TGP Trivia and Fact of the Day for March 9th, 2019

Good morning Yankees family!!

Derek Jeter holds the Yankees record for most leadoff home runs in a career. Jeter started a game 29 times by hitting a home run. 

And a special good morning to the love of my life, Mrs. Kari Ann Burch!

TGP Trivia and Fact of the Day for March 4th, 2019

Good morning Yankees family. Monday... yuck!

Babe Ruth won 10 home runs crowns as a member of the New York Yankees. The Sultan of Swat, right? But what player has the second most home run titles in club history?

Highlight below for your answer, but leave your guesses in the comments section below first!



Mickey Mantle, who has four. 



Even on a Monday morning I still love you so very much, my amazing wife Kari! And a very special good morning to my son, Jacob. You turn 15-years old today, and this is your day. Enjoy your day buddy, I love you!

TGP Trivia and Fact of the Day for February 27th, 2019

Good morning Yankees family!

Who is the only Yankees player to hit a home run in each of his first two plate appearances with the club?

Highlight below to see the answer, but before you do please leave your guesses below in the comments section:



Cody Ransom, who did it in 2008. 



And a special good morning to the one woman in the world that was made just for me. I love you, Kari!

Hello… Predictions

Good morning Yankees family and welcome officially to the weekend, it’s Saturday and we made it. I wanted to start the morning off with something that I genuinely enjoy doing, making predictions for the upcoming game and season. Tonight, the Yankees will play host to the Boston Red Sox inside Yankee Stadium with a pitching matchup of Chris Sale vs. Sonny Gray.

Sonny Gray at home makes me want to go “ugh” while I am sure most of the Yankees offense had a similar reaction when they saw that the Red Sox left-handed ace was making the start. Well, everyone with the exception of Greg Bird I’d say.

So, my prediction. Greg Bird will continue his dominance over Sale and hit another home run tonight off of him in the Bronx. You can @ me, do it on Twitter. @GreedyStripes.

And my baby, I predict just another amazing day and weekend with you. Because love. I love you.

Too Many Damn Strikeouts… And Who Cares?

Remember when the New York Yankees were the team that hit “too many damn home runs?” Everyone was up in arms, fans and writers alike, because the team was too reliant on the home run ball and that philosophy simply did not translate well into the postseason. Now the general gripe amongst the fans seems to be that the 2018 version of the Bronx Bombers are the team that has “too many damn strikeouts.” The team is striking out at an alarming rate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is a bad thing. Let me explain.  

First of all, we have to preface by reminding many of these fans that Major League Baseball is a game where you can fail seven times out of every ten at-bats and be considered GREAT. Striking out 2.5 times every ten at-bats makes you average, and most people fall somewhere in between the two. Failure is a thing in Major League Baseball that is just going to happen, period. Many would argue though that it is how a team makes an out that is important, and I agree. Productive outs are the best outs. The outs that move a runner over, the outs that bring in a run on a sacrifice, giving yourself up for the team with a bunt, etc. are all great outs, but believe it or not strikeouts can be good outs too. 

Baseball Prospectus did a 10-year study on strikeouts and how they affect a pitcher’s total number of pitches thrown spanning the 2005-2015 seasons and the findings are alarming. Gone are the days of Kerry Wood striking out 20 batters in a single game while throwing just 122 pitches, bullpens are specialized, pitchers are babied more, and it simply taxes a pitcher more in today’s game to strikeout a batter than it used to. The studies and the research show it. 

The study showed that on average it took a pitcher 4.5 pitches to strikeout a batter during this span while it took on average just three pitches to retire a batter without a strikeout. With pitch limits being lowered, bullpen usage at an all-time high and it is taking more and more pitches to strike out a batter the team is tiring pitchers out sooner and getting into opposing team’s bullpens earlier and earlier. FYI, this study was done before Aaron Judge seemingly worked a full count every single at-bat as well, so I am curious to see the studies and numbers from beyond the 2015 season as they continue to climb every single season. 

The Yankees are going to make at least 27 outs every single night, unless they are winning at home where the out total drops to 24 outs, so it is imperative for the Yankees to make the most of those outs. This is a team that is built on power and the ability to strike at any time in any situation offensively, wouldn’t that chance likely increase if the opposing pitcher was laboring or tiring on the mound? I would think so, so maybe the fact that the New York Yankees have “too many damn strikeouts” could be a good thing in the grand scheme of things. Ideal? No. Damming and telling of the team though? Absolutely not!

Hello… John Sterling is Getting Complacent?

Good morning everyone and a Happy Wednesday to you all. I hope everyone is doing well, especially Yankees and WFAN radio broadcaster John Sterling. Sterling is seemingly getting a little complacent, isn’t he? After catching so much flak for his Giancarlo Stanton home run call he seemingly went soft, or maybe just safe, with the home run call of Miguel Andujar… didn’t he?

“Andujar… hit it far…”

I mean, that works… but that is all you have? Sterling’s always been so creative and had so much fun with these, but it just feels like he went the safe route with Andujar. I don’t know. I don’t have any better recommendations, so I guess I can’t say too much, but still. This is Sterling’s thing, not mine, and I think he could have done better is all. Oh well, maybe his call for Gleyber Torres will make up for it.

Anyway, a special good morning to you my love, my soulmate and my future wife. I cannot wait to marry you and spend the rest of my days with you Kari Ann Burch. I love you.

So it Seems… Five Yankees and 50 Homers

On Monday afternoon we all watched as Aaron Judge launched a home run to right field for his 49^th home run tying Mark McGwire for the single-season home run record for a rookie. We all also watched as a couple innings later Judge launched another to left-center field to break the record which was an absolutely awesome sight to see. To put what Judge has done into perspective would likely take pages upon pages of writing and I’m not sure I could still convey what exactly the Yankees right fielder has done, but that doesn’t mean I won’t attempt to anyway.

Instead of writing you page after page with stat after stat and reason after reason I will leave you with one line. Before I drop that one line I want everyone to think about the New York Yankees franchise and organization. I want you to think about all the teams that have donned the Yankees pinstripes, all the players that have been Yankees, all the legends, all the feats, all the history. Then I want you think about Aaron Judge and just how many Yankees have ever hit 50 home runs in a single season. Not as a rookie, ever.

Aaron Judge, Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. That’s it.

HEY YOU. I loves you Kari!! Have a great day everyone. 

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

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

Judge- 2017:

Standard Batting

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

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

McGwire – 1987:

Standard Batting

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

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

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

Aaron Judge Passes Mark McGwire for Single-Season Home Run Record by a Rookie!!

A huge congratulations goes out to Aaron Judge who with his 50th home run of the season passes Mark McGwire for the single-season home run record by a rookie. All rise!!

Comparing Didi Gregorius’ 2017 Season to Derek Jeter’s 1999 Season

In case you missed it or were at work like I was when it happened Didi Gregorius set a little bit of Yankees history on Wednesday afternoon in the Bronx against the Minnesota Twins. Gregorius hit his 25^th home run of the season passing Yankees legend Derek Jeter for the most by a Yankees shortstop in a single season. Any time you pass Derek Jeter on any list it’s a good thing so I wanted to take the opportunity this morning to not only honor Didi for his incredible achievement but also wanted to take the time to compare the two seasons for no other reason other than I think it would be interesting. Thanks to Baseball Reference here is Didi’s 2017 campaign compared to Jeter’s 1999 season. Enjoy and leave any thoughts or comments below in the comments section. Also, before I begin comparing, I want to point out that I am comparing the two seasons and not necessarily the two players because there is only one Derek Jeter. Thanks for reading.

Jeter:

Standard Batting

Year	Age	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1999	25	158	739	627	134	219	37	9	24	102	19	91	116	.349	.438	.552	.989

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Gregorius:

Standard Batting

Year	Age	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2017	27	128	537	501	70	146	27	0	25	84	2	25	67	.291	.325	.495	.820

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Pretty damn close, isn’t it? Obviously Gregorius won’t play in nearly as many games as Jeter did as Jeter missed just three games that season while Didi began the 2017 campaign on the disabled list but overall Gregorius has done well for himself here this season. Jeter stole more bases, had more RBI and tops Didi in most every stat here but one must remember that at this time Jeter had 30 more games on Gregorius. Jeter was at the top of his game here in 1999 and so were the Yankees as the team was headed to their third World Series championship in four seasons but Didi isn’t that far behind. Are his Yankees though? I guess you’ll have to just stay tuned to the blog and to the games to find out. 

So it Seems the Yankees Have a Home Run Competition, the End of the Bald Brotherhood and an Incredibly Long Post Title to Start Off Your Friday! You’re Welcome.

Bald is the new sexy and the New York Yankees are bring bald back to the Major Leagues. The Yankees have a pair of players who completely shave their heads and I am aptly calling them the Bald Brothers. The Bald Brothers consists of Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner and designated hitter Matt Holliday and these two men have a bit of a home run hitting competition going on.

Gardner and Holliday are going to use the 2017 season as their playground as both players try to simply hit more home runs than the other. The winner gets bragging rights and the loser has to grow his hair out for an entire month. Oh the shame!

As a soon-to-be member of the bald brother hood I find this both entertaining and highly enjoyable as a fan. I look forward to seeing both Holliday and Gardner hit home runs and give each other stare downs as they round third base all season long.

Good morning from the Bald Brotherhood… and hey you. I love you KAB. 

Every 2016 Home Run from the New York Yankees

The 2016 New York Yankees hit 182 home runs this season.... here is every single one of them. Enjoy.

Yankees Postseason History Recap: Babe Ruth Calls His Shot

Rumor and legend has it that one man once pointed to the center field wall before an at-bat essentially calling that he was going to hit a home run. The man was Babe Ruth of the Yankees and it happened in Game Three of the 1932 World Series.

Ruth called his shot in the fifth inning against Chicago Cubs pitcher Charlie Root and did so while leading the Yankees to a 7-5 victory. I can’t think of another man, even in legend, that called his shot and actually hit one in a game let alone a World Series game so I guess that’s just part of what makes the Great Bambino special.

Here is a little nugget of personal information from me as well while we are on the subject. One time one of my teammates in Little League had an older brother who told us he would give us a $20 bill if we called a home run and hit one. Me being me, greedy, called the shot and promptly took a fastball to the calf. Even in Little League pitchers didn’t take kindly to calling your shot. That was as close as I ever got to being Babe Ruth and boy it hurt. 

So Your Fantasy Teams Needs a Little Power?

So you have a plan. Spend the All-Star break wheeling and dealing and scouring the free agent market looking for talent for your fantasy baseball team. The team hasn’t lived up to the preseason hype. Injuries have happened and so have down seasons and you, like a lot of your league mates, need power. I may not have the sleeper that you can get as an unknown that will turn your season around and bring you a championship but I just may have a couple guys you can maybe buy low on and watch as they turn around their season in the second half. What do you have to lose? You wouldn’t be reading this if you were in a good position now would you?

Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox is a better hitter and a better home run hitter than he has shown thus far in 2016. In Abreu’s first two seasons in the big leagues the slugger had at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI or more but to date Abreu has just 11 home runs in 2016. Abreu still has a ton of protection in that White Sox lineup and his contact, line drive and power indexes are still above average so sabermetrics suggest he is due to break out in a big way very, very soon.

Brian McCann is one that I watch on a daily basis. For that reason I don’t feel the need to throw fancy sabermetric stats at you but instead I will use the eye test. I know the back of his baseball card says he is a 25 home run type guy every season, especially inside Yankee Stadium, but he has been anything but that this season. I’m thinking he will wake up a bit in the second half and climb much closer to 20 than he is now and anyone can use that sort of power at the catcher position.

Finally you have Justin Upton. Yes I know he plays in a big yard in Comerica Park and yes I know his home run numbers have been down but hear me out. He is hitting fly balls over 40% of the time and he’s hitting them hard, some of them have to start falling in and falling over the fence soon. It’s simple mathematics and science. Upton is used to playing in pitching friendly ballparks in Atlanta, San Diego and Arizona and that never slowed him down. Comerica won’t either.

Trade from a strength, fill a hole and win your league. You’re welcome in advance. 

TGP Top 29 Prospects List - #15 Slade Heathcott

So we're officially half way through Prospects Month and halfway through our Top 30 Yankees Prospects list we do every single year. Up to this point we've seen just two players who have seen time in the Major Leagues and both of them have been pitchers, today that changes. Today we showcase an outfielder on the Yankees 40 man roster that already has a clutch and defining moment or two inside Yankees pinstripes, Mr. Slade Heathcott.

Everyone talks about fellow prospect Ty Hensley and his ability to battle adversity and keep his head up while continuing to not only fight but improve but not enough is said about Heathcott. Heathcott has been on the 40 man roster only to find himself released and without a job before returning to the club. Heathcott has battled serious injury after serious injury and had an even more serious battle with alcoholism before returning to the Yankees and his savior to get back on track. Get back on track he did and in a big way in 2015.

Heathcott returned to the 40 man roster and made his MLB debut all while making a name for himself with a huge three run home run that ultimately won a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Heathcott will likely pass the threshold from prospect to MLB regular this season so enjoy him while you can, you're 15th best Yankees prospect for Prospects Month 2016.

15. Slade Heathcott
16. Abi Avelino
17. Hoy-Jun Park
18. Luis Torrens
19. Cale Coshow
20. Chance Adams
21. Miguel Andujar
22. Jonathan Holder
23. Tyler Wade
24. Nick Rumbelow
25.Jordan Montgomery
26.Trey Amburgey
27. Ben Gamel
28. Austin DeCarr
29. Thairo Estrada
30. James Pazos

2015 Yankees: #TooManyDamnHRs

Every home run the New York Yankees hit during the 2015 regular season. 

As Gardner & Ellsbury Go, the Yankees Go

It’s pretty early in the season but just after a series in the books for the Yankees it looks like runs will once again come at a premium in the Bronx. New York may once again finish without a 100 RBI guy or a .300 batter and the team may have to manufacture almost every run they score this season. I’m not standing here telling you that the sky is falling or that I am ready to jump off the bandwagon now, I’m not, that’s just how the team was built. The team was built with speed, defense and were built for small ball. Looking at the first Yankees victory of the season Wednesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays it looks like as Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury goes, the Yankees will go in 2015.

This theory makes sense on paper because Ellsbury and Gardner hit #1 and #2 in the batting order and are considered to be the table setters for the lineup. Mixing in a speedy guy like Didi Gregorius at the bottom of the order only helps in the later innings when the Yankees turn the order over and bring up these two with runners on base. Ellsbury and Gardner will both take their walks and both have the on base numbers to be serviceable leadoff hitters for this team. Gardner’s power surge of the past couple of seasons, his strikeouts and his lack of trust in his own base stealing game (I assume anyway by what I see on the field) has dropped him into the second slot replacing the great Derek Jeter in the lineup. The fact of the matter is whoever is hitting first and whoever is hitting second doesn’t matter, what matters is if they get on base.

If these two get on base they can steal bases and create havoc with their legs. The pitcher has to constantly keep a mindful eye on both of these runners while on first and second base which may lead to a ball being left up or a slider simply spinning over the plate. The fact that both of these players can usually score from first on a double also adds to their importance with the middle of the order coming up. None of Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira, Chase Headley or Brian McCann are going to come anywhere near hitting .300 this season but all of them can come reasonably close to 75-100 RBI each if Gardner and Ellsbury are on base when they do connect or hit a home run.

As the top two hitters in the Yankees lineup go the Yankees will go. If Ellsbury has a 0-4 night or Gardner strikes out swinging three times in a night, and both will happen, then the Yankees will struggle to score unless the big boppers hit home runs. That’s just baseball and that is how teams that don’t want on the “too many damn home runs” play the game. So while you’re watching the game watch these two closely and you just may know the outcome before it happens and you too can become a Yankees Wizard just like I was deemed in 2014. 

TGP Daily Poll: Yankees Offense is Alive vs. Boston

The New York Yankees always do one of two things when playing the Boston Red Sox in recent years, struggle completely or knock the cover off the ball. Rarely is there an in between and on Friday the Yankees offense wakes up with three home runs and a win.

Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com

TGP Daily Poll: Yankees Offense Wakes Up in Game Two

The New York Yankees offense looked like a repeat of the 2014 version of the team on Opening Day plating just one runner on a Brett Gardner home run. That changes with six runs for the Bronx Bombers in Game Two.

Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com

Bring Back Too Many Damn Home Runs

It's officially the offseason for the Yankees and with the whole hot stove season ahead of us it's time for some optimism and change in New York. It may be time to bring back the "too many damn home runs" philosophy because this new philosophy hasn't worked in the last two seasons.

This season the Yankees scored just 633 runs which was 13th best in the American League, more like the Bronx Bombless than the Bronx Bombers. The team was only able to hit 147 home runs which was 7th best in the AL. This season came after another disappointing and frustrating 2013 season in which New York began their new found philosophy to get away from hitting home runs in a ballpark that was made for them.Last year New York scored 650 runs which was 10th best in the AL while hitting 144 home runs, the 14th best team in the American League.

In the 2012 season the Yankees scored the second most runs in all of baseball when Yankees crossed the plate a staggering 804 and times. New York slugged 245 home runs, which led all of the American League, and was a Derek Jeter broken ankle away from the World Series.

The biggest reason for too many damn home runs?


2014 Record: 84-78 (2nd Place)
2013 Record: 85-77 (3rd Place)
2012 Record: 95-67 (AL East champions)