Two Yankees Minor Leagues Suspended for Drugs

Well after a great day here is a somber end to the evening. Two members of the New York Yankees minor league family were caught with and suspended for performance enhancing drugs this week.

Edel Luaces and Erick Mendez both received 50-game suspensions without pay for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs according to NJ.com and their Advanced Media. Both were members of the GCL Yankees although Mendez received a promotion to Pulaski later on in the 2016 regular season.

Like I’ve said many, many times before. This game is still not clean and it may never be. 

Weekly AFL Check In: Tyler Wade

Yesterday was a hectic day for me. So hectic in fact that I did not get to the weekly Arizona Fall League check in for Tyler Wade so I’m making up for it today with a double dose of check in posts. The first was Dillon Tate, our normal Friday check in, and now we check in with one of the many Yankees middle infield prospects that are being forced to learn new positions due to the absolute logjam down on the farm.

Such a good problem to have. Here’s Wade’s stat line from the AFL thus far this season. 

The Greedy Pinstripes & a FANCHEST Promo

Back in May we here at TGP received a FANCHEST which we promptly did a review about on the site. Well good news Yankees fans and with the holiday season fast approaching this comes not a moment too soon. Fanchest is back and they want to give The Greedy Pinstripes readers and subscribers a chance to try fanchest with a discount. Put in discount code “greedypinstripes” for $10 off your first purchase. 

And for all those who missed it here is my review once again from back in May. Check it out.

In a world where anything can be ordered or found online it's getting harder and harder to be original. We saw some originality with the OneUPBox and the HorrorBox and all the equivalents but as far as I knew there wasn't a "box" for the sports fan. Until now. Fanchest is like those other "boxes" but they cater to the New York Yankees, New York Rangers or New York Mets fans. For us by us kind of thing.

Now if you click the Yankees section on Fanchest.com you can find that they have different tiers of boxes that naturally change every single month. The fanchest that I purchased was the "MVP" tier which will cost you $79.99.

What I received was a pair of Majestic Yankees T-shirts and not the cheap ones either, these are the authentic shirts that the Yankees are wearing on the field and in the dugouts. I also received a pair of Yankee Stadium seating chart themed coasters for my living room and one of those silicone bands to wear on my wrist. The box also contained a Yankees jersey bottle coozie, a one-size fits all Yankees hat and one of the awesome Yankees wigs pictured above.

You can get smaller tiered boxes ranging in price from $49 and $59 and you can also get Mark Teixeira and Paul O'Neill themed boxes that contain signed baseballs with authenticity paperwork for $199.99 and $174.99 respectively.

So head over to Fanchest.com, pick your team, pick your box and blow your loved ones away for Fathers Day, Christmas or just because. I highly recommend this box and I already have my eye on another for next month. We hope this review helps!

Yankees Potential Trade Partners: Seattle Mariners

The New York Yankees are going to be active on the trade market this offseason if they plan to compete in 2017. Taking a look at the free agent class doesn’t give teams much hope right now if they have a lot they need to add and while the Yankees farm system is as strong as it’s likely ever been the need for a trade or two will be a necessity, not a want. That brings me to a potential trade partner for the New York Yankees. A team that has the starting pitching the Yankees could possibly use and a team with a good working relationship with Yankees GM Brian Cashman. I bring you the Seattle Mariners.

The Seattle Mariners may trade one or both of James Paxton or Patrick Corbin this offseason and the Yankees very much need starting pitching this offseason making these two teams an ideal matchup in trades this winter.

Paxton is a left-handed pitcher that the Yankees have coveted for a while now and while he has been injury prone as of late when he has been on the mound he has been effective. In 2016 Paxton threw 121 innings with a 6-7 record, 3.79 ERA and 117 strikeouts at just 28-years old. Even last year the Yankees at least reportedly dangled Brett Gardner in a trade with Seattle for Paxton so this is a rumor that is worth keeping an eye on. That trade package may be revisited this winter.

Corbin on the other hand comes with a little more intrigue but a few more question marks as well. Just three seasons ago Corbin was an All-Star for the Arizona Diamondbacks before missing the 2014 season with Tommy John surgery. With now two years under his belt since the surgery Corbin could be primed to finally break out again and show teams his true health again.

Both pitchers come with concerns and history but both pitchers are young and come with tons of upside and the possibility of being acquired on the cheap. If the Yankees aren’t comfortable with selling the farm for a Chris Sale or equivalent type pitcher than they are going to have to take a gamble on someone and I wouldn’t mind gambling with either of these two arms in Seattle.

Stay tuned. 

Happy Veterans Day... And Thank You!

I want to take the time to thank everyone and tell everyone Happy Veterans Day. Whether you have served domestically, abroad or are the family member or friend of member who has I applaud you for your sacrifice and your strength. Some may not appreciate the things you do and the hardships you endure but I certainly do.


And an extra Thank You to Mr. Ken Reed and Mr. patrick (always with a little “p”) Walsh for their service and continued support and efforts on the site and in the comments section of the site. Thank you!

Weekly AFL Check In: Dillon Tate

Dillon Tate fresh off a trip to the Arizona Fall League All-Star Game has picked up right where he left off before earning the nod. Tate’s trip down to Scottsdale with the Scorpions did not start out as well as many had planned but the right-hander has seemingly found his groove and is pitching better. His velocity is up and his command is improving a bit which are all good signs for a young pitcher that came along with concerns about his arm.

Keep up the good work Dillon!

This Day in New York Yankees History 11/11: Joe DiMaggio

On this day in 1941 Joltin' Joe DiMaggio won the American League Most Valuable Player award for the second time in his career. The Yankee Clipper edges Ted Williams in his season in which he hit .406 when a Red Sox writer leaves Williams off the ballot. The Curse of the Bambino continues...


Speaking of Joe DiMaggio on this day in 1948 the Yankee Clipper was put into John Hopkins Hospital in New York to remove bone spurs on his right heel. DiMaggio would not make his debut for the Yankees in 1949 until June, 28 of that season and would debut by hitting a single and a two run home run in his first two at bats in a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox in Fenway.

2016 Yankees Highlights Featuring Aroldis Chapman

Aroldis Chapman may have only spent about a half of a season with the New York Yankees but he did work while he was here. It would be irresponsible not to acknowledge that so here is his time to shine tonight. Hope to see you again soon this winter. 

2017 Yankees Spring Training Schedule Now Available!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

The New York Yankees announced today the club’s 2017 spring training schedule, featuring  a total of 35 exhibition games with 17 home games at the newly-renovated George M. Steinbrenner Field.  Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training on February 13th, while position players are scheduled to report February 18th.

Click here to view the schedule

Season tickets for 2017 Yankees Spring Training home games are now on sale and can be purchased by visiting www.yankees.com/springtraining.   For general information on Yankees Spring Training or the new and exciting premium seating options at George M. Steinbrenner Field, please visitwww.steinbrennerfield.com.

My Thoughts on the Possibility of Kendrys Morales in the Bronx

Boy my Twitter has not blown up like it did this week in quite some time. That’s why I enjoy the hot stove season and offseason so much I guess. One little rumor and people start losing their minds. This little rumor was the rumor that the New York Yankees had inquired about the former Kansas City Royals designated hitter Kendrys Morales. Of course thoughts immediately went from Morales to the possibility of having a deal in place for Yankees catcher Brian McCann causing many Yankees fans to speculate and lose their minds. Well I was at work when all this was going down and I want to lose my mind too with speculation… so here goes.

Morales would add another switch hitter into the fold and a power hitter into the fold much like the Yankees are losing this winter in Mark Teixeira. Morales hit 30 home runs during the 2016 season and does not come linked to any sort of draft pick compensation so he would make sense for any team, including the Yankees. The Yankees won’t be without their competition though as the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox among others would also be interested presumably just looking at the current state of their rosters. This all hinges on being able to move Brian McCann though for the Yankees.

I also like the fact that Morales could add some depth and insurance at first base for Greg Bird and Tyler Austin, assuming both make the roster out of spring training, which is never a bad thing to have. Morales would definitely be a Plan C or Plan D at the position, he has only played there 15 times in the last two seasons, but having someone at least familiar with the position would be a great addition to the ball club in my opinion.

The power is nice, the positional depth is also nice and the fact that he is a switch hitter almost always fits in with the Yankees way of doing things. It all comes down to the contract though. At 33-years old handing out a deal any longer than two seasons just seems foolish to me. One year at most is what I would personally want to go but I can see a team like Boston giving him two or three making that a moot point. Do I want Morales? Sure, I think he would fit the squad well. Do I think the Yankees will ultimately sign him? Honestly, I don’t know. Again, this all hinges on a move for Brian McCann.

I love the offseason. Stay tuned.