Rebuilding in New York Means KEEPING Brian McCann

The New York Yankees and their GM Brian Cashman may have shifted the philosophy for not only the organization but for the entire fan base as well when they decided to sell at this year’s August 1^st trading deadline. I can’t remember the Yankees ever being sellers at the trading deadline during my years of watching so this was a cosmic shift in the universe for me but it was a necessary shift and a necessary change in order to let the organization go forward. The Yankees are no longer retooling nor are they going World Series or bust this season, they are playing for next year and beyond. The New York Yankees are rebuilding and with every rebuild you need a veteran catcher to anchor your staff, work with the young arms and mentor the rotation and bullpen. For those reasons and for a million other reasons that’s why the New York Yankees cannot and should not trade their veteran catcher Brian McCann before his contract runs out.

Let’s forget about what everything McCann does that you cannot really put a stat on, things like framing pitches (yes I know there are “stats” and metrics for this), calling games, working with and speaking to young guys, providing scouting reports, etc., and instead focus on some of the intangibles that can be quantified. Stats like home runs and RBI for catchers, something that McCann does well even in what is considered to be a down season for him offensively, that are all the more important for the Yankees now that Carlos Beltran is gone and Alex Rodriguez doesn’t look too far behind. Think about how demoralizing it would be for a Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge or equivalent to come up and have zero protection in the lineup and only see bad pitches and/or balls. That’s where McCann can come in and provide another intangible that cannot be quantified.

When I think of McCann and now the call up of Gary Sanchez I immediately think of the Jorge Posada and Joe Girardi situation. Girardi was kept on the mentor Posada in the mid-90s, maybe for too long to be completely honest, and Posada not only benefited from it but he flourished from it as well and he went on to have a great career. There’s no reason Sanchez can’t slowly get his feet wet behind McCann and grow into a monster too thus helping the Yankees not only until the McCann contract runs out but for years and years to come after.

Keeping McCann only helps the rebuild and helps those future Yankees stars and teaming that look to bring in a World Series, not hurts. Keep McCann for his two full seasons beyond 2016 and reap the benefits for many, many years to come. It only makes sense. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians 8/7

The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians are set to finish off their three-game weekend set inside Yankee Stadium here in just a few minutes. In today's start  the Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound to face off with Carlos Carrasco for the Indians. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen locally on the YES Network and can also be seen on MLB TV wherever you are.

The Yankees are off tomorrow before heading north to Fenway Park to take on the Boston Red Sox in a three-game set including the Tuesday game where Luis Severino gets thrown to the wolves in his return to the Yankees rotation. Follow along during this game or any of those games with us by either liking us on Facebook or by giving @GreedyStripes a follow on Twitter.

Happy Tanaka Day ladies and gentleman. Go Yankees!

A-Rod: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Alex Rodriguez, A-Rod, One of the most infamous personalities in the history of the MLB and the New York Yankees organization has announced today that Friday, August 12th will be his final game as a New York Yankeee. It pains me to say this but as I look back on A-Rod's tenure as a Yankee but I can genuinely say that I will miss the guy.

I grew up watching the Yankees and two of my favorite players were always Jeter and A-Rod, the deadly Shortstop/Third Base combo. I idolized him as he would hit 50hr a year and would provide such a spark in the lineup that I have never seen before by any player. He has so many influential moments as a Yankee, good or bad, they made a mark on my life as well as many other people.

Whether it was knocking the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove, Yelling "I GOT IT!" against the Blue Jays or the whole steroid scandal that felt like it went on for a decade I still looked at all these things and felt like it made A-Rod stronger as a person. He was always a clubhouse guy according to former players and coaches and in the past year he was a huge influence to the younger players. He definitely has more haters out there then people who admire him but he never let the hate get to him or stop him from following his passion and playing the game of Baseball.

Then we move on to where he becomes a legend in New York Yankees history and the part I want to focus on the most in this article, his 2009 playoff run.... Oh man this was one of the greatest postseason performances I have ever seen. Before the 2009 playoffs he was always considered to be non clutch or a choker in playoff situations but oh boy did he prove those critics wrong in 2009. It all started with his monstrous division series where in Game 2 in the bottom of the 9th he launched a game tying home run off of Joe Nathan which eventually led to a Yankees win. Then in Game 3 he hit another homerun in the top of the 7th inning off of Carl Pavano to tie the game 1-1 which would then lead to a Yankees division series sweep of the Twins.

And then it's time for the Championship series against the Los Angeles Angels, why would we expect anything different from Arod in this series? He proved his clutchness even more when he hit a game tying solo homer in the Bottom of the 11th of Game 2 to put the Yankees back in the game once again after carrying them the whole playoffs thus far. He would go on to hitting 2 more home runs in that series and lead the Yankees to their first World Series title since 2000 which was 9 years before.

You may not like A-Rod for some of the controversial things he has done but if your are a true Yankee fan you have to give him all of the credit in the world for our 2009 World Series victory because without him we still might not have a World Series since the year 2000.

I'm going to end this very simple with 3 short words..... Thank. You. Alex.


Follow me on Twitter- @Yankeesfan0504

How I Will Remember Mark Teixeira

As we all have likely heard by now the Yankees first baseman has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2016 season. While this came to a shock to many, including myself, after Teixeira stated he wanted to finish his career with 500 home runs and play another four-or-five years if you look at his injury history and his recent production it is likely the best decision he has ever made. While everyone around the Yankees blogosphere will likely kiss his butt and remind us all about him finishing 2^nd in the AL MVP voting in 2009 after leading the league in home runs and RBI and will remind us of his walk-off home run in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series I will remember Teixeira in a different way. Call me spiteful and call me disrespectful but I cannot remember Teixeira in any other way than the man made of glass, and that’s just keeping it real with you.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m in no way shape or form trying to be disrespectful here and I am the farthest from ungrateful as well. I appreciate Teixeira going out there every day that he could and I appreciate all the production and the memories that we (and I used the term “we” loosely for obvious reasons) had but I just can’t see him in any other form. It’s like that aging veteran that held on for just far too long you always find yourself thinking that he should have retired the season before or retired on top and on his own terms. That didn’t happen this time around with Teixeira, injuries and ineffectiveness forced him out of the game that he loves.

The wrist injury that cost Teixeira almost two full seasons, one season to rehab and one season sitting out after the surgery, and the fractured shin that cost him his resurgent 2015 season. The knee injury that robbed him of a big chunk of his 2016 season. The pinky that he cut sliding into home against the Baltimore Orioles that cost him what feels like a month and the other little nagging injuries that every once in a while reminded us all of Carl Pavano. That’s how I will remember Teixeira and honestly, I hate it. The difference between me and us at The Greedy Pinstripes is that we’ll tell you how we really feel, that’s what a blog is for, and not what we think you want to read just to garner more clicks and views.

Hopefully you appreciate that and if Mark is reading this I hope he knows and understands that we truly appreciate everything he did for us, did for the game and did for the Yankees but some things just cannot be helped nor changed. Get healthy, stay well and enjoy retirement Mark and congratulations on an amazing and illustrious career in the greatest game on Earth. Major League Baseball. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Cleveland Indians 8/7

The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians will be right back in the Bronx for another weekend game here inside Yankee Stadium as these two teams finish off their three game set. For whatever reason these Yankees struggle against the teams they should be beating on paper, the Tampa Bay Rays for example, while they play the better teams in the league tough and well, see the New York Mets and these last two series with the Indians as a perfect example of this. In the finale the Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound to square off with one of the Indians best starters in Carlos Carrasco.

Tanaka has not had a great month of August in his short MLB career which is evident by his career 4.24 ERA. Unfortunately this afternoon will be another August start for the Yankees right-hander so maybe he can turn it around against a tough offense in Cleveland.

Carrasco did not have a great August start last time out either pitching just 3.2 innings against the Minnesota Twins. Carrasco allowed eight runs on nine hits in the contest before leaving with an "L" in the loss column.


The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Let's hope the Yankees pull another win out with their ace on the mound, dominate another series and head into the off day with the series in Fenway Park looming with the good times rolling. Go Yankees!

Weekly Prospects Check In: Dustin Fowler

The Yankees have gone through a few valleys and a few peaks throughout my career as a Yankees fan but possibly none more drastic than the 2016 season. The Yankees returned to #TooManyDamnHRs in 2015 while also returning to the postseason only to run into #TooManyDamnRISPFails in 2016 that resulted in a fire sale before the August 1st trade deadline. Now the Yankees find themselves with #TooManyDamnProspects and especially #TooManyDamnOutfielders including Aaron Judge, Clint Frazier, Mason Williams, Ben Gamel, Jake Cave and today's weekly check in showcase (just to name a few) Dustin Fowler.

Fowler seemed like nothing more than a struggling prospect teetering on the line of being an organizational filler prospect before breaking out in a big way throughout the 2015 regular season and into the Arizona Fall League. It was thought that Fowler was down in Arizona to play once or twice a week but like he has a tendency to do lately he pushed the subject and forced his way into the lineup. This is something that has continued throughout the 2016 season with Fowler in Double-A with the Trenton Thunder.

Let's see what Fowler has been up to this season since we haven't checked in with his all season:

Year	Age	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	AA	105	452	48	119	26	6	65	19	21	66	.282	.318	.434	.751

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/7: Learned Lesson in August Waiver Traded

As we all found out on Tuesday the August waiver wire trading deadline can be confusing, hard to understand and it can get you stuck with someone you may or may not really want. This happened to the Yankees in 2000 when the team got stuck with the Devil Rays outfielder Jose Canseco. The Yankees claimed the 35 year old on waivers and he appeared in 37 games for New York as a designated hitter and hit .247 in 111 at bats. Canseco unfortunately got the World Series ring that the Yankees received as well.

Also on this day in 1983 the Yankees held Bobby Murcer Day at the Stadium. Murcer played 13 seasons for the Yankees and compiled a .278 batting average in New York before coming a long-time broadcaster for the team.

Finally on this day in 1978 Mel Allen and Red Barber became the first recipients of the Ford C. Frick Broadcasting Award. The voters were unable to choose between the two legendary voices so both Yankees announcers were selected by the Hall of Fame voters.

Recent & Notable August Trades in MLB

Just because the August 1st trade deadline has come and gone does not mean that the trades are done around the league. Trades can still happen, in fact trades can happen until the very last day of the season, but they get a little more complicated from here on out. Players must now pass through revocable waivers and can be claimed, and ultimately pulled back, or they can pass through waivers and be traded to any team. It gets complicated but it's not impossible so to end our Saturday night here on the blog I figured I would go through and touch upon some of the more recent and notable August trades in Major League Baseball history. Enjoy and we'll see you back here tomorrow.

• In 2003 the Pittsburgh Pirates sent one of their best players on the team, Brian Giles, to the San Diego Padres for a pair of prospects. You may recognize some of the names that were traded for Giles, Oliver Perez and Jason Bay.

• On this day in 2008 the Toronto Blue Jays acquired a player who was not even on the Major League roster at the time. The most notable player at the time of the trade was the Pittsburgh Pirates newest player Robinson Diaz but the clear cut winner was Toronto who acquired some dude named Jose Bautista.

• In 2000 the New York Yankees acquired a familiar face to complete their dynasty years, the team sent a prospect to the Pittsburgh Pirates for infielder Luis Sojo. Sojo was a big member of the 1996-1999 Yankees before leaving for Pittsburgh via free agency. Sojo was acquired for the playoff and World Series run and did just that with a four-hit game and the game winning hit to clinch the 2000 World Series over the New York Mets. This isn't exactly a notable trade as much as it was a stretch to include the Yankees on the post. We're a Yankees blog afterall.

• And who could forget the mega-deal between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox where over $250,000,000 in dollars changed hands overnight. The Dodgers sent James Loney, Allen Webster, Ivan De Jesus, Rubby De La Rosa and Jerry Sands to the Boston Red Sox for Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett.

The USA Today Ranks All 30 MLB Stadiums

The USA Today’s Ted Berg did something I wish I could do this week, he ranked all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums in the league. Now sure, I could rank them all day long but he has actually visited all 30 and that is the key component to my jealousy and to what makes this list unique and great. Make sure to visit the link to check out his write up’s on all 30 MLB stadiums and see where he ranks them but for the purposes of this post I will sample the Top 10 stadiums and the write up for good ole’ Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Enjoy.

1.       Petco Park – San Diego Padres

2.       AT&T Park – San Francisco Giants

3.       PNC Park – Pittsburgh Pirates

4.       Wrigley Field – Chicago Cubs

5.       Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles Dodgers

6.       Kauffman Stadium – Kansas City Royals

7.       Coors Field – Colorado Rockies

8.       Fenway Park – Boston Red Sox

9.       Target Field – Minnesota Twins

10.   Citi Field – New York Mets

25. Yankee Stadium – New York Yankees:

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/08/ranking-best-worst-mlb-stadiums-30-petco-wrigley-pnc

Credit the Yankees for eschewing the typical new-old look popular when their stadium opened in 2009, but not for producing a ballpark that looks more like a Las Vegas casino version of a stately building than the actual stately building they intended. The giant videoboard is great and the sight of the 4-train rumbling past is very cool, but the Yankees play within a couple of miles of some of the best Italian food on this great planet and somehow dare to unironically serve Papa John’s Pizza at their ballpark. You have to admire the chutzpah, really. — Ted Berg

Kluber Out-duels Sabathia , 5-2, Evens Series

A day after putting up a 13-spot on the Tribe, the Yankees were held to just two runs as they felt to the Indians in game two of the weekend series. The 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia took the ball for New York this afternoon and struggled, as he allowed two homeruns in a game for the third consecutive outing. For Cleveland, 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber absolutely dominated the Yankees today, improving to 11-8 with his gem of a performance in the Bronx.

Both former Cy Young Award winners held their opposition scoreless in the first, but it was the bottom of the second inning that saw the first scoring action of the game. With one out, Starlin Castro lofted a single into left, coming around to score when two batters later rookie Gary Sanchez plugged the gap in left-center with a two-out double, his third double in his first four games. After a sharp single to right field by Aaron Hicks that advanced Sanchez to third, Cory Kluber threw a wild pitch to Ronald Torreyes that missed the target by 2-3 feet that allowed Sanchez to score, widening the Yankee margin to two.

Similar to last night's game, the Indians took a few innings to chip away at the Yankee lead, but would eventually battled back to tie the game. Jason Kipnis launched his 19th homerun of the season into the stands in right field to lead off the fourth that made it a 2-1 score. In the top of the fifth, after Abraham Amonte walked, advancing to second on a Carlos Perez ground out, Rajai Davis hit a two-out single to left that scored Almonte and knotted the game up at two.

Sabathia's struggles continued in the top of the sixth as the Tribe took the lead and knocked the big lefty out of the ballgame. With one out, Mike Napoli torched a hanging C.C. slider way over the wall in right-center to push Cleveland ahead by one. Then, after allowing a single to Carlos Santana, Sabathia walked Brandon Guyer and was pulled for righty reliever Anthony Swarzak, who got Abraham Almonte to strike out to end the threat with no further damage.

The Yankees pitching staff was once again bitten by the longball as Rajai Davis hit a line drive solo shot about 10 rows deep in left off Swarzak to extend the Indians lead to 4-2.

Corey Kluber was a strike throwing machine this afternoon, tossing eight innings of two-run ball, holding the Yanks to just five hits while walking one and striking out eight.

Cleveland tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth before they sent out their new closer Andrew Miller to sit down his former teammates. And, may I say it really sucked to see him come in and mow Yankee hitters down the same way he did for so long in pinstripes. Miller allowed one hit to Gardner before striking out Ellsbury and Teixeira. Brian McCann grounded out to short to end the ballgame and tying the series at a game apiece.

Here's to hoping tomorrow's rubber game looks more like last night's game rather than today's contest, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 PM/EST.