The Rookies Have Been Judged…

Credit:  Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Live from New York, it’s The Aaron Judge Show!

Aaron Judge has been named AL Rookie of the Month for April.  He becomes the fourth Yankee to win the award.  The previous winners were Hideki Matsui (June 2003), Robinson Cano (September 2005), and Gary Sanchez (August 2016).

For the month, Judge was a little busy:

• 1st in AL with 23 runs, .750 SLG
• Tied for 1st in AL with 10 home runs
• Tied for 5th in AL with 20 RBI’s

Judge was also the leader with exit velocity.  His homer off Greg Bird’s high school buddy, Kevin Gausman of the Baltimore Orioles, on April 28th had an exit velocity of 119.4 mph.  He was also seventh in the AL with the longest home run (457 feet).  I still expect Judge to top 500 feet at some point.  The current major league leader is Jake Lamb of the Arizona Diamondbacks at 481 feet.  

I have not really had a favorite Yankee since Mariano Rivera retired but I am certainly a huge fan of Judge.  I just can’t decide who I like better…Judge or Gary Sanchez.  Well, I’d have to put Aroldis Chapman into the group as I’ve always loved a great closer dating back to the Rich “Goose” Gossage days, or maybe even Sparky Lyle.  All I know is that Judge and Sanchez are incredibly fun to watch.  Looking forward to getting the band back together this weekend when Sanchez returns from the DL.  

Congrats to Aaron for the AL Rookie of the Month Award.  I will really go out on a limb and say this is the first of many awards for the talented young slugger.  Seriously, I thought he was going to be good when he figured this level out but I was never expecting this type of performance.  There’s no way he can sustain it (can he?) but for now I’m enjoying the ride!

I was reading some columns on The Bleacher Report yesterday and I came across one that referenced the single thing every team should do right now.  For the Yankees, it was cutting Tommy Layne and promoting Luis Cessa.  I have to admit that I am probably on board with cutting Layne.  After his release by the Boston Red Sox last year, he did a decent job for the Yankees.  He was 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in 16 innings pitched.  He gave up 10 hits, 6 runs, 7 walks, and struck out 13.  His WHIP was 1.063.  This year, at least for his last few outings, he’s been touched for runs.  He is currently carrying a 6.00 ERA in 6 innings pitched.  He has allowed 9 hits, 4 earned runs, and 3 walks.  He has struck out 7.  The innings aren’t sufficient to give great credibility to his WHIP but it is presently very high at 2.00.  Bottomline, Tommy Layne is what he is.  He will never be Andrew Miller and he is not a pitcher with great upside.  He’s replaceable.  The Yankees currently have a better lefty on the 25-man roster in Chasen Shreve.  I have no problem with cutting Layne loose to free up a spot on the 40-man roster.  As for who should take Layne’s place, I would not have any issues with Cessa.  I like him and think he provides a good option for long relief and rotation insurance as a potential back-end starter.  I remain a Bryan Mitchell fan, and there are probably a couple of other pitchers on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre roster that I could buy into over Layne.  

I feel every youth movement is best served with a combination of veterans and young talent.  If the veterans perform, they should stay.  If they don’t, I’d have no problems showing them the door.  But then again, I don’t write the checks.  I am tired of uneven and at times horrific play from overpaid, aging veterans.  I started to buy into the early season results of CC Sabathia but his last few starts have only reaffirmed that he is clearly no longer the pitcher he once was.  I am ready to move on.  I’d rather see a young pitcher learn at the Major League level like Jordan Montgomery is currently doing than pay an aged veteran who is just collecting paychecks until contract expiration or release.  CC has been great in the clubhouse but there are other guys who can rise to the challenge. I am more tolerant of mistakes by a young player who is learning than a veteran showing signs of decay.  

Credit:  Bill Kostroun/AP

Speaking of Sabathia, the results were not pretty on Wednesday night.  Before the Yankees had even picked up a bat, CC had put the team in a 4-0 hole against the Toronto Blue Jays.  Justin Smoak delivered a run-scoring single in the top of the first inning and Steve Pearce, who had two homers the night before, followed with a three-run home run.  Fortunately, the Yankees answered quickly as Matt Holliday hit his 300th career home run in the bottom of the frame, driving in three runs.  It seemed like it wasn’t going to be the Yankees’ night when the Blue Jays scored two more runs in the second inning to go up 6-3.  But these are the new and improved Yankees and when the April AL Rookie of the Month came to the plate with Starlin Castro on first base in the third inning, it was a one run game again as Judge sent a Marcus Stroman offering 426 feet over the center field wall.  Fortunately, Sabathia would not allow further damage although he was gone after just four innings.  His line for the night:  4.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R/ER, 4 BB, 5 SO.  In just two games, Sabathia’s ERA has gone from 2.70 to 5.45.  Sabathia pitched to two batters in the top of the fifth without recording an out, giving up a walk and a single.  Adam Warren came in and stopped the potential Jays rally.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Yankees scored three runs to take the lead.  Two run scoring singles and a bases loaded walk put the Yankees up 8-6.  They could have gotten more runs, but Matt Holliday hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded to end the inning.  At that point, the game was in the hands of the dynamic duo, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman.

The Blue Jays didn’t threaten in those final two innings, although the game’s final batter, Russell Martin, had the benefit of four strikes before ending the game.  The umps missed a call when Martin swung and missed for an apparent third strike which subsequently bounced off his shoulder.  It should have been game over, but was not.  It took two more Chapman pitches, but the last one gave the Yankees closer his sixth save of the season.  The Yankees win, 8-6.  

Thanks to another Boston Red Sox victory over Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees (17-9) took sole possession of first place in the AL East.  There seems to be much bad blood in Boston between the O’s Manny Machado and the Red Sox.  I can’t help but think this plays into the Yankees’ hands for when Machado becomes a free agent in a couple of years.  There’s nothing better than beating the Red Sox wearing pinstripes.   

Today is an off day as the Yankees make their way to Chicago.  TV is going to be so boring tonight.  I have really gotten used to watching The Aaron Judge Show every day.  I guess I’ll just have to look forward to Friday afternoon when Michael Pineda takes the mound agains the Cubs.

Have a great and restful Thursday!

This Day in New York Yankees History 5/4: Yogi Berra & the New Jersey Hall of Fame

On this day in 2008 Yogi Berra was one of 15 inaugural honorees to be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Yogi was not without a "Yogism" as he called fellow inductee Albert Einstein "a pretty smart guy," although he did not think the Nobel Prize winner for physics would have made a good MLB manager.

Also on this day in 2006 Forbes magazine valued the New York Yankees at $1 billion making the Yanks the first Major League Baseball team to be valued over $1 billion. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were valued at $209 million coming in last in the publication.

Also on this day in 1981 the Yankees Ron Davis set a major league mark for consecutive strikeouts by a reliever when he struck out eight consecutive Angels batters in a 4-2 New York victory. Davis came in for the seventh inning and immediately got Don Baylor to pop up and followed to strike out the rest of the batters he faced en route to a save and a Yankees victory.

Also on this day in 1968 the song Mrs. Robinson made its debut on the Billboard Top 40. The lyrics in the song ask "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you."

Finally on this day in 1931 the Yankees put Babe Ruth at first base to take some strain off his legs and moved Lou Gehrig to right field. Gehrig commits an error in right and the Senators would win the game 7-3.

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 5/3

Game time in the Bronx ladies and gentleman as the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays will finish off their three-game set inside Yankee Stadium tonight. In the finale of the set the Yankees will send their veteran southpaw CC Sabathia to the mound looking to secure a victory and turn his recent struggles around while the Blue Jays will counter with Marcus Stroman. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, ESPN and MLB TV while you can also follow along on the radio with WFAN.

You can also follow along with us and interact with us all season long by giving our Twitter account @GreedyStripes a follow. We’re almost at 5,000 followers!!! Enjoy the game and as always Go Yankees!!

The Yankees Offense vs. Marcus Stroman

Here in just a couple more hours the New York Yankees will be faced with the task of facing off with one of the best young starters in the game right now in Marcus Stroman. Now in year’s past the Yankees offense has struggled against the right-hander but as we all know with the recent youth movement that these are not your parent’s Yankees. This is a whole new Yankees offense with a whole new set of rules so as an informational source only let’s take a look at what these Yankees bats have done throughout their careers against Stroman. 

Stay Classy Boston. Dammit.

The Boston Red Sox organization as a whole, especially lately and ever since the whole “Evil Empire” salt fest, is one of the better and one of the more classier organizations in all of Major League Baseball. Their fans, on the other hand, not so much at least in my opinion. Call it bias, which I fully admit to, call it some friendly jabbing, because I do respect a lot of people that follow the Red Sox including our friends over at Section 36, or call it a few bad apples ruining the bunch but class was nowhere to be found this week inside Fenway Park. The Baltimore Orioles were in town Monday night when, according to Jones, he was taunted racially by the Fenway faithful.

Jones stated that someone in the crowd threw a bag of peanuts at him on Monday and was reportedly called “the N-word a handful of times.” Jones, a black player, has said he has been heckled before for his race throughout his 12-season tenure with the Orioles but never like he had been on Monday. The Boston Red Sox officials stated that they confirmed the bag of peanuts was thrown at Jones and the fan was immediately ejected from the stadium.

Obviously I wasn’t there and many of us will never truly know what was said but I truly don’t feel like Jones is simply making this up, especially with the bag of peanuts being thrown at him. It’s not like Jones needs the attention or the notoriety and these two teams have become rivals of sorts in the past few weeks resulting in pitches being thrown at player’s heads and slides into second base that resulted in injuries to Dustin Pedroia. I truly believe something was said and it had to be said loud and repeated for Jones to hear and that upsets me.

Here we are in the year 2017 just days after ground broke for the Jackie Robinson Museum in New York and we are still, allegedly and reportedly, dealing with blatant and widespread racism here in our own game? This sickens me, and it would sicken me if it were in New York, Boston, Philadelphia or some small town in North Georgia. It is 2017 people, wake up and stay classy. Rant over. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 5/3

The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays will finish off their three-game set tonight in the Bronx with an interesting pitching matchup for us all. The future of Major League Baseball in Marcus Stroman takes the mound for the Blue Jays while the Yankees send out a member of the old guard in veteran left-hander CC Sabathia.

Sabathia’s 2017 season started off strong but he has taken a step back in his last two starts. In his last start the Orioles plated seven runs against him on nine hits limiting the lefty to just 5.2 innings pitched. In Sabathia’s last two starts he has a 0-1 record with a 9.28 ERA. This has to improve starting tonight.

Stroman has been spectacular this season and has been one of the few bright spots for Toronto’s pitching staff to date. Despite having just two wins to show for his efforts Stroman has allowed two runs or less in four of his five starts this season. Stroman’s struggles can be chalked up to a lack of run support from his offense, a trend that hopefully continues tonight in the Bronx.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network locally, ESPN nationally and on MLB TV wherever you and your device are. You can also listen to the game and follow along with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN. 

Your Classic Catch-22

I want to make sure this is perfectly clear... I love the youth movement.

I can't get enough of seeing this, and apparently neither can he.

In the past I've been all about winning, whether that meant top prospects like Jesus Montero were left to rot in the minors or not. As long as the Yankees had a shot I didn't care who was on the Active Roster. Just win, baby.

But everything changes. Sure, the Yankees and I still want to win, but at the same time we have an eye on the future. Not long ago Chris Carter would have been the starting first baseman coming out of Spring Training instead of Greg Bird. Instead of Jordan Montgomery winning a spot in the starting rotation the team would have signed some over-the-hill starter from the free agent scrap heap.

And another change is my attitude towards prospects. It took me longer than some, but I strongly believe the Yankees have a very bright future as long as they are patient. Which is why this season has been a bit concerning.

See, history has made it clear that winning is more important than anything in New York. So as long as the team is winning they aren't going to make any significant changes.

That means we're not going to see Gleyber Torres called up anytime soon. Especially when Starlin Castro is hitting .360/.402/.550, Chase Headley is batting .307/.402/.489, and Didi Gregorius is... well... healthy.

Nor are we going to see Clint Frazier wearing Yankee pinstripes, especially while Aaron Hicks is hitting .300/.419/.640, along with Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and Jacoby Ellsbury being healthy.

The starting pitcher with the highest ERA on the team at the moment is Masahiro Tanaka, and he's not about to be demoted. CC Sabathia has the next highest ERA, and he's not getting demoted either. Luis Severino has had three nice starts book-ended by a couple of bad ones, but the team is clearly giving him plenty of rope, so I don't see him being demoted anytime soon. Michael Pineda has done a good job since the Rays roughed him up in his first start of the season, and even if he struggles I highly doubt he loses his rotation spot. And Jordan Montgomery has been solid at the back of the rotation. That means the only way we're going to see somebody like Chance Adams get an opportunity in the big leagues is if somebody gets injured.

This is not the face of somebody that wishes ill will on anybody.

I'm not saying the Yankees can't win if Torres, Frazier, and Adams were to be big leaguers. Hell, I don't believe Chase Headley is going to continue hitting like he has (he's actually hit .200 over the last 9 games), and if he falters then Gleyber could very well be a better option at third base.

I don't believe Aaron Hicks is a .300 hitter that will sock 25 home runs with regular playing time, either. Not to mention that I'd rather see Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury play for somebody else. And just one of those three current Yankee outfielders going down could mean seeing Clint get the call.

Oh, and I certainly don't believe Severino will give up 2 ER over 7+ innings like he did in back-to-back-to-back starts last month. Luis Cessa's future is not in the Yankees' starting rotation. And since the Yankees don't seem keen on Adam Warren being a starter, I'd guess that Chance Adams gets a start or two should something in the rotation change.

So unless injuries happen (sadly injuries keep hitting those that we definitely don't want them to, such as Gary Sanchez), and as long as the team is winning, they aren't going to shake things up. What we're seeing is your classic catch-22.

No Room For Racial Injustice…

Credit:  Jim Davis/Globe Staff

The lead for my post today has to be in support of Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones.  He was subjected to thrown objects and racial taunts in Boston on Monday night.  As a Yankees fan, it would be easy to pick on the Red Sox fans but this is not isolated to Fenway Park.  There are small, narrow-minded people in every stadium, including Yankee Stadium.  There is no excuse for the racial slurs and unacceptable behavior anywhere.  

Boston Red Sox President Sam Kennedy issued the following statement:

"The Red Sox have zero tolerance for such inexcusable behavior, and our entire organization and our fans are sickened by the conduct of an ignorant few. Such conduct should be reported immediately to Red Sox security, and any spectator behaving in this manner forfeits his/her right to remain in the ballpark, and may be subject to further action. Our review of last night's events is ongoing.”

Granted, the Red Sox response was driven in large part by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred but I thought the Red Sox said the right words.  The proof is in the pudding so now let’s see Red Sox security enforce those words.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Security for every MLB team needs to take similar action.  There simply cannot be any tolerance for this type of behavior regardless of geography.  I support the Yankees but I will never support racial inequality and injustice.  I do not support the uniform he wears, but I will always support Adam Jones…the player and the man.  

A close friend of mine, a Boston-area resident and die-hard Red Sox fan, posted this on Social Media yesterday:

“I'm baffled....why are so many Red Sox fans defending the deplorable behavior of the fans last night at Fenway who yelled racial slurs and threw things at Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles? This SHOULD be something we all agree on....there is no room for hate at Fenway.”

I am in 100% agreement with her words.  This type of behavior must stop now.

To Boston’s credit, Red Sox fans gave Adam Jones a much-deserved standing ovation during yesterday’s game.

Moving on to baseball, the Yankees made a couple of moves yesterday.  Greg Bird was placed on the 10-Day Disabled List.  The ankle he injured the last week of training camp has not sufficiently healed and may have contributed to the dreadful 6-for-60 start (.100 batting average) with 22 strikeouts.  Rob Refsnyder was recalled to take Bird’s roster spot and he’ll back up interim starting first baseman Chris Carter.  Also, Luis Cessa was demoted after one day in the Bronx.  He came up long enough to cover the innings that Luis Severino could not on Monday (allowing the rest of the bullpen to take a much needed night off).  Mission accomplished, and back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  Recalled in his place is lefty reliever Chasen Shreve.  Shreve has pitched very well this year whether for the Yankees or the RailRiders.  Prior to his demotion to AAA, he pitched three scoreless innings with two strikeouts.  At Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed only one run.  He struck out twelve and walked none.  

The Yankees may get catcher Gary Sanchez back on Friday at Wrigley Field in Chicago.  

It’s possible that Jacoby Ellsbury could find his way to the DL (surprise, surprise…yeah, not really).  He has a bruised nerve in his left elbow.  The Yankees are going to give it a couple of days before making any decisions.  Oh well, it’s good opportunity for Aaron Hicks to get some regular playing time.  I personally could have come up with many better ways to spend $153 million a few years ago but the Yankees didn’t ask me.  

According to the Miami Herald, Jeb Bush has indicated Derek Jeter will run Baseball Operations if their purchase of the Miami Marlins comes to fruition.  With a lack of experience, it will be interesting, if the sale does go through, to see who Jeter hires or if he’ll retain Yankees Legend Don Mattingly as the team’s manager.  I’ve heard some speculate that Alex Rodriguez could be the eventual manager.  If it were me, one of the first telephone calls I would make to join my administration would be Yankees Vice President and Director of Amateur Scouting Damon Oppenheimer.  I could easily envision Oppenheimer as the team’s GM.  If not Oppenheimer, then former Yankees Assistant GM Kim Ng, currently Senior Vice President for Baseball Operations with Major League Baseball.  Rule Number One, surround yourself with people that are smarter than you.

In last night’s baseball action, where do we begin?  You can talk about Brett Gardner’s second multi-homer game in four days, Matt Holliday’s 3-for-4 night or another win by Masahiro Tanaka (4-1) as the Yankees stopped Toronto’s three-game winning streak with an 11-5 victory.  But really, the game came down to two words:  

Aaron Judge.

The Aaron Judge Show continues to dazzle live and TV audiences.  Judge started the day with a smashed TV in the outfield terrace during batting practice off a monster home run.  It was a sign of things to come as Judge matched Gardner’s two homer day and easily took the spotlight from the speedy Gardner.  With a homer by center fielder Aaron Hicks, the Yankees outfield produced five home runs.  It was the most home runs produced by a Yankees outfield trio since Mickey Mantle (2), Roger Maris (2) and Yogi Berra (1) did it on May 30, 1961 in a 12-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.  Judge finished with four RBI’s while Gardner had three.

Credit:  Kathy Willens/AP

Masahiro Tanaka was unable to match his last start in Boston and he failed to deliver a quality start but fortunately on this night it was not needed.  He needed to do enough to deliver the win and, thanks to the Yankees bats, he did his job.  He went 6 1/3 innings.  He allowed eight eights and four runs, striking out two.  Toronto got to Tanaka in the 7th inning when Steve Pearce homered and Devon Travis singled.  With one out, Clippard replaced Tanaka after the Travis at-bat, and was ineffective.  Although he got Chris Coghlan out, he gave up a single to Kevin Pillar and walked Joey Bats to load the bases.  Dellin Betances replaced Clippard, and balked to allow Travis to score (with the run charged to Tanaka).  Betances then walked Russell Martin to re-load the bases, which brought the tying run to the plate.  But Betances struck out Kendrys Morales to end the threat.  

Former Yankee Steve Pearce had two home runs for Toronto, both off Tanaka.  

With the win, the Yankees (16-9) moved back into a first place tie in the AL East with the Baltimore Orioles.  The O’s lost to the Red Sox, 5-2.  

On the downside, catcher Austin Romine left the game with a cramp in his right groin.  According to manager Joe Girardi, Romine was pulled from the game despite saying no at least three times.  Hopefully, Romine is better today and this doesn’t develop into something more serious that causes lost playing time.  Regardless of how Romine feels today, I’d guess that Kyle Higashioka will be the starting catcher for the final game of the three-game set with the Blue Jays.  The Yankees will play it conservatively and allow Romine sufficient rest to recover.  The impending return of #24 comes at a very good time.  

Have a great Wednesday!  Hopefully the Yankees can get over the hump and beat Marcus Stroman and the Blue Jays!

What if Jacoby Ellsbury’s Elbow is Seriously Injured?

Monday night the Yankees got a little bit of a scare in their game with the Toronto Blue Jays as Jacoby Ellsbury slammed into the center field wall after making a running catch in the Yankees 7-1 loss against Toronto. Two runs scored on the play and after the game Ellsbury told reporters that his left throwing elbow was sore and that he had iced the elbow after the game. Ellsbury did stay in the game after the catch in the sixth inning and finished the game but me being pessimistic at times I worry about whether his elbow is healthy and whether the Yankees should worry going forward so I got doing some research and Yankees fans, I’m no longer worried. Here’s why.

The Yankees youth movement is in full swing so if Ellsbury’s elbow injury is serious then that’s fine, let him take all the time he needs on the disabled list so that he can come back 100% healthy and effective. There’s no need to rush him back or play him hurt, especially when there is a certain someone who definitely looks like he has a future in the Bronx playing extremely well down in Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders. His name is Dustin Fowler.

Fowler is once again tearing the cover off the ball down on the farm for the Yankees and is also coming off a day to remember here on Sunday. Fowler had his first career five-hit game for the RailRiders en route to hitting for the cycle which included a walk-off home run in the 11^th inning. As of the game on Sunday Fowler was slashing .293/.341/.573 in his first season in Triple-A with 47 total bases through his first 20 games. Fowler is once again proving he is done with the Minor Leagues aside from some minor seasoning and work and Fowler is really opening eyes inside the Yankees organization.

His combination of speed and defense are only highlighted by his stellar performance with the bat and his ceiling looks to be sky high right now for New York. Fowler does not own a 40 man roster spot currently but he is probably just one injury away from a Mason Williams DFA (designated for assignment) and a shuttle ride to the Bronx. If Ellsbury’s elbow injury is serious don’t fret Yankees fans. The future is now and the future in center field is named Dustin Fowler. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 5/3: Three Sac Flies in One Game

On this day in 1986 Don Mattingly hit three sacrifice flies in a 9-4 victory over the Texas Rangers. The Yankees first baseman and All Star is only the sixth player to ever have three sac flies in one game in major league history.

On this day in 1952 the Yankees traded Jackie Jensen and right handed pitcher Spec Shea to the Washington Senators for veteran outfielder Irv Noren. The Yankees felt the need to make the move after Joe DiMaggio retired and Mickey Mantle required a knee surgery that season. In 1958 Jensen would win the American League MVP award for the Boston Red Sox.

On this day in 1936 Joe DiMaggio finally makes his major league debut after his season was delayed due to a foot injury. The 21 year old rookie outfielder started off great with three hits, one of them a triple, and scored three runs in a Yankees 14-5 victory over the Browns.