle relief for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders, a minor league affiliate stop that he would stay at for the 2013 season as well. At the end of the 2013 season though the team decided to transition Whitley into being a starting pitcher instead of a relief pitcher and Whitley continued working on the transition into the 2014 season.

Whitley wasn’t long for the minor leagues after switching to a starting pitcher and made his Major League debut on May 15, 2014 against the cross-town rival New York Mets inside Citi Field. Whitley lasted just 4.2 innings in that start but allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out four. Whitley also collected his first career hit in the game when Whitley roped a single off Mets starter Jacob deGrom. deGrom also recorded his first hit and was making his Major League debut in the same game. Whitley took the no decision in a game that the Yankees went on to win 1-0 which propelled him to a 4-3 record and a 5.23 ERA in 12 starts. Whitley was on the Yankees radar.

Whitley was back in Triple-A to start the 2015 season but was called up on April, 27. Whitley started the next day and experience elbow pain that he attempted to pitch through to help the club. Whitley lasted until May 14 before being removed from a start and being diagnosed with a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. Whitley had Tommy John surgery that essentially ended his 2015 season and will keep him out for much of the 2016 season. That 2016 season will have to come with the Tampa Bay Rays, not the New York Yankees, after the Yankees tried to sneak him off their 40 man roster.

Good luck in Tampa Chase and thank you for the memories.

Weekly AFL Check In: Gary Sanchez

Gary Sanchez was presumably a mixed bag of emotions this week when he learned that his former Yankees teammate and fellow longtime Yankees prospect John Ryan Murphy was traded to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Aaron Hicks. On one hand all signs point to Sanchez being the backup catcher in the Bronx on Opening Day 2016 but on the other hand he saw a player he has grown up with, undoubtedly worked with and spoken with and built a friendship or bond with, traded. That’s all part of the game, Murphy knows that and I’m sure Sanchez does too, but that doesn’t hold your emotions in check any better.

So the audition for the backup job in the Bronx starts now for Sanchez. After a strong showing in Double-A and Triple-A in 2015 and after making his Major League debut late in the season Sanchez is ready to use the Arizona Fall League and his time with the Surprise Saguaros to his advantage. Before the AFL season started I personally thought the Yankees were using the league to build Sanchez’s trade value, now I think we all know it was to get him ready for the big stage.

Get ready folks, Gary Sanchez is coming.

Gary Sanchez:

Games: 18
At Bats: 77
AVG: .299
OBP: .329
SLG: .649
OPS: .979
H: 23
HR: 7
RBI: 19
BB: 3
K: 16

ICYMI: Yankees Broke a 103-Year Old Record This Season

The New York Yankees broke a Major League record that has stood for 103 seasons on Saturday afternoon when they sent catcher Gary Sanchez up to the plate. The first at bat for Sanchez this season was also the first at bat of his MLB career and his Major League debut. Sanchez was the 18th member of the New York Yankees to make his Major League debut which is an MLB record that passed the 1903 New York Highlanders. Here is the original post below that we wrote when the Yankees had just 16 MLB debuts, since then we've seen Sanchez's and the Major League Debut of LHP James Pazos. Enjoy as we head into the final off day before the AL Wild Card Game tomorrow.

The 2015 season can easily be described as the Year of the Prospect as many top prospects have made their way to the Major Leagues this season. The Cubs seemingly have a new stud rookie starting at every position this season, the Twins called up MLB's top prospect Byron Buxton and the Dodgers called up new MLB top prospect Corey Seager this season and the Yankees even called up their top prospect in Luis Severino. In fact the Yankees have called up a lot of prospects this season and let a slew of them make their Major League debut's with the team, 16 of them to be exact. If the Yankees allow one more rookie to make their Major League debut this season the team will tie one of their own records that they have held for 103 seasons.

Back in 1912 the New York Highlanders watched as a whopping 17 rookies made their Major League debut's including George Batten, Curt Coleman, Iron Davis, John Dowd, Benny Kauff, Ray Keating, Jack Little, Pat Maloney, Jack Martin, Bill Otis, Del Paddock, Al Schulz, George Shears, Klondike Smith, Dutch Sterrett, Homer Thompson and Tommy Thompson. New York is one rookie away from tying that and have called up left-handed pitcher James Pazos to the Major Leagues as a September call up leaving the team one blowout away from tying the record.

New York could also call up another player to the Major Leagues in an emergency much like they did last season with (Gary Sanchez anyone?) Jose Pirela to potentially break the record assuming Pazos gets into a game before the end of the season. Pazos and a new hypothetical rookie would join Matt Tracy, Branden Pinder, Slade Heathcott, Jacob Lindgren, Ramon Flores, Mason Williams, Danny Burawa, Jose De Paula, Diego Moreno, Nick Rumbelow, Robert Refsnyder, Caleb Cotham, Nick Goody, Luis Severino, Greg Bird and Rico Noel as Yankees rookies who made their Major League debuts in 2015.

Any time a team gets this close to breaking a record I sort of hope for it to happen, I can't lie. I am a sucker for history. The main difference between the 1912 New York Highlanders and the 2015 New York Yankees is that the Highlanders only won 50 games while the Yankees may finish 50 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. The latter may be a slight exaggeration but it goes to show you just how far the Yankees farm system, as underrated as it is, has come in recent seasons.

GAME TWO Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 10/3

The New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles will face off tonight in the penultimate game of the 2015 regular season and the second game of the double-header, thank you Mother Nature. We may see the final tune up of Yankees regulars tonight as New York seemingly has little to nothing to play for during the regular season. The playoffs are guaranteed and the home field advantage is all but guaranteed at this point as playoff baseball returns to the Bronx. Tonight the Yankees will send Luis Severino (unless the Yankees win Game One) to the mound to face off against the Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez in his last start of the year. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• Severino may start this game tonight in order to perfectly line him up for a potential Game One start in the ALDS. Severino has been up since the beginning of August with the club but has not faced the Baltimore Orioles this season so this could be his first start against the Yankees division rival in his young career. 

• Jimenez may be happy to see the 2015 season come to an end after the right-hander was not able to replicate a strong first half in the second half of the campaign. Jimenez has been inconsistent this half dropping his overall record to 12-10 and raising his ERA to 4.10.

We are likely to see a skeleton crew tomorrow, especially if the Yankees win tonight, that will resemble the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders more so than the New York Yankees. If the Yankees win tonight we may even see Gary Sanchez make his Major League debut tomorrow which would set a Major League Baseball record for the most rookies making their MLB debuts in one season set by the New York Highlanders, now known as these same New York Yankees. Win and we rest tomorrow! Go Yankees!

Weekly Check In: Gary Sanchez

El Gary Sanchez was activated off the disabled list this week and was assigned to Triple-A to assist the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders in their chase for the Governor’s Cup. Sanchez battled with a hamstring injury a week before September call ups and has been on the disabled list ever since with the injury. Sanchez is apparently healthy enough to bat and run the bases a little but he’s not been cleared to play catcher as he has instead played the DH position. If Sanchez isn’t healthy enough or able to play catcher than it seems unlikely that New York would bring him up to the Major Leagues as a September call up when Scranton wraps up their postseason play.

New York has tied their own record for the most players to make their Major League debut’s in one season in 2015 and could break the over 100-year old record with one more debut. The only player currently on the 40 man roster that has not made his MLB debut is Sanchez so the stars have definitely aligned it’s now up to Yankees GM Brian Cashman to pull the trigger and break the record. Why wouldn’t you at this point? Nothing to lose bringing up Sanchez to sit on the bench and get into a blowout late, right?

Break the record, call up Sanchez. 

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	AA-AAA	93	400	50	100	23	18	62	7	29	78	.274	.330	.485	.815
2015	AA	58	254	33	61	14	12	36	6	18	50	.262	.319	.476	.795
2015	AAA	35	146	17	39	9	6	26	1	11	28	.295	.349	.500	.849

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Yankees Could Break a 103-Year Old Record in 2015

The 2015 season can easily be described as the Year of the Prospect as many top prospects have made their way to the Major Leagues this season. The Cubs seemingly have a new stud rookie starting at every position this season, the Twins called up MLB's top prospect Byron Buxton and the Dodgers called up new MLB top prospect Corey Seager this season and the Yankees even called up their top prospect in Luis Severino. In fact the Yankees have called up a lot of prospects this season and let a slew of them make their Major League debut's with the team, 16 of them to be exact. If the Yankees allow one more rookie to make their Major League debut this season the team will tie one of their own records that they have held for 103 seasons.

Back in 1912 the New York Highlanders watched as a whopping 17 rookies made their Major League debut's including George Batten, Curt Coleman, Iron Davis, John Dowd, Benny Kauff, Ray Keating, Jack Little, Pat Maloney, Jack Martin, Bill Otis, Del Paddock, Al Schulz, George Shears, Klondike Smith, Dutch Sterrett, Homer Thompson and Tommy Thompson. New York is one rookie away from tying that and have called up left-handed pitcher James Pazos to the Major Leagues as a September call up leaving the team one blowout away from tying the record.

New York could also call up another player to the Major Leagues in an emergency much like they did last season with (Gary Sanchez anyone?) Jose Pirela to potentially break the record assuming Pazos gets into a game before the end of the season. Pazos and a new hypothetical rookie would join Matt Tracy, Branden Pinder, Slade Heathcott, Jacob Lindgren, Ramon Flores, Mason Williams, Danny Burawa, Jose De Paula, Diego Moreno, Nick Rumbelow, Robert Refsnyder, Caleb Cotham, Nick Goody, Luis Severino, Greg Bird and Rico Noel as Yankees rookies who made their Major League debuts in 2015.

Any time a team gets this close to breaking a record I sort of hope for it to happen, I can't lie. I am a sucker for history. The main difference between the 1912 New York Highlanders and the 2015 New York Yankees is that the Highlanders only won 50 games while the Yankees may finish 50 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. The latter may be a slight exaggeration but it goes to show you just how far the Yankees farm system, as underrated as it is, has come in recent seasons.

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/12: Mel Stottlemyre, One Great Yankee

The best Yankees pitcher that gets little to no recognition and respect is Mel Stottlemyre and he made his major league debut way back when on this day in 1964 and got a little help from the Yankees All Star Mickey Mantle. Mantle would hit a home run from both sides of the plate 10 times in his career setting a new major league record.


Finally on this day in 1927 the Yankees acquired infielders Lyn Lary and Jimmie Reese from the PCL's Oakland Oaks for $125,000. Reese will immediately becomes Babe Ruth's roommate and be best known for his quote that he was "roomed with Ruth's suitcase."

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox 8/6

The New York Yankees have seemingly had their way with the Boston Red Sox this series and as much as it pains me to say it tonight will mark the final time these two teams play this week inside Yankee Stadium. We have seen the Major League debuts of Henry Owens for Boston on Tuesday and Luis Severino for the Yankees on Wednesday so who knows what is in store for the contest tonight. We do know this, the Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound looking to secure another victory for New York while the Red Sox counter with Eduardo Rodriguez. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• Sabathia left his last start against the Texas Rangers battling signs and symptoms of dehydration, a bout that forced him into a Texas hospital. Sabathia is back and presumably filled with fluids and looking to not allow five earned runs or more like he has in each of his last two starts. The last time Sabathia faced the Red Sox he allowed two runs over six innings in a no decision inside Fenway Park on May 1^st.

• Rodriguez has possibly been the team’s most consistent starter since Clay Buchholz went down with an injury while facing the Yankees before the All-Star break. The left-handed starter has had his rough outings along with his good outings but overall he has been solid allowing three runs or fewer in none out of the 12 starts he has made this season.

The Yankees finish their series with Boston tonight before staying home to welcome Troy Tulowitzki, David Price, Russell Martin and the Toronto Blue Jays for a super important series for both clubs. As long as the Yankees keep winning it doesn’t matter how many prospects the Blue Jays trade away and how many players the team acquires, they can’t make up the ground. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves though, the Yankees still have to blow out Boston once again tonight. Go Yankees!

Meet a Prospect: Luis Severino

Luis Severino was ranked either 1^st or 2^nd (more like 1 or 1A) on every Top Yankees Prospects list not made out by Keith Law before the season and after the draft and will be making the big step to the Major Leagues tonight in the Bronx. Much like another fellow Yankees farm hand, Robert Refsnyder, Severino will be making his Major League debut against the Boston Red Sox this season. All eyes will be on Severino as he comes up to the majors looking to be the Yankees saving grace in the pitching staff as he essentially replaces Michael Pineda. Before Severino throws his first pitch and throws six shutout innings tonight against the Red Sox we may as well meet him first so let’s Meet a Prospect, Luis Severino.

Luis Severino was born on February 20, 1994 in Sabana de la Mar, Dominican Republic where he grew up idolizing former Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano and the New York Yankees. Severino signed as an amateur free agent in 2012 after agreeing to a signing bonus worth $225, 000. Severino was just 17 years old at the time and could throw his fastball at just 91 MPH, the Yankees saw something in that to justify the signing and it worked out for New York almost immediately.

Severino began in the Dominican Summer League that season and immediately posted a 4-2 record with a 1.68 ERA while striking out 45 batters in 64.1 innings. Severino was back with the Yankees DSL team in 2013 before being promoted all the way to the Charleston Riverdogs. At Charleston Severino found himself and his fastball as he pumped up the heat to 97 MPH while posting a 4-2 record with a 2.45 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 44 innings. Severino began the 2014 season as the Yankees ninth best prospect back at Charleston before quickly earning a promotion to the Tampa Yankees. Tampa would not be his last stop of the season though as he also made the 2014 All-Star Futures Game and earned a promotion to the Double-A Trenton Thunder.

In 2014 Severino pitched for three teams and combined for a 6-5 record and a 2.46 ERA with 127 strikeouts to just 27 walks in 113 innings pitched. Severino’s strong season had him ranked as the best prospect in all of the Yankees farm system and 23^rd best out of all minor league players according to Baseball America. Severino began the 2015 season by throwing just 38 innings for the Thunder before earning the promotion to Scranton Wilkes-Barre, the Yankees Triple-A affiliate. At the time of Severino’s promotion to the Bronx the young right-hander had a perfect 7-0 record with the RailRiders with a 1.91 ERA in 11 starts. Severino was deemed untouchable at the July 31^st trading deadline and the Yankees stood pat at the trading deadline with the intention of calling up their top pitching prospect.

Severino is the future and the future is tonight in the Bronx and inside Yankee Stadium. Severino will not be on any kind of innings limit or pitch counts so he can show the world just how fearless everyone who knows him already knows that he is. We wish Severino nothing but the best of luck tonight and going forward in his career and I think I speak for everyone when I welcome him to the Yankees family with open arms. You’ve earned this Severino, now make the best of it! Go Yankees and Go Severino!

Meet a Prospect: Branden Pinder

Branden Pinder was added to the 40 man roster for the New York Yankees this winter in order to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft and despite a strong spring did not make the ball club out of camp. It only took ten days into the 2015 season for the Yankees to change their minds on Pinder as the team called him up before their game in Baltimore against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. Pinder may have worn the #42 on that day and may wear the #76 Yankees uniform this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays but he wasn't officially a Yankee until this post went live. Branden, welcome to the family.

Branden H Pinder was born on January 26, 1989 and spent his college years playing baseball at Santa Ana College and Long Beach State University both in the state of California. He turned enough heads in his college career to get drafted by the New York Yankees in the 16th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball First Year Players Draft and made his professional debut that same season with the Staten Island Yankees. Pinder advanced to A-Ball with the Tampa Yankees in 2012 and even pitched in one game with the Double-A Trenton Thunder affiliate before seasons end. In 2013 he once again split time between Tampa and Trenton but struggled a bit posting a 2-3 record with a 4.42 ERA with 72 K's in 73.1 IP. Pinder rebounded nicely though in 2014 posting a 0.56 ERA with the Thunder in his first 16 innings before being advanced to Triple-A with the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders where he finished his season.

Pinder is now 26 years old and while he is not highly regarded inside the Yankees system he could be a solid reliever for New York this season. Whether Pinder is a place holder for the likes of Tyler Webb, Nick Rumbelow, Nick Goody, Jacob Lindgren and others remains to be seen but there is no quit in this young man and that counts for something in my book. He's probably not going to be a future closer but I could see him having a more than serviceable career if he can stay healthy and simply puts his mind to it.

Good luck Branden!

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/12: Babe Ruth's Suitcase

The best Yankees pitcher that gets little to no recognition and respect is Mel Stottlemyre and he made his major league debut way back when on this day in 1964 and got a little help from the Yankees All Star Mickey Mantle. Mantle would hit a home run from both sides of the plate 10 times in his career setting a new major league record. 

Finally on this day in 1927 the Yankees acquired infielders Lyn Lary and Jimmie Reese from the PCL's Oakland Oaks for $125,000. Reese will immediately becomes Babe Ruth's roommate and be best known for his quote that he was "roomed with Ruth's suitcase."

Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees 9/4

The New York Yankees host the Chicago White Sox tonight for the final time in this three game set at Yankees Stadium. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound looking to be the ace of the staff for more than four or five innings at a time while the White Sox will send rookie Erik Johnson to the mound to make his major league debut. We have obviously never seen Johnson so we will either get bombed or knock him out after a couple innings. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on the YES Network and MLB TV.