Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Houston Astros 7/25

The New York Yankees and the Houston Astros will begin a three game series inside Minute Maid Park tonight as both teams inch ever so close to the August 1st trading deadline. It seems like the Yankees and the Astros are going in different directions at this deadline as all signs point to the Yankees possibly selling off a few pieces while Houston may add a key piece here or there in an attempt to catch the Texas Rangers in the AL West Division. In this contest the Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound to face off with an old and familiar foe for New York in Astros ace Dallas Keuchel.


Pineda has thrown exactly one scoreless start this season and that start came last time out. Pineda has exactly one start against the Houston Astros this season as well on the second game of the season where Houston tagged Pineda for six runs and eight hits in five innings of work. Believe it or not New York won that game thanks to the offense.


Keuchel has made exactly four career starts against the New York Yankees and he has completely owned them in those four starts. In those four starts that spanned 31 innings Keuchel has 31 strikeouts and has posted an anemic 1.45 ERA. This is going to be a long night for the Bombers.



The game will be played at 8:10 pm ET inside Minute Maid Park and can be seen live on WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV. The Yankees need a victory, or not depending on what you want the team to do before the trading deadline, but I can't feel confident against a guy like Keuchel. He has absolutely owned the Yankees throughout his short MLB career, but that doesn't mean I'm still not rooting for my team. Go Yankees!

Bought Low on Chapman, Now Buy Low on Sale

The Chicago White Sox have told teams that they are not necessarily motivated to sell off either of their left-handed starting pitchers Jose Quintana or Chris Sale but you have to think the team GM Rick Hahn is at least considering changing his stance after this weekend. See Sale was scratched from a start this weekend because of a clubhouse altercation that resulted in Sale cutting up all the retro throwback uniforms the team had because he did not want to wear one on the day he pitched. Yes I'm serious. The New York Yankees took advantage of Aroldis Chapman's off the field altercation to buy low on him so could the team do the same with Sale?

At the time of this writing Sale was pitching to a 14-3 record with a 3.18 ERA and would fit into the Yankees plans of acquiring a pitcher that is under team control beyond the 2017 season. Sale is under team control through the 2019 season and he has to be wearing thin on the nerves of the White Sox organization and front office. Sale was very vocal during the offseason when Adam LaRoche was told he could no longer bring his son into the White Sox clubhouse before and during games and now we have this. It sounds like the White Sox would be more willing than ever to trade him and his value may be lower than you think.

Ladies and gentleman, we call this a Brian Cashman special. Now I'm not saying I think it will happen because honestly I don't but I think it is at least a conversation that Brian Cashman needs to have with Rick Hahn. There will be teams who can and would blow any potential Yankees offer out of the water either because of Cashman's unwillingness to unload top prospects or simply because their respective farm systems are ranked more highly than the Yankees.

Sale has suddenly become a defiant player in a clubhouse that he feels alienated in. He presumably wants out and Chicago presumably wants him gone because negativity is poison so why not unload him to New York? The Yankees don't have retro jersey's and I believe key veterans like CC Sabathia, Carlos Beltran and others could keep his ego in check. I used to call that the "Derek Jeter Effect" but the same remains true here today. There is something about putting on the pinstripes and something about being in that clubhouse that calms down the most vocal and the most defiant. It worked with everyone not named Reggie Jackson and it can work again with Sale.

But will it? Unlikely, but stay tuned.

Weekly Prospects Check In: Jeff Hendrix

Okay so I know what many of you are thinking on this beautiful Monday morning. "Who? Who the hell is Jeff Hendrix?" Hear me out and check it out because he is one of the prospects I had in mind when I came up with the idea to check in with prospects every single day.Hendrix is a prospect that not many knew when he was drafted and is a prospect that probably many don't know now, but they should.

Hendrix is an outfielder currently with the Tampa Yankees and at the time of this writing the center fielder was boasting a .654 batting average in his last 31 games. That's not a couple days or even a week's worth of sample size. That is a full month worth of games. Wow.

Year	Age	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	22	A-A+	68	306	40	86	17	1	30	12	36	68	.330	.416	.421	.838
2016	22	A	62	278	36	70	16	1	25	11	35	62	.299	.397	.389	.786
2016	22	A+	6	28	4	16	1	0	5	1	1	6	.593	.607	.704	1.311

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Has The Time Come?

The time has come that we have all been anticipating ever since the trade on Dec 28, 2015 which sent Aroldis Chapman from the Reds to the Yankees with the Yankees returning Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo, Tony Renda, and Caleb Cotham to Cincinnati. The Yankees got Chapman as apart of a "steal" as some would say since they paid such little in return for such an elite reliever, The price for Chapman stooped to such a low due to Domestic Violence allegations which forced him to sit out the first 30 games of the 2016 season for the Yankees and miss such a vital portion of the season. As of today the New York Yankees hold a record of 50-48 and currently sit 7.5 games back of the First Place Baltimore Orioles. Aroldis is currently sporting a 2.01 ERA and is 20/21 in Save Opportunities. This season has pretty much gone to waste which solidifies the Yankees as sellers.

The first move on the Yankees apparent trade list is moving Closer Aroldis Chapman which has been in all sports news headlines for weeks now and with talks heating up in the past few days we might have come to a conclusion to the Chapman sweepstakes. The madness first started midday Today, Sunday July 24,2016 when Cubs Shortstop Gleyber Torres was scratched from Tonights lineup at High-A Myrtle Beach. Gleyber has been a prospect that has stuck out to the Yankees for a while as everyone knows how much they love their young SS. In 2016 Torres is currently batting .275 with 9 HR 47 RBI and 19 SB in High-A for the Cubs. The 19 year old is currently the #1 ranked prospect in the Cubs system and is ranked as the #24 prospect in all of Baseball according to MLB.com so that is a reason the Yankees are very high on him. Many analysts believe that within the next two years that Torres could reach the Top 5 prospect list in all of baseball because he just has such pure raw talent.

Now we get to the rumored trade... The two constant names we are hearing in all reports are Aroldis Chapman and Gleyber Torres. We know that other pieces are involved in this proposed trade but no one can seem to figure out the exact players being exchanged. Rumored players being thrown around from the Yankees side are RP Andrew Miller, SP Michael Pineda, SP Nathan Eovaldi, SP Ivan Nova, and RF Carlos Beltran. Names being thrown around on the Cubs side are OF Jorge Soler, OF Kyle Schwarber, RP Adam Warren, and 3B Jeimer Candelario. A trade involving any of these players listed could be considered as a blockbuster with all of the talent being exchanged between the two teams.

As per Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan, The trade is looking likelier but still not finalized, Torres is one of the multiple pieces that have been agreed upon as part of the deal.

We should get some clarification to these rumors tomorrow and see if whether or not Aroldis Chapman is on his way to the Windy City and we will see what the Yankees will be getting in return for the elite closer.

This Day in New York Yankees History 7/25: Mel Allen’s Plaque & Jim Bouton’s Return

For all those who don't know the full story I will cover it briefly. Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton wrote a book called "Ball Four" that got him banished from Yankee Stadium. For all those who want to read the book a quick Google search can find it for you. On this day in 1998 at Old Timer's Day Bouton was invited back to Yankee Stadium for the first time in almost 30 seasons. Jim's son, Michael, wrote a letter to the New York Times urging the Yankees to reconsider their decision about Bouton and New York obliged.

Also on this day in 1998 the Yankees dedicated a plaque in the memory of Mel Allen, the team's long time play by play announcer. Allen died of heart failure in 1996, he was 83 years old. The plaque described Allen as a "Yankee institution, a national treasure" and even included his signature punch line" How about that?"

Finally on this day in 1995 Joe DiMaggio was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown after spending 13 season with the Bronx Bombers. DiMaggio retired with a .325 batting average and it still took four tries on the ballot before the Yankee Clipper was elected.

August 1st Trade Deadline Countdown Open Thread

Ladies and gentleman things are about to get interesting. As we sit here on July 24th we have just a week to go before the August 1st trade deadline. Will the Yankees buy? Will the Yankees be sellers? Will the Yankees stand pat and try their luck again at the much less convenient waiver trade deadline of August 31st? A lot of that will depend on the way this week goes.

Truth be told I thought the Yankees would be buried right now after starting the second half with series with the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants but the team has come out swinging and swinging with all hands on deck. Now with one week to go the decision to buy or less is all the more murky.

In the next week the Yankees will face off with the Houston Astros for three games before taking an off day on Thursday and before finishing the month down in Tampa Bay against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees schedule all of a sudden has the ability to make the team want to be buyers... but will they?

That's the question I leave with you tonight in this open thread for the finale of the weekend. Enjoy.

Weekly Prospects Check In: Jake Cave

Speaking of Yankees outfielders who made returns to the team this season and speaking of Yankees outfielders we are going to check in with on this lazy Sunday afternoon let's get caught back up with Jake Cave. If you remember, and I'm sure that you do because the Yankees have some of the most passionate and hardcore fans in all of the land, Cave was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the Rule 5 Draft this season only to be returned after spring training camp.

How far has he come since his return? Let's find out.

Year	Age	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	23	AAA-AA	82	348	49	91	20	7	44	6	27	74	.288	.351	.475	.825
2016	23	AA	27	116	12	30	8	3	17	3	10	28	.288	.353	.510	.863
2016	23	AAA	55	232	37	61	12	4	27	3	17	46	.288	.349	.458	.807

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giants 7/24

The New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants will finish off their three-game weekend set this afternoon in the Bronx. In the finale the Giants will send Jeff Samardzija to the mound in what could be, on paper heading into this series in my opinion anyway, the Yankees best chance to win a game while the Yankees counter with Nathan Eovaldi. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, TBS and MLB TV.

Get your Yankees Tickets by clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog and get your TGP T-Shirts by clicking that link also located at the top of the blog. You can support the Yankees who are winning more than they are losing all of a sudden while also supporting the blog.

Eovaldi is ready and so is the Yankees offense. Let's get it. Go Yankees!

Mike Piazza & the Ethical Hall of Fame Debate

Mike Piazza is in the Hall of Fame, this much we know and this none of us can really change. For better or worse the first player to be linked or suspected of steroid use that played in the steroid era is in the Hall of Fame which has caused a stir around Major League Baseball. Did Piazza use and should he be in the Hall of Fame? These are just a couple of the questions that I am going to attempt, key word being attempt, to answer today in this blog post.


Before the comments and emails come flooding in I am well aware of Piazza’s autobiography where he admitted to using androstenedione and I am well aware that it was added to Major League Baseball’s list of banned substances in 2004. Andro is a muscle-building compound that was long banned by the International Olympic Committee before it was added to MLB’s banned list. Should he be punished for doing something that wasn’t illegal at the time? I think not, personally. That’s like locking up all the people in California, Colorado, Seattle etc. for smoking marijuana before it was made illegal in those states. It’s irresponsible and, in my opinion, not plausible.


It is worth mentioning that drug testing and Piazza’s home run power, or lack thereof, definitely had a direct correlation between each other. Piazza hit 33 home runs in 2002, the year before drug testing was talked about and before it was implemented in 2004 (and punishable in 2005), and that number dropped to 11 in 2003. Granted Piazza stayed injured for much of 2003 but that is also a side effect of prolonged steroid use per Jose Canseco, especially when you stop taking them. Piazza never went on to hit more than 22 in a season after drug testing was implemented but it is also worth mentioning that Piazza turned 35-years old in 2003. Playing behind the dish for 140 games a season takes a toll on your body, especially your lower half, so it could be chalked up as a coincidence and Mother Nature intervening rather than steroid use.


In the end we will never know EVERYONE who did steroids, either once or for a prolonged period of time. We will never know if someone in Cooperstown already had used steroids in the past and we’re likely to never know in the future if the BBWAA is electing steroid users into the Hall of Fame. This is why we must elect them all, suspicions or not, or none at all. With Piazza in I think that question just got answered, you have to elect them all now. Especially when you almost elected Tim Raines, an admitted cocaine addict that admitted to using cocaine DURING GAMES. There’s a fine line here people and many of you are jumping back and forth between it.

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giants 7/24

The New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants will finish off their three-game set this weekend in the Bronx with an afternoon getaway game for both clubs. After this series the Yankees are headed to Houston to face off with the Houston Astros while the Giants are going anywhere but here, I really wouldn't mind them staying to be honest because this series has been fun for me. In the finale the Yankees will send Nathan Eovaldi back to the mound after a brief stint in the bullpen while the Giants will send out Jeff Samardzija who was pushed back a day for this start.


Eovaldi has made one start since being reinserted into the bullpen and will look to be just as sharp this afternoon as he was in that start. Eovaldi threw more fastballs in his last start than he had for much of this season and he had great success with it.


Samardzija has not been the greatest pitcher when it comes to Interleague Play during his career which is evident by his 15 career starts, 3-9 win/loss record and his 5.28 ERA. Samardzija has also been pretty home run prone lately allowing 12 home runs in his last eight starts which doesn’t bode well when you are set to pitch inside Yankee Stadium in an afternoon game.


The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, TBS and MLB TV. I love afternoon games on a lazy Sunday. Now truth be told I tend to fall asleep while watching them but isn't that what Sunday afternoons were made for? I thought so. Go Yankees!