My 2020 IBWAA Awards Votes for AL and NL Rookies of the Year

The race for the American League Rookie of the Year Award may have been one of the most entertaining awards races to watch down the stretch with the Chicago White Sox Phenom Luis Robert contending with Kyle Lewis of the Seattle Mariners for much of the season. Unfortunately, the Yankees did not have anyone who really entered the discussion this year, although that doesn't take away from the amazing season that Deivi Garcia and other Yankees enjoyed. Robert and Lewis were just on another level. Meanwhile, in the National League, the pitching side of things showcases a bright future for teams like the Miami Marlins and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but there was a certain guy out in San Diego that has been watching Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis a little too much to lose here in 2020. 

AL Rookie of the Year: Luis Robert (CHW)

For much of the season Robert and Lewis went back-and-forth, but Robert pulled ahead in the final three weeks of the season to secure the award, in my opinion. Robert and Lewis were neck-and-neck for much of the season, but while Lewis came down to Earth just a little, Robert got even better. At one point Robert and his surprise (to some) Chicago White Sox had the top seed in the American League before faltering on the final weekend of the season and settling for a third seed. 

NL Rookie of the Year: Jake Cronenworth (SD)

Listen, I love Dustin May as much as the next guy, and I really enjoyed watching Sixto Sanchez pitch before many of you knew who he was (admittedly, before 2020 I didn't know who he was, but Derek Jeter owns the Miami Marlins so I pay attention to his farm system), but Jake Cronenworth ran away with the NL Rookie of the Year vote in my opinion. Every good young team builds up the middle and the Padres have done with that middle infielder (and relief pitcher, in a pickle) Cronenworth. Cronenworth did a little bit of everything here in 2020 and is probably the most complete package of the three listed. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 4/11: Bob Sheppard Takes a Vacation Day

On this day in 2006 Bob Sheppard misses his first Yankee Stadium home opener since 1951 due to a hip injury he suffered the day before at his home. The injury wouldn't keep Sheppard out long as Bob was back for the next Yankees home stand behind the microphone.


Also on this day in 1954 the New York Yankees traded two minor league players with right handed pitcher Mel Wright to the St. Louis Cardinals for 38 year old right fielder Enos Slaughter. While Slaughter would head to the Hall of Fame when his playing career was done he would only hit .239 in 79 games for the Yankees. Bill Virdon, one of the prospects in the deal, would win the Rookie of the Year Award in St. Louis in 1956.

Meet the 2019 Yankees: Gary Sanchez

Pitchers and catchers report today down in Tampa, Florida at George M. Steinbrenner Field and while we have already met two pitchers from the 2019 Yankees, we have yet to meet a catcher. Why not start it off by meeting THE catcher for the New York Yankees this season, Gary Sanchez. Meet the 2019 Yankees: The Gary is definitely not lazy Edition.

Gary Sanchez, 26-years old, is a right-handed batting and throwing catcher for the New York Yankees. With his 6’2” and 230 lb. frame (according to Baseball Reference, he looks much thinner this offseason) the Yankees have potentially one of the best hitting catchers in all of baseball, assuming health and assuming that his poor production in 2018 was injury related or a sophomore slump of a fluke.

Gary Sanchez was born on December 2, 1992 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Sanchez grew up in La Victoria, Dominican Republic where he was raised predominantly by his mother, Orquidia Hererra, and his grandmother, Agustina Pena, along with his three brothers and one sister. Sanchez was signed by the New York Yankees out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year old in July of 2009. Sanchez received $3 million in a signing bonus and began his season with the Gulf Coast Yankees. By the 2011 season Sanchez was already considered to be one of the best prospects in all of Major League Baseball according to Baseball America. Sanchez was widely considered the Yankees best prospect by the 2012 season according to Baseball America and the fourth best prospect in all of baseball. Sanchez bounced around and worked his way through the Yankees system until the 2015 season when the young catcher, fresh off an appearance at the 2015 All-Star Futures Game, was promoted to the Major Leagues.

Sanchez made his MLB debut as a pinch hitter on October 3, 2015 and was included on the Yankees 25-man roster for the 2015 American League Wild Card Game in the postseason. The Yankees were eliminated by the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Game, prematurely ending their season, leading the team to send Sanchez to the Arizona Fall League for the winter. Sanchez would lead the AFL in home runs that season and was named the Fall Stars Game MVP as well as being named the second-best prospect in the AFL by Baseball America. After a strong winter the Yankees decided to trade catcher John Ryan Murphy to the Minnesota Twins for Aaron Hicks, thus opening the door for Sanchez in the Bronx.

Sanchez dueled Austin Romine for the back up job to Brian McCann in 2016, but ultimately began the season back in Triple-A. Sanchez was called up once in May during that season before coming back to the Bronx on August 3^rd, this time to stay. Sanchez began assaulting MLB hitters after his call up and ended the season with a .299 average with 20 home runs and 42 RBI in just 53 games played. Gary finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year Award vote behind the Detroit Tigers starter Michael Fulmer and looked to be the Yankees starting catcher for the 2017 season.

Sanchez was named an AL All-Star in 2017 as a reserve and he participated in the 2017 Home Run Derby. Prior to the competition Sanchez’s spot in the Derby was questioned by then Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Logan Morrison, who stated that Sanchez did not deserve an invitation to the Derby, having hit only 13 home runs compared to Morrison’s 24 home runs. Sanchez went on to hit his 31^st home run in 2017 on September 14, breaking the record for most home runs in a single season by a Yankees catcher, passing Yogi Berra who hit 30 in 1952 and 1956, and Jorge Posada who did it in 2003. Sanchez helped the Yankees get within one game of the World Series in 2017, losing to the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the ALCS.

Sanchez struggled in 2018 before news of a shoulder injury that required surgery popped up during the offseason. Sanchez finished the 2018 season, his worst season statistically, with a .168 average, 18 home runs and 53 RBI in just 89 games played. Gary also led the league in passed balls with 18 while also making two separate trips to the disabled list with a pair of groin injuries after being criticized for a lack of hustle.

Gary isn’t lazy. He may have been during his minor league years with the Yankees, he himself even credited the birth of his daughter for the transformation from a player “going through the motions” to a player lauded for his work ethic, but now Gary is scary… and he will be in 2019 as well. Write it down.

This Day in New York Yankees History 4/11: Bob Sheppard Takes a Vacation Day

On this day in 2006 Bob Sheppard misses his first Yankee Stadium home opener since 1951 due to a hip injury he suffered the day before at his home. The injury wouldn't keep Sheppard out long as Bob was back for the next Yankees home stand behind the microphone.


Also on this day in 1954 the New York Yankees traded two minor league players with right handed pitcher Mel Wright to the St. Louis Cardinals for 38 year old right fielder Enos Slaughter. While Slaughter would head to the Hall of Fame when his playing career was done he would only hit .239 in 79 games for the Yankees. Bill Virdon, one of the prospects in the deal, would win the Rookie of the Year Award in St. Louis in 1956.

New York Yankees Star Aaron Judge Named Topps Card No. 1 for 2018

New York Yankees Star Aaron Judge Named Topps Card No. 1 for 2018

The Annual Topps® Baseball Card Set Arrives January 31

(New York, N.Y., January 29) – New York Yankees star Aaron Judge continues to earn accolades as the reigning American League Rookie of the Year was voted to be Card No. 1 in 2018 Topps® Baseball Series 1 by thousands of fans as revealed exclusively on MLB Network today.

Baseball fans can get the newest Topps Judge card when the Major League Baseball season kicks off with 2018 Topps Baseball Series 1 hitting the stores on January 31. They can also find rookie cards, autograph cards of their favorite players, and an interactive sweepstakes that will last all baseball season with Home Run Challenge.

“Aaron Judge transcended baseball during his record-breaking rookie season,” said David Leiner, Topps Global General Manager. “Fans from across the league were excited to see him play so it comes as no surprise they voted for him to be Card No. 1 for this year’s set. We are thrilled to add him to the list of great players that have been featured on the first card of the year.”

Judge joins players such as Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Mike Piazza and Derek Jeter as those who have claimed Card No. 1. Mike Trout and Kris Bryant were voted to the top spot the last two seasons, respectively, through an online vote.

Topps, the exclusive trading card partner of Major League Baseball, provides an experience unlike any other. Baseball fans and collectors can’t replicate the fun they have when opening a pack of cards.

Collecting and trading baseball cards has become a hobby that crosses generations with longtime collectors and newcomers alike getting in on the action.

“Collecting baseball cards is a great family activity from the moment you open a pack to getting your favorite player and then putting them in a binder,” Leiner said. “Baseball cards resonate with fans, which you see at the ballpark with fans asking players to sign their Topps cards or in stores where people get together to share in a special hobby.”

This year’s annual release looks at memorable moments and milestones including Jackie Robinson Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, and special throwback nights depicting unique uniforms worn. Topps is also honoring MLB’s award winners from 2017 with special cards made for the Most Valuable Players, Rookie of the Year award winners, Comeback Player of the Year and more.

Baseball fans can find the newest Topps baseball product in hobby shops, mass retailers and at Topps.com.

Gleyber Torres is the Second Choice...

Photo Credit:  CBSSports.com

Will Gleyber-Mania Sweep the Yankees Universe?…

As the gates of Spring Training prepare to open, the Yankees’ 2018 entrant for Rookie of the Year should be Gleyber Torres (with no disrespect to Miguel Andujar, who easily has the talent to walk off with the hardware himself at the end of the year). It would be wonderful to see the Yankees win ROYs in consecutive years, the way the Los Angeles Dodgers used to do it.

Will Gleyber start the year as the starting second baseman or will he spend the first few weeks at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre? Bet on the latter. I’ve seen many say that the Yankees would make Torres the Opening Day starter if he has a tremendous Spring but with literally millions of dollars at stake, I have no doubt the Yankees will delay his MLB service time clock to push potential free agency back one year. With so many young stars, the Yankees will have to spend significant payroll for guys like Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorious, Luis Severino, Greg Bird and others in future years. Team Hal is not going to leave dollars on the table when they can send Gleyber to Triple A until mid-April to save money for future payroll. So, the ‘will they or won’t they’ open the season with Gleyber on the Opening Day Roster is moot. We’ll have to wait a couple of weeks.

Ronald Torreyes, Gleyber Torres and Luis Cessa

In the interim, I am fully confident that Tyler Wade and Ronald Torreyes can fill the void.

Torreyes covered for Didi Gregorius for the first month of last season and did a fine job. It helped solidify his role as the utility player for the team. This came at a time when Torreyes was trying to prove that he belonged in the Major Leagues. He’ll come into the season this year with much greater confidence that he does, in fact, belong. The 25-year-old finished the season last year with 3 home runs and 36 RBIs in 108 games and 336 plate appearances. His batting line with .292/.314/.375, with .689 OPS. There will be many more opportunities for the Toe-Night Show.

Tyler Wade underwhelmed us with his performance in 2017 but everyone expects the 23-year-old to play closer to his minor league numbers this year. In 85 games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Wade hit 7 home runs with 31 RBIs. His batting line, in 386 plate appearances, was .310/.382/.460, with .842 OPS.  

The Yankees do not need an offensive beast at second base. There’s plenty of firepower in other areas of the starting lineup. They just need guys that can get on base. I feel either Torreyes or Wade or a combination of both can hold down the fort until Gleyber…and Hal Steinbrenner’s wallet…are ready for him to make his MLB debut. 

Photo Credit: New York Post (Charles Wenzelberg)

Gleyber David Torres Castro was born in Caracas, Venezuela on December 13, 1996. He was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent in July 2013 for $1.7 million. Here is the bio from the year he was signed per MLB.com:  “The top player from Venezuela in this year’s class, Gleyber does everything well. He has a smooth compact swing and the ball jumps off his bat. Scouts like that he can spray the ball all over the field with power and believe he has a chance to be a special hitter. A solid defender, Torres has excellent hands, great feet and he’s known to have an accurate arm with above-average strength. He’s impressed scouts with his ability to make all of the routine plays and an occasional great play. He is particularly adept on his glove-hand side and continues to show improvement on all-around defense. Torres isn’t the biggest prospect on the field but he has an athletic build and is strong for his size. Scouts have taken notice of his baseball instincts and his leadership abilities, and he quickly built a reputation as a fundamentally sound player.”

ESPN’s Keith Law recently released his 2018 Top 100 Prospects and rated Torres as the fifth best prospect behind Ronald Acuna, Atlanta Braves; Vladimir Guerrero, Jr, Toronto Blue Jays; Fernando Tatis, Jr, San Diego Padres; and Victor Robles, Washington Nationals.  That’s pretty good company. Law credits a high batting average and OBP as the potential to make Torres an All-Star caliber player.  

Photo Credit: New York Daily News (Andrew Savulich)

Torres is still very young, having just turned 21 in December. He’ll have a strong support network with the group formerly known as the Baby Bombers. Giancarlo Stanton, the addition that helped restore the Yankees to their reputation as the Evil Empire, made his MLB debut at age 20 and will have plenty of advice to help Torres cope with life in the Major Leagues. One thing is for sure, Gleyber Torres is going to be in the Bronx for a very long time. We will soon see the start of the next great Yankees career, and I am excited about the future and potential for Gleyber. I have seen too many Yankees fans calling for the return of Starlin Castro. Why? Torres is or at least will be a better all-around player than Castro and will soon have the opportunity to prove it on the field.  

Gleyber Torres and Starlin Castro

There are exciting times ahead for the Yankees Universe. Prepare for the Gleyber Torres Show. Gleyber Torres, the starting second baseman for the New York Yankees.

Go Yankees!

This Day in New York Yankees History 12/7: Enter Jacoby Ellsbury

On this day in 2013 the New York Yankees signed Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven year deal worth $153 million to join Brian McCann as the second new member of the Yankees this week. Ellsbury turned down offers from his former team the Red Sox, the Tigers and the Mariners to patrol center field in the Bronx.

Also on this day in 2001 the Yankees and the Mets made a rare trade as the Yankees acquired third basemen Robin Ventura for outfielder David Justice. This is only the sixth time these two teams have made a trade in the 40 years the Mets have been around and the first time since the 1992 trade of Kenny Tanaka to the Yankees for Kenny Greer.

Also on this day in 1995 the Yankees acquired a couple former Seattle Mariners players. First New York signed Tino Martinez to a deal worth $20.25 million on the same day his wife gave birth to replace Don Mattingly at first base. Also the Yankees swung a trade to acquire relief pitcher Jeff Nelson for Sterling Hitchcock and Russell Davis.

Also on this day in 1973 the Yankees acquire outfielder Lou Piniella from the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Ken Wright and pitcher Lindy McDaniel. The Yankees definitely won this trade as Piniella would hit .295 in 11 seasons as a Yankee including four trips to the World Series. McDaniel would only win six games in his two seasons in Kansas City

Also on this day in 1962 the Yankees rookie short stop and left fielder Tom Tresh would win the Rookie of the Year award from the BBWAA. The 24 year old got 13 of the 20 votes from the voters to win the award

Also on this day in 1939 the owners voted on a new rule that would prevent the team who won the pennant the previous year from buying, selling, or trading players the next season. Boy the efforts to hold the Yankees down have been going on forever. The Yankees would finish in third place the next season due to this winter meetings decision.

Finally on this day in 1939 the Yankees Iron Horse Lou Gehrig was elected into the Hall of Fame. The five year waiting period was waved for Gehrig, who played his final game on June 30th of 1939, because of Gehrig's diagnosis of ALS.

Judge, Montgomery Named To 2017 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

Judge, Montgomery Named To 2017 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

Fans can get exclusive trading cards of the ‘Rookie Cup’ team on Topps.com

NEW YORK, November 7, 2017 -- Yankee standouts Aaron Judge and Jordan Montgomery were today named among the 11 MLB players selected to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team.

The right fielder Judge, the presumptive candidate for A.L. Rookie of the Year and a finalist for league MVP, slashed .284/.422/.627 with 52 home runs and 114 RBI in his first full season in the big leagues. The 25-year-old also won the Home Run Derby and was selected to the All-Star Game.

Montgomery, 24, a surprise addition to the rotation out of spring training, pitched to a 9-7 record and 3.88 ERA, starting 29 games and tossing 155 1/3 innings, both third on the squad.

“This is one of the most impressive Topps MLB All-Star Rookie Team classes I have seen,” said David Leiner, Vice President and General Manager of Topps North American Sports & Entertainment. “It shows how incredibly popular baseball was this year with its young breakout stars. They join an incredible group of players who have won the Topps Rookie Cup in the past and will have the special logo appear on their Topps trading cards next season.”

For the second year in a row, baseball fans can get special TOPPS NOW® cards of the Topps MLB All-Star Rookie Team immediately with an exclusive set available on Topps.com.

Two other MLB teams had multiple players named to the Topps All-Star Rookie: the Boston Red Sox with outfielder Andrew Benintendi and third baseman Rafael Devers, and the Milwaukee Brewers with catcher Manny Pina and relief pitcher Josh Hader.

The members of the Topps MLB All-Star Rookie Team will have their 2018 flagship trading cards feature a “Rookie Cup” logo depicting the honor.

Past honorees of the Topps MLB All-Star Rookie Team have included former MVPs such as Buster Posey, Ichiro, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Cal Ripken Jr. In addition, more than 20 former Topps MLB All-Star Rookie Team members have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame including all three 2017 HOF inductees Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez.

Here's the full list of the 2017 Topps All-Star Rookie Team:

C – Manny Pina, Brewers
1B – Cody Bellinger, Dodgers
2B – Ian Happ, Cubs
SS – Paul DeJong, Cardinals
3B – Rafael Devers, Red Sox
OF – Aaron Judge, Yankees
OF – Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox
OF – Trey Mancini, Orioles
RHP – German Marquez, Rockies
LHP – Jordan Montgomery, Yankees
RP – Josh Hader, Brewers\

Comparing Aaron Judge’s Rookie Season to Ichiro Suzuki’s

The New York Yankees far exceeded expectations here in 2017 and much of the team’s success hinged on their pitching and the bat of one man, Aaron Judge. In the early parts of the 2017 season New York had many hot hitters including Chase Headley but while many hitters came back down to Earth or continued to play to the back of their baseball cards Aaron Judge just kept hitting and hitting, and amazing people and amazing people. Judge had his struggles, no doubt about it, and Judge still strikes out far too much, in the world of sabermetrics though I am not sure many care at this point, but one thing is for certain. Aaron Judge is a scary man at the plate and his presence along with his 52 home runs this season may get him not only the Rookie of the Year Award in the American League but the MVP Award as well. The last man to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the MVP in the same season was Ichiro Suzuki, who wasn’t really a rookie after playing for so long in the Japanese League, so let’s compare Judge’s 2017 season to Ichiro’s 2001 season.

Ichiro – 2001 Stats:

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2001	27	SEA	157	738	692	127	242	34	8	8	69	56	30	53	.350	.381	.457	.838	126

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Judge – 2017 Stats:

Standard Batting

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2017	25	NYY	155	678	542	128	154	24	3	52	114	9	127	208	.284	.422	.627	1.049	171

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

As you can see these stats are almost impossible to compare. Ichiro made his living and made a name for himself as a slap hitter that used his speed and agility to his advantage while Judge simply hits bomb after bomb after bomb in a home stadium that has never been too friendly to right-handed hitters. Aaron Judge is never going to get 240+ hits in a season and is never going to flirt with a .350 batting average but Ichiro could never hit 50 home runs in a season either, as a rookie or not. Two different players with two different stat lines looking to win two different awards in the same season. Will it happen? Stay tuned, and of course good luck to Judge in both races!

Shout out to Baseball Reference for the stat sheets and tables. 

Comparing Aaron Judge’s 2017 Season to Mark McGwire’s 1987 Season

No two men in the history of Major League Baseball have hit more home runs as a rookie than the Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge and former Oakland Athletics slugger Mark McGwire. McGwire held the single-season record for home runs by a rookie since the 1987 season but Aaron Judge has put out an all-out assault on the record here in 2017 which got me thinking, how do the two seasons compare statistically? I mean I get that it was an entirely different game back in the late-80’s and who knows when McGwire really started doing steroids, PED’s or any sort of other enhancements but let’s just take these stats for what they are and compare them like apples to apples. Because why? Because why not, it’s interesting and because you may learn something here in the process. That’s why, now enjoy.

Judge- 2017:

Standard Batting

Year	Age	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2017	25	150	656	527	124	149	22	3	50	108	8	120	203	.283	.418	.620	1.038	167

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

McGwire – 1987:

Standard Batting

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1987	23	OAK	151	641	557	97	161	28	4	49	118	1	71	131	.289	.370	.618	.987	164

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Congratulations to Aaron Judge on passing McGwire for the single-season home run record for a rookie. All rise and all stats courtesy of Baseball Reference. 

Looking Back at TGP’s 2017 Predictions: The Rookies of the Year

The Rookie of the Year Award is another tough one to predict before the beginning of a season because there are so many unknown variables to this thing. Will a team call up their top prospect in time to qualify or get enough games under his belt to surpass say a prospect on a rebuilding team who had the entire season to play? Will an injury thrust a player who was not expected to get a call up before the All-Star Break or September call ups thus giving this player a shot to make noise at the Major League level? So many variables, not enough answers so I feel like I bombed these predictions a bit, but not by all that much.

Aaron Judge will likely win the American League Rookie of the Year Award, and no I did not see him pushing 45-50 home runs at the end of his rookie campaign so you will have to excuse me for his omission, while Cody Bellinger, another guy who seemingly came out of nowhere with the power bat, will likely win it in the National League. Benintendi will likely finish second in the AL vote though giving me a little credibility while Tyler Glasnow…. Yeah let’s not talk about that.

Saturday, April 1, 2017

TGP 2017 MLB Predictions: Rookies of the Year

You guys and girls know me by now but if you don't then pay attention because I am about to give you a lesson. I love prospects. The prospect, no pun intended, of the future with these young guys just makes me want to be a fan not just for today and not just for tomorrow but for the foreseeable future as we all watch these guys grow. I can remember watching as the New York Yankees signed players like Gary Sanchez way back when and thinking something along the lines of "man I can't wait until he reaches the Major Leagues." Well fans of these two men are now in that situation where their favorite young guy is not only ready to reach the majors in 2017 but be the best rookie in all the land for a season. 

American League Rookie of the Year: Andrew Benintendi

I think if you poll 100 sports writers, bloggers or journalists I think at last 90 of them will choose Andrew Benintendi of the Boston Red Sox as their American League Rookie of the Year Award winner. Benintendi is the real deal and showed that in a short stint with the club last season. The future is now for the Red Sox and the future is no for Benintendi inside Fenway Park as much as the Yankee fan in me hates to admit this. 

National League Rookie of the Year: Tyler Glasnow

Glasnow is one of those names we have been hearing about for what feels like forever now but the time is finally now for the 23-year old right-hander. Glasnow is not a finished product by any means as he continues to struggle with command and his walks but despite those struggles he has still found a way to absolutely dominate the Pirates minor league system. Tall pitchers, and Glasnow is 6'8", tend to take a little longer to put it all together, see fellow 6'8" right-hander Dellin Betances for a recent and Yankees-related example of this, and Glasnow has had a strong spring leading many to believe that this year is the year that he will do so. 

My MLB Midseason Awards

The Home Run Derby is over and the All-Star Game is in the books so what in the world do we talk about here on the blog until Friday when play resumes? Well how about we take advantage of the lull and bring you my midseason awards for all the major awards around Major League Baseball.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

MVP: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Cy Young Award: Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox

Manager of the Year Award: Paul Molitor, Minnesota Twins

Rookie of the Year Award: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

All rise for the Judge. You may be seated. Really these picks are no-brainers in my opinion. Aaron Judge is dominating the world right now in every offensive category it feels like making him not only the obvious choice for the Rookie of the Year but for the MVP as well. Also, who is going to argue against Chris Sale for the AL Cy Young right now? That guy has been fantastic for Boston as much as I hate to admit and acknowledge that outloud. Then you have the Minnesota Twins who no one expected to compete in 2017 hanging around the top of the American League Central Division race and that is due in large part to the Hall of Famer, Paul Molitor. I wanted to go with AJ Hinch in this spot but he has much more talent and many more established players than Minnesota giving Molitor the slight edge in my book.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

MVP: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

Cy Young Award: Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals

Manager of the Year Award: Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks

Rookie of the Year Award: Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers

Trust me guys, I wanted to go with Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League MVP Award. I did. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Harper has comparable or better stats in my opinion and is on a better team. It’s really a 1 and 1A type situation at this point for me and it was a hard decision. I also wanted to go with Craig Counsell of the Milwaukee Brewers for manager of the year but I doubted whether his team was that good or if his team just benefited from down seasons and slow starts from the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. That’s why I gave the nod to Lovullo. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 6/24: Burnett K’s Four in One Inning

On this day in 2011 the Yankees AJ Burnett became the first Yankees pitcher to strike out four hitters in one inning when he did it against the Colorado Rockies. AJ Burnett started his sixth inning by striking out Chris Iannetta and followed it up by striking out Carlos Gonzalez and Chris Nelson, only Nelson reached first base after the pitch went wild. Todd Helton would come up next with a runner on before AJ struck the future Hall of Famer out swinging.


In that same game in 2011 a veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan, 29 year old Michael Kacer, catches a foul ball off the bat of Curtis Granderson in Yankee Stadium. This was significant and eventually went viral and was all over ESPN because Kacer lost an arm during a rocket attack and made the catch with one arm. The catch was the top play in SportsCenter's Top Plays segment.


Also on this day in 2005 when Bernie Williams dropped a ball in center field allowing the New York Mets to become the first National League team to hit three sacrifice flies in one inning. Catcher Ramon Castro's sac fly tied the game at 1-1 before Jose Reyes' fly ball was dropped by Williams. Mike Cameron then flied out to right field allowing a third run to score.


Also on this day in 1992 Fay Vincent permanently suspended the Yankees pitcher Steve Howe for repeated drug offenses. Howe was caught buying a gram of cocaine in the last straw for the commissioner. In November of that year an arbitrator overturned the lifetime ban and allowed the former Rookie of the Year to enjoy one of his best seasons in 1994 when he saved 15 games and had a 1.80 ERA for the Yankees.


Also on this day in 1970 the Yankees pitcher Steve Hamilton throws what is now known as an eephus pitch, maybe the first I don't know, to the Indians Tony Horton and Horton fouled it off. Horton was shocked by this pitch and asked Hamilton to throw it again. Hamilton obliged and the second foul ball ended up in Thurman Munson's glove. The eephus pitch is born? Maybe! The Folly Floater was born.



Finally on this day in 1962 the longest game in New York Yankees history was played between the Bronx Bombers and the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees Jack Reed hits a home run in the 22nd inning, his only home run of his career, to help the Yankees beat the Tigers in Tiger Stadium 9-7.

Want to Save Money? Extend These Players Now!

The New York Yankees have made it no secret that they wish to get under the luxury tax threshold sooner rather than later. In today’s game of inflated salaries, specialists and 40 man rosters the only way a team is going to do that is if they have young and controllable players at their disposal, something the Yankees seem to be swimming in at this point and time. If you’re unfamiliar with the way the whole arbitration process and free agency goes the team basically gets the player for their first two years of service at the league minimum before the arbitration process begins. If the team and player cannot reach an agreement on a salary for that season it goes before an arbitrator, see the Dellin Betances mess from this past offseason, and the salary is agreed upon that way. We have seen many teams skip the arbitration process entirely by extending their young players early thus buying out their arbitration years and maybe a year or two of free agency thus giving the teams some certainty going forward while the player has some guarantee and security. If the Yankees want to save money and get under the luxury tax threshold they may want to look at extending one or all of these players now before they get too expensive to.  

The players that the Yankees should look at extending are clearly obvious but I will lay them out here regardless.  Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino and even Greg Bird despite his injury history should at least be discussed when thinking about which players to extend sooner rather than later. All of these players are either at or below one full year of MLB service time yet their WAR’s suggest that the sky is the limit for each of them.  

Why extend them now? Extending players now can save the Yankees a ton of money in the long run as contracts continue to climb in terms of value. Look at recent examples like Joey Votto, Dallas Keuchel and others for an instance of teams that waited too long to extend players. The players got all the bargaining power and all the bargaining chips and signed to either huge deals or got huge amounts of money through the arbitration process. Even Dellin Betances, although I find him to be severely underpaid personally, got a $2.5 million raise this year through arbitration when he should have, again in my opinion, been extended by now. 

Sign these players to deals worth six-or-seven years to buy out their arbitration and maybe a year-or-two of free agency and roll the dice. It may be a gamble worth taking. The Yankees don’t necessarily have to do this this year either, they could try and get under the luxury tax threshold first and then sign these players but they run the risk of these players no longer being cheap and earning huge contracts. The safe bet is to sign them now in my opinion, especially before Aaron Judge attends an All-Star Game and potentially wins a Rookie of the Year and/or MVP award in 2016. 

Also, in closing, I will say that I may have over-simplified the explanation of the arbitration process and free agency. It gets more complicated than the Readers Digest version I laid out. You have Super Two status players and you can manipulate service time by keeping players down in the Minor Leagues and all that but that was more or less not the point of the post. The point of the post was extending players now before it doesn’t make sense for the players to sign these potentially team-friendly deals. Keep that in mind before spamming me with hate emails and tweets. Thanks in advance. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 4/11: Bob Sheppard Takes a Vacation Day

On this day in 2006 Bob Sheppard misses his first Yankee Stadium home opener since 1951 due to a hip injury he suffered the day before at his home. The injury wouldn't keep Sheppard out long as Bob was back for the next Yankees home stand behind the microphone.


Also on this day in 1954 the New York Yankees traded two minor league players with right handed pitcher Mel Wright to the St. Louis Cardinals for 38 year old right fielder Enos Slaughter. While Slaughter would head to the Hall of Fame when his playing career was done he would only hit .239 in 79 games for the Yankees. Bill Virdon, one of the prospects in the deal, would win the Rookie of the Year Award in St. Louis in 1956.

TGP 2017 MLB Predictions: Rookies of the Year

You guys and girls know me by now but if you don't then pay attention because I am about to give you a lesson. I love prospects. The prospect, no pun intended, of the future with these young guys just makes me want to be a fan not just for today and not just for tomorrow but for the foreseeable future as we all watch these guys grow. I can remember watching as the New York Yankees signed players like Gary Sanchez way back when and thinking something along the lines of "man I can't wait until he reaches the Major Leagues." Well fans of these two men are now in that situation where their favorite young guy is not only ready to reach the majors in 2017 but be the best rookie in all the land for a season. 

American League Rookie of the Year: Andrew Benintendi

I think if you poll 100 sports writers, bloggers or journalists I think at last 90 of them will choose Andrew Benintendi of the Boston Red Sox as their American League Rookie of the Year Award winner. Benintendi is the real deal and showed that in a short stint with the club last season. The future is now for the Red Sox and the future is no for Benintendi inside Fenway Park as much as the Yankee fan in me hates to admit this. 

National League Rookie of the Year: Tyler Glasnow

Glasnow is one of those names we have been hearing about for what feels like forever now but the time is finally now for the 23-year old right-hander. Glasnow is not a finished product by any means as he continues to struggle with command and his walks but despite those struggles he has still found a way to absolutely dominate the Pirates minor league system. Tall pitchers, and Glasnow is 6'8", tend to take a little longer to put it all together, see fellow 6'8" right-hander Dellin Betances for a recent and Yankees-related example of this, and Glasnow has had a strong spring leading many to believe that this year is the year that he will do so.