Congratulations to Team USA in the WBC – My Thoughts

The World Baseball Classic came to an end on Wednesday and while I have been absent from the blog this week, once again my apologies, that doesn’t mean I have been absent from my fandom with the sport. I watched and rooted on Team USA as they blanked Team Puerto Rico in the WBC finale to win their first championship from the tournament in its short history and I wanted to take the time to not only congratulate them this afternoon but I also want to give my thoughts on the game and the entire tournament as a whole for Team USA.

I have to say that as a whole I am not a huge fan of the World Baseball Classic. I get the whole idea behind it, representing your country on a worldwide stage, but I think my biggest beef with it is when the games are actually played. In years past I have always said that teams like Team Dominican Republic and Team Venezuela and Team Puerto Rico to name a few have a clear and concise advantage because they have warm weather nearly year round and they have winter leagues such as the Dominican Winter League where players can play baseball year round. While Americans can play baseball and stay in shape all year long there is and always will be a huge difference in training and exhibition type baseball and the real live thing giving players outside the country a distinct advantage in my opinion, well until this year of course.

Team USA stormed the mound on Wednesday night not after only beating Team Puerto Rico but completely dominating and shutting them out 8-0 to capture the championship. Players hoisted the decorative bald eagle mascot on their shoulders and ran across the field with American flags across their backs and dammit I’d be lying if it didn’t make me proud to be an American. The chants of USA-USA-USA inside Dodger Stadium were echoing and chilling and they sent shivers down my spine as Team USA simply lowered their heads and received their gold medals in pride.

Honestly I think the WBC, until this week anyway, was a much bigger deal and was way more important to countries like the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Japan etc. than it was to the United States. We have Major League Baseball…. But now we have a World Baseball Classic championship and we earned it in front of over 57,000 fans in Dodger Stadium. This may change the WBC for Team USA forever. You think Mike Trout and Bryce Harper so “no” to defending the title again in a few years? Part of me wants to say “hell no” they won’t. Stay tuned. 

FYI: World Baseball Classic 2017 Schedule

The United States and Team USA begin their World Baseball Classic schedule against Team Columbia on March 10^th, three short days away, while the defending champions Team Dominican Republic start their schedule the next day. For the entire Team USA, Team Dominican Republic or any other team’s schedule for this year’s WBC see our handy schedule below. Bookmark it and check back often if necessary. Enjoy.

All times are Eastern Standard Time. The first and second rounds are a Round Robin style tournament.

FIRST ROUND

Pool A
Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea

Monday, March 6
Israel vs. South Korea, 5 a.m.

Tuesday, March 7
Taiwan vs. Israel, 10:30 p.m. Monday
South Korea vs. Netherlands, 5 a.m.

Wednesday, March 8
Taiwan vs. Netherlands, 5 a.m.

Thursday, March 9
Israel vs. Netherlands, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday
Taiwan vs. South Korea, 5 a.m

Friday, March 10
Tiebreaker game, 4 a.m., if necessary

Pool B
Tokyo Dome

Tuesday, March 7
Cuba vs. Japan, 5 a.m.

Wednesday, March 8
China vs. Cuba, 10 p.m. Tuesday
Australia vs. Japan, 5 a.m.

Thursday, March 9
Australia vs. China, 5 a.m.

Friday, March 10
Australia vs. Cuba, 10 p.m. Thursday
China vs. Japan, 5 a.m.

Saturday, March 11
Tiebreaker game, 5 a.m., if necessary

Pool C
Marlins Park – Miami

Thursday, March 9
Canada vs. Dominican Republic, 6 p.m.

Friday, March 10
Colombia vs. United States, 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 11
Canada vs. Colombia, Noon
Dominican Republic vs. United States, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 12
Colombia vs. Dominican Republic, 12:30 p.m.
Canada vs. United States, 7 p.m.

Monday, March 13
Tiebreaker game, 6 p.m., if necessary

Pool D
Estadio Charros de Jalisco - Guadalajara, Mexico

Thursday, March 9
Italy vs. Mexico, 9 p.m.

Friday, March 10
Puerto Rico vs. Venezuela, 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 11
Italy vs. Venezuela, 3 p.m.
Mexico vs.Puerto Rico, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 12
Italy vs. Puerto Rico, 3:30 p.m.
Mexico vs. Venezuela, 10 p.m.

Monday, March 13
Tiebreaker game, 9 p.m., if necessary

SECOND ROUND

Pool E
Tokyo Dome

Sunday, March 12
Pool A winner vs. Pool B, 10 p.m. Saturday
Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B, 6 a.m.

Monday, March 13
Pool A winner vs. Pool A runner-up, 6 a.m.

Tuesday, March 14
Pool B vs. Pool B, 6 a.m.

Wednesday, March 15
Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B, 11 p.m. Tuesday
Pool A winner vs. Pool B, 6 a.m.

Thursday, March 16
Tiebreaker game, 6 a.m., if necessary

Pool F
Petco Park - San Diego

Tuesday, March 14
Pool C winner vs. Pool D winner, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, March 15
Pool C runner-up vs. Pool D runner-up, 9 p.m.

Thursday, March 16
Pool C winner vs. Pool D runner-up, 10 p.m.

Friday, March 17
Pool C runner-up vs. Pool D winner, 10 p.m.

Saturday, March 18
Pool D winner vs. Pool D runner-up, 3:30 p.m.
Pool C winner vs. Pool C runner-up, 10 p.m.

Sunday, March 19
Tiebreaker game, 8 p.m., if necessary

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles

Semifinals

Monday, March 20
Pool E runner-up vs. Pool F winner, 9 p.m.

Tuesday, March 21
Pool E winner vs. Pool F runner-up, 9 p.m.

Championship

Wednesday, March 22
Semifinal winners, 9 p.m.

Yankees ST: Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees 3/24

The Tampa Bay Rays are fresh off their game with the Havana national team and are fresh off the plane from Cuba to face off with the New York Yankees inside George M. Steinbrenner Field. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound looking to take the next step towards securing the Yankees 5th starter spot out of spring training.

The game will be played at 6:35 pm ET but unfortunately the game cannot be seen or listened to live anywhere at this time.

Yankees Spring Training Open Thread 3/22

What happened down at Yankees spring training camp today? Let's get caught up!

The New York Yankees and the New York Mets are currently facing off head-to-head as a part of the Grapefruit League while the Tampa Bay Rays are in Havana, Cuba. Along with the Rays are the President of the United States Barack Obama and former Yankees legends Joe Torre and Derek Jeter.

Jacoby Ellsbury was reevaluated today and the plan is to still get back into a game on Thursday. In Joe Girardi talk that means Friday, maybe Saturday.

Nathan Eovaldi pitched 60 pitches in a minor league game today while Ian Clarkin also pitched in a minor league game. That's one more game than last spring for Clarkin. Luis Torrens hit a home run in the game so his shoulder looks good thus far.

Slade Heathcott was optioned to Triple-A. I guess Ellsbury really is fine.

Quick Hit: Sabathia Teaches President Obama How to Pitch

The Tampa Bay Rays along with a few ambassadors from Major League Baseball and the United States are prepping for a historical trip to Havana, Cuba to take on the Cuban national team. This will mark the first time a MLB team has set foot on Cuban soil since the Baltimore Orioles did it in 1999. The Rays are heading down along with former Yankees Joe Torre and Derek Jeter but the man who may throw out the first pitch is none other than Barack Obama, the President of the United States. Obama, a southpaw, didn’t play much baseball growing up as a kid in Hawaii and Chicago but thankfully for him he got some advice from key MLB players including our very own CC Sabathia.

The Associated Press asked a collections of MVP’s and former Cy Young Award winning All-Stars to critique Obama’s last ceremonial first pitch and Sabathia had some advice for the President. “He looked good, I mean up until his windup and everything” said Sabathia. The Yankees lefty also went on to say “get the ball down in the zone.”

David Price also suggested a “free and easy” relaxed delivery to Obama and warned him “don’t bounce it.” Madison Bumgarner, the San Francisco Giants ace, suggested something easier said than done for some. “Just throw a strike.” My own suggestion to the President? Don’t pull a 50 Cent. 

MLB Hopes For Rule Changes on Cuban Market

The relationship between the United States and Cuba are hopefully on the mend and the relationship between the Cuban government, their players and Major League Baseball may be as well. In years past Cuban-born players simply defected from their native country, established residency elsewhere in the world and waited a year or longer to get unblocked by the United States before pursuing their MLB career. MLB wants this to change and have proposed news rules that will specifically affect the Cuban amateur and professional player market.

Currently there is an embargo on Cuban imported goods and players which forces the players to establish residency elsewhere and keeps the league from setting up similar deals like they have with the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization in Japan and the Korean Baseball Organization in Korea. It would be unlawful for teams to send some sort of monetary compensation back to Cuba so the league is looking for a bit of a loophole in the way of non-profit entity creations that will help develop baseball on the island of Cuba. 

In theory the team that acquires a Cuban-born player would donate money to this fund as compensation for the player. The difference between this non-profit fund and simply sending the money to the team is that this is non-taxable income and this would not directly or indirectly head to the Castro's and the Cuban government. It is unclear whether the United States Treasury Department will agree to this or approve the deal, stay tuned. 

Tampa Bay Rays Will Visit Cuba on March 22nd

The Tampa Bay Rays, along with a little help from President Barack Obama, will visit the native land of Cuba later this month to play the first exhibition MLB game on the countries soil in quite some time. Major League Baseball has announced that the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team will play an exhibition game between the two teams on March 22, 2016 inside the historic Estadio Latinamericano in Havana, Cuba.

The last time an MLB team was in Cuba was 1999 when the Baltimore Orioles took on the Cuban national team in Havana. This meeting will mark the first between the two countries since the U.S and Cuba announced plans to normalize relations between each other.

This is a historic event and an exciting event for all fans of the game. Frankly, I can’t wait!

Making the Case for Yulieski Gourriel

The next big thing from Cuba is headed to the United States and could be ready as early as sometime in the 2016 season. Yulieski Gourriel is his name and he is bringing his younger and equally as talented brother Lourdes Gourriel with him. The Yankees are a long shot to sign Lourdes since he will be subject to international spending caps and limitations set by the league but the 31-year old Yulieski will not, he will be a true free agent. While the Yankees spending spree a couple years back will likely keep them from Lourdes only their own limitations will keep them from Yulieski, especially after he announced his preference to play for the Bronx Bombers. 

Yulieski wants to play here, you absolutely cannot put a price tag on that. Having a player that wants to be here in the Bronx rather than what many refer to as “hired mercenaries” shows up not only in their on the field play but in their clubhouse presence and off the field presence as well. This is not talked about enough and this may be more important than anything assuming the talent and production is there to boot so that’s why I listed it first. 

With that out of the way let’s get to the talent and the need that Yulieski would potentially fill in the Yankees organization. Yulieski is a third baseman by trade, a position the Yankees lack in behind Chase Headley,  and has put up a healthy .333/.415/.576 triple slash in his career with 235 career home runs in just 849 games. His bat is strong and his glove may be better as many scouts call him a “plus-defender” while gushing over his makeup, instincts, first move ability and mechanics. Some scouts have even gone as far as to call Yulieski a .300 hitter with 40+ doubles power due to his speed. That’s not a free agent, that’s a game-changer. 

The Yankees may not have the room now but they will have the room for Yulieski going forward. Mark Teixeira will need as much rest as possible at first base and Headley can handle first base with relative ease opening the door for Yulieski. Also Alex Rodriguez will need to play in less than 150 games next season to keep him fresh and healthy opening the door for DH at bats for Gorriel as well. Next season, 2017, the Yankees can take their time with the injured Greg Bird and have Headley play first base while having the Cuban-native play third base until Bird is deemed healthy and ready to return to the Bronx after a shoulder surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2016 season. 

This also sounds good on paper but we all know how the league and the endless paperwork can slow these things down. We have seen the process of declaring a Cuban-defector a MLB free agent take a few months up until a year with a seven month average eliminating any chance of Gourriel, plural, competing at all this season. Gourriel is already drawing comparisons to Adrian belter and Bobby Grich though so this may be a risk worth taking for the Yankees. This makes the team ultimately better and younger while allowing the organization to slowly dip their feet back into the Cuban waters and the Cuban market before a potential international draft is imposed. This is important, maybe one of the most important potential free agent signings of my time, and the Yankees need to get this done. It makes too much sense not to and that’s what worries me. 

The Next Wave of Cuban Imports & Stars

The New York Yankees cannot sign an international free agent for more than $300,000 during the current IFA signing period and the next IFA signing period due to the fact that the team blew past their league-mandated restrictions during the 2014-2015 signing period. Just as an FYI the international signing periods go from July 2^nd to July 2^nd so the current signing period ends on July 2^nd, 2016 and the next signing period ends on July 2^nd, 2017. After this date the Yankees will be allowed to spend again and you have to wonder if the next two latest Cuban defecting imports will be available before that date or after that date.

The top two prospects left in Cuba reportedly defected the country recently and will look to latch on with major league teams in the United States. Yulieski Gourriel was an infielder playing in Cuba before him and his younger brother, Lourdes, slipped away from their hotel in the Dominican Republic and defected from their native country Cuba. Yulieski has been one of the most highly sought after Cuban players after showcasing his talents during the World Baseball Classic in 2006 which his brother wasn’t considered to be a slouch either drawing rave reviews from many around the Cuban game and MLB scouts alike. Yulieski is not attached to the international spending cap and prefers to play for the Yankees while his brother will have to be fit into the international spending cap handed down by the league.

Yulieski is now 31-years old and was recently seen playing for the Yokohama Dena Baystars for $1 million as well as playing for the national team in Havana. Yokohama terminated his contract this spring after Yulieski told the team he was injured and needed to recoup and rehab back in Cuba. Yulieski and his brother Lourdes went on to play for Team Cuba in the Caribbean Series but their team fell to Mexico just short of the finals. It was after the series and their exit that they defected.

Whether they will establish residency, presumably in the Dominican Republic, and be declared free agents during this signing period, the next or the next remains to be seen. This takes quite some time unfortunately and can be delayed for a slew of reasons so whether or not the Yankees have a shot at either of these latest Cuban imports remains to be seen. You would think that they would come in a package deal though so stay tuned as this all gets figured out.