The Most Important Man In The Bullpen

The great thing about having a three-headed monster in the bullpen is that if one of those three relievers gets injured, then the Yankees are still in pretty good shape thanks to having the other two guys still around.

There is no music that will tame our three-headed monster.

And if you get that reference, then welcome to the Nerd Club

Just look at Yankees teams from the past 19 years...

You had great duos like Mariano Rivera and John Wetteland, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera, David Robertson and Rafael Soriano, Dellin Betances and David Robertson, and last year we had Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller.

But for 2016 the Yankees will either have Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, or Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman, or Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller, or Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman. Because face it... it's unlikely that two of those three pitchers will be injured at the same time.

Not a bad situation, huh?

However, if you were to ask me which of those three pitchers are more important to the bullpen in 2016, my answer may surprise you.

Dellin Betances is the most important guy in the Yankees' bullpen.

Let's start by looking at the role Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller will fill.

Aroldis Chapman has been announced as the team's closer, so 99% of the time he's going to enter games to begin the 9th inning, meaning there are no runners on base. On top of that, chances are he won't be facing the opposing team's heart of the order. Sure, closers will sometimes enter games with an out or two still needed in the 8th, and against the better hitters in the lineup, but the second part of this three-headed monster makes that a lot less likely...

Even though it hasn't been verified, based on the fact he was the Yankees' closer last season, Andrew Miller will likely be the team's 8th inning reliever. Like Chapman, that means that the vast majority of the time Miller will enter the game with nobody on base, and the chances of facing the bottom of the order are just as good as facing the other team's 3-4-5 hitters. Again, like I just said earlier with Chapman, the 8th inning reliever may need to get an out or two in the 7th inning and against the best hitters in the opposing lineup, but the final part of the three-headed monster makes that a lot less likely...

That would be Dellin Betances.

Unlike with Aroldis and Andrew, there's a very good chance that when Betances enters the game there could already be men on base. For instance, the starter is eventually going to start wear down during the game, and if that trouble comes in the 5th or 6th inning, Girardi may very well call on Dellin to come clean things up.

Yes, Girardi is going to try and avoid using Betances for than one inning, so a non-big three reliever will be brought into the game. But as we saw plenty of times last season, that reliever could very well get into a bit of a pickle, and Girardi will give the ball to Mr. Betances... again with men on base.

To sum things up, Dellin Betances is going to throw more innings, and he's going to throw many of them in higher pressure situations. Sure, Joe Girardi has said that he's going to try and avoid using at least one member of his three-headed monster each game, but does anybody out there believe he'll give the ball to anybody else if the game outcome is still in question?

Yeah... I didn't think so.

TGP Prospects Month Top 29 Prospect List - #7 Dustin Fowler

I will be completely honest, I didn't really know who Dustin Fowler was before the Arizona Fall League. Sure I saw his name when the team drafted him in the 18th round of the 2013 MLB First Year Players Draft and sure I saw him on weekly or nightly recaps around the Yankees Prospects universe but I never truly paid attention to him, unfortunately, until his admittance to this season's AFL. Fowler was sent down to the Surprise Saguaros to be a rarely used player, a fill-in or a bench player, and he made the best of the opportunity down there while simultaneously putting his name on the map as far as prospects go.

Fowler has spent time with the Gulf Coast Yankees, Charleston Riverdogs and Tampa Yankees but his true success came as a member of the Surprise Saguaros. Fowler played a great center field, he hit for both average and power and he showed off his speed and strengths in all facets of the game. Not every Yankees outfielder will wear Yankees pinstripes but Fowler has a better shot than most. The talent is there and while he is a far way off right now all signs point to him now being on the fast track to the Bronx and Yankee Stadium.

7. Dustin Fowler
8. Wilkerman Garcia
9. Ian Clarkin
10. Brady Lail
11. Jacob Lindgren
12. Bryan Mitchell
13. Drew Finley
14. Mason Williams
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

Five Things To Watch for at Spring Training

The Yankees position players report on the 25th, and then the real fun begins. With Spring weather already in New York let's take a look at five things to watch when the entire roster is in camp.

Tanaka in the outfield

1) Pitching Health - So far all eyes have been on Masahiro Tanaka and C.C. Sabathia, who are recovering from injuries. Tanaka has been pessimistic about it chances to start opening day though it is still early. Sabathia has been positive about his sobriety and knee woes. Nathan Eovaldi, who is also recovering from injury, has already hit 100 on radar gun, so his arm doesn't seem to be any issue at this point.

2) Veterans - A lot of the Yankees 2016 sucess will depend on the health and success of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Carlos Beltran. Seeing how the older Vets hold up will help give fans an idea of what to expect from them and the season

3) Young Guns - The Yankees youth movement has been fun to watch and has produced results so far. Luis Severino will be gearing up to start his first full season, the backup catcher job is for Gary Sanchez to lose, James Kaprelian has drawn rave reviews so far, and Judge (who reported early) is mashing dingers and Carlos Beltran under his wing. Getting a glimpse of the future and present, getting hyped is always fun to watch.

4) Aroldis Chapman Suspension - As Spring rapidly approaches Rob Manfred is going to have to make rulings on the punishments of those involved in domestic violence incident's, including Aroldis Chapman. There has been no precedent for domestic violence suspensions, and Manfred is likely to make a statement based on how poorly the NFL handled their cases. Rumors have swirled the Chapman could be barred from Spring Training and today Joel Sherman stated a serious penalty such as 30-40 games could be in the cards as Manfred deals with this. The length of Chapman's suspension will impact how the bullpen is put together.

5) Reinforcements - Big name free agents are still out there but barring major injuries the Yankees aren't likely to sign a Dexter Fowler or Ian Desmond type. Instead, they'll be looking for incremental depth upgrades primarily in the minors. The Yankees always seem to make a pick up that unexpectedly contributes in the majors, so this is something to keep an eye on.

Meet A Prospect: Hank Steinbrenner

Henry George "Hank" Steinbrenner III was born April, 2 1957 in Culver, Indiana to parents George and Elizabeth Steinbrenner. Hank is the older son of former Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner and is currently involved in the day to day operations as owner of the Yankees today. Steinbrenner's little brother Hal is the other half of the Steinbrenner duo that inherited the team when The Boss passed away in 2010 and Hank also has two sisters in Jessica Steinbrenner and Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindall. Henry, or Hank, was named after his grandfather, Henry George Steinbrenner II, who made the family fortune in the shipping business.

From 2007 to the present George Steinbrenner stepped down from the day to day operations of the New York Yankees and the job was left to both Hank and Hal Steinbrenner. It would take until November, 8 of the 2008 season before Major League Baseball owners approved the shift of power to the Steinbrenner Brothers. Hank is more like his father in the fact that he is the more outspoken Steinbrenner brother and is considered to be a bit of a hot head. He also likes to talk without speaking a lot as seen below in this quote from Hank in a 2008 interview:

"Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of bullshit that is...That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans...Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."

Hank would receive a Red Sox nation membership card a few days later from Red Sox owner John Henry and also received team newsletters, bumper stickers, pins, Green Monster seats, and a Boston Red Sox hat autographed by none other than David Ortiz. I have to say that is a pretty awesome gesture by the Red Sox and even generated a laugh from a Yankees fan, good work.

Hank has disappeared from the front of the stage in recent years while his brother Hal has taken full control over the team and the organization. Hank was last seen on a gold course smoking cigarettes and about 50 lbs. lighter, no exaggeration. I'm not quite sure what's going on with Hank but I truly wish he's okay both mentally and physically. He's still a Steinbrenner and he's still a Yankee.

MLB.com 2016 Top Amateur Prospects Watch

Jason Groome

The New York Yankees avoided signing a single Major League free agent this winter thus avoiding one of the strongest free agent markets in recent memory. While the Yankees still added to the team via trade the team did not sign any high-priced free agents and maybe more importantly they did not sacrifice a draft pick in doing so. With a few notable free agents left on the board that have rejected qualifying offers left on the board the Yankees may pick 18th or below in the 2016 draft. With this in mind I wanted to look at the Top 30 amateur free agents ready to hit the draft this July according to MLB.com. Click Here for the original post. 

1. LHP Jason Groome
2. LHP AJ Puk
3. RHP Alex Hansen
4. RHP Riley Pint
5. OF Corey Ray
6. OF Buddy Reed
7. OF Blake Rutherford
8. OF Kyle Lewis
9. OF Bryan Reynolds
10. SS Delvin Perez
11. RHP Connor Jones
12. RHP Jordan Sheffield
13. OF Mickey Moniak
14. 3B Nick Senzel
15. 3B Bobby Dalbec
16. OF Nick Banks
17. 3B/RHP Josh Lowe
18. OF William Benson
19. 3B Drew Mendoza
20. RHP Cal Quantrill (former Yankees draft pick)
21. LHP Matt Krook
22. RHP Kevin Gowdy
23. RHP Kyle Funkhouser (my pick for the team's 16th pick in 2015 instead of James Kaprielian)
24. RHP Daulton Jeffries
25. RHP Zack Brown
26. RHP Robert Tyler
27. RHP Logan Shore
28. RHP Ian Anderson
29. 3B Nolan Jones
30. RHP Ian Hamilton

This Day in New York Yankees History 2/23: Nothing So...

Once again we are faced with another day in February without any notable and Yankees-related news or history so I wanted to go in a little bit of a different direction this time. I wanted to bring back an old video but one that is still relevant with the whole Prospects Month theme that we have going on over here. This video showcases John Manuel speaking about Yankees prospects on MLB Network. In the piece Manuel specifically talks about Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge. Enjoy.

TGP Prospects Night Open Thread featuring Nathan Eovaldi

Our fellow BYB Hub friends from ScoutingTheSally.com bring you some video of Nathan Eovaldi when he was still in the minor leagues. As you probably remember Eovaldi was traded to the Miami Marlins in the deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers that brought then shortstop Hanley Ramirez to Dodger Stadium. Eovaldi was said to be the center piece of the deal and he has since been traded to the New York Yankees in the controversial deal that involved Martin Prado, David Phelps and Garrett Jones. 

Eovaldi started out the 2015 season sluggish with the Yankees but seemingly got better and stronger as the season went on in New York before an elbow injury ended his season prematurely. Before Eovaldi was a 14-game winner for the biggest franchise in Major League Baseball history though he was a lonely prospect in the South Atlantic League, better know as the Sally, and we watch some of his work here tonight. Enjoy. 

Prospects Month ICYMI: Yankees to have the Rookie of the Year in 2016?

The New York Yankees have had eight Rookie of the Year Award winners in their storied history that has spanned over 115 years. The Yankees haven't had one since that magical 1996 season when Derek Jeter came up from Triple-A and led the team to their first World Series championship of my lifetime joining big names like Gil McDougald, Bob Grim, Tony Kubek, Tom Tresh, Stan Bahnsen, Thurman Munson and Dave Righetti as Yankees to win the award. I guess you could say the Yankees are due to have a player win the award soon, will it happen in 2016?

Looking at the potential list of rookies that could win the sward for New York next season you have to wonder if any of them will get enough playing time in the Bronx. The difference between a lot of current Yankees prospects and Jeter in 1996 or Carlos Correa in 2015 is every day playing time. Barring an injury or an unforeseen trade I can't see enough playing time for the Baby Bombers. Injuries cannot be predicted though so here are the list of potential Rookie of the Year Award candidates heading into the 2016 season.

The Yankees are one Starlin Castro injury away from re-opening the book on the shelf labeled Robert Refsnyder. If the past is any indicator of the future this is the only way Refsnyder is going to get into the Yankees lineup so I wouldn't call your local bookie and put a bet on Refsnyder just yet.

Gary Sanchez is expected to be the team's backup catcher in 2016 but he will presumably be used elsewhere as well. I have said many times that the Yankees could add Sanchez's right-handed power in the lineup at the DH position to give Alex Rodriguez a day off to keep him fresh for the second half and it also wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities for Sanchez to learn first base as wel. John Ryan Murphy was learning the position before he was traded so why not Sanchez? He may actually get enough at bats to make a difference, especially if the team wants to take some of the load off Brian McCann behind the dish.

Aaron Judge will likely start the season back down in Triple-A but he is one knee or elbow injury away from presumably being in the Major Leagues. The bad news for Judge is that Aaron Hicks can play any position in the outfield and would likely get the starting job, the good news for Judge though for lack of a better word is that the Yankees outfield has become injury prone all of a sudden with age. Judge may get plenty of opportunities and he may not get a single at bat. It's hard to tell with the Yankees organization.

Jacob Lindgren, the forgotten one, may also win the award and may get enough opportunities to do so in a wide-open Yankees bullpen. Lindgren was drafted with the team's first overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft and he made his MLB debut last season before an elbow injury ended his campaign a bit prematurely. Lindgren could start the season in the bullpen and could stick there all season long bridging the gap from the starter to the three-headed monster in the Yankees bullpen.

The final potential Yankees ROY Award nominee is basically the only Yankees starting pitching option other than Bryan Mitchell and whoever loses out on the spring training competition, James Kaprielian. Kaprielian was drafted out of college in the 2015 MLB Draft and is expected to be a fast mover through the Yankees system in 2016. The problem for Kaprielian is that he probably won't be up before July and that will likely limit any chance to win the award unfortunately.

Most Popular Article of the Week: Alex Rodriguez the Mentor?

From Eliot Podgorsky originally seen here:


As the Yankees youth movement continues, they should begin to place a greater emphasis on having their veterans teach younger players everything they can. While players like Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran and C.C. Sabathia all have valuable knowledge to impart on younger players I firmly believe that Alex Rodriguez is the player who can help the young guns the most.


Rodriguez is often mentioned as a future managerial candidate. He has eaten, slept and breathed baseball since he was a teenager. His entire adult life has been about the game. He is going to be a baseball lifer. The skills and techniques he has picked up along the way are something that should not disappear when he retires.


Rodriguez has already started helping the Yankees beyond being a player. At the beginning of the 2015 season, Didi Gregorius was struggling offensively and defensively. The shadow of Derek Jeter still loomed largely, and Shane Greene was off to a blistering start. Fans and reporters were calling the trade a bust. Rodriguez worked with Gregorius on his footwork and defense. Gregorius' defense improved too, and that allowed him to focus on his offensive game which was always the biggest concern for him. His offensive game improved steadily throughout the season. The concerns are no longer about if he is a long-term solution at shortstop but rather how much better is he going to get.

Alex Rodriguez tutoring Didi Gregorius

Having Rodriguez as a mentor seem strange considering that until Jenrry Mejia was suspended for life last week, A-Rod was the player who had served the longest PED-related suspension. However, his path to redemption adds to what he can teach players. For the longest time, A-Rod was all about himself. His banishment from baseball changed him, and he is now all about the team. A team first mentality is something you want all players to have. His PED history also serves as a reminder what happens when shortcuts are taken. At one time a sure-fire future Hall-of-Famer he will now be lucky to get in.


Just as Manny Ramirez served as a Player-Coach for the Triple-A team of the Chicago Cubs, I believe A-Rod should fill a similar role with the Yankees albeit playing more often. What do you think of the Yankees using Alex Rodriguez to mentor young players and be a Player-Coach?

TGP Prospects Month Top 29 Prospect List - #8 Wilkerman Garcia

Now that we are in the Top 10 of our Top 29 Prospects List countdown that technically turned into a Top 30 just because we are starting to really showcase some of the top notch talent hidden in the Yankees farm system. The Yankees have arms, the Yankees have outfielders, catchers and they have recently began stockpiling middle infield talent. Some of that middle infield talent will be on display today with our #8 prospect on our list, Wilkerman Garcia.

Garcia joins an impressive group of middle infielders in the Yankees upper levels including Jorge Mateo, Abi Avelino, Tyler Wade, Angel Anguilar and Thairo Estrada and Garcia may eventually be the best of the bunch. Yes, better than Mateo eventually. It's already thought that Garcia will be the better offensive player of the two while the defense is up for grabs and the speed belongs to Mateo. Garcia began the season in the Dominican Summer League and ended up with the Gulf Coast Yankees where a hamstring injury derailed much of his 2015 campaign. Garcia, 17-years old, has plenty of years of development left to make up for the injury though thankfully.

Garcia is average to above average at every single "tool" scouts judge on and he especially opened eyes on his speed and offensive game. With a strong spring and beginning to 2016 Garcia could find himself in Staten Island with the SI Yankees and may end up with the Low-A Charleston Riverdogs or even the High-A Tampa Yankees by season's end. Garcia is an awfully long way away but he is a prospect I am going to salivate over for the next three or so seasons regardless.

8. Wilkerman Garcia
9. Ian Clarkin
10. Brady Lail
11. Jacob Lindgren
12. Bryan Mitchell
13. Drew Finley
14. Mason Williams
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