ICYMI: Does Brian Cashman Hate Rob Refsnyder?

By Bran Van Dusen:




By now you've all seen that the Yankees plan on calling up Rob Refsnyder once rosters expand. I'm sure many people, including Daniel, are really happy. Although, they would have been happier had this happened a month ago. Two months ago? *shrugs*

I have no idea what makes some of you happy.

Yesterday Daniel wrote about Brian Cashman, particularly a quote he made before the season. In it, Cash basically talked about the team's desire to not only build the future, but also build a team that could win the World Series.

It didn't take long for somebody to bring up the fact that Rob Refsnyder is still in the minors, and use that as an example of how Cashman is full of it. On the surface that's a great point. If the team isn't calling up Refsnyder, then it looks like the whole "build for the future" thing is nothing more than lip service.

But there's a problem with this thinking....

What has Rob Refsnyder done to push for a promotion?

Don't get me wrong. I hate Stephen Drew, just like many of you. Nor do I think Brendan Ryan is the answer. But you can't tell me that a triple-slash of .269/.360/.396 in AAA is something to salivate over. Therefore, I totally understand not wanting to lose Stephen Drew or Brendan Ryan, as one of them would likely be designated for assignment to make room for Refsnyder to be added to the active roster. If Rob was tearing the cover off the ball that would be a different story, but he's not. His on-base percentage is good, but his batting average is "meh" and his slugging percentage is poor.

And it's unlikely to expect him to improve on those numbers in Major League Baseball. I understand the promotion might be the kick in the butt he needs, but when you're trying to win now it's not a gamble you really want to make until you have to.

The fact that no trade was made for a definite starter at second base should tell you that Cashman and the Yankees are not giving up on Refsnyder. Which is a good thing. Sure, his numbers currently are far from spectacular, but that doesn't mean he should be considered a bust. It looks as though they still believe in him, but do not feel it necessary to make the move now. However, Rob is being called up in September, so he will get a shot.

Rob Refsnyder may not become a regular starter this season, but it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that he's the starting second baseman for them on Opening Day next season. I know it's hard for a lot of Yankees fans, but you must be patient.

Does Brian Cashman Hate Rob Refsnyder?

By now you've all seen that the Yankees plan on calling up Rob Refsnyder once rosters expand. I'm sure many people, including Daniel, are really happy. Although, they would have been happier had this happened a month ago. Two months ago? *shrugs*

I have no idea what makes some of you happy.

Yesterday Daniel wrote about Brian Cashman, particularly a quote he made before the season. In it, Cash basically talked about the team's desire to not only build the future, but also build a team that could win the World Series.

It didn't take long for somebody to bring up the fact that Rob Refsnyder is still in the minors, and use that as an example of how Cashman is full of it. On the surface that's a great point. If the team isn't calling up Refsnyder, then it looks like the whole "build for the future" thing is nothing more than lip service.

But there's a problem with this thinking....

What has Rob Refsnyder done to push for a promotion? 

Don't get me wrong. I hate Stephen Drew, just like many of you. Nor do I think Brendan Ryan is the answer. But you can't tell me that a triple-slash of .269/.360/.396 in AAA is something to salivate over. Therefore, I totally understand not wanting to lose Stephen Drew or Brendan Ryan, as one of them would likely be designated for assignment to make room for Refsnyder to be added to the active roster. If Rob was tearing the cover off the ball that would be a different story, but he's not. His on-base percentage is good, but his batting average is "meh" and his slugging percentage is poor.

And it's unlikely to expect him to improve on those numbers in Major League Baseball. I understand the promotion might be the kick in the butt he needs, but when you're trying to win now it's not a gamble you really want to make until you have to.

The fact that no trade was made for a definite starter at second base should tell you that Cashman and the Yankees are not giving up on Refsnyder. Which is a good thing. Sure, his numbers currently are far from spectacular, but that doesn't mean he should be considered a bust. It looks as though they still believe in him, but do not feel it necessary to make the move now. However, Rob is being called up in September, so he will get a shot.

Rob Refsnyder may not become a regular starter this season, but it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that he's the starting second baseman for them on Opening Day next season. I know it's hard for a lot of Yankees fans, but you must be patient.

Zoilo Almonte Added To The Roster For Tonight

Zoilo Almonte is in Baltimore with the Yankees and is listed as an available player for the Yankees tonight. The Yankees have obviously activated him off the 15 day DL in order to call him up after a short rehab assignment in Trenton with the Thunder. Since Zoilo is already on the 40 man no roster move needs to be made. World War Z is back in the major leagues!

Vidal Nuno Called Up & Transferred To 60 Day DL

Vidal Nuno, my friend on Facebook by the way in case you were wondering, has been called up to the Yankees only to get transferred to the 60 day DL. This move was done to make room for the call up of Jim Miller to help the depleted bullpen. Nuno posted on his Facebook just last week that he recently was on the way to Tampa to begin a throwing program so there is very little shot he comes back this season anyway.

Yankees Call Up Matt Daley, Add Him To Bullpen

The New York Yankees have announced that they have given relief pitcher Matt Daley a September call up and made him available in the bullpen tonight. To make room on the 40 man roster Corban Joseph was added to the 60 day DL after his season ending shoulder injury. Daley has major league experience with the Colorado Rockies and has had a Mariano Rivera type season in AAA posting a 0.87 WHIP with 53 strike outs in 39 innings for the RailRiders.

Predicting Who Will Not Be Called Up

Earlier we gave you the list of players that we expected to be called up this September as the rosters expand to 40 players now here is my list of players that are on the 40 man roster that I cannot see coming up this season.

Michael Pineda should be called up but I really don't think they will. The Yankees were babying him with pitch and limit innings before he experienced shoulder stiffness in his surgically repaired shoulder that has kept him out nearly a month now. I can't see the Yankees letting him get any work in while we are in the middle of a pennant race.

Vidal Nuno pitched well before suffering a groin injury that will likely end his season. While he may try and rehab the groin I cannot see him being called up again this season. Nuno does not have any place to play in rehab assignment games or get any kind of real action outside of simulated games and that will keep him on the shelf for the season in my eyes.

Manny Banuelos has missed the entire season with Tommy John surgery and has begun throwing off flat ground, playing catch, etc but is still too far away from real game situations. I only included him because he has started throwing again and is not on the 60 day DL.

Jose Ramirez pitched well in AA this year but the Yankees are in the middle of a pennant race and I cannot see them letting Ramirez get his feet wet this September. Next year for sure though as I can see him getting the bump to Scranton next season.

Nik Turley will not be called up, especially not right away, because his Trenton Thunder team looks poised for a playoff spot and a playoff run. The Yankees would surely like that second left handed pitcher in the bullpen but I cannot see them forcing the issue at the expense of the Thunder's playoff run.

Ramon Flores has played pretty well for the AA Trenton Thunder team but his biggest hurdle to jump may be the fact that he is an outfielder. The Yankees already have five outfielders that they are struggling to get at bats for and I cannot see them making even more a log jam by calling up Flores. I guess he could be called up for late game pinch running or such but I don't see it.

Melky Mesa's hamstring injury will prevent him from being called up the first week or so and with an injury as tricky as a hamstring I believe the Yankees may just shut him down for the season. No reason to rush him back and risk it especially with no minor league affiliates to rehab and test the hamstring with.

Zoilo Almonte was a 60 day DL candidate not too long ago so the ankle must be a bigger issue then we are being led to believe. If he is healthy I can see the Yankees call him up but I have not heard anything from Almonte as far as running bases, rehabbing etc and with the minor league systems ending their seasons Zoilo would have no place to rehab. I see him as a winter league candidate after a strong showing in the Bronx this season in limited action.

*Obviously we did not count the people who were already on the 60 day DL and/or are down with season ending injuries like Corban Joseph, Jayson Nix, Mark Teixeira, Kevin Youkilis, and David Phelps.

Melky Mesa Released, Jayson Nix To 60 Day Dl

To make room for September call ups JR Murphy and Cesar Cabral the Yankees made two roster moves today to make room on the 40 man roster. Jayson Nix was added to the 60 day DL and Melky Mesa, who was thought to be a September call up himself until he suffered a significant hamstring injury, has been designated for assignment or released depending on where you read it. While some are shocked by the DFA  or unconditional release of Mesa you have to consider that he will probably clear waivers and be outrighted to AAA at this point anyway so no harm no foul. If the release is the true story then it is possibly that Mesa will sign another minor league deal with us this off season. Either way the Yankees reinforcements are here for the playoff run and it's time to win and win now.

Official New York Yankees September Call Ups

Here is the official September call up list on day one from the New York Yankees:

Preston Claiborne*
David Adams
Dellin Betances
JR Murphy
Brett Marshall
Cesar Cabral

Claiborne will be up tomorrow when the Tampa Yankees season ends. Claiborne will be in the bullpen for tomorrow nights game against the Chicago White Sox.

Predicting The New York Yankees September Call Ups

Welcome to September baseball where teams really begin their playoff pushes and rosters expand from 25 man rosters all the way to 40 man rosters. This is an exciting day for any prospect follower or "prospect humper" alike, myself included. Here is a list of the guys that I think the Yankees will call up to help with the playoff push and our mission to catch one of the wild card slots.

Dellin Betances has pitched his butt off since being converted into a relief pitcher. With Dellin out of options after this season the Yankees have a decision to make this coming off season and this may be Dealin' Dellin's first audition for the 2014 bullpen.

Preston Claiborne probably should not have been sent down when he was a few weeks back but Joba Chamberlain has pitched well since then so that makes the decision a little easier. Now with rosters expanding Claiborne should be the first man to get a call on Monday when the Tampa Yankees season is over.

Brett Marshall has pitched well lately down the stretch and does not look like he is headed to the playoffs so why not call him up. He could easily be a mop up man or just get a feeling for the majors and all that like Derek Jeter did in 1995. He is on the 40 man roster and not going to the playoffs so at this point I can't think of a good reason not to bring up Marshall.

David Adams has already been up with the Yankees a couple times this season and, excluding his explosion onto the scene, struggled mightily at the plate all year. Still I expect the Yankees to bring up Adams if anything for a late inning defensive replacement or pinch runner for guys like Alex Rodriguez.

Travis Hafner is standing in the background screaming "hey did you guys forget about me?" Well yeah, Travis, most of us did and for good reason. You have struggled at the plate for most of the season and even when you were hitting you never had the power numbers that we expected or signed you for. Still I can see us bringing him up as a left handed power bat off the bench if the shoulder is healthy.

 JR Murphy has been a sight for sore eyes when it comes to productive Yankees positional prospects especially one who plays behind the dish. The Yankees seemingly have a love affair with calling up a third catcher for September and JR seems like the obvious choice. Also to add this may be the end of Chris Stewart because when the season is over Francisco Cervelli's suspension would be over and we would have four catchers on the 40 man roster and Stewart seems like the obvious choice to go.

Chris Bootcheck had a quick cup of coffee with the Yankees this season before clearing waivers and heading back down to the Scranton RailRiders where he will finish his season. Bootcheck pitched well in AAA as a starter posting a 10-7 record with a 3.69 ERA while striking out 97. With experience both in starting and as a reliever he could be the right handed compliment to David Huff that is currently on the roster. I was originally on the fence with Bootcheck only because I cannot see him fitting into the 2014 MLB Yankees plans and he would be a waste of a 40 man roster spot but I think the Yankees will go all in and try and make the playoffs this season and Bootcheck helps them do that.

Cesar Cabral has probably been the most forgotten Yankees pitcher stashed away in the minor leagues this system. As a quick update we all know that Cabral was claimed in the Rule 5 draft and almost made the Yankees bullpen in 2012 before a stress fracture in his left throwing elbow ended his 2012 and half of his 2013 season. When he came back and went through his rehab assignment he cleared waivers and was stashed in the minors where he has pitched to a combined 5.40 ERA with the Tampa Yankees, Trenton Thunder, and Scranton RailRiders. Obviously the stats are not as sexy as you would want them he could give the Yankees that second left handed option that they seemingly have fallen in love with the last two or three seasons. Also Cabral figures to at least be in the discussion for the 2014 bullpen with Boone Logan's impending free agency so this could serve as his first audition for that role.

Obviously the final three guys here in Murphy, Bootcheck, and Cabral are not on the 40 man roster and would require a roster move to be a Setpember call up but that may not be as hard to do as you would think. Vidal Nuno could be transferred to the 60 day DL retroactive to June 8th since he has hoped of rehabbing his groin injury and returning some time in September to the big leagues. Also Corban Joseph could be transferred to the 60 day DL as his season is over with a shoulder injury. Even with a roster crunch the Yankees have a little bit of wiggle room that they could work with to bring up the guys they need to complete this playoff push. It also doesn't hurt that Cabral and Murphy were probably going to get added to the 40 man roster before next season anyway.

Here's my list, what's yours?

The Orioles Are Picking Up The Yankees Scraps Again

Remember last year when it seemed like every single guy that the New York Yankees released the Baltimore Orioles picked up a week later? Well it's happening again with the Orioles signing of Dan Johnson today. We reported last night that the Yankees released Dan Johnson after he had spent the entire season down in AAA with the Scranton Wilkes Barre Railriders and today he has already found a new set of teammates in Baltimore. I am a bit surprised because I figured the Yankees released him with the thought process of giving Johnson a shot at a September call up with rosters expanding but the Orioles signed him to a minor league deal so who knows. I guess we will find out just what Baltimore's way of thinking was regarding this deal on Sunday.

JR Murphy Likely To Be A September Call Up Sunday

Rosters expand in Major League Baseball this Sunday on September 1st from 25 man roster to 40 man rosters and JR Murphy is expected to be one of those players to come up. Murphy is not currently on the 40 man roster but he has to be protected after this season anyway and is only a 60 day DL transfer for Corban Joseph away from being added to the roster. The Yankees love carrying three catchers in September and it was either call up JR Murphy or stick with two catchers so this is the route the Yanks are going.

Michael Pineda Resumes Throwing Off Flat Ground

I have to say that I am getting sick and tired of the New York Yankees and how they baby and coddle their pitchers. Michael Pineda is back to throwing off of flat ground after being shut down 26 days ago with stiffness in his surgically repaired right throwing shoulder. Originally the Yankees said that Pineda would be shut down somewhere around 10 days before resuming throwing again and what they really meant was almost triple that and then we will baby the guy back into the rotation so we can waste a second year of team control for NOTHING. #EndRant

Pineda is still hoping to be back with the big league club sometime in September but he will have to be throwing in games before that can happen. The minor league seasons are ending in a week or so not counting possible playoffs for teams like the Trenton Thunder so time is running out for Pineda.

Ronnier Mustelier International League Player Of Week

Ronnier Mustelier of the AAA Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders has been named the International League Player of the Week for the week ending August 25th. In six games Musty put up a .556 batting average and has extended his hitting streak to 13 games. During his hitting streak Musty has hit an incredible .458 with six doubles, five runs batted in, and has played good defense at the hot corner. Not sure if this will translate into a September call up with a healthy Alex Rodriguez, Mark Reynolds, Lyle Overbay, and probably one too many outfielders on the roster already but you never know.

Preston Claiborne Sent Down For Derek Jeter

The Yankees have announced that they will send reliever Preston Claiborne down to make room for Derek Jeter. Jeter is expected to be activated before tomorrow's game with the Toronto Blue Jays. Claiborne has been up since last week and has definitely earned a spot in the rotation but the Yanks have a bit o a roster crunch going on now so we will probably not see Claiborne again until September 1st as a September call up.

Derek Jeter Expected To Run The Bases Today

Derek Jeter is penciled in to play in another simulated game today but this time will run the bases for the first time since his calf injury landed him on the DL for the third time this season. The Yankees have a plan for Jeter but are not revealing that plan in any shape or form so we will just have to wait and see. That secrecy includes whether or not Derek will have to go on another rehab assignment this time around. No word on how he came through that but one would have to think that if he re-injured himself we would have heard something by now so I'm going to take the optimistic road and say that Derek should be back for the Tampa series this weekend. The realist in me though says the Yankees will hold him back until September call ups on September 1st.

Looking At The September Call Ups

September baseball is less than two weeks away where rosters expand from 25 man rosters to 40 man rosters. Everyone that is already on the 40 man roster is eligible to come up to the majors without a roster move or using a minor league option. If a player is not on the 40 man roster they can be added to the roster and come up but will not be eligible for the playoff roster if they have not made the roster before September 1st of this year. With that said let's look at the people on and off the 40 man roster that will probably be up within the first week of September.

Derek Jeter

I think he will be held out until September while rehabbing this latest leg injury not only to make sure he is healthy but to also save Eduardo Nunez or Jayson Nix from being designated for assignment.

Dellin Betances

Dellin got his feet wet with a couple strike outs, four runs given up, and a lengthy rain delay in his season debut. With Dellin already on the 40 man I can see him being a day one call up especially with Scranton's playoff hopes dwindling.

Preston Claiborne

Preston was sent down to make room for Mark Reynolds with the promise that he will be back on September 1st and he will be. He has earned his spot on the roster and in the bullpen and he will be there as soon as he can be without losing anybody.

Michael Pineda

At this point any kind of innings that Pineda can get is a step ahead for him in his 2014 season so why not call him up to the majors? If he gets his feet wet in mop up duty I cannot see the harm in it.

JR Murphy

Murphy is our best catcher not named Gary Sanchez in the system but the only problem is he is not on the 40 man roster. A roster move will need to be made to accommodate Murphy but that is as easy as a Corban Joseph transfer to the 60 day DL away.

Nik Turley

Nik is left handed and has a fresh arm and both of those are something that the Yankees are in need of this season. While Nik only has one appearance in AAA and has an ERA north of four while pitching for the Trenton Thunder but he is on the 40 man roster so why not.

David Adams

David has had a couple cups of coffee in the majors this season and while he has not had much success in the majors I can see him being a September call up. He is already on the 40 man and can give the Yanks some much needed depth at third base, second base, and first base.

Melky Mesa

Melky can play all three outfield positions and be a late inning base running replacement while already on the 40 man roster. This would be his second cup of coffee this season and while he is very strike out prone he looks to be the only outfielder we have to call up this September unless Zoilo Almonte gets healthy fast.

Derek Jeter Will Not Be Activated Today

Derek Jeter is eligible to come off the 15 day disabled list today to play the Boston Red Sox but that will not happen according to Yankees manager Joe Girardi. Jeter is taking batting practice and fielding ground balls down at the Yankees minor league complex in Tampa but has not resumed any kind of running yet. The Yankees were hoping to have him back on Tuesday when the Yankees have a double header with the Toronto Blue Jays but that seems unlikely as well. The question has been raised whether the Yankees should just hold Jeter out until rosters expand in September so we do not lose Eduardo Nunez or Jayson Nix and we make 1000% sure that Jeter is healthy this time around. The problem is in two weeks it may be too late for the Yankees.

Travis Hafner Injury Updated & Future With Yankees

Travis Hafner is at Yankees Stadium tonight but only for team photo day and not because he is anywhere close to returning to the field. Hafner has been doing shoulder strengthening exercises but has not yet been cleared to start swinging a bat or resume baseball activities yet. Hafner is scheduled to be reevaluated after the weekend series with the Boston Red Sox before any further decisions are made. Hafner seems hopeful to be back some time in September but it is looking more and more unlikely that we will see the man they call Pronk this season in the Yankees pinstripes.

Rangers Release Manny Ramirez, Time To Get Greedy

As many of you probably do not know Manny Ramirez was the reason we started the "Get Greedy" campaign which eventually turned into The Greedy Pinstripes. It was the off season before the 2009 season and the Yankees had already signed Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and traded for Nick Swisher and were looking to reload. Enter Manny Ramirez who would have gave us a right handed power bat that we lacked other than Alex Rodriguez, who would have single handedly fixed our hitting with runners in scoring position and in clutch situations problem, and could have been hidden in left field in Yankees Stadium. I went hard after Manny Ramirez and spread my "Get Greedy, Get Manny" campaign all over the internet before he eventually decided to sign elsewhere but the Yankees may have a second chance now that he was released by the Texas Rangers yesterday.

The Yankees are probably too far out of the playoff race now with somewhere around a 2% chance of making the post season in 2013 for it to matter by why the hell not make the move at this point? We could easily sign Manny to a minor league deal and he is a Corban Joseph 60 day DL transfer away from being a September call up. Manny is in his age 41 season and has been hitting .259/.328/.370 with three home runs in the minors for the Rangers before his release. He drew some questions about his bat speed playing with Texas but absolutely annihilated Taiwanese pitching to the tune of .352 with eight home runs before coming back to the states so the bat is still there, in some capacity anyway, I would think.

Make a long time Yankees fan happy by finally completing the "Get Greedy, Get Manny" campaign by making this sign Brian Cashman and you may get some of the faith back that I used to have in you.

Meet A Prospect : Austin Romine

With September call ups and an expanded active roster on the way I thought it would be a good time to look at the prospects that we have on the 40 man roster that may not be household names. We will continue our series with AAA affiliate Empire State Yankees catching prospect Austin Romine.

Austin Allen Romine was born on November 22nd 1988 in Lake Forest California. Austin Romine has major league blood running through his veins with his father, Kevin Romine, being a former Boston Red Sox for 6 seasons. His brother, Andrew Romine, also currently plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Austin was drafted out of El Toro High School to the New York Yankees in the second round in the 2007 MLB First Years Players Draft. 

Austin has been highly touted in the Yankees system being ranked as high as the Yankees second best prospect in 2010 and fourth best in 2009. In that same 2009 season Austin was named Florida State League Player of the Year and was a member of the American All Star Futures team in 2010. He has been linked with former Yankees super hitting prospect Jesus Montero and spent most of his time splitting time behind the dish with him before Montero was traded this winter. 

Austin Romine has flashed some good power as a catcher, something you do not see enough of, and has shown that he will be no slouch with the bat in the majors. Austin Romine hits the ball to all parts of the field and even has 15-20 home run power in the majors in my opinion. His defense is considered to be a little behind the curve compared to his bat with a great ability to handle balls in the dirt but an average arm. There are many question marks about his ability to handle a big league staff on a consistent basis but that kind of stuff can be taught. He has below average speed so he will not be stealing any bases but he is still quicker then Jesus Montero if that counts for anything. 

I really think that Austin Romine could be a above average catcher in the major leagues and I really think the plan is for that to be with the Yankees. He lost most of his season due to a back injury in spring training which, in my opinion, is what brought on the Chris Stewart trade or he would have been in the majors as a back up THIS season. He does not have a huge glaring hole in his game whatsoever and has a long career ahead of him in my opinion. If I had to find a guy to compare Austin Romine to I think I would have to go with a .280 hitting catcher with power named John Buck. 

Austin will be going to the Arizona Fall League this season so he looks to be healthy and back on the fast track to the majors as soon as 2013.