Kelly Johnson Placed On 15 Day DL w/ Groin Injury

The Yankees have placed Kelly Johnson on the 15 day DL with a left groin injury. The Yankees need bullpen help so Chris Leroux has been called up and Bruce Billings has been designated for assignment. No word on any other corresponding moves if any so stay tuned.

Phelps: "Darvish? No Problem, I Got This!" Meme

David Phelps didn't actually say that but you have to think the way he has pitched recently he has to have that confidence every time he goes out to the mound. If Phelps can keep us in the game tonight and the offense can be patient and maybe get into that Texas bullpen I think New York has a shot. If the Yankees swing at first pitches and let Darvish get into a groove then this game will be over by 10:00.

I predicted a victory tonight in our Mega Prediction Game that we run here on the blog and I am barely holding on to second place in the game so Phelpsy, make me proud.

Yankees Game Preview 7/22 vs. Texas Rangers

The New York Yankees face a tough task tonight when they host the Texas Rangers tonight in the third game of this four game set at Yankee Stadium this week. The Yankees will send one of their more consistent starters in David Phelps to the mound but he will be opposed by the Rangers ace Yu Darvish. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Phelps has been great for the past month and started the second half of the season off with a great start against the Cincinnati Reds. Phelps pitched 6.1 innings and held the Reds to three earned runs and six hits while striking out seven. Phelps threw 98 pitches and has not thrown less than six innings for the entire month.

Darvish is coming off a start in which he shut down the Toronto Blue Jays while striking out 12 batters  in only 6.2 innings last time out. The Yankees hope to get more of the Darvish who posted a 5.40 ERA over his five previous starts and less of the pitcher that shut down a potential playoff team.

Get your tickets for tonight's game to see Darvish and the Yankees right HERE and received a Yankee t-shirt as well. The Yankees are giving these away to their first 18,000 guests so get your Yankees tickets now and see the home team and get a pretty cool shirt to go with it. 

Go Yankees!!

Yangervis Solarte Won't Be Hurt By PETCO Park

Earlier today we took a look at Chase Headley and how much, or how little, Yankee Stadium will help his production for the rest of the season so why not look at Yangervis Solarte in PETCO? I know Solarte is no longer a Yankee but I still support him and his family, they were always generous and all around great people on Twitter and I can't turn the page that easily.

The general consensus is that your production would suffer after making a move from Yankee Stadium to PETCO but BIP locations once again disagree. You have to wonder how much moving the walls in last year factored into these BIP locations today. Either way let's take a look at Solarte's hits in Yankee Stadium and what they would look like in San Diego:

Dark Blue represents home runs
Teal represents doubles
Orange represents fly outs

As you can see all Solarte's Yankee Stadium home runs also go out in PETCO. Also all of Solarte's doubles in New York are likely extra base hits in San Diego as well and conceivably one of them may go out with optimal weather conditions at his back. Interestingly enough one of Solarte's fly outs are well out of San Diego and a couple others are near the warning track. Solarte is an extra base hitter and a line drive hitter and he may actually benefit from playing in PETCO.

One thing is for sure Solarte will definitely benefit from playing everyday and I am glad for him, he needs that and deserves every shot he can get to stick in the majors. He works hard and he plays the game the right way and the game needs more players like that. Good luck in San Diego Yangervis, this isn't goodbye.

Solarte Thankful Yankees Gave Him An Opportunity

When the Yankees first traded Yangervis Solarte to the Padres yesterday, many fans were surprised the team would give up his kind of talent for a rental.

The 25-year-old rookie, who spent eight seasons in the minors before making the Yanks out of spring training, hit .300 for them over the first two months of 2014 and .254 overall, making the fact he was dealt for someone batting just .229 tough to understand.

Still, since the exchange did happen the world, including Solarte, has to come to terms with it, something the youngster seemed to do yesterday, telling ESPN Deportes' Marly Rivera how thankful he was to be a Bomber.

"I just want to thank the New York Yankees for the opportunity they gave me; they made my dream to play in the majors come true," he said. "I am very thankful for the support the Yankee fans gave me, which was completely unexpected; they gave me inspiration to keep fighting and working hard." 

Way back in April, Solarte, then just a utility infielder, took the starting third base job from Kelly Johnson, arguably the high point of his success, as the majority of his playing time from then on included only slumps and frustration.

Meet a Prospect: Chase Headley

As many of you know we like to introduce you to Yankees prospects you may or may not know, especially during our Prospects Month every February. That evolved into also catching up with current Yankees who are established players while looking back at those players while they were coming up. Today Chase Headley gets officially added to the mix as The Greedy Pinstripes present Meet a Prospect: The Chase Headley edition. Enjoy!

Chase Jordan Headley was born on May 9, 1984 in Fountain Colorado and spent his high school career at Fountain-Fort Carson High School in Fountain, Colorado. Headley graduated in 2002 as the valedictorian as a two sport star in both baseball and basketball. Headley was a three time Colorado All-State player and was named to the South Metro All-League team all four seasons there. Headley took home Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2002 from the Colorado Spring Gazette and was selected to play in the Colorado Rockies Senior All Star Game. Headley would hit a home run in his first at bat and bounced around the Colorado Rockies Select Scout Team before heading to the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California where he transitioned from shortstop to third base.

In 2003 Headley transferred to the University of Tennessee where he suffered a meniscus surgery on his knee and a lengthy hamstring injury that hampered his season. Headley recovered quickly enough to draw 62 walks to break Todd Helton's 1995 school record and flirted with the college's single season record for on base percentage. Headley was named the team's Most Valuable Player in 2003 while also being honored as an Academic All-American with a 3.63 GPA majoring in Sports Management. Headley's hard work paid off as he was drafted in the second round of the 2005 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres.

Headley played well in his first professional season in 2006 and was sent to the Arizona Fall League as the only player there who had not yet reached Double-A. Headley was quickly donned the Padres best prospect and responded with a 2007 Texas League Player of the Year award after hitting .330/.437/.580 with an insane 1.016 OPS while leading the league in many stats. His 2007 season earned him an invite to 2008 Spring Training camp and Headley responded well again hitting .371 and leading the team with 12 RBI before being sent down to Triple-A to learn left field. Headley lasted only 65 games while hitting 13 home runs before the Padres called him up to the big leagues.

Headley was called up on June 15, 2007 after hitting .357 to replace the injured Kevin Kouzmanoff. Headley would only stay up for eight games but would collect his first major league hit two days later against the Chicago Cubs. Headley would ultimately get called back up and finish the season in the majors before starting 2008 back in the minors. Headley was not long for the minors and got called back up on June 17, 2008 and immediately wen't 2-4 at Yankee Stadium. Headley would hit a home run the next night in Yankee Stadium off Kyle Farnsworth and would finish the season with a .269/.337/.420 triple slash with nine home runs. Headley would start the 2009 season in the major leagues as the Padres starting left fielder and would put up a .262 average in his first full season with 12 home runs and 64 RBI. The padres traded Kevin Kouzmanoff before the 2010 season opening the third base position up for Headley to take over full time.

Headley had another typical Headley season in 2011 but started to come into his own in 2011 when he batted .289/.374/.399 before an injury robbed him of some of his season and his power. Headley finished with only four home runs in 381 at bats but led the National League in putouts at third base. Headley really broke out in 2012 which led to the trade rumors. Headley finished 2012 with a .286/.376/.498 triple slash with 31 home runs, 173 hits, 115 RBI and was named the Padre Player of the Year by the San Diego chapter of the  Baseball Writers Association of America. Headley won the Gold Glove Award at third base and also won the Silver Slugger Award for all third basemen. Headley would finish in fifth place in the NL MVP vote and also won the MLB Breakout Hitter of the Year Award.

Headley looked to build on his huge 2012 season in 2013 but started the season by fracturing the tip of his left thumb in spring training when it got caught under the second base bag while sliding into the base. He started the season on the disabled list and missed a month with the thumb. Headley also tore his meniscus in his left knee during the season although he played through it. His production suffered as Headley ended the season with less than stellar numbers and underwent arthroscopic surgery on the knee during the offseason.

Headley had a slow start to the 2014 season including battling some back pain but has hit near .300 after receiving an epidural in the back. Headley was traded to the Yankees yesterday for Yangervis Solarte and Rafael DePaula and looks to start a new chapter in his baseball career with New York.

Yankee Stadium Will Not Help Chase Headley Much

Just a quick hit for all you Yankees fans out there that think newly acquired Chase Headley will improve offensively after moving from Yellow Stone PETCO Park and moving to Yankee Stadium. MLB Gameday  Balls in Play (BIP) location stat disagrees with that notion. Obviously this is in a vacuum and in a perfect world and we're all just guessing here, even the experts, but I like to look at BIP locations when acquiring a new player. It's no secret that the Yankees (should have) a secret weapon with the new Yankee Stadium but Headley doesn't look like he will utilize it much this season.

Dark Blue are home runs
Teal are doubles
Orange are fly outs

As you can see Headley has hit two home runs in San Diego this season and both would be in the bleachers in Yankee Stadium. What intrigues me are the doubles. According to BIP all of his doubles in PETCO stay in the ballpark in New York but you have to remember the weather factor and mother nature. I have never been to San Diego personally but I have to imagine the humidity is higher in San Diego and I have to think the ball travels more in New York, especially with wind currents. We could see a few of those doubles going out down the line and resulting in Yankee Stadium home runs if Headley is lucky. Same goes for the fly outs as some are warning track power in New York. While Headley will not return to his 2011 and 2012 stats while coming to New York the stadium could help him improve, but not by much.

Quick Hit: Imagining The Yankees Lineup w/ Headley

The New York Yankees acquired Chase Headley from the San Diego Padres about two seasons too late yesterday afternoon in case you missed it and have been living under a rock. Headley adds some legitimate infield defense to a team that is severely lacking in that department and a switch hitting bat that could be a big upgrade over Kelly Johnson.

Let's take a look at the lineup I think manager Joe Girardi will put out with his newly acquired third baseman:

LF Brett Gardner

SS Derek Jeter

CF Jacoby Ellsbury

1B Mark Teixeira

C Brian McCann

DH Carlos Beltran

3B Chase Headley

2B Brian Roberts

RF Ichiro Suzuki

This is not exactly the lineup that I would put out there but this is my guess for what the binder would spit out tonight against Yu Darvish if Teixeira were healthy. Personally I think I would bat Headley a little higher in the order, maybe behind Teixeira, and switch Ellsbury and Gardner but maybe it's just me.

Whitley's Six Scoreless Innings, Headley's Walk-Off Single Lift Yankees to 14-Frame Win Over Rangers

To many fans, myself included, a player doesn't officially become a Yankee until he wins a game with a big hit.

No, that thought process isn't completely fair, although it is fun to use, as it somewhat accurately measures how exciting someone is.

For example, in tonight's contest against the Rangers, the newest guy on the team helped put together a much-needed 2-1 W, one that didn't get entertaining for a while.  

After nobody scored in frames 1-12, both sides finally crossed home in the thirteenth, as J.P. Arencibia took David Huff deep to left center and Jacoby Ellsbury singled home Brett Gardner, costing Texas' Joakim Soria a save. 

Following those long-awaited thrillings, Jeff Francis, making his Bomber debut, tossed the bullpen's seventh scoreless inning, setting up what would be a very memorable bottom half.

To start off the significant at-bat, Ichiro grounded out, Brian Roberts doubled, and Francisco Cervelli moved him to third with another knock, bringing the recently-acquired Chase Headley to the plate.

Having replaced Zelous Wheeler in the bottom of the eighth, Headley quickly worked the count to 1-1 against the Rangers' Nick Tepesch, before suddenly lining one into shallow left field.

Originally, the ball looked like it might get caught, something that fortunetaly didn't end up happening, with it eventually short-hopping into Jim Adduci's glove to bring home Roberts. 

The hit, Headley's only on the night in four at-bats, brought more meaning to Chase Whitley's six shutout frames, and ended what was a marathon of a contest.

What is necessarily pretty? No (the Yankees blew a lot of chances throughout), but since it did end up finishing positively you can't help but like what happened, as it brought the Pinstripes' record to 51-48 and their number of games back in the wild card standings to 1.5, a respectable amount. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/23: Gehrig's First Grand Slam

Last season Alex Rodriguez became the All-Time leader in career grand slams in Major League Baseball when he hit his 24th grand slam of his career. Rodriguez tied fellow Yankee Lou Gehrig with his 23rd grand slam of his career in June of the 2012 season against the Atlanta Braves. Gehrig had been the All-Time grand slam leader for over 60 seasons before Alex tied and passed him. It all started way back on this day in 1925 when Gehrig hit his first grand slam of his career.

The Yankees would beat the Washington Senators 11-7 on this day with Gehrig's grand slam as the difference. Gehrig would hit 22 more grand slams during his 17 year tenure as the Yankee's Iron Horse.