So My Son Graduates Kindergarten Today

The New York Yankees game isn’t on for another 12 hours or so and the way the team is playing you may not want to hear any more about than you have to at this point. Instead I’ll use this time to brag a little, show the world how proud of my family I am and leave you with a little bit of personal information from me to start your morning.

My son graduated from Kindergarten today. He is actually graduating right now as this post is going live and I while I wrote this post in advance I still lack the ability to put into words how I feel right now. I want to hug the kid and tell him how very proud I am but at the same time I want to hug his teacher and tell her I’m sorry for all the presumable trouble he caused her this year. I want to hug his mother and show her, because she doubts the way we handle him and certain situations sometimes, that we did an alright job at this whole parenting thing for not knowing a thing before we got into it and most of all I just want to cry.

I may be overreacting a tad, hell I am overreacting a lot actually, but if you haven’t had a child and had that proud moment you probably wouldn’t understand. I know I didn’t 10 years ago. So this post goes out to my little Evan that isn’t so little anymore. Congratulations and happy graduation day little buddy! Thank you for making me proud!

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo

Jorge Mateo is back in the lineup and back to stealing bases with no ill-effects after his benching for lack of hustle a couple weeks back now. Mateo is now working his way towards a promotion and back on the fast track through the Yankees farm system like so many others in front of him.

I would expect Mateo to take the next step forward around the June timeframe which seems standard for prospect promotions with the Yankees. By August you never know, Mateo could be in Double-A with the Trenton Thunder or even higher. Higher seems unlikely with his position change from shortstop to second base but I’m not going to be the one to doubt him. He’s too fast and he’s too talented to count against right now.

Mateo’s stock may actually take a hit after moving positions, shortstops are more valuable and harder to find than second basemen generally, but his stock should still be through the roof if he keeps on getting on base and stealing bases when he does. 

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	Tampa	37	160	32	47	4	6	5	26	13	8	12	35	.324	.377	.538	.915

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Nova Rolls Over Oakland, 4-1

     Tonight, the Yankees faced off against the Athletics in game one of a four-game series in Oakland. Pitching to his first win as a starter his last time out, Ivan Nova toed the rubber for New York in hopes of improving upon his first two starts, where he went 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA. Against the White Sox, Nova's sinker induced 13 ground ball outs, and in order to be effective tonight, his best pitch would need to be equally effective. Taking the ball for Oakland was right-hander Kendall Graveman, sporting a record of 1-5 with a 5.84 ERA. Graveman, a sinker-baller himself, has also allowed a team-high 10 home runs this season, which is an alarming statistic considering he's supposed to be a ground ball pitcher. And Graveman's struggles would continue.
     New York struck first tonight, coming in the top of the third inning. With two outs, Brett Gardner walked and came around to score when the next hitter, Carlos Beltran, lined an opposite-field double down the left-field line that gave the Yankees a one run lead. A Yankee mental error, which, unfortunately, would be a recurring theme throughout the ball game, cost them what could have been there second run of the inning when Brian McCann hit a ball deep to right field that was misplayed by Josh Reddick, bouncing off the right-fielders glove. But, Beltran apparently forgot how many outs there were(two) and only advanced to third base. Reddick would atone for his fielding miss cue when he tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on a solo shot to right field.
     The mental errors for New York reared their ugly heads yet again, this time coming in the top of the sixth. Chase Headley led off the inning with a single, but would get picked off of first, trying to take too large of a secondary lead. After Dustin Ackley followed with the second straight hit of the frame, Didi Gregorius hit a third consecutive single that moved Ackley to third, but was gunned down in plenty of time while trying to advance to second base. But, Aaron Hicks would pick up his teammates as he lined a double to left field that scored Ackley, giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead and forcing Gravemen from the game.
     On the flip side, Ivan Nova was magnificent again tonight for New York. With the exception of the Reddick homerun, Nova kept the ball on the ground throughout the game, only allowing four total hits with no walks and three strikeouts. With C.C. Sabathia set to return from the DL tomorrow, Nova has pitched brilliantly in his three starts, well enough to stay put in the rotation, even with the impending return of Luis Severino.
      The Yankees would add some insurance in the top of the ninth inning, when Carlos Beltran hit a two run homerun that gave the Yanks and insurmountable 4-1 lead. Additionally, for the second consecutive night, all three members of No-Run DMC would pitch for New York, locking down a win in the series opener. Delin Betances allowed a leadoff baserunner, but would go on to retire the next three batters. Miller worked a perfect eighth and Chapman shut the door on Oakland, Recording his fifth save in pinstripes. It will be interesting to see who, if any of the trio, makes an appearance in tomorrow nights game, considering Girardi is notorious for not letting a reliever throw on three consecutive nights . And, again, since C.C. Sabathia will be activated from the DL and is slated to start tomorrow nights game, one or all three pitchers may be needed.
     The drama unfolds tomorrow night, with first pitch scheduled for 10:05 PM ET.


   

This Day in New York Yankees History 5/20: Babe Ruth Jersey and One Armed Outfielders

On this day in 2012 Babe Ruth's 1920 jersey sells at auction for $4,415,658. This was the largest amount ever paid for a piece of sports memorabilia according to auctionreport.com. The woolen uniform was worn by Ruth during his first season as a Yankee after being traded to New York by the Red Sox.


Also on this day in 1976 the Yankees and the Red Sox are in one of the ugliest brawls in the history of the rivalry when Carlton Fisk stabs Lou Piniella with the ball when Sweet Lou tried to score. Bill Lee suffered a separated shoulder in the fight with Graig Nettles and caused him to miss most of the season.


Also on this day in 1959 the Yankees enter last place in the American League for the first time since 19 years when they lost to the Detroit Tigers 13-6.


Also on this day in 1948 Joe DiMaggio had four extra base hits for the fourth time in his career in Chicago in front of 5,001 fans. DiMaggio hit for the cycle for the second time in a 13-2 victory over the White Sox. The Yankees had 22 hits and DiMaggio had two home runs, a triple, a double, a single, and six RBI's.


Also on this day in 1945 Pete Gray led the St. Louis Browns to a doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees after scoring the winning run in the second game. Gray collected three hits in the first game and the one-armed outfielder makes ten putouts in the field in the second game.


Also on this day in 1918 Tris Speaker was struck in the head with a pitch off of Red Sox submariner Carl Mays. Mays would also hit Ray Chapman two years later in the head with a pitch that would kill him as a member of the New York Yankees. Speaker thought that Mays hit him on purpose in the head but Mays always denied the allegations.



Finally a mere seven years later in 1925 Speaker scored from first base on a single scoring the winning run in a 10-9 walk off win over the Yankees. The Indians scored six times in the bottom of the ninth to cap off the comeback. Where was Mariano Rivera when you need him?

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Oakland Athletics 5/19

If a game is played in the middle of the state of California in the middle of the night on the East Coast did it really happen? We’re about to find out as the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics kick off their four-game extended weekend set tonight inside of Oakland County Coliseum. In the matchup the Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound making his third start of the season for New York while the A’s will counter with right-hander Kendall Graveman. The game will be played at 10:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees need to beat the teams, in my mind anyway, that they should beat and the Oakland Athletics are one of those teams. I mean no disrespect and I fully understand that there is a level of parity in Major League Baseball that allows any team to beat any other team on any given night but across a long series, and four games would be long enough you would think, the better team should win more times than not. The records might not suggest it and the standings may not suggest it but the Yankees are the better and the more talented team. They just need to believe it themselves and start acting like it.

Go Yankees!

While We Wait Link Dump for May 19th from the BYB Hub

There is only one thing, ONE THING, that’s good about having the New York Yankees play out on the West Coast. I tend to get a lot more things done with my extra three or four hours of my day. I am an early riser and I usually run all day long so staying up until 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM ET just to wake up at 5:00 AM to watch the Yankees is not my cup of tea but like I said I use these games as a way to catch up on things. I’m hoping you will do the same here tonight as I had this novel idea, why not do a link dump here giving you a chance to catch up on some reading while you wait for the Yankees game to begin or you start winding down before bed.

The DBacks lack tradition and it's annoying from Bleeding Yankee Blue. 

Digging for positives with this Yankees team by Lady At the Bat.

Jackie Bradley Jr. is the best outfielder in MLB by Section 36.

I’ve done this before showcasing Yankees-related material from major news publications like NJ.com, the USA Today and the New York Daily News but those guys get enough clicks anyway. When they aren’t getting enough clicks they come up with click baits like “Yankees frontrunners for Mike Trout” so I thought I would bring you some articles from true fans, websites that need some love and members of the BYB Hub. So enjoy and check out the BYB Hub at bybhub.blogspot.com. 

How Badly Do the Yankees Want Bryce Harper?

It’s a simple question, how badly do the New York Yankees want Bryce Harper when he becomes a free agent after the 2018 season. In life it seems like the most simplest of questions turn out to be the hardest to answer for whatever reason and this one definitely falls into that category. This is so hard to answer mainly because we still have parts of three MLB seasons to go before the question really needs to be answered and a whole lot can happen between now and then but let’s pretend the Nationals All-Star is set to become a free agent now, today, how badly do the Yankees want him and how far would they be willing to go?

I’m not talking about money here ladies and gentleman because let’s face it. The Yankees have the money and the Yankees aren’t afraid to spend the money if it means making the money. Bryce Harper is a draw to any stadium whether you want to boo him or you want to cheer him and the Yankees could give him a billion dollar contract and he’d probably double their investment in the first five years. He’s that special. It’s the other aspects of the organization that make the Yankees unique, borderline archaic but unique nonetheless, that I am discussing here.

Would the Yankees relax on their “no facial hair policy” for Harper and would they change their uniform policy to allow Harper to leave his top button or three undone as long as he mashes home runs and tracks down everything that is hit his way in center field? You have to think they would, no?

I mean I get it and I appreciate the fact that this is a storied franchise with an absolute ton of history behind it but you also have to keep us with the Joneses. At one point the team had to stop throwing money at every free agent while sacrificing the farm system year in and year out. At one point they couldn’t make up for their losses in the draft by simply throwing money at international market and at some point they had to stop letting all their big money free agents hit the free agent market because the team refuses to negotiate a contract while the current contract was up.

If Harper wants to wear a beard let the man wear a beard. If the man wants to leave a button or two undone and look like a complete slob you let the boy look like a complete slob. That’s how bad I want Bryce Harper on the Yankees but the question is how bad do the Yankees want Bryce Harper? We have three years to talk about it. 

Did the Yankees Screw up Trading Francisco Cervelli?

The New York Yankees and their GM Brian Cashman has grown to be known for their wheeling and dealing in recent years more so than their big money free agent signings. The tides may be turning in the Bronx and the Yankees GM is at the forefront of this change. Whether Cashman is a second tiered GM or even worth the breath you would waste to boo him if you saw him on the street is up for debate but I think we now have the answer to at least one question. Did the Yankees screw up when they traded away catcher Francisco Cervelli? In a word, yes.

Now one must keep in mind that Cervelli was traded on the heels of consecutive injury-riddled seasons and was also shipped away after a Biogenesis-related scandal and steroid suspension as well. There was all the drama and rumors circulating that Alex Rodriguez gave up names to investigators and the league including Cervelli’s and it was bad Ju Ju all around in the Yankees dugout. On paper that alone makes for a good trade for New York, especially when you consider they flipped him for durable reliever Justin Wilson before last season, but everything since has gone terribly wrong for the Yankees.

New York has since flipped Wilson for a pair of starting pitchers in Luis Cessa and Chad Green and neither have looked good in their ridiculously small MLB sample size. I won’t hold that against Cashman because we have a long way to go before determining who “won” that trade but after Cervelli signed a contract extension with Pittsburgh this week you have to think the trade to Pittsburgh was a loss for Cashman and company. Cervelli signed a three-year extension with Pittsburgh recently worth $31.5 million keeping the right-handed hitting catcher in Pittsburgh through his age 33 season.

Cervelli served as McCann’s backup in 2014 and since the 2015 season when Cervelli was shipped to Pittsburgh he has out-performed McCann in almost every aspect. Cerveli hits for a higher average, he actually frames balls better than McCann, Cervelli gets on base more often, his defense is better and so is his base running. McCann hits #TooManyDamnHrs but his WAR during that timeframe has been 3.8 while Cervelli has accumulated a 4.5 WAR in the same period.

So for less WAR the Yankees are paying McCann $16.40 million per year AAV while the Pirates will pay Cervelli roughly $10 million for a younger bat, better defense and a higher WAR. Sounds like the proof is in the pudding on this one Yankees family.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Oakland Athletics 5/19

The New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics will begin a four-game weekend series tonight inside the Oakland County Coliseum with the Bronx Bombers hoping for some better results than the last time these two teams met. Earlier this season the Athletics came to the Bronx and watched as the Yankees crapped the bed in their three-game set leaving many fans disappointed and hoping for different results tonight on the west coast. In the contest the Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound looking to keep his starting rotation spot when Luis Severino returns from the disabled list while the A’s will counter with Kendall Graveman.

Nova will be making his third start of the season tonight in Oakland after making his previous two starts against tough Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox offenses. Nova has pitched to a 1.74 ERA in 10.1 innings during those two starts and looks to improve on a career 1-0 record and 4.24 ERA in three starts against the A’s tonight.

Graveman has not pitched well as of late for Oakland and has allowed at least four runs in each of his last four starts. In the span of two outings Graveman has given up five home runs which could be just what the doctor ordered for the team commonly referred to as the Bronx Bombers.

The game will be played at 10:05 pm ET inside the Oakland County Coliseum and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. If you’ve been paying attention to the weekly USA Today’s MLB power rankings you would know that the A’s are slipping, falling and we can’t let them get up. Beat the A’s and turn this ship around again after a tough series loss in Arizona. If the team can’t turn things around and wets the bed again here against the A’s the season may be over. I’m not ready to watch August and September meaningless baseball, I don’t know about you, so Go Yankees!

The Return of Alex Rodriguez and What It Means

There’s a stomach bug going around and it’s causing injuries all over the Yankees roster and minor league affiliates. The New York Yankees avoided the injury bug for the most part in 2015 but when you have an aging core mixed with young players that play all out on every play like Brett Gardner injuries tend to happen and they have here in 2016. With CC Sabathia set to come off the disabled list tomorrow, and we’ll talk more about that tomorrow as well, and Alex Rodriguez eligible to come off the disabled list today what does it mean for the Yankees? FYI, in case you missed it, the Yankees will not actually activate Alex today after his hamstring tightened up jogging in Arizona but when he does come back this is how it will affect the team.

Unfortunately no one can truly answer this question, not even Alex himself, leaving us all to speculate. Alex looked all of 40-years old at the beginning of the season and already had many questioning whether he would make the season and/or attempt another run in 2017. Just in time for his injury though Alex’s bat woke up as he began hitting and began hitting for power so after two weeks off who knows which Alex we’re about to get. Will it be the Alex that can intimidate the opposing pitcher and add some much needed pop to the middle of the lineup or is it the Alex that is being pointed at and laughed at by Father Time?

I do know one thing for sure the Yankees will get worse defensively and worse on the flexibility side of the coin with Alex’s return. Alex is a DH only and Joe Girardi now has to take Carlos Beltran out of the lineup entirely or one of Jacoby Ellsbury or Brett Gardner to give Aaron Hicks ample playing time. Robert Refsnyder or whoever else is likely to ride the Scranton Shuttle back to Triple-A when Alex is officially activated and it’s debatable whether the team is actually set to get better, continue to tread water or possibly even take a step back.

Personally if Alex can be the Alex he was a week or so before the injury he makes this team 100% better but if he becomes another black hole in a lineup that seems to be alternating black holes like advanced copies of movies on the internet then that’s not beneficial for anybody. Stay tuned to see what Alex we get back hopefully this week or next when Alex finally returns off the DL.