John Smoltz Has a Pretty Damn Good Idea To Fix Major League Baseball

Let me preface this post by saying that John Smoltz is not my favorite person, nor was he my favorite player while he was with the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves. I think he is cocky and arrogant, but he is also one of the smarter minds in Major League Baseball despite it all. I am willing to give credit where credit is due, and Smoltz had a pretty damn good idea to “fix” and revolutionize baseball for the better. Smoltz wants Major League Baseball to adopt a similar schedule and policy that is already in place for Minor League Baseball, especially for the postseason.

Smoltz had many ideas actually to fix baseball, but the idea that most caught my eye was his idea to make September baseball and the postseason pennant races meaningful again. The way it is now basically every race for the postseason is all but decided and has been for quite some time now. The days of going down to the last day of the season to decide a winner seem to be all but over in Major League Baseball and Smoltz has an idea to change that by implementing first-half and second-half winners.

Smoltz wants to eliminate interleague play and go back to every team playing the same schedule, thus in the process dumping rivalry series with the hopes of bringing back pennant races again. Smoltz hopes that with this change the fans and the game would see more drama come to the game while the number of teams tanking for draft picks and such could also go down. This isn’t a new concept, the whole split-season schedule thing, as MLB did this back in 1981 after the baseball strike, so the idea is not as out of left field as you may think. Minor League Baseball is already doing it and it could create a lot more interest at the Major League level if this was to be implemented.

If MLB adopted this proposal the Oakland Athletics would be playing the Houston Astros to determine the winner of the American League West as Houston had the better record in the first half, while the A’s had the better record in the second half. The Tampa Bay Rays, who aren’t going to make the playoffs in 2018, would face off with the Boston Red Sox. The St. Louis Cardinals would face the Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies would face the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Los Angeles Dodgers would be sitting at home come October. What happens if you win both halves? You get a first-round bye. Simple enough.

This would change the whole dynamic of the game, and not just the playoff pennant races. Why would teams sell off as heavily at the trade deadlines if they thought they had a chance to compete in the second half? Also, why would teams continue to push to win 110 games or more in a season when there is no advantage to it other than a possible first-round bye? September call-ups would be all-the-more interesting with most teams still locked into a potential second half pennant race and the overall number of games being played would have to be dropped from 162 games to 154 games, something the MLB Players Association wanted anyway.

The players win, the owners win, the league wins, and the fans win. So, what’s stopping this from happening?

Hello… September & New Opportunities

Good morning Yankees family and welcome back to the blog. Also, a big welcome to the weekend and the Labor Day holiday on Monday. We need it, and we deserve it. I will definitely appreciate the day off next week because I am starting a new position with my current company on Tuesday. I won’t lie, I am not excited about it, but I am thinking (hoping) that this the more of the fear of the unknown and less of a sign of what is to come. I will remain cautiously optimistic and do my best, as always, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was nervous.

September call ups begin today, will we see Justus Sheffield?

And September 1^st marks one more day with the love of my life. How lucky am I? More than I could ever put into words, but my gratefulness surely matches my luck, I promise you that. I love you Kari!

Predicting the Yankees 2018 September Call Ups

Tomorrow marks the end of August and the August 31^st trade deadline, but it also marks the beginning of the month of September and the subsequent September call ups that we will see around Major League Baseball. Who will the Yankees call up on September 1^st and throughout the month of September? Let’s take a stab at predicting it.

Justus Sheffield will be in the Yankees bullpen in September. All signs point to it and Aaron Boone himself said it would happen, so you can count on it. Sheffield has posted a 2.55 ERA across Double-A and Triple-A this season in 112.2 innings pitched and he needs a 40-man roster spot anyway to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft after the 2018 season, may as well take the plunge now. Bye, AJ Cole.

The entire 40-man roster is eligible to be called up too which, assuming health, includes:

Tyler Wade, Clint Frazier, Jonathan Loaisiga, Luis Cessa, Ryan Bollinger, Domingo German, Chance Adams, Albert Abreu, and Thairo Estrada.

Remember that Gary Sanchez will likely be back in September as well as Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius and Aroldis Chapman. Fingers crossed.

The Drum Beating for Chance Adams Begins NOW

You guys knew this was coming, didn’t you? I mean you had to. The calendar changes to September 1^st today which means a lot of things. We are one day closer to the end of the regular season, one day closer to Christmas, one day closer to Bryce Harper donning pinstripes and most importantly it is September call up day! The Yankees have many September call up decisions to make this season as many of their affiliates including the Major League team fight for a postseason spot and championship but no decision should be bigger than the decision to call up or not to call up arguably their top pitching prospect Chance Adams. I think you all have an idea on what side of that argument I am on if you have been reading my work for a while now.  

Chance Adams should absolutely be on the Major League roster and in the Bronx this weekend for the Boston Red Sox series and he should stay up until the Yankees take their ball and go home for the long winter ahead. Not only has he earned it, which should trump anything, but he also makes the team far better than they were with Jaime Garcia taking the ball every fifth day. You know, because Jaime Garcia sucks. 

Adams was a fifth-round pick by the Yankees back in 2015 and is a right-handed pitcher that broke out in a big way as a starting pitcher in 2016. Adams was drafted as a relief pitcher but was immediately converted to a starter by the Yankees which produced a combined 13-1 record, 2.33 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 127.1 innings in 2016 between High-A  with the Tampa Yankees and Double-A with the Trenton Thunder. Adams also struck out 144 batters which opened a lot of eyes and put him on the map as far as Yankees prospects go. Adams has been equally as impressive in 2017 leading the Scranton RailRiders to their third straight division title and postseason berth and is currently knocking on the door to Yankee Stadium begging the little pig to let him in. Will Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman respond “not by the hair on my chinny, chin, chin?” Lord I hope not. 

Adams is a four-pitch pitcher whose repertoire consists of a mid-90 MPH fastball, a hard slider and a developing change-up and curveball that keeps batters off his hard stuff. Adams does struggle with control and command of his pitches, especially the change and the curve, which is his only knock in not calling him up but at this point in the season what does New York really have to lose? The team doesn’t have to give him a 40 man roster spot this season which is also a huge part of the decision making process here but let’s be honest, the Yankees need Adams in 2017 if they want to go far in the postseason. They do. Garcia isn’t going to cut it and as well as CC Sabathia has pitched at times he may not be able to cut it either. Who knows if and when that knee pain will flare up again? Adams provides the Yankees youth, aggression, talent and the ultimate depth and insurance piece all for the low, low price of a 40 man roster spot that he will probably win outright next season in Spring Training camp anyway if we’re being honest. 

Adams is ready. Make the move. Call him up. Make Daniel Burch happy. Get Greedy. I love you all!

So it Seems… The Day the Marathon Became a Sprint

September 1^st. The day every MLB season where the regular season known as a marathon becomes a sprint. The time of every baseball season where you stop thinking about there always being tomorrow and really start focusing on today, the now. The time of the season where you can’t look ahead to the next series or the series after that because this series actually may make or break your season, especially if you’re chasing one of the two available American League Wild Card spots. That day is today.

Good morning Yankees family and welcome to September baseball. Especially you. Hey you. I love you. 

The Yankees September Hero, Another Arm and Unleash the Kraken v2

Good morning once again everyone reading and everyone in the Yankees family. This morning I wanted to throw a little mashup of things into one post as I collect my thoughts before this big weekend for the Yankees. The Yankees need a September hero and I am prepared to tell you who that hero could be, the Yankees could be bringing up another arm as rosters expand in September and this arm wasn’t listed in my post from earlier in the week covering September call ups and someone poked the bear and woke up Gary Sanchez, didn’t they? Keep reading as I transfer my thoughts to a theoretical piece of paper for you all this morning.

Greg Bird hasn’t played for the Yankees in about three months and the last time he did the left-handed first baseman for New York was seen hitting a cool .100 so surely I am not about to nominate him to be the Yankees hero here in September, am I? You’re damn right I am. Bird was not healthy at all this season after trying to play through an ankle injury that he suffered in spring training and never seemed completely right at the plate since. Bird has since had ankle surgery and has been rehabbing down in Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders. Bird was slated to play a full nine innings at first base last night with Scranton and is set to be re-evaluated sometime today. The Yankees are probably not going to bring Bird up to the Majors with less than a week to go unless they have to but I fully expect, if healthy and that is a big “if” with Bird this season, Bird to be up on September 1^st.

If Bird won’t be the savior, and the Yankees need a left-handed bat so they may be putting all their eggs in one Bird basket, then maybe Starlin Castro can be. Castro isn’t far behind Bird in terms of rehab after spending time on the disabled list for a second time with a hamstring injury. Ronald Torreyes has filled in admirably for Castro in the wake of his injury but having an impact and power bat like Castro’s makes everyone around him better and ultimately the Yankees better as well.

Giovanny Gallegos could become a big part of the Yankees bullpen and plans when rosters expand to 40 players on September 1^st. At the time of this writing Gallegos has logged 14.0 innings at the Major League level and has a 5.79 ERA and 1.43 WHIP to show for it but don’t let that small sample size fool you. At the time of this writing Gallegos has logged 42.1 innings in Triple-A and has posted an impressive stat line that includes a 4-2 record with five saves, a 1.70 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP and an impressive 14.7 K/9 ratio. With strikeout numbers like that any team can find a spot for you in their bullpen, especially in September. Gallegos is already on the 40 man roster and since being converted from a starting pitcher to a relief pitcher back in 2015 the right-hander has been nothing short of dominant. Gallegos won’t be Dellin Betances but he could be a very effective bridge from the starter to Dellin, David Robertson and Aroldis Chapman while Tommy Kahnle struggles to find himself back in pinstripes.

Finally, who pissed off Gary Sanchez and where can I send the thank you card? Somebody poked the bear and somebody has unleashed the Kraken because it seems like every time this guy makes contact he is either hitting a mammoth home run or knocking in a run. Sanchez is out to prove that last season was not a fluke and despite some questioning his defense that his bat is strong. It has always been strong. It will always be strong. Unleash the Kraken v2!!! All the way to the postseason. Have a great Friday Yankees family. 

Looking Ahead to the 2017 September Call Ups

September call ups are just around the corner in Major League Baseball which means prospects, and for some teams reinforcements, are on the way. The New York Yankees are one of those teams that can truly say that reinforcements are on the way as there is a bunch of useful and talented players down on the farm as we stand here a mere week and a half away from September 1^st. Let’s take a look at some of the potential September call ups and see who will or can be most useful for the team as they push towards the postseason.

Clint Frazier will be a day one call up for the Yankees if his left oblique allows him to be healthy and on the field. Frazier was doing well for the big league club before his injury and will definitely be in the mix at all three outfield positions and at DH for the remainder of the 2017 season.

The Yankees love carrying three catchers or more in September and Kyle Higashioka should be up on September 1 if his back and shoulder allows. Higashioka has battled back injuries for much of this season and went on the disabled list this past weekend with a shoulder injury. If Higashioka is healthy he will be here, if not the Yankees may run with just two catchers until he is healthy enough.

Miguel Andujar will likely be a day one call up as well after a short, but impressive, stint with the Yankees at third base earlier this season. Andujar won’t come up for his defense at third base, especially with both Todd Frazier and Chase Headley healthy, but his bat could earn him a few at-bats off the bench down the stretch.

Now is the part of the story where we talk about the potential arms down on the Yankees farm and the part where Joe Girardi and his binder turned iPad begin to salivate when thinking about the pitching matchups. Domingo German could come up to take some of the pressure off Chad Green, Ben Heller could be a guy to come into a game and get a strikeout or three when necessary as he boasts a 13.3 K/9 ratio at Triple-A this season, and Jonathan Holder could make his return to the Yankees bullpen after making the team out of spring training camp.

Is there anyone the Yankees could make a 40 man roster spot for? Nick Rumbelow missed the entire 2016 season with Tommy John surgery and was optioned off the 40 man roster before getting healthy and dominating Triple-A hitting in 2017. Rumbelow will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft and/or minor league free agency at the end of the season so if the team is keen on keeping him they could add him sooner rather than later. 

So What’s Changed in the New CBA?

Major League Baseball, the owners, the players and the MLB Players Association have reached a tentative five-year labor contract before the deadline on Thursday and quite a bit changed from the new collective bargaining agreement to the old. This should be expected, especially when 26 years old labor peace is on the line, but in the end the deal got done. Here is what changed in the new CBA and here are some of the changes you should expect to see in 2017 and beyond.

The All Star Game will no longer determine which league and team gets home-field advantage in the World Series after 14 seasons. Thank goodness. The team with the better regular season record will be at home for Game One and potentially Game Seven starting in the 2017 World Series.

The 15-Day DL is no more. It is now known as the 10-Day DL. Minor change but I like it, especially for a team like the Yankees who like to give their players “a day.”

The luxury tax will rise from $189 million to $195 million in 2017, $197 million in 2018, $206 million in 2019, $209 million in 2020 and $210 million in 2021. Tax penalties increase from 17.5 % to 20% for first time offenders who go over the luxury tax while second offenders continue to pay 30%. Teams like the Yankees who have gone over the luxury tax at least three consecutive years will see their penalties rise from 40% to 50%. There is also a surtax of 12% for teams who are $20 - $40 million above the threshold while teams with more than $40 million in salary over the threshold will pay 42.5%.

No longer will teams who sign qualifying offer attached players have to give up a first round draft pick or their highest pick in the draft. Under the new rules a player can only be offered a qualifying offer once in his career and the team signing the player lose their third highest pick, not their highest if they are a revenue sharing team, it’s second and fifth highest picks if the team paid luxury tax in the prior season and it’s second highest pick if it doesn’t fit any of the prior criteria. More complications but all you need to know is your first round pick is now safe.  

If the player signs a deal worth more than $50 million his old team will receive a pick at the end of the first round while the team would receive a Competitive Balance Round B pick if the contract signed is under $50 million. If that team pays luxury tax the draft pick would drop to after the fourth round regardless of the contract their previous player signed. THAT HURTS.

If you are more than $40 million over the luxury tax threshold your highest selection in the next draft immediately drops 10 places. THAT ALSO HURTS.

25 and 40 man rosters are still a thing. No 26 man rosters like previously reported. September call ups are also still a thing, and I like that.

Smokeless tobacco is now banned for all new players, or players who has less than one day of major league service. Older players are grandfathered in.

The regular season got four days longer but those are scheduled off days for teams and players.

MORE STEROID TESTING.

Weekly Prospects Check In: Justus Sheffield

The New York Yankees needed some extra arms for the pennant chase up in the Bronx and they basically raided the Triple-A Scranton team to achieve that goal. Everything is a domino effect so in turn the RailRiders raided the Trenton Thunder and the Thunder raided the Tampa Yankees, so on and so forth. One man that benefited from all this paperwork and all these roster moves is the showcase of our weekly check in this morning, Justus Sheffield. Sheffield was one of those arms throwing down in High-A Tampa that got the call up to Double-A Trenton around this time last week.

Here is the stat line that got Sheffield bumped up to the next level in the Yankees system: 

Year	Age	Tm	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	H9	HR9	BB9	SO9
2016	20	3 Teams	10	6	3.09	25	25	125.1	107	47	43	6	53	129	1.277	7.7	0.4	3.8	9.3
2016	20	Lynchburg	7	5	3.59	19	19	95.1	91	40	38	6	40	93	1.374	8.6	0.6	3.8	8.8
2016	20	Tampa	3	1	1.73	5	5	26.0	14	6	5	0	10	27	0.923	4.8	0.0	3.5	9.3
2016	20	Trenton	0	0	0.00	1	1	4.0	2	1	0	0	3	9	1.250	4.5	0.0	6.8	20.2

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Potential Arms for "Johnny Wholestaff" Today

The New York Yankees were faced with a decision this week after learning of Chad Green's elbow injury. The team had to decide whether they wanted to move Luis Severino out of the bullpen and into the rotation again, whether they wanted to rush Bryan Mitchell back to the Major Leagues or whether they wanted to take advantage of September call ups and expanded roster to have what they call a "Johnny Wholestaff" day, aka a bullpen day. The Yankees went with the latter, although technically Mitchell will be the first one out of the gates, so here are just a few of the arms the Yankees could throw out today and how they could use them.

Luis Severino was needed on Monday, he was originally going to make the start on Wednesday, so while he is still stretched out he is likely only available for two or three innings today. If that.

Bryan Mitchell will start the game but I'm not exactly sure how many innings he will throw. Five? Six? Maybe less. Who knows.

James Pazos got a September call up along with Mitchell yesterday and he could be available for multiple innings as well.

Chasen Shreve pitched Monday but could be available for multiple innings today if necessary.

If necessary, with the whole "most important game of the season" stuff being thrown around, you can count Dellin Betances in for two innings, Tyler Clippard for one and Adam Warren for at least one if necessary. The team needs victories and everyone is tired now. You have to keep pushing though if you want in the postseason.

Kirby Yates, Blake Parker, Tommy Layne, Ben Heller, Jonathan Holder and Nick Goody are all good for an inning if necessary and haven't been used all that much lately. Maybe two innings for all but Holder? Who knows.

This could be a long night for the Yankees but thank goodness this happened now and not before the rosters expanded in September. For someone who has been against roster expansion in September I'm sure Joe Girardi isn't bagging on it too hard tonight. Just a thought.

Weekly Prospects Check In: Chance Adams

The New York Yankees are at that awkward point in the minor league season where the only constant is change and everything is up for Chance. Right around the time of the minor league playoffs every year is the time that teams call up their top prospects and most MLB ready prospects for September call ups while other prospects get shut down as the teams hope to prevent a chance of injury. There’s that word again, chance. Chance Adams was one of those prospects shut down due to his workload and boy did he have himself a great season.

Here is the stat line that Chance will finish his first season as a starter with. He definitely put his name on the map this season and there is nothing more that he can do in 2016. See you in 2017 bud and thank you for the hard work this season. Hard work truly pays off. 

Year	Age	Lev	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	H9	HR9	BB9	SO9
2016	21	AA-A+	13	1	2.33	25	24	127.1	76	38	33	9	39	144	0.903	5.4	0.6	2.8	10.2
2016	21	A+	5	0	2.65	12	12	57.2	41	18	17	4	15	73	0.971	6.4	0.6	2.3	11.4
2016	21	AA	8	1	2.07	13	12	69.2	35	20	16	5	24	71	0.847	4.5	0.6	3.1	9.2

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

The 2016 Season is Officially a Sprint

Ladies and gentleman I touched on this a bit yesterday on the blog but today I want to really go over and showcase the importance of today. Today not only does the calendar change from August to September but I have also said that September 1^st marks the end of the MLB season being a marathon and this is where the regular season officially becomes a sprint.

Both the August 1^st and August 31^st trade deadlines are now in the books. September call ups are upon us. The pennant races in almost every division in both the American League and the National League are tight or competitive and the races for both Wild Card spots in the respective leagues are a jumbled mess, but in a good way.

Five months in the books, one more to go before things get really interesting. We have the entire month of September to go, two games in October and then the postseason. It is no longer getting late pretty early Yankees family. It’s late and it’s time to give it everything we’ve got.

We’re not in a marathon any longer. I can see the finish line in the distance. It’s time to sprint. 

Yankees Also Acquire Eric Young Jr. from Milwaukee

Just minutes after posting that the New York Yankees had traded Ben Gamel to the Seattle Mariners for two teenage pitching arms news broke that Brian Cashman also pulled off a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Yankees will send cash considerations to Milwaukee for outfielder Eric Young Jr. Young will presumably get Gamel's now vacated 40 man roster spot and will likely work as the team's pinch running specialist that they love to employ in September.

In a word.... why? Couldn't Gamel steal bases potentially? Ben Gamel stole 19 bases in Triple-A this season and Young stole 23 in Triple-A. It's just cash and the Yankees got two pitching prospects back in return, I still don't get it though. Brian Cashman has made me look bad for doubting him a ton lately so I'm willing to wait and feel this one out.

Weekly Prospects Check In: Clint Frazier

The New York Yankees have an absolutely loaded outfield not only in the Bronx but in Triple-A as well and at the top of that list sits today's showcase and check in player, Clint Frazier. Frazier is likely MLB ready now but with the plethora of options in the Bronx already and mixed with the fact that Frazier recently came over in a deal involving Andrew Miller from the Cleveland Indians the Yankees are being understandably slow and cautious with him. The Yankees have a 40 man roster crunch as it is and they don't need to protect Frazier yet which explains why he is still in Triple-A and not with the big league club.

With that said I can't see Frazier becoming a September call up for the Yankees but like the New York Lottery, hey you never know. Here is what he would be bringing with him to Yankee Stadium if he were to be called up today:

Year	Age	Aff	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	CLE-NYY	118	515	74	121	27	15	54	13	48	119	.264	.336	.443	.779

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Should the Yankees Take a Waiver on Desmond Jennings?

I know, I know but hear me out. The Yankees are absolutely stacked at the outfield position right now but talent is talent. Should the Yankees take a waiver on the soon-to-be free agent Desmond Jennings?

Jennings was once thought to be one of the future stars of the league for the Rays but now the 29-year old has succumbed to multiple leg injuries that have seemingly slowed down his development. Jennings has already fought a hamstring injury this season and is set to come off the disabled list with a knee injury when the Tampa Bay Rays are expected to release him.

Jennings was solid from 2011 - 2014 for Tampa Bay hitting .249/.327/.405 with 47 home runs and 86 stolen bases but since then the former Rays center fielder has slumped and slowed considerably. Jennings stopped hitting, stopped hitting for power and stopped stealing bases due to his injuries which caused Tampa to bench him.

So why would the Yankees want him? They have a plethora of outfield options heading into next season and many of them are younger, project higher and are flat out better on paper. In a word, they wouldn't. It depends on the deal though. Would Jennings be willing to sign a minor league deal while still on the Rays dime for the remainder of this season? Maybe. If so, sign him up. Rosters expand next week and he has talent that you don't tend to find on the free agent market these days. Especially on a minor league deal. If not, then you pass.

Jennings will sign with someone. He's still a quality defender in the outfield according to multiple defensive metrics, although not UZR 150, he's still young and he would make a great bounce back or fourth outfielder option for most teams. Unfortunately just not for this team. I have to pass unless it's on a minor league deal.

Predicting the 2016 Yankees September Call Ups

The New York Yankees youth movement is in full swing with Aaron Judge taking over the right field duties, Tyler Austin getting the bulk of the work at first base and Gary Sanchez catching behind the plate and frankly it’s a sight for sore eyes. The Yankees have needed such a youth movement for many years now and I am glad the team has finally committed to doing it and for this season I am more excited than ever for the calendar to turn to September so we can get some September call ups and reinforcements from the minor leagues. Who will those reinforcements be? One can only guess and speculate at this point and that is exactly what I’ll try to do for you on this Friday morning.

Let’s start with the easy ones, the players currently on the 40 man roster that have already had their minor league option used for the 2016 season.

INF/OF Robert Refsnyder

OF Ben Gamel

RHP Ben Heller

LHP Chasen Shreve/ RHP Kirby Yates (whichever is down in Triple-A at the time)

LHP James Pazos

RHP Luis Cessa (if he’s sent back down between then and now)

RHP Johnny Barbato

LHP Richard Bleier

RHP Nick Goody

OF Mason Williams

RHP Bryan Mitchell

The 40 man roster the crunch is real. The roster does have one free spot though and has some flexibility if the Yankees were to 60-Day DL Jacob Lindgren, Nathan Eovaldi or Nick Goody while designating Richard Bleier, Anthony Swarzak, Blake Parker, J.R Graham or Tommy Layne to name a few for assignment. The Yankees could get creative and bring up a few others but that’s purely speculatuion at this point. The future finally looks bright in New York and we can get a true glimpse of that come this September. Two more weeks!

Did I omit someone? Am I crazy for including another? Leave it below in the comments section or tweet us your thoughts and responses @GreedyStripes. 

Weekly Prospects Check In: Ben Heller

Ben Heller got his feet a little wet earlier this month after getting called up to the Major Leagues as a fresh arm for Joe Girardi’s bullpen but was sent back down the same week. This was more because of a roster crunch than anything as the Yankees are seemingly pretty high on Heller for this season and going forward and all signs point to New York believing that he could be a staple in their bullpen for years to come.

Heller may be down in Triple-A but he’s not forgotten, trust me on that. He’ll be back in September at the latest. Here is what he would bring to the table if he were to be called up today: 

Year	Age	Lev	Aff	W	L	ERA	G	GF	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	H9	HR9	BB9	SO9
2016	24	AAA-AA	CLE-NYY	3	3	1.76	47	31	13	46.0	26	9	9	2	14	52	0.870	5.1	0.4	2.7	10.2
2016	24	AA	CLE	1	0	0.55	15	14	7	16.1	3	1	1	1	5	23	0.490	1.7	0.6	2.8	12.7
2016	24	AAA	CLE	2	2	2.49	28	13	5	25.1	20	7	7	1	7	25	1.066	7.1	0.4	2.5	8.9
2016	24	AAA	NYY	0	1	2.08	4	4	1	4.1	3	1	1	0	2	4	1.154	6.2	0.0	4.2	8.3

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table