The New York Yankees & Elusive Good Health...

Photo Credit: Frank Franklin II, Associated Press

Starting Rotation missing its spots…

Silly me. I had hoped the “Next Man Up” tag line was the theme of the 2019 Yankees, not this year. 

Credit: Randy Glasbergen

The Yankees are not off to a great start in 2020 with the injuries that have surfaced. James Paxton is not expected back until May at the earliest, possibly June, after recent back surgery, Aaron Judge is being held back over caution with his shoulder, and Luis Severino is headed to New York for further tests regarding the forearm tightness he experienced this week.

I am not ready to throw in the towel and concede the AL East to the Tampa Bay Rays, but no doubt the Rays see blood in the water.  The Yankees didn’t have Severino for most of last season and they still won 103 games so it’s not like they’ll fold without him. I am very thankful the Yankees were successful in signing Gerrit Cole last December and the team’s offense, even without Judge at 100%, remains one of the best in the game. 

I went from wanting J.A. Happ traded after his disappointing performance last season (primarily to eliminate his $17 million contract and his potential for reaching the milestones to trigger another $17 million for 2021) to the realization that he is a major cog in the starting rotation, at least for now. With the absences of Paxton and Sevy, Tanaka becomes the second to Cole, and Happ is your third starter. It does not exactly instill confidence (at least not for me).Yet, I am hopeful we’ll see Happ’s return to be a stable and consistent force in the rotation like he was in the latter half of the 2018 season. Although nobody has handed him anything, Jordan Montgomery is expected to be the fourth starter. From there, it is anybody’s guess.

 

If GM Brian Cashman knew about Paxton’s troublesome back and some potential concern with Sevy’s forearm (if it has been bothering him since the playoffs last year this past off-season, I am surprised the best pitching options brought in from the outside were former Angels starter Nick Tropeano and former Rockies starter/reliever Chad Bettis. In retrospect, it seems like Cashman had the time to bring in a potentially stronger hedge for the starting rotation.

Most likely, the fifth starter role will be filled either by an opener or we’ll see one of the young guys (like Deivi Garcia or Michael King) step forward. There’s been a lot of hype for Clarke Schmidt but asking him to jump from Double A seems to be a big leap. Then, there’s the usual suspects, Jonathan Loaisiga and Luis Cessa. I am not trying to be critical of them but I see both as better arms for the pen. As much as we may like Loaisiga’s arm, he always seems to be an injury waiting to happen. I think the Yankees are better using Chad Green as a late inning bullpen specialist, especially after the departure of Dellin Betances and despite Green’s success as an opener last year. 

It’s always possible the Yankees swing a trade for a starter but teams are less motivated to trade in March than they will be in July when they know whether or not October is in their future. 

I’d love to see one of the young guys grab the starting spot and run with it.  Maybe that’s what the Yankees see. If it were my team, I’d probably be less willing to gamble with the fifth spot when there are questions with the third and fourth starters. But Cashman and his team know much more than I ever will and I trust them to make the right decisions. The Yankees have heavily invested in the 2020 season and they’re not going to throw it away now. Championship windows are not open for long and the Yankees know it. Trust the process.

Photo Credit: Andrew Mills, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

I am glad we’ll have Yankees Baseball back on TV today when the Yankees face the Toronto Blue Jays at Steinbrenner Field. Or if you are fortunate enough to be in Tampa, all the better. J.A. Happ takes the pitching mound for the Yankees in their Spring debut. The game will also see Michael King, Luis Cessa and Nick Tropeano with turns behind Happ. We won’t have the joy of Troy Tulowitzki’s homer off his former team last Spring (the career highlight of his brief time in Pinstripes), but maybe Gio Urshela, the scheduled third base starter, can deposit a pitch over the outfield wall while facing some of his ex-teammates. Gerrit Cole, in a non-televised game, will make his debut on Monday against his original team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bummer, I would have really enjoyed to see Cole facing live opposing hitters. The first few Spring games are always fun until the monotony sets in during the upcoming weeks. While I am anxious and excited for the March 26^th opener in Baltimore, I am hopeful we’ll have greater confidence in the starting rotation behind Cole and Tanaka when the season starts. So I want the regular season to start soon, but not too soon. May the best possible 26 men head north to the great state of Maryland next month.

I think the inner George Steinbrenner in me wants the Yankees to grab whatever star players they can (Nolan Arenado, Josh Hader, etc.) so they can crush the World, but I know the Yankees have the healthy guys in camp right now that can bring home the “piece of metal” by season’s end. I was probably a little envious of the Los Angeles Dodgers fan base and how energized they became with the trade that brought Mookie Betts to their team. They seem to be beating their chests about this being “the year”. There’s still a lot of baseball to played between now and October, but I’ll happily take my chances with this collection of Yankees and how they stack up against the Dodgers assuming the teams are fortunate enough to advance to this year’s World Series.

MLB Network’s 30 Clubs in 30 Days will feature the Yankees on Tuesday, March 3^rd. I always enjoy the exclusivity of interviews with the Yankees players and coaches but those shows always seem like the fastest hour in Sports or at least the player interview segments seem too short. The YES Network is good about the Hot Stove shows early in the off-season but there’s always a sense of loss when the shows come to an end. It’s too bad they can’t have weekly shows from Tampa to give us insight into the players. I guess there’s Yankees Magazine but it doesn’t have the same real time effect like the Hot Stove shows. 

They are saying Greg Bird has a legitimate shot to earn the starting first base job with the Texas Rangers as they break in their new stadium this season. I have to say it will suck if Bird has a happy and healthy season for the Rangers. I know, I shouldn’t say that. I do not regret the Yankees’ decision to cut Bird loose, but after so much false hope each season with Bird, it would be disappointing to see him give Texas what he never gave the Yankees (good health). I guess I turn the page on ex-Yankees faster than I should. I loved Didi Gregorius as a Yankee but now I find the fans who are still posting comments about how much they miss him to be annoying. I couldn’t care less about the Philadelphia Phillies and their manager. I feel the same about Bird and former Yank Todd Frazier (I see him as more of an ex-Met these days) in Texas. I am not going to root for them just because they once played for the Yankees. Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly is the lone exception to my personal rule. 

Photo Credit: Jeff Roberson, Associated Press

I’ve tried to avoid talking about the cheating scandal for this post but I want to say I feel David Ortiz is wrong for calling Mike Fiers a “snitch”. 

Photo Credit: The New York Post

I respect Big Papi but Fiers, a guy none of us are enamored with as Yankee fans, did the right thing to bring attention to the Houston cheaters. While I understand Papi’s criticism that Fiers should have said something while a member of the Astros, I also get team camaraderie holding players back from being divisive forces in the clubhouse and the fact Fiers tried to follow proper channels through the Oakland A’s and the MLB office before stepping forward on the public stage. I support Fiers for his critical role in bringing to light the shame and scandal of the Houston Asterisks. I still do not like Fiers the pitcher, but I will always respect him for stepping forward and revealing the unethical play of the Astros.  

Let’s enjoy some baseball today.

As always, Go Yankees!  

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

And just like that it is game time on this Friday the 13^th between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. In the first of this three-game weekend set the Yankees will send out Jordan Montgomery taking CC Sabathia’s turn in the rotation while the Tigers will counter with former Houston Astros starter Mike Fiers. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET inside Comerica Park and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN.

Follow us on Twitter, @GreedyStripes, and “Like” us on Facebook, The Greedy Pinstripes, to keep up with us and the team all season long. Enjoy the game, Fiers you’re not in Houston anymore, and go Yankees!!

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!!

26 New Free Agents Enter the Fold, Any of Them Interest the Yankees?

The deadline to tender or non-tender contracts to players has come and gone this offseason and while the New York Yankees tendered contracts to all their arbitration eligible players there were 26 players who were not as lucky. These 26 players now enter the free agent pool, should the Yankees be interested in any of them for the 2018 season?

Here is the complete list of new free agents thanks to the USA Today:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

CHICAGO (4) — Al Alburquerque, rhp; Alen Hanson, ss; Jake Petricka, rhp; Zach Putnam, rhp.

DETROIT (1) — Bruce Rondon, rhp.

HOUSTON (1) — Mike Fiers, rhp.

KANSAS CITY (1) — Terrance Gore, of.

SEATTLE (2) — Shae Simmons, rhp; Drew Smyly, lhp.

TAMPA BAY (1) — Xavier Cedeno, lhp.

TEXAS (4) — Hanser Alberto, ss; Alex Gonzalez, rhp; A.J. Griffin, rhp; Nick Martinez, rhp.

TORONTO (2) — Ryan Goins, 2b; Tom Koehler, rhp.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

ARIZONA (2) — J.J. Hoover, rhp; T.J. McFarland, lhp.

ATLANTA (3) — Matt Adams, 1b; Jace Peterson, inf-of; Danny Santana, of.

CHICAGO (2) — Taylor Davis, c; Hector Rondon, rhp.

CINCINNATI (1) — Kyle Crockett, lhp.

MILWAUKEE (1) — Jared Hughes, rhp.

SAN FRANCISCO (1) — Albert Suarez, rhp.

Obviously the most notable names on the list are Hector Rondon formerly of the Chicago Cubs, Ryan Goins formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays, Mike Fiers of the Houston Astros, Matt Adams formerly of the Atlanta Braves and Bruce Rondon formerly of the Detroit Tigers. Honestly I feel like it is highly unlikely that the Yankees add any sort of relief pitching this offseason automatically taking the Rondon twins, they aren’t really twins just as an FYI, off the list leaving Fiers, a right-handed starting pitcher, Adams, a first baseman/designated hitter and Goins, a second baseman by trade who needs to work on his hidden ball trick. You’re killing me smalls!!

I want to focus on Adams in depth and give him his own post so for the sake of that I will leave him out of this post, look out for the Adams post later on today if you’re interested!

The Yankees need for a second baseman, or a middle infielder in general, is probably pretty small with Starlin Castro manning the position, Ronald Torreyes on the bench and Gleyber Torres knocking at the door but Fiers may be an interesting one to look at for New York. Fiers was part of the World Series champion Astros last season posting an 8-10 record with a 5.22 ERA. If the pitching starving Astros don’t want you, isn’t that your sign if you are Brian Cashman? Could CC Sabathia not give you that and more for a presumable fraction of the cost? The answer is yes to both questions, so it looks like the newly added free agents won’t make an impact for the Yankees this season. It is nice to look around, but just don’t buy. My opinion only, leave yours below in the comments section. Thanks in advance.

By the way, I am well aware that Terrence Gore has since signed a minor league deal with his former club but I wanted to include him on the list anyway since he was one of the 26 that were technically non-tendered by their former teams. Thanks again. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 5/13

Here we go again ladies and gentleman, game time in the Bronx between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. If it feels like these two teams just got done playing a game it is probably because they did just a few hours ago last night. Now we are back at it again this afternoon so let’s get to it. This afternoon the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound to square off with Mike Fiers for the Astros. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along with the game on the radio and in your cars by tuning into WFAN and their broadcast.

Follow us on Twitter and interact with us all season long by giving @GreedyStripes a follow. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 5/13

Saturday afternoon baseball in the Bronx, it just doesn’t get better than this. This afternoon the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros will face off head-to-head in the third game of their four-game set this weekend in the Bronx. In the game the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound as they get another glimpse into the future while the Astros will counter with Mike Fiers. Another pair of young guns on the mound and another pair of high-powered offenses. This should be fun.

Severino pitched in the Yankees and Cubs marathon that lasted 18-innings last week and the Yankees righty pitched well. Severino pitched the first seven innings of the contest allowing just one run marking the fourth time in his last six starts that he has gone at least seven innings. Severino is currently sporting a 0.908 WHIP with 45 strikeouts and seven walks this season.

Fiers has been prone to giving up the home run ball thus far this season which is not a good sign for the Houston Astros entering this contest. Fiers has easily been the Astros worst pitcher thus far this season and has just one win to show for his efforts in 2017. The Yankees offense needs to jump on him early and often tonight.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by listening to John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN. Enjoy the game everyone and as always, Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 4/7

Game time ladies and gentleman between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. This afternoon Mike Fiers and Nathan Eovaldi will finish off their three-game set before the Yankees leave the friendly confides of Yankee Stadium to travel to Detroit to take on the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees want to get out of town with a win, who wouldn’t, so the offense will have to show up as well as the pitching this afternoon for New York.

The game will be played at 4:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. To get tickets for this game or any Yankees game this season, and yes they will be the real tickets and not the print-at-home variety, click the Yankees tickets link at the top of the blog to visit Ticket Monster, see the Yankees live and support the blog all at the same time. Enjoy and Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 4/7

The New York Yankees and the Houston Astros will finish off their three-game series this afternoon in the Bronx with another great pitching matchup. The Yankees will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound this afternoon in the Bronx to face off with the extremely underrated Mike Fiers for the Astros. Every win is important whether it be April or September so it’s all the more important to win today with a guy like Eovaldi on the mound for New York.

Eovaldi enters his second season in a Yankees uniform looking to build on an overall strong 2015 campaign. Last season Eovaldi set a new career high in victories with 14 before an elbow injury ended his season prematurely. Eovaldi has faced off against the Astros three times in his career and owns a 1-0 record with a 0.90 ERA although he did not face these Astros in 2015.

 Fiers was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Astros last season in July and posted a 2-1 record with a 3.32 ERA in ten games, nine of them starts. This afternoon Fiers faces the Yankees for the first time in his career after posting new career highs in starts, innings pitched and strikeouts in 2015.
 

The game will be played at 4:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. Go Yankees!!

Yankees ST: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 3/7

The New York Yankees vs. the Houston Astros, the last time we wrote about these two teams facing off head-to-head it was the game that kicked off the American League Playoffs in 2015. These two teams faced off in the AL Wild Card Round of the playoffs and they will face off again on Opening Day but before then they face off again this afternoon inside George M. Steinbrenner Field. The Yankees will send "Big Mike" Michael Pineda to the mound for the first time this spring to face off against Mike Fiers for the Astros.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and will not be televised anywhere unfortunately. You may be able to catch a radio feed of the game but MLB.com does not list one so I doubt it. Go Yankees!

Fantasy Baseball: Who are the Houston Astros

The Houston Astros have been a major league franchise for 50 seasons now and unfortunately for many of those seasons the team has not been in contention. The team finally turned things around in 2015 as they won the American League’s second Wild Card and went on to beat the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Round. While Houston couldn’t manage to get past the American League Division Series the team’s season was still considered a success by many leading the ownership to add pieces and payroll as they fine-tuned the 2016 version of the club for another run at the postseason. Houston is here to stay in the American League West Division race but can their players help you sit atop your fantasy league this coming season? With a little help, sure they can.

You know the big names that will help any team win their fantasy leagues, names like Carlos Correa, Dallas Keuchel and Jose Altuve, but anyone who is serious about fantasy sports knows the league winners tend to win the later rounds as well. Anyone can do their homework and pick through the first 10 rounds or so when the names are recognizable and the talent is plentiful but it’s the later picks and the sleeper picks that tend to make all the difference. Names like Ken Giles, Mike Fiers and first base prospect A.J. Reed.

Ken Giles is the new Houston closer and with a dominant starting staff and an offense that lacks explosive power he should get acclimated to pitching in save situations inside Minute Maid Park early and often in 2016. Giles took over midway through the 2015 season as the closer in Philadelphia and dazzled with 15 saves and 87 strikeouts in 70 innings. Giles, assuming health, seems like a shoe-in for 30-40 saves and 90 or so strikeouts in 2016.

Mike Fiers is an underrated and under-appreciated part of the Houston Astros pitching staff. Sure many were wondering if and how he could replicate his 2.13 ERA from the 2014 season, and spoiler alert he did not as he took a step back down closer to Earth in 2015, but despite a bump in ERA his strikeout numbers remained steady. Fiers is one of those pitchers that you won’t hear anything about and before you know it he’s got seven or eight wins before the All Star break. Fiers is definitely a late-round sleeper pick but one you should definitely look into if you need pure wins and strikeouts, he won’t help much elsewhere in my opinion.

Finally you have the Astros top first base prospect A.J. Reed. Reed was the home run king of the minor leagues in 2015 and will get a serious look in spring training this season. Houston does not seem terribly enamored with current first baseman Jon Singleton and could plug Reed into the everyday lineup with a strong and powerful, pun intended, spring training camp. He may be worth the pick with one of your last picks just in case he makes the team. He has legitimate 20-30 home run power in the majors and will easily reach those goals in my opinion if he makes the team out of camp. If he doesn’t he can easily be stashed away on your roster or cut for another player of need without blinking an eye.

That’s it, those are your Houston Astros. Of course you take Altuve and Keuchel if you can and you probably take Correa as well despite his troubling signs at the plate from last season but these three men may help you in the later rounds of your draft. I hope this bit of information helps you dominate your draft lobbies!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 8/26

The New York Yankees and the Houston Astros will finish their three game set this afternoon in the Bronx before the Yankees get a much needed day off on Thursday. This series has been nothing short of great with good pitching matchups and timely hitting with more likely to come this afternoon inside Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will welcome Michael Pineda back to the rotation this afternoon as they are activating him off the disabled list to face off with Collin McHugh for the Astros. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV.

Pineda will make his first since going on the disabled list on July 30^th with a strained right flexor muscle in his forearm. Originally it was thought that Pineda would be out until at least September but two rehab starts later on August 16^th and August 20^th and Pineda is ready to be activated and improve on his 0-1 record career against the Astros.

McHugh is stepping in today for Mike Fiers after Fiers needed an extra day of rest after throwing his no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers. McHugh was the tough luck loser last time out as he faced off against Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays. McHugh allowed just five hits, all singles, over seven innings but Archer had a one-hit shutout to top the Astros.

This contest marks the 16^th game the New York Yankees have played in the last 16 days, more if you include the extra inning affairs the team dealt with during the stretch, and are one game away from a much needed and much deserved day off. Pineda is back and the Yankees offense hopefully is two after taking another short hiatus lately, will it be enough for a victory? We hope so. Go Yankees!