Meet a Prospect: Layne Somsen

The New York Yankees made a move recently this week that did not get a lot of headline or news time. The team claimed right-handed relief pitcher Layne Somsen off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds as the Reds tried to slip their Triple-A pitcher through waivers to clear a spot on their 40 man roster. Brian Cashman was paying attention and claimed the 27-year old pitcher with the intent of placing him with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders. Somsen has minor league options left, which obviously intrigues the Yankees very much these days, and now joins the Scranton Shuttle and the organization. Let’s meet him. This is Meet a Prospect: The Layne Somsen Edition.

Layne R. Somsen was born on June 5, 1989 and began his amateur baseball career in South Dakota with the South Dakota State University Baseball team. While at SDU Somsen earned the Summit League Pitcher of the Year award during his senior season in 2013 which caught the eye of the Cincinnati Reds who came calling in the 22^nd round of the 2013 MLB Draft. Somsen signed quickly and immediately began his professional career with the franchise getting all the way to Triple-A by the end of the 2015 season.

After a strong 2015 season Somsen was sent to the Arizona Fall League to pitch for the Peoria Javelinas which prepared him for the 2016 season. Somsen was added to the 40 man roster and was called up on April 25, 2016 when Jay Bruce was placed on the paternity list although Somsen never appeared in a game nor made his MLB debut. Somesen was recalled on May 9^th of this year and made his MLB debut on May 14^th before Cincinnati tried to sneak him off their 40 man roster and back to Triple-A in recent weeks.

Somsen was pitching to a 1.89 ERA at Triple-A Louisville at the time of the claim despite not appearing on any top prospects lists for the organization this winter. Now Somsen will take that effectiveness with him to the RailRiders and maybe, quite possibly, eventually all the way to the Bronx. Welcome to the organization and the team Layne but more importantly welcome to the family. Make us all proud!

The Return of Alex Rodriguez and What It Means

There’s a stomach bug going around and it’s causing injuries all over the Yankees roster and minor league affiliates. The New York Yankees avoided the injury bug for the most part in 2015 but when you have an aging core mixed with young players that play all out on every play like Brett Gardner injuries tend to happen and they have here in 2016. With CC Sabathia set to come off the disabled list tomorrow, and we’ll talk more about that tomorrow as well, and Alex Rodriguez eligible to come off the disabled list today what does it mean for the Yankees? FYI, in case you missed it, the Yankees will not actually activate Alex today after his hamstring tightened up jogging in Arizona but when he does come back this is how it will affect the team.

Unfortunately no one can truly answer this question, not even Alex himself, leaving us all to speculate. Alex looked all of 40-years old at the beginning of the season and already had many questioning whether he would make the season and/or attempt another run in 2017. Just in time for his injury though Alex’s bat woke up as he began hitting and began hitting for power so after two weeks off who knows which Alex we’re about to get. Will it be the Alex that can intimidate the opposing pitcher and add some much needed pop to the middle of the lineup or is it the Alex that is being pointed at and laughed at by Father Time?

I do know one thing for sure the Yankees will get worse defensively and worse on the flexibility side of the coin with Alex’s return. Alex is a DH only and Joe Girardi now has to take Carlos Beltran out of the lineup entirely or one of Jacoby Ellsbury or Brett Gardner to give Aaron Hicks ample playing time. Robert Refsnyder or whoever else is likely to ride the Scranton Shuttle back to Triple-A when Alex is officially activated and it’s debatable whether the team is actually set to get better, continue to tread water or possibly even take a step back.

Personally if Alex can be the Alex he was a week or so before the injury he makes this team 100% better but if he becomes another black hole in a lineup that seems to be alternating black holes like advanced copies of movies on the internet then that’s not beneficial for anybody. Stay tuned to see what Alex we get back hopefully this week or next when Alex finally returns off the DL.  

Meet a Prospect: J.R. Graham

The New York Yankees need all arms on deck this season if they are going to make a comeback in the AL East Division race and playoff push after losing a few arms to the disabled list already this season. CC Sabathia may be back on Friday in Oakland and there is no definitive timetable for the return of Luis Severino while a slew of the Scranton Shuttle are done for the year with Tommy John surgery leaving a big hole in the Yankees pitching depth. With that in mind the Yankees made a trade this week with the Minnesota Twins to bring some of that depth back when the organization acquired J.R. Graham for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Let's meet him. This is Meet a Prospect: The J.R. Graham Edition.

J.R. Graham was a Rule 5 pick of the Twins from the Minnesota Twins last season and the right-hander was able to stick in the Twins bullpen all season. Graham posted 65.1 innings with Minnesota while posting a 5.10 ERA and 4.63 FIP. Graham sports a mid-90 MPH fastball and a mid-80 MPH slider that is considered to be his out pitch. Graham also throws a changeup but as with many relief pitchers it is considered raw and mediocre at best at this point in his career. Graham was designated for assignment a few days ago by Minnesota and will now look to latch on with New York for the remainder of the season.

Graham was immediately assigned to Double-A Trenton with the Trenton Thunder but was given a 40 man roster spot showing that he is a quick DFA candidate and/or Scranton Shuttle rider in the near future.

Here is what Graham has brought the Twins and Triple-A Rochester this season:

Year	Lg	W	L	ERA	G	GF	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA+	FIP	WHIP	H9	HR9	BB9	SO9
2016	AAA	0	2	10.80	8	7	3	8.1	11	10	10	1	7	7			2.160	11.9	1.1	7.6	7.6
2016	AL	0	0	10.80	1	0	0	1.2	3	2	2	0	1	2	46	2.48	2.400	16.2	0.0	5.4	10.8

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/15/2016.

Weekly Prospects Check In: Robert Refsnyder

The New York Yankees made a roster move for the weekend, presumably, to call up Ben Gamel to the Major Leagues after winning the Minor League Baseball Player of the Year Award in 2015 while Robert Refsnyder stays behind in Triple-A seemingly learning yet another new position. Well it’s technically a position he already knows and a position he played in college, right field, but him moving to the outfield this week as a precursor to Gamel being called up now makes a whole lot of sense looking back in hindsight.

This post is a check in with Refsnyder though, more on Gamel later, and Refsnyder is seemingly doing anything and everything he can to help his cause and help him ride the Scranton Shuttle to the Bronx. Refsnyder knows second base, has been working at third base and is now taking reps back in the outfield for the first time since being an Arizona Wildcat. Refsnyder just wants to play and he just wants to win and to me that is more important in some cases then talent, stats or anything that can be quantified like that.

Refsnyder once again finds himself biding his time and working out at a new position all for the love of the game and the will to play inside the greatest stadium in Major League Baseball history in my opinion. We need more “Yankees” around and less hired mercenaries if you ask me, but that’s just if you ask me.

Year	Age	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	25	AAA	25	107	11	26	2	0	7	5	8	11	.265	.318	.306	.624

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Remember the Promise of a 25th Man Revolving Door?

This winter while Brian Cashman was trying to trade everything that wasn’t nailed down to the ground he made a bit of a promise. Well maybe promise isn’t the right word or terminology but he did make a statement that has yet to come to fruition this season. Cashman made the statement this winter that he planned on using the Yankees final bench position, better known as the 25^th man on the roster, as a revolving door much like he has used the last bullpen slot as a means for the Scranton Shuttle the past season and a half. With the injury to Alex Rodriguez you have to wonder if this statement is going to come true or if Cashman even remembers that he said it.  

The Yankees initially called up left-handed relief pitcher James Pazos when the Yankees placed their DH on the 15-day disabled list but with the minor league option already burned for the 2016 season and with his minor league options secure the Yankees could move some pieces around to have a full bench if they wanted to. Who would their most obvious choices be though if they decided to bring up a bench piece and looked to improve the offense? 

Look no farther than Nick Swisher. While technically he may be the hardest player on the list to move up and down this season, his lack of a 40 man roster spot and minor league options complicates things a bit, he may make the most sense for the club. He can play right field and first base and he’s a switch hitter, both things the Yankees seem to love. The problem is when he is sent down he will have to be designated for assignment, clear waivers and then accept a minor league assignment to stay in the organization. Chris Capuano did it 19 times last season, an exaggeration but not by much it felt like, so Swisher could too. I would just hate to bank on that.  

Rob Refsnyder has a 40 man roster spot, unlike Swisher, and has been seen playing second base, third base and most recently right field with the organization. Refsnyder has also played the DH position down in Triple-A making him an ideal candidate for the call up. 

The Yankees are now once again lacking right-handed power in the lineup. Gary Sanchez has right-handed power and he has a 40 man roster spot. The days he isn’t DH’ing he could be giving Brian McCann a half-day off at the DH position or a total day off on the bench keeping him fresh and healthy for the stretch run. 

The final option, although maybe not the most ideal option, would be Aaron Judge. The Yankees are keen on giving Carlos Beltran days at the DH position leaving Aaron Hicks to either play right field or continue to come off the bench while Judge adds a right-handed power bat to the lineup and the outfield. It’s unlikely the Yankees would call up Judge despite putting to bed some of the rumors and fears that he couldn’t handle Triple-A pitching but like the lottery in New York, hey you never know. 

Former Yankees Updates & MLB History

A few former Yankees made a little bit of history this week so we felt like they needed to be talked about here on the blog. I’m sure you guys get tired of hearing me rant and rave about all the losing, benching Chase Headley and all that jazz so why not something a little different this afternoon?

Ichiro Suzuki was a Yankees player for two-and-a-half seasons after being acquired from the Seattle Mariners with the intention of milking every dollar they could out of his chase for 3,000 hits in the Major Leagues and his quest for the all-time hits record between the USA and Japan. Ichiro is still yet to hit the magical 3,000 hit plateau but he took another step closer this week with a game-winning single in Miami. Ichiro’s career MLB hit total now stands at 2,947.

I promised history in the thread title and a former Yankees relief pitcher, Caleb Cotham, helped the Cincinnati Reds make history as well this week. This is not the history you want to be remembered for though unfortunately. The Cincinnati reds bullpen set a new MLB record when the team surrendered at least one run in the team’s 21^st consecutive game. The man on the mound, Mr. Cotham. For all you trivia and history buffs out there remember the name Kelby Tomlinson as he hit the two-out infield single to score Hunter pence and set the record.

So there you have it. A whole posting without saying Chase Headley sucks! Well, we almost made it anyway. Enjoy the day Yankees family. 

The Yankees Aren’t Great but the Braves Are Just Bad

The New York Yankees have not had the start to their 2016 season that many would have hoped, that may be the understatement of the 2016 season thus far. It was thought that the Yankees depth would take charge and the rotation and offense would be great if it could avoid the injury bug but while injuries have happened to upset the depth, and specifically the Scranton Shuttle, it hasn’t been the injuries that have hurt the offense or the rotation. It’s been flat out ineffectiveness and it’s been frustrating but at least we’re not the Atlanta Braves.

The Atlanta Braves went all in this offseason and last offseason but not in a way you would expect for a team to knowing they have a stadium on the horizon and ready to open up on Opening Day 2017. The Braves went all in and have basically traded off every recognizable part of the franchise that wasn’t tied down or hidden in Freddie Freeman’s latest wrist cast only leave their fans frustrated and their stadium empty for the most part. The Braves just aren’t bad though, they may be historically bad this season if they continue on the pace they are currently on.

In fact there are a few members of the New York Yankees that are at least close or leading the entire Braves team in certain categories. Sure it’s a small sample size but this is going to be a common theme around Atlanta no matter how big the sample size, this team is expected to struggle. 

• The Atlanta Braves have three home runs this season. Carlos Beltran has four while Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann and Starlin Castro have three each. 

• The Braves team OPS is .583. Every Yankee in the starting nine have a higher OPS with the exception of Chase Headley (.447) and Alex Rodriguez (.515).

• The Atlanta Braves as a team are hitting .227. The usual suspects, A Rod and Headley, are the only Yankees regulars hitting below the magical number. 

• The Braves as a team have four wins at the time of this writing. Yeah the Yankees don't have many more than that but it's more than four so go with it.

• The Braves have three saves, Andrew Miller has five already and he isn't even supposed to be the closer right now. The Braves have five blown saves already, the Yankees have none. The bullpen is really good. 

Help Wanted: Scranton Shuttle Members

So I was walking down the street in front of Yankee Stadium this week when I saw a help wanted poster outside reading "Help Wanted." Me needing a job like I do I immediately checked it out hoping I could snag a job that got me into Yankee Stadium on a nightly basis and I was disappointed to read that the help wanted sign was for new members of the Scranton Shuttle.

Now this is obviously a fictitious story as I have moved to Atlanta, Georgia from the Bronx and I am very much employed but aside from that the rest is pretty accurate. I'm sure the Yankees haven't resorted to posting a sign outside of the stadium for their poor, their tired and their hungry just yet but the Scranton Shuttle is getting awfully thin nowadays.

New York has already lost Branden Pinder, Nick Rumbelow, Bryan Mitchell and Jacob Lindgren to various injuries including a pair of ulnar collateral ligament tears, a serious toe injury and yet another elbow injury for a former 2nd round pick. What's left at the Yankees disposal as far as the Scranton Shuttle goes? More than you would think actually.

The list of available relievers for New York still includes Luis Cessa, Chad Green, Tyler Olson,  and James Pazos on the 40 man roster while Richard Bleier, Tyler Cloyd, Kyle Haynes, Diego Moreno, Vinnie Pestano, Anthony Swarzak and Tyler Webb make up just a few of the options down in Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders.

There are plenty of more names that could be options as soon as July and by September as well. Names you may know and names you may not know. Names like James Kaprielian, Brady Lail, Daniel Camarena, Cale Coshow, Ronald Herrera, Mark Montgomery, Evan Rutckyj, Matt Tracy and Miguel Sulbaran to name a few.

Injuries suck but don't sleep on the Yankees, their bullpen and the whole Scranton Shuttle just yet.

Yankees Off Day Update on the Scranton Shuttle

The New York Yankees may have found a new untapped strategy with their bullpen and what I like to refer to as the Scranton Shuttle. New York over the past calendar year has exploited their 40 man roster a bit by consistently moving players in and out of their bullpen to always have a fresh arm to burn out on any given night. We saw it a ton last season with a pitcher coming up for a game to  throw two or three innings only to head back down to Scranton the very next day for a fresh arm for Joe Girardi to use and abuse.

We didn't show this too much attention last season so this season I wanted to take advantage of slow news days or even Yankees off days to keep a running tally on the Scranton Shuttle just for informational purposes only. Keep it bookmarked because we're going to be updating it all the time.

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.