ICYMH: Nick Goody

The Cleveland Indians have acquired Nick Goody from the New York Yankees in a relatively minor trade earlier this offseason so here is a short blurb about the right-hander. You know, just in case you miss him. Enjoy all!

Nicholas Gunnary Goody was born on July 6, 1991 in Orlando, Florida and a member of the New York Yankees MLB team. Goody attended the University High School in Orlando where he played for the school's baseball team as a shortstop. Goody's strong arm and defense earned him a spot with the State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota's baseball team but not as a shortstop but as the pitcher we see him as today. Goody served as the team's closer in his freshman year before making the transition to the starting pitcher. Goody did well as a starter posting a 6-2 record with a 1.29 ERA while posting 114 K's in 84 IP including a 19 strikeout game before being named the Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year. 

Goody's arm was attractive enough that the New York Yankees came calling in the sixth round of the 2012 MLB First Year Players Draft making the right-hander the 217th overall selection. Goody was immediately assigned to the Staten Island Yankees but by the end of his first professional season he had made stops in Charleston with the Charleston Riverdogs and Tampa with the High-A Tampa Yankees. Goody saved seven games with posting a 1.12 ERA making an immediate impression with the team. 

Goody was invited to spring training in 2013 but had to undergo the dreaded Tommy John surgery essentially ending his season. Goody returned to the mound on May 6, 2014 where he earned a promotion to the Double-A Trenton Thunder. Goody earned another invitation to the Yankees spring training camp in 2015 after his comeback season in the minor leagues in 2014 although he did not make the team out of camp. Goody was back in Trenton to begin the 2015 season where he was named an Easter League All-Star. Goody was not able to participate in the game though because the Yankees were more concerned with him being promoted to the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. 

Goody spent time in and out of the Yankees bullpen in 2016 before being designated for assignment earlier this winter. The team decided to trade him to the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later or cash considerations up to $50,000. Goody will pitch out of the Indians bullpen in 2017, good luck to him. 

Learn the Name Giovanny Gallegos

The New York Yankees may be done with their heavy lifting on the free agent market but that does not mean the team is done improving their roster at the big league level. If the free agent spending is done, and Yankees GM Brian Cashman says it is unless the team can move some payroll around, which leaves the team two options in order to improve. They can make trades, and subsequently sign more free agents if they move money in those deals, or they can simply continue building from within. One such name and arm that they could build from within with is a name that a lot of people and fans may not know now, but you should get to know him. His name is Giovanny Gallegos, learn the name.

The 25-year old relief pitcher was added to the Yankees 40-man roster this winter making arms such as Nick Goody, who was traded to the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later or cash considerations, expendable. The Yankees must be high on him but who is he?

Gallegos is another big-framed right-handed pitcher for the Yankees standing at 6’2” that signed with the team out of Mexico in 2010. Gallegos had a rough and rocky road to his career that included a knee injury and a Tommy John surgery but has since found his niche as a reliever after being moved there full time in 2015. Gallegos is the Yankees stereotypical low ERA, low WHIP, high strikeouts and low walk type reliever they seem to be pumping out in excess lately. Gallegos is a big command guy while surviving with enough velocity and movement to be effective.

Gallegos is a former starting pitcher so he is not a two-pitch pitcher like most relievers. Instead Gallegos has three off-speed pitches alone that he uses at will against batters. That in itself is something special. Gallegos has been nothing but dominant in the Yankees minor league system and reached Triple-A in 2016 where he posted a 1.40 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with a 5-1 record. Gallegos is a ground ball pitcher, which can only help inside Yankee Stadium, and is poised to make a run at the final spot in the Yankees bullpen a la Johnny Barbato in 2016. Stay tuned to see if he can do it. 

2017 Yankees Auditions Needs to Include Relievers

The youth movement has begun in the Bronx with the explosions onto the scene of Tyler Austin, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and others but there is one part of the Yankees team that could use a little youth infusion. That part of the Yankees team is the bullpen. If the Yankees are really committed to this whole rebuilding thing and they are auditioning for the 2017 season now then they need to go all in and include relievers into the mix as well. No more Anthony Swarzak, who has been terrible and has been since been placed on the 15 day DL, no more Richard Bleier and no more Kirby Yates. Prospects and power arms only.

I get it that the Yankees haven’t had much in terms of pitching depth proving themselves this season but I would rather watch Nick Goody, James Pazos, Jordan Montgomery and others get their feet wet right now than to watch Swarzak and company blow another lead for this team. You can’t sit here with a straight face and tell me that this team and this manager is trying to win games despite the youth movement as Anthony “All I Do Is Win  Give Up Home Runs No Matter What” enters the game a few times a week. And if you can you’re a good liar.

Blake Parker, Tyler Clippard, Adam Warren, Dellin Betances and Tommy Layne likely have futures with the club beyond the 2016 season but an argument could be made against both Layne and Parker. Either way guys like Ben Heller, Chasen Shreve, Nick Goody, Johnny Barbato and others who don’t currently occupy a 40 man roster spot need to get their work in now. Get their feet wet now without all the bright lights and expectations on them. The Yankees need to go all-in on this youth movement and scrap what the standings say because beyond this year they won’t matter but what all these young guys learn and gain in terms of experience does.

Make the moves Cashman. Rosters expand in less than a week and I expect the Yankees to have to rent a party bus to get them all here. 

Recap: Yankees 8, Orioles 6

Ugly wins are still wins.

At least that's what the Yankees will tell themselves Saturday night, having done everything in their power to blow a big lead for the third straight game.

Up 7-0 on the Orioles, the Yankees were cruising through six and a half innings, but that was about the same time their pitching decided home runs were fun to give up. Indeed, the Orioles went deep three times in the seventh to pull to within a run, before the Yanks ultimately held on for an 8-6 victory.

Things began swimmingly for the Yankees against the Orioles' Tyler Wilson. New York's struggling offense, which has experienced a renaissance this week, tagged the right-hander for five earned runs over four innings, including a four-spot in the fourth.

Starlin Castro and Rob Refsnyder each logged an RBI double. Austin Romine plated two more with a single and a sac fly. Didi Gregorius got another man in with a grounder to second.

And following Wilson's early removal, the Yankees kept pouring it on. Castro drove in his second run of the evening with a single off Dylan Bundy, and Jacoby Ellsbury seemingly put the nail in the coffin with a steal of home in the sixth.

But the blowout wasn't real.

Mark Trumbo kicked off Baltimore's unexpected post-stretch rally with a solo blast off Ivan Nova, Pedro Alvarez lined a two-run shot of his own two batters later and after Nova's exit, Adam Jones crushed a Nick Goody offering for a three-run bomb to left.

Just like that, Nova had been charged with five earned runs and the Yankees found themselves having to squeeze nine outs from their bullpen without the help of Dellin Betances.

Fortunately for them, Andrew Miller was up for the challenge.

Miller retired all six hitters he faced in the seventh and eighth, retaining the Yankees' advantage long enough to calm everyone down. Miller fanned two while needing just 28 pitches, perhaps keeping him available for Sunday.

Alex Rodriguez provided some insurance with a run-scoring single in the ninth, and with a solid cushion to work with, Aroldis Chapman was able to complete the save. 

It could've been a lot smoother, but ugly wins are still wins. 

WHAT IT MEANS: The Yankees improve to 26-29 on the season, five games behind the Mariners for the second wild-card spot.

NEXT UP: The Yankees look to take this series in Sunday's finale. CC Sabathia (3-4, 2.85 ERA) and Kevin Gausman (0-3, 3.78 ERA) are slated to be your starters, with first pitch set for 1:35 p.m. ET.

Update on the Yankees “Scranton Shuttle”

Here is the latest happenings with the New York Yankees and the Scranton Shuttle. Check back next off day for another update and be sure to check out our post from earlier in the week describing how the Scranton Shuttle is not as empty as we all may think. Enjoy the off day Yankees family!

4/15/16:

Yankees option RHP Luis Cessa to Triple-A. Yankees call up LHP Tyler Olson.

4/16/16:

Yankees option LHP Tyler Olson to Triple-A. Yankees call up RHP Branden Pinder.

4/22/16:

Branden Pinder placed on the 15 day DL with an elbow strain that would eventually lead to Tommy John surgery. Nick Goody has been called up in his place.

Meet a Prospect: Nick Goody

The New York Yankees learned this week that they lost their second pitcher already this season to the dreaded Tommy John surgery. This time it was Branden Pinder who pitched recently and came out of the game complaining of elbow soreness. Pinder is now lost for the season and Goody, for now, is in the Bronx taking his spot in the bullpen... so let's meet him again.


Nicholas Gunnary Goody was born on July 6, 1991 in Orlando, Florida and a member of the New York Yankees MLB team. Goody attended the University High School in Orlando where he played for the school's baseball team as a shortstop. Goody's strong arm and defense earned him a spot with the State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota's baseball team but not as a shortstop but as the pitcher we see him as today. Goody served as the team's closer in his freshman year before making the transition to the starting pitcher. Goody did well as a starter posting a 6-2 record with a 1.29 ERA while posting 114 K's in 84 IP including a 19 strikeout game before being named the Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year.


Goody's arm was attractive enough that the New York Yankees came calling in the sixth round of the 2012 MLB First Year Players Draft making the right-hander the 217th overall selection. Goody was immediately assigned to the Staten Island Yankees but by the end of his first professional season he had made stops in Charleston with the Charleston Riverdogs and Tampa with the High-A Tampa Yankees. Goody saved seven games with posting a 1.12 ERA making an immediate impression with the team.


Goody was invited to spring training in 2013 but had to undergo the dreaded Tommy John surgery essentially ending his season. Goody returned to the mound on May 6, 2014 where he earned a promotion to the Double-A Trenton Thunder. Goody earned another invitation to the Yankees spring training camp in 2015 after his comeback season in the minor leagues in 2014 although he did not make the team out of camp. Goody was back in Trenton to begin the 2015 season where he was named an Easter League All-Star. Goody was not able to participate in the game though because the Yankees were more concerned with him being promoted to the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. 

In 2016 Goody was invited to spring training camp but lost out to a numbers game as the Yankees had a plethora of bullpen options stick around in camp. Now Goody finds himself spending his days in the bullpen with the New York Yankees and truth be told that is where he belongs. Goody is a great person, we've done interviews with him here and I have him as a friend on Facebook and follow him on Twitter, and deserves everything good that happens to him. Congratulations Nick and welcome to the family.

Branden Pinder Considering Tommy John Surgery to Repair UCL Tear

An MRI revealed Saturday that RHP Branden Pinder has a partially torn UCL in his right elbow. No decision has been made yet, but he will likely undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the tear. Even if he opts for rehab, Pinder will almost certainly be shelved for the 2016 season. If he does choose the surgery route, it's possible he will not return until June of 2017, and that's assuming everything goes well.

Pinder was called up last week to replace LHP Tyler Olson. He's only made one appearance for the Yankees this season, giving up two runs in a rocky eighth inning in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Athletics. This news comes less than two weeks after it was announced fellow reliever Nick Rumbelow will also miss the 2016 campaign with a UCL tear. Pitching prospects Domingo German and Ty Hensley are two more Yanks who have undergone Tommy John in the past month.

While New York still have more bullpen depth than most clubs, it is considerably thinner than it was coming out of spring training. Pinder and Rumbelow were perhaps the two most successful members of the "Scranton Shuttle" in 2015. Missing an entire season when you are on the cusp of establishing yourself as a major league regular is a nasty blow. RHP Nick Goody was called up Friday to replace Pinder on the 25 man roster. A decision on the TJ surgery should be announced in the next day or two.

Predicting the New York Yankees Bullpen

The New York Yankees bullpen has the possibility of being absolutely ridiculous in 2015, but in a good way. Aroldis Chapman, even with a suspension, will be the Yankees closer for the season while some combination of Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances will pitch behind him in the 7^th and 8^th innings respectively. Behind this three headed monster will be a collection of arms drawn from an ever growing pool of pitchers that were either under contract from previous seasons or acquired in trades this offseason. Either way this is going to be one heck of a prediction post to land down since there will be so many moving parts but I’m going to go ahead anyway and take a stab at predicting the Yankees bullpen that breaks spring training camp this season.

Aroldis Chapman

Andrew Miller

Dellin Betances

Chasen Shreve

James Pazos

Nick Rumbelow

Bryan Mitchell

Ivan Nova

I’m not entirely sold on Kirby Yates although he is right-handed in what is looking to be a very left-handed heavy middle relief core for the Yankees. I honestly don’t know much about the acquisitions of Tyler Olson or what the likes of Anthony Swarzak can bring but I do know that the Yankees need another right-handed arm in that pen. Olson throws left-handed and Swarzak, unless he dominates this spring, is not on the 40 man roster leaving Nick Goody, Nick Rumbelow and Branden Pinder vying for possibly one spot, maybe two. 

I would personally have Jacob Lindgren on my roster but I feel like, again barring a spectacular spring, the Yankees will want him back down in Triple-A to start the season to ease back into things after elbow surgery. For that reason James Pazos will get the shot, the Yankees and manager Joe Girardi love their LOOGY’s, while Nick Rumbelow wins the final spot up for grabs. It could be Goody and it could be Pinder, honestly Pinder was used more often than any of them while Goody was used the most sparingly, but I’m going with my gut on this one and I’m going with Rumbelow, right or wrong. 

Those are my predictions, what are yours? Leave them below in the comments section!

ICYMI: This Ain't A Scene It's A --- Damn Arms Race

Prepare yourselves Yankees fans because the American League East is not a scene anymore, it's about to become an arms race. The New York Yankees have beefed up their bullpen with Aroldis Chapman and put out a potential CC Sabathia-less starting rotation with every pitcher under 28-years old while the Boston Red Sox added David Price and Craig Kimbrel. Not to be outdone the reigning and defending AL East Champions added Drew Storen from the Washington Nationals along with JA Happ and a severely underrated Jesse Chavez to beef up their pitching staffs. There won't be many easy inter-division games this season, even the Rays and Orioles are pesky, and it's all going to come down to pitching.

The Yankees have a plethora of options in case one of their starters go down and Joe Girardi, as he loves to do, has a ton of options to mix and match in his bullpen as the season goes on. Names like Bryan Mitchell, James Kaprielian, Luis Cessa and Chad Green can step into the starting rotation alongside presumed long reliever Ivan Nova while the list of bullpen options for Girardi and the Yankees would take me until late into the weekend to list. To hit the high points you have Jacob Lindgren, James Pazos, Chasen Shreve, Nick Rumbelow, Nick Goody, Johnny Barbato, Kirby Yates and the minor league signings like Vinnie Pestano.

Could the options be better? Sure, most teams could say that though. Are there plenty of options now and plenty of insurance? Again, sure. As it stands now with everyone healthy and ready to go, obviously a lot can change between now and then. I'm just glad the Yankees have plenty of available arms ready for the arms race that will soon become the American League East Division.

* The title references a song by Fall Out Boy and is not my own. Send them the hate mail :)

Quick List of Yankees DFA Candidates

The New York Yankees 40 man roster is now full to capacity after the trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers that sent Rob Segedin out west and two recently designated for assignment players, Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Olson, back to the Bronx. It seems unlikely that New York would but if the Yankees want to add another arm to the squad or a final bench piece to the team before Spring Training that means they are going to have to clear out a roster space. Now that roster space can either come via trade, for instance a Brett Gardner for Gio Gonzalez trade with the Nationals where they swap 40 man roster spots, or it can come via the DFA.

Luckily for the Yankees they have a few options that they can DFA if the need for a 40 man roster spot comes up. Here is a quick list that I personally compiled so if I missed someone or if I’m completely off base with another please leave it below in the comments section. Thank you.

Mason Williams

Slade Heathcott

Kirby Yates

Nick Rumbelow

Nick Goody

Branden Pinder

Austin Romine

Having both Heathcott and Williams on the 40 man may seem redundant to some when you consider that Ben Gamel, Dustin Ackley and Aaron Hicks are there as well, so one if not both could conceivably be DFA’d if necessary. Neither would be likely to return. The same redundancy, for lack of a better term, can be seen in the pitching department. I would hate to lose Nick Rumbelow, Branden Pinder, Nick Goody or one of those bullpen arms but this is now becoming a numbers game. Plus these guys have a better chance of clearing and coming back than say Heathcott or Williams. Austin Romine may also lose to out to the numbers game since New York does not need three catchers on the roster and have plenty of depth behind him. Romine may actually be the least likely to return on the list because of his MLB readiness but it is worth mentioning that the young Yankees catcher is also out of minor league options meaning he has to make the team, which seems unlikely, or face waiver and a DFA for the second straight season. 

Imaging if Chasen Shreve Remembers How to Pitch in 2016

The New York Yankees bullpen has undergone a bit of a makeover from the 2015 season to the 2016 season and here it is only mid-January. A lot can change between now and April just like a lot has changed from today since the Wild Card game against the Houston Astros. Adam Warren is gone and so is Justin Wilson while Aroldis Chapman is in and so is a laundry list of prospects headed by Jacob Lindgren, Nick Goody, Nick Rumbelow and James Pazos looking to fill the void. We keep hearing the names of the big three at the back end of the bullpen and the names of Bryan Mitchell and Ivan Nova essentially replacing Warren and his role but what about Chasen Shreve? What if Shreve actually remembers how to pitch well in 2016?

Shreve was an absolute monster for the Yankees in the first half of 2015 before falling off drastically in the second half. Looking at things in a simplistic view and on paper alone you would think that fatigue would not be a factor. Shreve was a starter in the minor leagues for the Atlanta Braves before the trade and had thrown 70.0 innings in 2011 before throwing just 58.1 innings in 2015. This innings count means little when you actually watch what Shreve was doing out there though as all signs of his downfall pointed to fatigue. His arm angle changed a bit when it never used to and so did his release point. Shreve was seen overthrowing the ball at one point and under-throwing the ball at another. That’s not mechanical, that’s fatigue.

So if Shreve can remember to pitch like he did in the first half of the 2015 season the Yankees will add a fourth dominant relief pitcher to their stable of bullpen arms. Instead of turning these games into a five or six inning game for the starters, remember Dellin Betances can easily go multiple innings three or four times a week, the Yankees may be able to turn it into a four or five inning game. Anything else is gravy.

So while everyone is up in arms about the Yankees having three guys capable of 100 strikeouts in a single season I’m over here wondering about “The Forgotten One” Jacob Lindgren and the “All of a sudden underrated one” Chasen Shreve. 

This Ain't A Scene It's A --- Damn Arms Race

Prepare yourselves Yankees fans because the American League East is not a scene anymore, it's about to become an arms race. The New York Yankees have beefed up their bullpen with Aroldis Chapman and put out a potential CC Sabathia-less starting rotation with every pitcher under 28-years old while the Boston Red Sox added David Price and Craig Kimbrel. Not to be outdone the reigning and defending AL East Champions added Drew Storen from the Washington Nationals along with JA Happ and a severely underrated Jesse Chavez to beef up their pitching staffs. There won't be many easy inter-division games this season, even the Rays and Orioles are pesky, and it's all going to come down to pitching.

The Yankees have a plethora of options in case one of their starters go down and Joe Girardi, as he loves to do, has a ton of options to mix and match in his bullpen as the season goes on. Names like Bryan Mitchell, James Kaprielian, Luis Cessa and Chad Green can step into the starting rotation alongside presumed long reliever Ivan Nova while the list of bullpen options for Girardi and the Yankees would take me until late into the weekend to list. To hit the high points you have Jacob Lindgren, James Pazos, Chasen Shreve, Nick Rumbelow, Nick Goody, Johnny Barbato, Kirby Yates and the minor league signings like Vinnie Pestano.

Could the options be better? Sure, most teams could say that though. Are there plenty of options now and plenty of insurance? Again, sure. As it stands now with everyone healthy and ready to go, obviously a lot can change between now and then. I'm just glad the Yankees have plenty of available arms ready for the arms race that will soon become the American League East Division.

* The title references a song by Fall Out Boy and is not my own. Send them the hate mail :)

Looking at the Yankees Bullpen w/ Aroldis Chapman

This time last week the New York Yankees bullpen was suspect, thin and for the first time in a long time a question mark. What a difference a week makes now that Aroldis Chapman was acquired to give the Yankees a three-headed monster at the back end of the bullpen. The Yankees went from having just two trusted bullpen arms to having one of the best bullpens in the league and potentially in Major League history. How does that bullpen look now that Chapman is anchoring it? So glad you asked:

CP: Aroldis Chapman

SU: Andrew Miller

SU: Dellin Betances

RP: Chasen Shreve

RP: Nick Rumbelow / Nick Goody / James Pazos / Branden Pinder / Jacob Lindgren

RP: Bryan Mitchell

LR: Ivan Nova

The Yankees once again have a ton of legitimate options and not enough spots to fill them all. Chapman, Miller, Betances, Mitchell and Nova almost seem like locks at this point although Mitchell could begin the season I Triple-A getting stretched out in case the Yankees need another starter. That leaves a laundry list of options for one (potentially two) spots in the bullpen that is headed by Nick Rumbelow, Nick Goody, James Pazos, Branden Pinder and the forgotten one Jacob Lindgren. 

The 2015 TGP Awards

Welcome ladies and gentleman to the second annual The Greedy Pinstripes Award Show live from Yankee Stadium. We're going to be doing things a little bit differently this time around and we're not going to be handing out the traditional awards. We already know who the MVP is and who the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Award candidates were for 2015. Those are given out by the BBWAA and the IBWAA, here at The Greedy Pinstripes we have a different set of awards to be given out.

The first award of the night is the "Andruw Jones" award for the player we are likely to rather see elsewhere by June of 2016. This is in no way, shape or form meant to be a slap in the face or an insult, sometimes the team and the fans are going in two totally different directions and the fans want what the fans want. The nominees are Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia and Aroldis Chapman. And the winner is..... Carlos Beltran!

Beltran should be decent with the bat but his defense in right field and his throwing arm out there is not getting any better. In fact it is only going to get worse the more mileage that gets put on those knees and right shoulder. Beltran was not here to accept the award on his own behalf.

The next award is called the "Scranton Shuttle" award and it will go to the player we think made the most trips back and forth between Scranton and the Major Leagues in 2015. The nominees are Caleb Cotham, Branden Pinder, Nick Goody, Nick Rumbelow and Chris Capuano. And the winner is, with 25 appearances in the MLB bullpen and the man who began the Scranton Shuttle in 2015, Mr. Branden Pinder.

Pinder was the first arm to begin the process of coming up, pitching a night, and going back down. Many did it before him but he was continuously called back to the majors when his 10-day window expired. Pinder was out of the country using his frequent flyer miles he built up during the 2015 season and was unavailable to accept the award on his own behalf. 

And the final award of the night goes to the player who got the greediest during the 2015 season. We call it the "Get Greedy" Award and it's the big one of the night. The nominees are CC Sabathia who will make the most in salary with $25 million, Jacoby Ellsbury who is making over $21 million next season and looking to bounce back from a tough 2015 season, Mark Teixeira who will go for the "contract year" in 2016 before hitting free agency presumably for the final time in his career or the entire Yankees bullpen who will likely throw more innings combined than the starting rotation in 2016. And the winner is... the Yankees bullpen!

None of Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Dellin Betances, Ivan Nova, Chasen Shreve, James Pazos and the rest of the crew could be here but the bullpen is expected to take on a lot of the load in 2016. Chapman will likely close before hitting free agency next season while Andrew Miller becomes the best 8th inning man in the game. In the 7th, and most times the 6th inning as well, Dellin Betances will be the fire man and the multi-inning reliever while Chasen Shreve, Branden Pinder, James Pazos, Ivan Nova and others compete for the rest of the innings that the starters can't give the team. 

Thank you for coming out to the second annual Greedy Pinstripes Award Show! Happy New Years everybody!

Predictions for the Yankees 25 Man Roster: Pitching

Earlier we took a stab at predicting the 25 man roster for the offense after the Starlin Castro trade with the Chicago Cubs but the pitching took a hit as well. Not only did the Yankees trade Adam Warren to Chicago in the trade that brought Castro back to the Yankees but New York also made another trade during the winter meetings. Yankees GM Brian Cashman sent left-handed relief pitcher Justin Wilson to the Detroit Tigers for a pair of pitching prospects while his bullpen and roster shakeup continued. How will that affect the Yankees in 2016?

SP: Masahiro Tanaka

SP: Luis Severino

SP: Michael Pineda

SP: Nathan Eovaldi

SP: CC Sabathia

CP: Andrew Miller

SU: Dellin Betances

RP: Chasen Shreve

RP: Jacob Lindgren

RP: Branden Pinder

RP: Bryan Mitchell

LR: Ivan Nova

The Brandon Pinder and Jacob Lindgren positions are subject to change and are likely to be a revolving door in 2016. Caleb Cotham, Nick Rumbelow or Nick Goody could easily pitch there instead of Pinder while Tyler Webb or James Pazos could make strides and pass up Lindgren in Spring Training to secure the spot. The other spots seem pretty much etched in stone, even Andrew Miller's spot in my opinion. At some point trading too much bullpen help will become a thing and New York just about there. Miller stays and the youth movement continues while the team tries to contend next season.

Weekly AFL Check In: Tyler Webb

Tyler Webb finished the 2015 regular season in Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders and will be our final regular check in for this season’s Arizona Fall League. While Webb didn’t come to the Surprise Saguaros with the same hype as say a Gary Sanchez, Ian Clarkin or Domingo Acevedo he, along with Tyler Austin, may have had the most to prove this fall in Arizona. You have to think that Webb is fighting for one of those precious bullpen spots out of Spring Training this season with the Yankees and you would also have to think he’s pretty slow on the depth chart right now.

That is not intended to be a knock on Webb, he’s still young and could use another two or three months with the RailRiders to fine tune his mechanics and such, as much as it is a testament to how deep the Yankees farm system is really getting. Vying for a bullpen slot along with Webb will be Jacob Lindgren, James Pazos, Branden Pinder, Caleb Cotham, Bryan Mitchell, Nick Rumbelow, Nick Goody and a slew of others leaving Webb on the outside looking in. Webb could have helped his own cause this fall with a better showing but that didn’t happen unfortunately.

Maybe next time Tyler!

Tyler Webb:

G: 8
GS: 0
IP: 10.0
W/L: 1-0
ERA: 7.20
K: 7
BB: 3
WHIP: 1.50

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.

Mark Teixeira to the DL, Nick Rumbelow to the Pen

The New York Yankees have finally placed first baseman Mark Teixeira on the 15 day disabled list with his deep bone bruise in his shin. Teixeira fouled a ball off the shin and has, with the exception of one game started and one pinch hitting appearance against the Houston Astros, been out ever since. New York placed Teixeira on the DL retroactive to August 27^th meaning he will be eligible to come off the disabled list on September 10^th, although after his last round of tests on his shin he will still be on crutches by then.

The move allows the Yankees to call up Nick Rumbelow before his ten day waiting period expired on September 6^th. New York has dropped the ball from day one on this whole situation, he should have been placed on the disabled list immediately rather than playing for two weeks with a short bench. He should have also been placed on the DL on September 1^st when rosters expanded to get either Rumbelow or Nick Goody, who is also ineligible to come back until September 6^th, in the bullpen.

I expect more out of this organization and they really disappointed me on this one. Thankfully the Yankees team as a whole has picked up the slack left behind with the injury and picked up the organization with a few wins when the whole situation had the ability to bury the season. 

The Next Line of September Call Up Reinforcements

The New York Yankees announced their first wave of September call ups and reinforcements for the big league club yesterday before their game with the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees brought up Robert Refsnyder, Jose Pirela, Dustin Ackley, Austin Romine, Caleb Cotham, Rico Noel, Jamez Pazos and Andrew Bailey and the team may not be done there. Taking a quick glance at the organization, the Yankees big league club needs and the 40 man roster we may be seeing a backup wave of reinforcements on the way to the Bronx real soon.

Nick Goody and Nick Rumbelow are coming up to the Major Leagues which should come as no surprise to anyone reading this. Both players were up last week and optioned meaning despite the fact that rosters have expanded across Major League Baseball they both still have to wait for the ten-day rule to expire. When those ten days are up expect both to be up in the Bronx and in the Yankees bullpen.

Chris Capuano was designated for assignment for a fourth time this season just last week and for a fourth time decided to go back to Scranton/Wilkes Barre with the RailRiders. Brian Cashman stated he wanted to see Capuano get on a bit of a starter’s schedule with the RailRiders before coming back up but if the Yankees need an arm, a spot starter or some length you would have to believe Capuano would don the pinstripes a fifth time in 2015.

Tyler Austin has, albeit very limited, experience playing first base in his minor league career which could be worth its weight in gold right now for the Yankees. With Mark Teixeira still battling his bone bruise in his shin and Greg Bird as the only true first base option the team may look to Austin as a right-handed option sometime in September. Austin hasn’t done much to warrant a call up to the Major Leagues, especially after being demoted back down to Double-A with the Trenton Thunder, but his first base experience, right-handed bat and 40 man roster spot may get him the call up anyway. This is all contingent on him actually clearing waivers after being designated for assignment and coming back but weirder things have happened. 

Slade Heathcott was finally a healthy player already on the 40 man roster until the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders announced that Heathcott was battling a quad injury. If he’s healthy before the end up September I expect him to be up but the Yankees may be cautious and shut him down for the season just to be sure. Heathcott may or may not come up, stay tuned.  

Yankees Reinforcements on the Way

The New York Yankees have announced their first wave of reinforcements and September call ups to be uniform before tonight’s game and that list includes eight players, four of which will require a roster move to be called up. That list includes catcher Austin Romine, second baseman Robert Refsnyder, utility man Jose Pirela, second baseman/outfielder Dustin Ackley, outfielder and pinch runner Rico Noel, right-handed relief pitchers Andrew Bailey and Caleb Cotham and left-handed relief pitcher James Pazos.

Romine was removed off the 40 man roster after spring training but will be added back this month after an injury to Gary Sanchez will likely end his season. The obvious move here is to add Sanchez to the 60 day DL and shut him down for the season unfortunately.

Rico Noel will be listed as an outfielder but the only reason he is here is to steal a base or two late in a game. Noel has 23 stolen bases this season and 283 stolen bases in his minor league career and will likely be added with Cole Figueroa DFA.

Bailey and Pazos both join a deep Yankees bullpen that will be tough to manage for Girardi in the sense that there will likely not be enough innings to match the talent at his disposal. Two roster moves need to be made and part of me believes that Tyler Austin’s days on the 40 man roster may be up as he loses in a numbers game. The other move may involve Domingo German, maybe a phantom 60 day DL trip?
 Who knows?

Refsnyder, Pirela, Ackley and Cotham are already on the 40 man roster so no roster moves will need to be made to accommodate these four. Nick Rumbelow and Nick Goody will also be up when their ten day cool down period expires after being optioned to Triple-A earlier last week.