Meet the 2019 Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka

You want to know what a good thing is for the Yankees, but potentially a terrifying thing is for the rest of the American League? Give up? It is the fact that a guy like Masahiro Tanaka, with his skillset, could be technically a third starter for this Yankees team here in 2019. While Tanaka’s stuff and talent doesn’t suggest that he is a third starter, it is likely that Luis Severino will start on Opening Day and will be followed by James Paxton. That’s what I like to call an embarrassment of riches, and yet some Yankees “fans” are still screaming that the team needs more pitching. I don’t get it, but while I try to figure that out let’s meet the Yankees import from Japan, Mr. Masahiro Tanaka.

Tanaka, 30-yeard old, is a right-handed starter that the Yankees signed out of Japan back in 2013. What drew the Yankees, and almost every other team in the league, to Tanaka was his ability to throw and command his 84 MPH slider, his 87 MPH splitter, his 92 MPH four-seam fastball, his 90 MPH cutter and a sinker (91 MPH) and a curve (77 MPH) that he throws rarely. Tanaka uses his splitter to strike out opposing batters while his cutter, which has a natural rise to it, has also garnered more swings and misses the more that Tanaka uses it. Tanaka is prone to the home run ball, especially inside Yankee Stadium, and a good amount of those home runs come off of his slider, which lacks two-plane movement.

Masahiro Tanaka was born on November 1, 1988 in Itami, Japan where he began his baseball career way back in the first grade. Tanaka started out as a catcher for the Koyanosato Tigers, essentially a Little League team, and did not start pitching until he attended Itami Municipal Matsuzaki Junior High School. Tanaka would go on to pitch for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan and would quickly become one of the better pitchers in all of the league. Tanaka dominated Japanese League batters through the 2013 season, which included a perfect 24-0 record with a 1.27 ERA, before being posted by the Golden Eagles.

The New York Yankees, not without stiff competition after the new posting system was agreed to by Japan and MLB, eventually signed Tanaka to a seven-year deal worth $155 million, included in the deal was an opt-out clause after the fourth season and a full no-trade clause. Tanaka made his MLB debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 4, 2014 and promptly gave up a home run to the first batter he saw, ex-Yankees player Melky Cabrera. Tanaka would get the win in his debut and would pitch well for the Yankees until August of that season. In August, Tanaka was added to the 15-day disabled list with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, a diagnosis that would normally be followed up with Tommy John surgery. Instead, on the recommendations of many doctors including Yankees team doctor Dr. Chris Ahmad, Tanaka instead opted for a PRP shot on the ligament. Tanaka, an All-Star in 2014 as a reserve, rested his elbow for six weeks instead of having Tommy John surgery and was able to return on September 21 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Tanaka was given the nod as the Opening Day starter for the Yankees in 2015 after winning 13 games in 2014 as a rookie. Tanaka had a pair of trips to the disabled list in 2015, leading many to wonder if he should have opted for the Tommy John surgery the year prior, but eventually he put it all together and was chosen to start for the Yankees in the 2015 American League Wild Card Game. Tanaka and the Yankees would see their season end in this game at the hands of the Houston Astros in a 3-0 loss. Tanaka was once again named the Yankees Opening Day starter in 2016 and would go a long way in silencing the doubters about the health of his right ulnar collateral ligament. Tanaka was able to avoid the disabled list altogether in 2016 and finished the season with a 14-4 record and 199.2 innings pitched. Tanaka, fresh off a dominant spring, earned his third consecutive Opening Day nod for the Yankees in 2017. Tanaka struggled for much of the 2017 season, once again leading the doubters to believe that an ulnar collateral ligament surgery would have been the best thing for the Japanese-born right-hander, but then came the 2017 postseason. Tanaka pitched well during the 2017 playoffs for the Yankees, even beating Dallas Keuchel in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros, thus giving the Yankees a 3-2 series lead. The Yankees would not win another game during that series, falling just one game short of a World Series.

Tanaka had an opt-out clause written into his contract that would have allowed him to opt out of the final three years with the Yankees, but instead he decided to stay with New York for the remaining three years and $67 million that was left on his deal. Tanaka would lose his Opening Day starts streak in 2018 to Luis Severino, but pitched well regardless in 2018, avoiding the disabled list with any arm and elbow related injuries.

Tanaka also pitched for Team Japan in the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classics, while also pitching for the national team in the 2008 Olympics, held in Beijing, China. Now, Tanaka will look to lead the Yankees back to the Promised Land here in 2019 with his first World Series appearance and title. We’re rooting for you. Tank!

So it Seems Didi Is Back?

Good morning and happy Thursday everyone. It’s almost TGIF!! It’s hard to be upset on a Friday, at least for me, although tomorrow I have a feeling will be a rough day at work. I will be tested physically and emotionally as we have just two people doing six people’s worth of work… so if you don’t hear from me that’s why. LOL. Anyway, I digress and I refuse to stress about it because Monday is another day. Enjoy today, worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.

The good news is that Didi Gregorius is expected to come off the disabled list tomorrow night before the New York Yankees play host to the Baltimore Orioles inside Yankee Stadium. Gregorius has been on a minor league rehab assignment and all signs point to his right shoulder strain being completely healed and healthy after missing basically the first month of the 2017 regular season with the injury.

Didi is back and the Yankees offense is already clicking… things are about to get scary for everyone else here in the Bronx. Have a great day everyone. Oh, and hey you :) 

So it Seems Didi Gregorius is Ready for a Rehab Assignment

Good morning everyone, hope your morning is going well. Just a quick shout out to all the absolutely lovely people who work in the tax and accounting business. I never really gave it much thought before but recently someone who works in that field came into my life and I am learning more and more every day that this is a tough job, especially right around this time of the year. The reason I bring this up this morning is because today is “D Day” in that business, tax deadline day. Enjoy your well-earned days off tomorrow and congratulations on getting your weekends back. Hey you.

Didi Gregorius, the injures Yankees shortstop, could begin playing in rehab games this week as he works his way back from a strained shoulder. Gregorius suffered the injury playing for Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic and was expected to miss at least six weeks with the injury, the first month of the season and the final two weeks of spring training. It seems like Didi is right on line to meet that when the dust settles.

Ronald Torreyes has been filling in for Gregorius in his absence and has done well leading the team with 10 RBI heading into this week but in the end he’s no Didi Gregorius. Get well soon Didi because when you and Gary Sanchez get back the Yankees offense gets really, really scary again.

#BabyBombers #HeyYou

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. 

Replacing Didi Gregorius: Part One

The New York Yankees will be without their starting shortstop for at least the first month of the 2017 campaign after losing him to a sore shoulder while with Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. Now before you think this is about to turn into another “The WBC is played too damn early in the season” rant, and trust me I feel another one of those coming but I’ll refrain for now, I’d rather spend my time and energy into discussing and plotting on how to replace Didi Gregorius. We will break this down into a two-part sessions and focus on potential trades in one post, this post, and later on we will discuss internal options. Enjoy them both.

The Cincinnati Reds have made basically anyone and everyone that isn’t tied down available and reportedly the New York Yankees have already shown preliminary interest in Zack Cozart. The Detroit Tigers are also in the midst of a rebuild and have at least began discussing deals for Jose Iglesias although the New York Yankees have not publicly shown any interest in pursuing a deal with the Tigers for their shortstop.

Both players make more money than the Yankees are presumably willing to take on for a month of the season. Cozart is a free agent following the 2017 season and is set to make $5.325 million this season which should be more money than any team is comfortable paying for essentially a bench player. Now the financial hit is a little less significant in the case of Iglesias, the Tigers shortstop is set to make $4.1 million in 2017, but is still in the area of discomfort when it comes to paying a glorified bench player.

Looking around the league the possible shortstops that could be acquired for a decent price include the Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Freddie Galvis and Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed with the usual dark horse thrown in there, as always. The bottom line is though that it’s just for a month and as I explain later on today the Yankees have plenty already on the roster to fill in for a month. There’s no need to make a panic move here ladies and gentleman. Period.

Get well soon Didi.

So it Seems Life Resumed My Ass Kicking

First off I want to start off yet another day and another post with an apology for my absence. It’s been about a week now since I have been on the blog and for good reason, life has resumed my ass kicking from earlier on in the year. When it rains it pours and when it pours it apparently turns into snow and that’s when the snowball effect happens. Some things are just out of your control and some things are just overwhelming to me when you have as much going on in my life that I do. Not an excuse though, I’m just talking to you guys and girls this morning because I miss it. I miss you. And I love you all.

I’m back, again, and for however long life lets me. Now let’s get this Friday going because TGIF. Love you all and thank you for your patience and understanding. I’m sick and tired of having to apologize so maybe this will be the last one for a while. Have a great Friday everyone.

Oh and if you haven’t checked out Bryan van Dusen’s epic post on Aroldis Chapman and whether to root for him or not you should definitely check it out. He put in an awful lot of work into it and even went as far as to get police reports and such to show that Chapman’s girlfriend may not have been as innocent as some may seem or think because it’s portrayed that way in the media. You don’t have to agree with it but please at least check it out. Thank you in advance. 

Joe Girardi’s Plan to Fix the World Baseball Classic

Joe Girardi has more important things to fix than the World Baseball Classic in my extremely invested, yet ultimately unimportant, opinion but that was just what he was talking about this week with the New York Times. Rather than spending time on who is going to take the fourth and fifth spots in the Yankees starting rotation or who is going to pitch in the middle innings each and every day the Yankees manager is discussing ways to improve the WBC so why not talk about it. If you can’t tell my sarcasm meter is going off the charts right now, let me reign that it. Be right back.

Okay, I’m back. Really though the Yankees manager has a plan and a few ideas to fix the World Baseball Classic. Let’s be real, the WBC needs fixing. Having these players play in games that are intense and as important as they are in the middle of March is simply irresponsible in my opinion and too many injuries are happening for a glorified exhibition tournament that represents your home land. Again, my opinion.

Girardi’s plan is simple, make the game that is loved worldwide and played in the warm weather months played in the warm weather months. Period. Girardi wants the WBC moved to the summer months instead of two or three weeks into Spring Training for many of these players that attend. Girardi suggests moving the first two rounds of the tournament back even a week or so to help players, and especially pitchers, have some work under their belts and on their arms before fulling letting it go in a WBC game. Girardi then suggests playing the semifinals and the finals during the downtime at the All Star Game every single season.

There’s some validity to the idea and the backlash of having the WBC played in early March. There are more elbow injuries that require Tommy John surgery in April than any other month and we’ve seen many injuries early in spring and during the WBC including Mark Teixeira’s wrist injury in 2013. Whether that will be taken into account after this WBC or not remains to be seen but what Girardi is saying, for once, makes sense. Let’s see if anyone is listening.

So it Seems Karma is the Key to the Kode

Everything happens for a reason. No good deed goes unpunished.

These are things we say but do we truly understand their meaning and their implications when we do? Maybe, maybe not. I know I do, or at least I am pretty damn sure that I do. Everything does happen for a reason whether you can see or understand the reason and whether you can see or understand the outcome and the bigger picture. One door gets blocked or closed but so another door can open or something else can come to its finality. A car gets wrecked so you can find an awesome deal on a newer, better and safer one. One relationship ends so you can finally find the one you’ve been searching for all your life. One hardship happens financially but it finally brings you your own piece of mind and independence…. You just can’t see it yet.

Life is one long and bumpy road and while you’re driving down this road you can’t always see the finish line but you have to keep in mind that the finish line is there. Everything has a beginning and everything has an end. Everything is a fight, you just have to know what you’re fighting for. I know what I am fighting for now and I am ready to scrap anytime, anywhere with anyone. So come on life, bring it. Keep throwing your jabs and I’ll keep ducking and weaving because I know what’s waiting for me and what’s important to me when the fight is over and the final bell has rung.

On a long enough timeline karma comes back to get everyone, for better or for worse, so I’m content just sitting here and waiting for everyone to get what they put into this world. I know where I stand, where do you stand?

Have a great day everyone…. And I mean that. I’m hungry and awfully thirsty and here at 7:00 am I am already thinking about lunch. Mmmm. 

The WBC: Previewing the Second Round

The 2017 World Baseball Classic is shifting to San Diego’s Petco Park where four teams will vie for just two spots in the semifinals of the tournament. This is  a double-elimination round robin type round and it will showcase Team Dominican Republic, Team USA, Team Puerto Rico and Team Venezuela fighting for the final two spots from their pool let’s recap how they got their and preview the second round of the WBC.

Team Dominican Republic is the defending World Baseball Classic champions and will head into the second round after posting a 3-0 record in Pool C. The offense has been as stellar as advertised and Juerys Familia has been absolutely dominant in the closer role. Having Dellin Betances and Alex Colome in front of him turns every game Team Dominican Republic is in into a seven inning game, sometimes earlier. Ervin Santana will enter the team’s starting rotation for the second round which can only help them although their offense will have to start scoring before the later innings against presumably tougher competition in Round 2 if they want to defend their title.

The team that the Dominican Republic beat in the finals of the last World Baseball Classic, and three times total in the 2013 WBC, is Team Puerto Rico and these two teams look destined for another matchup or three this time around as well. Puerto Rico also went 3-0 in their Pool and they didn’t just win, they obliterated any pitcher put in front of them. From the Carlos Correa bat flip to the outstanding hitting from the likes of Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez you have to think the Puerto Ricans have at least the advantage offensively. It will come down to the pitching for Team Puerto Rico but if Seth Lugo and Jorge Lopez can pitch in Round 2 like they did in the first round the team should be just fine.

Team USA was in Pool C with Team Dominican Republic and head into the second round with a 2-1 record, that one loss to the defending WBC champions. Team USA actually led for much of that contest before the Dominican Republic offense finally woke up later in the game to snatch the victory from the jaws of defeat. Chris Archer, Marcus Stroman and Danny Duffy were fantastic for Team USA combining for exactly zero runs allowed in 12.2 innings pitched but while the team pitched well the offense was sluggish in two of the three games. A narrow victory over Team Columbia, the tough loss to Team Dominican Republic and the rout of Team Canada equates to a team that needs to pick up the pace if they want to advance to the semifinals. You have to expect Paul Goldschmidt, Giancarlo Stanton and Nolan Arenado to hit above the Stephen Drew Line (trademark pending for hitting .150) and you have to expect Andrew Miller and that bullpen to be better, and they will be, so color me “not worried.”

The final team in the pool is Team Venezuela who had to head to a tiebreaker game with Team Italy to reach the 2-2 mark and to advance in the tournament. Team Venezuela beat Team Italy 4-3 over the weekend to advance after an embarrassing 11-0 loss to Puerto Rico. Team Venezuela bounced back with nail biting victory over Italy 11-10 before a tough loss to Mexico 11-9. The pitching has struggled, due in large part to the team losing Salvador Perez to a knee injury, and the offense has been inconsistent at best aside from Martin Prado. Miguel Cabrera, Jose Altuve and Carlos Gonzalez should be better but if I was Team Venezuela I would worry if it was too late before they woke up. This pool is stacked with talented teams and I’m not sure the Venezuelans can afford to wait very long for their sluggers and pitching to wake up. 

So it Seems the Timing Was All Wrong… Or Right

Twenty minutes?!?!?!?! Argh! Ugh. Omg L

In all seriousness though it’s crazy how twenty minutes can make all the difference in a day and in your life. Twenty minutes can be the difference between life and death, harm and health, fun and even more fun than you ever imagined it could be, etc. etc. etc. Not all change is bad and not everything that deviates from the original plan is cause for concern. Sometimes the change is made for a reason. Everything happens for a reason, and sometimes you just need a little push to be able to see that. Playing it over again in my head I wouldn’t change a thing. Not for twenty minutes earlier or twenty minutes later. It’s for forever and a day regardless. Right?

Have a great day everyone and remember that everything, whatever may seem good or whatever may be bad, happens for a reason. You may not agree with the reason or see the decision making in the whole process but I know this to be true…. So trust me J

First Wave of Yankees Spring Cuts Are In

I know we are a bit late to the party but we had a scheduled day off or two this weekend so we are just getting caught back up. The first wave of spring training cuts are in and some of the Yankees top prospects are being assigned to minor league camps, as expected and as predicted by yours truly here on the blog just last week.

The Yankees cut 11 players over the weekend and assigned them to minor league camps including left-hander Justus Sheffield, right-hander J.P Feyereisen, RHP Brady Lail, RHP Nick Rumbelow, LHP Joe Mantiply, LHP Evan Rutckyj, LHP Daniel Camarena, LHP James Reeves, C Jorge Saez, C Francisco Diaz and C Kellin Deglan. I had Sheffield, Saez, Diaz, Deglan and Rutckyj going down but I totally whiffed on Feyereisen, Lail, Mantiply, Rumbelow and Reeves. I am also shocked to see Clint Frazier, James Kaprielian, Gleyber Torres and Jorge Mateo still in Yankees camp. Maybe after the World Baseball Classic? Who knows?

More cuts will come as the Yankees try to dwindle their roster down to just 25 players so stay tuned. When those cuts and assignments are made we will have them here for you on the blog. Stay tuned.

Yankees Scouting Washington & Houston Prospects/Players

The common misconception around the league is that when a team enters spring training that their team is basically a finished product with prospects and players fighting for key spots. At this point in the game though there are still teams out there actively working the trade mills and the scouring the waiver wire and free agent market including the New York Yankees. According to multiple reports the Yankees are scouting players and prospects from the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals leading you to believe a potential trade is at least in talks, and maybe in the works as we speak here this morning.

The Yankees still presumably need rotation and bullpen arms and both teams have available arms for trade if New York was able and willing to part with the prospects so it makes sense that the team has scouts in attendance when both teams visited the New York Mets this weekend in spring training.

Friday night the Astros threw out right-hander Joe Musgrove who responded by throwing three scoreless innings against the Mets. Musgrove struck out four and walked one in the contest in front of Yankees scout and former pitcher Matt Daley. Musgrove, now 24-years old, was a 2011 first round draft pick by the Astros who finished strong last season posting a 4-4 record with a 4.06 ERA in his last 11 starts of the season.

The Nationals sent right-hander Erick Freede to the mound on Saturday who also posted three scoreless innings allowing one hit with a walk and a strikeout mixed in. Daley was also in attendance for this start and he saw the Nationals 2014 first round draft pick and 52^nd overall prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America. Freede has yet to pitch above Double-A so he wouldn’t be an immediate help to New York but he could give the Yankees another top-end starting option in the minors to go along with James Kaprielian.

Nothing is imminent and this may just be the Yankees doing their due diligence but the fact remains that the team had a scout in attendance for these two games and they usually just don’t do that for no good reason. Something may be brewing and something may happen soon. If it does we will have it so stay tuned. 

Didi Gregorius, Team Israel and WBC Updates on WBC Day for Team USA

The World Baseball Classic is in full swing for many countries and teams but today is the day that Tea, USA begins their push towards their first WBC Championship with a first round matchup with Team Columbia (which I believe is already under way but don’t quote me on that). With Team USA’s pursuit of the WBC crown finally underway I wanted to take a look around the WBC and see what feel-good stories and Yankees related material I could find to bring to the blog this afternoon and I found a couple key notes regarding Team Netherlands and Team Israel.

Team Netherlands and Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius improved to 2-0 in Pool A and advanced to the second round of the World Baseball Classic. Team Israel, which seem to be the feel-good story of the World Baseball Classic thus far, are also 2-0. Both teams are headed to Tokyo for second round play while South Korea and Taiwan will not. Didi is Team Netherlands designated hitter currently, thank goodness, and contributed to his team advancing with three doubles including the game-tying RBI hit in the eighth inning for his third run batted in for the contest.

There’s plenty more of WBC Baseball to go, plenty of opportunity for some feel-good news and plenty of time for the New York Yankees players to represent their respective countries on the biggest stage possible.

So it Seems Batting .300 Is Still Great

If you guys and girls have been reading my morning little blogs I have here you would know that the past couple of days have been rough for me. Not that I want any sympathy as much as I just don’t like to hold things inside and I would rather get things off my chest. What better place to do that than here. Today is shaping up to be a fantastic day and yesterday was great, things are starting to get back to normal. My new normal, my happy normal and not my old normal.

Life is like Major League Baseball where a .300 average is still great. Only in baseball can you fail seven times out of ten and still be considered great. If you fail six times out of every ten attempts? You’re a God. No one has ever, albeit in a qualifying sample size of course, ever failed just half the time. This is a game of failure and yet you can still be great. Isn’t that like life?

No one is perfect and no one is going to make the right decisions, say the right thing or do the right thing all the time. Every mistake is a learning experience, every fight or tussle is a growing experience and every day no matter the circumstance can be a bonding experience if you make it so.

Life is what you make it. Don’t let life define you, you define your life. Find your happiness and kick some ass along the way if you have to. If you can anyway. Love often and don’t let anyone else tell you how to live your life because in the end those people won’t be there when you need them anyway for the most part. The people that will though, the people you truly know will, should be held to a higher standard. Take care of those people because they are few and far between unfortunately. That’s what makes them special though and worth the wait.

Happy Friday everyone and good morning. 

Eric Gagne Wants to Return to MLB

Team Canada has a couple old and recognizable names currently on their World Baseball Classic and while one is a complete douche bag that is such a bad pitcher it took him four tries to INTENTIONALLY hit Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Dumpster and no that’s not an autocorrect or a typographical error, the other was a pretty damn good closer for a long time for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gagne is now looking to potentially make his way back to the Los Angeles Dodgers or any team in Major League Baseball for that matter and he is hoping the World Baseball Classic can act as his audition for such a comeback.

It’s been nearly 10 years since Gagne was seen in a MLB stadium pitching in an MLB game but in his first audition for Team Canada he was seen throwing a scoreless inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. In the contest Gagne’s fastball was clocked at 93 MPH which is great considering the fact that he is not 41-years old.

Gagne won the 2003 NL Cy Young Award with the Los Angeles Dodgers and finished his 10-year career with a 33-26 record with 187 saves including 55 saves in 2003.

If Gagne wants to take a minor league deal with the Yankees you know what I always say…. There’s no such thing as a bad minor league deal. I’d be down. What say you?

2017 Team USA World Baseball Classic Roster

The World Baseball Classic has begun for some teams, including the surprising Team Israel team that I have a feeling we will all be talking about a ton before this is all said and done, but we still have to wait two more days to see Team USA in action. On March 10^th Team USA will open up their WBC schedule against team Columbia and this is the roster, for your information, that Team USA will send out to the game. Keep it bookmarked just in case you need it.

Pitchers

Chris Archer, Rays

Tyler Clippard, Yankees

Danny Duffy, Royals

Sam Dyson, Rangers

Mychal Givens, Orioles

Luke Gregerson, Astros

Nate Jones, White Sox

Jake McGee, Rockies

Andrew Miller, Indians

Pat Neshek, Phillies

Tanner Roark, Nationals

David Robertson, White Sox

Marcus Stroman, Blue Jays

Catchers

Buster Posey, Giants

Jonathan Lucroy, Rangers

A.J. Ellis, Marlins

Infielders

1B Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks

1B Eric Hosmer, Royals

2B Daniel Murphy, Nationals

2B Ian Kinsler, Tigers

3B Nolan Arenado, Rockies

3B/2B Matt Carpenter, Cardinals

3B/SS Alex Bregman, Astros

SS Brandon Crawford, Giants

Outfielders

Adam Jones, Orioles

Andrew McCutchen, Pirates

Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins

Christian Yelich, Marlins

Designated Pitcher Pool

Brett Cecil, Cardinals

Michael Fulmer, Tigers

Sonny Gray, Athletics

J.A. Happ, Blue Jays

Drew Smyly, Mariners

Alex Wilson, Tigers

So it Seems Naps Are a No No

The world is a grind and so is the Major League Baseball season. There is no true offseason anymore much like in life there aren’t any true breaks anymore. Everyone is so busy and everything needs to happen now. We are a society that wants our four course meal cooked for us and we want it now no matter what you have to do to get it done, and God forbid if it’s cold or old or not up to your freshness or general standards. We want our cake and we want to eat it too and we often forget what it’s like to simply sit in a house with a tin roof or sit in a car with the one you love and listen to each other breath while the rain hits the roof.

Why do I bring this up? Life is busy and there isn’t always time for naps. Major League Baseball, and especially spring training during those intense spring training competitions, are unrelenting and don’t allow time for naps either like the nap that Bryan Mitchell took on Monday afternoon. Mitchell, making his third start of the spring, is a definite option for one of the two open starting rotation spots in the Yankees pitching staff and his bad start could not have come at a worse time.

It’s mid-March now and while this is still just the beginning this doesn’t mean it’s time to take a nap. You have to still take the bull by the horns and you have to ride that mother like there is no tomorrow… because tomorrow isn’t promised for anyone this time of the year. Words to live by. Good morning all. 

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.

Players to Watch While Key Yankees Are Gone to WBC

Ladies and gentleman the World Baseball Classic is right around the corner. If you didn’t know that by looking at the schedule or staying up to date you can see it by looking at who is in spring training camps right now and who isn’t and the Yankees camp is no exception. With many Yankees regulars gone to represent their respective countries in the WBC these men are now officially on the clock and on the watch list. It’s time to prove yourselves gentleman and here is the list of men I am speaking to directly when I say that.

Jordan Montgomery. Yes I cannot talk Yankees prospects this spring without mentioning Jordan Montgomery, it’s a problem, but that’s only because I truly believe that he has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues. With the Yankees fourth and fifth starting spots in their rotation wide open now why couldn’t Montgomery slip in and steal a spot like Johnny Barbato did in the Yankees bullpen last year? I’m certainly not going to be the one to count him out and you shouldn’t either. Montgomery doesn’t have the upside of a James Kaprielian or a Justus Sheffield but he misses enough bats to survive, which is evident by his 8.8 K/9 ratio in the minor leagues, he limits his walks, see his 2,2 BB/9 ratio, and he simply knows how to get hitters out with a great consistency. Montgomery posted a 2.61 ERA last season across Double-A and Triple-A and will not likely gain much by returning to Scranton/Wilkes Barre to start 2017 in my opinion. He’s ready, unleash him. The Yankees won’t because of the 40 man roster crunch and the numbers game, we all know that by now, but they should because winning should, and used to, trump all.

Like the Yankees fourth and fifth spots in the rotation the Yankees bullpen and specifically their middle relief seems to be wide open right now. With that said arms like Ben Heller and Jonathan Holder could slip in and make the team with strong and impressive springs. Both men are already on the 40 man roster and will use their minor league options, presumably, anyway this season so why not? Heller did not impress in his 10 game stint in the Major Leagues last season but that is not indicative of what he did in the minor leagues last season and what he could do in the Yankees bullpen going forward. Heller owns a career 2.72 ERA in the minor leagues with an impressive 11.7 K/9 ratio as a reliever which would fit the mold of what the Yankees currently are filling their bullpen with, big guys with huge frames and even bigger strikeout numbers. Heller’s fastball sits at 96 MPH but he has been known to reach back and throw 100 MPH when he has to which simply cannot be taught, and to think he was a mere throw-in player in the Andrew Miller trade that brought back Justus Sheffield and Clint Frazier. Holder on the other hand was drafted by the Yankees in the same draft that brought the team Jacob Lindgren. Holder has been used as a starter since he was drafted in 2014 by the Yankees but made the transition back to the bullpen in 2016 where he took off. Holder struck out 101 batters in 65.1 innings while only walking seven across three levels including Triple-A Scranton. Holder pounds the zone and lives off a ton of movement and deception when he pitches which more than makes up for his “slow” 93 MPH fastball that he brings to the table.

Rob Refsnyder is a player that we discussed earlier this morning in trade rumors but is also a player that could make it impossible for the team to trade him. Refsnyder was drafted as an outfielder but was quickly converted to second base where he struggled defensively as a minor league player. Since coming up to the Yankees he has dabbled in both positions as well as first base and third base in a pinch making him a super utility player that any team would like and be lucky to have. A line drive hitter by nature, and admittedly my favorite Yankees prospect so there may be a tad bit of bias written into these words, that makes contact, can play all over the field and can hit close to .300 over the course of a season if given regular at-bats are hard to find. Again though, this is a numbers game and the Yankees are in the midst of a 40-man roster crunch and a roster crunch in general which could still make Refsnyder expendable. Refsnyder could still be traded but he’s also just one bad spring or injury from Ronald Torreyes away from being right in the thick of things once again in the Bronx, so stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled on this one.

The final piece is an unlikely player to make the team but I would feel remiss if I didn’t mention him anyway. Kyle Higashioka opened up a lot of eyes inside the Yankees organization last year, enough eyes to warrant a 40 man roster spot and roster protection from the team this winter despite having two young catchers in Austin Romine and Gary Sanchez on the roster at the time as well as a veteran backstop in Brian McCann. McCann has since been traded to the Houston Astros obviously and all signs point to Romine being the backup but it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities to see Higashioka grab the job with an impressive spring. Higashioka may be a prospect by all definitions of the word and he may lack MLB experience but at age 27 he is far from being raw or not ready for the big stage. Higashioka seems to be a late bloomer, I know this because I’ve watched him in the Yankees organization since they signed him back in 2008, and after a breakout 2016 season that included 21 home runs and a .847 OPS he may be ready to finally take that huge step to the Major Leagues. His defense his ready and if the adjustments he made to his swing stick the Yankees may have struck gold with this one thus making Romine expendable once again on the Yankees roster.

Now Chalk is Even Banned by MLB… Sort Of

People don’t like change. Hell to put it bluntly, people are terrified of change. I am terrified of change but I am learning more and more every day that change is not only necessary but it’s good as well. Change can be good but change just for change’s sake is borderline annoying and that is seemingly what Major League Baseball and Commissioner Rob Manfred are doing right now in the game. Again, some change is good. The additions to instant replay and the pace of play rules that don’t drastically change the game I think are good but some rules are just downright silly… and here is the perfect example of that.

We’ve already heard of the intentional walk rule that will see batters simply take their base rather than watching the pitcher soft toss four balls outside the zone but a few more rules were announced this week. Baseball now has just two minutes for instant replays and of all things teams cannot use chalk or markers to better position its fielders. Whatever that means. See below for the complete rule list.

MLB & the MLBPA today jointly announced a series of modifications that have been approved and will be in place in the 2017 regular season: pic.twitter.com/IjVboUSCGd

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) March 2, 2017