Predicting the 2019 Season: The Comeback Players of the Year

The Comeback Player of the Year Award is a tough one to predict from year-to-year. For example, David Price won the award in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox, but my initial thought was what exactly did Price come back from? He came back from getting shelled by the Yankees in 2017, so that made him eligible to win the award? So, with that said I tried to do my best to make an educated guess at these awards, but like most of my predictions they will very likely be wrong.

I know everyone expects me to pick Gary Sanchez of the New York Yankees, partly because of his terrible offensive season in 2018 and partly because I am a self-professed “Yankees homer” in a lot of cases, but that would be too easy. Instead, I’ll pick a guy that made Gary Sanchez want to punch him in the mouth, Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers. Cabrera has been down for quite a number of seasons now, but I think a lot of that wear-and-tear will be nullified with his full-time move to the DH position this coming year. I think the Tigers can extend Miggy’s career by a couple years with the move and I also think the team will see immediate dividends here in 2019.

In the National League I tried to pick a true comeback player. I tried to pick a player that had come back from adversity or injury to take the 2019 season by storm. I tried to pick a pitcher that came back from Tommy John surgery only to suffer a pretty serious shoulder injury that cost him much of his 2018 campaign as well. My pick for the NL Comeback Player of the Year is Alex Reyes of the St. Louis Cardinals, for all the aforementioned reasons.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers 4/13

The New York Yankees are out of Boston and heading to Detroit to begin a three-game weekend set with the Detroit Tigers this weekend inside Comerica Park. The Tigers are in the midst of a total rebuild giving the Yankees a huge advantage on paper, but if the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles have taught us anything this season thus far it is that the games are unfortunately not played on paper. They are played in real life, and in real life the Yankees have to put in the work in order to win. Given that task for the Yankees tonight is Jordan Montgomery taking CC Sabathia’s turn in the rotation while the Tigers give the ball to Mike Fiers. Should be a good one, let’s get to it.

Montgomery was not sharp in his last start against the Baltimore Orioles allowing a career-high 10 hits in 4.1 innings of work. Montgomery allowed four runs as well in a no-decision inside Yankee Stadium. This will mark the first time in his career that the young Yankees left-hander will face the Detroit Tigers. 

Fiers was great in his Tigers debut last weekend against the Chicago White Sox and will look to replicate that tonight for Detroit against the Bronx Bombers. In that start Fiera pitched six scoreless innings allowing just three hits with six strikeouts in the victory, all despite his velocity being 90 MPH or below in each of his pitches in the start.

The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET inside Comerica Park in Detroit and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along using MLB TV, the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Enjoy the game, don’t pitch to Miggy, and go Yankees!!

So it Seems….Welcome Back Gary Sanchez

Gary Sanchez was suspended for his role in the brawl between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers late last month and after appealing his suspension the Yankees catcher saw his suspension reduced to three games. Sanchez began serving that suspension on Monday when the Yankees traveled to Baltimore to take on the Baltimore Orioles and after sitting out that series with one of the team’s most bitter rivals the Yankees backstop is back and ready for action tonight in Texas. Welcome back Gary, unleash the Kraken.

Hey you! Good morning. I love your beautiful face and your beautiful soul…. And I loves you. 

Miguel Cabrera and Austin Romine Have Nothing on These Yankees Fights

Believe it or not the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers played a baseball game on Thursday afternoon. I know that was hard to see in between all the fighting and with the benches clearing and all but they did. No one will talk about the Yankees loss on that day but they will instead talk about the incident of Gary Sanchez getting plunked, then Miguel Cabrera getting plunked which led to Cabrera and Yankees catcher Austin Romine throwing blows. The brawl was intense, although Sanchez’s timing in throwing a punch when he is hitting so well and with the Yankees in the middle of a pennant race can be debated back-and-forth all weekend if you want, but in my opinion this brawl didn’t have anything on the brawls and fights I am prepared to show you below.

On August 2, 1973 the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees sparked the rivalry that would go on for years to come. I mean these two teams have always been rivals but it was incidents like this that really made the rivalry what it is today. With the game tied 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning at Fenway Park the Yankees third baseman Thurman Munson charged home from third base on an attempted squeeze play. Gene Michael ended up missing the bunt attempt and Munson simply ran over Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk, something his Boston teammates did not take a liking to. Benches cleared, punches were thrown and a rivalry was sparked. Again.

On May 20, 1976 the Yankees and the Red Sox went blow for blow both in the box score and literally on the field. Lou Piniella rounded third in the sixth inning against the Red Sox and when he saw the throw was going to beat him he simply lowered his shoulder and barreled into Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk. Piniella grabbed hold of Fisk’s chest protector as the two wrestled in the dirt before Fisk landed a right hook on Piniella. Graig Nettles was also seen punching left-handed pitcher Bill Lee in the face from Boston before cooler heads prevailed and the fight was broken up. Rivalry…. Renewed.

The brawl between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees may have been the first brawl I think I ever witnessed live and in person. It was May 19, 1998 and Orioles fire-baller Armando Benitez was on the mound. I remember this because my favorite player at the time, Tino Martinez, was at the plate when he got plunked with a fastball right in the middle of the back in the first pitch Benitez threw after Bernie Williams hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Benitez was immediately tossed out of the game but that didn’t pacify Daryl Strawberry, Chad Curtis, Jeff Nelson or Graeme Lloyd as everyone charged the mound and the playing field after the incident. Strawberry had to be restrained by teammates as Benitez backed up and ended up falling into the Orioles dugout. Graeme Lloyd was seen throwing haymakers at Benitez and many Yankees and Orioles were ejected for doing the same in what will probably go down as one of the best fights in Major League Baseball history.

Remember that time Pedro Martinez picked on a 72-year old man and bench coach named Don Zimmer like a pussy cat? I do, and call me bias but I will never forget it because of that incident. Martinez had thrown at Karim Garcia earlier in the game so Roger Clemens responded by throwing up and in, not at because he was never hit, at Manny Ramirez which incited a brawl between the two clubs. Can’t the Yankees and Red Sox get along? Now I’ll be fair and point out that Zimmer did charge Martinez but Pedro did not have to grab him by the head and throw him aside. Also I will be fair and state that in his autobiography that Martinez did say “in my entire baseball career, my reaction to Zimmer’s charge is my only regret” but still. It’s Pedro Martinez and it’s the Red Sox, to hell with the Red Sox and to hell with Pedro. The Yankees did walk off against the Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS that season, the Aaron Boone off Tim Wakefield home run, so I guess they got the last laugh here.

Can anyone forget the Alex Rodriguez and Jason Varitek incident on July 24, 2004 at Fenway Park? I know I will never. Bronson Arroyo hit Alex and Rodriguez had his say on the matter as he was slowly walking towards first base. Varitek, the Red Sox catcher, didn’t like Alex mouthing “f*** you” to his pitcher and shoved Alex in the face with both his hands which prompted a wrestling match between the two and resulted in both benches clearing. This was Alex’s first season in Yankees pinstripes and was a true introduction into the rivalry after nearly being traded to the Red Sox the offseason prior. The Red Sox reversed the curse of the Bambino in 2004 though so I guess who laughs last laughs best, or something like that.

And I’ll end this post like this. How many of you think Miguel Cabrera would have stepped to the Yankees catcher after getting hit if that were Gary Sanchez back there? I don’t think he would have, and if he had then in my opinion he is a moron and deserved to get knocked out. Period. But that’s only if you ask me my opinion.

So it Seems… Mayweather v. McGregor

Today is the day ladies and gentleman that undefeated boxing champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather takes on UFC star and champion Conor McGregor. Who ya got?

Me personally I find it hard to bet against Mayweather and that’s only because of the Manny Pacquiao fight. If that fight taught us anything it is that Mayweather doesn’t have to be dominant or even all that good to win a fight, not a boxing match anyway. This is exactly what I think is going to happen. Mayweather is going to dance around, jab and run for about five-or-six rounds. Just long enough for McGregor to get frustrated and start chasing him wanting to make something happen and then Conor is going to get tagged. Lights out, game over.

Conor used to be a boxer but he isn’t much of a boxer anymore. If you don’t believe that than I have two words for you… Nate Diaz. Diaz cleaned McGregor’s clock more than once and he did it by boxing. McGregor doesn’t stand a chance unless he catches Mayweather getting cocky or arrogant and catches him with a punch. Anyone can be caught at any time, even Mayweather.

I know it’s not the pick that everyone wanted to see but that’s just how I see the fight going down. It won’t be Miguel Cabrera vs. the Yankees but it will be entertaining nonetheless. Enjoy it and enjoy the weekend!

Especially you. I’m missing you. HEY YOU. I love you Kari. 

The Motor City Brawl...

Credit:  Gregory Shamus-Getty Images

Tigers 10, Yankees 6…

Damn, I wish we would have/could have won this game.  It left a very bad taste on Getaway Day as the Yankees fell to the Detroit Tigers in a fight-marred game.  I can’t say that I’ve seen too many games where the manager and his replacement are both tossed at different points of the game.  

Credit:  Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

It was a back and forth game until the Tigers finally pulled away in the latter stages of the game after several skirmishes.

The Tigers scored first in the bottom of the 1st when Justin Upton took Yankees starter Jaime Garcia deep with a solo blast to left. Upton got all of it with the barrel of his bat and you knew it was gone by simply the sound.  I’ve tried to give Garcia every benefit of the doubt but I am starting to believe that the Minnesota Twins traded Garcia to the Yanks a week after they had acquired him because they wanted a way to make up ground on the Yankees.  

Aaron Judge led off the 2nd inning with a single to center.  He advanced to second on a wild pitch in the dirt by Tigers starter Michael Fulmer.  Didi Gregorius grounded out to the second baseman, Ian Kinsler, with the relay to first.  Judge moved over to third.  He was brought home when Chase Headley punched a single to left.  The game was tied at 1.

Credit:  Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 3rd but Garcia was able to get out of the inning when Miguel Cabrera lined out to right.

Gary Sanchez led off the 4th inning with his 27th home run of the season, a shot to center.  Tigers center fielder JaCoby Jones could only watch as the ball sailed over the fence.  The homer was El Gary’s fourth of the series.  The Yankees had taken a 2-1 lead, but the Tigers came right back in the bottom of the inning to tie it.  Nicholas Castanellos led off with a double to center in the gap as center fielder Aaron HIcks was in right center due to a shift.  Castanellos moved to third on a fly out to left by James McCann, easily beating the throw from Brett Gardner.  John Hicks got a hit through the infield on the left side which brought Castanellos home.  The game was tied.

The Yankees jumped ahead in the 5th inning.  Ronald Torreyes led off and reached base on a fielding error by second baseman Ian Kinsler. The ball rolled past the pitcher and Kinsler attempted to make the play but bobbled it.  Toe moved to second on a ground out by Austin Romine. The grounder rolled up on the shortstop, Jose Iglesias, so his only play was at first. Brett Gardner singled to deep short, with Toe moving to third (wisely holding up).  A sacrifice fly to center by A-A-Ron Hicks scored Toe.  The Yankees led, 3-2.  The incident that probably sparked the later fights occurred with the next batter when Michael Fulmer hit Gary Sanchez in the hip.  I honestly couldn’t tell if Fulmer’s pitch was intentional or not.  Fulmer’s reaction seemed to imply that it was not. The HBP moved Gardy into scoring position, but the Yankees couldn’t capitalize when Aaron Judge went down swinging to end the inning. 

The Tigers tied the game again in the bottom of the 5th.  Mikie Mahtook led off and reached first base on a fielding error by Didi Gregorius (a routine grounder that rolled under Didi’s glove; this one hurt as it would open the door for the Tigers).  Justin Upton doubled down the left field line, pushing Mahtook to third.  Jaime Garcia was mercifully pulled from the game (don’t let the door hit you on the way out) and replaced by Adam Warren.  Sadly, Warren was about as effective as Garcia.  He struck out the first batter he faced, Miguel Cabrera, but then Nicholas Castanellos hit a fly ball to center, deep enough for Mahtook to tag and score.  Upton took third.  The game was again tied.  Walks to James McCann and John Hicks loaded the bases.  After a visit to the mound by pitching coach Larry Rothschild, JaCoby Jones singled to right,  a liner just over Ronald Torreyes’ head, scoring both McCann and Hicks.  Jose Iglesias followed with a ground-rule double to left center (a one-hopper over the wall) to score Hicks.  It was 6-3 Tigers.  Tommy Kahnle replaced Warren and struck out Ian Kinsler to get out of the inning. 

Tempers were ignited in the 6th inning. With two outs in the bottom of the 6th, Tommy Kahnle threw behind MIguel Cabrera and was immediately ejected.  It brought out a furious Joe Girardi and he was tossed. Girardi’s beef was that there was no warning from the umpiring crew after Gary Sanchez was hit by Fulmer. Aroldis Chapman warmed up and entered the game.  As Miguel Cabrera walked back into the batter’s box, he was running at the mouth with words directed at catcher Austin Romine.  Romine flipped off the catcher’s mask and Cabrera shoved him, clearing both benches.  

Credit:  Reuters

After things started settling down, it was interesting to see Romine’s brother Andrew over getting the story from Austin.  It seemed to me that the melee was incited by Cabrera.  The umps tossed Austin and Cabrera.  The move forced the Yankees to forfeit the DH when Gary Sanchez was moved to catcher. 

Credit:  Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

In a valiant comeback attempt, the Yankees tied the game again in the top of the 7th.  Ronald Torreyes led off with a walk. Jacoby Ellsbury, pinch-hitting for Aroldis Chapman, also walked.  The Tigers pulled Micheal Fulmer and replaced him with Daniel Stumpf.  With Brett Gardner at the plate, a wild pitch by Stumpf that got away from James McCann allowed Toe and Ellsbury to move to second and third.  Gardy then singled to center with a fly that just dropped in, scoring Toe and moving Ells to third.  A sacrifice fly to the left field wall by Aaron Hicks scored Ellsbury.  The Tigers made another pitching change to bring in Alex Wilson.  Gary Sanchez greeted Wilson with a single up the middle to center field and Gardy scored to tie the game at 6.

Dellin Betances took over in the bottom of the 7th and he was ejected when he threw a ball that hit James McCann in the head. That was not pretty.  I was glad to see that McCann was okay. I think the ball got away from Betances.  I don’t think he was purposely head-hunting.  Plus, it didn’t make sense to hit a batter in that spot.  Game tied, no outs. Yankees bench coach Rob Thomson, the interim manager when Girardi was ejected, was also thrown out for arguing.  David Robertson replaced Betances and hit John Hicks on the hand with an unintentional pitch.  JaCoby Jones walked to load the bases.  Jose Iglesias doubled to left center over Brett Gardner’s head, clearing the bases.  The Tigers had re-taken the lead, 9-6.  

In a retaliatory move, Alex Wilson plunked Todd Frazier (hip) in the top of the 8th.  The benches were cleared a second time.  Brett Gardner was the one who had to be pulled out of the crowd, kicking and screaming. Both Wilson and Tigers manager Brad Ausmus were ejected.  Shane Greene entered the game and shut the Yankees down from there.  

Credit:  Gregory Shamus-Getty Images

In the bottom of the 8th with Caleb Smith on the mound, James McCann got a measure of revenge when he took Smith deep for a solo blast high over the wall in left center.  

Brett Gardner led off the top of the 9th with a single to right off Greene, but Aaron Hicks grounded into a double play.  Gary Sanchez ended the game by striking out on a foul tip.  A tough loss, particularly the way it went down.  

The Yankees (68-58), fortunately, did not lose any ground in the AL East and remain 4 games back.  The Cleveland Indians apparently solved the Chris Sale mystery as they bludgeoned the Boston Red Sox, 13-6.  The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-0, to move into a third place tie with the idle Baltimore Orioles.  Both teams are 6 1/2 games behind the Yankees.

There were no heroes in this game.  The umpiring crew was a joke.  They let the game get out of control.  There was even a scuffle in the Tigers’ dugout when Victor Martinez had to be restrained from going after Justin Verlander after the two exchanged words.  Yankees third base coach Joe Espada finished up the game as manager after Rob Thomson was thrown out.  

Gary Sanchez took criticism after the game for his sucker punches on Miguel Cabrera and Nicholas Castanellos.  He could be facing a suspension at a time when the Yankees need him the most.  With both Sanchez and Austin Romine potentially losing time due to suspensions and Kyle Higashioka on the DL at Triple A, the catching position is suddenly very thin.  The most disappointing part of the day is that suspensions will only hurt the Yankees and not the Tigers since they have nothing to play for at this point in the season. Maybe a suspension of the umpire crew is in order...

Next Up:  Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY…

The Yankees return home to host the Mariners for Players Weekend.  It should be fun with the relaxed uniform standards and player names or nicknames on the jerseys.  Hopefully the Yankees can shake off Thursday’s brawl and return to the winning ways they experienced in taking the first two games from the Detroit Tigers.  

It’s unclear if Robinson Cano will play this series.  Don’t You Know was pulled from a game on Wednesday with hamstring tightness and was scheduled for tests yesterday.  At the present time, he’s listed day-to-day.

Credit:  Associated Press

Here are the scheduled pitching match-ups:

TODAY

Mariners:  Ariel Miranda (8-6, 4.78 ERA)

Yankees:  CC Sabathia (10-5, 3.99 ERA)

SATURDAY

Mariners:  Yovani Gallardo (5-9, 5.75 ERA)

Yankees:  Sonny Gray (7-8, 3.38 ERA)

SUNDAY

Mariners:  Andrew Albers (2-0, 3.60 ERA)

Yankees:  Masahiro Tanaka (9-10, 4.86 ERA)

The Mariners are currently tied for third in the Wild Card Standings with the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels.  They trail the Yankees by four games and the second WC team, the Minnesota Twins, by just a 1/2 game.  

Have a great Friday!  Back home and time to take care of business.  Let's Go Yankees!

Random Thoughts After the GM Meetings

The general manager meetings are done and after a few days of sitting under palm trees in the Sonora

Desert resort not a whole lot got done. This is not uncommon, the big event where players move around the most is usually the winter meetings which take place next month, but it is a bit unusual to see exactly zero trades done during the four day event.

The Yankees have a viable trade piece in Brian McCann, the Pittsburgh Pirates have one also in Andrew McCutchen while the Detroit Tigers will listen to offers on anything that isn’t tied down including Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, J.D. Martinez and Victor Martinez. Chris Sale could be had from the Chicago White Sox with the right deal along with a slew of names I’m sure we the fans just aren’t hearing about.

There is an eerie calm around the league right now. Maybe it is the upcoming collective bargaining agreement that is set to expire. Maybe it’s the rumors of the luxury tax threshold potentially rising with any new CBA. Maybe it’s just the fact that the free agent class is weak and these players know it so they are going to take their time, make opposing teams sweat and ultimately bid against themselves in order to get the maximum contract.

I don’t know why but I just get a weird feeling about this offseason. It’s either going to be really great for the Yankees, great being Brian Cashman pulls off a few trades and puts an actual World Series caliber team out there for once, or a really disappointing offseason for the Yankees. One thing is for sure I don’t see how they can go another offseason without signing a free agent to a MLB deal… so stay tuned.

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers 6/10

Friday night baseball in the Bronx and it should be a good one as the New York Yankees stay home this weekend to play host to Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers. These two teams have had some bitter battles over the past few seasons and the Yankees have always played the Tigers tough even when on paper and in the standings Detroit was the better team. I expect no less out of the boys tonight as they send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with Mike Pelfrey. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV.

Three more games this weekend in the Bronx before an off day on Monday and a trip to Colorado to face off with the Rockies early next week. Click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to see any of these games live this weekend including Tanaka Day tomorrow evening. Also be sure to give us a follow on your favorite social media site whether it be Facebook, search The Greedy Pinstripes, or Twitter, @GreedyStripes.

CC going for five consecutive strong starts, let’s watch. Go Yankees!

Yankees Pitching vs. Detroit Hitting and Vice Versa

The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers are set to make up their postponed game from April 10^th giving us just a few more hours to get ready. Not too awful much is going on so I decided we could take a look at what the Yankees pitching, Michael Pineda in particular, has done against the Tigers offense in his career and vice versa with the Yankees offense and Matt Boyd.

All photos and stats courtesy of ESPN.com

Fantasy Baseball: So You Need a First Baseman?

So you want to build a snow… wait, wrong blog. Sorry about that. So you want to build a strong fantasy baseball team this year but you’re not quite sure who to choose as your first baseman? Don’t fret and keep reading as I try to rank and educate on the first baseman across the league much like we ranked the catchers around the league earlier this month. First baseman are usually a lot easier to find than catchers are but the right first baseman can give your offense and team the lift it needs when facing tough competition in a close week. 

Obviously at the top you have the Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt but if you’re not lucky enough to have one of the top two or three picks (FYI he should never fall to three) then you may want to consider, in this order, Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs, Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays, Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers and Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox. Rizzo is something special and may be playing with one of the best offensive teams in the league giving him plenty of RBI and runs scored opportunities while the same can be said for Encarnacion. Encarnacion was fantastic last season and may only be the third best hitter on his team, let that sink in. Meanwhile I like Abreu better than Cabrera if I am building an All-Star team but Cabrera has the better offense and more protection around him while Abreu will get his fair share of intentional walks in 2016. For those reasons these are my Top 5 first baseman in the league.

To take that list one step further I would have to with Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles sixth, especially since he’s hitting in Camden Yard again, Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals seventh, Joey Votto of the Reds eight, Adrian Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Dodgers ninth and Brandon Belt of the San Francisco Giants 10^th. I like Votto, I like him a lot actually, but he has nothing around him in Cincinnati and will likely receive a lot of the same treatment Jose Abreu will receive in Chicago. I also wanted to put Freddie Freeman on this list somewhere in the Top 10 but could not justify it for the same reasons leaving me to add Belt, Hosmer and A-Gon. 

If you miss out on any of these Top 10 or 11 first baseman there are still true options out there but the risk factors start to show their ugly heads. Players like Albert Pujols, Carlos Santana and Lucas Duda always have injury concerns following them around while Mark Trumbo of Baltimore and Byung-Ho Park of Minnesota come attached to huge question marks and unknowns. And then, for the Yankees fans reading, there is Mark Teixeira. Who knows what to expect out of Teixeira? Will he need a DL stint or three? Will he push for 40 home runs again or will he miss more games than he hits home runs? I have no idea so unless you just need a first baseman and need to take a chance it may be wise to stay away from Teixeira unfortunately.

And there you have it, your first baseball rankings from across the league. If you are unsure of what first baseman to take in your draft then keep this bookmarked as a point of reference. I hope it helps, enjoy!

Fantasy Sports Trade Association Holds First Fantasy Baseball Draft of 2016

Fantasy Sports Trade Association and their experts conducted the first official fantasy draft for the 2016 season thus kicking off the fantasy baseball season. The FSTA put together a 13-team league and drafted their respective teams this week at the fantasy industry’s annual winter conference. At the conference were representatives from Scout Fantasy, Rotowire, USA Today Sports, Fanastistics, Baseball HQ, Sirius XM Radio, Fantasy Alarm and a few other companies and websites.

With the first pick in the FSTA Fantasy Draft Dr. Roto of Scout Fantasy selected Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Following Goldschmidt was Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Nolan Arenado, Carlos Correa, Josh Donaldson, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Miguel Cabrera, Andrew McCutchen, Manny Machado and Edwin Encarnacion in successive order.

The first closer to come off the board was Wade Davis of the Kansas City Royals who went also to Dr. Roto in the 6^th round. This gives you an idea about how the experts rank these particular players and maybe it can help you at the beginning of your fantasy draft. 

Justin Upton, the Tigers and Fantasy Baseball

If you leave defensive metrics out of the discussion the best offensive free agent this winter may have been Justin Upton and not Jason Heyward. Obviously both players will play the outfield for much or the duration of their contracts so you have to include the defensive metrics but still Upton was a catch and the Detroit Tigers got him on a huge six-year deal. Upton, who is no defensive slouch himself mind you, will join the lineup in Detroit that already showcases Miguel Cabrera and Ian Kinsler which should help the Tigers immensely as they look to climb back to the top of the American League Central Division. Upton will help the Tigers both offensively in defensively when the team plays this season but how much will he help your fantasy team?

Last season while hitting in Major League Baseball’s equivalent of Yellowstone National Park (if you don’t get the reference Petco Park, like Yellowstone, is HUGE) Upton managed to hit for just a .251 batting average and .790 OPS with 26 home runs and stole 19 bases in what many deemed as a down year for the 28-year old. While the batting average isn’t exactly where you’d like it the home runs, defense and stolen bases is where you get your value out of Upton. Upton’s 26 home runs in 2015 marked the third consecutive year he hit at least 26 homers and the fifth time in the last seven years he has done so. His power is consistent, even inside the biggest parks around the league.

Upton has not been on great teams over the past few years and has seen his RBI total shrink to about 80 RBI per season with 85 runs scored but that’s a product of the team around him and not him as much. Playing with a stacked lineup around him in Detroit should help with both of those numbers as they both likely climb above 100 during the 2016 season. Upton strikes out a ton, more so than ever actually, but he takes his walks, hits for power and hits it to the gaps. You can live with the strikeouts if a player does that making Upton a second or third round pick in my opinion.

Upton will be the second hottest Upton commodity in Detroit this season behind the beautiful Kate Upton but he should be first on your fantasy team. If you see him then get him as early as you can. I wouldn’t let him slide past the second or early third round personally but I expect big things out of him inside Comerica Park in 2016. Hitting behind Anthony Gose and Ian Kinsler and hitting in front of Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and JD Martinez will only help Upton even if Comerica will likely hurt him just a tad. 

Baseball WILL Unify the United States and Cuba

For basically my entire lifetime the United States and Cuba have had little that the two countries actually agreed on. During the Cold War the Russians sided with Cuba, or vice versa but who is really counting at this point, while the United States countered with embargoes on the island country. These two countries, especially under former leader Fidel Castro, have never seen eye-to-eye and have never seemingly wanted to see eye-to-eye. Well until recently when President Barack Obama began lifting embargoes and restrictions on the country in hopes of easing the tension between the two countries diplomatically. President Obama may have opened the doors for a whole new set of possibilities between the two but it will be Major League Baseball that will unify the people of these two countries.

Recently Major League Baseball sent a goodwill tour to the country of Cuba in hopes of beginning a relationship and friendship between the league and Cuba. The US sent some of their own All-Stars, Clayton Kershaw being one of them, but also sent stars that defected from Cuba in Jose Abreu and Yasiel Puig to name a few. It was a great gesture by the league and it resulted in both the Cuban flag and the United States flag being flown side-by-side inside the Estadio Victoria de Giron. A stadium that features a massive scoreboard with a photograph of Fidel Castro on it. Castro’s youngest son, Antonio, like much of the Cuban population, has a passion for baseball and he may understand more than anyone what a working relationship between MLB and the Cuban government could mean not only for the sport and the game but for the working relationship between the two countries.

These two countries speak two entirely different languages, but one common theme is baseball. These two countries are led and run two entirely different ways. One is a democracy and one is likely still run by a dictator, Raul Castro, but one common theme is baseball. The vast majority of Cubans love the sport of Major League Baseball and MLB is the national past time of the United States. It’s these baby steps and good gestures built on mutual respect and willingness to work together that can and I think will lead to a prosperous working relationship between the two countries outside of baseball.

Let’s be frank, Cuba needs MLB just as much as MLB needs the country of Cuba. We need each other and this is just the beginning I think of great things that we are all going to be seeing. All because of the sport of baseball, the unifying power.

FYI: Top 20 Contracts in Major League Baseball

Just an FYI to end your night, the Top 20 highest paid players in Major League Baseball as it stands today. Why? Just because, it's not like much else is going on.



1. Giancarlo Stanton, $325,000,000 (2015-27)
2. Alex Rodriguez, $275,000,000 (2008-17)
3. Miguel Cabrera, $248,000,000 (2016-23)
4. Albert Pujols, $240,000,000 (2012-21)
5. Robinson Cano, $240,000,000 (2014-23)
6. Joey Votto, $225,000,000 (2014-23)
7. Clayton Kershaw, $215,000,000 (2014-20)
8. Prince Fielder, $214,000,000 (2012-20)
9. Max Scherzer, $210,000,000 (2015-21)
10. Joe Mauer, $184,000,000 (2011-18)
11. Mark Teixeira, $180,000,000 (2009-16)
12 . Justin Verlander, $180,000,000 (2013-19)
13. Felix Hernandez, $175,000,000 (2013-19)
14. Buster Posey, $167,000,000 (2013-21)
15. CC Sabathia, $161,000,000 (2009-15)
16. Matt Kemp, $160,000,000 (2012-19)
17. Troy Tulowitzki, $157,750,000 (2011-20)
18. Masahiro Tanaka, $155,000,000 (2014-20)
19 . Jon Lester, $155,000,000 (2015-20)
20. Adrian Gonzalez, $154,000,000 (2012-18)

All stats according to Cots Baseball Contracts on Baseball Prospectus

Looking Back at my 2015 MVP Award Predictions

The MVP Award is probably the most prestigious award in all of sports and especially in Major League Baseball and like every other award this season I took a stab at predicting it before the season. It's becoming a common theme that I'm not too great at these but honestly I'm okay with that. I take a stab at them and wrong or not I bring you the answer when it becomes applicable. I don't hide behind the short memories of some and I don't only post the predictions that make me look like the "Yankees Wizard." I'm humble, I wonder if Yoenis Cespedes and Giancarlo Stanton are.

It’s time for the big awards to be given out as I take a stab at predicting the American League and National League MVP Awards. These predictions are such a crap shoot and so much goes into them and so much can alter the award winner during the season it’s almost silly to attempt to predict it in March but it’s all for fun anyway so why not.

For the American League I am going to go against the grain a little bit and pick a member of the Detroit Tigers, just not the Detroit Tigers player that you would expect. I am going to go with Yoenis Cespedes winning the award and not Victor Martinez or Miguel Cabrera. With that kind of protection in the lineup and that many runners on base in front of him Cespedes should see plenty of fastballs this season, and we all know Cespedes is a dead fastball hitter. He should hit his fair share of home runs and doubles while knocking in a ton of RBI and scoring a ton of runs. He may not compete for a batting title but I expect the Cuban, who FYI is playing for a contract since he is a free agent at the end of the season, to be right there in the MVP discussion this season.


For the National League I am going to pick a familiar face in Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins. Until Stanton gives me reason to pick someone else for the award I am going to pick him year in and year out, which makes next year’s post a little anti-climactic for you guys. Stanton is still the best hitter in all of the game and especially all of the National League and has a chip on his shoulder in 2015. He has a much improved team around him, a lot of money to justify to the fans that he deserves and he wants to prove that he can still hit after taking a fastball to the face that ended his 2014 season. He will do all that and then some in 2015, mark my words.

As we look at my prediction for the final, and the biggest, award in Major League Baseball this season were in a word, wrong. Many are giving the NL MVP Award to Bryce Harper this season while some, and when I say some I mean only the Mets fans, are saying that Cespedes deserves the nod in the NL. Meanwhile in the AL, you know that league that Cespedes is no longer in hence he cannot win the award there, Josh Donaldson and Mike Trout are going at it for the award. I didn't mention either of them, that's my bad.

The Year of the Prospect Continues

For the first time in a long time the New York Yankees are actually relying on, and relying heavily on I might add, players from their farm system. While I only give the Yankees half credit, they are turning to their prospects because of injuries to their key veterans like Jacoby Ellsbury and Andrew Miller to name a few and it’s too early in the season to take on anyone else’s leftovers, the Yankees are using them nonetheless. The Yankees aren’t the only team to turn to prospects in a time of need this season, it seems like everyone is doing it. Byron Buxton came up with the Minnesota Twins before suffering an injury while the Cubs finally called up Kris Bryant to anchor their offense. I always thought this year would be remembered as the Year of the Prospect and that thought was solidified when the American League and National League All-Star rosters were announced.

All in all, and barring injury replacements and such, 10 players will be making their first trips to the All-Star Game in 2015 and many of them, 35 players to be exact, are age 27 or younger. These numbers are subject to change as well with the final vote still going on as the Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner is eligible for his first All-Star Game appearance as well if he wins the fan vote. Gardner could be potentially joining rookies Joc Pederson and Kris Bryant for the National League and Brock Holt of the Boston Red Sox for the American League.

It’s not all prospects though as AJ Burnett is a first-time All-Star in his age 38, and final, season while 35 year old’s Albert Pujols and Mark Teixeira are back in the game after being absent for a few years. Of course there are snubs, Clayton Kershaw isn’t an All-Star for an example, while Miguel Cabrera and Giancarlo are both slated to miss the game due to injuries. The game should be entertaining and it should have some familiar faces from around the league but it’s also going to have a ton of new faces to get to know in 2015. The Year of the Prospect continues… 

Recap: Yankees 2, Tigers 1

Masahiro Tanaka had a highly-productive outing, surrendering just one earned run over 6 1/3 innings to lead the Yankees past the Tigers, 2-1, on Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park. 

Tanaka Time: Tanaka allowed just three hits in his second consecutive quality start, striking out six while walking two. He gave up a run in the bottom of the first -- handing the Tigers a 1-0 advantage -- but rebounded from there for an overall-promising performance. 

Walks and Balks: With the Yankees still trailing 1-0 in the sixth, Jacoby Ellsbury attempted to rally them back with a walk and a stolen base -- eventually reaching third with two outs in the frame. It was then that Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez balked on an unusual delivery home, tying the contest in a manner pretty unpleasing to the crowd. 

Hustle Pays Off: Ellsbury created another Yankees threat with a hustle double to kickoff the eighth, sliding into second head-first before advancing to third on a bunt. Ellsbury would later score the go-ahead run on a sharp groundout from Brian McCann, crossing home easily after a Miguel Cabrera deflection cost Detroit a double play.

Escaping Trouble: Having put runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh, the Tigers were preparing to break the draw when Dellin Betances was brought in to relieve Justin Wilson -- inducing a much-needed foulout of Nick Castellanos following a six-pitch battle. Betances then went onto toss a 1-2-3 eighth as well, logging a pair of strikeouts during the quick at-bat. 

Miller Closes it Out: Andrew Miller has been great for the Yankees so far this season, and only continued his nice April with an easy save in the ninth. He retired the Tigers in order in the game's final inning, clinching the series for New York with punch-outs of Cabrera and J.D. Martinez. 

Next Up: The Yankees will welcome the 13-3 Mets to Yankee Stadium Friday when the two teams face off in the first set of the interleague schedule -- beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET and airing live on MLB Network. Michael Pineda (2-0, 5.00 ERA) will get the nod for the Yankees in his fifth start of 2015, looking to upset 2014 NL ROY Jacob deGrom (2-1, 0.93 ERA).

Nathan Eovaldi Giving Yankees Fans Hope

Nathan Eovaldi’s stat line may not give Yankees fans much to be happy about but if you have actually been watching the games you would know that the young RHP is giving Yankees fans everywhere a little hope with every start he makes. Eovaldi pitched into the 8^th inning with a shutout going for the Yankees against the best team in baseball, at the time, in the Detroit Tigers. Eovaldi made the likes of Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Yoenis Cespedes look overmatched at times as they continuously pounded the ball into the ground or struck out on high 90’s heat. Many weren’t happy about the trade that saw David Phelps and Martin Prado head to Miami for Eovaldi and Garrett Jones but those doubters may change their mind by the end of the season.

Eovaldi credits his sensational start to a mechanical change, a change in his arm angle, for the great start in Detroit. It’s worth remembering or noting as well for those who didn’t watch the game that the temperatures were in the 40’s and there was a slight to heavy rain for much of the night, not that it seemed to bother Eovaldi in the slightest. Eovaldi’s always had a fastball that could touch 100 MPH but always lacked a true breaking ball and put away pitch entering the 2015 season but if the young Texan can replicate that arm angle going forward he may have found two in one night with his slider and his curveball. Both were thrown in pitchers counts and both were breaking well enough to keep the Detroit batters off balance and more importantly inside the ballpark. Eovaldi moved the ball with all his pitches at will, both north and south and east and west, and really took a step forward in his development in front of our eyes in my opinion.

Eovaldi induced three ground ball double plays and induced another on a line drive comebacker due to the fact that he consistently had the Tigers hitters pounding the ball into the dirt. Whether this is a glimpse into the future of what Eovaldi can do for the Yankees or if this is just another tease of what kind of potential he has when his off-speed stuff is on is yet to be determined but you have to at least get a little excited about what Eovaldi did against Detroit and hope that he can build on that going forward. Eovaldi’s final line was 7+ IP with one earned run with one walk and four strikeouts. Eovaldi is now 1-0 for the Yankees and if he pitches like he did Tuesday night in Detroit he could see quite a few more wins on the back of his baseball card in 2015 for New York.

The Sometimes Daily Dozen: April 20th Edition

The Daily Dozen: April 20, 2015 Edition

Okay...so I must say...blogging about the Yankees is much harder with 4 kids than it was with 3...so you will have to excuse me if this section of TGP doesn't appear each and every day.  I've been pretty busy at work lately so I haven't had much time outside of work / family to b-log much.

Twelve Takeaways and Summations from The Last Week Ending with Last Night's Game:

1. When did A-Rod become All-Powerful Again?  When I last saw the stats Alex was sitting on 656 home runs and barely making an impact on the scoreboard.  His line leading up to last night's game with the Tigers was as follows:

.316 AVG / 10 R / 12 H / 3 2B / 4 HR / 11 RBI / 27 TB / 9 BB / 16 SO / .568 OBP / .711 SLG / 1.279 OPS

Those are pratically MVP numbers if translated over a 162-game season (using 12x the numbers)

.316 AVG / 120 R / 144 H / 36 2B / 48 HR / 132 RBI / 324 TB / 108 BB / 192 SO

Obviously that isn't going to hold up but even if he gets HALF of that wouldn't you be satisfied?  The only thing that worries me are the strikeouts...the minute he starts to wear down that number may actually INCREASE.

Would you be satisfied with the following:

.280 AVG / 70 R / 75 H / 20 2B / 24 HR / 75 RBI ????  He's likely to get something around there.

2. Sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays.  Is Tampa changing their names back to Devil Rays?  Now without Joe Madden they don't seem to be as fearsome anymore.  Let's hope the Yankees go 18-0 against them.  They may need it to make the playoffs.

The Real Reason I Haven't Been Around #Superstition

3. The Yankees have 7 stolen bases as a team in 13 games.  So much for SMALL BALL, ehh?  I would think Jacoby Ellsbury would have 7 SBs by now just by himself.  Instead he only has 2 to go along with his 3 CS...ouch.

4. Is Mark Teixeira back?  Last night against the Tigers he had a solo HR to put the Yankees up 1-0.  It was a bomb...a Teixxx-rated Message if you will.  This is the bat that the Yanks desperately need to back up A-Rod and make a bridge to McCann and Beltran if they ever start heating up.  Not to mention Headley.

5. Now...to mention Headley.  His defense at 3rd base isn't quite Jose Iglesias' level, but he has been spectacular in his own right.  As long as his glove stays hot at the hot corner, A-Rod can maintain his focus on batting and being the best DH he can be.

6. Gardner and Ellsbury's Defense.  Did anyone actually watch the defense played by both the Yankees and Tigers last night?  I saw a tweet from someone that went something like:

71% of the Earth is covered by water....the other 29% is covered by Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury.

7.  Error Omissions.  In the first 8 games the Yankees had 11 errors as a team.  In the 5 games since...they have ZERO.  Too bad they are 3-2 in those games, but the games lost were by a 7-5 and 2-1 score.  Without stellar defense it could've been very bad.

8. Miguel Cabrera, the Double Play King.  In years past, the Yankees would have been better to just walk Miggy.  However, in last night's game, he GIDP'd twice in a row!  He'll probably hit 3 HRs tonight to make up for it though.

9. 4 of the 7 Yankees losses are by 2 runs or less.  It is imperative that the defense stays like it has the past 5 games and that the bullpen is lights out, because the Yankees are sure to be in a plethora of 1 and 2-run games this season.  For the record, New York is 4-4 in 1 or 2 run games thus far.  This needs to be a 60% win record for them to have a shot at the playoffs.

Schedule from ESPN.com

10. Joe Girardi is THE BINDER.  I know that his binder probably told him to intentionally walk Victor Martinez last night in the 7th inning.  But didn't your gut tell you that C.C. should have pitched to him?  Instead the baseball gods bit the Yankees in the arse by J.D. Martinez singling to score Davis and then Cespedes who was previously 0 for 6 against C.C. knocking in the eventual game winner into short center to the great arm of Ellsbury.  TRUST MY INSTINCTS GIRARDI!!!!

11. Ex-Yankees....ARRRGGHH.  In the category of "I can't stand when ex-Yankees come back to haunt us" of COURSE Joba Chamberlain comes into the game all beardlike in the top of the 8th inning to induce Ellsbury of all people into a double play to end the inning.  Can I get a fly ball to the outfield Mr. Ellsbury, please!  I think Joba should be forced to enter every game by bouncing out of the bullpen from a trampoline.

12. The Great C.C. Even with the loss last night, I believe the consensus is that if Sabathia can pitch like that all season, the Yankees will do very well.  He pitched a complete game by the way only giving up those 2 runs in the 7th which were flukish at best.  For the record, C.C.'s line:

8.0 IP / 7 H / 2 R / 2 ER / 3 BB / 5 K / 98 pitches with 62 strikes.  He threw first pitch strikes to 20 of the 29 batters he faced.  That's the C.C. we know and love!

He lowered his season ERA to 4.35 but is 0-3.

Predicting the MVP Award Winners for 2015

It’s time for the big awards to be given out as I take a stab at predicting the American League and National League MVP Awards. These predictions are such a crap shoot and so much goes into them and so much can alter the award winner during the season it’s almost silly to attempt to predict it in March but it’s all for fun anyway so why not.

For the American League I am going to go against the grain a little bit and pick a member of the Detroit Tigers, just not the Detroit Tigers player that you would expect. I am going to go with Yoenis Cespedes winning the award and not Victor Martinez or Miguel Cabrera. With that kind of protection in the lineup and that many runners on base in front of him Cespedes should see plenty of fastballs this season, and we all know Cespedes is a dead fastball hitter. He should hit his fair share of home runs and doubles while knocking in a ton of RBI and scoring a ton of runs. He may not compete for a batting title but I expect the Cuban, who FYI is playing for a contract since he is a free agent at the end of the season, to be right there in the MVP discussion this season.

For the National League I am going to pick a familiar face in Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins. Until Stanton gives me reason to pick someone else for the award I am going to pick him year in and year out, which makes next year’s post a little anti-climactic for you guys. Stanton is still the best hitter in all of the game and especially all of the National League and has a chip on his shoulder in 2015. He has a much improved team around him, a lot of money to justify to the fans that he deserves and he wants to prove that he can still hit after taking a fastball to the face that ended his 2014 season. He will do all that and then some in 2015, mark my words.